Julia Child (August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was a famous American cook, author, and television personality who introduced French cuisine and cooking techniques to the American mainstream through her many cookbooks and television programs. Her most famous works are the 1961 cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and, showcasing her sui generis television persona, the series The French Chef, which premiered in 1963.

For those of you who were born within a certain time frame, Julia Child’s PBS broadcasts and her subsequent cookbook, The Joy of Cooking, became the standard by which many explored and expanded their love of food.IPTVRecipes.com blows the doors off Ms. Child – no offense intended.

Meryl Streep will be playing Julia Child in the Columbia Pictures movie Julie & Julia. The film is an adaptation of the 2005 book by Julie Powell which is based on her blog. A blog she wrote when she spent one year cooking a different recipe every night from Child's classic, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Project centers on a frustrated temp secretary who embarks on a yearlong culinary quest to cook all 524 recipes in Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." She chronicles her trials and tribulations in a blog that catches on with the food crowd. But, why not Dan Aykroyd?

There is an old joke in the dating world: A man is always in search of a woman who A) cooks like Julia Child and bakes like Betty Crocker, B) is a lady in the streets but a fox behind closed doors, and C) supports and inspires him to pursue his dreams with reckless abandon despite all obstacles and political odds.

What exactly does it mean to be a gourmet? Does watching public television cooking shows on Saturday morning while folding the laundry count? How about being fascinated with Julia Child and having all of her cookbooks on your Amazon wish list? Knowing what zest, garam marsala and charcuterie mean, does this qualify you as being a gourmet? ...