what i’m reading

the candy professor — fascinating website on the history of candy.

and a piece about how cookbook writers are ridiculously bad at guessing how long it’ll take to prepare a meal.

hairy crab vending machine

yes. you won’t believe this unless you read it yourself.

[thanks to ms. lynn for the link!]

halloween candy

the washington post breaks down the nutritional pros and cons of different halloween candies.

spoiler alert: avoid if you want to spend the holiday eating candy guilt-free!

wal-mart

i certainly never thought i’d be writing about wal-mart on my food blog. or that i would be giving them props.

but check out this article about how they have committed to supporting sustainable agriculture by stocking local food from small farms in their stores. not only is this great for customers, but it’s great for small family farms, too.

will this policy change entice you to grocery shop there?

pie lab

check out this article in the new york times mag about pie lab. great concept… because come on, who doesn’t love “pie & conversation, optimism & design”?

high-calorie restaurant dishes

check out this article from the washington post detailing the nutritional information (and equivalents in sticks of butter) in a handful of chain restaurant dishes. it makes my arteries clog up just thinking about it.

thanks to the new health care bill passed by congressional democrats and president obama, this kind of information will be available at all restaurants with over ten locations in the next couple years.

do you think it will have an effect on americans’ eating habits?

vegan chocolate raspberry cupcakes

(with raspberry filling!)

made by one of my dearest friends. i miss her!

recipe from vegan blog chef chloe.

if you’re curious about her (chloe, not my bestie…), more info here.

math lessons for locavores

here is a fascinating piece in the times about the (not so new anymore) locavore movement, which essentially argues that it’s better to only eat locally grown produce. now, that’s all well and good if you’re only eating native produce. but once you start trying to grow lemons in boston (in a greenhouse, of course), you are obviously defeating your own purpose.

the author of the piece, however, points out additional flaws in the thinking.

i certainly can’t wait until i have my own backyard for my own vegetable garden * sigh *

whole foods

this is very good news for my dc readers…

the white house pastry chef

the white house pastry chef sounds like a kick.

his fruit and oat bars sound pretty good, too!