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March 20, 2018

How to make Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme at home

Nothing sums up the deliciousness of a Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme more concisely than the love letter to it on the daily humor website McSweeney’s. All of the Crunchwrap’s beauty is perfectly summarized in that piece: the convenience of not having to choose between a soft or crunchy tortilla, the patches of sour cream randomly placed throughout it, and a creamy, indulgent nacho cheese sauce that is the ying to the meat’s yang. And it’s all wrapped together in a soft tortilla shell that makes it easy to enjoy one-handed without making a mess.   As one of the most successful products in the history of fast food (until that Doritos Locos Tacos came around), the Crunchwrap Supreme is loved by many because of its south-of-the-border flavors and ingenuity in design. Because it's shaped like a hexagon, the idea of calling it a "Mexagon" was once thrown around, but in the end the three words that perfectly describe it became its name: it’s got crunch, it’s a wrap, and it’s supreme in flavor. There are many reasons to make a Crunchwrap Supreme at home. It once was a limited-time item on Taco Bell’s menu, and the fear of ever losing it again is still something we hold on to almost every single day. At 540 calories and with 21 grams of fat, it’s no walk in the park for nutrition’s sake, but by making it at home you have more control over what is going in the dish. And lastly, it’s a fast-food item, and there are so many of us out there who can appreciate good taste, but aren’t always willing to line up at the drive-thru for it. And so it is for these reasons and probably even more that we’ve decided to take on the task of making a Crunchwrap Supreme at home. While the Irvine, Calif., company was unwilling to help us with our endeavor, we think we have been able to create a do-it-yourself recipe successfully for the home cook. We examined every aspect of the menu item, from the consistency of the meat and the spices used to flavor it to the wrap’s exact construction so that it upheld all of the same tastes, flavors, and ease-of-eating qualities that the store-bought one has. We even added a few additions of our own (like enjoying it with taco sauce), to make it special, unique, and — most importantly — homemade. They can’t blame us for copying them; they’re the ones who told us to think outside the box (or is it bun?).

March 20, 2018

Top 11 trendy tumblers

Whether you’re in the mood for a little something colorful because of the coming of spring or because you’re consistently color-crazed like we are, this season’s tableware trends will have you searching for more space in your cabinets and closets. From the gold inspired collection from Aerin to Target’s poppy patterns and Zara’s jungle-filled table linens, your recipes will look photo-shoot ready when sitting atop these settings. With daring prints and lively hues at the forefront of today's styles, being adventurous with your table settings is nearly unavoidable. We’re usually focused on settings as a whole, but lately we’ve been breaking it down piece by piece. Today, we’re talking about tumblers. Surely the obvious use of the flat-bottomed glass is for drinking, however, we’re always grabbing one or two and filling them with little buds and blooms to create a bright pop on the table. Use them for cocktails and simple sips or as votive candle holders or vases for flowers. However you use them, shop with whimsy and not wisely for once. A little color never killed anyone.

March 20, 2018

11 birthday candles you never knew you needed

The tradition of putting candles on a birthday cake is said to have roots in Ancient Greek and German cultures. In Greece, round cakes were made to honor Artemis, the goddess of the moon, with candles added to symbolize the moon’s glow — the Greeks believed that the candles’ smoke carried their prayers to the moon. In German tradition, the ceremony of Kinderfest celebrated the birthdays of young children, and around that time cakes began to take on a sweeter consistency and feature layers. In some stories, Germans are credited for placing candles on the cakes, saying that it represented "the light of life." Over time, cakes became popular for their taste and design, spawning the full-blown industry that they are today. And while every ceremonial gathering often features a cake, birthdays are the only ones that keep the tradition of the candle. Although it may just be superstition that a wish made when blowing out our candles will come true, we think it’s a tradition we want to keep around for a very long time. Birthday cakes nowadays have undergone serious development and growth. Cake aficionados make their careers solely on the production of these pieces of art. And while the art of the birthday cake is a feat to master, with questions of batter, icing, layers, flavors, shape, and more, we’d argue that the finishing touch always comes with the candle. And though most deem this an afterthought, the candles you use to top your ingeniously crafted creation are testaments to your ability to complete the package, and to complete the look. And although Australia has attempted to thwart the age-old tradition of blowing out the candles for health reasons — "to prevent the spread of germs," according to National Health and Medical Research Council via the Australian Daily Telegraph, except for in the case of an individual cupcake and candle for the blower only — we are still candle-heavy in this neck of the woods and are highlighting these little birthday toppers while we still can. So in honor of the underappreciated wish-carrier, we’ve rounded up 22 of our favorite, and most desirable, candles out there. With that, dear friends, happy birthday(s), and may all of your wishes come true.  

March 20, 2018

10 steps to a million dollar dream kitchen

Picture a limitless bank account at your disposal, where despite practicality or common sense, you have enough means to purchase anything that your heart desires, and no one is there to stop you or tell you no. Now think about designing your dream kitchen, and imagine all of the endless possibilities for the best and most expensive appliances, décor, and gadgets. Need a little help? We thought you might, because while you may have the basic concept, color scheme, or layout of your kitchen imagined in your head, do you know what the best appliances to purchase are? What the highest qualities of materials are to decorate it with? Or how to put the finishing touches on the room with the best set of knives, cutlery, and serving ware? We’ve all heard of the 1.6 million dollar kitchen, with its Swarovski crystal chandelier and copper refrigerator, but today we’re designing the most expensive kitchen in your home, by providing you with start-to-finish options for everything from stovetops to glassware, dishwashers to toaster ovens, and everything in between. Working with celebrated kitchen designer Deborah Krasner and New York City interior designer Kelly Cassidy, we covered every aspect of the kitchen to define how to build the most expensive one. From the tile backsplash and setting the perfect mood with lighting to providing you with the most luxurious cooking appliances available, we covered all of the necessities for a kitchen, with no penny spared. This list will make your mouth water without the mention of food, and will keep you buying those lottery tickets every day.

March 20, 2018

10 decadently delicious Easter dessert recipes

While working on this piece I found myself at a loss for words. I wanted to include my thoughts on spring and rebirth, the use of fresh and seasonal ingredients, and then tie it up in a nice Easter bow. But, let’s be real for a minute and remember these are desserts.  They are sweet, chocolate, creamy, and decadent desserts that are so good it will put your Easter basket candy to shame. Each one has been created by talented chefs from all over the country.  So pick one or pick three and add them to the Easter menu. After all, this is one of the sweetest holidays around.

March 20, 2018

9 creative uses for jelly beans

We’ve been busying ourselves with Easter prep these past few weeks, from searching for the prettiest decorated eggs, the best egg cups, and the perfect deviled egg recipe to hunting for the best basket treats around.Amid the talk of eggs and chocolate bunnies, we’ve neglected a huge Easter icon — the jelly bean. Ah, yes, the sweet, sour, and sometimes insanely sugary bite-sized candies that fill your dessert bars and party favor bags and are often the "treasure" in your plastic Easter eggs. With flavors like buttered popcorn, piña colada, toasted marshmallow, tutti-frutti, and others, you can imagine how bright a scene just one bowl of jelly beans creates. However, some flavors aren’t so stellar — who can forget Harry Potter’s famous Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, a brand that’s now owned by Jelly Belly and whose flavors consist of vomit, booger, earwax, sausage, and rotten egg as well as a few other delectable options. Technically a dragée — a sweet that has a hard outer shell — a jelly bean, though delicious, can be used for just more than satisfying your sweet tooth fix. They can sit atop cakes, decorate tables, and sometimes, just sometimes, pose as jewelry. While we can’t force you to actually eat them, we can urge you to step into spring with us and use the colorful confections to create a fun and inviting atmosphere. Take a nod from some of these creative and original ways to use jelly beans in your Easter and spring party planning.

March 20, 2018

Busting the most common kitchen myths

Do you do something religiously in the kitchen just because your mother told you to? Salting the pasta water to make it boil faster, storing coffee in the freezer to extend its life span, or searing a steak for juicier meat are all tips we’ve picked up over the years for how to be a better cook, but the truth is that some of these tips are actually just myths. Enter Angela McKeller, award-winning recipe writer and author of Gluten-Free Made Easy as 1, 2, 3: Essentials for Living a Gluten-Free Life, whose years of experience in the kitchen have taught her what to believe and what not to believe. McKeller has some surprising facts about certain rules that we’ve been living by in the kitchen, and she walks us through the most common ones and spells out the truth behind them. Think you’re destroying your mushrooms when you give them a quick rinse under the faucet? Think again. Want to know the truth behind adding marbles to milk or heavy cream? We’ll tell you. Some of the most well-known kitchen myths may not be as truthful as you’ve been led to believe, and McKeller puts all of your doubts to rest. We hope you join us in our myth-busting brigade.

March 20, 2018

8 ways to reincarnate a Peep

Just when you think you can’t consume any more pastel Pasqual confections, he makes eye contact with you, that fluffy yellow duck you’ve been dodging all week. It’s Peep season and that means you are likely faced with the guilt of scarfing down 24 marshmallow ducklings or having to explain to the kids why you heartlessly threw them all away.  Luckily there is a third option, in fact here are 8 options for what to do with those Peeps you can’t eat and you can’t bring yourself to toss out. Of course, if these options fail, there’s always the fallback of blowing them up.

March 20, 2018

How to make a better meatball

Some things just never get old, especially when it comes to food. Traditional dishes — ones like dips and apple pies — hold a special place in many people’s hearts because of their consistently satisfying flavors and the memories they conjure. Whether it’s a recipe that we learned from our grandmother or a dish that represents a significant event in our lives, food has a way of crawling up inside our hearts and staying there forever. For many, this sentiment can be applied to a hot, heaping plate of spaghetti and meatballs. Does anyone remember when Lady and the Tramp locked lips over it during a romantic, back-alleyway dinner? Or could you imagine an elegant meal at a red-and-white-checkered-table Italian restaurant without seeing it on the menu? Whether because of family, childhood movies, or just simply America’s overwhelming love for it, spaghetti and meatballs is a dish that will just never get old and never go away. Ask any Italian about the rustic, home-style dish, though, and they’d tell you that it all starts with the meatballs, and the spaghetti is just an afterthought. Traditionally, the two were never supposed to be served together, but over time, and especially in America, they joined hands and are rarely seen without each other (at least in the respect that we discuss them here). Because anyone could boil water for pasta, we chose to zone in on this timeless dish by determining how to make a better meatball. For help, we turned to Italian chef Michael Lomonaco to give us some pointers. While he doesn't serve Italian food at his New York City restaurants Porter House New York and Center Bar, he knows a thing or two about the region’s cooking. Lomonaco grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., with two Sicilian-immigrant parents, and he spent most of his life making and eating authentic Italian food. And along with Lomonaco’s key words of wisdom, some other friends in the industry, like Michael Psilakis and Marc Vetri, impart their meatball knowledge and share their recipes with us as well. Recipes for a classic meatball will inevitably change over time; but the idea of one will never die in our hearts as food lovers. Live by these meatball-making rules given to us from the experts and you’ll make a better meatball, no matter what kind, every time.

March 20, 2018

Ridiculous kitchen gadgets that you don’t need

Let’s face it — the kitchen can be an expensive place. With cookware, knife sets, and everything in between, stocking a kitchen can add up to a lot of money. Because it can be challenging to discern the difference between something you need and something you want, we often see experts in the industry doling out advice with lists of what’s worth splurging on and what you really don’t need in order to relieve you of stress and keep your kitchen as budget-friendly as it can be. This is not one of those lists. This list is a collection of kitchen tools and gadgets that aren’t necessary for you to have — and in some cases are just absurd — but we secretly really want them, and that’s why we’re telling you about them today. From grill gadgets and egg molds to cookie cutters and corn kernelers, these gadgets are what we would classify as ridiculous, but if money was no object in this world, we’d recommend that you buy them. If you’re a grilling fanatic, you’ll probably want to get your hands on a Two Way Hold Magnetic Grill Light and a Flameless Grill Smoker. Can’t practice your perfect bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwich skills during the week? Hamilton Beach’s Breakfast Sandwich Maker is the perfect compromise for you when you’re short on time and late for work. There’s even more stuff for the egg fanatics, like a plucker that will make creating egg whites a snap and a nifty little tool that will add some much needed sunshine to your weekday morning. Don’t get us wrong, just because we’re calling these products silly doesn’t mean we don't think they’re great. They’re all fun toys and gadgets that we’d certainly spend our money on, but would you?