Joseph Lamour

There was a period of time in high school when every time I would eat a bowl of ice cream, my family would cringe a little bit. When I was trying to get really muscular, like a lot of scrawny teen boys, I read in a fitness magazine that a perfect combination post workout was a protein shake, accompanied with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of olive oil, and a dash of sea salt. The mixture was supposed to make you eat less ice cream while still getting a lot of protein post workout.

If you’re like me, the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning is make a giant pot of coffee. Personally, I have what constitutes my first cup (of many) down to a science. Here’s my order: I put a spoon of sugar in my mug first, after brewing my grounds with a dash of salt, of course (thanks Alton). Then I pour some of that blessed, steaming brew into my cup almost all the way to the top, leaving space for the last part: the cream.

With the growing popularity of grain-free diets like the keto diet, the Paleo diet and the Bulletproof diet, bread is becoming more and more of an enemy to people’s everyday menus. I can’t exactly relate (I bought three loaves of bread at Trader Joe’s last week), but sometimes I understand the impetus to reduce the amount of sugar or carbohydrates in your diet which some breads contain a lot of.

Like many 30-somethings, I have gathered my fair share of memories of siblings, cousins, and best friends exchanging vows with their soul mates. I remember, sometimes through tears, the love and commitment two people shared on that day. Oddly, I cannot recall any instances of the mostly American tradition of two new spouses feeding cake to each other. (This is probably because I am usually asking someone what flavor the cake is and if I am allowed to break out my Tupperware at this time.

Attention all college students looking for an internship: This might be the best gig we’ve ever seen. Mars Wrigley, the creator of Twix, 3 Musketeers, Juicy Fruit gum, and a whole host of other treats is offering what they call the “World’s Sweetest Internship 2019” this summer. The Chicago-based internship is 8-12 weeks and fully paid (hallelujah!) and Mars says it comes with a signing bonus of “one year’s worth of candy.

The last season of Game of Thrones is set to premiere THIS Sunday, April 14 — and I have a lot of feelings. There have been seven seasons, 67 episodes, 174,374 on-screen deaths that constitute, if you ask me, an infinite number of gasp-worthy moments. From the Red Wedding to the Hodor episode (which I’m still crying about, thank you very much), Game of Thrones has captured the hearts of people who you never would have thought would have enjoyed a medieval deathfest such as this one.

Technology has changed the way our kitchens look and function immensely in the last couple of decades. Just think: No one knew what an Instant Pot was 10 years ago, but now it’s part of so many of our lives. Same goes for the air fryer, which gives so many home cooks the ability to make their favorite fast foods at home in the time it takes to make it through the drive-thru.

During my college years I was always looking for more affordable ways to have a good time. Since I was a student on a budget, that usually meant drinking boxed wine. Boxed wine really gets the job done when you’re 21 and at your second (or third) rager of the weekend. Sitting atop the purveyors of boxed vino is table wine brand Franzia — the large, in charge, and reliable boxes of wine we all have grown to love.

When it comes to eating healthfully, it turns out that it’s not really about what you’re not eating, but more about what you are eating. A study in the medical journal The Lancet shows that premature deaths around the world are caused by the low intake of healthful foods. What that means is, while having too much processed meat or sugary drinks in our diet isn’t great, it’s worse if you don’t have enough whole grains, nuts, and fruit in your diet as well.

Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. Making a healthy, satisfying lunch is hard. I work from home which seems like it would make things easier, but it’s not always true. Sometimes, it’s just an opportunity to be lazy. Or when I’m truly busy, I end up making pancakes for lunch or snaking through bags of chips and cookies (not my finest hour).

I think it was the famous father, donut lover, and American prophet Homer Simpson who said, “Mmm, I’m a toasty cinnamon bun,” while wrapped up in his bedsheets one morning. While that does sound delicious, when you do wrap yourself up in sheets like Homer did, you’re really more of a human burrito, right? That’s why I’m sure Homer would be the first in line (or online?) to buy the latest food-based item going viral: a literal burrito blanket.

Where in the world would we be without rice? It’s a cheap dinner staple that makes our meals feel more filling and it’s delicious when fried with lots of vegetables. It’s a totally essential pantry ingredient for many different types of cuisines and diets (get some ideas here). In fact, there’s a good chance that you have a bag or two of different kinds of rice in your pantry right now.

The 1.3-pound bag of popcorn is perfect for setting next to you on the couch.

Everyone wants to be the cool kid who knows all the kitchen tricks. You know the kind — the friend who knows to store cooking tools diagonally because they’re either too long or too short for your kitchen drawers anyway, or the pal who suggests you add a dash of salt to your coffee to stave off brew bitterness. This desire has led to a deluge of viral videos purporting to know the “correct,” most natural way to eat something — remember the pineapple hack?

Australian chef Adam Liaw responded to a tweet from The Onion with a school snack that you can make in less than five minutes.

Netflix announced this week that the makers of Chef’s Table will debut a brand new show called Street Food. Premiering on April 26, 2019, the show “takes viewers to some of the world’s most vibrant cities to explore the rich culture of street food all over the globe,” according to a press release from Netflix.

Did you know that people touch their face more when they’re lying, or a person licks their lips when they’re talking to someone they’re attracted to? It happens without them thinking about it. Even when they’re not trying to, a person who is disgusted with something will wrinkle their nose. They can’t help it. And neither can you. Micro-expressions are reflexive emotions that last fractions of a second.

It only costs $2.35.

Some things have changed, while other things have stayed exactly the same.

Last week supermarket chain Publix (which has locations spanning the southeastern United States), released a statement on their website stating that Hometown Food Company — the makers of Pillsbury, Hungry Jack, and Funfetti products, amongst others — issued a voluntary recall on Pillsbury Unbleached All Purpose Flour products because they may be contaminated with salmonella.

If you brew your coffee at home every morning like me, you probably think you know how to make your cup perfectly. For me, French roast, vanilla cream, sugar, and a dash of cinnamon lets me know it’ll be a “Good Morning” (and so does everyone in hearing range of me, as I sing to my coffee machine). I’ve had time to hone my preferences from a sugary mug of Café Bustelo before school in the 6th grade (really) to what I love 20 years later.

When I think of getting trapped on a desert island, I think to myself: it can’t be that bad. Well, ignoring the obvious dangers of no access to clean water or protein, and having to deal with wild animals who would love nothing more than to treat themselves to an exotic dinner (you), there could be benefits. Right? If you find yourself on one of the more fruitful islands, perhaps off Hawaii in some yet uncharted place, you could have fresh fruits like mangoes, coconut, and pineapple.

If it seems like a company in the grocery industry is recalling their product every month, you’re not far off. Right after a report about the massive beef recall that claimed 12 million pounds of beef surfaced in November 2018, another recall of turkey meat was issued in late December.

Milk: I’m a big fan. You’re great with cereal, delicious with my coffee in the morning, and you’re an all-around useful ingredient in anything from cakes to making really good chicken. Coca-Cola: likewise, big fan. A staple at barbecues, great with a deli sandwich, or sitting right next to some buttery popcorn in a large cup at the movie theater. Milk, Coke, I love you both, but I love you both separately.

Sunny side up, hard-boiled, fried, poached, or over easy, eggs are one of the most versatile ingredients we have at our disposal. We eat them for breakfast, as egg salad for lunch, and in our ramen bowls for dinner. That combined with the recent findings that eggs are a good source of quality protein and omega-3 fats, AKA healthy fat, makes a recent finding by the government not so surprising —we’re eating more of them than ever.

Show me a person who has been to IKEA and doesn’t adore at least one of the offerings in their food court, and I’ll show you a person who doesn’t exist. From their signature Swedish meatballs with lingonberry sauce to more universal fare like cinnamon buns and salmon with mashed potatoes, IKEA has proven time and time again that you can have a delicious culinary experience, all while transforming a room (or two) in your home.

And nope, it's not Italy or Greece.

One of my favorite treats in the world is strawberry yogurt — the French kind with the little pieces of fruit in it. Because of its unique texture and ability to go bad in a snap, freshness is always on my mind when eating it. I often even have a person double check it (yes, really) to make sure it’s not expired even though the expiration date is days, sometimes even weeks from the day I’m eating it. I guess you could call me a expiration date skeptic.

Of the more divisive candies there are to enjoy in this wide world of sugar, marshmallow Peeps stand at the top of the list. But all you haters can sit down, because marshmallow Peeps just announced a ton of new products, some more typical, and some as wild as my taste buds will allow. Peeps will be releasing the following three flavors nationwide: cotton candy, orange sherbet, and lastly, a flavor that’s probably more controversial: pancakes and syrup.

You just *know* you're going to go to Target for a bottle of Febreeze and end up with three bottles of wine instead.

If you watch Antiques Roadshow, you know the most unassuming things can be worth tons of money. Recently, the highest valuation ever for an antique brought in was a set of teacups from China, carried unceremoniously in Tupperware containers. While the man who owns them was in line, he said that the person who took his ticket looked at the containers and said, “Don’t think Tupperware is bringing much these days.

Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along as we post our favorites. Skip takeout tonight and pull out your Instant Pot, because these spicy honey-garlic noodles are about to blow your mind. The short-but-sweet prep time for this sweet-and-spicy dish is only about 30 minutes total, and you’ll have leftovers for days after.

Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. I house-sit for a lovely cosmopolitan pair who sometimes leave interesting and delicious treats for me (and the Great Dane mix I also dog-sit). For the sweet lil’ pup? Dog treats, of course. And for me? A couple of bottles of wine, half-gone, cork-in, on the kitchen counter. (I do this too and, yes, I consider it a treat.

Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along as we post our favorites. If you ask me, the answer to, “What should we have for dinner tonight?” should always involve heavy cream or cheese. I enjoy a rich, flavorful dinner. That’s why I was very excited to stumble upon this recipe for queso baked chicken from the blogger behind Julia’s Album. There’s heavy cream! There’s cheese!

Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. Savory dips are my jam, which means I stopped in my tracks when I saw this gorgeous, easy Philly cheesesteak dip from A Little Spice Jar. There’s cheese! And cream cheese! And steak! And even more cheese! And I can’t wait to make this and buy a huge bag of chips and go to town.

Valentines’s Day is synonymous with chocolates, sparkling wine, and flowers (lots and lots of flowers). In fact, as many as 198 million roses are sold on Valentine’s Day alone. But here’s the thing: In a couple of days those flowers will die, and all you’ll be left with is the ghost-like feeling of love. What if instead you went for something … edible. You know, something that lasted a little bit longer. Something like meat!