Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I add a slice of lemon studded with whole cloves. It's a pretty presentation, and the clove and lemon add a nice aromatic touch.

Very nicely done. More docs like this please.

olives! i particularly like olives stuffed with garlic or anchovies in a martini. not for the faint of heart, but so good!

Ok, so here's why you should be careful of metal in the microwave:

A microwave isn't like a standard oven, in that it doesn't cook food by getting it "hot". Microwaves (the waves, not the ovens) are short electromagnetic waves. When a microwave passes through food, the food is exposed to the alternating magnetic field in the wave. Water - the major component in all our food - is a polar molecule, meaning it has a magnetic north and a magnetic south pole. When a water molecule is exposed to the alternating magnetic field in the microwave, it vibrates as it tries to align itself with the magnetic field. Lots of water molecules vibrating together cause friction, and friction heats up your food.

if a conventional oven cooks your food with heat, a microwave oven cooks your food with friction. That also explains why sometimes microwaved food seems to cook from the inside out, or why half your potato can be cooked but the other half is cold; the waves bounce around in the oven and can leave dead spots where the magnetic field doesn't reach. (Ergo: the invention of the carousel that spins your plate around.)

Getting back to metal: the same microwaves that cause water molecules to vibrate can start a current in metal. The sparks you see flying off the ends of a fork? That's a sign that an electric current is moving from one end of the fork to the other, looking for ground. (Or a fire, whichever happens first.)

After a bachelor's in Physics, I've never put metal in the microwave and never will.

Also related: video of several ways to melt a chocolate bunny, including the hairdryer trick, plus a few others:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCrGnd3ljqA

I've used Evert Fresh greenbags. My CSA handed out a couple to each household at the beginning of the season. I think they extended the shelf life of most vegetables somewhat, but not sure about the 4x claim. They were most useful for the most delicate veggies - baby greens, that would usualy only last a day or two could last a week instead.

If you put garlic in your vinaigrette, you should store it in the fridge and use it within a couple of days. The combination of garlic in oil makes a good breeding ground for botulism.

I've been to Johnny Brenda's several times. They have a great selection of local microbrewies. And I had an excellent linguini with clams when I was last there.

Regarding #1, in the book he says your great-grandmother, or if you're middle aged or older, your great-great grandmother. And the point is that it's a decent mnemonic for discerning what's food and what is a food product, not a literal rul to live by.

Oh, I forgot the best part! Add a splash of tequila before blending.

Is it summer yet?