Since grilling is a generally healthy way of cooking, why limit yourself to the entree? You may as well take advantage of this healthy technique and toss dessert on the grill, too.

Special celebrations such as the Fourth of July warrant memorable desserts. Here's an easy way to create such a dessert with very little trouble.

JASON JANIK/Special Contributor

Chip's sides in an old-school atmosphere.

The humble burger, especially its sibling the cheeseburger, is about as close to perfect summer food as you can get. It's a full meal in one neat package – veggies, meat and dairy (back to the cheeseburger) squeezed into a bun. Here are a few spots to satisfy that ground beef (or turkey or buffalo) craving.

A slice of cool, fresh watermelon is a juicy way to top off a Fourth of July cookout and one that researchers say has effects similar to Viagra — but don't necessarily expect it to keep the fireworks all night long. Watermelons contain an ingredient called citrulline that can trigger production of a compound that helps relax the body's blood vessels, similar to what happens when a man takes Viagra, said scientists in Texas, one of the nation's top producers of the seedless variety.

Two recent cookbooks aim to make upscale eating at home easy. First is the comically good "Cooking with All Things Trader Joe's" by Deana Gunn and Wona Miniati. The concept is simple — shop at the increasingly ubiquitous home of bargain gourmet foods, then turn your finds into fine meals

In New Orleans, cocktails are serious business. What better town for a temple to the tasty history of the American libation? Many outsiders may get their idea of the Big Easy's cocktail culture from the jumbo-sized plastic cups of punch slugged down by tourists on Bourbon Street. But the Museum of the American Cocktail opening in July will focus on the rich history of sophisticated drinks that have been served since Thomas Jefferson was president.

When summer weather is at its finest, it's natural to want to avoid the kitchen. But easy summer eating doesn't have to rely on takeout (which usually comes at a high financial and nutritional price). For example, this recipe for curried shrimp and summer vegetable couscous combines seasonal fresh produce with virtually fat-free protein and a whole-wheat pasta for a supper entree that is as special a treat as any ethnic takeout food.

Your grocer's Latino foods aisle offers a bounty of weeknight cooking shortcuts. The most obvious choice is salsa, which can go on and in so many things, effortlessly adding tons of flavor. Spoon it over baked haddock or cod, as well as baked potatoes with cheese. Or use it to spike pasta or pizza sauce.

Although the blueberry harvest was delayed for some farmers, the East Texas crop is in full swing and rolling into farmers markets and supermarkets. If you want to pick your own, there are many farms in North and East Texas to choose from.

Let the mercury climb. Chilling out is a breeze at this trio of chic new sip spots. Check out Twenty2, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant and Ari's Wine Bistro.

Deviled eggs are always a welcome addition to summer get-togethers. Sometimes you can buy the traditional version in supermarkets and specialty stores; however, these nontraditional ones make colorful, easy variations.

Sorbet is a perfect summer dessert or afternoon pick-me-up: light, icy-cold and refreshing.

When Lisa Lillien lost about 30 pounds seven years ago, she did it by giving up "everything good." But she knew she couldn't maintain such a strict diet. So instead she worked to control her weight through smaller adjustments that were more likely to last.

When you shop for certified organic produce at the Coppell, McKinney or Dallas farmers markets, chances are you're buying Gene Holmes' fruits and vegetables. He, his daughter and son fan out to the markets every Saturday morning from the family's Oak Ridge Valley Farms in Grand Saline, about 60 miles east of Dallas.

Of all the hard-to-choose fruits, watermelon's got to be one of the toughest to select. The hard rind of a watermelon can be up to an inch thick and doesn't soften as it ripens. It's green when ripe, green when unripe. So, how to select a watermelon wisely? And how to use it wisely?

You can't miss the large lettering on boxes of PJ Madison's organic ice cream. But it's easy to miss that it's as Texan as Blue Bell, made by a San Antonio couple who became alarmed about the possible effects of pesticides on children.

So we're wiping our hands on grimy aprons, loading plates with macaroni salad and extra-juicy cheeseburgers au gratin and thinking – wait. There must be a healthier way to have a cookout. Here are tips from Jenny Craig's chief nutritionist, who seconds that notion.

Fresh berries in a crème brûléelike custard make for a memorable summer dessert. This one is made with Bird's Custard Powder, a product from England that makes a smooth and creamy custard.

Tap water is making a comeback. With a day's worth of bottled water — the recommended 64 ounces — costing hundreds to thousands of dollars a year depending on the brand, more people are opting to slurp water that comes straight from the sink. The lousy economy may be accomplishing what environmentalists have been trying to do for years — wean people off the disposable plastic bottles of water that were sold as stylish, portable, healthier and safer than water from the tap.

Grilling gives fish great flavor without the need for lots of added cooking fat. But this healthy method for cooking seafood can be stressful if you don't get the technique right. The problem is that most fish has delicate flesh that tends to stick to the grates. Worse, the fish then falls apart when you try to flip it. Success comes down to choosing the right fish and knowing how to prepare and maintain your grill.

Rather than struggle to find level ground on which to balance your drink, take along The Pampered Chef's Outdoor Party Sticks. This set of wire cup and bottle holders eliminates the need for picnic ground balancing acts.

Traditional sangrias are luscious, bold blends of fruits, wine and spirits, often served in pitchers or punch bowls. But this wonderfully refreshing summer drink from Spain and Portugal leaves plenty of room for improvisation.

It took four seasons, but a woman finally took the top spot on Bravo's "Top Chef." Stephanie Izard, a 31-year-old, mild-mannered chef from Chicago, beat out 15 other contestants to win the popular reality show designed to test a cook's mettle.

Call it hedonistic environmentalism. Or maybe just eco-conscious imbibing. Either way, those who want their dirty martini to be a little cleaner are increasingly pouring organic spirits into their glass.

Many pasta dishes in Italy are served at room temperature, or room-temperature pasta may be tossed with a warm sauce.

If so, you may have to step away from supermarkets. There are exceptions, but most big chains aren't set up to handle peaches from small local growers.

Even when I was only cooking for one, I loved making large meatloaves. As leftovers go it's hard to top meatloaf. And one of my favorite ways to have next-day meatloaf is in a sandwich. But I'm not talking about just any random joining of bread and meat. I'm talking a well-crafted sandwich, where all the components add up to something that can be as tasty and impressive as a well-prepared meal.

Texas Sheet Cake, no matter what you may call it, is a delicacy with few rivals. Also known as Texas brownie cake, Texas brownies, Texas ranch cake, Texas sheath cake and chocolate sheet cake, this pastry has a national following. Just Google "Texas Sheet Cake" and you'll see what I mean.

A salmonella outbreak linked to raw tomatoes serves as a reminder to take extra care with summer fruits and vegetables.

Well, it's a good thing drinks don't count as calories, huh?

Home-blended wet and dry rubs are an easy way to add some flair to your flame this barbecue season. Sure, basic salt and pepper tastes delicious — and probably still is the best way to set off a prime porterhouse — but many of your favorite grill items will truly blossom when rubbed down with some extra herbs and spices.

As a graceful Olympian, Peggy Fleming thrilled with her elegance on the ice. But these days, the gold-medal skater is making her mark in the world of wine. And she's not the only celebrity staking a second career in the vineyards. From golfer Greg Norman to rocker Mick Fleetwood to domestic doyenne Martha Stewart, the trend of VIP-turned-vintner is growing.

It often seems nothing can quench the fire of summer except a tall, cold glass of lemonade, the poster child of summer drinks. But don't stop at lemon. Lime works, too. And, after that, experiment with adding flavor using fresh fruit, infused syrups and even a jewel-like rims of pulverized candy and colored sugars. (Why should margaritas have all the fun?) Read on for tips on creating a signature lemonade.

The trouble with potato salad is that it's hard to make on a whim. The time needed to cook the potatoes — never mind if you want to add hard-boiled eggs and bacon — makes potato salad a poor accompaniment to otherwise speedy dinners of burgers and dogs.

You can't have a summer barbecue or potluck without pasta salad. Unfortunately, the typical version isn't all that healthy — white pasta swimming in a heavy mayonnaise-based dressing. Occasionally, there token bits of celery or carrot, but nothing to get a nutritionist excited. But with a few easy fixes this classic dish can be transformed into a healthful fresh vegetable pasta salad loaded with good carbs and low in saturated fat and sodium. Best of all, it is every bit as creamy as full-fat versions.

Men may be able to handle alcohol better than women, but that doesn't necessarily hold true for caffeine, researchers say. Some people are sensitive to the small amounts of caffeine in decaf, says Bruce Goldberger, director of toxicology and a professor at University of Florida, where others can handle large amounts with no problem.

There comes a time in life when pizza and beer no longer represent social splendor. This is the time when the people you invite over actually expect food to be served on real plates and for the chairs not to fold up at the end of the night. This is the world of the dinner party, an excellent invention that combines tasty food, good company and great conversation, if done right. "It's the best way I can think of to make sure that the right people to have a good time are all in the same place together, and what better way to get them there than to bribe them with good food?" said entertainment aficionado Patrick Gary, 33.

Coleslaw has many variations – Napa cabbage in place of white cabbage, a mixture of red and white cabbage or even broccoli shreds – and dressings that range from a creamy mayonnaise base to Asian-style vinaigrettes.

Unable to handle another summer of gloopy, mayo-sodden pasta salads, I started tinkering. And the winning idea actually came from a chicken sandwich. Wondering what to do with leftover grilled chicken breasts that had been marinated in peanut sauce, I decided on a whim to play up the peanuts.

(AP) - Sometimes burning your vegetables can be a good thing.

(AP) - If you're into photos of Texas courthouses ... and who isn't? ... there's a new cookbook you'll want to pick up.

Check out Brut, a new jewel-box sip stop for champagne lovers near Hotel Palomar.

Aaron Chimbel / WFAA.com

Fried cookie dough.

Abel Gonzales wasn't sure how he was going to follow up his Fried Coke from last year's State Fair of Texas. He knew he wanted something fried and probably sweet, so when his boss at his 'regular job' suggested frying cookie dough, Gonzales thought it could be his next hit. It debuts later this month at the State Fair.

Swordfish and tuna are good choices for indoor or outdoor grilling. Their firm flesh also makes them ideal for skewers and Asian-style sauces or marinades. This not only gives a change in presentation, but also allows guests to taste both fish.

Maybe you've already been Hatch-chiled to death. But it really is the time of year to celebrate the Anaheim-like pod from Hatch, N.M. In fact, the Anaheim pepper is descended from the Hatch variety.

Tired of living off chips and energy drinks? Then get in the kitchen and cook. Really, it's not hard. Here are basics to get you started.

Weekend parties on holidays such as Labor Day often require hours of food preparation, but there is no reason to labor over a meal for family and friends thanks to many take-home options.

Globetrotting master mixologist Alex Ott was in Dallas recently to show off his wine-based cocktails created with the Ecco Domani line of Italian wines. Expecting nothing more than twists on sangria and spritzers, we were delighted with his imaginative use of spices, fruits, juices and wines.

The Country Living Collection is a specialty food line from Country Living magazine. Guess where it's made: in Grand Prairie at Heritage Family Specialty Food. The same people who brought us TCBY (The Country's Best Yogurt) several years ago started the specialty foods company and now make boutique bottled products such as salsas, relishes, glazes, oils, jams and more for clients such as Country Living .

The humble grilled cheese deserves a makeover. Here's a way to turn this basic sandwich into an easy meal. Why not try it for dinner tonight?

This month, our tasting panel got serious about pairing wine with sushi. There are some great Western wine matches for sushi, but they aren't obvious choices. Our winners spanned the globe: from an Alsatian pinot gris, to a Bordeaux blanc, to a California blend of six varietals. We even found a red wine suitable for strong-flavored or fatty fish.

The cartoon characters who normally inhabit your grocer's cereal aisle are on the move. Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants and the Disney and Sesame Street gangs are among the many children's favorites who in recent years have taken up residence in the produce section. Which is why you now can tempt your tots with Dora edamame, SpongeBob broccoli and Winnie the Pooh apples.

We checked out the Garden Fare menu at the Olive Garden where they know their way around a plate of pasta. We ordered the classics and of course their famous minestrone soup. This installment of Lunch Ladies is not only tasty, but poignant — it's Gretchen's final one (for now!).

Pauline Amell-Nash worried that the pesticides and additives used to grow and preserve food were bad for her 1-year-old daughter Sophia, not to mention the earth itself.

Having trouble persuading your child to eat broccoli or spinach? You may have only yourself to blame. According to a study of twins, neophobia – or the fear of new foods – is mostly in the genes.

Hot summer days call for cold soups and simple, no-cook meals. These classic chilled soups are topped with shellfish: sweet lump crab on gazpacho and spicy shrimp on cool cucumber.

With summer's bounty of produce, most of us can't resist buying lots of fresh fruit. The trouble is we don't always eat these juicy treats fast enough. After half of a melon, one starts craving variety. So, all too often, the other half wastes away in the refrigerator, the victim of a lack of imagination.

The minute school starts, you'll be in the market for after-school snacks. Here are some simple suggestions for healthful and tasty snacks for children.

We've got dinner down cold – just in time for the hottest stretch of summer. We've taken a break from heating the oven, simmering pots on the stove – even nuking food in the microwave oven – and opted for no-cook summer suppers.

If summer's heat has left you feeling bitter and overextracted, think cold brew, as in cold-brewed coffee. Here's how to make it for drinks and to flavor desserts.

Some grape devotees grab the Perlettes the second they appear at the beginning of the grape harvest. But these and other early-season grapes typically are tart, absent the sweetness that we see in grapes as the season develops. That sweeter season is just beginning, with red, green and black seedless varieties filling produce bins.

Parents with picky eaters have borrowed a concept from the Japanese to make brown-bag boredom a thing of the past. Their solution? Bento boxes, or a variety of lunch containers that use the same concept. Here's where to buy them and what to put in.

Athough fresh tomatoes are available year-round, they're definitely at their best during summer.

For boys, it was between G.I. Joe and Star Wars. For girls, My Little Pony and Strawberry Shortcake.

A generation later, the back-to-school ritual of selecting a new lunch box involves much more than choosing among pop culture icons. Upgrades in style, storage and technology -- not to mention changes in eating habits -- have redrawn the lunchbox landscape.

Little kids have probably started whining about the heat by now. Being older, with valid IDs, we say: Bring on the cocktails! Here are a few new cold drinks at bars around town.

Dallas restaurateurs Ildefonso and Susie Jimenez are passionate about champagne. So much so that they just opened Brut, a boutique that carries only bubbly – about 200 kinds.

This classic salad makes an easy-assembly entree for a hot summer night. It is the perfect "take-home miracle," as you can buy the cooked shellfish at Whole Foods Market or a fish market, and the dressing takes just minutes. Serve the salad with an assortment of bakery breads or rolls.

It's the height of fig season, both locally and in California, which means produce bins and farmer's markets are overflowing with this honey-sweet fruit. Texas figs typically are the smaller and lighter Celeste variety, while Mission or black Mission figs are larger and have dark, thin skins. Figs are high in fiber and have the highest mineral content of all fruits. They're also highly perishable, so keep them cold until ready to use; they'll keep refrigerated two days.

The Crossings, Marlborough, Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $12.99-$17.99

Wine Glacé is a dry mix that you blend with wine and ice to produce a frothy, frosty, pink beverage mingling sweetness and citrus tang.

Made with fruit and herb extracts, Dry Soda Co.'s line of beverages has decidedly adult flavors: lavender, kumquat, lemongrass and rhubarb.

Of course, you know you should be eating wraps and salads. They are great, almost effortless ways to eat your way to better health. But without serious creativity, healthy can become just another synonym for dull.

Texas has finally discovered goat cheese in a big way. If you haven’t, here’s your guide to local producers, plus recipes for the cheese you love.

Anything made by McDonald's tastes better, preschoolers said in a study that powerfully demonstrates how advertising can trick the taste buds of young children.

Chef Darren McGrady, now a Plano resident, cooked for the British royal family for 15 years, starting just after Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married and continuing until the princess died in a car wreck. He heard and saw a lot. But it wasn't until this year, the 10th anniversary of the princess' death, that he put his memoirs in a cookbook called Eating Royally: Recipes and Remembrances of a Palace Kitchen.

Sweet chile sauce has become the restaurant darling of the season. Whether it is for calamari, grilled fish, potstickers or chicken, this sweet and spicy sauce is a delicious complement. Even better, most restaurants use a purchased sauce, sometimes adding a few special touches.

When Joel Peterson started Ravenswood in the 1970s, zinfandel wasn't the most promising varietal to bet the house on.

Think frying, boiling or the occasional gumbo are all you can do with okra? See what cooks do with it in Japan, India and Greece.

I'm worried about what's swimming around in my tummy.

Snacking can be the downfall of a healthy diet, especially when it's a bag of greasy chips or handful of jelly beans. But snacking can also be an important part of a healthy diet. Smart, healthful snacking helps stave off distracting hunger and provides energy to keep you going until your next full meal.

Readers have been asking us for years to try Which Wich* sandwiches, and at long last we saw that they added nutritional information to the Web site. The restaurant's unique system has customers place their orders by writing their sandwich choices on a paper bag. Everyone knows what traditional sandwiches are like: roast beef, turkey, ham. So we tried the more unique, but not-too-high-in-calories-or-fat "wiches" on the menu.

Plano resident Darren McGrady, who once cooked for Princess Diana and her blue-blooded in-laws, pens a cookbook-memoir that opens the door to the royal kitchen. Learn about him, and get his recipe for Peach Panna Cotta, a dessert Princess Diana sometimes served her dinner guests.

Black-eyed peas and the whole pea family, including purple hulls, creams, crowders and the lot, are at their peak in summertime. This also is one legume family that suffers when it's stuffed into a can. It's not that you can't eat them; they just don't live up to the flavor of snap or fresh.

Salad fatigue already setting in? It happens. No matter how gorgeous the tomatoes and greens are this time of year, it's easy to tire of yet another bowl of raw, cold veggies. But if you're willing to be creative, amping up the flavor of your salads is easy. Here's how.

As Americans have become increasingly wine savvy, they're discovering a range of rosés to suit many palates. Now, consumers are embracing a food-friendly, drier rosé, far removed from the one-dimensional, candy-sweet blush wines that gave pink a bum rap.

If you thinking healthy eating condemns you to bland, flavorless foods, you've clearly never tried roasted garlic.

People who drank more than one diet soda each day developed the same risks for heart disease as those who downed sugary regular soda, suggests a large but inconclusive study.

Elli Benchimol didn't mind being mistaken for the coat clerk or hostess while she worked at Rasika restaurant in Washington. But then she was scoffed at by two male diners when she asked if she could help them select a wine.

Last March, we asked readers what annoys them at restaurants. Now, we're giving servers equal time. Find out what folks on the front lines of the restaurant biz would like to change about their customers, plus, read the orginial story.

Let’s face it. Not only are there days when you eat lunch at your desk, sometimes you eat breakfast ala cubicle. On those days it might be a good idea to have a few breakfast items stashed in the refrigerator like Jimmy Dean D-Lights breakfast sandwiches.

Green Point, Victoria, Shiraz 2004, $17.99

Ever wonder why those fabulous State Fair winners don't bottle their blue-ribbon recipes? For starters, it's a hassle, but here's one who's done it anyway. Marsue Williams started Marsue's Kitchen with her Cranberry Pepper Olé, followed by Pumpkin, Mango & Drunken Raisin, and Sugared Plum With Buttered Pecan.

I am always searching for a good frozen dessert that tastes homemade and can be dressed up with simple additions or an attractive serving dish.

Worried by the global proliferation of deep fat-fried chimichangas, fajitas, margaritas and fried ice-cream, the Mexican government is recruiting U.S. and Canadian restaurateurs to set the world straight on what is real Mexican food.

If Bloodroot isn't a household name in Dallas, maybe that's because a feminist-vegetarian restaurant might have just as tough a time taking hold in steak-and-swagger Texas as the restaurant's namesake flower. But these recipes are still worth trying, even here.

It may go head-to-head with ketchup as America's favorite condiment, but that doesn't make finding a great tomato salsa easy. For starters, don't look in the jarred food section.

Older Chinese women who eat a Western-style diet loaded with meats and sweets appear to have a greater risk for breast cancer than women who eat mainly soy and vegetables, a new study has concluded.

Mississippians have a strange relationship with pickles. It's not just that they love their pickles, though they do eat an awful lot of them. Rather, it's what they do to the pickles they eat. As in marinating them in Kool-Aid. What's the fascination? Try them youself and see.

Summer is a great time for casual entertaining and backyard barbecues. These are often the easiest of menus that revolve around grilled meats and takeout salads. Try these quick appetizers with cocktails or wine.

It takes guts to make a bottled Caesar dressing in which the third ingredient behind canola and olive oils is anchovy paste. But would you expect anything less from a winner of Dallas' annual Caesar salad competition?

Eat more fish. That's the message we keep getting from nutrition experts citing the health benefits of consuming fish at least once a week. But if fish isn't already part of your weekly diet, chances are it's not on your list of quick-fix entrees. Putting fish on the grill could change that. Over a medium-hot grill, most fish fillets or steaks cook in just 6 to 10 minutes, depending on their thickness. You'd be hard-pressed to find a quicker-cooking protein. So what's holding you back?

Can fast food really be healthy? It can when it's a quick no-cook supper assembled at home. On summer nights when the kitchen is scorching and the takeout temptation peaks, taking the healthy route is easy with dishes that take advantage convenient ingredients readily available at most grocers.

Picky eaters used to have few choices about expressing their delight or disappointment over a restaurant meal: Say something to the waiter, tell their friends or fill out that little comment card that comes with the check and hope somebody reads it.

Our weekly visit with the foodies-gone-bad

Since grilling is a generally healthy way of cooking, why limit yourself to the entree? You may as well take advantage of this healthy technique and toss dessert on the grill, too.

While there are well over 100 chocolate studies that document chocolate's health benefits, one recent study shows just how much people should eat to lower their blood pressure.

Get your peach itch scratched at the Parker County Peach Festival , an old-fashioned celebration of all things peach on Weatherford's historic town square in one of the state's top peach-growing areas, west of Fort Worth. Locals say this is the best peach crop in 10 years, so there will be plenty to sample as well as to buy. You'll be able to taste homemade peach ice cream, peach cobbler, peach juleps, peach tea, peach smoothies, plain peaches and more.

Pata Negra, Valdepenas DO, Bodegas los Llanos, Gran Reserva 1998, $16.99