Our TeamJoseph Lamour

Joseph Lamour

    About Me

    Joseph is an accomplished writer, arts multi-hyphenate, and prodigious snacker. Ever the creative, Joe hopes to combine his love of writing and the arts with his deep love of food, particularly dishes and traditions inspired by his Haitian heritage.

    Latest Stories

    Why You Should Never Store Potatoes in the Fridge
    Potatoes are a very low-fuss vegetable. They don’t bruise easily, they’re cheap, and they’re easy to prepare at home (hello, buttery mashed potatoes). But it turns out that how you store your potatoes is actually pretty important — and you’re probably doing it wrong. An article via English news outlet the Mirror reports that your future fries, knishes, or savory pancakes should be kept out of the refrigerator.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 11, 2022
    The “Healthiest” Country in the World Is Definitely Not America
    And nope, it's not Italy or Greece.
    Joseph Lamour
    Jul 24, 2019
    Your Leftover Rice Could Be Making You Sick. (Put It in the Fridge Faster!)
    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.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 30, 2019
    One in Five Deaths Around the World Can Be Linked to Poor Diet
    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.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 30, 2019
    How a Couple Cuts Their Wedding Cake Might Show How Long the Marriage Will Last
    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.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 30, 2019
    Ree Drummond Shares Her Best Freezer Breakfast Ideas
    I must admit I have to apologize to the Pioneer Woman. I assumed since our lives were so different — her being the matriarch of an Oklahoma cattle ranching family and me living deep in our nation’s capital with nary a child, husband, or even a boyfriend to speak of (please, play the world’s tiniest violin for me) — that I had nothing to learn from her.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 30, 2019
    This Baker Made the Most Incredible Pie to Honor the Final Season of “Game of Thrones”
    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.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 30, 2019
    Jenni-O Recalls an Additional 164,000 Pounds of Raw Turkey Due to Salmonella
    As we look back on trends of the past year, one that seems to be prevalent, unfortunately, is contaminated food. Many staple foods we enjoy have been subject to their own recalls this year, from romaine lettuce to summer fruits like watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe to millions of pounds of meat including chicken, beef, and turkey. Sadly, the CDC has an additional warning on raw turkey that you should know about.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 30, 2019
    Pillsbury Recalls 12,000 Pounds of Flour Due to Salmonella Concerns
    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.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 30, 2019
    30,000 Pounds of Potentially Contaminated Ground Beef Have Been Recalled
    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.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 30, 2019
    This Creepy Illustration of a Glass of Water Will Haunt You
    Humans are mostly made of water, which is why when we drink the element, good things happen — like regulating our temperature, keeping our muscles and joints spry, and of course, helping to filter out the toxins in our body we ingest all day. That’s why we like to think of the water we drink as the purest substance we put in our bodies. While that may be true, according to science, the water we drink is not exactly as pure as we’d hope.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 30, 2019
    The Disgusting Truth About Flies on Your Food
    It might be months before you have to worry about the onslaught of flies bugging you on your outdoor picnics, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be aware of some unfortunate truths. Last week Business Insider shared one of their classic horrifying-yet-informative videos on Twitter highlighting the germs that lurk in everyday life. BI says that simply swatting away a fly chilling on your potato salad or fruity frozen drink is no longer an option without knowledge of consequence.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 30, 2019
    Nearly Half of the People Who Think They Have a Food Allergy Actually Don’t
    For those of us with food-based allergies, mealtimes can be a minefield, especially when eating food not prepared yourself. There are an astonishing 170 different types of foods that can cause allergies, including milk, fish, eggs, and wheat — all extremely common items in American food. According to research organization Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), approximately 15 million people in the United States have food allergies, including more than 5.9 million children.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 30, 2019
    These New Cauliflower Kits Are a Total Life-Saver
    Now that I'm in my mid-30s, regular rice has decided to betray my stomach. But these new cauli rice kits have saved the day!
    Joseph Lamour
    May 30, 2019
    A New Vaccine Could Help Those Suffering from Celiac Disease
    If you or anyone you know lives with celiac disease, then you know how difficult eating and cooking can be. Gluten is everywhere! It’s in your breads, cereals, pastas, cakes, cookies, pastries, beer — and it can be hard to avoid. You need to check all your food labels and, in extreme circumstances, make sure that your housemates don’t put gluten on kitchenware you regularly use.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 30, 2019
    This Quinoa Broccoli Bowl Is Our New Lunch Crush
    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).
    Joseph Lamour
    May 29, 2019
    You’ve Probably Never Heard Of America’s Favorite Pizza Chain
    “Let’s get pizza!” are three of my favorite words. Whether I’m with friends, family, my boo, or just shouting it at a dog in an empty house (which I have done), the take-out staple is dearest to me and many more in these United States. The inevitable question when you’re ordering a pizza is where to order it from, and arguments in my house always ensue.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 24, 2019
    The Most Popular Celebrity Chef in Every State
    Everyone has a favorite celebrity chef. You might watch Giada on occasion, but you’re really obsessed with Bobby Flay. Maybe you dabble in Rachael Ray, but Ina Garten is your one true queen. To see how our favorite cooks stack up against each other, DirectTV created a map of the top celebrity chefs in every state. Do you think they got it right? Far and away the winner is Anthony Bourdain, whose wonderful show Parts Unknown is airing its last episodes for the star posthumously.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 24, 2019
    Nigella Lawson Pasta Addition Had People Recoiling in Horror
    There are few foods that have earned the unbridled love of a giant swath of people yet scare off everyone else. I hear people not from the States think that Twinkies and Marshmallow Fluff are disturbing and beyond reason (they are delicious — thank you and good day). Blood sausage is delicious, and spoiler alert: made of blood. This delicacy pops up in many countries from as far ranging as Brazil to Chile to Mongolia to Hong Kong to Iceland.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 24, 2019
    Alex Guarnaschelli Actually Does Know How to Cook Pasta
    Cooking dried pasta is a relatively easy thing to do. You boil some salted water, add your dried pasta, let the pasta sit in the water for a handful of minutes, and drain the water. Not too complicated, right? But it turns out some people still get it wrong. Take my Hatian mother for example: She use to crack a box of of long pasta in half so it would fit in a pot of boiling water. As a result, we never got that perfect spaghetti fork twirl.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 24, 2019
    The Creator of the Green Bean Casserole Has Died at 92
    Dorcas Reilly was 39 when she invented the green bean casserole — a dish that, 55 years later, still gets looked up by more than 2.7 million people around Thanksgiving time. Just one month before this year’s holiday dash for her most famous recipe, Reilly passed away at 92 years old, in Newark, New Jersey.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 24, 2019
    Joanna Gaines Shares Her Easy Recipe for Shortbread Cookies
    If your family is like mine, Christmas and Christmas Eve aren’t the only holidays to celebrate this week, the days before count too; We consider the 23rd Christmas Eve Eve, and so on and so on. I suspect this is because my family tends to start holiday shut-off mode around the winter solstice, as our minds switch from due dates, shift times, and inbox zero to last-minute shopping, midnight-mass outfit options, and finalizing our Christmas Day menu.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 24, 2019
    This Cult-Favorite Grocery Store in D.C. Isn’t Going Anywhere
    A lot of my childhood memories revolve around going to the grocery store with my dad. And not just any grocery store — we always went to Rodman’s Discount Store. Established in 1955, and family-run (first by founder, Leonard Rodman, and then by his sons, Roy and Yale), Rodman’s has long been a Washington, D.C. landmark — and a uniquely peculiar retail spot.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 24, 2019
    I Tried Trader Joe’s New Turkey and Stuffing Potato Chips
    Why oh why didn't I buy 10 bags of these?
    Joseph Lamour
    May 24, 2019
    Yes, Target Is Actually Selling a Cheese Advent Calendar
    In the last couple years, Advent calendars have become more and more creative. We’ve seen a few boozy calendars pop up (including this awesome one from Aldi), and of course there’s the Reese’s one that sounds delicious. But this new one from Target might be the best of the bunch. The retailer recently collaborated with British blogger-turned-mogul Annem Hobson who invented the “world’s first cheese advent calendar.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 24, 2019
    Costco Is Selling a $500 Leg of Ham and It’s Glorious
    Costco is a reliable go-to for just about everything in life, including fabulous things like Wagyu beef, diamonds, and caviar. In fact, for a little while now Costco has been stocking serrano ham (prosciutto’s Spanish cousin), and based on how quickly it flies off the shelf, it would be the jewel of any holiday table.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 24, 2019
    Trader Joe’s Now Sells Chocolate Ornaments and We’re Excited
    With Thanksgiving now just a memory, our holiday attention turns to the most wonderful time of the year: Christmas! And with that comes the joyous — but daunting — task of bringing the festive spirit of the holiday season into your home: decorating your house, buying (or unpacking) the tree, untangling that giant ball of scrambled Christmas lights, and perfecting that holiday playlist on Spotify. I’m exhausted just thinking about it.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 24, 2019
    This New Feature at Whole Foods Is a Total Game-Changer
    If you love the DIY nut butter section that Whole Foods offers, you’re going to flip at this news. Cooking Light reports that Whole Foods is testing out a station in-store where shoppers can blend and fill bottles with fresh almond milk using some pretty spiffy-looking machines. Yes, you can now make your own almond milk!
    Joseph Lamour
    May 24, 2019
    We Tried Trader Joe’s Yule Log Cake Ice Cream — Here’s What We Thought
    Trader Joe’s has a bunch of incredible seasonal products they’ve released for the holidays, and one of them in particular caught my eye: Yule log ice cream. You guys, how ridiculously weird and delightful does that sound?!
    Joseph Lamour
    May 24, 2019
    Of Course Sam’s Club Has a Santa Unicorn Cake for Sale
    When it comes to celebrating the holiday season, and particularly Christmas, there are two types of households. One type opts for decorating their home with stately, minimalist touches — preferring white lights, silver bells, and multiple matched red and gold glass ornaments hung from a fresh seven-foot Douglas fir.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 24, 2019
    Nobody Asked for This 27-Pound Bucket of Macaroni and Cheese
    The word “bucket” conjures certain favorable images of excess when it comes to food. Who among us wouldn’t accept a nice big bucket of salty, buttery popcorn at a movie theater? Who, barring vegans and people watching their diet, wouldn’t want to be tasked with scaling the crispy mountain that is a bucket of fried chicken? And who wouldn’t raise their hands in joy at an economy-size bucket filled with mac and cheese? Wait. Did I lose you there?
    Joseph Lamour
    May 24, 2019
    Costco’s $30 Chocolate Valentine’s Day Tower Is True Love
    There are nine boxes in the tower, and they include things like Bavarian pretzels, peppermint crunch Oreos, and fudge dipped in chocolate.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 24, 2019
    The Ugly Produce Trend Is More Complicated Than It Seems
    It shouldn’t be a surprise that our obsession with pretty things extends all the way to produce. Bruised but still edible watermelons, twisted carrots, conjoined mushrooms and non-triangular strawberries often languish in warehouses as surplus while their more handsome counterparts are found on the shelves of your local supermarket. In fact, The Guardian has estimated that over half of U.S. produce is thrown away due to a need for perfect-looking produce.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 24, 2019
    Costco Is Selling Heart-Shaped Macaron Cookies for Valentine’s Day
    PSA: You have a little more than a week to get your menu together for Valentine’s Day. Maybe you already have dinner planned for your sweet thang (please, ditch the restaurant this year), and maybe you’ve already decided to pick up some flowers. But what about desserts? Sure steak is great, but dessert is essential on this beloved holiday. If you’re stuck in the dessert department, Costco has your answer to love day bliss: heart-shaped macarons.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 24, 2019
    Pizza-Flavored Chicken Nuggets Are Every Kid’s Dream
    Every food secretly wishes it was pizza. Or, at the very least, every kid wishes every food was pizza. Of course you know of the brilliant pizza bagel and scrumptious pizza rolls, but you may have also tasted pizza-flavored snacks like Pringles, Combos, and Goldfish, or pizza-flavored jerky (yes, really). And for some reason, there’s also pizza-flavored almonds, pizza-flavored vape liquid, and pizza-flavored ice cream. (Absolutely not.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 24, 2019
    Get Ready for a Ton of New Peeps Flavors for Easter
    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.
    Joseph Lamour
    May 24, 2019