Sprinkle Bakes has been keeping an advent calendar of giftable food recipes and it’s very handy.

See also: union square cafe’s bar nuts and homemade irish cream from Smitten Kitchen. I’m thinking of an Irish Cream vs. Eggnog event. Yes? No?

How to Make Your Sugar Cookies Taste Better – Chowhound.

Lottie + Doof » Lottie + Doof Gift Guide 2016.

The 2016 kottke.org Holiday Gift Guide.

Might Girl always has the most amazing Where Did You Find That? style gift guides.

The 2016 Good Gift Games Guide – defective yeti. Your annual infusion of which tabletop games are worth it.

Steel Thumbnail | Cool Tools. Considering how often I find myself using my real thumbnail to pry things I’d definitely get use out of this small key chain tool. I suspect it would make a great little present for those very practical people in your life.

My only gift recommendation for this year is the Riedel “O” series Coca-cola glasses because they are the most perfect object to drink a can of sparkling water out of and also they are on sale for 50% off right now. (Note: affiliate link.) I have one of these glasses in my house after attending a Reidel tasting event last year where I came home with a set of six glasses and this is the only one I use on a daily basis. It makes drinking sparkling water an outright elegant experience and as a result I drink a lot more water than I normally would. May I suggest it as a good gift for the La Croix lover in your life?

How to Clean and Maintain Cast Iron | Serious Eats. We are go for soap.

Love Old Fashioneds? This Spicy, Strong Whiskey Cocktail Is for You | Serious Eats.

Unusual Geometric Cake Designs by Dinara Kasko | Colossal. These are so pretty.

What’s the Difference Between the Bubbles? – Lucky Peach. Seltzer vs. sparkling water vs. club soda. Via The Wirecutter.

Giant Gougeres: French cheese puffs. David Lebovitz.

Barrel Aged Vanilla White Russian | Baking Bites. Something to do while you are aging that nog anyhow.

Hong Kong’s Most Famous Cocktail Is a Tower of Foam and Faux Caviar | MUNCHIES.

Chopped Kale Salad with Peanut-Chili Vinaigrette | Little Broken. Via Brit&Co.

Recipe: Vivian Howard’s Sunday Morning Pancakes – Eater. Made with a mixture of regular and buckwheat flours. I grew up eating buckwheat pancakes and I still prefer them.

Risotto Tips From John Podesta | Epicurious.com. “The most important revelation yet from Hillary’s hacked emails.”

The Mezcal Tour of Oaxaca, The New Yorker.

Spiced Pumpkin Rum Toddy Cocktail  | Mighty Girl.

Trick or Treat! Artist Makes Spine-Chilling Lifelike Halloween Sweets – ABC News. Those candy spiders are incredible.

Spooky Worm Halloween Jello – A Spicy Perspective. This is creepy and very simple.

BraveTart’s House of Horror: How to Make a Super-Spooky Halloween Gingerbread House | Serious Eats.

Olive puff pastry bites recipe – All recipes UK. The look like eyeballs and also look delicious.

DIY Hanging Spider Balloons for Halloween, at Studio DIY.

Gooey Monster Eye Cookies at Lil’ Luna. These are simple and suitably creepy.

‘Leggo My Eggo!’ and More Creative Pancakes from The Pancake Project | Serious Eats. Eeek.

Amazing Banksy “Flower Thrower” Costume, at Make.

Red Velvet Cinnamon Roll Guts | Kitchen Overlord.

Monster Popcorn Balls | Sprinkle Bakes.

Pretzel Broomstick Appetizers for the Etsy Blog! | Sprinkle Bakes.

DIY Giant Balloon Ghosts, at Oh Happy Day. These don’t use helium so they are an affordable giant balloon option.

Chocolate Skull Cake, at Inspired By Charm. This is excellent, and uses my favorite cake pan.

We Spoke to the Chef Who Has Made 143 Types of Mac and Cheese | MUNCHIES. Mac and cheese in a sausage, nice.

How To Make A Negroni — Cocktail Chemistry. They also include the recipe for a Boulevardier, a drink I’m very fond of but have found few bartenders know. Help me change that, let us make the Boulevardier as commonly known as (but easier to make than) a Margarita, yes?

How to Make a Beautiful Galaxy Mirror Cake Using Reflective Icing, at Laughing Squid. So shiny.

How to pick the perfect watermelon: 5 key tips from an experienced farmer, via Inner Vision.

Someone Probably Revealed KFC’s Top-Secret Chicken Recipe, at Grub Street.

The Best Way to Freeze Pesto Is Not What You Think — Preserve 2.0 | The Kitchn. Yes, more support for freezing things flat and thin for quick access later.

The Legend of the Choco Taco – Eater.

Best Burgers in Seattle, Washington – Burger Quest – Thrillist. The best burger on this list is from an out of the way bar that I was introduced to by the owners of Spinnaker Bay Brewing when I was working there. To this day when I have something small to celebrate we head to Loretta’s Northwesterner for burgers.

The Weirdest Things to Eat at the 2016 State Fair of Texas – Eater. “That’s right, in America we use mac and cheese AS A DIP.”

Crazy Crust Cranberry Sauce Pie | Baking Bites. This looks delicious.

Recipe: Rainbow Veggie Noodle Salad — Recipes from The Kitchn | The Kitchn.

I’m A Grown-Up Disney Kid — Obsessed With Hidden Mickeys?. The hidden mickey in the corndog here is adorable.

Braided Cinnamon Bread | Sprinkle Bakes. This is beautiful and delicious looking, I’m adding it to my weekend plans.

Bon Appétempt: Video: California Roll Salad. Also see: Bon Appétempt: Video: Beet and Goat Cheese Terrine.

The Cocktail Every Man Should Be Drinking This Summer | Man Made DIY | Crafts for Men. Spoiler: a real daquari.

A How-To Guide to Making a Silicone LEGO Candy Mold, at Laughing Squid.

How To Make Frosé — Cocktail Chemistry.

How to Combat Soggy Pie Crusts With Epsom Salt | Serious Eats.

Spiralizer Hack: Spiralized Cocktail Garnishes | Inspiralized.

This site is 15 years old today. Thank you, dear readers, for making that time seem like a short and exciting stretch. I know it’s been slow around here lately but I have no plans to go anywhere.

I’d pour you all champagne if I could!

Outdoor DIY Wine Cooler Idea: A Picnic Table with a Gutter! — Ingenious Ideas | The Kitchn. This is neat.

The Jealous Curator /// curated contemporary art /// kurt pio. Gorgeous paintings of giant diamonds, I really dig these.

Wood Rails 36″, at Parabo Press. For hanging really big posters, perfect for an Engineer Print. Via Swissmiss.

The mudroom: It begins! | Door Sixteen. An excellent list of all the products Anna uses, this is one I’ll refer to before our next house project.

Stud Thud Magnetic Stud Finder | Cool Tools. “Dual magnets create a “thud” when passed over a screw or nail”. Our house is old and has any number of mysteries behind the drywall. We once hit a water pipe trying to put up a curtain rod.

This Graphic Shows the Best Air-Cleaning Plants, According to NASA, at Lifehacker.

The Best Plants for Bedrooms and Bathrooms, by The Sill | Parachute Blog. Via The Wirecutter.

How to Make Vinegar Cleaning Spray (That Smells Good!) | The Kitchn.

Bon Appétempt: Carrot Ginger Showstopper a.k.a. Grain Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing (and a Fried Egg).

Star Wars Recipe: Rey’s Portion Bread | StarWars.com.

A Four-Story Leap Day Birthday Cake at Food 52. This is delightful.

Banh Tieu Recipe: The Vietnamese Donuts You Never Knew You Loved · i am a food blog.

Toasted Almond Cake, Stewed Rhubarb, Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting – Not Without Salt. The rhubarb rosettes on this cake are really charming.

Beer is Good For Your Health | Wellness | Purewow. “Even more interesting, the hops and flavonoids in beer can actually slow the release of calcium from the bones.”

The Best Easter Traditions Come from Germany | The Kitchn. This is a reminder to myself to make braided breads like the glorious chicken in the last photo.

Chewable Coffee Is Your New Morning Pick-Me-Up | Brit + Co. Gummy coffee cubes, count me in.

Forget Sea Monkeys, the Dino Sphere Is the Novelty Bio-Kit of the Future, at Gizmodo. Awwwww, I want some!

The Amazing 4 Corners Project / Boing Boing. A planet sized work of art, amazing.

My Uncle Works for Nintendo — The Campo Santo Quarterly Review — Medium.

What smells like almonds in the forest? | Ask MetaFilter. Millipedes?! Millipedes!!

The latest His Dark Materials spin-off is a dark and mysterious audiobook | The Verge. I encountered the His Dark Materials series only in audiobook format and fell in love, so I’m enthusiastic to hear that the newest spin-off is audio only. (And narrated by Bill Nighy!)

Song of the Deep Wants You To Feel Small | WIRED. I think this game is going to be greatly appealing.

An Hour With The Solus Project, A Survival Game With An Actual Story, at Kotaku.

TouchArcade Game of the Week: ‘Love You To Bits’ | TouchArcade. Tiny Thief is broken on iOS 9 (RIP) but this game is it’s spiritual successor, and shares a few devs.

Obduction, The Spiritual Successor to Myst, at Laughing Squid. I. Am. So. Happy.

The Gallery, VR and a fear of falling | Polygon. This game looks pretty ideal.

15 Tricks Every iPhone User Should Know How to Do | Apartment Therapy. These are pretty helpful.

Hidden Folks is a Hidden Object Game with Interactive Scenery – Gamezebo.

Get Lost Inside a Dystopian L.A. Cake Maze | Mental Floss. Oh my god a maze made of cake. Dreams do come true. Via Girls of a Certain Age.

What is the plot of Lost, like what happened? | Ask MetaFilter. Some good concise explanations, should anybody ever ask just what happened on that show. Answers from “the writers painted themselves into a corner” to a patient explanation of the bifurcated timelines.

The Latest Nail Art Trend Is Apparently Only for People Who Don’t Have to Use Their Hands for Anything But Modeling Nail Art, Must Be Nice. I’m waiting for Nails by Faberge.

Filmmakers Make an Interesting Discovery Made Behind a Loose Brick in a Pub in Norwich, England, at Laughing Squid.

Shamrock Shakes, and their cult following, explained – Vox.

3D printed pendants at Shapeways: Lucky Heart by Phits, Asteroid Pendant by quantitativeDesign, Droplet Pendant by LIFIC.

Extremely convenient keychain key holder from brown by TIZART and the Corder Leather Bottle Hook that hangs off a belt loop. Bot via Ask Metafilter and courtesy of my friend Phixion.

What can I wear under a sheer blouse that won’t make me miserably warm? | Ask MetaFilter. More and more Uniqlo seems to be the answer.

Seriously, These are the Best Affordable Ear Bud Headphones You Can Buy | Man Made DIY. I go through earbuds pretty quickly too, these are a solid recommendation.

Lighthouse Lounge – Ladies T-shirt | Last Exit to Nowhere. This shop sells goods using the logos of fake businesses from movies and television, this one is from Goonies. See also: Winchester Tavern from Shaun of the Dead.

“30 Rock – Music Band” T-Shirts & Hoodies by Skulltech | Redbubble. A joke from 30 Rock.

This Irish Store Is About to Become Your New Forever 21 | Brit + Co. Primark is coming to the US! I have my own favorite Primark moment.

Cool Tools – Tom Bihn Travel Tray. I’m getting one of these for Scott, the detritus that he scatters around hotel rooms makes me grumpy.

Meet the Designers Crafting High End Undergarments for the Transgender Community | GOOD.

Rainbow Steam Cake Recipe – HowToCookThat. How to make a layered rainbow cake that doesn’t involve cutting and stacking.

Giant Ravioli with Egg Yolk, Spinach, and Ricotta. Recipe lookup inspired by Salty Seattle’s Instagram. Yum.

dubosc | Colossal. Edible zoetropes!

Orangette: While you’re not looking. A technique for cooking dried beans, I’ve got to try this because my previous dried bean trials weren’t worth the time put in.

Scientists Say Psychopathic People Really Like Bitter Food | MUNCHIES. Uh oh.

Cooking with Manuela: Rose Shaped Eggplant Parmigiana.

The Politics and Cultishness of Hops – The Sauce – The Stranger. A primer on Washington hops.

Best Value in Booze: What’s the Best Single Malt Scotch Under $30? | Man Made DIY.

Why Cookbook Clubs Should Be the New Way We Entertain | Serious Eats. Yes! (Also, full disclosure, my trusty red dutch oven can be seen in one of these photos.)

The Cocktail at the End of the Universe – Eater. “In search of the Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster, an imaginary 1970’s cocktail from space.” A delightfully thorough look at bars then and now.

This Coconut Cake Is Better Than Your Grandmother’s Recipe | MUNCHIES.

Pulled Pork and Cornbread Make This Slow-Cooker Chili a New Favorite | Serious Eats.

ChefSteps Guide to Pike Place Market – Eater Seattle.

The Cool Way to Brew Good Coffee – The Awl. Oh gosh I had nearly forgotten about Clover machines! Anyhow, this is a good history of coffee hype from pre-aughts to now. Via Kottke.

The Food Lab: Introducing Vegetables Wellington, the Plant-Based Vegan Roast Even Meat Eaters Will Want | Serious Eats.

IDEAS IN FOOD: Sandy (Pretzel) Sticks.

Lumberjack cake: tartan batter? / Boing Boing. This is neato.

15 Edible Cocktail Garnishes to Snack on During Happy Hour | Brit + Co. Some good ideas in here, I like the pretzel stick as an option.

A Cadbury Creme Egg Cafe is Coming to London | Nerdist.

The Crazy History Of Your Cocktail Cherry – The Daily Beast. I got to watch as Scott discovered the superiority of Luxardo cherries this year.

The Best No-Carb Cloud Rosemary Bread with only 4 Ingredients. While I’m not looking for a no-carb thing, these do look good as a party appetizer for my celiac friends.

spaghetti pie with pecorino and black pepper | smitten kitchen. This is perfection.

Smoke Signals – Bon Appétit. All about Tara Jenson and her amazing pies and loaves of bread.

A Dozen Rose Cupcakes | Sprinkle Bakes. A cookie cutter that makes creating a sugar rose more like assembling a paper flower, very clever.

The Ringer Cast Iron Cleaner | Cool Tools. It’s a square of chain mail!

Play Food « bakerella.com. I’m bookmarking this because the recipe doesn’t need to be chilled before rolling, but also because the tiny cookies are absolutely adorable.

Make Matchstick Cookies This Valentine’s Day | The Etsy Blog.

Valentine’s Magic Heart Dessert – HowToCookThat. A hidden heart in the lid, really clever. Does anybody know where this idea originated?

David Chang Calls Out Starbucks. As somebody whose edible creations have become popular, used for marketing for large companies and sold in major stores without even so much as credit I can feel this pain.

Happy 20th Birthday To This American Life, Which Is Way Darker Than You Think. Via The Morning News.

The clog post — Medium. “I’ve fallen off sidewalks from Brooklyn to San Francisco, disappearing mid-sentence wherever I go.” One of my internet Old Ones is posting on Medium every day through December and it’s making me giddy.

Hatton Garden robbery drill-hole necklace | The Guardian. A fine pendant in the shape of the hole drilled to pull off a multi million pound heist in London.

Establishing a Peace Accord Between Parents and Their Childless Friends – The Everywhereist.

The 24 Most Insane Theories About Who Rey’s Parents Are. #24 is the author’s crazy theory and it’s awesome.

Hired Hand — The California Sunday Magazine. Via The Morning News.

When Two Best Friends Make Video Games (And Only One Sells). A good examination of what’s going on in the indie market.

Beyond ‘Serial': The 50 Best Podcast Episodes of 2015 – The Atlantic. See also: additional 10 Great Podcast Episodes from 2015 from Matt Thompson.

Waiting for Serial? Try Some of These, Our Favorite Podcasts | WIRED.

Nathan Grayson’s Top 10 Games Of 2015.

Take a Video Crash Course in Beginner Electronics, at Make.

Data Atsume. Tons of data for the Neko Atsume game on what to use to attract the rare cats and get the greatest fish return. Via Waxy.

Stick a pin in it! — Postlight Posts — Medium. The Pinterest Chrome plug-in is taking over your website, but only the users can see it so you might not know. If you manage a website you should know this is going on, and they offer code to stop it.

Steam VR Stealth Game Looks Like A More Violent Portal, at Kotaku. I got to try the Vive last year and part of that was a Portal demo. Scott and I spent some time wondering how you’d make a Portal game for the Vive played at home and our theories were a lot like the way this game is described.