Tuesday Megalinks

This week it's obesity (isn't it always), swapping meat out of your diet, and a glimpse at delicious, presumably pacifist John Lemon Bars.

Bargain Babe: Cut grocery costs - become a vegetarian
“Cut meat from your diet” is a standby of frugal food shopping, but Bargain Babe does the actual numbers. Though there are some extenuating circumstances, her veggie bill is about half what her carnivore bill was. Craziness.

Cakespy: Like a Rolling Scone – A Collection of Rock Inspired Sweets
Hungry for some Rolling Scones? Or maybe a Red Velvet Underground Cake? Perhaps some Crosby, Stills, Ganache? Good. This post will feed both your face and your punny bone. (Get it? GET IT?!? Kill me.)

Casual Kitchen: Make Your Diet Into a Flexible Tool
Man, I love this post. After an extended illness that cost him a few much-needed pounds, Dan ate tons of fatty Portuguese sausage to bulk himself up again. Now, he’s using his diet as a weapon of experimentation and change.

Chicago Sun-Times: All this for $18 . . . and this, too!
Remember that New York Times article from last week? The one where two cooks are asked to make a gourmet meal for six for $50? The Sun-Times does it for $18. Hardcore.

Chow: Cooking With Spring Ingredients
Apricots, artichokes, ramps, fiddlehead ferns, asparagus, carrots, fava beans, chives, new potatoes, rhubarb, green garlic, kohlrabi, mint, peas, pea sprouts, and strawberries are back (though not in black), folks. Chow tells you what the heck to do with them all. (Note: it’s not “throw them in a blender and make a shake.”)

Chow: When Pasta Met Sauce
Does rotini work with pesto? How about ditalini and meatballs? Would you pair farfalle with carbonara sauce? And lastly, did you even know that gigli was a pasta and not a terrible J-Lo movie? Bet not.

Consumerist: Obesity – the Terrorist Threat Within
Here’s a fun fact: “In 2006, the State Department reported terrorism killed 28 US citizens. That same year, the CDC estimated obesity killed 112,000.” A documentary called Killer at Large tries to figure out why. (Due warning: there’s a pretty graphic liposuction excerpt about halfway through the video.)

Frugal Dad: Triple Play – Eating Less Meat
Bargain Babe gave you the financial breakdown. Frugal Dad takes it further with the environmental and health benefits. (Plus nice pictures of pasta.)

Get Rich Slowly: A Frugal Dinner with Friends
Faboo anecdote about a friend who grew up with … let’s call them offbeat … eating habits. And hey, sometimes? Those 66-cent boxes of mac and cheese are worth their weight in happiness.

The Happy Housewife: A Day in the Life of the Happy Housewife - My Schedule
I’ve always wondered how homeschooling moms parse out their day, since there’s so much to do. HH, mother of seven, presents her plan. (Note: a nice chunk of her tasks are finished before I even get my socks on in the morning.)

Jezebel: Does Dieting Make You Look Old?
Uh oh. This isn’t good.

Jezebel: Healthier Menu Options Lead to Less Healthy Choices
Man, THIS isn’t good either. Students were given two of the exact same menus (chicken nuggets, fries, baked potato) except Menu #2 included a salad. Those with the salad option were THREE TIMES more likely to choose fries than the other group. What the crud?

The Kitchn: Will Food Magazines Survive the Slump?
A better question might be: will ANY magazines survive the slump? Kitchn readers say yes, and sound off on their favorites. As is to be expected, Cook’s Illustrated fares well.

New York Times: A Dollar, a Drink, and a Debate
Frank Bruni asks the $6 question: how much should bartenders be tipped? Here in NYC, a dollar a drink is pretty standard (unless you’re insane enough to order a $15 martini, in which case you should cough up another buck or two). What about you guys?

New York Times: Empty Tables Threaten Some Restaurant Chains
Experts predict more than 20,000 restaurants will go out of business before this financial hubbub is finished, and some chains are first in the firing line. Among the troubled: Outback Steakhouse, Applebee’s, Sbarro’s, Krispy Kreme, and Arby’s. Buy your Bloomin’ Onions now, folks.

New York Times: How I Learned to Love Goat Meat
Mmm … chevon.

Serious Eats: The Best Cookbook for Beginners
91 comments and counting. Winners so far: Joy of Cooking, How to Cook Everything, good ol’ Betty Crocker, and any Cook’s Illustrated volume.

Serious Eats: First Look at Citi Field Stadium Food
WILL YOU LOOK AT THE VIEW FROM THE CONCESSION LINE? Good god. It means we don’t have to watch tiny, fuzzy TVs propped ten feet above the pretzel bin anymore. I’m … I’m so HAPPY. *sniff*

Time Out New York: Are You a Food Snob?
My results: “Sorry to break it to you, but you’re a Bona Fide Foodie Elitist. Looks like your love of fancy foods has given you a bit of a tude, hasn’t it? Go sit in the corner with your shad roe.” Dangit!

(Photos courtesy of Cakespy, Sorry No Burgers, and Qwipster.)

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