The bf (we're going to call him Jimmy from now on, okay? I really hate that phrase bf) is really into coffee. As in, we got rid of our microwave counter space in order to make room for the coffee pot, espresso machine, grinder and all the other bits of coffee paraphernalia. So when I found this link, I immediately had to forward it to him. For several years, Duluth based artists Andy and Angel Saur have been creating all of their works of art with coffee. Like fine watercolors, the coffee works as washes and shading and each painting is 100% coffee (with the exception of an acrylic coat to preserve the art). It started when the artists were working on a new exhibit for a coffee house. Hoping to create something unique and fun, they decided to work with coffee as a medium. To achieve the different gradients, the artists brew their own thick coffee and dilute as needed. I personally think the results look rich and inviting, like sepia toned paintings. And somehow even their rendition of George Costanza mananges to capture a nostalgic feeling. But don't take my word on it, decide for yourself by checking out their coffee art gallery.

Source: Tastespotting

Kristen and Chris are friend's of mine who are one of those couples who have been together so long, it's hard to imagine one without the other. Lately Chris has been especially supportive and loving towards Kristen because she is in the middle of an extremely stressful and hard semester. His kindness has not gone unnoticed and Kiki wants to get him a little present to show him how much she cares (is this the world's cutest couple or what?). I suggested that she get him an engraved flask and she loved the idea. Now we have to head off to market in search of a flask for Chris. Chris is an intelligent, super social, and great guy. The flask should be functional and sleek, durable and modern. Bookmark the flasks you find with the keyword, Cool Flask in the Yum Market on TeamSugar.

To learn how to bookmark cool stuff from the internet on TeamSugar, refer to geeksugar's informative explanation.

For some odd reason, during my college years, my friends and I became obsessed with bocce ball (Italian lawn bowling). There was this little Italian restaurant/bar/bocce court on the outskirts of town and somehow (thanks Scottel) it became our regular hangout. The place was an old school Italian place, with a no nonsense old timey bartender to match. You know, the kind of guy who looks you in the eye and makes you a little bit afraid. The kind of guy you probably should only order a simple drink, like scotch on the rocks or something else that would put hair on your chest.

Well, at the time, we were all slowly turning 21 (I say slowly because I was the youngest and man it was taking forever) and what in the world did we know? Our first night there, my friend Blair, high off of just turning 21 a month or so before, looked our bartender in the eye and said, "I'd like a grasshopper please." The rest of us stood still and tried hard to close our gaping mouths while the bartender said, "Boy, what in the hell is a grasshopper?" Trying to sound assertive, Blair explained that it was a minty frothy drink and our bartender, not used to seeing folks like us in his bar (like I said it was right outside of town, so most college kids never set foot inside), just sort of shook his head and said, "All right. I'll see what I can do." Fast-forward a few months and our group had been dubbed "grasshoppers", and good ol Al (I think that was his name, but you know, I'm really horrible at details) would have the ingredients ready for us when we arrived. Turns out our little ol' bartender turned out to be not so scary after all. To check out the recipe for your own grasshopper, read more

It was my sister's 22nd birthday a little over a week ago and lucky me, I had a reason to make a cake. I asked her to let me know what kind of cake she wanted and was expecting her typical favorite: chocolate with peanut butter. So, I was super surprised and excited to see that she was challenging me with a cake I had never made before: a red velvet cake! I sort of made my own recipe by combining a few and it was an absolute success! The cake was moist and velvety and there was not one slice leftover. Erica, one of my sister's best friends, even asked, "Where did you buy the cake?" which made my night. I didn't have enough food coloring so it ended up being somewhere between pink, red, and brown. To make this cake for your next birthday party, read more

Is it just me, or does it seem like the Guinness Book of World Records adds another category to their ever-growing list of achievements everyday? The latest record to find its way into the book was set in the Xinjiang region of China by Li Enhai. His accomplishment? World's thinnest noodle. Since the noodle is thinner than a human hair, Li (who is also known in China as "The Noodle King") demonstrated the fact that he could get 39 noodle strands through the eye of a needle. The needle is larger than your standard sewing needle, but still 39 strands? Those are some thin noodles... The wildest part is, not only can Li make them super thin, but he can make them quickly too. When Li demonstrated his skills for the officials, the noodle-making took less than 2 minutes. If you're curious to see Li in action, there's a video of the noodle demonstration online.

Source: China Central Television

A few years ago I was looking for a great birthday present for the pasta-loving bf, and came across a walking tour of North Beach (the infamous Italian district of San Francisco). The tour, which is hosted by Bay Area food guru GraceAnn Walden, ended up being one of the best birthday presents I could ever give. Not being one to miss out on a food adventure, I bought myself a spot on the tour as well, and I was definitely glad I did. GraceAnn is a vivacious, well-connected SF food institution (she wrote for the SF Chronicle's Inside Scoop - local food & industry news column - for 14 years) and has been running various culinary/history tours of San Francisco for over 20 years. This particular 5+ hour tour was called Mangia! North Beach and we started it with an empty belly and ended it barely able to move.

The tour changes slightly over time, but when we were on it some of the highlights were: North Beach's oldest store, receiving traditional Italian baked goods and fresh focaccia, a lesson on how to make chocolate truffles, tastes from a new neighborhood hot spot, and a full meal at a fantastic restaurant. Since GraceAnn is quite vibrant and very well connected, she has relationships with every place she takes you. The chefs/owners know you're on the way and set aside some time (as well as goodies) to share with you. At this time, the tour costs $80 a person, but in my opinion, it's worth every penny, if not more. And even if you're not interested in the history of the region, Grace Ann's infectious love for the area will have you gobbling up every morsel of knowledge (and food).

I recently had the opportunity to catch up with GraceAnn, you can read the interview after the jump, or checkout GraceAnn's website for information on her history/culinary tours of San Francisco, read more

Yesterday I passed on the "secret" recipe for the Neatloaf at Ananda Fuara and today I'm here to tell you what to do with the rest of the loaf. There are a few obvious ideas, such as a neatloaf sandwich (which is actually quite tasty in between slices of nice crusty bread), broken apart and reheated in a pan with new seasonings and placed inside a taco shell, or crumbled on top of pizza. However the idea that I've come up with is as follows: Neatloaf sandwiches where the neatloaf is the bread. You can either slice up to pieces and fill them with sprouts, tomato slices, cheese, etc. Or you can be a little naughty and bread & fry the slices first. To check out how to do that, read more

I've been getting lots of requests for help in planning a baby shower, so this week I'm planning a baby shower for Naomi Watts. I don't know anyone who is pregnant, so I thought, hey I'll plan one for the beautiful actress. A baby shower is a time when mothers are bestowed with blankets, bottles, bibs, and advice on how to handle the little one once he or she arrives. Generally they are held by a friend, family member or co-worker, but never by the mother to be. Baby showers can also be celebrated after the baby is born, as they are in the Jewish culture, where tradition states that bestowing gifts upon an unborn baby is considered bad luck. My party for Naomi will be a lunch with the classic baby colors pale pink and light blue as the theme. Naomi is elegantly chic and I can't imagine her wanting a cheesy baby shower, so I'll do everything I can to make things stylish, lovely, and sophisticated - starting with the invitations. To see how the simple color combination can inspire an entire party, read more