I didn't see this recipe in time for National Root Beer Float day, but that doesn't mean we can't make them today or this weekend.

They're Root Beer Float Cupcakes! I almost categorized this as Food Porn, but I think the "Mmmm" says it all. You never see the words "root beer" and "cupcakes" in the same recipe, so I'm intrigued. YumSugar not only has a great recipe for the cupcakes but also several handy tips on how to make sure they come out right.

[via Boing Boing]

Are you the type of person who just happens to love tea and penguins? Have I got a product for you.

It's the Penguin Teaboy, a cute little item you can put on your kitchen counter or table. You hang a teabag from the penguin's beak and set the timer and the little guy lowers the tea bag into the water until you have a perfect cup of tea. You can set it for as short a time as 1 minute (if you like it weak) or as long as 20 (which will be stronger but I assume...colder?). It doesn't look like it works with loose tea.

I don't think the penguin has a name, but if I buy one I'm going to call it "Clyde."

[via Boing Boing]

After I posted about the Pickle Sickle, I came across the above at superlocal's flickr page. It's a picture of a truly great popsicle from Korea. It's watermelon-flavored, and the "seeds" are actually chocolate chips.

We need something like this in the U.S. Regular popsicles and fudgsicles and those things that look like red, white and blue rocket ships are fine, but this is really a work of art. And doesn't it just look refreshing?

Actually, I'm having a flashback to my childhood. I think I had something like this when I was a kid. I'm not sure if it was on a stick or maybe a treat that was watermelon-slice shaped that came in a box. Anyone else remember something like this or am I thinking of something else?

[via Serious Eats]

Some genius has figured out that, like peanut butter and jelly and chocolate cake and milk, nothing goes together better than pizza and porn movies.

There's a new business in Winnipeg that not only delivers pizza, but they also deliver adult films! (And yes, let's all make as many jokes about "toppings" as we right now). You have to be of legal age, of course, and show an ID at the door. The movies are underneath the pizza in the box. But as Paul at archiseek.com points out, how secret can this be if the pizzas are delivered in cars that have giant neon signs that have a blonde on them and the word porn?

[via Boing Boing]

Yup, that picture isn't a joke. Hobo Soup actually exists. In fact, it's been around since the 1950s. A newspaper publisher in Ortonville, MN did a story on someone named Mr. Hobo, and had some "Hobo Soup" while doing the story. The publisher and his son decided to make the soup and market it, and the soup hit store shelves in 1960.

The web site has the full history of the soup, links to the Hobo Railroad, and info on how to order the soup (you can get a whole case of it!) and t-shirts.

[via Boing Boing]

Here's an idea that is either brilliant or will make you feel really, really guilty about eating snacks.

AndrewAndrew has come up with these cookies that have the nutritonal label printed right on the icing! So now with every bite you can see what you're putting into your body. Or, if you don't want to know, you can just shove the whole thing into your mouth and not think about the numbers.

I wonder if this would work with other foods? Maybe print nutritional labels right into a piece of Wonder bread or onto a piece of Kraft American cheese? It probably wouldn't work with Pepsi or creamed corn.

[via Boing Boing]

When people are bored, they come up with all sorts of unusual experiments that, if otherwise occupied, perhaps they wouldn't ordinarily try. There is little doubt that this has led to some great discoveries over the years, but this particular one is probably unlikely to have widespread cultural ramifications. It involves Jello and the question of whether or not it can be nailed to a wall.

I won't keep you in suspense. Jello - or jelly if you're not from the US - cannot be nailed to a wall in its standard form. When prepared according to package directions, the amount of gelatin that gives the food its signature "jiggle" is not enough to hold it together when nailed to a board. If you live somewhere where you can purchase concentrated jelly/Jello cubes, however, you will find that it can easily be nailed to a wall.

Mystery solved.

[via boingboing]

There's only one thing that people love better than eating food, and that's eating food in wacky shapes! That's why food shaped like Christmas trees and bunnies and cartoon characters are so popular. I think if we were given the choice between regular shaped snacks and snacks shaped like Fred Flintstone or something pornographic, we'd choose the fun shaped ones.

Here's a pistol-shapped cookie cutter. I bet this would cause havoc if people had it on their carry-on at the airport. Can you imagine trying to explain this to authorities?

"It's for cookies, I swear! Cooooooookieeeeeeees!"

[via Boing Boing]

What the...??

Sometimes the name of a product is just wrong. Just...wrong. And when you combine it with a photo on the package, it just gets worse. On the right is a photo of an actual product called Baby Bologna. Now, I'm sure the "baby" in the title refers to the size of the bologna. So why the heck did they put a picture of a human baby on the cover, smiling? Bizarre.

But there's more evidence that this is a growing trend. Will we soon see Kidsicles? Tater Tots?

[via Boing Boing]

By now, everyone who knows anything about gross candies must have heard of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, the Harry Potter-inspired candy that includes such questionable flavors as earwax and vomit. But what about Harry Potter Cockroach Clusters or the dreaded Chocka-Ca-Ca.

Thanks to the kind folks over at Candy Addict, I now know more about gross candies than I ever wanted to after reading their list of the Top 10 Grossest Candies. Some of these stomach-curdling confections are bug-focused as in the Cockroach Clusters (No. 7) and White Chocolate Maggots (No. 10). And some get their grossness from bodily functions, most notably the Chocka-Ca-Ca (No. 5), Ear Wax Candy (No. 3) and Hose Nose (No. 9). In my book, Hose Nose gets a higher rating. After all, it's a nose-shaped dispenser that you strap to your face, which drips candy slime for you to catch on your tongue.

And just what candy gets the grand prize? Lick Your Wounds, a replica of an adhesive bandage. You stick it to your skin and expose the candy scab, licking whenever you get the urge. Alas, the days of ring pops are long gone.

[via Boing Boing]

Xeni Jardin over at Boing Boing recently dedicated a Web Zen post to barbecue. Biggles over at MeatHenge gets a nod, as does the table of condiments that periodically go bad. I'd never seen Barbecue'n before, and will definitely have to give it a more thorough read. I'm still not sure what to make of the meat hats. Yes, a yarmulke of brisket is impressive, but is it tasty? It would be the perfect thing to wear while eating your meat cake. Boing Boing has plenty of other links, including several about 'cue fixins.

When you're reading Slashfood, the chances are good that any food pictures you are going to see are either tempting or , at the very least, interesting. Disturbing pictures of food items don't show up very often, and we're glad for that, but this tomato from Boing Boing deserved a mention for sheer strangeness. Those folks think that this Japanese-grown tomato, which is about three times the size of a normal "Momotaro" tomato, looks like it has a face.

My general feeling is that, while I wouldn't go so far as to say the face has any human characteristics, it does bear a slight resemblance to Audrey II from The Little Shop of Horrors. As much as I like the unusual shapes and sizes that heirloom tomatoes come in, this particular tomato is not one I would want to eat if I found it in my garden.

Personally, I don't have a problem trying strange meats. I might try them only once, but if other people are willing to eat them than so am I. I do draw a firm line somewhere, but there are probably hundreds of options of edible critters without getting too specific with regard to breed. Over at Boing Boing, they captured a neat shot of a roasted, teriyaki-glazed alligator, an image you may want to avoid if you are a vegetarian. Of course, they followed up with a vegetarian version, pictured above, for non-experimental meat eaters. I've had alligator, rattlesnake and kangaroo, in addition to the much more ordinary bison and ostrich. The kangaroo reminded me of lamb and had a nice flavor with a bit of a gamey taste. The rattlesnake had a meltingly tender, flaky texture. What's the weirdest meat you've eaten?

[Image via Boing Boing]

Old is new again as vintage cookbooks are rediscovered online. These books, previously relegated to the back of closets everywhere, are being dusted off, opened and enjoyed. They were even the subject of a blogging event. They range from the insightful - perhaps an old Joy of Cooking - to the bizarre, like this old copy of The Ground Meat Cookbook from the 50s found via BoingBoing.

The cookbook contains "204 intriguing ground meat recipes", but also contains general cooking tips, lovely illustrations and surprisingly appetizing photography. It is unlikely I would want to try the "Jellied Veal Loaf", but I do think I will take a look through the back of my grandparents' kitchen cupboard the next time I visit.