Entries tagged with 'how-tos'
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Sooner or later, somebody had to figure out that clean, renewable energy can be made from powdered sugar donuts and tea—Tazo tea, specifically, in the "Passion" flavor, since it contains anthrocyanins, or organic dyes that react well with TiO2 cells. TiO2 sounds kind of poisonous, but it's lurking inside those seemingly harmless powdered sugar donuts. If this hasn't already ruined donuts and tea for you forever, watch the video, after the jump....
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Photograph from johnm2205 on Flickr Between the economy and an emphasis on locavore eating, people are returning to their roots, literally. (I'll take a lame gardening pun whenever I can.) Here's a great list from a horticulturalist on 10 steps to gardening from scratch. Get a soil test and quit making excuses for not starting the compost bin yet. According to this Yahoo! News report, "the National Gardening Association estimates that a well-maintained vegetable garden yields a $500 average return per year. A study by Burpee Seeds claims that $50 spent on gardening supplies can multiply into $1,250 worth of produce annually." They are being nicknamed "recession gardens," a throwback to the Victory Gardens of World War I and...
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If you really, really need help making green beer (hint: It involves green food coloring), here's a video for you. You can use blue curaçao to put a twist on your St. Patty's Day beer, but don't think you're avoiding the dyes that way. The liqueur is artificially colored—nothing drinkable in nature is that blue. The video appears after the jump. Cheers!...
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At times like this, I hope our frat boy readership is really strong. Apparently there is more to green beer than just food coloring and beer. Oh wait, there's not at all. But this step-by-step guide says six drops of dye, when dealing with a vaguely yellow beer, is the magic number. Otherwise you get a more olive tone. Complicated stuff! [via UniqueDaily.com] Related What are your favorite St. Paddy's Day eats? [Talk] My McDonald's Shamrock Shake Journey: An Emotional Roller Coaster Time for a Drink: Green Devil...
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Looking out for our feathered friends, this cutting board-bird feeder allows otherwise wasted crumbs to travel through holes, and then a tube, straight to a bird's very happy beak. Or he could just swoop in and take the whole loaf when you're not looking. Related: Birds Stealing Ice Cream Cones In Videos: Hammy the Hamster Goes Organic In Videos: Tortoise Tries to Eat a Tomato...
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How-to site Instructables has a solution for the next time you're hankering for mini shots of ice cream at a fast food joint or coffee shop. All you'll need: single serving creamer cups, salt, sugar, ice water, and a craving. Using the old-fashioned churning method, expect to down these chilly shots in less than fifteen minutes. If you're particularly intrepid, you might also try making mini butter. As a child who loved Little House on the Prairie, I had a peculiar obsession with making my own butter. Thus, after a little bit of Google and a lot of shaking, those creamer cups became, sadly, a failed butter experiment. Maybe just stick with the mini ice cream....
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Got an antediluvian VHS player lying around? That you haven't tossed out in the last decade? Pull out the slices of room-temp bread for this one. The passionate how-to site Instructables has an eight-step guide on constructing a VHS toaster. But first watch the contraption in action, which involves toast flying in slow-mo. The video, after the jump....
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"This reads more like a Guantánamo Bay interrogation technique than instructions for processing duck feet." Photograph from Spagheddios on Flickr Eddie Lin at Deep End Dining answers the question that has been burning in your mind for eternity: How are duck feet deboned? Anything that involves a patent must be a bit complicated: The patented method is maddening and involves freezing, thawing, slow cooking, clipping toes, soaking in bleach and hot water, inserting a tube, yanking bones out by hand, etc. This reads more like a Guantánamo Bay interrogation technique than instructions for processing duck feet. How does the resulting duck web taste? Lin says, "slippery yet crunchy like seaweed with dimples." I'm not sure if I'm drawn to that....
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Boingboing.net The photo on the right is not cabbage with feta; it's mold. If exposed to too much oxygen, the proto-sauerkraut will get all scummy since fermentation is an anaerobic process. Make sure to seal mason jars tightly and if using a crock, place a plate or cloth—or a cloth tied with a rubberband, to avoid flies—on top. Submerge the cabbage in lots of salty water, and smoosh down at least once daily to release air. As Boing Boing points out, it's pretty easy, despite the mold threat. A good fermenting takes at least three weeks, and for an especially potent flavor, wait around six to nine months. For more on the magical ways of fermentation (including beer, yogurt,...
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Design*Sponge has a cute idea for what to do with blank nesting dolls: turn them into salt shakers! Or rather, "anything powdered" shakers. Suggestions include pepper, cinnamon sugar, and Parmesan cheese. Related Salt-n-Pepa Salt and Pepper Shakers Cute Salt and Pepper Shakers Film Canister Salt and Pepper Shakers...
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