5@5 is a food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

Since the Harlem Shake has jumped the shark, let’s get back to a shake that really matters - we're talking about the good ol’ fashioned milkshake.

Mark Robert Turner is here to make the transition a smooth one. Turner is the Operations Manager - and resident milkshake magician - of Bareburger, a micro-chain of organic burger restaurants.

If you don’t own a blender, you can use an immersion or stick blender, which works just as effectively. If you don’t have either one of those, grab a stainless steel bowl and a whisk; you should never deny yourself a milkshake because you don’t have the right equipment.

Five Tips To Make a Marvelous Milkshake: Mark Robert Turner
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There comes a time in every food writer's life when they must reluctantly remove thine fancy trousers and succumb to the sugar-fueled enthusiasm the public expresses for mass market Easter candy.

Last year, Americans spent nearly $2 billion on Easter candy alone, including milk chocolate bunnies, cream-filled eggs, jelly beans and, of course, the cherished, brightly colored marshmallow critters known as Peeps.

The iconic chick- and bunny-shaped confections are made by family-owned candy manufacturer, Just Born, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The factory hatches an estimated 4 million Peeps a day, which is enough to give to one Peeps treat to every person in Croatia. (You're welcome.)

Should you find yourself hopped up on too many of the blood-sugar-spiking 'mallows come Monday, make the leftovers melt into memory with homemade Peeps ice cream.
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Halloween is lurking around the corner and while the trick-or-treaters that come to your door, no doubt, want the classic candy brands they know and love, Halloween parties and office gatherings scream out for homemade peanut butter cups.

Homemade peanut butter cups might seem like a mystery - just how do they get the peanut butter inside the chocolate cup anyway? Lee Zalben, the founder and president of Peanut Butter & Co., solves the riddle with this step-by-step guide for peanut butter cups made in your own haunted house.
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5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

When temperatures dip, Noah Dan, founder of Pitango Gelato, starts warming up guests with hot Italian sipping chocolate.

“It’s not like anything that comes from a powdered mix,” says Dan, who took inspiration for Pitango’s hot chocolate from the classic cafés of Turin, Italy. “True sipping chocolate must be dark, thick, intense, complex and, like all good things in life, bittersweet.”

The prep is simple, as the recipe contains only three basic ingredients: High-quality cocoa, milk and sugar. The real trick is finding the right cocoa powder because at this level of concentration any negative characteristics in the cocoa will be amplified, making the result less than stellar. Pitango uses organic cocoa from Costa Rica, which has a pure, intense chocolate flavor.

To make the cocoa, combine 2/3 cup cocoa and 1/3 cup sugar in a medium saucepan. Gradually add three cups of milk to the cocoa and sugar over low heat, mixing to avoid lumps. Be sure that the milk is heated but never reaches a boil. Continue mixing the chocolate on low heat until it is fully blended and thickens to a rich consistency.

Thick and potent, hot sipping chocolate is the equivalent of a coffee purist’s ultimate espresso. As such, this “adult” version of hot chocolate is meant to be savored slowly, in small portions (5 ounces or less). If the pure version doesn't cure what ails you, here are a few classic variations that use this hot chocolate as a base.
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5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

Renown pastry chef François Payard helps us fall into the harvest season with desserts featuring some of autumn's most valuable players, like apples, pears, pumpkins, sweet potatoes and cranberries.

Five Fall Desserts: François Payard
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When my parents come from Chicago to visit me in Atlanta, they don't book a flight. Instead of hopping a two-hour flight, they make a 12-hour trek through five states because what they're bringing would never pass those TSA agents.

There is no exemption to the liquid rule when it comes to homemade marinara sauce. What they have will not fit in those quart-sized zip-top bags, not to mention the concern that might arise from the smoking coolers filled with dry ice keeping homemade Chicago goodness fresh on its southern journey. So, they pack up the car and drive.

Personally, I think they're crazy - but I won't complain too much because that cooler of food is destined for my refrigerator. That pan of lasagna conjures up memories of home, family and tradition. When I smell the homemade red sauce, I instantly think of my mom in her kitchen (yes, HER kitchen) stirring a huge pot. She always says a great sauce (or gravy) doesn't drip through a fork.

Also in that blue and white cooler: two tubs of my mom's legendary Italian ice. If you have not had a proper lemon ice, do yourself a favor. My parents spend a day in the kitchen squeezing fresh lemons to get the flavor just right. It's a recipe perfected years ago to replicate the lemon ice they enjoyed as kids from the street vendors in Chicago.
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5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

Sweet things come to those who wait. Food & Wine Magazine's Gail Simmons been one of the breakout stars of the Top Chef judging panel since the very first season back in 2006, and she's earned her just desserts with a hosting gig on a sweets-centric spin-off of the show, now entering its second season on Bravo.

The Canadian-born host doesn't just mug and "mmmmmmm!" for the camera; she's a bona-fide kitchen star with a culinary degree, plenty of restaurant and recipe development cred and a food memoir on the way in early 2012. This all adds up to pretty high expectations from her dinner guests, but Simmons doesn't break a sweat. Here are five quick, simple, crowd-pleasing solutions for a tasty end to any celebration.

Your time starts...NOW!

Five Quickfire Dessert Ideas: Gail Simmons
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Sounds like a pretty sweet way to live. Make your own ice cream at home - here's how.

Four Loko - no way you'd have any of that nasty stuff around. First of all, how would you? The sale of the caffeinated malt beverage has been banned in communities around the country. It's been said to cause hallucinations and blackouts, has driven a New York assemblyman to come thisclose to ralphing on camera, and plus? It's just kinda vile-tasting - like "mildly offensive...puréed gummi bears," per our associate editor.

You should not make your Christmas cookies with it.
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Jill Billante is a Senior Producer at AC360°.

I recently took a break from the grind and headed home to Pittsburgh. It's always lovely driving across the bucolic Pennsylvania countryside, where farm stands dot the roadways and fresh produce is readily available.

My mother always has special treats waiting for us. Some are inspired by our German heritage - like pickled beets and eggs or potato salad. Most make use of the delicious seasonal produce and my mother's penchant for easy and quick cooking. She whipped up a delicious plum skillet cake, modified from a recipe that asked her to do it all from scratch.

Here's what she told me.

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