In honor of March being National Peanut Month why not visit "The World's First PB&J Art Exhibit" at the Nutropolitan Museum of Art. For 3 days you can view the PB&J gallery, meet a peanut farmer, make your own PB&J art and get the skinny on nuts. The exhibit is FREE and each family will receive a FREE jar of Peanut Butter & Company peanut butter. Another jar will be donated to the Food Bank of New York in your name just for making a donation.

Beer enthusiasts and foodies alike are united in the 3rd Annual NY Craft Beer Week, September 24 to October 3. The kickoff event was sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery and provided a sneak peek at some of the beers being offered this year. The citywide event covers all five boroughs and offers the opportunity to enjoy over 100 craft beers as well as Zagat’s “Beer Pairing Menus.” I can tell you, from first hand experience, that these craft beers are truly unique and leave you wanting more! Just purchase your NYC Beer Passport 2010 for $10 for a full list of participating bars and restaurants. The passport allows you to sample craft beers for $3 at participating merchants. That’s right, $3!  Quite a beer deal for the big city!  

Ultimate Recipe Showdown on Food Network has entered it’s sizzling third season. Hosted by Guy Fieri, of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, and Guy’s Big Bite, this series challenges the 24 top contestants to chop and mix their way through 6 recipe categories: Comfort Food, Party Food, Hot&Spicy, Burgers, Cakes&Desserts and Hometown Favorites.

Chef Anne Burrell first entered our homes with Mario Batali in 2004, on the hit Food Network show “Iron Chef”.  She is currently hosting both “Secrets of a Restaurant Chef” and co-hosting “Worst Cooks in America”. Each week Chef Anne, along with Beau MacMillan do their best to transform 12 of the worse cooks into culinary stars. Sunday we’ll learn who represents Chef Anne in the final challenge: cook a restaurant quality meal to esteemed food critics to win the $25,000 prize.

As a foodie, I am always looking for the next great cooking show to help achieve my goals. I hope to master the basics and come out smelling like Mario Batali. Well move over Top Chefs and make room for “Worst Cooks in America”, premiering January 3rd at 10pm on Food Network. If “cinnamon meatloaf” and “cottage cheese mac” sounds offensive or, like something you’ve tried, this is the show for you. It's not just a catchy title. They have searched the country for the worst cooks America has to offer. Chefs Beau MacMillan and Anne Burrell will do their best to transform the 12 worst cooks, and get them ready to serve a restaurant quality meal to top food critics. In the end the winner takes home a $25,000 prize.

In the world of Food TV, it doesn’t get any bigger than “The Next Iron Chef”. Sunday night Seamus Mullen lost the battle leaving Jose Garces and Jehangir Mehta as the last chefs standing. The final 2 will meet at Kitchen Stadium, Sunday on The Food Network, to compete for the supreme culinary title “Iron Chef”.

Since opening his first restaurant Amada, in Philadelphia in 2005, Chef Garces has opened 4 other restaurants in Philadelphia and is the executive chef at Chicago’s Mercat a la Planxa.  In 2007 Chef Mehta opened Graffiti in the East Village of New York City after gracing the kitchens of Aix, Mercer Kitchen and serving as pastry chef of Compass.

Chef Mehta and Chef Garces spoke with me about the “Iron Chef” challenge, their inspirations and all things food.

Is there any preparation for “Iron Chef” knowing you won’t have the ingredients until the last minute? Is it as spontaneous as we see on TV?

I love to eat out and socialize; and luckily when you live in a place like New York, you get endless opportunities to do so, 7 days a week. However, sometimes I just want to stay home and be totally casual and relaxed. As a kid, I loved sleepovers, and still try to convince my friends to a good old pillow fight. This weekend ended up being just one of those. Yayy!