It's almost here, the Super Bowl of American food! Here are a few tips if you are doing the cooking this year:

It always tastes better when someone else makes it!
Remember, the food will taste twice as good to your guests, than it does to you. Why? Because you just tasted that gravy for the nineteenth time. Stop fussing with it, it's fine.

Timing isn't everything.
Don't try and time everything to finish cooking at the same time so it can all be piping hot at the table. The turkey can easily rest 30 minutes tented with foil, so relax, you have plenty of time to bring the other sides to the table. Things like stuffing and green bean casserole stay hot a long time, and are even fine at room temperature.

Come on Grandma, hurry up with those beans!
If you're feeding a large table of guests, consider setting up the food on a separate table and letting everyone walk by buffet-style. This not only gets the plates filed faster, but also really opens up the table for your fabulous decorations.

Hey, where's the dessert?
Let everyone have a nice break after dinner before you unveil the pumpkin pies. If the desserts are out, people will dig in right after dinner, and just won't appreciate them like they should. That bloated, I-ate-too-much feeling is not from the quantity of food, it's from eating it all in too short a time. Make them watch some football before dessert (or even better, help with the dishes!)

Photos (c) John Mitzewich

Finally, a University I can excel in! I'm in Sonoma, California at Kingsford University, a gathering of food writers and bloggers hosted by Kingsford Charcoal. We're going to watch demos on the finer points of barbecue from world champion pitmaster Chris Lilly, as well as see the entire process of what goes in to making charcoal.

In addition to the great food and drink, I get to rub elbows with some of the top food writers in the country including our very own Derrick Riches, About.com's Guide to Barbecues & Grilling. Stay tuned for more information soon!

Photo (c) John Mitzewich

Usually when one hears the words "mushroom burger," visions of a thick, juicy hamburger topped with fried fungi comes to mind. But one of my favorite meatless meals of all time is actually a burger that features mushrooms as the star ingredient.

Commercially made veggie burgers can often be joyless discs of disappointment. The ingredients tend to be ground into oblivion, but the secret to this easy recipe is the larger chunks of mushroom, which produces a deliciously meaty burger. Enjoy!

Photo (c) John Mitzewich

The Foodbuzz Blogger Festival begins in San Francisco tonight, and it's looking to be a full weekend of food, fun, and furious networking with fellow food bloggers from all over the country.

I'll be busy at events throughout the weekend, including a big awards dinner on Saturday night where my personal website, Food Wishes, has been nominated for "Best Video Blog." For those of you that don't know, Foodbuzz is sort of like a Facebook for food bloggers.

In case you want to follow along, I'll be tweeting live from the event, as well as taking lots of photos (and maybe even a little video). Stay tuned for updates, and have a fantastic weekend!