It seems like mobile food carts and trucks are sweeping the nation. I’ve always been a fan of the L.A. taco truck phenomenon, and here in Seattle, in addition to the usual “roach coaches” and hot dog carts, there’s a flood of mobile food options for diners. These trucks and carts run the gamut from my favorite falafel to burgers with bacon jam and cambozola cheese, giving us champagne dinners at beer prices. Cities like Austin, Portland, and New York have their own mobile food explosions, making wonder if the days of brick-and-mortar restaurants are numbered. There’s a great read on high-end “street food” at Time Magazine. Do you have a favorite street treat, or do you tend to shy away from meals on wheels? –Megan B.

I pretty much freeze every loaf of bread I buy these days. Summertime in the city means serious humidity, and it seems if I don’t freeze my bread it goes bad before I get halfway through it. I don’t mind freezing it, but it means the bread must be toasted when I want to eat it. Well, sometimes a girl wants a sandwich on soft (un-toasted) bread, so I’m looking to find an alternative. I’ve never had a bread box before, and I’m wondering if it’s actually a useful contraption. Is it simply storage, or will it help with freshness? Do any of you store your bread in a box? I found this great looking bread bin over at Joseph Joseph. It’s 100% melamine and the lid doubles as a bread board. The bright red color would work great in my kitchen, but I don’t know if it’s going to save me from my freezer. Any advice? — Erica P.

It’s very rare for me to find a book I’ll finish in one sitting, but when I came across Dinosaur Soup in a gift shop this summer, I finished my first book in one standing. This collection of 50 recipes written by children is so irresistible I read the whole thing while waiting to check out, and rue the day I didn’t purchase it right there! Luckily I tracked it down at Bob’s Your Uncle and was ecstatic to learn that they’re currently taking recipe submissions for the follow-up book slated to be published later this year. Know a child with a favorite recipe? Submit it here! –Sarah C.

Daniela Shelton makes gorgeous toys. Selling under the name Hasenpfeffer Incorporated (Hasenpfeffer also happens to be the name of her pet rabbit) Shelton hand-stitches stuffed dolls and bears with an incredible attention to detail. Not only is each toy charming to look at, each is wonderfully finished to stand up to actual kids’ play. Shelton makes her dolls from a combination of re-used clothing and hand-knitted outfits by her mom. She takes custom orders, too — wouldn’t a bride and groom doll wearing outfits made from the couple’s clothes be cute? The pieces range from $32.25 to $104.25, but the craftsmanship makes them worth every penny. See everything Hasenpfeffer has to offer here. –Mary T.

With every new city I visit comes an exotic new landscape to explore. Every city is completely alien to the next, right down to their manhole covers. Perpetual Kid has reproduced a diverse group of urban sewer covers as clever little rugs that can double as welcome mats. There’s a pattern for all tastes: the almost dainty lacy filigree of San Francisco’s cover, the art deco inspired Parisian lid, or the utilitarian design that covers Los Angeles’ sewers. The mats are a reasonable $24 and, as a green bonus, are made from recycled truck tires. –Katie D.

Ice cream just may be my favorite food of all time. Unfortunately, my stomach doesn’t always enjoy rich dairy as much as my palate does. But I recently discovered Laloo’s Cajeta de Leche frozen yogurt, made with goat’s milk, which is much gentler on those with lactose issues. It’s smooth, creamy, sweet, and tangy — and thankfully jam-packed with active probiotic cultures that further aid delicate digestive systems. Cajeta de Leche is caramel-flavored yogurt streaked with a healthy dose of cajeta, a Mexican caramel. That combo is enough to make me swoon, but to top it off, there are generous chunks of Texas toffee brickle to sweeten the deal even more. Thankfully, it’s considerably lower in calories than traditional full-fat ice cream (190 calories per serving) — something I use to justify killing a whole pint with my husband in one sitting! Find it at a grocery near you or, if you can’t, find it online here. — Megan B.

L’aviva home alerted us to the recently launched HAND/EYE, an on- and offline magazine that showcases artists alongside their crafts, such as the current feature on Liza Lou, who has pieces at MoMA and is creating in South Africa. HAND/EYE has the goal of sparking “intelligent debate among artisans, exporters, designers, artists, wholesalers and importers, retailers, and consumers so that all may make smart, ethical, and inspired decisions about their activities.” At a glance at the home page, you’ll see featured designs from Paris, Senegal, and Milan. We can’t wait to dive further in to this one.

1) You have big aspirations for your movie parties. Patty says: “I am looking for a projector so that we can show movies using the side of the house as the projector screen. Any ideas?” If you can help Patty out, see the post on hosting a movie party here.

2) We love our breakfast. Whether it’s organic oats or packaged sausage, the vast majority of you eat breakfast, and do it with gusto. MsAmanda says: “For a long time I skipped breakfast and for the past few years I had been eating a granola bar around 10 am during the work week, but since we brought home our dear, sweet, darling puppy I’ve been needing a much more substantial kickstart (he gets us up at 6 am). Now I eat cheese and fruit each morning and I don’t know how I went so long without this breakfast of champions! It took me a good 15 years, but now I don’t see how I’ll ever skip breakfast. I need it!” Do you eat breakfast?

3) Those aren’t just bees — those are famous bees! Here’s something we didn’t know about Birdchick’s bees — Joseph Finn says: “That’s Neil Gaiman’s beehives. Weird, eh?” Turns out Birdchick is Sharon Stiteler, who raises bees for author Neil Gaiman. There’s a good article on Stiteler at Sunset.

4) Mini cities? Yes, please. Ean says: “I need a Fenway Park (with Citgo Sign) for my living room!” See the mini DIY Chicago here.

5) Exercise balls are good for backs. Mike Keliher says: “My wife is nine months pregnant — yes, nine months; any day now… — and she loves sitting on an exercise ball. Great for her back. I’d imagine that’s true for a lot of people, just more pronounced for her.” Click here for the exercise ball chair.

Photo by Orlando Pinto

Thought about giving up plastic? Daunting, isn’t it? Maybe you could just try it for one week — that’s what Katherine Sharpe at ReadyMade did. See the start here.

Louis Vuitton marks the Apollo 11 moon landing anniversary as only Louis Vuitton can, at Home Accents Today.

Check out the twist and cut robot cookie cutters at Baking Bites — cute!

It’s a necklace! It’s a camp stove! It’s at Make.

12 Groovy Ways to Upcycle Vinyl Records at WebUrbanist. Divinyl! (Via prblog.)

Yet more from mirrormirror: state animals as interpreted by Amy Ruppel.

More movie decor at Casa Sugar — the chalk headboard in 500 Days of Summer.

Check in with Modern Eco Homes on Monday — they’ll be doing a giveaway of a set of lovely pillows.

At 30 Bucks a Week, they continue to prove that cheap and delicious go together like pasta with pistachio pesto and white beans.

Let’s face it: no summer is perfect. Chances are at least once this season your fabulous beach party or backyard BBQ has been ruined by unexpected dark clouds (especially poor rain-soaked New England this year). Suddenly, you’re stuck with a guest list and no plans. What do you do?

First off, don’t panic! Scan your DVD shelf or get thee to a Blockbuster — couch-potato movie parties are easy to throw together and easy to enjoy. Just check out the tips for a last-minute movie party after the jump! –Katie D. (more…)