50 State Stereotypes in 2 Minutes

MICHIGAN: lower peninsula = cereal makers; upper peninsula = serial killers.

What's your state know for?

(via PaulPJury)

Secrets of Cooking Great Pasta [Video]

Michelin-star Chef Michael White gives the Wall Street Journal a handful of secrets on how to cook great pasta. For example, many people believe in adding olive oil to the boiling water to keep the pasta from sticking — bad idea, says Chef White. While the olive oil will keep the pasta from sticking to itself, it will also keep the noodles from sticking to the sauce. The most important pasta cooking tip, according to Chef White, is to heavily salt the pasta water.

(via WSJ)

The Sooner You Advertise Here, the Better

An ad agency in the Netherlands has devised a clever way to sell billboard ad space.

It all began like this...

And then took a turn for the worse... and worse yet...

It could've gone totally wrong, if Radio2 hadn't come along just in time...

(via Ads of the World)

Final Moments of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' [Video]

After 25 years and 4,561 episodes, The Oprah Winfrey Show ended on Wednesday afternoon.

Excuse me while I grab another box of tissues.

"Until we meet again..."

Grocery Store Creates Super Pop Art Display

I thought this was pretty awesome, until I saw this...

Photo credit: darkstar107/Reddit 

May 23 is Lucky Penny Day

"Find a penny, pick it up, and all day long, you'll have good luck!"

May 23 is Lucky Penny Day!

Why are pennies considered lucky? According to legend, metals, including copper, were seen as a gift for gods and other deities many centuries ago. They were believed to ward off evil, so anyone who had possession of such metal was considered protected, and therefore lucky. Makes cents, huh?

Heads or tails? Many people believe it's best to find pennies heads up — so leave the tails up pennies where you find them. Or else!

NPR Sunday Puzzle: May 22, 2011

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 15):

Answer:

NPR Sunday Puzzle for May 22: Think of two five-letter words that are exact opposites, in which the first two letters of each word are the same as the first two letters of the other, only reversed. Hint: The fourth letter of each word is A. What two words are these?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

'Willy Wonka' Original Cast Reunites 40 Years Later

Forty years after my favorite movie, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, was released in theaters, the cast reunited on TODAY (is anyone else bothered by their incorrect spelling of "Willie" in the caption?).

Spoiler Alert: The wallpaper tasted like wallpaper (not snozberries).

'Napoleon Dynamite': The Animated Series Trailer

FOX has just released the first trailer for Napoleon Dynamite, the animated series. A must watch for the season's fashion? Or pretty much the worst video ever made?


(via Doobybrain)

A Crafty 'Wicked' Bookmark

A crafty gal was inspired to create this clever bookmark while reading Wicked: The Life and Times of The Wicked Witch of the West. So creative!

(via Oops, I Craft My Pants)

'Breakfast, Interrupted'

Breakfast — it's the most important meal of the day. You don't always make time for it. But sometimes it's presented in a most "beautiful and unusual way..."



(via BSS)

Today is National Sea Monkey Day!

Image via Photobucket/ribby47

May 16 is National Sea Monkey Day!

Sea Monkeys are a unique species of brine shrimp (scientific name Artemia salina) that start out as dry powder "eggs" and grow once water is added. Originally marketed as Instant Life by inventor Harold von Braunhut in 1957, these tiny, almost invisible to the naked eye, creatures have been sold to children as novelty aquarium pets since 1960.

I didn't raise Sea Monkeys as a kid, in fact, I've never seen them in person, but this South Park clip is really all the exposure anyone needs...(you guys)...



> Become the King of your own Sea Monkey Kingdom

Happy National Chocolate Chip Day!

Image credit: Nestle Cafe

Image credit: www.whitman-ma.gov

May 15 is National Chocolate Chip Day!

Did you know? Chocolate chips were an accidental invention...

The story dates back to the 1930s, when Kenneth and Ruth Graves Wakefield purchased the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts. In keeping with tradition, Mrs. Wakefield often baked for guests at her inn.

One day in 1937, while experimenting with the Butter Drop Do, a favorite Colonial cookie, Mrs. Wakefield cut a bar of Nestlé® chocolate into tiny bits and added them to her cookie dough. She expected them to melt, but instead, the "chocolate chips" held their shape. The ooey, gooey discovery was eventually dubbed the Toll House® Cookie.

Celebrate this delicious food holiday with a homemade batch...

Original Nestle® Toll House® Chocolate Chip Cookies(yields 5 dozen)

Ingredients
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg
1 (12 ounce) package NESTLE® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

(Thanks Allrecipes!)

NPR Sunday Puzzle: May 15, 2011

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 8):

Answer: Natalie, Natasha (—NATA) → Sheila

NPR Sunday Puzzle for May 15: Create a 4-by-4 crossword square with four four-letter words reading across and four different four-letter words reading down. Use the word "nags" at 1 across and the word "newt" at 1 down. All eight words must be common, uncapitalized words, and all 16 letters must be different.

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

May 14 is National Chicken Dance Day

Image credit: Old World

Cluck, cluck! If you can do the Chicken Dance, you're in luck!

May 14 is National Chicken Dance Day!

So how did this most annoying song and dance routine become the tradition at every wedding and Bar/Bat Mitzvah?

The Chicken Dance was originally titled "Der Ententanz" (The Duck Dance). It was created by accordion player Werner Thomas of Davos, Switzerland in the 1950's. Eventually, he began performing the song at his local restaurant and the rest is history.

Here's a little instructional clip from The Lawrence Welk show. Go on, stand up at home and join in...

A Love Story, in Milk Cartons

You'll never look at a milk carton the same way.Watch this cute story of star-crossed lovers:



(via Friends of the Earth)

Cool Off with the World's Most Expensive Popsicle

Pretty sure I've never seen this option printed on the side of the ice cream truck.

FoxNews reports:

For those who can still afford it, the Marquis Los Cabos resort in Baja California Sur, Mexico is offering a $1,000 popsicle made from 24 ct. gold flakes and Tequilas Premium Clase Azul Ultra, which goes for $1,500 a bottle.

Personally, I'd rather have a $2.50 Good Humor Toasted Almond bar. Maybe that's just me?

Simon Van Kempen Performs 'I Am Real' [There's Your Sign]

Apparently a whole bunch of crazies are running around trying to convince us all that Judgment Day is coming — next Saturday, May 21, 2011. As ridiculous as that seems, here's a pretty compelling sign that next weekend may just bring the end of the world as we know it...

 

OH NO! ABC Cancels 'Brothers & Sisters'; NBC Axes 'Law & Order: Los Angeles'

No more Sunday nights with the Walker family. ABC has officially cancelled Brothers & Sisters. Other ABC shows were also confirmed as cancelled today — V, No Ordinary Family, Detroit 1-8-7 — understandably, because nobody watches them! But why B&S!?

In related news, NBC has cancelled Law & Order: Los Angeles. While not as good as the original, it was beginning to grow on me this season.

At least I still have my 4,052 reality series on Bravo.

Mr. Men and Little Miss Google Doodles

Little Miss Sunshine Google Doodle

Long before Harry Potter, The Babysitters Club series and all of the Ramona books, there was Mr. Men and Little Miss. In fact, I remember being particularly fond of Little Miss Sunshine (the book, not the movie, not that the movie was bad).

Today's Google Doodle celebrates the author and illustrator of the Mr. Men and Little Miss books, Charles Roger Hargreaves (May 9, 1935 – September 11, 1988), who would have been 76 years old today.

The first of the Mr. Men characters is said have been created when his Hargreaves' son Adam asked him what a tickle looked like. And thus Mr. Tickle was born.

So if you're feeling nostalgic, visit Google today, and be sure to refresh your browser to see all 16 Mr. Men and Little Miss Google Doodles.

> Illustrated chart of all Mr. Men and Little Miss characters

Happy Mother's Day: A Movie Supercut

(via The Forward)

Celebrating 125 Years of Coca-Cola

Happy 125th Anniversary Coca-Cola!

On May 8, 1886, Dr. John S. Pemberton, a pharmacist and inventor of patent medicines, sold the first Coca-Cola at Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia. Pemberton's bookkeeper, Frank Robinson, coined the name and it is his handwriting we recognize as the Coca-Cola trademark.

Here's a look at the 125 year history of Coca-Cola:



Check out one of many ways Coca-Cola is celebrating this momentous occasion:



> The very best of Coca-Cola: A virtual walk through 125 years of happiness
> Coca-Cola: 125 years of history booklet

NPR Sunday Puzzle: May 8, 2011

Here's the solution to last week's NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 1):

Answer: Drake → Duke

NPR Sunday Puzzle for May 8: Think of two common girls' names that are seven letters long and that start with the same four letters in the same order. Drop these four letters in each name, and mix the last three letters in each name to come up with another common girls' name in six letters. What names are these?

Submit your answer to NPR for a chance to be on next week's broadcast and be sure to visit Jenny's Noodle next Sunday to see the correct answer!

Mom Spam, the Perfect Mother's Day eCard

You know those forwards your mom fills your inbox with week after week, year after year? Well, this Mother's Day, you can return the favor by using Mom Spam. A site that features all the best forwards we thought were just too good NOT to pass along.

I love how each forward is formatted with various font types and sizes in neon colors — just like the real thing! Here's how it works:

Finally, a Less Depressing Pet Adoption Commercial

Thank you Animal Humane Society. How refreshing to see that you nixed Sarah McLachlan's Angel and the crying puppies. Your thoughtful PSA has allowed us all to continue enjoying this weekend without being compelled to jump out any windows. Happy Caturday indeed.

The 'Home Alone' House is for Sale - AAAAAH!

Photo credit: Coldwell Banker

Kevin McCallister's house could be yours for just $2.4 million!

"The 4,250-square-foot, 14-room home sits on a half-acre lot and features four bedrooms, 3.2 baths, a large screened-in porch with a chandelier and, of course, the staircase sledded down by [Macaulay] Culkin in John Hughes’ 1990 film [Home Alone]."

Here's a bit more on the history of this famous Winnetka, Illinois residence:



In my opinion, the new buyers should offer $2.5 million, then turn to the current owner and exclaim: "Keep the change, ya filthy animal!"

(via Chicago Tribune)

> Own the 'Beverly Hills 90210' Beach House

North American Cities at Night, a Stunning Timelapse

The City Limits was filmed by Dominic Boudreault, whose "goal was to show the duality between city and nature."

Featured locations: Montreal and Quebec city, Quebec; Toronto, Ontario; Manhattan, New York; Chicago, Illinois.

(via PetaPixel)

What Should My Food Cost Be?

Every month, I receive emails asking for benchmark information in every segment of our industry.  Benchmarking food cost is a meaningless pursuit.  Every menu has a unique set of criteria which have an impact on the gross margin.  Rather than looking for a target number outside your organization, I would suggest a simpler and much more accurate way to answer the question:  What should my food cost be?

People really want a method to bring their gross profit back to previous levels.  

The first step in finding the answer lies in your current sales mix, food purchases and the resulting gross margin.  Nobody offering a diverse, a la carte menu to their guests can expect to have a food cost % close to a utopian figure.  Also, this means your competition is far from perfect.  Don't focus on an unobtainable goal.

Review your purchasing data thoroughly including a month by month analysis of all key items (typically your top 25 items ranked by purchase volume in monetary terms).  I would go so far as to construct a matrix to track the purchase cost of these key items on a monthly chart.  Look for sharp shifts (inflection points) on the chart.  Can you find the logic behind these shifts?  Perhaps you have significant seasonal price changes.

You will definitely see a major shift higher in any items which require consumption of grains in their production.  This is not just baked goods but also the protein items.  Our animals consume the same grains we now see used in the production of the fuel we consume at the gas stations (ethanol is anywhere from 10% to 85% of the fuel at most service stations).

Find the top trends in these key items.  Apply the findings to your food cost formula.  If the top 25 items account for 40% of your purchases, a 10% shift higher in the cost of these items will produce a 4% increase in your purchases.  If your purchases have actually increased 5.5%, the 1.5% implies the other 60% of your purchases have increased 2.5%.  Every operation will have a unique profile.

Start with your top 25 items and try to cover the 4% increase in purchases.  Can you lower the figure through tighter controls?  Weigh the cost of tighter control against the potential gain.  Implement these controls whenever the benefit outweighs the cost.

Carefully monitor waste, spoilage, theft, portion size and purchasing trends.

In the example above, a sales increase of 1.65% would cover the 5.5% increase in purchase costs if your target food cost % was 30%.  You don't need to raise menu prices 5.5% to cover the increase if your goal is to maintain gross margin.  A food cost % of 31.14% would produce the same gross profit as before if your cover count  is stable and your check average increase hits your 1.65% target.