Chicken dishes are getting a lot of play in food magazines. Like a blank canvas to an artist, for a foodie, Chicken can be prepared so many different ways, and with an incredible number of spices, seasonings and flavors. An almost universally available product all over the planet, you can find the humble bird and other fowl being featured in recipes from most countries and regions. Read on to learn about more hot food trends.

Nowadays you can find a better raised (Organic, Free Range) better tasting chicken at almost all markets and at local farmers' markets. The superior quality chickens grown today are showing up at some pretty exciting restaurants like:

• Bantam and Biddy (Rotisserie style) in Atlanta
• Fresa’s (Charcoal Grilled) in Austin TX
• Simply Chicken in New York City
• Chicken Scratch (Fried and Rotisserie) in Dallas
• Wing Wings (Asian) in San Francisco.

We have many chicken recipes, simply click on the Entree/Poultry Category when on our Recipe Section of the website.

Hot Trend...Beets

Beets are another item that started making an impact a decade ago and the trend continues. At several cooking expos and chef demos we attended this past year, we saw Chefs adding fresh roasted beets into a lot of salads and appetizers. Not just a “Red” root vegetable anymore, beets come in Gold/Yellow and Striped (Chioggia) varieties. Select beets that are 2” or less in diameter. Too large, and they become tough. Try to buy a bunch of similar sized beets to insure uniform cooking.

The technique to roast beets is pretty simple. We used the following method successfully several times now and it works very well. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Trim the tops of the beets leaving about 1” of the stem remaining. Coat liberally with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and wrap completely in aluminum foil. Place on a flat pan or cookie sheet and cook for 30 to 45 minutes until tender when poked with a paring knife. Remove from oven and allow to cool. When cool, you can rub the skins off with your hands, and finish trimming the tops and bottoms.

The cooked beets can be sliced and served on salads, as a vegetable side dish and in novel appetizers. We have found that The Olive Tap’s Aceto Balsamico de Modena 4 Leaf Quality and our Fig Balsamic Vinegar of Modena to be the most compatible with the bold earthy flavor of the beets. Chef Kelly Liken, of the restaurant that bears her name in Vail Colorado had a recipe for Beet Skewers. She roasts baby beets and makes balls of goat cheese that are rolled in a mixture of herbs including chervil, chives, parsley and tarragon. A single beet and a ball of goat cheese are served on a small bamboo skewer. www.facebook.com/chefkellyliken