Top 10 Links of the Week: 10/23/09 – 10/29/09

Great googly moogly, there are just a ton of quality links this week, many Halloween-related. A quick, exciting reminder, too: CHG now has both Facebook and Twitter accounts. Hooray for inconsequential-yet-amusing methods of modern communication!1) Eater: Rachael Ray Starts a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame PetitionIn what can only be described as a national travesty, Hall & Oates have not yet been inducted to – or even NOMINATED for – the RRHOF. But one little-known television chef is pulling for them. Sign up! Private eyes are watching you!2) New York Times: Living for Candy, and Sugar-Coated GoblinsIt’s every kid’s dream: Paul Rudnick is 51, and has eaten nothing but refined sugar foods since he was six. Somehow, he’s not dead. A recent...

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Posted in: Links

Veggie Might: Make Your Own Mustard

Penned by the effervescent Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about the wide world of Vegetarianism. What do you do when you need a quick meal, have veggie dogs leftover from camping, but the only mustard is the fancy balsamic garlic mustard you picked up in at the New England Maple Museum in Vermont? (Oh, we’ll visit there again, CHG campers, don’t you worry.) If you’re me, you wonder if you could make your own mustard out the beaucoup yellow powder taking over your spice cabinet. (Then you eat the veggie dog with the fancy mustard.) But it got me investigatin’.I read up on mustard making at Mother Earth News, a blog called Montana Jones, and the trusty How to Cook Everything Vegetarian cookbook by Mark Bittman. Turns out, you...

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Posted in: Dips and Sauces,Vegan,Vegetarian,Veggie Might

10 Modern Food Myths, Busted

Salt helps water boil faster. An avocado pit will keep guacamole from browning. Soda will eat through basically anything, Alien-style.We’ll hear hundreds of food myths in our lifetime. Some, thank Snopes, will be inarguably disproved, while others will remain as persistent as head colds, altering both what we eat and how we cook. And still more myths will be made up as we go along, as technology develops and kitchens change with the times.Today, we’re focusing on a few of those newer myths; modern-day legends spawned by newspapers, TV shows, and those accursed enemies of truth, e-mail forwards. Will açai berries speed up weight loss? Does microwaving plastic cause cancer? Are bananas really going the way of the dodo bird? We'll explore and...

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Posted in: Buying Food,Frugality,Health

CHG Asks the Internet: Fat-free Recipes for Gallbladder Surgery?

Hi everybody! Today marks the first installment of an experimental, semi-frequent advice column, CHG Asks the Internet. Alexis writes in:Q: I just found out I have to have my gallbladder out in three weeks and my surgeon said I cannot eat any fat until then... I usually cook low-fat, but no-fat is a little daunting. Do you have a list of recipes with no fat at all in them? I plain to look through all of your recipes, but if you have a list, it would sure be easier!A: Alexis, Mango Salsa, Chunky Applesauce, Cranberry Relish, and several of our drink recipes all have less than 0.4 grams of fat per serving, which is a good start. Beyond that, I might check FatFree Vegan Kitchen. It's absolutely friggin' loaded with fat-free dishes, and Leigh (of Veggie Might fame) is a big fan. I’m positive you’ll...

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Posted in: Ask the Internet

Today, the Novelty Gift Book Industry. Tomorrow, THE WORLD.

So, here’s a thing: the Husband-Elect and I wrote a book! A real book! With pages! And art! And an ISBN number and everything! And it comes out today!It’s called The Emergency Gift Book: More Than 100 Instant Gifts to the Rescue, and it’s not about food whatsoever. But the writing is splendid (if I do say so myself) and the illustrations are even better. For more, here’s the official Amazon product description:Are you pressed for time or prone to procrastination? Do you hate to shop? Or maybe you simply dislike shopping for other people? Emergency Gift Book to the rescue for the slacker and the stumped alike! This book contains everything you need to acknowledge family, friends, coworkers, cohabitants, and loved ones whenever a special occasion comes out of freaking nowhere. Inside you'll...

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Posted in: About Cheap Healthy Good

Butternut Squash Risotto: Transcendence in a Bowl

Today on Serious Eats: Butternut Squash Apple Cranberry Bake. Mmm ... autumn.It’s tough avoiding cliché when attempting to explain Chez Panisse’s Butternut Squash Risotto. Not because it’s lame. Nope. Rather, it's because the dish assaults your senses, leaving them huddled in a corner, murmuring happily to themselves about how they never had it so good. So, you gotta resort to phrases both tried and true: “best recipe ever,” springs to mind, as do “NOM,” “mmm … risotto,” and, “I would marry this food.” All of them are overused and a bit hyperbolic, but in this case, totally appropriate. Because this risotto? It’s a Sunday meal. It’s a birthday dinner. It’s something you’d make to impress the bejeezus out of your parents. And it’s cheap and...

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Posted in: Mains,Vegetarian

Top Ten Links of the Week: 10/16 – 10/22

Today launches the Megalinks in brand new Friday top ten form. While you're scrolling, don't forget to check out the honorable mentions section, a short list of other noteworthy stories and posts. It's a linkapalooza, minus the obligatory Jane's Addiction reunion.1) Improv Everywhere: Grocery Store MusicalYears ago, I took improv comedy classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York. In addition to it being the most fun thing ever, it’s where I met the Husband-Elect. (Amy Poehler will kind of be responsible for the birth of our kids, in the most roundabout way ever.) Improv Everywhere was created by UCB veteran Charlie Todd, and what they do is just wonderful. Grocery Store Musical is just their latest stroke of genius. If you...

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Posted in: Links

Veggie Might: Vegetarian Miso Soup

Written by the fabulous Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about all things Vegetarian. Hi Readers! I thought of you every time I went grocery shopping or cooked a meal over the last month. I’m so happy we’re back together.Back in June of 2008, I wrote an article about hidden meat that can trip up vegetarians and vegans, warning particularly of fish and chicken stock in soups. Blinded by my own ignorance, and probably the good-faith assurance of some waiter at some restaurant in 1991, I’ve been contentedly slurping down fishy broth at sushi joints across America, alongside my avocado rolls and edamame. God bless the child that knows it all.Miso soup is not vegetarian. I stumbled on this shocker last winter while reading the charming...

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Posted in: Soups and Stocks,Vegan,Vegetarian,Veggie Might

A Beginner’s Guide to Beans, Plus 42 Bean Recipes

Some will balk at their flavor and size. Many will have texture issues. And still others just won’t enjoy the farting.But know this: there are few cheaper, healthier, and more versatile foods than the humble bean. Members of the legume family, beans can be found everywhere from gourmet restaurants to campfire cauldrons. They’ve been vital to the survival of certain populations, and instrumental to the development of particular cuisines. Also, they taste good.Still, there are folks out there unfamiliar with chickpeas and pintos, kidney and black beans. And for them, CHG proudly presents the following: a breakdown of why beans are wonderful, plus 42 tried-and-true recipes in which to use them.HEALTH BENEFITSLow in fat, high in protein, and astronomically...

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Posted in: Buying Food,Cooking,Frugality,Health

CHG: New and Improved!

With CHG’s relaunch comes a host of new and exciting improvements to the site. We're super-excited about them, and hope they provide y'all with a better blog experience. If you have any suggestions for more, we're always happy to hear them. In the meantime, behold!IMPROVEMENT #1 What: A tag cloud!Why: It’s pretty. Takes up less space than the old label list, too.IMPROVEMENT #2What: A Facebook page!Why: All the kids have one these days.IMPROVEMENT #3What: A Twitter account! (Handle: KrisCHG.)Why: Tryin' to keep with the times. Next, I'm planning on buying a phonograph to play records by this "Osmond Family" I keep hearing about.Special Note: We’ll have both Facebook and Twitter buttons in the sidebar soon. (Meaning: as soon as I figure...

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Posted in: About Cheap Healthy Good

Roasted Butternut Squash with Moroccan Spices: Back in Orange

EDITOR’S NOTE #1: Hi, sweet readers! We’re back! Thank you for being so patient during our absence. We’ll have a post on site improvements tomorrow. In the meantime, let’s get rolling with a brand spankin’ new recipe, brought to you by the fine folks at Kalyn’s Kitchen. (Meaning: Kalyn.)EDITOR’S NOTE #2: Today on Serious Eats, I wrote of Giada DeLaurentiis’ Spinach and Cannellini Bean Dip. Without exaggeration, I’d give up a kidney for a pita of this stuff. (Nope, no exaggeration there.) It’s only one Weight Watchers point per 1/3rd cup, making it way lighter than hummus. Giada wins.Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to re-emerge from a month of sloth and pondering with a recipe so fine, you won’t eat anything for the rest of...

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Posted in: Sides,Vegan,Vegetarian

The Final Countdown (Do Da Do Dooo)

Hey everybody! We're officially back Monday the 19th, so keep your eyes peeled.In the meantime, if you have a hankering for inexpensive, healthy food, check out The 25 Best Laughably Cheap Recipes at Casual Kitchen. Just reading it will make you wicked hungry.See you in a few da...

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CHG Grand Re-Opening, Coming Soon

Readers! Hi there! How have you been? Things are lovely over here. I got to see rhinos fighting a few weeks ago, so that was pretty sweet.Beyond that, there's news! CHG is looking to start up again in another week or two. It should be plenty of time to get some housekeeping done, and juuuust enough time to emotionally recover from tonight's Office. (Yay Pam and Jim! I haven't been this excited over a TV event since they introduced "B" on Sesame Street.)They'll be a few improvements upon CHG's return, including more in-depth posts, increased user friendliness, and at least marginally better photos. Alas, we'll also be coming back with ads. Though I aspired to be the Fugazi of food blogging, an extended period of employment inactivity has necessitated the monetization the site. (That's fancy...

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Posted in: About Cheap Healthy Good