Food fanatics, get your Tivos ready! This fall Kitchen Stadium will once again open up its doors to find a new culinary warrior in the ever popular primetime Food Network series "The Next Iron Chef." Announced Thursday, the new season will premiere on Sunday, October 4 at 9pm ET/PT, and will challenge ten top chefs from around the country in a series of demanding situations, putting their culinary skills and mental toughness to the test.

The ten contestants for the upcoming season include:

• Nate Appleman (Chef/Butcher, New York, NY)
• Dominique Crenn (Chef de Cuisine, Luce at InterContinental San Francisco, San Francisco, CA)
• Brad Farmerie (Executive Chef, Double Crown, Madam Geneva, PUBLIC and The Monday Room, New York, NY)
• Amanda Freitag (Executive Chef, The Harrison, New York, NY)
• Jose Garces (Executive Chef & Owner, Amada, Tinto, Distrito, Chifa, Philadelphia, PA)
• Eric Greenspan (Executive Chef & Owner, The Foundry on Melrose, Los Angeles, CA)
• Jehangir Mehta (Executive Chef & Owner, Graffiti, New York, NY)
• Seamus Mullen (Executive Chef & Partner, Boqueria Flatiron and Boqueria Soho, New York, NY)

More than 250 domestic and international wines will be available to taste at the Cleveland Wine Festival that runs June 26th & 27th downtown. Live music will be featured and cooking demos will take place during the event as well. Here is the information from their website:

Voinovich Bicentennial Park
800 E. 9th St, Cleveland, OH 44114
Dates/Times

June 26 & 27, 2009

Friday, June 26
4:00PM to 10:00PM
Ticket sales end at 8:30PM, alcohol sampling and
sales end at 9:30PM

Saturday, June 27
1:00PM to 8:00PM
Ticket sales end at 6:30PM, alcohol sampling and
sales end at 7:30PM

You can still get your nachos, but now you'll have healthier options too.

Eating at the ballpark used to mean hot dogs, hamburgers, greasy fries, and nachos loaded with cheese. Now, with more consumers concerned and conscious of the foods that they are eating, there has been an increased demand for a healthier ballpark menu. Recognizing this, the Cleveland Indians teamed up with the Cleveland Clinic to create a new, healthier menu of choices for those heading down to Progressive Field this season.

Under the new Go! Foods program, Progressive Field will begin serving foods that have zero grams of trans fat; less than four grams per serving of saturated fat, added sugars or syrups; 100% whole grains; and 600 milligrams or less of sodium.

Before you say "yuck", we've been assured that the foods actually taste good, despite missing all those staples of delicious, not-good-for-you dishes. The Cleveland Clinic has tested the food for taste, so we're pretty confident that you won't be eating snacks that taste like cardboard if you venture to try one of the new healthy food options.

A new study out of Australian has found that a small portion of mushrooms every day may slash the risk of breast cancer by two-thirds. Researchers found that women who at about 1/3 of an ounce of fresh mushrooms daily were 64 percent less likely to develop a fatal tumor.

Dried mushrooms were found to have a slightly less protective effect, and reduced risk by around half.

Researchers at the University of Western Australia in Perth came to these conclusions after analyzing the eating habits of more than 2,000 women in China. Half of them suffered from breast cancer. They concluded that “Higher intake of mushrooms decreased cancer risk in both pre- and post-menopausal Chinese women.”

Some evidence suggests that mushrooms behave in a similar way to breast cancer drugs which are called aromatase inhibitors and block the body's production of oestogen, a cancer-feeding hormone.

Another recent study also showed that mushrooms may help significantly with weight loss. Researchers found that trading meat for fungus in four meals a week as a part of a balanced diet saw people shed an average of 12.7lbs. in just five weeks.

Valentine's Day is just a few short days away, which means it's time to start thinking about what you're going to make your sweetheart for dinner. Chef Andrew Schloss, author of more than 14 cookbooks, has been kind enough to share with us his top choices and recipes for a delicious romantic dinner.

Entrees

* Pan-Grilled Rosemary Lamb Chops
* Beef Burgundy
* Chicken Risotto with Basil and Parmesan
* Tuscan-Style Pasta with Cannellini *
* Broiled Salmon with Olive Tomato Vinaigrette

Appetizers, Sides and Salads

* Watercress-Citrus Salad with Grilled Figs *

* Bowtie Salad Primavera with Fresh Basil and Toasted Pine Nuts
* Vegetable Pilaf
* Escarole Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Warm White Bean Vinaigrette
* Savory Potatoes
* Mixed Endive Salad with Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette and Toasted Walnuts

Desserts

* Red Satin Cake with Peaches and Raspberries *
* Vanilla Ice Cream with Peaches and Gingered Cherry Sauce
* Raspberry-Peach Melba
* Pear And Ginger Crisp

Drinks

* Ginger-Pear Martini *
* Grapefruit-Lime Daiquiri
* Pomegranate Sherbet Shake (non-alcoholic) *

(see recipes below)

If you're looking for the perfect dessert or appetizer to make for your sweetie this Valentine's Day, consider this recipe for Coeur a La Creme with fresh raspberry compliments of the Black Sheep Inn of Western New York. One of the Inn's signature dishes, Coeur a La Creme is delicious and easy to make.

Ingredients-
Coeur a la creme:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened or mascarpone cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch salt

Topping:

1/3 cup frozen raspberries, thawed
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Special equipment: 2 (1/3 cup) ceramic coeur a la creme molds and cheesecloth
1/3 cup sour cream or whole milk cream on top yogurt
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, with a bit of the rind grated in
Pinch sea salt

Topping:
1/3 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed (other berries are a delicious change if you prefer
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Special equipment: 2 (1/3 cup) ceramic Coeur a la creme molds and cheesecloth

Directions:

If you're amongst the many people who'd like to avoid heading out to a restaurant this year to celebrate Valentine's Day, and cooking just isn't your thing, we've got the perfect solution for you. Introducing Chef Eric Wells, a personal chef, caterer, and culinary instructor from the Cleveland area specializing in preparing intimate dinners for two.

So instead of eating out or struggling through preparing a meal of your own, Chef Wells can prepare for you a romantic, 4-course meal in the comfort of your own home. He provides everything for the perfect meal, complete with the freshest and most flavorful ingredients to designer china, a linen tablecloth and napkins, fresh flowers and candles. Chef Wells also uses his own restaurant quality cookware to ensure flawless food preparation, and even cleans the kitchen after the event.

Think service such as this will cost you a fortune? Not so. Chef Eric Wells' prices are pretty reasonable, costing just $175 to $200 per couple, depending on the menu you choose.

For more information, pricing, and menu options, visit Eric's website at www.SkyeLaraes.com.

Survey shows 81% of adults would prefer a home cooked meal to dining out.

If you've thought about staying in with your signifcant other this Valentine's Day, you're not alone. A recent study of married adults in the U.S. by Harris Interactive and Whole Foods Market found that 81 percent would prefer a nice dinner at home over going out to eat on February 14.

The survey showed that of those who prefered to stay at home, many shared both romantic and frugal reasons. 64 percent agreed that dinner at home is more intimate or special, and 73 percent agreed that dinner at home prepared by a significant other is more personal, thoughtful or caring. Half cited financial reasons, such as the state of the economy and the increased expense of eating out.

Making a meal at home, in most cases, costs at least half the amount you'd spend dining out at a restaurant.

This month features the ultimate battle in breakfast food freebies, with both Denny's and IHOP restaurants attempting to lure in customers by offering free food.

On Tuesday, February 3, Denny's (NASDAQ: DENN) is offering a free a Grand Slam and coupon book to all customers that show up between 6am and 2pm. If you're not a frequent Denny's visitor, a Grand Slam consists of 2 eggs, 2 pancakes, 2 sausages, 2 slices of bacon.

On Tuesday, February 24 it's National Pancake Day at IHOP, where from 7am to 10pm all customers will be treated to a free short stack of pancakes. For those of you who don't know what a short stack is, its three pancakes. All they ask is that you consider making a donation to a local children's hospital, through the Children's Miracle Network or other means.

So which deal will you go for? Dennys or IHOP, or both? Me? I'll be staying home. No free meal is worth the inevitably long wait at either restaurant.

A nationwide recall on peanut butter produced by Peanut Corp. of America of Lynchburg, Va. was announced Wednesday after officials revealed two more deaths associated with a salmonella outbreak. One of their clients - Kellogg Co. - later asked stores to cease selling some of their peanut butter crackers.

Included in the Peanut Corp. of America was 21 lots of peanut butter made since July 1 at its plant in Blakely, Ga. They supply peanute paste to Kellogg.

On Wednesday Kellogg asked stores nationwide to pull peanut butter crackers sold under their Keebler and Austin brands. So far Kellogg has not received any complaints or found any problems, and are taking this action out of caution.

More than 430 people in 43 states have been sickened by the salmonella outbreak. In Ohio, 57 cases have been reported, 14 of whom were hospitalized.

Two deaths have been reported in Minnesota, one in Idaho, and two in Virginia in relation to the outbreak. All five were adults that had salmonella when they died, although the causes of death haven't yet been determiend.