Ok, so I'm guilty of it too... I like to work hard to the point where I'm absolutely starving. I don't want to wait for delivery and I'm too hungry to cook - so I hit the freezer to see what's inside. Often times that results in pretty bad food choices but it doesn't have to. The folks at Conagra sent us a few of their latest product to check out and all of them can be prepared quickly so you can get back to work fast.

For the past 127 years, Fazer has been making some of the most delicious chocolates and other confections for people from around the world. They've no launched a new line of chocolates, "NORDI" produced by their state-of-the-art facility in Finland. It's 100% sustainably sourced with non-GMO ingredients, 70% cacoa and all the cacao comes from UTZ, Rainforest Alliance, or Fairtrade Cocoa Sourcing Programme. More importantly though... how does it taste?

So you've probably experimented with whiskey before when preparing BBQ but sometimes the occasion just calls for tequila and so that what we tried. This recipe is a fairly simple smoked brisket recipe with light hints of tequila that help pair it well with a nice full glass of high-quality agave spirits such as our favorite, Don Julio 1942.

Pasta mixed up with cheese has been a favorite dish for centuries. It has a long history of being both a dish enjoyed by foodies to one enjoyed by the poorest of people looking simply for a tasty treat to fill their hungry bellies. As a result, you have an almost infinite number of macaroni and cheese recipes with each person having their own twist on the classic. Today's recipe comes to us from Bellwether Farms, an artisan creamery located in Sonoma County, California and features their Bellwether Farms Carmody.

Now it's 25th year, Taste of The Gaslamp is one of the biggest food and wine events in San Diego and it's a great opportunity to check out a bunch of different restaurants around town. I live downtown so I can walk to virtually anything I want - but I've gotten into a rut and only go to my favorites these days. Unfortunately the restaurant industry is a dynamic environment with new places opening and old places closing almost on a daily basis. This means that while I have my favorites - it can be hard to find new ones... before it's too late. So, this gave me (and other residents) the opportunity to explore them for one low price.

Babe's BBQ and Brewhouse is located in Rancho Mirage, CA about the middle of the "Greater Palm Springs" area and that makes it a great spot to meet up after a day of golf, off-roading, or in our case driving at the BMW Performance Center. With a combination of Latin Fusion, a variety of BBQ styles, and craft beer it's got something for everyone.

The flavor of fire-grilled meat is a primal experience that goes back thousands of years. Man has been drawn to the delicious char and juices dripping from a perfectly cooked piece of meat since the first time he tried it. Thankfully this is a skill that continues to be passed down through thousands of generations of men and that continues today in backyards across America! Unfortunately, it isn't something that just anyone can do properly. You need to equip yourself with a few basic skills. Just like any other craft, technicalities of the process have to be carefully mastered.

One of the things I love about cruising is the food. It's not always the "best ever" but each cruise line has some iconic dishes that fans absolutely crave and savor the memories for months and years after the cruise. In the case if Carnival, their Warm Chocolate Melting Cake is undisputedly one of the best deserts at sea. While virtually all cruise lines offer a variation of a "chocolate lava cake", Carnival's is just that much better and we've got the secret recipe below. However, the other thing I love about cruising is that you can always make things better and the crew loves to make guests happy. That is true on almost every cruise I've taken with Carnival and it is certainly true the night we took Carnival's Warm Chocolate Melting Cake to the next level by adding melted peanut butter!

I love cooking, eating, taking photos of food, and sharing meals with interesting people. Food is something that I'm pretty passionate about and so I was excited to dig into the survey results that Knorr sent me from their survey of more than 2,000 Americans. The survey included questions about food preferences, cooking styles, spending habits and more. As someone who loves food I was a bit surprised by some of the findings but maybe I shouldn't be. Here's what they found...

The San Pedro Fish Market is one of the most famous restaurants in Los Angeles and dates back to 1956 when it opened it's doors as Vista Seafood. It's known worldwide as a fun place serving up huge portions of fresh seafood that people know is worth facing crowds of hungry people just to get a bite of. Now they are expanding into a new concept, delivering the food and fun of the classic Shrimp Tray and other items but now in a fast casual restaurant environment. While still family owned, the San Pedro Fish Market Grille has expanded to multiple locations including Rolling Hills Estates, Wilmington, and Harbor City - where they invited us to join them for a taste.

Looking for a tasty treats to keep you warm and happy this winter? Here's some suggestions from our friends over at Guiness and Bulleit!

I love fun wines and the personality behind them, so I was excited to try MERF Wines Cabernet Sauvignon a few weeks ago. All too often I feel like wine is either stuffy and boring or kitchy product designed to draw you in with a label but ultimately lacking the quality product to make you want more. I've been a fan though of Columbia Valley wines from Washington State since they generally have a fantastic quality to them that is almost a part of the lifestyle. David "Merf" Merfeld's product continues this so we wanted to get to know him a bit more. Here's his thoughts on travel, food, and why he switched from brewing to winemaking.

I don't go green or organic unless it tastes good. The thrill of labels simply doesn't matter to me... but when it's delicious AND organic, that's when I get excited. When True Story Foods contacted me and offered to send over some of their products to check out, how could I refuse. A few weeks later they filled my fridge with organic hot dogs, sausages, deli meats, and pork - all gluten free, dairy free, soy free, nitrate free and a free of a bunch of other stuff. What it wasn't free of is taste and quality.

While many people might look at English muffins simply as a platform to hold melted butter and some jam, for me they are much more versatile than that. In fact while I love them for breakfast and brunch there are a bunch of other uses for them as well. You can find more of those on the Bays English Muffins website, but for today we created a special recipe that combines two of my favorite flavors – French Toast and Cinnamon Sugar Toast.

While fresh guacamole scooped out of an avocado and mashed right in front of you is almost always the best option, that's not always possible and it's expensive. So, I've been a fan of Wholly Guacamole for a while now for parties, tailgates, and other opportunities when I just need to whip a relatively healthy and great tasting snack together. But what about bag lunches and road trip snacks? Thankfully, Wholly Guacamole has introduced their new Snack Cups to fill that space!

Any time of year is a great time to visit Disneyland but Fall and especially Halloween is an extra special time of year here. The park is all dressed up and there's some awesome new treats each year plus a few unique attractions that are only available for a few short months before it goes into full "Holiday" mode. Disneyland gave us a couple passes to check out the fun, so we stopped by the park and did a quick walk through of a few different areas that you won't want to miss. Let's check it out!

I love taking classic items and kicking them up a notch (or three?). One of my favorite lunches to make is a classic grilled ham and cheese. While there’s nothing wrong with simply throwing some random ham and cheese slices between pieces of bread and grilling it – we can do better than that! When you want the ultimate grilled cheese experience, it’s important to focus on the best ingredients available and that’s why this one stars Eckrich Black Forest Ham.

When you are young and still on the "chase", date night is something you look forward to but over the years it can become redundant, expensive, or just something to put off until next week. Unfortunately, as wonderful as marriage and long-term relationships can be there's a trap that you need to avoid called complacency. Here's some tips to overcome that and impress your date with how much you care for her.

Asking a chef or cook what their secret recipe is one of those things that I generally try to avoid. After all, there's always more to a great meal than simply a set of directions. That being said, after trying some of the famous Gator Gumbo at Peace River Seafood in Punta Gorda, Florida I just had to ask for the chance to share it with you guys. It's THAT good... and what's even better is that they even have a pet alligator in the pond out back... because of course they do, It's Florida!

When I first got contacted by the folks at Biena I thought this was a joke - flavored chickpea snacks? Seriously? While I like hummus and I enjoy garbanzo beans when I can find them in a salad bar. However, not once had I ever thought of them as a snack food tossed in flavors like Habanero and Rockin' Ranch... much less Girl Scout Thin Mint! Yet here we are. I have a dozen or so bags on my table and I can't decide which one I like best.