Eating on April Fool's Day

Eating on April Fool's Day can be tricky. What's safe and what's a trap? For instance, we just bought a carton of milk and the "best by" date is April 1st. Is the milk good or are we about to be duped?

Instead of worrying about April Fool's Day we've decided to embrace it by cooking up some fun dishes sure to trick our friends and family. As always, we're going to cook from recipes that taste great, but these will be sure to trick the eye.

To get our April Fool's dishes going we clicked over to the FoodPair Recipe Search Engine to find dishes to trick everyone in the room.

Sweet Fruit Pizza that looks like Regular Pizza!
We've switched it up by starting with a dessert that looks savory!
Ingredients: Walnut, White Chocolate, Pizza Crust, Strawberry Jam, Strawberries

April Fool's Berry Soda
Pucker up! These look like sodas, but they're actually jello!
Ingredients: Strawberry, Blueberry, Raspberry, Strawberry Jello

April Fool's Day Cheeseburger Cake
We're not sure this'll fool burger lovers, but it looks amazing!
Ingredients: White Cake Mix, Brownie Mix, Oil, Egg, Food Coloring, Sugar Cookies, Vanilla and Chocolate Frosting, Spearmint Candy Leaves

Fooled Ya French Fries
Every Fool's cheeseburger needs some tricky fries!
Ingredients: Apple, Cinnamon, Sugar, Strawberry Preserves

April Fool's Day Meat Loaf "Cake"
This looks like dessert, but it's actually some tasty meatloaf.
Ingredients: ground beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, green onion, milk, parsley, garlic, Worcestershire, red peppers, mashed potatoes, tomato


Now let's get cooking and make this April Fool's Day one to remember!

Any other favorite themes, ingredients or dishes you'd like us to highlight? Post them in the comments section! You can also Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter for recipes, tips and more in your news feed.

Olive Oil: Myths and Facts

Since launching FoodPair we've examined hundreds of thousands of recipes and most of them use olive oil-- either for cooking or creating sauces and dressings. Until now, we never stopped to think about why we use so much olive oil in our cooking, what it does and which types of olive oil are best.

Let's start at the beginning. Olives are a fruit, but they're too bitter to be edible until they've been cured. That makes olive oil a fruit juice (even though it's not as refreshing as apple juice), created by pressing or mashing the olives. All olive oils are not the same, there are various types including extra virgin, virgin, pure and light. "Virgin" olive oils are extracted without chemicals, only mechanical means are used. This doesn't mean the olives are crushed using heavy mill stones, they can be spun in a centrifuge to separate the heavier from the lighter oils. "Extra Virgin" oils are tested to ensure superior taste and clarity. "Pure" and "light" olive oils can be extracted from the olives using chemicals as well as machines.

Now let's examine some of the myths and facts surrounding olive oil. First, you don't have to refrigerate extra virgin olive oil ("EVOO") for it to have a long shelf life. Second, cooking with olive oil does not destroy its health benefits. In fact, olive oils have a relatively high smoke point so they're great for sauteing and frying foods. Third, most "Italian" olive oil is not from Italy. It's often made in Spain then imported to Italy for packaging and distribution.

The good news is that olive oil is good for you. It's considered a good fat because it's high in monounsaturated fat instead of saturated fat. As a result it can help reduce blood pressure and even help you maintain a healthy weight.

To give you good examples of dishes using olive oil, we did what we love to do and used the FoodPair Recipe Search Engine to find delicious dishes using olive oil in unique ways.

Shallot and Grapefruit Dressing
Olive oil can be used to make all kinds of fantastic dressings.
Ingredients: Cilantro, Olive Oil, Shallot, Sugar, Black Pepper, Grapefruit Juice

Chimichurri
Olive oil also helps make tasty marinades and sauces.
Ingredients: Garlic, Olive Oil, Dried Oregano, Parsley, Red Wine Vinegar, Black Pepper, Sea Salt, Red Pepper Flakes

Linguine with Garlic Oil and Pancetta
EVOO can also be flavored with garlic to add magic to pasta dishes.
Ingredients: Olive Oil, Garlic (to infuse the olive oil) Pancetta, Linguine

Olive Oil Gelato with Balsamic Strawberries
Olive oil can also flavor great desserts like gelato or cake.
Ingredients: Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Egg, Sugar, Heavy Cream, Milk, Strawberries


You probably have plenty of olive oil in your kitchen, so now it's time to start using it in new and delicious ways!

Any other favorite themes, ingredients or dishes you'd like us to highlight? Post them in the comments section! You can also Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter for recipes, tips and more in your news feed.

St. Paddy's Day Recipes

With St. Paddy's Day right around the corner, we thought it was time to don our favorite green shirts, pants, socks & hats and assemble a delicious menu for your St. Patrick's Day celebration. How did we do it? By focusing on traditional Irish dishes like Corned Beef, Cabbage and Potatoes.

Our favorite Irish discovery is Colcannon, a traditional dish with mashed potatoes that incorporates veggies like kale or cabbage. It's also a good use for leftover corned beef and bacon. Speaking of leftover corned beef, we love saving some for the next morning's corned beef hash, one of our favorite breakfast dishes.

For an amazing array of Irish and St. Patrick's Day recipes, use the FoodPair Recipe Search Engine search for key ingredients like cabbage, kale and corned beef and use our filters for course, diet, number of ingredients and more. Share your favorite recipes in the comments!

Corned Beef and Cabbage
This St. Paddy's classic is versatile and tasty.
Ingredients: Garlic, Olive Oil, Cabbage, Clove, Brown Sugar, Salt, Onion, Corned Beef, Honey Mustard

Colcannon
A traditional Irish dish with mashed potatoes and cabbage or kale.
Ingredients: Bacon, Potato, Scallion, Butter, Cabbage, Parsley, Pepper, Milk

Corned Beef Hash
Leftover corned beef? Make a tasty hash!
Ingredients: Potato, Butter, Parsley, Chive, Red Bell Pepper, Salt, Oil, Milk, Onion, Corned Beef

St Patrick's Day Zucchini-Oatmeal Cookies
Good news- these festive cookies have healthy green zucchini.
Ingredients: Egg, Zucchini, Butter, Sugar, Oats, Flour, Vanilla Extract, Baking Soda, Cinnamon, Chocolate Chips, Granola

Peppermint Patties
We love the refreshing peppermint in these cookies.
Ingredients: Sugar, Sweetened Condensed Milk, Peppermint Extract, Chocolate Chips, Shortening


Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Any other favorite themes, ingredients or dishes you'd like us to highlight? Post them in the comments section! You can also Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter for recipes, tips and more in your news feed.

Seasonal Spotlight: Asparagus for Springtime

Even though the official start of spring is still two weeks away, it already feels like spring is in the air. To celebrate, we're cooking with fresh spring ingredients like asparagus. We love asparagus- it's tasty, healthy and versatile. Plus, it can be used in nearly every course from breakfast to lunch to dinner. Feel free to experiment with different asparagus preparations- we've had tasty dishes where it's grilled, stir-fried, steamed and even bacon-wrapped.

On the health front, check out these great stats: Asparagus is low in calories and sodium. It's a good source of vitamin B6, calcium, magnesium and zinc. Plus, it's high in dietary fiber, protein and vitamins A, C, E and K. It even has chromium, a trace mineral that improves the delivery of glucose into cells.

For an amazing array of asparagus recipes, use the FoodPair Recipe Search Engine to do an ingredient search for asparagus and then customize away using our filters for course, diet, number of ingredients and more. Share your favorite recipes in the comments!

Asparagus Frittata
This is a great way to add asparagus to your brunch menu.
Ingredients: Olive Oil, Egg, Asparagus, Onion, Salt, Gruyere cheese

Asparagus with Poached Eggs & Hollandaise Sauce
Try this (slightly) lighter version of Eggs Benedict.
Ingredients: Egg, Asparagus, Butter, Lemon Juice, Tarragon, Cayenne Pepper, White Pepper, Baguette

Asparagus Soup with Parmesan Custards
This soup is elegant and delicious.
Ingredients: Egg, Shallot, Asparagus, Leek, Heavy Cream, Salt, Black Pepper, Milk, White Pepper, Chicken Broth

Asparagus, Beet & Goat Cheese Salad
Here's a salad loaded with hearty and healthy vegetables.
Ingredients: Goat Cheese, Olive Oil, Shallot, Asparagus, Lemon Juice, Beet, Parsley, Chive, Chervil, Salt, Orange Juice

Spring Vegetable Tart
Welcome spring with this fantastic tart.
Ingredients: Egg, Asparagus, Leek, Salt, Milk, Fontina cheese, Puff Pastry Dough


Now get out there and start enjoying the spring weather and food!

Any other favorite themes, ingredients or dishes you'd like us to highlight? Post them in the comments section! You can also Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter for recipes, tips and more in your news feed.