Though best known for their spiny rind, burr gherkins, a West African cucumber-like veggie, have been a gardener’s secret for a number of reasons. Probably the most obvious reason: Burr gherkins grow like crazy. Even in less-than-hospitable environments (like, say, a desert), growers are impressed and a little overwhelmed by…
The perfect gift for caffiene addicts with a passion for all things flashy and unnecessary has finally arrived in the form of a $450 metal gift card to Starbucks. Last December, the coffee giant released 5,000 steel cards, and they sold out in all of, like, five seconds. So if…
Ladies and gentlemen, we have some urgent breaking news. In anticipation of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, you can now give the gift of Ron Burgundy scotch this holiday season. Aptly named “Great Odin’s Raven,” the scotch comes courtesy of Rivera Imports, a totally real marketer and importer of spirits,…
They say no matter what we do we’ll all turn into our parents. And while we’re not sure if there’s scientific proof that someday you’ll love Elvis and John Wayne films, there is scientific proof that what you like to eat is heavily influenced by what your mom ate while…
The Kickstarter campaign to fund Dave Arnold’s The Searzall has already received funds from some 900 backers since launching at midnight on Thanksgiving. With more than three weeks left to go, the campaign needs only $20,000 to be fully funded. Though technically the hand-held kitchen torch is still in beta…
We’ve all been there. When a “friend” hands you a freshly opened bottle of beer and you’re thinking, “Wow, what a nice guy to have gotten me a fresh brew!” Only to have said friend oh-so-gently tap his beer on top of yours. Suddenly, you’re watching as the foam builds…
It seems like anything and everything comes pickled these days, but sometimes it’s nice to stick to the basics and enjoy some good old-fashioned dill pickles. Lille Mae’s pickled veggies offer everything from cured garlic to pickled beets and dilly beans (which are great for a bloody mary garnish), but…
Ah engastration — as in the art of stuffing one animal into the insides of another animal, then cooking and eating it. The most popular example of engastration would arguably be the Turducken, or a chicken stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey. It’s believed the crazy creation dates…
Ask Bill Gates about the future of food and he’d probably point you to his website, where, through info-graphics and interviews, he lays out the argument that we should all be getting protein off our plates. In the presentation, he mentions a company called Hampton Creek Foods, which is working…
Presentation is an important part of gift-giving, which is why we go through rolls and rolls of wrapping paper and ribbon each year during the holidays. And if you’re feeling a bit guilty about all that waste, innovators in the United Kingdom have come up with a genius solution to…
Maybe we’re just taste bud masochists, but we’ve definitely plowed through a whole bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos at least a couple times in life. Those crunchy chips are so damn spicy that it hurts — hurts so good, that is. But apparently they can actually, like, hurt you. As…
We’ve given you the brine for your turkey and a new root vegetable to incorporate into your typical Thanksgiving side dishes, but, after hours of cooking and cleaning and putting up with all of the unique character types that comprise any family gathering, you’re likely to need a good glass…
Get ready for scary driving conditions this weekend, because we all know how Phoenicians get when it rains. And if you haven’t seen the forecast, there’s going to be a lot of it this weekend. On the upside, you can look forward to a pretty sweet deal this weekend at…
Judging is hard. I’m not belly-aching about all the pie I had to eat or the cool apron and taffy I got at Saturday’s Pie Social. However, assigning a value to someone else’s work can be intimidating. Our job is to judge the pie, which is the culmination of their…
Only in a place like Amsterdam would alcoholics be able to get a job that pays both money and (let’s be honest, what they really want) beer. The project, called the Rainbow Foundation project, is financed by the Dutch state and donations, according to Times Live. Employees get paid 10…
If you find yourself in need of transportation from Geneva Airport to St. Gallen in Switzerland sometime in the future, you might want to consider hopping aboard the first Starbucks coffee store on a train. As of last week, the coffee powerhouse debuted its new two-story coffee car created in…
Forget your strategy of waiting till the last minute to pick up your fresh turkey from the grocery store, because Butterball, the top producer of Thanksgiving turkeys in the country, has announced a nationwide shortage of its large, fresh birds this year. According to New England grocery chain Big Y,…
Fourteen celebrity chefs, countless community bakers, 700 attendees, hundreds of pies — and we won’t even try to count the calories. Come back to the blog later today for a slideshow, and later this week, we’ll have a behind-the-scenes account of the competition, complete with a rundown of all the…
Since we’re already seeing Christmas lights and peppermint-flavored everything, it may already be too late to save anyone from the pumpkin flavored-deluge. But just in case you’re still sucking down those PSLs (that’s Pumpkin Spice Latte, for the non-Starbucks fans out there) and snacking on pumpkin-flavored almonds (which are a…
Happy root vegetable season, everyone! That’s right, the root veggies are back at local farmers markets in a big way, just in time for you to begin experimenting with different recipes for your Thanksgiving dinner. Although parsley root doesn’t typically get the spotlight in the root veggie world, the white…
Whatever happened to potluck Thanksgivings? Or the days when you could whip up a few classic family recipes supplemented by store-bought pie and canned cranberries? The answer is, those days are long gone and now hostesses are expected to turn out a beautifully brined turkey (because deep-frying is so last…
Is everyone ready to eat some pie? Pull out your stretchy pie-eating pants and get your forks ready. Pie Social is happening from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, November 16. We all have our own methods for pie making. Many tips and tricks are taught at the rolling pins of…
