When I visited Beijing in late 2001, I certainly knew more about authentic Chinese food than the average American, but classes in Chinese cooking hadn't prepared me for what turned out to be the food adventure of a lifetime. This was before my food-blogger-with-digital-camera days, so I couldn't photograph my Beijing experiences, but plenty of other food bloggers have shared about food adventures in Beijing.

Grab your remotes, get set, go! The 2008 Summer Olympics begin on Friday with the flag-waving pageantry of the opening ceremony. To mark the occasion, how about cooking up the Kung Pao Chicken from Appetite for China? Just click this post's title for the recipe.

How Do You Get Your Fiber? I've always had a real problem getting enough fiber in my diet, and (as you can imagine) that can be problematic...But, I won't bore you with the details of my regularity. Over the years I've been told by many doctors that I should be taking fiber supplements. So, I've tried various supplements. However, no matter how perfected these powdered fiber drinks have become, they are still disgusting to me. In comparison, irregularity doesn't seem so bad.

Take along a strong back when visiting the farmers markets in August: a ten-pound watermelon will call, "Take me home! Eat me up!" Watermelons are inexpensive, easy to eat -- and with just a few minutes of research, there's more to watermelon than wedges. Here are 16 recipe ideas, all perfectly suited to hot summer days.

It was barely over a week ago on the blog of famous baking expert Dorie Greenspan that I first heard about Operation Baking GALS, a project started by Susan Whetzel of Doughmesstic. I'm not a baker, so I didn't pay much attention to it at first.

If we are allowed just one tomato this year, let it be an heirloom.