Man Made DIY

At the risk of saying something that'll probably make you roll your eyes and scream, "No kidding" with considerable volume, sriracha is amazing and addictive stuff. This decidedly American sauce has its roots in Thai and Vietnamese condiments, and is know for its iconic rooster. A perfect balace between spicy, tangy, and garlicky, it's surprisingly versatile, working equally well in Mediterranean and Latin dishes as those from Southeast Asia. … read more

It's really cold today. There's snow in 49 states, and I'm doing everything I can not to turn on the thermostat before the program kicks it on at 3:30. And I need something warm to make it through. Not coffee. Not tea.

I need hot cocoa.

But I can't stand instant cocoa mix. Even the fancy ones are way too water-y. I need to be prepared for days like this.

I need to make my own.    

Head to any local gourmet shop and check out the independent hot sauce section, and you'll discover two things: there are tens of thousands recipes available, and they all have to do with either 1) the devil and/0r 2) butts. Usually both. Just check out this photo from Jungle Jim's near Cincinnati, Ohio. That's four full rows, plus endcaps and features.

All this guesswork and annoying imagery/titles is likely to make one stick to the classics: Frank's, Texas Pete, El Yucateco, Cholula, Tabasco, Valencia, and the like. But, in the height of produce season, with those bold grass green, red, and orange chiles punctuating your garden, there's every reason to try to make your own.   … read more

"If you were to take the best engineers in the world and asked them to design a perfect plug for a child's airway, you couldn't do better than a hot dog."

So, the American Academy of Pediatricians have called for the redesign of the hot dog. And since its an entirely processed product, any shape is game. The folks at Fast Company set off to redo the hot dog, with these criteria:

• Esophagus-sized cylinders and spheres = bad, very bad
• Fit within existing buns for "authentic"-ish experience
• Look for opportunities [to] increase sense of play
• Enhance condiment-to-hot dog engagement

After thinking through the designs below, they came up with the spiral dog above, and did a mock-up in green Play-doh.

Nothing says brand loyalty like some full scale embroidered logo art.

Sriracha, or "Rooster sauce" (as the servers in my favorite local Vietnamense joint love to call it) is a hot condiment made from ripe, red chiles, garlic, sugar, salt, and vinegar, and has achieved a  cult-like status in the U.S., and in Christ(ine)'s house, who "[eats] it on pretty much everything.… read more