How adorable are these little chocolate chip cannoli cups? They look like something you'd buy in a fancy little bakery, but they're actually quick and simple to make yourself.

The recipe is from Emily Bites, and the base is made up of mini frozen phyllo shells, so half of the work is already done for you. Then you make a creamy filling. Don't tell anyone, but they're also not as decadent as they look. Each one only contains 3 grams of fat and 63 calories, according to her calculations. I like to add a little whipped cream on top, which ups the counts a bit, but it's worth it. 

Fifty Shades of Gray fans are still waiting to hear about casting choices, and they'll have to wait awhile longer. The script is almost finished, but without a script and a director, no actor is going to sign on to a role. But without a doubt, producers have been scouring Hollywood looking for the perfect Christian and Ana, trying to decide who to audition. Fan favorites for Christian have always been Ian Somerhalder, Matt Bomer, and Henry Cavill. But only one of them currently has a huge hit film in theaters. That's Henry with Man of Steel. And gather round your whips and chains, ladies, because that means one thing.

Part of the beauty of summer and all of the opportunities to grill out it provides is that you don't have to turn on your oven to get a great meal. Sometimes, though, you need more than what your grill can provide, and that's where your slow cooker can be your summer BBQ BFF.

If you've got the meat going on the grill, there are a host of delicious side dishes you can cook up in the Crock-Pot. Get them cooking earlier in the day, and they're ready to dish up alongside whatever the grill master serves. Here are six of my favorite slow cooker side dishes for summer.

Do you use your slow cooker much in the summer?

Image via Jeffreyw/Flickr

For the past couple of years, I've been working on my grill skills. I'm getting the hang of it -- I'm extremely proud that I can light that thing all by myself now. But I'm still learning and hungry for more -- well, more grilled food and more info. That's why I was happy to find this interview with grill guru Elizabeth Karmel, author of Taming the Flame: Secrets for Hot-and-Quick Grilling and Low-and-Slow BBQ. She reveals some extremely useful grilling secrets that I wish I'd known before, but I'm happy to know them now.

Pardon me for drooling -- but I really can't seem to help or control myself after seeing a photo of Dancing With the Stars pro Val Chmerkovskiy in his underwear.

Did you hear what I just said? There's a picture of Val in his skivvies, and just as I suspected, he's a boxer briefs man. Be still, my heart. And you'll never guess who snapped the pic.

Sadly, it wasn't Kelly Monaco. (What's up with them anyway? You never hear about them much anymore. Bummer.)

Nope, it was fellow DWTS pro Karina Smirnoff -- and I for one can't thank her enough for sharing this little gem on Instagram. (You made my day Karina. Oh hell, you made my WEEK.)

It's an American tradition to stand in 100-degree temperatures on searing pavement and stuff your face with fried dough. This season was made for theme parks and carnivals and junk food and belly aches, and it's high time you brought those stalwarts of summer home to your very own kitchen. This D.I.Y. mini funnel cake recipe is a great place to start.

Of all national ice cream brands, Ben & Jerry's deserves their cult-like following if only for their creative flavors and names. Come on, what other company would popularize flavors like Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream or the ever-giggle-worthy Schweddy Balls? Well, now they're stepping up their game -- literally -- with their "City Churned" campaign. They're crowd-sourcing fans in five U.S. cities -- Washington D.C., San Francisco, New York, Portland, and Seattle -- to create a new ice cream flavor based on the "bike lanes they choose, the taxis they hail, and the ties that the men wear."

For example, the path D.C. joggers choose will count as votes for either marshmallows (northbound) or peppermint (southbound). In New York City, on-time subway trains will count as votes for either waffle cone pieces or caramel, depending on the train line. Depending on what coffee sleeve you choose in Seattle, you'll be casting a vote for cookie dough or brownies. Weird!

Is there anything easier than making dinner in the Crock-Pot? The simplicity of throwing everything into one big bowl. The letting it cook on its own. The clean up -- ah, the glorious clean up of one pot and one pot only. But sometimes you crave something that can't be made in a Crock-Pot-- wait, there's nothing that can't be made in a Crock-Pot! Readers and food enthusiasts. I present to you: Pizza Casserole in the Crock-Pot.

That's right, I went there.