"friday round up" news and stories

It's Friday afternoon, which means it's time for another assortment of links that have been catching my attention. This week, there's no particular theme, just a motley round-up of recipes, video and gadgets.

1. If you love potato chips the way I love potato chips, you'll be totally fascinated by this pictorial tour of a potato chip factory at FXcuisine.com.
2. Want to help someone learn to use chopsticks? Biggie has posted a way to make 'trainer chopsticks' over at Lunch in a Box.
3. Looking for a crowd-pleasing holiday potluck dish? Try Grandma Lizzie's Pepperoni Bread from John and Lisa are Eating in South Jersey. Just reading the recipe made me drool.
   
4. I continue to be obsessed with Tiny Kitchen with Jill Santopietro, the new cooking podcast from the New York Times. This week she made Homemade Spelt Crackers. Now I want to make Homemade Spelt Crackers.
5. Every year, when cold weather rolls around, I start to want to bake bread. My current recipe fixation is the Oat Sunflower Millet Bread from Proof of the Pudding.
6. Speaking of baking, how about these Olive Oil Muffins from Smitten Kitchen?
   
7. While it's not particularly practical, I love the idea of a lemon powered desk clock.
8. I am dying for a good bowl of bolognese. Both the Amateur Gourmet and Emma at The Kitchn have been cooking it up lately and it looks so darn good!

Each Friday afternoon, I bring you an assortment of nibbles from the week previous week. While it's been a particularly dour week in the national news, the food world still looks bright. Let's dig in.

1. Spanish researchers have discovered that packaging infused with cinnamon oil can prevent bread from molding for up to 10 days.
2. Greenpeace and Ben & Jerry's have teamed up to develop an environmentally friendly ice cream freezer that isn't dependent on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) as a refrigerant.
3. Rachel of Coconut & Lime made a batch of absolutely drool-worthy apple cider doughnuts earlier this week, forcing me to consider dragging my deep fryer out of the hall closet.
4. Over at Dining at Large, there is a wonderful conversation taking place about the Top 10 Deadly First Date Foods.
5. For all those pumpkins that are starting to show up in CSA shares and farmers markets, why not try Dorie Greenspan's stuffed pumpkin recipe.
6. Always wanted to make miso soup at home, but didn't know where to start? Check out this post from Just Hungry, it's a full-on miso tutorial.
7. If you like a nice story with your recipe, check out "The View from Mrs. Sundberg's Window" column that runs on The Prairie Home Companion website each week. Up this week: a homey autumn casserole.
8. Lastly, if you're in need of a good giggle, make sure to watch this short video clip from a recent Rachael Ray show, in which she appears to be getting quite friendly with an ear of corn [via Serious Eats].