UTILIDOR n pl. -S an insulated system of pipes for use in arctic regions 59 points (9 points without the bingo) UTILIDOR is a portmanteau word for "utility" and "corridor" used to describe a large enclosed and insulated conduit built either above or below the ground surface ...more
Check out this awesome Under the Sea themed party, hosted by Jessica of Party Box Designs: Theme: Under the Sea Colors/Patterns: Blue, Orange, Green, White, Polka Dots and Stripes Center Pieces: Tall Cylinder Vases with Goldfish, Sand and Seaweed Party Favors: Take Home Goldf ...more
Love those delicious pickles you get at your local Japanese restaurant? Well, you don't have to save your craving for a night of local Japanese cuisine, you can make these delicious Japanese pickles in your own kitchen! In this video, Chef Keith Pooler shows you how to make ta ...more
You don't have to wait for the carnival to come around. You can make this special treat any time you like at home. It takes a little bit more time than at the fair but will be worth the look on party guests’ faces when they realize you've just made this counterintuitive desser ...more
Sue McMahon, Cookery Editor of Womens Weekly, shows how to decorate your Christmas cake, in this video. She begins by turning over a rich plum cake to have a smooth surface for the decoration. Next, she pours some brandy over the cake to moisten it. She uses apricot glaze and ...more
Learning to do ice skating jumps can be a little frightening. This how to video tutorial will help you learn a large number of the basic jumps that are part of figure skating. Watch and learn how to mastered the following ice skating jumps: 1) Ballet 2) Half-flip 3) Loop, toe ...more
Culinary collective Studiofeast is known for thinking outside the box, especially when it comes to food. They've hosted inventive and spectacular events like the L Train Lunch, where a high-end meal was served to guests on a moving train, and the Datalicious Last Supper, where ...more
Planning the Trip Get lots of brochures Send for brochures of the places you will be visiting. Make a travel book with the brochures to get the grandchildren and their families excited. The best place to contact for these brochures are the Visitors Bureaus or the Chamber of ...more
Scrabble Bingo of the Day: TRAVOISE [n] Today's word is in honor of Joel Sherman, whose record-breaking game last weekend netted him seven bingo plays, one of which was TRAVOISE. A travoise is a type of sled, but no… it's not like a toboggan or snow sleigh. Though it can be, ...more
Grand Theft Auto 4 was a landmark game. It gave yet another reboot to the already rebooted Grand Theft Auto series, arguably the most prestigious video game in the West. It has a 98 on Metacritic, making it by that measure the best game of modern times. Whatever your stance on ...more
The joys of summer are many! If you, like me, live in a place where the summer is short, you’re going to want to maximize your fun in the sun by doing as many awesome things as possible before the sun goes back to wherever the hell it hibernates during the cold and dark times. ...more
If you have any little ones in your life (or you're simply a grown-up kid yourself), Just Bento has has posted Maki's Top 10 Bento Rules for Back-to-School. Rules listed below, click through for full explanations. If you're inspired, explore Just Bento or another WonderHowTo ...more
What is a burn? It's a form of injury to body tissues which is caused by heat, corrosive substances or friction. There is another form of burn, which is known as scald; it results from exposure to hot water or steam. There are three degrees of burns, explained below. First d ...more
In this series on weaponized lasers, I'll be exploring the function, operation, strength and building instructions for three basic laser weapons; CO2, Diode, and Flashlamp. These laser types are just a few of many, selected because of their simplicity and basic construction (d ...more
Founded by Zach Kaplan, a "serial entrepreneur" with a B.S. in mechanical engineering, Inventables is a futuristic online hardware store based out of Chicago. The company sells innovative materials at much smaller quantities than typically available—largely to artists, invento ...more
In recent years, Russian marine biologist Alexander Semenov has built a stunningly beautiful collection of deep sea photography, capturing alien creatures only locatable in the hostile, icy depths of the far northern sea off the coast of Russia. A brave art world denizen migh ...more
If you follow indie games at all, you've probably heard of Bastion. During its development, it took home numerous Best in Show prizes from E3 and other game conventions while building up an incredible amount of buzz in the games press. Part of what is intriguing about Bastion ...more
Spending five days with the game is enough to know it's not to my liking. Is it a horrible MMO? Yes, yes it is. There are better Free to Play MMOs launched years ago that are better than this. As a fan of the Final Fantasy series (I am currently playing and liking Final Fantas ...more
To make instant hot ice or sodium acetate, first pour two jugs of vinegar minus one cup into a large pot. Then, slowly add baking soda to the mixture and stir it. When the vinegar and baking soda no longer react, stop adding baking soda. Next, add the rest of the vinegar to th ...more
It’s true, you can hard-boil an egg in the oven. Perfect for Easter, you can get all your eggs ready for coloring. No need to preheat the oven and you can take care of as many eggs as easily fit all at once. If you need to make a large quantity of eggs, baking them in the ove ...more
Obesity has ballooned into a worldwide epidemic. The World Health Organization estimates that 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and 700 million will be obese by 2015. Over 20 million children are overweight today. The reasons for these distressing figures are common knowle ...more
Windborne microbes shifting in the snows of the great ice sheet of Greenland may be able to neutralize some of the industrial contaminants oozing out of the melting ice. Greenland is a long way off, and we tend to dismiss what happens there as not impacting us here — out of s ...more
Even those of us most comfortable in the kitchen can be daunted by the idea of cooking for a whole houseful of people. Whether you have a large, well-equipped kitchen or a small one with just the essentials, it can prove to be quite a task to prepare food for a dozen or so peo ...more
There are few things that make me smile more than ice cream… or bread! So why not combine them for double the happiness? We've discussed the art of making ice cream bread before, but not everyone has the time (or, let's face it—the patience) to bake bread in the oven, no matte ...more
If there's a better way to impress your friends than with cocktails, I don't know what it is. Some nice glasses, quality spirits, and a recipe that doesn't involve pre-made margarita mix, and you'll automatically look suave. However, the most overlooked cocktail accoutrement ( ...more
Here is how to cool any desired drink to a nice and cold temperature in just one minute. Whatever the reason why you need a cool drink fast, whether it's because you don't have a fridge or freezer on hand, or that you just want to make your drink cold fast, this method is awes ...more
Rock-hard ice cream is the bane of my culinary existence. If I try and scoop it out with a spoon, the spoon invariably bends. If I use a traditional ice cream scooper, I end up with a torqued wrist and one or two pathetic curls of ice cream for my efforts. The answer? Use a k ...more
You may have had to deal with this unfortunate scenario when you have a hankering for homemade ice cream: you find a great recipe, just the flavor you want to make, you start reading it... and you discover those ever-dreaded words "pour into your ice cream maker and process ac ...more
If you normally take your iced coffee with plain old cream and sugar, you'll find that Starbucks recently-introduced Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew will really hit the spot. It's icy, smooth, and perfectly sweetened with vanilla syrup. Maybe you've tried this drink at Starbuck ...more
When it comes to your baby and your time, nothing but the best and most efficient will do. These high standards carry through every aspect of your life as a new parent, from diapers to strollers and especially to food. Luckily, making your own baby food isn't as complicated a ...more
Sprinkles are a gateway to excitement, whether it's a birthday party with friends or an ice cream sundae by yourself. It may seem like these colorful creations can only come from the grocery store, but it's actually pretty easy to make beautiful sprinkles in your own kitchen. ...more
Using rose petals plucked from your own garden, a large pot with an inverted lid, and some ice, you can create your own DIY rose water which can then be used as an ingredient to make your own beauty supplies or for floral-scented cocktails and desserts. Read below for instruc ...more
Alcohol is a marvelous thing. It might even be responsible for saving civilization. And we're always fans of hacking our booze intake, whether it's learning how to drink all night long without getting drunk or how to discreetly get your drink on without anyone knowing. Now, i ...more
Why I split it into two articles: I love images and I'm sure lots of us do. I decided to put in a lot of images as examples rather than have paragraph upon paragraph of boring text. Also, I don't think any of us like overly long articles; but if you think it's better to have i ...more
There's no reason to wait for Halloween to play with dry ice. It definitely creates a creepy fog-like effect when you add a little water to it, but there are some other really cool things you can do wit dry ice. Here are just 5 non-Halloween ways to use dry ice for tricks or p ...more
There's something primal about the smell of smoking food. Somewhere deep in the recesses of our souls, we remember a time when humans only ate by the fire. Or perhaps that's just something I tell myself. Either way, it's hard to smell smoke and food and not feel like you shoul ...more
Being in a cool pool on a hot day—it doesn't get much better than that, right? Well, unless you also have some ice-cold drinks to go along. But getting in and out of the pool to grab a drink form the soda cooler or beer chest can be extremely annoying, especially if you have ...more
Mochi seems to be everywhere these days: as a topping at your local frozen yogurt shop, in ice cream balls (the green tea ones are heaven), and as colorful treats all over Instagram. It seems like mocha mania is in full force! Traditionally, it takes quite a bit of effort to ...more
As a self-proclaimed chocoholic, any day with chocolate mousse in it is a good day in my book. And thanks to prominent chemist Hervé This, one of the founding fathers of molecular gastronomy, chocolate mousse is not only easy to make every single day—but only requires two ingr ...more
Regardless of your culture or your age, eating with your hands is fun. Flouting social convention and just digging in with your fingers provides a whole other level of epicurean enjoyment. And one of the most entertaining hands-on foods is monkey bread. Food historian Tori Ave ...more
One of my favorite things about cocktails is that they're so diverse. They can be sweet or savory, filling or refreshing. And they can take advantage of nearly any ingredient imaginable, including egg whites, smoked ice, flavor cubes, and even beer. As a card-carrying member ...more
You've heard the old saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Well, the same goes true for snow. When Mother Nature dumps loads of the white stuff onto your neighborhood, then make the most of it with treats like maple snow candy, snow ice cream, and snow cocktails ...more
By now, you've stuffed yourself with enough cranberry-soaked turkey to last you until next year. Still, there's a formidable amount of leftovers, and you're kidding yourself if you think you won't be craving them when you wake up tomorrow with a food coma/hangover. So, make t ...more
Throwing a pool party before autumn arrives? Truly emphasize the festivity of summer by making a floating beer and soda cooler out of foam noodles, waterproof rope, and a large-lipped container. For more creative food and drink displays for your next summer party, you can als ...more
Got a bottle of inexpensive, unopened red wine and some citrus fruits lying around in your kitchen? If you plan on throwing an outdoor summer party, you really can't go wrong with a pitcher full of homemade sangria. For a basic sangria recipe, all you need to do is to combine ...more
These cinnamon buns baked in orange peels are one of the easiest, cutest, and tastiest treats you can make for breakfast, a sweet snack, or dessert. Whether you bake them in the oven or grill them over a campfire, the orange peels infuse the cinnamon rolls with a fragrant, cit ...more
There's nothing better than gulping down an ice cold beer to calm the senses and ease the mind. The holiday season can be very stressful as people scramble around trying to find the best gifts for friends and family. And we all know that gifts can be very hit or miss, but it's ...more
Juicing fruits and vegetables is very beneficial to your health. For some, it's a trend; but to me, it's a part of my morning routine. However, the negative side to juicing large quantities of fruits and vegetables is that leftover pulp can be wasted. Thankfully, this is easi ...more
The point of ice in your cocktail is to make it cold, right? Yes and no. Obviously, ice does lower the temperature of your cocktail, but it also does other things: enhances certain flavors while masking others (handy if you're drinking less than stellar booze or wine). As Sim ...more
The holiday season is almost over, bringing the year to an end, and what better way to end it than with some tonsil hockey from the dime across the room on New Year's Eve? If you missed the opportunity to snag a kiss using the awesome mistletoe trick, then this is your last c ...more
Here's how to make dry-ice at home, or wherever you feel like it! All you need is a pillow case, and a CO2 fire extinguisher. Video: . WARNING: Dry Ice is extremely cold! (-78C/-109F) and can cause instant frost-bite to exposed skin. This project should not be attempted withou ...more
In the Western world, the only time you'd associate food with cockroaches is health code violations. And while other cultures and countries are more open to cooking with and eating these and other little buggers, insects are probably not a food trend that will be adopted by th ...more
Many of you may already know that Soy milk is low on fat but at the same naturally high in proteins, essential fatty acids, and fibers. But if you're like me and can't stand the taste of Soy milk alone then I'll show you how to make it delicious by adding apples and cinnamon p ...more
The first written account of "stock" as a culinary staple goes back to 1653, when La Varenne's Cookery described boiling mushroom stems and table scraps with other ingredients (such as herbs and basic vegetables) in water to use for sauces. But really, the concept of stock has ...more
Garlic is magical. It fends off vampires (or so I hear), helps lower blood pressure, reduces the production of cholesterol in the body... oh, and it's also freaking delicious, of course. Garlic is a culinary staple in countries all over the world. That lovable stink and sharp ...more
Winter—or any cold, gray day, for that matter—is the best time for a warm cup of something hot. For me, hot chocolate is my "warm cup" of choice: rich and milky, deliciously sweet, and oh-so-comforting. On super-cold days when I can't feel my face, a nice, large cup of hot ch ...more
For a number of years, I have had a vortex cannon on the top of my list of projects to attempt. Creating a sturdy cone for the barrel has always been a hurdle in the design, one I finally found a solution for in this video. Video: . High power vortex cannons have been used com ...more
Aluminum foil is one of those things that every cook, experienced or just starting out, has in their kitchen. And while we may think we know how useful this handy material can be, there are hundreds of ways we could be utilizing tinfoil to make our lives a whole lot easier. 1 ...more
Even if you don't ever plan on baking cupcakes or muffins for the rest of your life, you should still invest in a set of silicone muffin cups for your home and cooking needs. They're not just for baking! With silicone muffin cups, you can make giant ice cubes for parties, and ...more
Iced coffee may not be as simple as brewing hot coffee and sticking it in the fridge until it cools down, but it's still very simple to make if you plan ahead. Simply mix together 1 part ground coffee (coarsely ground, full-bodied dark roasts work best) with 4.5 parts filtere ...more