The concept and structure of Christmas hasn't changed much since its inception. In its infancy, Christians recruited Roman pagans by associating Christmas with the Saturnalia, an ancient Roman festival in honor of the deity Saturn (also held in December). The pagans had long worshiped trees (as did other historical cultures) and would bring them into their homes and decorate them, something that influenced our modern holiday decorations. While certain things such as gifts and ornaments have b...
Want to liven up your game of beer pong? You could always add more cups or play with paddles, or you could make your own custom table with 500 LED lights that flash in sync with your favorite tunes like Redditor did.
This is a video showing how to make a perfect latte at home. First the coffee is ground and then she pours some milk. The presenter says that 1/3 of the daily requirement of milk can be found in a latte. Once the coffee is ground it is brewed. She uses a lot of coffee so that it is richer. While the espresso is being made, the milk is steamed. The espresso should drip out like honey. The steamed milk is then poured over the coffee.
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, was created in 1981 by Cassandra Peterson. She was the hostess of a local Hollywood horror movie show that became nationally syndicated. Elvira was the first horror host to be nationally syndicated, first person to be broadcast in 3-D on TV, and first female celebrity to do a national beer campaign and market her own beer.
Commercial hair conditioners aren’t just expensive, they’re loaded with chemicals. Why don’t you whip up something more natural at home?
Leave it to some lazy college kids to attempt to figure out a way to brew a pot of coffee without leaving the couch.
I am a man who enjoys a good cup of crap. Not just any crap, but the kind that makes the Seattle coffee-snob inside of me feel all warm and happy as if the sun were out (which of course it isn't.) It's the kind of crap that has traveled through the intestinal tracts of a nocturnal marsupial, cutely called a Civet. It's the kind of fermented brew that everyone should lay their lips on at least once.
Drinking too much is bad for your health and your wallet. Here are a few simple strategies for cutting back and keeping it in moderation.
If you get looks of exasperation whenever you stammer out a drink order, take this crash course in bar-speak.
This beauty video demonstrates how to create a St. Patrick's Day makeup look.
Watch this instructional video to learn how to make mash. At the right temperature, grain and water make the perfect food for yeast. This step is very important for the taste of the beer.
Wheat germ tea is not only good for your skin, its also great for your health. This how-to video will show you how to brew wheat germ.
Is it the midnight hour before Halloween and it's just dawned on you that you don't have a costume yet? Skip the store because you'll probably have to choose between the lesser of two evils (will it be chicken suit or beer wench?).
Check out this cool video and learn how to create the Allassonic effect with a coffee cup, instant coffee and boiling water. When the bottom of a ceramic cup filled with boiling water and a heap of instant coffee is tapped at regular intervals the pitch of the sound heard slowly increases over time.
It's that time of the year, y'all—when the air becomes crisp, the nights grow long, and people crave hearty, warm soups and stews. And of all the season's offerings, my hands-down favorite has to be chili: It's versatile, meaty, and above all else, it's damn easy to make. (Thank you, Lord, for the slow cooker. Amen.)
Koji is a culture made up of a certain fungus (mold) called Aspergillus oryzae, which has been used to ferment rice and soybeans in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean kitchens for centuries. Koji can actually have other involved fungi, but Aspergillus oryzae is the most common, and therefore the names can be used interchangeably. Its end purpose is to enhance the flavor of items like soy sauce, sake, and miso.
We admit it: we are ranch dressing fanatics. We like to put it on our simple salads, spread it across our chicken wings, and dip homemade sweet potato fries in it. Plus, since childhood, neither of us can eat pizza without ranch dressing to accompany it.
Whether your holidays are cause for celebration or exhaustion from over-celebrating, alcohol is more often than not involved in the merrymaking. We at Food Hacks are very fond of enjoying this particular indulgence in lots of different ways.
My French press is one of the most important tools in my kitchen. It's indispensable, and it's no small exaggeration when I say that I use it on a daily basis thanks to my coffee addiction. However, it gets used for a lot more than just my morning cuppa (and my second morning cuppa, and my late morning cuppa, and my... well, you get the picture).
I have a confession: I hoard glass jars. I buy mason jars whenever I get the chance. When I finish a jar of pickles or mayonnaise, there's no way that glass jar is going in the recycling (thankfully, they're easy to de-stink). And when my sister gives me a basket of her homemade jams, she can forget about ever seeing those jars again.
Gatorade and football go hand in hand, from player endorsements to the traditional Gatorade shower that coaches get at each Super Bowl. So, get in the game-day spirit with these Gatorade-infused drinks, desserts, and snacks. The good thing about Gatorade is that it comes in every color of the rainbow—so feel free to make these in your favorite team's colors.
It's that time of year where you need to break out the grill and cook food over red-hot coals, whether it's the beginning, middle, or end of summer. Even if you're not a grill master extraordinaire, you can use these hacks to fool your friends and family into thinking that you're a barbecuing badass.
In this project, I'll show you how to make an itty-bitty outdoor BBQ from leftover beer or soda cans. It's the perfect summertime hack if you don't have a grill and are cooking for a small group of people—one bratwurst at a time. You can grab the wire grill template here.
You don't always plan on getting drunk, it usually just sort of happens, right? You finish one beer, move on to the next, and all of a sudden you're a six-pack in and feelin' it. And when you're drinking in places you're not supposed to, it can get ugly.
Walking into a bar or crowded dinner party can be intimidating. Being surrounded by a bunch of people you're unfamiliar with or trying to impress the smokeshow at the bar is no easy task...for most of us.
Today is Friday, and I cannot wait to sit back and crack open a nice cool Smirnoff Ice when I get home. If you lost respect for me after that statement, you have only gained mine.
Store-bought marinades and sauces have an ability to jazz up the simplest items. But after a while, those favorite tastes seem a bit repetitive and mundane, and that got us to experimenting with different add-ins to make our marinades stand out. Fruits, herbs, spices—all of the usual suspects were delicious, but not spectacular.
Christmas trees, once decorated and brightly lit, are the penultimate holiday decoration, but authentic pines lose their brilliance fast without any nourishment. Plus, they are major fire hazards without regular hydration. But watering one requires a lot of sliding around on the floor, and it can be hard to tell how much water is in the bowl beneath the dark, prickly branches. These five hacks can help!
In this tutorial, learn how to shotgun a beer using only the tip of your thumb - and of course your mouth!
Napkin bottle opener! See how to open a beer with a napkin! Amazing and cool trick. With this Trick you can win a beer or some money!
Next time you're at a party, try this beer bottle trick out. See how to break the bottom out of a beer bottle, with just hands and water. You just fill the empty beer bottle up with cold water, hold the neck in your hand, point the bottom in a safe direction, and smash your palm against the mouth. Simple as that.
Pitting cherries is really annoying. There's no neat way to do it with a knife and, though they make a tool that does it, not everyone has space in their kitchen for a gadget that does so little. But fresh cherries are so delicious when they're in season... it's almost worth the extra hassle and/or space usage.
Ahh, coffee. That first sip of hot goodness in the morning is glorious, isn't it? There are days when you need it straight up: No extras, please. But what about those moments when you need a little something else? When that flavored French vanilla, hazelnut mocha, blah blah blend just doesn't cut it and you want a truly special flavor in your morning joe?
Like cigars and whiskey, Lapsang Souchong tea is an acquired taste. Some people never get over the pungent, tarry flavor and intense smell of the beverage, but using it as a rub, marinade, or other seasoning is totally smart. The tea adds a smoky yet not overwhelming flavor to dishes of all kinds. With it, you can easily get barbecue-like results for meats and vegetables, all without breaking out the grill. Lapsang Souchong tea smells like a dry campfire and tastes like a smoked sausage cooke...
Coffee! It's so amazing that J.S. Bach wrote a comic opera about caffeine addiction. Meanwhile, more than half of Americans 18 years or older start their day with a cup of the hot stuff. Most of us take coffee for granted, but it's a bean that can surprise you. Read on to understand more about coffee and how to take advantage of all that it offers.
It wasn't that long ago that we started seeing a variety of beers catering to the Steampunk crowd, so why not some wine?
Let's say you forgot the code to your Master Lock combination padlock. What can you do besides buy another one? Well, there's a surprising abundance of ways to open a combination lock other than with just the combination, some of which will even let you reset the code. Of course, these hacks aren't limited to folks just looking to open their own locks, but let's just assume that's what you're here for.
In this how to video Chef Paul talks about making your own tea blends. Watch as he shows you how mash your favorite fruits and mix them up with some cold tea. You could also use the natural heat of the sun and use it to brew tea in a glass jar.
Green tea tastes great and it does wonders for your health. In this how to video Griff and Matt will show you how to Make a special kind of green tea called Gyokuro. Gyokuro is a fine Japanese tea. Watch and learn how the Japanese brew gyokuro tea to perfection.
Green tea tastes great and it does wonders for your health. In this how to video Griff and Matt will show you how to quickly make a beautiful, foamy bowl of matcha tea. Matcha is a finely powdered green tea. Watch and learn how the Japanese brew their foamy Matcha tea to perfection.
