Good Eatin': Everything you wanted to know about chile peppers but were afraid to ask

Here's a hot documentary on chile peppers and fiery foods from New Mexico State University, written, co-produced, and hosted by Dave DeWitt, The Pope of Peppers. Shot on location in Mexico, Guatemala, The Bahamas, Jamaica, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, and Florida, the movie covers all aspects of the passion for peppers.
Heat up Your Life - Peppers and People (YouTube)

Nutrition: Labels

How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label

The Nutrition Facts Panel - An Overview
The Serving Size
Calories (and Calories from Fat)
The Nutrients: How Much?
Understanding the Footnote
How the Daily Values (DV) Relate to the %DVs
The Percent Daily Value (%DV)
Quick Guide to %DV
Nutrients With a %DV but No Weight Listed - Spotlight on Calcium
Nutrients Without a %DV: Trans Fats, Protein, and Sugars

People look at food labels for different reasons. But whatever the reason, many consumers would like to know how to use this information more effectively and easily. The following label-building skills are intended to make it easier for you to use nutrition labels to make quick, informed food choices that contribute to a healthy diet. -- from the website.

Good Eatin': On a tight budget

Here's a site that may be a sign of the times:

Hillbilly Housewife features "low-cost, home-cooking from scratch. The recipes are all tested in a real kitchen with hungry children, stalking cats, begging puppies and a playful husband underfoot. The ingredients are affordable and readily available in most areas.

"Many of us are feeling the squeeze at the supermarket these day, and all of us are feeling it at the gas pump. The government continues to deny inflation, but I see the results of it in my grocery bill and my gas tank. The official USDA cost of food has risen to $500 a month for a family of 4 on the Thrifty Plan! As most of us tighten our belts, we may be wondering how to juggle expenses that only seem to rise.

"...We teach you the best foods to buy on a budget and how to cook them so the family will be better fed than they've been in years. You'll find tips and techniques here that you won't find anywhere else on the web. Everything here is free, provided by God's grace. If the information you find here helps you and your circumstances, then please share what you have learned with others, so they too can benefit from your new knowledge." -- from the website.

<http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/>

The site outlines in detail how to feed a family of four+ and maintain nutritional requirements on a budget of $45.00/wk. The Hillbilly Housewife has great tips on living and eating inexpensively without sacrificing your well being.

Good Eatin': Salt + Artistry = Saltistry

Artisan Flavored Sea Salts

"By itself, salt is one of the oldest and most crucial minerals to human life. At Saltistry, salt is elevated to an exquisite art. Sourcing the finest sea salts from around the world, salt artist and chef Joni Fay Hill infuses salts with blends of fruits, herbs and spices, creating a complex marriage of flavors and aromas.

"As a former chef, Joni approaches artisanal salt from a cook’s perspective, meticulously handcrafting her salt infusions in small batches to create a depth of flavor while preserving the texture and integrity of each grain. The unique collection of finishing salts season all types of dishes, both sweet and savory, and add a brilliant flavor dimension to anything and everything edible." -- from the website. <http://www.saltistry.com/>

Good Eatin': Soup, The Ultimate Comfort Food

"There's something extremely satisfying about a hot, bubbling pot of soup on the stove on a cold winter's night," says Simply Soups: The Ultimate Comfort Food, a handsome site with dozens of recipes for broths and stocks, chilis, chowders, cream and cheese soups, onion soups, vegetable and meat soups, dessert soups, fruit soups, and cold soups. <http://www.simplysoups.com/>

Good Eatin': Mmmmm, Bugs!

Sooner or later, global warming and overpopulation will force even faint-hearted Americans to turn to entomophagy, that is, to eating bugs as a source of nutrition and, yes, pleasure, as people in so many other parts of the world already do. You might as well get prepared, and a place to go for some examples of edibles that are already table-ready, such as spicy crushed giant waterbug paste from Thailand Unique or chocolate-covered scorpions from Lazybone, is the list of 32 Edible Insect Foods You Can Buy Online from SenseList. For practical information about bugs in your kitchen, including recipes and shopping advice, visit the Manataka American Indian Council, Food Insects Newsletter, Sunrise Land Shrimp or Iowa State University. To learn more about the history of the phenomenon, visit the University of Kentucky Department of Entomology or download Why Not Bugs? (pdf) from The Southern Herbalist's Stalking the Wild. You can see pictures of your future meals at the Thai Bugs site, Zack’s Bug-Feasting Page, and the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Cookbooks that provide recipes for cooking insects include Creepy Crawly Cuisine: The Gourmet Guide to Edible Insects, the Eat-A-Bug Cookbook, Man Eating Bugs: The Art and Science of Eating Insects, and Bugs for Lunch. And pay careful attention the next time you dine at that fine Asian-Fusion restaurant you like so much. Bon appetit.

Good Eatin': How to Consume a Kiwano

The Kiwano (aka, the Horned Melon, melano, African horned cucumber, jelly melon, hedged gourd, or English tomato) is a fruit native to a region of the Kalahari Desert. When picked green and allowed to ripen, the fruit tastes like a mix of cucumber and kiwifruit. When it's picked fully ripe, it has a banana-like taste. Here's some help from wikiHow.

Good Eatin': The Avocado

All About Avocados has a history and recipes featuring this fruit native to the New World. The history section discusses how 16th century Spanish explorers described the fruit, how the first avocado tree was planted in Florida in the 1830s, and the popularity of the Hass avocado here in California. Recipes include guacamole dip with cilantro, avocado-olive dip, avocado pie, and more. <http://whatscookingamerica.net/avacado.htm>

Good Eatin': The science behind pickles

In LOL's continuing effort to answer your most deep-seated questions, here is a site where you can learn about the science underlying pickling, "the ancient culinary craft of preserving foods in salt brine or vinegar." How does a cucumber becomes a pickle? The site has a gallery of international pickle suspects -- kimchi, chutney, pickled eggs, pickled herring; pickle facts; pickle recipes -- fried dill pickles, ceviche; pickling tips; in short, everything you wanted to know about pickles but were afraid to ask. <http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/pickles/>

Good Eatin': Tap water is the new black

Bottled water has lost its cool. Top-tier beaneries are doing away with imported brand-name eaus in favor of filtered municipal tap water. Do the same, and save a bundle.

Battling Bottled Water
Evian Criminals:
The New Snob Appeal of Tap Water
Bottled Water: No Longer Cool?
Fancy Tap Water Is the New Trend
Some Restaurants Are Selling Their Tap, Filtered
Some Bottled Water Is Tap Water
Chez Panisse Turns On the Tap
"Your best bottle of TAP water, please"
“Local tap water bubbles up in restaurants”
“Give me whatever is on tap”
“I feel silly buying bottled water”
Which Bottled Water has a bigger Carbon Footprint?
Drinking Tap Water is Your Christian Duty

Good Eatin': Watermelon, the Fruit That's Really a Vegetable

"The watermelon is of the Cucurbitaceae (or Gourd) family. It's origin, Africa, was established by David Livingstone (noted missionary explorer), in the 1850's. He found great tracts of watermelon growing wild in the Kalahari desert of Africa. Cultivation by man dates back at least 4000 years to the Egyptians." -- from the website of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.

Good Eatin': Acorn Springs Farm miniature fruit trees for your patio

Acorn's Extreme Containerized Citrus:
Fruiting-Age Specimens Sent to Your Door



"Be it our Kaffir Lime, Improved Meyer Lemon or Nagami Kumquat, we’re proud to offer you the healthiest, most fragrant grafted dwarf citrus specimens in the US. Choose from these, or our other popular dwarf citrus tree varieties and we’ll ship them directly from our Texas farm – in soil – to your door via FedEx. Our containerized dwarf citrus trees are ready for display, right from the box. And we include expertly written care instructions with every order, along with the toll-free telephone number to our farm. Free gift card with your message included!" -- from the website. <http://www.acornsprings.com/>

Good Eatin': Shrimp!

Shrimp recipes,
plus nutritional and dietary information
about the ubiquitous
entree, appetizer and snack
from the Shrimp Council:
<http://www.eatshrimp.com/>

Good Eatin': How to Avoid Poisonous Mushrooms (California Poison Control System)

"There are no non-scientific tests or rules that can accurately determine the safety or toxicity of a mushroom....'poisonous mushroom' means any mushroom or toadstool that causes an adverse or negative reaction when eaten. Symptoms can range from 6 hours of vomiting to lethal liver or kidney failure....There is no antidote for mushroom poisoning!" -- from the website.

<http://calpoison.org/public/mushrooms.html>

Good Eatin': Everything You Wanted to Know about Sushi but Were Afraid to Ask

"What is sushi? What is sashimi? We'll answer those questions and more at SushiFAQ.com....devoted to answering all your questions about sushi (and sashimi), its history, and the related Japanese dining experience. We will answer the simple questions such as 'what is sushi?,' 'what is sashimi?,' 'why would I eat raw fish?' and 'how do I use chopsticks?' as well as enlighten diners as to the history, etiquette, terminology, and artistry that surround this simple and artful food." -- from the website. <http://www.sushifaq.com/>

Good Eatin': The Complete & Utter Idiot’s Guide to Making a Baloney Sandwich

I've had an affection for bologna since my 9th grade year at L'École de la Prétention where it was served several times a week; I remember with especial fondness breakfast, at which the mysterious lunchmeat was presented fried as a substitute for bacon. At The Complete & Utter Idiot’s Guide to Making a Baloney Sandwich, you'll find an in-depth analysis of the steps needed to prepare this staple of the American table. Step by step directions are divided into bits so small that even those of us completely unfamiliar with the mysteries of the kitchen can prepare this epicurean delight. This site will solve all of your lunching needs, and answer questions you never knew you had about baloney.

Good Eatin': What you need to know about beer

Prosit! L'Chayim! Sláinte! À votre santé! In Vino Veritas, In Cervesio Felicitas! Igfenn, hei skål! Salud amor y pesetas -- y tiempo para gustarlos! Cheers!
Everything You Wanted to Know About Beer, But Were Afraid to Ask:
Don’t know a lager, from an ale, from a stout, from a bock? This brewer's bible will provide you with a description of every style of beer known to man: Brewers Assoc. Guide to Beer Styles (pdf)

Good Eatin': Grocery List Generator

The GLG (Grocery List Generator) is a tool that will help you to keep in stock the recipe-ingredients and other groceries that you use regularly. It creates a well-organized list to help simplify grocery shopping.

Features:

• 7 international sample dishes from LXweb.nl
• Never forget an ingredient needed for a dish anymore.
• Easy to maintain database with all your favorite dishes,
  and other items you often need.
• Items are grouped by super market department type.
• Organize your list based on your supermarket's layout.
• Keeps a running list of items selected, even after you restart Firefox.
• Directly print your list, or export it to disk/pda.
• Supports unicode data (UTF8).
• Available in a dozen languages

<Grocery List Generator>

Good Eatin': Coffee and Espresso Information

"Your source for coffee and espresso tutorials, reviews, and original java-related content....Our intention is to improve coffee quality through education and research. This 300-page coffee website was developed as a platform to share our passion for specialty coffee." -- from the website.
<http://www.coffeeresearch.org/>