Paul Newman's hot salsa (Photo by Jess Lo) We read an article the other day detailing the woes that Jackie Chan is having running his Segway dealership. Jackie Chan? Segways? Does he really need the money that badly? But after doing a little research, we found that Chan is only one of innumerable celebrities who have tried to parlay their show business fame into commercial success. Some of these products are more beneficial than others. Peter Gabriel wants you to know about music and movies he finds worthwhile, and Kanye West is doing his darnedest to find you a cheap airline ticket. On the other hand, Willie Nelson, Marilyn Manson, and Sammy Hagar would all like to cloud your mind with alcoholic beverages. If you drink too much of their products, you can always sober up with some of David Lynch's coffee. Now, not every celebrity is in it for the money: some have artistic ambitions. Tony Bennett, Billy Dee Williams, and even Jack Kevorkian have expressed their creativity on canvas (and David Bowie is interested in promoting young artists as well as himself). And there are some celebrities who have done what they can to make the world a better place: Peter Gabriel also founded The Elders, dedicated to solving some of the world's toughest problems, and Bob Geldof's work with Live Aid has raised millions for famine relief. Perhaps the celebrity who has best managed to combine commerce and charity is Paul Newman, whose line of foods -- ranging from salad dressings to steak sauce -- has raised more than $200 million for thousands of charities since 1982. The only problem with celebrities leveraging their fame is that sooner or later everyone will want to get into the act -- even fictional characters. Suggested Sites... Newman's Own - Paul Newman's charitable line of foods and condiments. David Lynch Signature Cup - a damn fine cup of coffee. The Elders - world leaders trying to save the planet. Celebrity Art - just because they're celebrities doesn't mean they can't be artists, too. Seanbaby's Hostess Page - superheroes gone terribly wrong, selling delicious dessert treats.

Directory categories: Celebrities, Celebrity Artists, Musician Artists, Shopping and Services

Archived under: Actors, Artists, Brands, Business, Celebrities, Charity, Entertainment, Food and Drink, Philanthropy

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A dozen from Hottie's (Photo by Amanda) When we think of freshly baked donuts, iced and glistening, we feel some kinship to Homer Simpson: "mmmm" certainly comes to mind. And today, like every first Friday in June, we celebrate those wonderfully delicious breakfast desserts as part of National Donut Day. Luckily, the donut shop is still thriving, so there should be no shortage of choices at your favorite local donut maker, whether independently owned or a national franchise store. You can get a healthy-sized classic glazed at Stan's or a gourmet chocolate and peanut butter at Hottie's. Krispy Kreme and Lamar's are famous for serving their famous glazed fresh off the belt, only moments after running through a wall of creamy goodness. Dunkin Donuts is more famous for their coffee nowadays, but their pastries are pretty darn good, too. A bag of cinnamon sugar mini donuts from Trish's can satisfy the munchies. And we're convinced that Voodoo Donuts is out to kill us: With their monstrous creations, including donuts the size of frisbees, what else could their motive be? Those not afraid to share their love of donuts can be quite creative, if not daring. Forget about the traditional wedding cake: Serve your guests donuts! Think that bacon cheesburger is missing something? Ah, yes -- a grilled donut as the bun. Or how about a traditional breakfast donut -- topped with bacon? No matter your donut preference, head out to your local donut shop and treat yourself. After all, it's a national holiday! Suggested Sites... YouTube: How Krispy Kremes Work - watch the full process of those wonderful little donuts being glistened. From HowStuffWorks. Wikipedia: The Doughnut - its history is a mystery, but you can read all about the donut's variations overseas. Canned Biscuit Dough Donuts and Holes Recipe - turn a canned biscuit into a donut? Brilliant! YouTube: Muppet Show's Swedish Chef Making a Donut - the Swedish Chef shows how the holes in donuts are made.

Directory categories: Donut Brands, Donut Recipes, Other Deep-Fried Dessert Recipes

Archived under: Cooking, Desserts, Donuts, Food and Drink, Holidays, Recipes

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Fresh farm food like this nearby? (Courtesy of USDA.gov Photo by Scott Bauer) When you're cooking dinner, you probably consider the tastiness of the meal, the healthiness of the ingredients, the calories, and the cost -- but do you consider the mileage? The local food movement is all about eating closer to home. The philosophy is simple: Food that is shipped long distances isn't as fresh, and therefore isn't as flavorful or healthy. Such foods also have a bigger carbon footprint than those produced locally. Each ingredient on a North American's plate typically travels 1,500 miles to get from field to table. To help reverse that trend, and to get more in tune with the local ecosystem, local food advocates -- or locavores -- look closer to home: often a 100-mile radius from where they live and eat. The movement is also about community responsibility. Buying from local farmers and food producers supports local economies instead of corporations that run factory farms and long-haul shipping lines. Many shoppers also find big discounts at local farmers markets -- or save even more by eating homegrown veggies from backyard gardens. And foodies know that the fresher the ingredients, the tastier the meal. Gourmet restaurants featuring local menus are cropping up all over. Obviously, there are challenges and limitations to eating local produce. You're not likely to grow avocados in Alberta or produce maple syrup in Arizona. Some locavores make exceptions for region-specific foods, or to supplement limited midwinter diets. In the spirit of health and moral spending, they'll pick organic non-local foods if they can't buy local, family farm products over corporate, and local retailers over supermarket chains. Whether you're a hippie, a foodie, or just a frugal shopper, making an effort to put more local products on your table can have a positive impact on your community, the environment, and your taste buds. Suggested Sites... 10 Reasons to Eat Local Food - from the environmental to the epicurean. Locavores - a group of Bay Area foodies and environmentalists who attempt to eat only foods produced within a 100-mile radius of San Francisco. Seeing Red: Eating Locally and Debunking the Red-Blue Divide - Barbara Kingsolver, author and avid gardener, recounts her family's efforts to eat only local food for a year. Local Harvest - find local and organic foods close to home.

Directory categories: Local Food, Bioregionalism, Environmental Movements and Philosophies, Sustainable Eating, Sustainable Development

Archived under: Environment, Food and Drink, Global Warming, Health, Issues and Causes, Locavores, Sustainability

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(Photo by Ian Ransley) The consumption of a hot pepper is really more of a whole body experience than the mere intake of nourishment. First your tongue protests with a burning sensation, and then you might find your face and ears flushing. Perspiration follows, and sometime later your digestive system might protest in its unique way. Less-adventurous eaters will call these sensations pain, but fanatics will tell you this experience quickly bypasses pain and turns to pleasure. Be careful though, as you may find your taste for the heat growing to the level of addiction. The Capsicum genus is the guilty party, with the perceived level of "heat" ranging from zero (the bell pepper) to atomic (the Naga Jolokia) on the Scoville Scale. Common hot pepper varieties include cayenne, habanero, serrano, Scotch bonnet, and Anaheim. They are used as ingredients in recipes and condiments, and have even inspired a festival or two. Some even claim Capsaicin, the compound found in hot peppers, is full of medical benefits -- if you can stand the treatment. So step up to the salsa bar, and if you're feeling brave, head straight for the hot section. Just remember, if the experience starts to overwhelm, don’t chug water or beer: they'll only spread the heat. Milk and other dairy products alleviate the reaction much more effectively. Suggested Sites... The Chile Pepper Institute - nonprofit organization dedicated to capsicum research around the world. Pepper Fool - includes spicy chili recipes, information on chile seeds and plants, restaurant reviews, and chile pepper photos. Chile Pepper Magazine - offering recipes, product and book reviews, and travels to destinations where the chile pepper reigns. Chili Salsa Recipes - features an assortment of recipes with interesting additions like cucumber and red peppers, basil and mint, corn and jicama, or green tomatillos. Peppers.com - chicken wing hot sauces, peppers and seasonings, salsas, Bloody Mary mix, and BBQ sauces with jalapeno, chili, and habanero peppers.

Directory categories: Chiles and Peppers, Chile and Pepper Products, Hot Sauces, Salsa Recipes, Salsa

Archived under: Chilis, Cooking, Eating, Food and Drink, Health, Hot Foods, Peppers, Recipes, Spices, Vegetables

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Bustin' barrels of illegal booze On April 7, 1933, the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was repealed, and it was once again legal to manufacture and sell beer and other alcoholic beverages. For over a decade prior, that Amendment, along with the Volstead Act, specified that "no person shall manufacture, sell, barter, transport, import, export, deliver, furnish or possess any intoxicating liquor." Imagine not being able to buy a beer at a ballgame, or have a glass of wine at a restaurant, or even to sip a pina colada on the beach. This was Prohibition -- an era which saw the rise of the Roaring Twenties and the American gangster. Back in those days, religion played an important role in our government, so after many religious groups had classified the consumption of alcohol a sin, Congress felt obliged to listen. But the new law did far more damage to society than good. It made law-breaking drinkers out of formerly law-abiding citizens. The speakeasy -- a secret nightclub that sold alcohol (and usually had gambling and other illegal entertainment) -- was born. But the most notorious result of the government's faulty law was the quick and easy rise of organized crime. Prohibition made millionaires out of gangsters like Al Capone, who controlled thousands of speakeasies in Chicago alone. After fourteen years of violence, corruption, and Americans ignoring the law, Congress couldn't ignore its mistake any longer. And so, the Twenty-First Amendment was created to repeal the Eighteenth. Today, a few nostalgic speakeasies have re-opened their doors, and adults can legally have a drink -- as long as they know the password. Suggested Sites... 75 Years After the End of Prohibition - article from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment. History.com: Prohibition & Al Capone - vintage newsreel video about the end of Prohibition. Prohibition: The Noble Experiment - trivia and quick facts about Prohibition and its effects on American culture. National Prohibition of Alcohol in the U.S. - an extremely detailed seven-page article.

Directory categories: Prohibition, 1920s, Al Capone

Archived under: Al Capone, Alcohol, American History, Beer, Crime, Food and Drink, Government

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