This week, it's multiple links from Consumerist and the ever-informative New York Times, along with a killer Salon post and the prettiest kitchen ever, courtesy of The Kitchn (naturally).
Chow: 10 Things to Cook for One
Is one the hungriest number you have ever known? No worries. This nice linkfest from the Chow folks will help you through dinner, AND BEYOND.
Consumerist: Buy In Bulk With Friends From Warehouse Clubs
Neat idea for apartment-dwellers, and/or folks who just won’t finish 3,000 capers all by their lonesome.
Consumerist: Learn To Make Depression Era Recipes With 93-Year-Old Clara
You’ll want Clara to be your grandma by the time this video is over. She wields a potato peeler pretty well for a nonagenarian.
Consumerist: Man Sues Walmart After Being Bitten By Snake, But Keeps Going Back For The Deals
a.k.a. When Frugality Goes a Tad Too Far. Just a Tad.
FiveThirtyEight: Beer No Longer Recession-Proof
Hm. If stripping and the mafia start to see losses, we could be in real trouble. I cite The Sopranos as proof:
Tony Soprano: Sil, break it down for 'em. What two businesses have traditionally been recession-proof since time immemorial?
Silvio Dante: Certain aspects of show business and our thing.
Free Money Finance: Paying Off a Mortgage by Brown Bagging Your Lunch
Dude bags lunch. Dude banks money saved by bagging lunch. Dude pays off mortgage seven years early, pockets $14,000 in interest. Dude wins!
Frugal Upstate: Homemade Bisquick Substitute
Why buy the box when you can DIY in 30 seconds? Here, Jenn tells you how.
The Kitchn: 15 Tips for Easier, Quicker, and More Delicious Soup
Solid link comp on the wonders of watery meals.
The Kitchn: How to Make Over Mom’s Kitchen in One Weekend
Alix overhauled her ma’s tiny, messy kitchen in three days for only $275, and the results are stellar. For kicks, compare it to five similar (and presumably, pricier) redesigns from the This Old House website. You’ll be even more impressed.
Like Merchant Ships: Ultimate Lego Birthday Party
AUGH! I can hardly stand how cute and inventive and frugal and awesome this is. Party planners, take notes.
New York Times: Even Top Chefs Have Picky Kids
Quick-n-dirty interview with The Bald One on feeding his teen. If this guy has problems, we’re all doomed. DOOOOOOOOMED.
New York Times: No Lunch Left Behind
Slow food doyenne Alice Waters argues for healthier school meals. Perhaps a bit unrealistic financially, her plan is thought-provoking nonetheless, especially if you have elementary-aged kids. This interview with South Beach Diet creator Arthur Agatston makes a nice companion piece, as well. (Side note: I worked in a high school ten years ago, and vividly remember the cafeteria offering soft pretzels with dipping cheese as a weekly meal option. That’s messed up for so many reasons, it’s hard to count.)
New York Times: Tropicana Discovers Some Buyers Are Passionate About Packaging
You know the new Tropicana cartons? The ones that look like they were designed by a C-average art student? They’re gone, yo. Trop’s moving back to the old logo, thank goodness.
New York Times: Tipping and the Recession
Frank Bruni, the most powerful food critic in the Milky Way, reminds you to tip your waiters.
NPR: Downturn Drives Shoppers to Frozen Food Aisles
I’m not crazy about the interviewee’s tone (Cooking at home? THE HORROR.), but this five-minute audio piece summarizes Americans’ new shopping habits pretty well. Special emphasis is placed on frozen dinners, where folks can get decent quality for a fraction of the price of a restaurant.
Salon: How to Live What Michael Pollan Preaches
Both The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food are incredible books, full of crazy-valuable information and wonderful ideas. Still, their strategies remain out of reach for most of us. Half essay, half review of Mark Bittman’s new Food Matters tome, this Salon piece examines a compromise. Great stuff.
The Simple Dollar: Bulk Breakfast Burritos: Convenient, Cheap, Healthy, and Easier Than You Think
I’m pretty down with this thoughtful, comprehensive post on easily assembled morning meals, though the food itself is a little calorie-laden, thanks to the tortilla. To save 50 calories or so, I might opt for a soft taco-sized wrap.
Slashfood: What is Natural Food?
Newsflash: the word “natural” on food packaging means absolutely nothing. You’d be better off licking a sweater for the nutrition it promises you. Slashfood's Emily Matchar examines the labeling process, and then asks a great question: “Forget the FDA - what does "natural" mean to us, as it applies to our food?”
Times UK Online: 50 of the world's best food blogs
Have a couple of hours to kill? This is a good way to do it, and it’s much more entertaining than a nap.
(Photos courtesy of Mat and Carly, The Kitchn, and Right at Home.)
Posted in: Links