Catch Me Some Lucky Charms (And Don’t Tell Mom…)

As a kid, I’d often lie to my mom when she opened the box of Lucky Charms (a rare appearance in our house) and asked me point blank if I had picked out all of the marshmallows. I would vehemently deny it… when in actuality, I woke up at 6:00am to crack open the fresh box of sugary goodness to be the first to get my hands on the neon colored rainbows and pots of gold while I watched my cartoons. Somehow I thought she wouldn’t notice the resulting 1:100 ratio of marshmallow to colorless cereal piece.

As a now sensible adult, I can’t remember the last time I bought a box of Lucky Charms. But when I came across this article on Bon Appetit, I immediately knew what I was making for the dessert that would follow our holiday dinner of Shepherd’s pie.  I felt like that little girl again…scrolling through the pics of rice crispy treats, cakes, ice cream, and puddings. Even the Lucky Charms Martini was tempting…had I actually found a suitable replacement for my annual pint of Guinness?!

Needless to say, there was a sugar/alcohol combo hangover yesterday that had us cursing the leprechaun and debating his charm, but I’d recommend these recipes to anyone looking to keep the St. Patty’s Day spirit alive any time of year!

Posted by Amanda

Image source Bon Appetit

 

Kiddie Corruption: Stuffed Vodka-Watermelon and Other Inappropriate Play Things

When it comes to learning lessons, I tend to think a couple skinned knees and time-outs with no dinner are the consequences that shape a kid’s normal adulthood. That said, while they can learn a lot as tots, I think we can all agree that kids’ fragile little brains can’t handle too much corruption before hitting the double digits.

So when I came across Bon Appetit’s write-up on the newest stuffed creation by Plush Place, I became even less confident about a child’s ability to determine good versus evil in the playroom. This frightening discovery sparked a little research into the realm of inappropriate toys. My top picks:

1. Vodka Watermelon Play-Set:

Image source Etsy

As a recent college grad and current Jersey Shore enthusiast, I get a kick out of this plush play-thing, but teaching your kid how to make the nasty-tasting cookout crowd-pleaser? I foresee a lot of cocktails in that child’s future.

2. Toy Tattoo Gun:

Image source Huffington Post

Happy birthday, honey! Use this to ink up your teeny-tiny biceps! And no, you still are too young to wear deodorant!

3. Dora the Explorer Aquapet:

Image source MSN.com

Self-explanatory… let’s just say, Sigmund Freud would have a lot to say about this one.

4. Bratz Dolls:

Image source Bratz

At the risk of sounding old and lame in my early twenties, back in my day Barbie wouldn’t be caught dead in one of these scantily-clad ensembles. Are outfits like those allowed to be worn by middle-schoolers these days?

I think not.

Posted by Mary

Hipster Redemption

The hipster backlash has been quite active for the last few years, so there’s really nothing left to say about it. Yes, they’re pretentious, annoying and lack self-awareness. The same can be said for a million other subcultures.

While I harbor mild disdain for the hipsters, I do have to give them their due when it comes to Cuppow, a snappy (double entendre alert!) lid attachment developed by a few Somerville, MA friends and manufactured in the good old US of A. Kind of like a baby bottle nipple for adults, the Cuppow allows you to use a (hipster favorite) Mason jar as a travel mug. Brilliant!

These kids have also created a pretty cool video ad for the product—you can check it out on Bon Appetit’s blog.

While the road to redemption is a long one for the hipsters, this is a step in the right direction.

Posted by Amelia

Soup, It’s What’s For Dinner

It’s winter, I feel bloated and broke, and my lame New Year’s health kick only lasted as long as the rest of the lazy losers who get inspired for a week starting Jan. 2. So what’s next? Cutting back on those hefty restaurant tabs to start, and experimenting with some at-home dinners… especially ones that are quick n’ easy with a little lasting power… aka soup. Fear not, I’m not some Julie & Julia-type loser and I’m not about to start a cooking blog, but I have done some research (and some chopping and simmering) to identify a few healthy, easy-to-make, tasty options that are worth giving a whirl.

Bon Appetit’s January issue featured a fantastic recipe for Lentil Soup with Spicy Italian Sausage. The sausage give this rich soup (almost a stew) a subtle kick. I upped the spice-factor with the addition of some Herbe Picante.

The Boston Globe did a piece recently on local options for good chicken soups, including one solid standby recipe. However, if you’re as bad about following recipes as me, there’s an even easier solution. Get a rotisserie chicken at your local market and eat some of it. What’s left, dump in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil for about 5 minutes then turn off the heat, cover, and leave it all day. When you get home you’ll have a great stock/broth and the meat will have fallen from the bones. Get the bones out, chop up a bunch of veggies (i.e. celery, onions and carrots), season and simmer – add some pasta, orzo or other rice-y thing to it if you want towards the end…there’s your soup!

We’ll finish with chilis. I default to Epicurious most often — here’s their most recent round-up:
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/howtocook/dishes/chili
. I’ve tried the Chicken and White Bean (scrapped the cilantro though) and they also have a tasty Black Bean Vegetarian option.

I’m stopping there — the grocery list of shit you can throw in a pot and stir together to make soups is endless, so I’m sure you can figure some others out for yourself. Bon Appetit!

Posted by Sam