Tuesday Megalinks

Sweet readers! Be sure to come back here tomorrow for CHG’s Ultimate Thanksgiving Resource post. It’ll be everything you ever need to know about Turkey Day (plus lots of terrible stuffing jokes), all in one convenient place. But first…

Almost Frugal: Losing Weight - Pure Vanity or Money Saver?
Guest poster Nicole is a victim of weight creep: she’s gained a few pounds over a few years, without it ever presenting a gigantic problem. Now, her clothes are way tight, and she’s changing some old habits. While her musings hit some old themes (the relationship between fat and finance, etc.), I highlighted this post because it addresses the slow build of extra poundage: it’s insidious, and needs just as much attention as Biggest Loser-style gains.

Biblical Womanhood: Getting creative in the kitchen
Crystal’s been swapping oil out of her baked goods for juice, applesauce, and just about any other kitchen liquid (save dish soap) she can get her hands on. It’s healthier and she’s not noticing too much of a flavor difference. Go forth and experiment, young explorers!

Casual Kitchen: Ten Tips on How to Cut Your Food Budget Using the 80/20 Rule
Daniel focuses his Gladwellian 80/20 theory to address increases in grocery expenditures. His neato ideas about pairing down are well worth a read.

Chow: Dinner Parties on the (Ultra) Cheap - Three multicourse bashes for eight
Extensive, fancy, fairly frugal menus for Indian, Italian, and Southern blowouts, complete with an extra special bonus page of tips and tricks. My favorite: “Look to the East. Countries with long vegetarian or semivegetarian traditions like India, Thailand, and Japan offer tons of budget-friendly nonmeat recipes.” Word.

Eggbeater: Testing Recipes
Wonderful, offbeat post that could be called “12 Things to Always, Always Remember About Cooking Instructions.” Like: what works in one geographic region won’t necessarily work in another, there’s no one recipe for ANYTHING, and my personal favorite, “A recipe is not out to get you.” (It’s hard to remember sometimes.)

Frugal Upstate: Best Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes (Frugal Thanksgiving Mini Series)
Jen’s compiling a master list of potatoes, stuffings, sauces, and casseroles for the big day (Thanksgiving, not the Super Bowl). Take a look at her readers’ offerings, and add your own if you get the chance. The result could be STUPENDOUS.

Jezebel: In Which I Wish Barack Obama Wasn’t Such a Picky Eater
It seems our president-elect might have some texture issues. Michelle, thankfully, does not. But hear this, citizens: if we pull together as a nation, we will be overcome. (Hope! Change!)

The Kitchn: Ten Tips for Buying Everyday Wines
Stellar post for pairing vino with informal meals. Because sometimes? You need a glass of Pinot with your spaghetti and meatballs. (Note: for me, this is every night.)

Money Saving Mom: Guest Post - Using Your Freezer and Cooking from Scratch to Save Money
Epic treatise on the longterm icing of pre-made food. If I can convince my roommate to extricate one of his bottles of vodka from our Frigidaire, this will be put to good use.

New York Times: Europe Relaxes Rules on Sale of Ugly Fruits and Vegetables
In the mellifluous utterances of Mariann Fischer Boel, European commissioner for agriculture, “This marks a new dawn for the curvy cucumber and the knobbly carrot.” You got that right.

New Yorker: The Perils of Efficiency
To sum: while the global food crisis has been temporarily averted, it’s exposed just how much trouble the world’s food supply is in. Essentially, some countries have been planting cash crops instead of food crops, figuring that the money raised could buy them sustenance from other places. Sadly, bureaucracy and politics often interfere, meaning those nations still can’t get their nourishment. What to do?

The Oregonian: Classic Baking Apples Face Off
In a stunning smackdown, Braeburn and Pinova (or Pinata) apples absolutely crush the competition. Gala and Honeycrisp varietals fare okay, while Granny Smith, Cameo, and Rome bite the proverbial big one. Surprising! (Thanks to Slashfood for the link.)

Value for Your Life: 8 Reasons I Will Always Cook at Home
Yup, this about sums it up. I especially dig #8: “I know that my cooking is the way to my husband’s and family’s hearts.” In other words: food makes people like you. It's true. Ask Julia Child.

Wise Bread: Going Back to the Root Cellar
WB gets down to the nitty gritty details of how to construct and maintain a root cellar. Good accompaniment piece to the recent New York Times’ article.

Zap2It: Top TV and Movie Chefs (and Cooks)
From Monica Gellar to Babette Hersant to the Swedish Chef himself, this faboo gallery of fictional foodmakers will keep you occupied for a minimum of ten minutes. And when things are slow at work, can you ask for anything more?

CHG was also included in two blog carnivals this week: