The Grocery Ninja leaves no aisle unexplored, no jar unopened, no produce untasted. Creep along with her below, and read all her mission reports here. Kumquats. Photograph from orphanjones on Flickr Remember Mega Warheads or Super Lemon—those insanely tart, hard candies that made your eyes squinch and your lips pucker and your head go, "Oh my! Oh my!" and then "Ahhh..." when the intense sour finally gave way to sugary-sweet insides? Kumquat cross-section. Photograph from Splat Worldwide on Flickr I remembered them this weekend, when the boyfriend brought home a box of kumquats—tiny, pixie citruses about the size of my thumb and cute as all get out. The Chinese think kumquats resemble gold ingots, so my family always had ornamental... More

I don’t know why we’ve never blogged about this video series before. You'd think Robyn would have been all over this—it's Japanese, it's cute, and it involves animals. And before you go there, it's about cooking along with a dog. A dog named Francis, who, as a friend pointed out, makes surprisingly sophisticated recipes. I mean, Cooking with Dog could easily have gone into superkitsch territory, in which the food was secondary to the talking-dog shtick. But, it doesn't. Probably because it’s from Japan and because the dog, a poodle, is of French origin. And, as you know, both cultures take their food very seriously. [Get cookin' with the video, after the jump.]... More

Last May, there was a special "Sandwich Day" episode on 30 Rock. In a climactic scene, Liz Lemon, Tina Fey's character, rushes to the airport to catch her then-crush Floyd, but gets stalled at the security gate—her sandwich's dipping... More

A while back, Nick wrote about a balsamic-glazed Brussels sprouts recipe that he seemed relatively happy with. Now, I personally happen to have the greatest, simplest balsamic Brussels sprouts recipe known to man in my repertoire—a recipe that converts the non-lovers and the childhood-fearers—which I found on a flyer when I visited Dan Barber's upstate restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Although I wanted to write about my Brussels sprouts recipe, Nick had already covered that territory—I cut my losses and moved on. More

The South By Southwest Interactive panel "The Secrets of Successful Food Blogging" wrapped up less than an hour ago. We hear from panelist Zach Brooks that it wasn't recorded, and until someone blogs it, we'll have to rely on the pointillist picture emerging from Twitteronia. Searching the hashtag #foodsxsw gives you the tweets of folks in attendance (those who bothered to hashtag their tweets, anyway). We've excerpted the most interesting ones. Panelists were Zach Brooks (Midtown Lunch), Cathy Erway (Not Eating Out in New York), Kalyn Denny (Kalyn's Kitchen), and Addie Broyles (Relish Austin)—moderated by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Cupcakes Take the Cake). Tweets below occur roughly in order. On Post Frequency and Traffic kittygutz: Don't get wrapped up in... More

This spot offers a myriad of desserts, from their immensely popular mango sago drizzled with coconut milk, to chewy rice balls in sweet black sesame paste. But it's the steamed milk pudding (dun lai) that my friends and I hop into the car and brave traffic for. More

Next time you give notice, say it with a cake. W. Neil Berett's resignation letter, piped on to a sheet cake, was apparently "delicious and well received." Dear Mr. Bowers, During the past three years, my tenure at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard has been nothing short of pure excitement, joy and whim.However, I have decided to spend more time with my family and attend to health issues that have recently arisen. I am proud to have been part of such an outstanding team and I wish this organization only the finest in future endeavors.Please accept this cake as notification that I am leaving my position with NWT on March 27. Who knew naval shipyard workers were so awesome at... More

Shopping List 3 large russet potatoes (about 1 3/4 pounds) - $1.78 16 ounces beef/chicken/vegetable stock - $1.59 4 ounces Gruyère cheese - $3.95 2 heads garlic - $0.70 Pantry items: Flour, butter, olive oil Total cost: $8.02 When... More

A video montage of cute animals eating. Accompanied by an original composition by Parry Gripp called "Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom," the title of which also happens to double as the lyrics. [Watch, after the jump.]... More

Acini di pepe (a pastina, or little pasta, named for its peppercorn shape) is cooked in a caramelized onion-rich soup with shredded Parmesan to make a creamy, mock risotto. More

©iStockphoto.com/hidesy Serious bacon lovers know that if bacon had a team in the NFL, it would most certainly be in the Super Bowl. So if you're having people over for the big game, or even if you're watching with immediate... More

This year, I wanted to outdo myself. And I think I did. I combined two of my favorite all-American junk food concoctions: nachos, and the loaded baked potato. Why should chips and cheese be relegated exclusively to flavors of the Southwest? More

Photograph from notinponce on Flickr Salted Water for Boiling is easily Epicurious' most commented-on recipe, with 801 responses at last count. The thread has become a treasure trove of sarcastic comments: I am frustrated with these "advanced" recipes. Does everyone think we're ALL professional chefs?? I can't tell at what point to add the salt, and what kind of salt? Kosher? Fleur de Sal? Iodized? And then what kind of water? Tap? Distilled? Artesian? How long do I boil it? I am so confused. Please, Epicurious, screen your recipes better. Don't waste your time on this one. I substituted leftover hot dogs for the salt, and used a combination of maple syrup and salsa instead of water, and it didn't... More