Did Ya See?

Summer is in full swing and that means cooking stuff without the benefit of walls, roofs or electricity.  For most of us this means a metal bucket on wheels (barbecue grill) of some sort, but the folks Food52 have another options for you.  Build your own backyard fire pit.

Cooking meat in the ground certainly isn’t unique to Mexican cooking, but it has been practiced there for a long, long time. And though the process may seem elaborate, in fact it allows for greater liberty in meal preparation. You dig yourself an oven (a one-time deal), line it with heat-holding …
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Yeah, I had to do a double take as well, but I assure you it is just a tea infuser. Love the sleek design though, easy to tuck into your commuter/carry bag or purse.

You wouldn’t like us before our first cup of tea has had time to absorb into our system. We’re downright cranky and irritable about that whole “waking up” business. But once we’ve wrapped our hands around our favorite mug and smelled the aroma of our favorite blend, things start to look up. Life just wouldn’t be the same without our caffeine of choice.

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Apparently the mason jar continues its meteoric rise in popularity and hipness. This latest development incorporates a stainless steel drinking straw. Just the thing for sipping moonshine from.

The Drink it Up! Cup is a hand-made (by me!), upcycled canning jar fitted with a stainless steel straw. Great for all of your sipping pleasure! It holds up to 16 ounces of your favorite beverage and is completely washable/reusable.

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That is one gorgeous re-imagining of a traditional food steamer. Love the way they preserved the bamboo feel but brought it up to date with reliable ceramic.  Makes we wish I did enough steam cuisine to justify owning this set.

Steamer Set, designed by Office for Product Design for JIA Inc, is a modern interpretation of the traditional steamer. Steaming food has been at the core of traditional Chinese cooking, but the Chinese steamer has hardly seen any change to its aesthetic, until now. This new rendition reinterprets the classic steamer into a modernized and functional design.

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I own a similar, albeit more primitive model, of this vacuum brewer and have to say it makes a pretty tasty cup of coffee.  The trade off from a French Press is that the Vacuum Brewer takes a little while longer to make coffee and can be a little more difficult to clean.  However, the “wow” factor is a real crowd pleaser and guests will appreciate the coffee showmanship.

Vacuum brewing is exceptionally effective at extracting all the flavor from the coffee grounds without the more “chewy” texture of the french press method. The method is pretty old school, but …
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