Two of the most popular ethnic foods in America are Italian and Spanish, but learning how to cook them in an authentic manner often seems impossible. The range of spices and ingredients are very different, but an equal amount of effort is required to refine the skills needed to comfortably impress your next dinner guests. Below are a few of the main differences in Spanish and Italian cooking, as well as how you can develop the skills to bring these types of favorite foods to your table.

We talked about Lobsterfest a few months ago, but now it's time for Crabfest at Red Lobster and it's a perfect opportunity to treat someone special to a great dinner! In my case, Heather and I celebrated her birthday a couple days early with a big heaping portion of Bairdi Crab Legs and I had the Crab Lover's Dream featuring King Crab, Snow Crab and a delicious Crab Linguine Alfredo.

Breakfast on the road has never been a great experience for me. Lucky for us though, just as quick-serve restaurants have recently focused a lot of energy on the morning experience, thankfully so has Pilot Flying J. Last week we had the chance to taste test a few of their new PJ Fresh breakfast sandwiches so you could pick the one that matches your palate best.

I'm a fan of big bold flavors and when that combines with travel it's even better. Recently while on a trip to New Mexico I discovered a new recipe that I've now fallen in love with but have never seen outside of the state. It was a deliciously bold combination of red chilis and tender chunks of meat that almost melt in your mouth. So, like any self respecting foodie, the moment I got home I searched for what was in it so that I could make my own version of Carne Adovada!

Taiwan's slogan is "The Heart of Asia". There's a reason for that. It's situated pretty much dead center between China, Japan, Vietnam, and the Philippines, and it has a little bit of all of that culture. Taiwan is literally The Heart of Asia, and it shows when you visit. If you are a foodie, this is a great place to visit so you can sample the best flavors from the region without worrying about visas, finding a new hotel, or taking extra flights. Coming up in August though is an awesome opportunity to explore the region even more at the 2016 Taiwan Culinary Exhibition.

Most of us have at one point or another enjoyed a Brazilian steakhouse. Typically it's an expensive experience reserved for those celebratory dinners for holidays, birthdays, promotions etc. Recently though, Fogo de Chao has launched two new twists on this including their amazing brunch and also a "gaucho lunch". As a man who loves my meat I couldn't pass up the opportunity when they invited me to check out their new Brazilian Brunch!

Sure, I enjoy fine dining as much as the next guy but sometimes that just isn't an option and you are faced with a decision of "what to eat" and you only have time to either get gas or swing through the drive through. In those cases I've typically resorted to grabbing a chocolate bar or maybe some beef jerky, but that's never really satisfying. What I really need is a nice juicy hamburger that will carry me through till dinner. That's where BIG AZ burgers come in!

How many times have you heard "healthy" and thought, "YUCK!"? Probably most of you thought that at least once, but it doesn't have to be that way. The problem is that most "healthy" recipes are written by people that prefer "health" over big robust tastes, textures, and experience. I'm here to say that it doesn't have to be that way!

Dreamfields has presented me with a challenge to create an innovative recipe that includes: Beer, Smoked / Grilled Meats, Hot Peppers, Lemon, and a Vegetable of choice + two other ingredients that features their "Healthy Carb Living" pasta. By participating in this challenge, a donation will be made to a food pantry of my choice and the winning recipe creator will be able to donate an even larger amount.

June is California Avocado Month and so we were invited to help celebrate it with a fantastic dinner at the top of a mountain in a real avocado grove along side the farmer who manages one of the largest avocado ranches in California. A dinner outside under the stars is always special but this was over the top since typically avocados are a sort of mysterious fruit. Sure, we all love them in guacamole but where do they actually come from and what else can you do with them?

One of the fun things about cruising is the food – not just the quantity, but the specialness of having treats that you generally don’t find at home. Over the years, as American tastes have gotten more sophisticated, cooking shows have become one of the most popular forms of entertainment. While many cruise ships do have a cooking demo a couple times on each voyage, Holland America has taken this to the next level with actual theaters to showcase their chefs as well as periodically invite celebrity chefs to make an appearance as well.

Slow cooker soup recipes are among my favorite since there is minimal cleanup, you can make a big batch and they are easy to re-heat later. In fact, they often taste better on the second or third day since it gives the flavors a chance to come together. While I could make up a fancy story about why or how I created this recipe the simple truth is I got tired of cooking my fish in a pan and needed a way to use up the bag of frozen tilapia I had left in the freezer without wasting it or making too much of a mess.

When you think about camping, you probably think about fresh air, campfires, and music but my guess is that you also are thinking about those tasty treats that you only get every so often. That's right, I'm talking about camping recipes and fire-cooked canned foods like Dinty Moore Beef Stew and Hormel Chili. On our recent trip to Joshua Tree National Park, we expanded on our favorites by adding a couple new ones...

Things can sometimes get stale after being in a relationship for a number of years. It's easy to fall into those patterns where you know what your partner likes and so you end up going to the same places and doing the same things. Now think back to when you were just getting started. Back then, you worked hard to impress each other and cherished every moment. That can happen again but it isn't just "going to happen", so here's some tips to help you plan the ultimate date night.

It's National Grilled Cheese Day on April 12, so naturally I had to create a fabulous creation to celebrate. There's something absolutely amazing about the a grilled cheese sandwich with the molten cheese ooozing out from two nicely toasted pieces of bread. While there's nothing wrong with stopping there, I like to take things to the next level and that's why I decided to create the Southwestern Chili Grilled Cheese!

There's something magical about lobster, just the mention if it brings visions of wealth, status, and a lifestyle of luxury. As someone who once lived in a lobster town in Massachusetts, lobster was always an affordable luxury - similar in cost to a great pork chop or a nice steak. Even though the cost was equivalent, the mention of lobster meant we were having a special dinner. Years later and on a different coast, that's pretty much how I feel each time I walk into Red Lobster today too.

Every place that I visit has a special food item that they are known for and while Texas is synonymous with BBQ I discovered a diverse world of awesome flavors last month as we explored San Antonio. From washing tamales down with an ice cold bottle of Big Red to candied pecan covered bowls of kettle corn, I simply wasn't expecting even half of what we enjoyed!

I was introduced to avocado oil by Chosen Foods who sent me a sample of their spray and cooking oil. While I am an avocado fiend, I was honestly a Little reluctant to switch from olive oil initially. However, after trying it on a few different recipes I am completely hooked! While there are other advantages, the biggest single one is the higher smoke point, which means that my pans are cleaner and stuff is less likely to turn brown / black in the pan.

You may think you've got time since Valentine's Day is still a couple months away but Christmas can be romantic occasion too, as can New Years Eve! One thing that I'm always a fan of us doing a plate with assorted cheeses and other items along with a favorite bottle of wine. The folks over at Whole Foods Market agreed to share some of their knowledge and hooked us up with three amazing cheese and three bottles of wine.

There's two things that all guys love - whisky and beef. Chef Perry Lang showed Jimmy Kimmel Live! how to make these things even better... by combining them :) 

Old Vegas may have slipped behind the curtain over the past decade to make way for hipsters and people looking for upscale luxury experiences but below the surface there are still a few Vegas treasures that will transport you back to the golden age of Vegas when being a "celebrity" meant something more than just how many Instagram followers you have.