My hand is recovering well from carpal tunnel surgery, and I'm ready to head back into the kitchen. Thanks to everyone who sent well-wishes; I really appreciate it!

I'm picking up right where I left off, with Food Network Favorites: Recipes From Our All-Star Chefs . I'll be finishing the Dave Lieberman chapter this week, and next week I'll tackle Emeril Lagasse. As I work my way through the various chef's chapters, I'll also be tossing in tests from the last chapter of the book: recipes from the Food Network kitchens. I've already tested one recipe from this chapter and it was quite good, so we'll see how the rest of the Food Network's own recipes stack up against those from their "star" chefs.