It was my birthday last week. I love my birthday, but it never really turns out how I imagine. For my 12th birthday, I asked for Donnie Wahlberg, to no avail. For my 18th birthday, my girlfriends tried to plan a surprise party for me, which I ruined mid-car ride…
No, that headline is not a euphemism. If you’re fed up with your wine going bad because you overestimated the amount of wine you needed (does that ever happen?) or sick and tired of wine stoppers forcing you to cram your bottle into the fridge in haphazard ways, Wine Condoms…
If we ever moved from the Southwest, fresh, handmade tortillas surely would leave a hole in our hearts. Luckily, we’re Phoenicians, so we’re spoiled by vendors like Lula’s Tortillas, who use years of tortilla-making expertise to bring delicious tortillas to local farmers markets. Though the tortillas currently are available only…
If you’re a whiskey lover finding it difficult to inspire that romantic feeling, there’s good news about getting out of Valentine’s Day doldrums. Since the first release of Copper City Bourbon, it seemed Rodney Hu and his team at Arizona Distilling Co. were excitedly chatting about the all-Arizona-made whiskey they…
The Interweb has been ablaze with talk of Dumb Starbucks, the L.A.-based parody coffee shop specializing in Dumb Frappuccinos, Dumb Norah Jones Duet CDs, and Dumb Venti Dumb Lattes. Two days after everyone caught word of the spoof cafe, Instagrammers posted shots of everything inside and outside the dumb coffee…
The results are in, and a Valley resident will be one of four Applebee’s fans featured in the restaurant chain’s new digital commercial. In December and January, folks were asked to submit Vine videos with the hashtag “BeeFamous.” From all the submitted videos of people making “their most unbelievable reactions,”…
You’ve still got time to lock in a Valentine’s Day reservation if you haven’t already. In order to quell the wrath of your significant other, try taking OpenTable or Nara’s suggestions on where to dine to inspire that loving feeling. OpenTable recently released its top 100 romantic restaurants, four of…
My perfect alone time is at the end of the day, in bed with a glass of wine and Instagram. There are so many amazing pastry chefs, bakeries, and home bakers out there creating gorgeous product and uploading pictures to be scrolled through and drooled over. It is one of…
As a company that uses “Eat Fresh” as its slogan, it was pretty shocking to learn that the bread is baked with azodicarbonamide, an additive commonly found in yoga mats and shoe rubber. However, according to the Huffington Post, the company has recently decided to remove that chemical from the…
Are you crazy? I am so that’s probably why I’m the owner of a small pastry business. More often than I can count, I am approached and told I have the greatest job in the world. I get to play with sugar and butter all day, how can that not…
The people in the Jelly Belly flavor development center must be bored — like, really bored. Flavors such as moldy cheese, rotten egg, and skunk spray, along with the popular Harry Potter-inspired line of “Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans,” push the envelope of what people really want in candy. There…
If you’re just as crazy in love with Queen Bey as you are with your significant other, you’re not alone. Brooklyn restaurant Brucie has planned an all-Beyoncé-themed dinner, with dishes inspired by the queen herself, her former gal group, Destiny’s Child, her hubby, Jay-Z, and even her daughter, Blue Ivy…
One of the most refreshing and exciting parts of hitting up local farmers markets is finding local farmers who have unique offerings that are locally grown and hard to find in traditional brick-and-mortar markets. Sri’s Fruites and Vegetables often has typical produce selections, like kale and cabbage, but also offers…
There are plenty of bottled water options that come with ridiculous price tags. From Smart Water to Fiji to Voss and more, the fancy water scene is here to stay. But for some hydrators, expensive water isn’t upscale enough for them, and that’s where spa water comes in. According to…
Imagine the scene: You’re sitting on your couch alone on Friday night catching up on the most recent season of The Taste. Anthony Bourdain is describing fried chicken for the millionth time and you’re lounging on a pizza-shaped pillow and wearing leggings covered in French fries with a waffle-print sweatshirt…
Back when we were kids, the simple joy of some chicken nuggets with honey dipping sauce, fries, a soda, and a mini Beanie Baby was all we expected to find in the big red Happy Meal box. However, according to CBS Pittsburgh, one employee has been using the childhood staple…
Just about everything we eat contains “virtual water,” or water that goes indirectly into the production of food. In fact, water that goes into the agricultural industry accounts for 70 percent of water consumption worldwide — and you might be surprised to find out just how much H20 goes into…
After watching an episode or two of any at least semi-professional competitive cooking show, it’s likely you’ve heard the name sunchoke dropped. Also known as the Jerusalem artichoke, this knobby, brown tuber (or thick stem) of a sunflower varietal really doesn’t look like a big deal. While culinary-types have been…
Our humble food scene has been getting a nice bit of national attention recently. In the past two weeks, both the Wall Street Journal and the Boston Globe have complied lists of must-see dining spots and drinking destinations in Phoenix and throughout Arizona. Both outlets named Chef Gio Osso’s Virtu…
Experts estimate that since last spring, an epidemic of porcine epidemic diarrhea, or PED, virus has killed about a million baby pigs at farms all over the country. The virus, which can cause deadly dehydration in baby pigs, has been spreading from farm to farm since it was first found…
When I was younger I loved the Super Bowl parties that my grandfather threw every year. He would invite all his employees, family and friends to a potluck dinner and viewing party. The thing I waited for all year, were the “monkey balls” that my grandfathers shipping manager brought. I…
Last year, Chipotle debuted The Scarecrow, a three-minute animated video ad that attacked the processed-food industry with sad images like the one above. It was called both one of the best and worst ad campaigns of the year, but the mixed reviews didn’t stop the video from getting more than…
