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You are all correct, Jamie Oliver's restaurant in London is called "Fifteen."
Unfortunately for the rest of you, Mary Moore was quickest with her keyboard. She wins Oliver's latest cookbook, "Jamie's Italy." Congratulations Mary, and I'm so sorry the rest of you did not win. I hope you aren't too disappointed. I'll do another cookbook giveaway next week! Keep reading!
Mary, to claim your book, please send your name and address to my e-mail at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com.
Have a great weekend!

I must admit that I haven't paid much attention to this Jamie Oliver character, who is the star of "Jamie's Kitchen" on TLC. I do know that he recently killed a chicken on live television in order to make a point about the welfare of chickens in Britain's poultry industry.
I also know that some of the recipes in Oliver's new cookbook, "Jamie's Italy," look pretty darn good. As soon as I cracked the book, I saw one for squashed cannellini beans with garlic, which sounded like a quick, easy and delicious topping for crostini or pita wedges. I'll share that after the jump.
The first person who can tell me the name of Oliver's London restaurant can have this book and enjoy all the beautiful full-color photographs and illustrations, not to mention the recipes.

Before we part ways for the weekend, I'd like to subject you all to a video that was shot and edited by my co-worker, Evelio Contreras. The star is another co-worker, Pete Dybdahl, who promised to score me one of the free breakfast burritos at McDonald's this morning. As you'll see, when the cashier told Pete that he could only get one free burrito because the rules were one per person, Pete thought only of himself.
Oh well, I'm not sure I wanted to eat one anyway.

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I will preface this blog entry with an apology to those who are sick and tired of hearing about Peeps. Later today, I'm going to announce the latest cookbook giveaway. So maybe that will make it up to you.
And now, on with our regularly scheduled entry:
Apparently, the makers of Peeps (JustBorn, Inc.) are not content to just send me a new and different shape, color or flavor every month (and every major holiday. Or minor holiday...).
Now, they've sent me the results of a survey that included such important questions as "If Peeps came to life, what male public person or celebrity might it become?"
The answer: Will Ferrell. Isn't that exactly who you were thinking?
The best one, though, was "What person or celebrity is in most need of Peeps?"
Answer: President Bush.
To kill a few brain cells by reading the entire survey, look for it after the jump. And tell me: What do you suppose President Bush would do with a box of Peeps?

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What you see below is a very unusual form of art by London photographer Carl Warner. Warner has created several landscapes made entirely out of food, and you can see more at the link above. Thanks to the folks over at Slashfood for bringing Warner to my attention.
I think they're beautiful. If I had one, I'd frame it and hang it on my wall. What do you guys think?

This is one of those recipes you're supposed to protect with the assertion that, "If I tell you, I'll have to kill you." Of course, the person who gave me this recipe, retired Roanoke Times copy desk editor Nancy Caldwell, is one of the top 5 sweetest people I know.
She kindly passed it on to me, so I'll kindly pass it on to you.
It also helps out blog reader Kat with the question of what to do with leftover buttermilk. It calls for 1/2 cup of buttermilk plus several tablespoons.
This cake is rich and brownie-like. The homemade chocolate icing is slathered on in the pan while the cake is still hot. It cools into a deliciously sugary, dense dessert.

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After last week's entry about National Banana Bread Day, one reader made this scrumptious recipe and said it turned out killer good.
I just had to have the recipe and thought you all would appreciate it, too. It came from Southern Living.
It's after the jump. Enjoy!

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According to the USA Today, all of Starbucks' 7,100 stores across the country will close three hours early today for barista training. That makes closing time 5:30 p.m. The stores will open again tomorrow at the regularly scheduled time.

It wouldn't surprise me if Starbucks' announcement is what prompted Dunkin' Donuts to offer coffee specials this afternoon. One chain's early closure is another chain's window of opportunity.

Between 1 p.m. and 10 p.m. today, you can get a small latte, cappucino or espresso at Dunkin' Donuts for just 99 cents. So if you're experiencing Starbucks withdrawal symptoms, maybe you should rush out to DD and get your caffeine buzz on.

We all know a food blog just isn't a food blog without delicious pictures of food. We also know that at some point every week, each of us sits down to such a beautiful meal or snack that it would be a pity to not capture the exquisiteness on film for all to see. That's why I'm launching a new feature on the Fridge Magnet blog called the Photo of the Week.
I urge you to submit your food photos to me by e-mail at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com. Submit as many as you like; I will pick one each week to feature on the blog. Then the rest of us can drool all over our keyboards.
The inaugural Photo of the Week was sent in by regular reader Amy Hanek. Amy prepared these chocolate heart cakes topped with ganache and drizzled with chocolate. I dare you to tell me you don't want one right now.

Thanks to alert blog reader Teresa Z, I have discovered that Flat Rock Grille at Valley View Mall isn't a chain at all!
After a tip from Teresa, I called Flat Rock and talked to Dan Shean. Dan runs the restaurant with his wife, Tracey Anderson, and another business partner. The team bought the local Flat Rock in May 2007 and have been working hard ever since to restore the food and service to top-notch quality.
Shean, who worked for Outback Steakhouse for 20 years, said they've been sourcing all of their food and other products locally in an attempt to keep their dollars in the Roanoke Valley.
I guess I'll have to hit up a different chain restaurant in order to find out whether they really do compare to some of our locally-owned establishments!
As long as I'm setting the record straight, I'd like to address a rumor that The Roanoker Restaurant is closing. The rumor floated past me sometime last week, but owner Butch Craft assured me that they are NOT closing. She said she hopes the 66-year-old restaurant has many, many years of business in its future.

When it comes down to choosing between a locally owned restaurant and a chain establishment, I almost always prefer to go local.
Not only does that mean I'm supporting a mom 'n' pop in a notoriously difficult line of work, but the service and food should be superior.
Should be.
But a couple of experiences lately have caused me to wonder if I should cut the chains a little slack.
This Saturday, after a long day of priming and painting our downstairs bathroom, my husband and I decided to clean up and go out for dinner. Because we had a coupon for the Flat Rock Grille at Valley View Mall and didn't feel like going far, that's where we ended up.
On a Saturday night, most restaurants around Valley View are full to the gills with tired shoppers ready for a table. That was the case at every restaurant we passed to get to Flat Rock, including Shaker's, Olive Garden, TGIFridays and Texas Steak House. The fact that we were able to get a table immediately at Flat Rock sort of concerned me.
It shouldn't have.

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