I used to do a similar torn-paper trick in grade school, but it didn’t look nearly as tidy as the result of this staple free stapler at ThinkGeek. “This handy (and might we add — environmentally friendly) device cuts a tiny flap in the corner of your paper, and folds it in on itself, tucked in a tiny paper pocket,” they write. It only holds together five sheets of paper, but it could be a nice alternative to lots of tiny pieces of metal. –Mary T.
I’ve mentioned that ice cream is my favorite food. Even though it’s my obsession, making it is something I’ve left to the pros — especially after my first two attempts at home ice cream making failed so miserably. My first batch of coffee ice cream (using Mark Bittman’s recipe from How to Cook Everything) turned out icy and bitter, not nearly sweet enough. The second time, I followed Christopher Kimball’s coffee gelato recipe from The Dessert Bible and was devastated by the greasy mouthfeel and weak coffee flavor. So it’s my goal this summer to make a successful batch of ice cream, come hell or high water! I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for peanut butter ice cream with chocolate covered peanut butter crackers at The Kitchn, but before I go through all the effort, I thought I’d poll our fabulous readers. Do you have a foolproof, sinfully perfect ice cream recipe you love? –Megan B.
Have you ever come up with a great idea at work and shared it with your boss, only to have him or her turn around and take credit for it? I know I’ve been there, and I’m sure many of you have, too. This poster by Anthony Burrill could be his reaction to any number of situations, but for me it was the perfect response for an office idea-thief. Each poster is produced using the traditional woodblock letterpress process, and is signed by Anthony himself. Purchase one at Concrete Hermit before they’re all gone! –Erica P.
The government’s Cash for Clunkers program may have hit a bump or two, but a new program from Laura’s Lean Beef is just getting up to speed. Now through September 8, you have a chance to replace your outdated, rusted charcoal or propane grill through the Grill Replacement Initiative from Laura’s Lean (G.R.I.L.L.). Simply share a photo of your grotty grill at Laura’s Lean Beef, then follow results through Facebook or Twitter. You could win one of three new stainless-steel, propane-powered replacements, along with a load of Laura’s Lean products. Visit Laura’s Lean Beef for the official G.R.I.L.L rules.
Fancy cupcake shops are all the rage — instead of waning, the trend just seems to keep growing. Just seeing the word “cupcake” on so many store fronts can work on my brain until I have an insatiable craving for them. But this time, instead of paying $3 for one sweet treat, I decided to see how I’d do baking up some of my own. The results may not be half as pretty as a cupcake from Trophy, but wow were they delicious!
I had a pint of cherries I wanted to use, so I went in search of a cherry cupcake recipe. I landed on this one from Good Housekeeping because I liked that it called for fresh, rather than canned, cherries. I ended up using fat free half-and-half because we were out of milk (What can I say — I was literally making these at 9 p.m. when the mood hit, and really didn’t feel like a grocery run) but the cupcakes still turned out wonderfully moist and delicious, if maybe a tad denser than they would be otherwise.
The GH recipe is structured a little more like a muffin, with instructions to top the cupcake with almonds and sugar. I skipped that step and used Bake Chocolate Cake’s best vanilla frosting instead. There’s nothing extraordinary about the frosting ingredients — just butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla — but by following her instructions to beat the ingredients together for four minutes at a time, I ended up with some of the creamiest, most perfect frosting I’d ever made. All in all, these are shop-worthy cupcakes. But they may not last long enough to make it to the shelf. –Mary T.
