Trying to get in shape isn’t the only reason to skip dessert: consuming high-fructose corn syrup is bad for your brain, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of Physiology, the AFP reports.

In the six-week study, researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) fed two groups of rats a solution containing high-fructose corn syrup, an ingredient found in soft drinks, candies and other processed foods.

One of the groups was also fed omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in foods such as salmon and walnuts and which are known to promote heart and brain health. This group of rats was fed the fatty acids via flaxseed oil and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The other group of rats did not consume omega-3s.

For five days before the study, both groups of rats practiced running through a maze. After the six-week study, both groups were observed in the maze again.

“The DHA-deprived animals were slower, and their brains showed a decline in synaptic activity,” said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. ”Their brain cells had trouble signaling each other, disrupting the rats’ ability to think clearly and recall the route they’d learned six weeks earlier.”

Scientists also discovered that the brains of the omega-3-deprived rats had begun to resist insulin, a hormone critical to brain function and to blood sugar regulation.

“Because insulin can penetrate the blood-brain barrier, the hormone may signal neurons to trigger reactions that disrupt learning and cause memory loss,” said Gomez-Pinilla. ”Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average American consumes upwards of 40 pounds of high-fructose corn syrup a year. But a diet rich in omega-3s can help keep your brain sharp, says Gomez-Pinilla.

“Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain’s ability to learn and remember information,” said Gomez-Pinilla. ”But adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimize the damage.”

Fair trade is a system of exchange which ensures that farmers, artisans and other producers throughout the developing world are paid fair prices for their work and have direct involvement in the marketplace.

A project of the non-profit Green America, the “Fair Trade Your Supermarket” campaign aims to empower consumers to advocate for more “Fair Trade” products on store shelves at their local supermarkets. Fair trade is a system of exchange that honors producers, communities and the environment by ensuring that farmers and artisans throughout the developing world are paid fair prices for their work and have direct involvement in the marketplace. The goal of the wider Fair Trade movement, according to Green America, is to build real and lasting relationships between producers in developing countries and businesses and consumers around the world.

And that’s where your neighborhood grocer comes in. “While the Fair Trade movement is gaining steam nationwide, most of our supermarkets still carry few–if any–Fair Trade products on their shelves,” reports Green America. “Together, we can put Fair Trade products within reach for millions of Americans.”

And just how does Green America expect us to do this? “First, take stock of Fair Trade products in your supermarket—look for coffee, tea, chocolate, rice, sugar, honey, wine, fresh fruit, and olive oil.” Scan the relevant aisles for third-party certifier Fair Trade USA’s distinctive black-and-white “Fair Trade Certified” label, which is only attached to imported goods where the producers receive fair prices for their products and where strict socio-economic and environmental criteria are met during production. Alternatively, look for the logos of other third-party certifiers such as “Fair for Life” or “Fair Trade Federation” on product labels if you think fair trade versions may be available in a given product line.

“Then, you can encourage the store to stock more Fair Trade products by talking to the store manager as a loyal customer,” adds Green America. They suggest using comment cards, which can be key to getting a store with no Fair Trade items to start carrying them. “Every time you go grocery shopping, drop a comment card in the box asking your manager to stock Fair Trade items.” Of course, talking to a store manager in person may be even more effective, especially if you are armed with a pile of your receipts from the store from the previous month or two to show how much spending power you alone would be able to allocate toward Fair Trade versions of the items you are buying there.

Another creative way to spread the Fair Trade gospel would be by volunteering to hand out free samples of Fair Trade products that the store already sells in order to raise awareness and build consumer demand. “Stores sell more of a product when a sampling table is set out, and if you, your friends and family are working the table, the labor is free for the store too.”

But why stop with your local market? If there is a chain supermarket outlet in your area, take it to the top by writing an e-mail, letter or postcard to corporate headquarters informing them of your desire to buy Fair Trade items in all of their stores. Check out the Fair Trade Your Supermarket website (link below) for more tips on how to make your next shopping trip fairer to the planet and its people.

CONTACTS: Fair Trade Your Supermarket, www.fairtradeyoursupermarket.org; Green America, www.greenamerica.org; Fair Trade USA, www.fairtradeusa.com.

Tyler Balliet, co-founder of Second Glass.

Are you a would-be oenophile who sticks to beer or vodka tonics in an attempt to avoid the snobbery so often served up with sauvignon? Second Glass is here to bring you around to the bottle. Founded by former Bostonians Morgan First and Tyler Balliet, Second Glass aims to make wine accessible via Wine Riots, events that the company defines as two parts education and one part revolution.

After attending the Wine Riot at the Boston Park Plaza Castle earlier this month and speaking to Balliet, I can now answer the following questions with ease: “Can you get good wine from a box?” Yep; “Can great wine come from Massachusetts?” Surprisingly, yes; “Is there such a thing as a wine event that is devoid of old boys in tweed waxing poetic about a wine’s nose and legs?” Yes. Thank you, Second Glass. Yes.

Balliet is a former wine writer who noticed a hole in the market. While wine was alive and well with older folks, younger people just weren’t drinking it. Balliet knew that his peers were interested in learning, they just didn’t have the resources to do so. Sure, they could read about it, but who wants to read when tasting is more rewarding (not to mention more fun)? In the summer of 2008, Balliet partnered with First and turned this realization into what is now Second Glass. Their goal? To present people with the opportunity to experience wine in an educational setting while allowing them to connect with people who were just as curious as they were.

The idea that wine should be about fun and curiosity isn’t as revolutionary as the reigning wine culture makes it seem. Balliet notes that he has never encountered pretension among wine makers and others that work closely with the product. Even in France, where he lived for a few years, wine was regarded as something to be enjoyed and explored. That wine should fill the glasses of erudite socialists is a strictly American idea that can be traced back to Prohibition. Rather than making us a more upright society, the ban on booze spurred a cocktail culture. As many of us know from our wayward teenage years, a handle of vodka is easier to smuggle than a case of wine. By the time wine reappeared on the American market, it was bolstered by a group of people who appreciated the fact that it could be debated and discussed as well as imbibed. Slowly but surely, wine became one of the only products whose technical language became its marketing language.

I can’t vouch for makers themselves, but there was certainly no pretension among the  distributor representatives I encountered at Wine Riot. And while I’m sure they possessed a wealth of knowledge and technical jargon I couldn’t even begin to appreciate, they mercifully refrained from using it, and instead discussed their products with an enthusiasm and ease that was not only easy to understand, but easy to get excited about. After tasting the wines being offered at Mouton Noir, the rep asked if I was ready to try the “big boy wine.” It wasn’t the kind of language one would encounter in The Wine Advocate, but it definitely made me want to drink up.

Wonderfully, this fantastic wine fell within the price range of everything Mounton Noir was offering up that night (between $17 and $24). Balliet noted during our interview that “price and quality are not directly related.” Barring those wines he’s purchased as gifts, the co-founder of Second Glass reports that he rarely spends beyond $40 to $50 on a bottle. It seems wine and fashion have something in common: You buy a $150 bottle of wine for the same reason you buy a pair of Gucci sunglasses. True, you’re getting a superior level of craftsmanship, but ultimately, you’re paying for the label. And just as that dude in designer jeans, shades and (seriously?) t-shirt may prove to have less than a sparkling personality, you can’t judge a wine by its bottle.

Guests at the event used their smart phones to rate wines.

As it turns out, good wine can also come from a box. In fact, a box lined with medical-grade plastic prevents air from getting inside and turning your yummy red wine into vinegar. Unlike bottles, which will keep wine fresh for about 48 hours, a box can be opened and then left on your counter for a month without altering the product. The reason everyone’s not doing it lies in the price. Compared to bottling, putting wine into a box is extremely expensive for producers.

Balliet also emphasized that in the same way wine isn’t bound to a bottle, it’s also not bound to traditional wine producing regions. Though he admits that the wine that got him into wine hails from France’s Loire Valley, he admits to finding delicious offerings from all sorts of unlikely places since then. He is a huge advocate of local wine and insists great wine can be made in all 50 states. Sure, terrible wine can be made in all 50 states, but France can turn out some crappy wine, too. It’s important to remember, Balliet notes, that 25 years ago, everyone thought the guys trying to grow grapes out in California were crazy.

So what’s the image of a satisfied wine rioter? Someone who leaves knowing more about both wine and themselves. “I want people to come and leave with knowledge they can apply to wine buying. My goal is to make wine buying easier and more enjoyable,” Balliet said. Given the crowd at Wine Riot and Second Glass’ ingenious integration of technology (want to give your wine two thumbs up and take a note or two? There was an app for that) it seems more and more 20-somethings will find themselves thinking outside of the beer aisle.

The 2010 death of a New Zealand woman may have been caused by excessive consumption of Coca-Cola, experts say.

Natasha Harris, 30, a stay-at-home mother of eight, died of a heart attack in February 2010 while helping her children get ready for school. According to Fairfax Media, pathologist Dr. Dan Mornin testified at an inquest yesterday that the cause of death was most likely hypokalemia, or low potassium, brought on by her two-gallons-of-Coca-Cola-a-day habit.

Mornin added that poor nutrition and toxic levels of caffeine, an ingredient in Coca-Cola and many other soft drinks, may also have contributed to Harris’ death.

According to the Otago Daily Times, Chris Hodgkinson, Harris’ partner, testified that Harris did not eat much and smoked about 30 cigarettes a day.

“I never thought about it,” said Hodgkinson. “It’s just a soft drink, just like drinking water. I didn’t think a soft drink was going to kill her.”

Hodgkinson also said that Harris had been ill since the year before her death, and would vomit six times a week. She also suffered from tiredness and tooth decay, and was moody when she was without Coca-Cola.

“The first thing she would do in the morning was have a drink of Coke and the last thing she would do in the day was have a drink of Coke by her bed,” he said.

Pathologist Dr. Martin Sage said in a deposition, “It is certainly well demonstrated that excessive long or short-term cola ingestion can be dramatically symptomatic, and there are strong hypothetical grounds for this becoming fatal in individual cases.”

Karen Thompson, a spokeswoman for Coca-Cola Oceania, argued in a statement that the ingestion of anything in excess is detrimental to one’s health.

“We concur with the information shared by the coroner’s office that the grossly excessive ingestion of any food product, including water, over a short period of time with the inadequate consumption of essential nutrients, and the failure to seek appropriate medical intervention when needed, can be dramatically symptomatic,” she said.

In honor of the 100 year anniversary of Titanic’s tragic sinking (and, of course, in celebration of the recent release of “Titanic” in 3D), Beacon Hill’s Hampshire House is hosting a first class passenger-style dinner. The six-course meal will feature cuisine inspired by the ship’s actual menu, and the era’s opulence will be recreated with impeccable service and decor, so you can pretend you are wining and dining with Jack and Rose.

The Menu

Consummé au Tapioca

Steff Deschenes celebrating National Drink Wine Day on February 18.

What do you get when you mix a vegan author with photography, one year, and a passion for food and food-related national holidays? Steff Deschenes and her sizzling blog, Almanac of Eats.

The idea for her website began with a just-for-fun competition with her boyfriend, a “365 Project” consisting of taking a picture of yourself every day for one year. She stuck with it for two years, taking pictures of herself at the dinner table every night, and this project catapulted Deschenes into an even bigger project. This year, she’s celebrating every national food holiday and writing about it on her blog.

“For me, it’s cool because I literally came up with this 48 hours before the New Year,” says Deschenes, author of the award-winning book “The Ice Cream Theory.”

The idea came to her when she read a tweet that said, “Happy National Enchilada Day.” She started doing research and found websites with information on food holidays. “I cross-referenced 10 to 15 different websites to compile my own food calendar,” says Deschenes.

But there’s a twist: Deschenes is a vegan, so she has to be super creative in order to celebrate each holiday animal-free. So, she began “veganizing” recepies. “For National Noodle Day I’m taking my mom’s recipe and ‘veganizing’ it,” she says. “If I don’t have a recipe, I research and think about how to make something and then make it from scratch.”

As a vegan, Deschenes says that she is more in tune with the food she eats and pays more attention to food in general. On her blog, she shares her own “veganized” recipes for each holiday as well as restaurant and product reviews.

“My overall goal is to have this site that is really fun and informative with a secret side dish of a healthy diet,” says Deschenes.

Her passion and her vibrant personality are summed up by three very telling words in her website bio: “author. foodie. smexy.” “Smexy” is a phrase Deschenes coined that combines smart and sexy. “Smart is sexy,” says Deschenes. “You don’t have to be a size zero.”

Within just two months of starting Almanac of Eats, she’s received restaurant review offers and sponsorships with major companies. “A bunch of companies send me food,” she says. “Barilla pasta sent me extra products to give away.” Some of her other sponsors have been Sophie’s Kitchen, Vermont Soy and Kettle Brand peanut butter.

When it comes to restaurant reviews, she says, “I am very harsh if they aren’t good; I don’t sugarcoat it.”

Despite the fact that Deschenes has found her passion in food, she was not always excited about cooking. In fact, she took a semester of culinary school and is not afraid to say that she hated it. The school did not encourage creativity, she says, which is something she thrives on.

“In my early twenties I refused to date a boy who couldn’t cook,” she says. “My claim to fame was that I made the best sandwiches. But as a vegan you can’t depend on anyone else if you want to eat well.”

Steff Deschenes celebrating National Cereal Day, March 7.

Deschenes’ creativity is obvious when reading her blog and her recipes. She likes to approach each holiday differently and play around with different ideas. On National Chocolate Soufflé Day, for example, she decided to take chocolate-flavored alcohol shots and make them taste like delectable chocolate soufflés.

Kicking it up another notch, Deschenes adds a dash of music for each holiday.  The next time you participate in National Blueberry Popover Day, crank up “I’m Good, I’m Gone” by Lykke Li or some coleslaw makin’ music with Florence and the Machine’s “No Light, No Light” for National Cold Cut Day.

“Entertainment is ideal,” she says. “I think it’s really cool when people celebrate with their kids, too.”  One mother told her that she saw it was National Cereal Day on Almanac of Eats and she celebrated it with her kids.

Sometimes the ideas and recipes she thinks up don’t always pan out, but she is not afraid to showcase what she came up with. National Almond Day’s recipe did not go as planned, so she decided to turn it into the Awesome Awful Almonds recipe, writing the disclaimer, “(I’M SO SORRY, ALMONDS. PLEASE DON’T HATE ME FOR WHAT I DID TO YOUR FRIENDS!) Oh well: you win some and you lose some, I guess.”

No matter how she approaches each food holiday, she sees even more success in her near future. “I think this blog will be successful because this isn’t my first rodeo with taking pictures and eating; I did it for two years,” she says. “Basically, if this was fantasy football, people would want me on their team.”

She does secretly hope that this could turn into another book, the content of which will, of course, be anything but dry.

“Am I the first person to talk about national food days? No,” she says. “Am I the first person to eat them all? Maybe not. Am I the first person to eat them all animal-free? Yes.”

Whether you are an aspiring vegan, someone looking for easy, healthy recipes or if you just have a passion for national food holidays, check out Deschenes’ entertaining twist on being a foodie in today’s world as she “eats the year” with her Almanac of Eats.

Listen Up

Hometown heroes the Dropkick Murphys have shipped up to Boston for a set of shows at the House of Blues. Check them out on March 16. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m. Standing room tickets are $32.50, and reserved seating tickets are $60. 

Eat and Drink Up

If traditional Irish fare isn’t your thing, venture to Ole Mexican Grill in Cambridge and Zocalo Cocina Mexicana in Boston on March 17 to enjoy the very best of Irish-Mexican cuisine. Pair chef Erwin Ramos’ corned beef and cabbage tacos with baby Guiness shots and Irish tea. Dinner is served from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. at both locations. RSVP to Ole at 617-492-4495 and to Zocalo at 617-456-7849.

The Black Rose Irish pub will be opening its doors at 8 a.m. on St. Patrick’s Day, featuring live Celtic music all day long.

Jamaica Plain’s Doyle’s Café will be serving up corned beef and cabbage alongside the tunes of the  Boston Police Gaelic Column of Pipes and Drums on March 16, and the Fenian Sons on March 17. Times TBA.

Head to America’s first Irish sports bar, McGreevy’s, on St. Patrick’s Day to enjoy a traditional Irish brunch (starting at 8 a.m.) and to watch the live streaming rugby match between Ireland and England at noon.

Step Up

The St. Patrick’s Day celebration on March 17 at Faneuil Hall features performances from The Bay State Pipers (11 a.m. to noon), O’Shea Chaplin Academy of Irish Step performers (noon to 1 p.m.), the Carlynton High School Band (1 p.m. to 2 p.m.), the Wood School Of Irish Step Dancing (1 p.m. – 3 p.m.), and the O’dwyer School of Irish Dance (3 p.m. to 4 p.m.).

The South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade kicks off March 18th at 1:00pm.

Available all year, three miles of the Irish Heritage Trail might prove particularly interesting after a few drinks.

Sober Up

If all that celebrating has got you feeling “down,” head over to McGreevy’s for a Feeling Green Hangover Party on March 18, starting at 10:30 a.m. Nothing says “headache cure” like an ice cold beer and the NCAA basketball Touney. Top o’ the morning, indeed!

At present the U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn't require labels for foods with genetically modified ingredients, but labeling proponents believe consumers have a right to be able to make informed choices about which foods they put into their bodies and support with their pocketbooks. (iStockPhoto)

Just Label It is an effort spearheaded by organic farmers and food producers, consumer and public health advocates and environmentalists to persuade the federal government to require that foods with genetically engineered (GE) ingredients be labeled accordingly. Consumers have a right, they believe, to be able to make informed choices about which foods they put into their bodies and support with their pocketbooks.

Most Americans aren’t aware that some 80 percent of processed foods at grocery stores contain GE (also known as “genetically modified,” or GM) ingredients—yet in polls 93 percent of us support the notion of mandatory labeling of such foods. At present the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t require labels for foods with GE ingredients.

Proponents of Just Label It worry that genetically engineered plants (and animals) could wreak havoc on human health and natural ecosystems, given how little we know about them and their ability to proliferate beyond our control. Among the concerns: There has been no long-term health safety testing on GE ingredients because they are so new; unexpected mutations can occur which can introduce unknown toxins into the food supply; the increasing use of herbicide-resistant genes in crops is leading to the overuse of herbicides in general; and the planting of GE crops that are programmed to generate their own pesticides means that more pesticides are in our farms and fields than ever before. Perhaps most worrisome of all is that, unlike chemical pollution or even nuclear contamination, so-called “genetic pollution” (as some critics refer to GE) cannot be cleaned up after the fact once the proverbial genie is out of the bottle.

“What unifies many of us is the belief that it’s our right to know,” Just Label It organizers report. The idea for the campaign grew out of a 2011 meeting of organic stakeholders organized by Organic Voices, a project that documents the oral history of organic farming and sustainable agriculture.

The first order of business for the “Just Label It” campaign was to submit a legal petition—written by attorneys at the non-profit Center for Food Safety—to the FDA in September 2011 calling for the mandatory labeling of GE foods for sale in the United States. At this point, FDA is taking public comments on the petition and will issue a final ruling on it later in 2012.

Consumers can make their opinions on the topic heard by FDA regulators by customizing and submitting the form letter available at the JustLabelIt.org home page. To date some 600,000 people have sent along comments to the FDA due to the campaign’s outreach efforts. Just Label It aims to get that number to one million by the end of spring 2012, and is now working with 450 different partner groups to help spread the word. Campaign organizers are hoping that this outpouring of support will resonate with FDA regulators when it comes time for them to decide whether or not the U.S. should join almost 50 other countries–including South Korea, Brazil, China, and the European Union—in requiring GE labeling across the board.

CONTACTS: Just Label It, www.justlabelit.org; FDA, www.fda.gov; Center for Food Safety, www.centerforfoodsafety.org; Organic Voices, www.organicvoices.com.

As of this week, the Oreo cookie is a century old.

The first batch of Oreo cookies was baked in 1912, in the Nabisco bakery in New York.

In celebration, Nabisco is releasing a limited edition Oreo birthday cake.

A meat scrap ingredient once only used in dog food and cooking oil has been found in 70 percent of “fresh ground beef” found on grocery store shelves across the US, according to ABC News.

“It’s not fresh ground beef, it is a substitute,” said Gerald Zimstein, a whisteblower and former USDA scientist told ABC. “It’s a cheap substitute being added in.”

“Pink slime” is basically trimmings added as filler to ground beef. It is treated with ammonia to make it safe for human consumption.

One USDA scientist called it “a salvage product” — basically trash.

Stores don’t have to include it as an ingredient on labels because the USDA still considers “pink slime” to be “meat.”

Last month, fast food chains, including McDonald’s, announced they would stop using pink slime in their food, lending massive publicity to what was essentially an unknown issue.

Boston’s popular jazz club The Beehive is transforming into a Quebec-style “sugar shack” (or “cabane à sucre” if you want to be authentic) for one sweet night.

The event, taking place on March 7, will feature a three course family-style feast served at communal tables, live music from award-winning artists, and an advanced release of Harpoon Brewery’s limited batch Catamount Maple Wheat Ale. Guests will enjoy authentic “sugar shack” cuisine with a twist from chef Alexandre Loiseau of Montreal’s Bistro Cocagne and The Beehive’s resident celebrity chef, Rebecca Newell.

Table Accoutrements

 Beets Marinated with Cider Vinegar and Maple Syrup,

Homemade Pickles, Homemade Ketchup, Maple Syrup Bacon

Family-style first course

Cream of Turnip Soup with Maple Syrup Crouton

Pork Creton (Rustic Pate)

   Plate of Dried Ham, Raspberry Vinegar Reduction and Maple Syrup

   Lettuce Salad, Oreille de Christ (Pork Cracklings), Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

Entrée Course

Each diner chooses one of following: 

 Roast Pork, Apple Cider, Maple Sugar and Baked Beans

Seared Salmon, Maple Roasted Root Vegetables, Crystallized Lemon and Sour Cream

 Braised Lamb Shank, Tomatoes, Maple vinegar, French Beans Amandine

Baked Stuffed Lobster, Garlic, Parsley, Lardon, Maple Vinegar and Lobster Butter, Mashed Parsnip Puree, Creamy Spinach (this entree is an added $10)

Quebec Meat Pie (Pork, Turkey, Venison) with Baked Beans

Family-style dessert

Vanilla Maple Panna Cotta

 Maple Syrup Pie

Bread Pudding Chomeur with Maple Ice Cream

The Beehive’s “Sugar Shack” Event is from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Wed., March 7, 2012 at The Beehive, 541 Tremont St., Boston. The event is $45. Call 617-423-0069 for reservations.

Thanks to the Gallo Family Vineyard, a romantic Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to break the bank. Some inexpensive–but good!–wine and homemade dessert can make your evening sweet and sensible. The Moscato, a light-bodied wine with flavors of peach, honey and citrus, and Sweet Red, a light to-medium-bodied wine with flavors of apple, pear and tropical fruit, are just $5 a bottle, and pair perfectly with the below Gallo Family Vineyard’s signature recipes.

Fresh Pear Torta

We tend to go out to drink in order to unwind from the stress of the work week. Once in a while, however, people decide to use drinking as an added challenge in life, a sort of sudden sharp focus consisting of pain and punishment to ones taste buds in the name of pride and story (and occasionally a t-shirt.)

So it is with Poe’s Kitchen’s devil mix known as the Ghost Chili Margarita, an infamous drink with the claim that it is so hot, it cannot be finished without the use of heat-dulling aids. I, thoroughly representing Blast Magazine, took this challenge this Friday to see if the drink had the kick to back up the claim.

Before tasting begins, a waiver must be signed in to alleviate Poe’s Kitchen from responsibility of you harming yourself in the consumption of the drink. Once the proper signatures have been put on the proper lines, the drink is prepared. It looks almost childlike, a sort of cherry red mixture served up with a lime. There are warning signs though, including the bottle of tequila filled to the brim with sinister looking peppers used to mix the Margarita. There is also an unmarked red bottle, which squirts a thin red liquid that burns to smell, and a thin line of chili and habanero powder put on the rim in under the traditional salt.

But it’s a challenge for a reason. I said what nearly were my last words (“I’ve always loved my mother and Big Bang Theory isn’t funny!”) and took a drink.

There’s a certain state of mind that believes that if you are to complete this challenge, you must take it the entire drink in a single moment, in order to not allow the more cautious parts of your brain to tell you how suicidal that really is. So I sucked it through the straw in a single breath and then sit back proud of my accomplishment.

I looked at the bartenders and patrons and think you see faces of awe and excitement. Then it sunk in that these are faces of terror and alarm. Then it hit me.

The pain was something out of Dante; it was freezing cold and burning hot all at once, with just a hint of being stabbed for good measure.

I headed for the bathroom instinctively, and while it felt like the world was falling out from under me, enough focus eventually got me to the stall. From there, primal functions of my body’s self-preservation systems kicked in and everything that had gone in from the last 48 hours came out of any place with an opening. Luckily it went black after a while, and sweet, sweet unconsciousness kicked in.

I came to, stumbled out of the bathroom, paid my bill, and had a friend take me home before the ambulance likely showed up, and I would have had to explain to nice EMTs why they had to ride out to Boylston Street.

The challenge complete, I walked away under my own power with a story to tell and a possible ulcer to deal with.

As a drink goes, Poe’s Kitchen’s Ghost Chili Margarita packs a bit of a kick. If your insides happen to be replaced with the engine of a diesel truck, then it might be something to try out. If you want to enjoy what precious little time you have with your stomach lining however, you may want to try the Sam Brick Red.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest found compelling evidence that ingestion of artificial food dyes can contribute to hyperactivity, restlessness and attention problems in some children, especially those with ADHD. Fortunately, there are now natural alternatives available, made primarily from vegetable colorants. (Media credit/Hemera Collection)

Many of us are still wary of food dyes because of reports about links between red dye #2 and cancer in the 1970s. While red dye #2 was subsequently banned from products sold in the United States, many health-conscious consumers continue to avoid foods with other artificial colors or dyes—even though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still considers them safe for human consumption.

But a 2010 analysis of past research on links between food dyes and health by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) found compelling evidence that ingestion of artificial dyes can contribute to hyperactivity, restlessness and attention problems in some children—particularly those with ADHD. “What’s more, the studies suggested that removing dyes from those children’s diet was a quarter to half as effective in reducing those symptoms as giving the kids Ritalin or other stimulants,” reports Nancy Cordes, CBS News’ Consumer Safety Correspondent. “In other words, certain kids with ADHD might not need drugs if the artificial dyes were removed from their diets.” Several commonly used artificial food dyes are suspected carcinogens as well.

While it might be impossible to prevent your children from eating anything with artificial dye, you can do your part by shopping at Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s—both chains have banned products that use artificial dyes and carry all-natural food coloring for home cooking and baking projects.

One brand to look for is India Tree, which makes a line of food coloring derived from vegetable colorants. The company’s “Nature’s Colors Natural Decorating Colors” contain no corn syrup or synthetic dyes, and are highly recommended for coloring icing in rich jewel tones or soft pastels.

Another company specializing in natural (as well as organic) food colors is Nature’s Flavors, whose products are widely used commercially in ice cream, baked goods, frosting, dairy products, syrups, sauces, beverages and even hair colors. The company recently began to sell their products to consumers, as well, through retail stores. They use a variety of plant materials, including beets, turmeric root, annatto seeds, purple carrot, purple cabbage, gardenia flowers, hibiscus flowers and grape skin. “Our natural food colors are made from plants and contain powerful antioxidants, which help the body repair itself from the effects of oxidation,” claims Nature’s Flavors. “Using natural or organic food colors may actually help the brain and slow down the effects of aging.”

Another leading maker of all-natural food coloring is Chefmaster, whose products can be found at Whole Foods and other natural and high end food retailers, as well as on amazon.com and elsewhere online.

CPSI would like the FDA to ban eight of the most common artificial dyes, or at least affix a warning label to products that contain them: “Warning: The artificial coloring in this food causes hyperactivity and behavioral problems in some children.” In the meantime, concerned eaters should stick with products, stores and restaurants that use natural ingredients.

CONTACTS: India Tree, www.indiatree.com; Nature’s Flavors, www.naturesflavors.com; CPSI’s “Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Risks,” www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/food-dyes-rainbow-of-risks.pdf.

(Media Credit/Melissa Ostrow via UrbanDaddy.com)

There was a time when cocktails weren’t trendy, but classic. For most of Boston, that time has passed, but for Elm Street’s clandestine Saloon, that time is now. Upon walking into Somerville’s newest basement joint, one anticipates the impressive atmosphere and bar menu. To our surprise, it was the soundtrack that proved immediately impressive. The sound of Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris affirmed our suspicions that good things were to come.

And come, they did, in the form of the bright green Nay Sayer cocktail ($10), remarkably complex fried pickled peppers ($9) and a savory steak and kidney pie ($26). As a cocktail, the Nay Sayer is bad for you while tasting very, very good. Indeed, the shot of wheatgrass included in the whiskey and ginger beer mix makes the concoction feel almost healthful.

The wine list is slightly narrow-minded, obviously aiming to please to masses, but the cocktails easy compensate for this. The Ward 44 ($10) is the alcoholic answer to smoky, chocolate covered bacon, and the Corpse Reviver no. 2 ($10) provides tart, absinthe laced refreshment.

Where food is concerned, the deep fried pickled peppers stuffed with Boursin cheese reign over all other appetizers. The steak and kidney pie earned accolades from a native Brit, as well as this reporter and her companion. The savory filling and delightfully rich crust allow one to forget, and even embrace, the fact that it is cold outside.

A reported favorite of Davis Square’s “Slutcracker “cast, Saloon is not to be missed. Whether you crave brown walls, brown gravy, or brown liquor, it is sure to satisfy.

Saloon, 255 Elm St, Somerville; 617-628-4444; www.saloondavis.com

This fall, Blast and the makers of Vampyre Vodka gave you some blood-suckingly delicious Halloween-inspired cocktail recipes to try. Now, it’s your turn! Submit your own holiday cocktail ideas featuring Vampyre Vodka to us by Jan. 1, and one lucky winner will receive a Vampyre Vodka t-shirt, Vampire gourmet coffee and Vampire dark Belgian chocolate. Don’t forget to give your cocktail a blood-curdlingly awesome name!

Email your cocktail recipes to me at shannonconeill@gmail.com with the subject line “Blast Vampyre Vodka Cocktail Contest” by Jan. 1. Include your name and contact information in the e-mail. And sorry, we know vampires are ageless, but you must be 21+ to enter the contest.

With all the focus on turkey, mashed potatoes and yams, one important part of a Thanksgiving meal is often overlooked: the cocktails. Thankfully, Drambuie Liqueur and William Grant & Sons Distillers gave Blast some delicious and festive drink recipes for you to sip before, during, and after the best meal of the year.

Solerno Celebration Punch

1 bottle Solerno

1 bottle Lillet Rouge

1 bottle dry, sparkling white wine

16 ounces freshly brewed, strong, chai spiced black tea (no cream or sugar added)

8 ounces Fever Tree Ginger Beer

8 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice

16 dashes Angostura bitters

Over a large block of ice in a punch bowl, pour all of the ingredients and stir to combine. Garnish with thinly sliced orange wheels. Serve in punch cups with a cinnamon stick and small wedge of orange.

Cranberry Sauce Cooler

1 ounce Solerno blood orange Liqueur

1 ounce Hendrick’s Gin

2 barspoons Solerno Cranberry Sauce*

1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice

2 ounces soda water

Shake Solerno, Hendrick’s, lemon juice and cranberry sauce* over ice and strain into a tall glass over fresh ice. Fill with soda water and stir to incorporate.  Garnish with a fresh cranberry and an orange twist.

Solerno Cranberry Sauce*

1 bag of fresh, organic cranberries, washed

3/4  cup organic sugar

1/4 cup Solerno

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 cup Lillet Rouge

1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest

1 pinch ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 cinnamon stick

In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice, Solerno and Lillet Rouge.  Add the spices and orange zest, stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and place sauce in a bowl. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

First & Last

2 part apple juice

.5 part lemon juice

.5 part simple syrup (1:1 ratio)

1 part Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum

.5 part sparkling wine

In a punch bowl, add juices and syrup together over ice. Add rum and stir gently.  Slowly pour sparkling wine into punch.  Add sliced oranges and apples to punch bowl and serve cold.

Milagro Horchata Punch

6 parts Milagro Anejo

2 parts Averna

2 parts lime juice

1 part almond syrup or Orgeat

6 parts Horchata

8 Thai basil or basil leaves

2 parts pear juice

8 dashes barrel-aged bitters

1 part water

Mix all ingredients in a large punch bowl, allowing two hours for basil to infuse. Remove basil before serving. Serve over ice with a garnish of pear slices and cinnamon.

Hot Gin Punch

24 ounces Hendrick’s Gin

24 ounces Madeira wine

6 lemon twists

1 orange slice

3 large chunks pineapple

3 ounces honey

1 ounce fresh lemon juice

3 cloves

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Add all the ingredients to a large saucepan over low heat and simmer for 20 minutes. To serve, strain and pour the hot mixture into a punch bowl or teapot and garnish with orange slices studded with cloves.

Drambuie Toddy with Ginger and Green Tea

1 1/4 part Drambuie

2 thin slices fresh ginger

1 thin slice lemon

6 parts green tea (piping hot)

In a large mug, add all ingredients. Stir, then let steep for 1 minute. Serve hot.

Drambuie & Cider 

1 part Drambuie

4 parts hot cider

Pour ingredients into a mug. Stir and serve with a cinnamon stick.

When beer lovers think of craft beers, certain names come to mind: Redhook, Magic Hat, Smuttynose, Samuel Adams. A name not on the list? Bud Light. But that’s something the beer’s company could be trying to change.

This January, Anheuser-Busch InBev is set to release a new brew, Bud Light Platinum, the company said Wednesday in a statement. The new beer “appeals to a key group of beer drinkers and expands consumer occasions,” the company says, leading some to wonder if this is the company’s attempt to “tap in” to a popular craft beer market. US beer sales were down 1 percent by volume in 2010, but craft beer sales, in dollars, rose 15 percent in the first half of 2011, according to the Brewers Association.

But what makes a “craft” beer? The Brewers Association defines a craft brewer as “small, independent and traditional”–all things Anheuser-Busch InBev, the largest brewer in the world, arguably is not. So is “craft” beer set to be the next ambiguous but trendy label, a la “green” or “natural”?  We’ll have to wait and see.

Researchers have found no direct links between diet sodas and specific human health problems. Initial reports that implicated aspartame, widely use to sweeten diet sodas, in a wide range of human health problems including cancer turned out to be false -- though certainly much healthier beverage choices abound. (Media credit/julesreyes via Flickr)

While rumors have circulated for years that diet sodas are unhealthy, researchers have found no direct links between such drinks and specific human health problems. Aspartame (also known as NutraSweet) is the sugar-alternative of choice for most diet soda makers. It’s 180 times sweeter than sugar but contains no significant calories and does not promote tooth decay. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved aspartame in 1974, though health advocates held up its widespread use for over a decade.

Over half of Americans consume aspartame regularly in soda and other foods—all told, diet varieties accounted for some 29 percent of the soft drink market for the top 10 sodas in 2010, according to Beverage Digest—so it is certainly reasonable to be concerned about any potential health effects. However, initial reports that implicated aspartame in seizures, headaches, depression, anxiety, memory loss, birth defects, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus, methanol toxicity and even cancer turned out to be false (even a hoax), according to a wide range of reputable, peer-reviewed studies and clinical and epidemiological research.

Another concern that has been voiced about aspartame is that it produces methanol when metabolized, which converts to formaldehyde (and then formic acid) in the body. But studies have shown that the amount of methanol in aspartame is less than that found in natural sources such as fruit juices, citrus fruits and some fermented beverages, and that the amount of formaldehyde generated is also small compared to that produced routinely by the body from other foods and drugs.

While aspartame and diet sodas have not been linked directly to specific health problems, researchers who surveyed the eating, drinking, smoking and exercise habits of some 2,500 New Yorkers between 2003 and 2010 did find that those who drank at least one diet soda per day had a 61 percent higher risk of so-called vascular events (e.g. heart attack or stroke) than those who avoided Diet Coke and other products with aspartame. “If our results are confirmed with future studies, then it would suggest that diet soda may not be the optimal substitute for sugar-sweetened beverages for protection against vascular outcomes,” reported the study’s lead author, Hannah Gardener of the University of Miami School of Medicine.

But others say that such a finding constitutes a link, not proof of cause and effect—and that those who have switched to diet sodas may be replacing the calories they used to get from regular sodas with other unhealthy foods that may be increasing their risk of heart attack or stroke.

The takeaway should be that those who drink soda regularly, diet or otherwise, should be sure to exercise and eat right otherwise. Or, better yet…give up the soda entirely. According to Katherine Zeratsky, a nutritionist with the Mayo Clinic, healthier choices abound. She suggests starting off the day with a glass of 100 percent fruit juice and then drinking skim milk with meals. “Sip water throughout the day,” she recommends. “For variety, try sparkling water or add a squirt of lemon or cranberry juice to your water.”

CONTACTS: “Miller School Researchers Link Diet Soda and Salt to Cardiovascular Risk,” www.med.miami.edu/news/miller-school-researchers-link-diet-soda-and-salt-to-cardiovascular-risk.

My dad drinks Scotch, so I drink Scotch.

Odds are, you have a similar tale. Scotch, single malt, bourbon — our dads seems to be whiskey guys, and there’s something tough and sophisticated about that.

And that means I drink whiskey too. Where do we begin? Well Charlie Whitfield, a brand ambassador for The Macallan offers a few tips on whiskey drinking and whiskey etiquette that perhaps will make you outshine your father in whiskey appreciation … one day.

BLAST: What are some of the common whiskey terms? What do phrases like “single malt” and “cask strength” mean?

CHARLIE WHITFIELD: Cask Strength – for this style of Scotch the whiskey comes straight from the cask and has no water added to it. Normally water is added to bring it down to bottling strength, usually to around 40-43 percent alcohol by volume. In the case of The Macallan Cask Strength, it is bottled at original cask strength, 59 percent ABV, without chill filtration or the addition of water. This delivers an exceptionally rich Macallan, wonderfully rich in color with dried fruits, spice and chocolate orange, best enjoyed with a splash of water to release the complex and sumptuous flavors.

Blended Scotch (like The Famous Grouse) which makes up around 90 percent of the Scotch whiskey industry, is a mix of different types of grain, corn, and single malt whiskeys and can come from any number of distilleries (anywhere from two to sometimes 50). A single malt making up around 9 percent of total Scotch production, can only come from one geographical location (one distillery) and can only be made using malted barley, water and yeast.

Vatted Malt is a blend of two or more single malt whiskeys.

Cask Maturation — Over 60 percent of all the aroma and flavor in Scotch comes from the interaction between the oak casks and the spirit during the maturation process. Therefore it is vital to use oak casks of the very best quality. The Macallan currently invests around $20 million dollars into our oak casks each year, hand crafting and picking each and every one.

BLAST: What kind of glass should one drink Scotch in?

CW: Whatever drinking vessel you can get your hands on! Whiskey is a drink to be savored, time spent enjoying the flavors on the nose are equally important as those on the palate. It is down to personal preference, though I would recommend a glass that tapers towards the mouth, the result being that it captures the delicious and varied aromas in your Scotch. They say that there are around 150 different flavor compounds in a single malt. The Glencairn style glass would be a good example to start with.

BLAST: What’s the difference between Scotch and other whiskeys?

CW: In order to be called a Scotch, the whiskey must be made in Scotland and matured in oak casks for at least three years. Whiskey is also made in other countries such as America, Canada, Ireland and Japan.

BLAST: What is a good intro-scotch for a young person to get started with?

CW: I would recommend a lighter style Scotch with more fruity and floral flavors. This style is much more accessible to someone new to Scotch and not too overpowering and rich on the palate. The Macallan Fine Oak range fits this style profile perfectly. The Macallan Fine Oak 15 is currently my wife’s favorite.

BLAST: How should a person drink Scotch? Ice or no ice?

CW: At the end of the day it is your Scotch, you should drink it however you enjoy it! I would suggest trying it neat to start with, so you can enjoy it in its truest form. Adding a couple of drops of water actually opens up the bouquet of the Scotch and releases the full aroma profile. Adding ice slightly numbs the aromas and flavors but is a refreshing alternative. The Macallan Ice Ball machine creates perfect spheres of ice, which due to less surface area, melt much more slowly, chilling your Scotch to perfection without turning it into a diluted mess!

BLAST: Why Macallan?

The unrivaled quality and consistency of the brand, combined with the unique history and heritage of the distillery. Just as important to me are the people who represent The Macallan and the “family” approach I’ve already noticed to the way we do business.

My first memories of Scotch whisky are more for it’s medicinal purposes, helping me to sleep, whilst at anchor during particularly stormy nights when sailing off the West coast of Scotland. It has now become my drink of choice.

Unofficially I’ve been associated with The Macallan since I was two years old! My granny entered me into a raffle and I won first prize, two cases of The Macallan 10 Year Old. My father drank one case but gave me the remaining case when I reached legal drinking age! The Macallan also played a part in my proposal to my American wife last year, in the snowy Highlands of Scotland, but that’s another story!

The relationship between Trick-or-Treater X and Resident Y is undeniably strange. No other social situation genuinely approaches the dynamic created when a small costumed stranger knocks on a door and receives candy from a larger, likely un-costumed adult.

From the perspective of the candy giver, it may be one of the strangest social obligations in existence. In the eyes of a child, it is one of the most exciting nights of the year. Both of these participants represent two completely different emotional investments in a single bizarre evening.

However, there is a bridge between these gaps that is oft overlooked. It presents itself in the form of that climactic moment when a child, either alone or in company, dumps out their pillowcase, pumpkin shaped bucket, or plastic cauldron, to analyze their haul. The nostalgia of this moment is buried in that pile of sugary concoctions, and slowly builds as the candy is carefully sorted and organized by small sets of hands.

If you’re willing to romanticize the experience a little, it can be viewed as an individual’s first material conquest. The candies that spill out onto that floor are not items directly purchased by the child’s parents. Nor are they gifts unwrapped during a birthday or Christmas. They were obtained by a direct action performed by the child, and therefore the senses of ownership and pride are both heightened.

It is this notion of material pride that is very much an adult concept (I won’t go as far as labeling it mature), and it should be the thread that connects the two generations in their Halloween experience. Children comparing candy is no different than adults flaunting new pieces of technology, or inviting people over to see the new bar they put in their basement.

Therefore, as adults it should be our responsibility to put forth a reasonable amount of effort into our candy selections. Although we may be far removed from the youthful vigor that energized Halloweens past, we should still embrace the influence that comes with being on the other side of this timeless interaction.

With that thought in mind, here are a few short candy inspired lists (subjective of course) to help you contribute to the greater cause and make you the coolest house on the block. Keep in mind that Full-Size is the standard that I’m working with. Although King-Size Candy is aptly named, I understand it can be out of one’s budget.

Greatest Hits

1. Milky Way
2. Three Musketeer
3. Snickers
4. Twix
5. M&M’s Plain/Peanut
6. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
7. Kit Kat
8. Hershey Chocolate Bar
9. Nestle Crunch Bar
10. Junior Mints

Non-Chocolate Classics

1. Skittles
2. Starburst
3. Sour Patch Kids
4. Gummy Bears (I prefer Black Forest)
5. Swedish Fish
6. Nerds
7. Twizzlers
8. Sweet Tarts
9. Mike & Ikes

Some Alternative Choices

1. Gummy Food Packs (Burgers, Hotdogs, Pizza)
2. Pretzel M&M’s (Sweet and salty is always a good decision)
3. Fun Dip (interactive but a parent’s nightmare)
4. Ring Pop (or anything resembling candy jewelry)

Candy to Avoid

1. Loose Items/Anything Not Packaged (for the obvious reasons)
2. Candy Corn
3. Mound/Almond Joy (coconut seems too hit or miss with kids)
4. Tootsie Rolls
5. Gum (step up your game people)
6. Milk Duds/Sugar Daddys (aka the teeth destroyers)
7. Whoppers/Malted Milk Balls
8. Black Licorice
9. Ju Ju Bees
10. Good N’ Plenty/Fruity (the evil twin of Mike & Ike’s)

This is just a guideline, based on what I feel younger children prefer on a general basis. I left off some big names and probably overlooked a few more, so please don’t be too critical. Now go and enjoy your Halloween!

We’re all about making lists that make your mouth water. A few years ago, we put out a list of 10 things that taste like Generation Y childhood. Retro things like that combined with the coming Halloween holiday got us thinking of all of the treats that, good or bad, are no longer available in this day and age.

Here are 20 of them.

20. Gator Gum

Drinks and gums are a bad idea, but that didn’t stop Gatorade from releasing lemon-lime and orange gum in the 1970s, again in the 80s, in the late 90s and finally i the early 2000s.

Never a commercial hit, the gum did quench thirst. It was manufactured by Fleer, which we also know for its sports cards.

19. Yoo-Hoo chocolate bar

Yoo-Hoo commercials were all over the airwaves when we were kids, but we didn’t do much to help the chocolate drink succeed as a chocolate bar.

Described as “chocolatey coated nougat,” the candy was essentially a lighter 3 Musketeers bar.

If you’re a big fan, the Yoo-Hoo: Chocolate Flavored Bars Freezer Pops are still on store shelves.

18. Heinz EZ Squirt

Someone thought this was a good idea, and some people actually liked this.

In 2000, Heinz gave the world mustard-style squeeze bottles. Great. But they didn’t stop there. They released their signature ketchup in purple and green colors. It completely backfired. As it turns out, (most) people do not like eating food covered in what looks like boogers and puke.

The product was quickly pulled due to poor sales.

17. The Arch Deluxe

Odds are we never even ate one of these as a kid. The McDonald’s Arch Deluxe was marketed at our sophisticated, burger-enjoying parents.

Trouble was, they didn’t eat it either.

Introduced in 1996, the “burger for adults” arrived with a $100 million advertising campaign. It became one of the costliest flops in fast food history.

The burger was essentially a quarter-pounder with a circular piece of peppered bacon on top, with the usual fixings and special sauce. I don’t know what’s so sophisticated about that.

16. PB Crisps

“Peanut butter with a crunch” — PB Crisps were cookies filled with peanut butter introduced in 1992.

They were delicious, and that was a problem, apparently. More than 2,000 people have signed an online petition to bring the snack back, but Kraft has said it has no plans to re-introduce PB Crisps.

15. Butterfinger BBs

We were actually shocked to learn that BBs had not only been discontinued, but they’ve been gone since 2006. The Bart Simpson-endorsed Butterfinger BB’s were similar to Whoppers.

In 2009, Nestle brought the product back as Butterfinger Mini Bites. But it’s not the same without the implication of gun violence that BBs gave us as kids.

14. French Toast Crunch

Another victim of the great junk food purge of 2006.

This artificially flavored cereal was launched in 2001. It originally looked like mini slices of bread, but General Mills eventually made it look more like Cinnamon Toast Crunch before pulling it off shelves.

If you are obsessed with French Toast Crunch, you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding it. It’s still produced and marketed in Canada, in the original bread slice design, as “French Toast Crunch” and “Croque pain doré.”

13. Pepsi Blue

Pepsi Blue was only around for two years, but it’s product placement is forever etched into our early 21st Century popular culture, with advertisements by Britney Spears, Sev and Papa Roach and a very memorable appearance in “The Italian Job” as well as “Garfield: The Movie.”

But Pepsi Blue was a nightmare. It was marketed as “Pepsi, but berry” but it was way too sweet and sugary, tasting like cotton candy more than cola. It also used the controversial Blue 1 color that was actually banned in several countries when Pepsi Blue was released.

Today, Pepsi Blue is still available in Malaysia, or you can buy Jolt Blue CX2, which tastes strikingly similar.

12. Magic Middles

These were gooooooood.

But the 90s was a turbulent time in the food world, and these delicious cookies with the hard exterior and melty chocolate center were not meant to last.

11. Ecto-Cooler

This wasn’t even a product that was meant to last more than a few months or years, but Hi-C’s Ecto-Cooler, a tie-in to the 1987 animated series “The Real Ghostbusters” (based on the 1984 movie) lasted until 2007, when Minute Maid finally pulled the plug.

The box and the drink’s popular commercials featured the Ghostbusters character Slimer. It was an orange/tangerine/green drink that was delicious and tasted like summer and movies and everything that was great about being a kid in the 90s.

In 2001, Ecto-Cooler was renamed Shoutin’ Orange Tangergreen, and Slimer was replaced with a weird “lip monster.” In 2006, it was renamed Crazy Citrus Cooler. A year later, it was gone.

Earlier this year, Dog and Pony Show figured out how to make a drink that tastes exactly like Ecto-Cooler.

10. 3D Doritos

These sucked. Clearly some people disagreed, and there is a Facebook group with nearly 8,000 fans of 3D Doritos, a thinner snack, puffed out into more of a nugget than a corn chip.

3D Doritos sold poorly, and it didn’t help that an open bag of these things smelled like a wet dog. Not a great marketing trick.

9. Squeezits

The Squeezit actually had an impressive run during the sugary snack heyday.

This non-carbonated soft drink was sold by General Mills from the mid-1980s until 2001. It came in a plastic container, and the premise was simple: Open it and squeeze to drink.

Flavors included Chucklin’ Cherry, Berry B. Wild, Grumpy Grape (later changed to Gallopin’ Grape), Silly Billy Strawberry, Rockin’ Red Puncher, Mean Green Puncher, Smarty Arty Orange, and Troppi Tropical Punch. For a limited time there were mystery flavors in Black Bottles.

There are rumors that Squeezits were making a comeback this year, but we could not confirm.

8. The Supersize

This one you’ll really never see again. The malign-ment of fast food in this decade (and rightly so) has caused restaurants to reshape their offerings so it doesn’t look as obvious that they are feeding you pure death in the form of salty fried potatoes and processed beef.

But back in the day, we ordered our Supersize fries after the multicultural group of skinny kids on the television commercials looked like they were having so much fun eating at McDonald’s every day.

7. Orbitz

Before the gum or the travel website, we had Orbitz, the gravity-defying drink with the floating orbs.

The fruity beverage was marketed by Clearly Canadian in 1997. It was a complete flop — visually appealing but not delicious in the least.

Orbitz got its spacial effect from gellan gum, which created a microscopic spiderweb effect that allowed the edible falls to float around.

We really had some weird foods back in the day…

6. Surge

In 1996, Coca-Cola wanted to compete with Pepsi’s successful Mountain Dew green citrus soft drink. Surge was originally introduced in Norway as Urge, where it is still available for sale today.

Surge sold well in the US for a few years, but it quickly started to slip when people realized that the “extreme sports” marketing was bogus — it was just a bunch of sugar and caffeine that was bad for you nad not as tasty as Mountain Dew.

Today, Coke’s Vault is similar to Surge, only with more caffeine.

5. Crispy M&M’s

Weird. People generally just loved these M&M candies with the crispy rice center, but they were discontinued in 2005 after six years.

The problem might have been an overabundance of good things. A lot of different M&M varieties came out over years, including M&M’s Minis, dark chocolate, mint, almonds, orange chocolate, coconut, pretzel, cherry, and peanut butter.

Crispy M&M’s are still available in Europe, Australia, and southeast Asia.

4. Jimmy Dean Chocolate Chip Pancake-wrapped Sausage On A Stick

Oh Jesus.

This might have had a chance if it were released in the 80s, or even the 90s, but not the late 2000s.

Speaking of too much of a good thing — chocolate chips, pancakes, and sausage … on a friggin’ stick.

This lasted about a year. Thank God.

3. Crystal Pepsi.

Here’s the thing, 20 years ago a marketing gimmick emerged promoting “clearness” as equal to purity and goodness. It wasn’t started by or limited to soft drinks.

But in 1992, Pepsi introduced four markets, including Providence, to Crystal Pepsi. It sold well, so the company released the product nationwide.

It was a miserable failure, given the millions of dollars in marketing Pepsi had invested. The product was gone within the year.

There is a rumor that Pepsi is releasing a clear cola again next year. We shall see.

2. Waffle Crisp

This cereal is not officially discontinued, but good luck finding it on the shelf at your local Stop & Shop or Market Basket.

The maple syrup-flavored corn cereal bits were launched in 1996 with a gaggle of grannies seen in commercials laboring away to make more cereal.

The cereal is readily available online if you want to relive your glory years of sugary sweet breakfast.

1. Oreo O’s

This cereal IS gone — except in South Korea, of all places.

Oreo O’s was launched in 1998 and discontinued in 2007. It is a perfect example of a cereal whose box is better for you to eat than the actual food inside.

There was also something called Extreme Creme Taste Oreo O’s, which contained marshmallows that tasted like Oreo cream.

Why can’t you get them anymore? About three years ago, Kraft and Post parted ways. Post owns the recipe to the cereal, but Kraft owns the trademark and rights to use the Oreo name, leaving no company able to make Oreo O’s cereal. Doh.

Honorable mention: Dad’s Root Beer

You can still find Dad’s at specialty stores and on Amazon.com, but it’s all but disappeared from grocery stores. Monarch Beverage Company, which bought the rights to the root beer in 1986, helped make it the second most produced root beer in the US before it all but died out in the past decade. Today, you pretty much can’t find it in the Northeast, and some people have complained that online bottles, which can go for $3 a piece, don’t taste the same and are made with corn syrup instead of sugar.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

If recent reports concerning the Red Sox historical collapse are any indication, the chicken may have been fleeing from the Boston clubhouse.

Among other accusations, Red Sox captain Jason Varitek and starters Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and John Lackey have been ousted for eating fried chicken and drinking beer in the clubhouse during games. This revelation, paired with the news that the trio decided to cut back on their training regimen, provides Red Sox Nation with an all too familiar feeling.

While the Curse of the Bambino may have had a more weighted mystique than the aura surrounding a bucket of Popeye’s chicken, it seems as though the end result is the same: overweight athletes are once again causing Boston’s problems.

However, rather than perpetuate the storm of negativity that has been raging since the Red Sox fell short of the playoffs, it seemed about time to take a glass half full perspective.

The following is a list of foods that could be deemed unhealthier than Popeye’s fried kryptonite that seemed to plague Fenway Park.

1. PB & C Milkshake – Cold Stone Creamery

This fun-filled beverage received the title of America’s Unhealthiest Drink in 2010. Weighing in at respectable 2000 calories, one of these shakes equals a days worth of calorie intake. Whether you like it, love it, or gotta have it, this is one desert that makes a fried chicken breast look like a mixed greens salad.

2. Fettuccine Alfredo – Olive Garden

The Fettuccine Alfredo dinner at Olive Garden contains 1,220 calories and 1,350 mg of sodium. If John Lackey had spent the seventh inning stretch digging into this delicious bowl of carbohydrates he might have shattered the Red Sox record for worst earned run average by a starting pitcher. Oh wait, he did that anyway.

3. Cheesy Breadsticks – Papa Gino’s

I’m not going to lie it stung a little to throw this particular menu item on the list. However, with a stat line of 1,300 calories and 3,730 mg of sodium in a small breadstick (2 servings), it couldn’t be avoided. The fact that this could be considered a precursor to a few slices of pizza makes for a scary combination.

4. – Large Tuna Melt – Quiznos

This large sub approaches the 2,000 calories club thanks to a generous serving of mayonnaise. The sub itself is big enough that it might’ve taken John Lester four whole innings to eat — which is pretty close to the length of his average start in September.

5. Chicken Carbonara Bread Bowl – Dominos

1,300+ calories and almost 200 carbohydrates are used in the construction of this fairly new addition to the Dominos menu. With Dominos uber-efficient online ordering system, the Red Sox rotation would’ve known exactly when it was time to go “stretch out” in the clubhouse.

6. Jalapeno Smokehouse Burger – Chilis

5,250 mg of sodium almost manages to overshadow the fact that this particular burger packs a whalloping 1,750 calories. Let’s just be thankful that it isn’t offered in bucket form.

7. Sausage, Egg, and Cheddar on Asiago Bagel – Au Bon Pain

You thought you were safe breakfast, but I couldn’t overlook your potential to ruin a John Lackey day-game start. This particular breakfast sandwich features 810 calories and 1,500 mg of sodium. If you’re going enjoy this breakfast item in bed, you may want to get comfortable.

8. Chicken and Spinach Salad – IHOP

That’s right, salad. Don’t let the leafy greens fool you. This IHOP menu item is making a run at the more traditional taboo foods with its 1,600 calorie count. It lures you in with the nutritional reputation of spinach, and next thing you know you paid $15 million for a salad that never meets your expectations, and spends every post game interview passing the blame to other salads. That got a little weird.

9. Crispy Calamari – Red Lobster

I cast my rod out into the Atlantic to find this seafood dish that boasts an impressive 1,500 calories and 3,060 mg of sodium. One time Marlin Josh Beckett may have met his match in terms of former sea creatures being detrimental to health of New Englanders (Clearly I’m still a little bitter).

10. Fried Chicken Breast – Popeyes

We have come full circle. It is time to put the star of the Red Sox dietary drama under the microscope. One fried chicken breast from Popeyes contains 440 calories and 1,330 mg of sodium. Okay, so maybe the guilty pleasure of Lackey and company can stand toe to toe with the rest of this list. However, I have to assume that if these three pitchers shared a bucket of chicken like they shared their inability to protect a 9 game wild card lead in September, then maybe it’s not so bad.

Even though a plastic food steamer may be marked “BPA-free,” there's no guarantee it won't leach other endocrine disrupting chemicals into food or drinks. Consumers might want to just play it safe and opt for food steamers made of tried and true plastic-free materials, like glass, stainless steel or bamboo. (Media credit/Wen-Yan King via Flickr)

While you may never know for sure whether the plastic parts in a food steamer will contribute to health problems down the road, why gamble? Plastic marked with a #7 recycling symbol—signifying mixed sources (polycarbonate) or otherwise hard-to-classify plastics (such as acrylonitrile styrene or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene)—is considered one of the riskiest in terms of chemical exposure. Polycarbonates are the most common types of plastic in items marked #7. And any of these three “feedstocks” just mentioned could contain Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical in widespread use since the 1930s to harden plastic.

Researchers have found that exposure to BPA, a known “endocrine disruptor” that can mimic the body’s natural hormones, can lead to neurological and reproductive problems. As a result, public health advocates recommend not using containers marked with #7 for storing, heating or serving food/drinks so as to minimize the amount of BPA in our bloodstreams. Keeping BPA out of our bodies is an uphill battle: A recent study found that 96 percent of pregnant women in the U.S. have at least trace amounts of BPA in their systems already (and probably the rest of us do as well).

In response to increased consumer awareness about the potential risks of exposure to BPA, many bottle and container makers are now marketing versions of their plastic products that are BPA-free—and the trend has extended to food steamers, with several now available in BPA-free versions, including Oster’s 5712, Black & Decker’s HS1050, and Big & Fast’s Plastic Electric Food Steamer. Buyers beware: Even some BPA-free steamers have non-stick surface made from PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene, better known as Teflon), another hazardous chemical that health advocates recommend avoiding.

But to complicate matters further, a July 2011 study by a group of Texas-based researchers and published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Environmental Health Perspectives found that just because a plastic product is marked “BPA-free” doesn’t guarantee that it won’t leach other endocrine disrupting chemicals—what the study refers to as “estrogenic activity” or “EA”—into food or drinks: “Almost all commercially available plastic products we sampled—independent of the type of resin, product or retail source—leached chemicals having reliably detectable EA, including those advertised as BPA free,” the researchers reported. In some cases, BPA-free products released greater amounts of estrogenic chemicals than even products known to contain BPA.

In light of all this, consumers might want to just opt for food steamers (and food storage and preparation items) made of tried and true plastic-free materials like glass or stainless steel. Some highly rated non-plastic, non-Teflon food steamers include Secura’s 3-Tier Stainless Steel Food Steamer ($90), Miracle Exclusives’ Stainless Steel Rice Cooker and Vegetable Steamer ME81 ($70), and World Cuisine’s 4-quart Red Enamel Cast-Iron Steamer with a tempered glass colander and a tempered glass lid ($220). And don’t forget: You can save yourself some money and kitchen storage space by just getting an inexpensive metal steamer basket, collapsible insert or bamboo steamer, available at any cookware store for less than $20.

CONTACT: Environmental Health Perspectives, ehp03.niehs.nih.gov.

I’m the Scotch guy at Blast. As editor, I don’t part with any of the whiskey samples that come into the newsroom.

And all of a sudden, a rare whiskey with the most complex taste ever comes around.

The Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 3 is a $250 whiskey. I don’t expect all of you (nor I) to go around buying it up, if we can ever find it. But it’s a singularly good whiskey that has a vanilla start and a very complex finish with a bite and very strong oak taste.

“We’re fortunate to have some very old and very rare whiskey maturing at The Balvenie Distillery,” said Balvenie malt master David Stewart. “We’ve identified what we believe to be a fantastic range of liquids that will complement one another completely. The result is a marriage where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The tun is hand-filled and it takes some doing. The tun has a capacity of two thousand liters so filling it is pretty thirsty work I assure you, but a fantastic and rewarding process none the less. As with everything we do at the distillery, it’s very hands-on but it makes the end result all the more worthwhile.”

You’ll hear all kinds of pairing suggestions, but let me save you the time: filet mignon. If you’re paying this much for Scotch, go buy a $50 dry aged filet and broil it. Pour some butter over before you broil it. Once it’s cooked, pour warm cognac over it and light the cognac on fire. Then drink this Scotch with that buttery, boozed steak filet. I think death row inmates order this.

The Tun 1401 comes from a range of casks/barrels including Hogsheads, Sherry butts, and American oak barrels that date many years apart. The contents are placed in the distillery’s Tun 1401, a large marrying vessel that lets them settle before the bottling process.

The whiskey is 50.3 percent alcohol by volume. Drink it neat or with a cold element like the Skybar Chill Cubes from my friends over there. at Skybar. These solid metal cubes get cold in the freezer but don’t melt and dilute this amazing liquor with water.

Frank Zoll at work. (Courtesy of Zoll Cellars.)

On Wednesday, the Boston Center for Adult Education (BCAE) will be hosting Frank Zoll of Zoll Cellars in Shrewsbury as part of a two-part winemaking class. The two classes will feature Frank, who is the owner and primary winemaker at his vineyard, directing students in the creation of wine, from the crushing of grapes to the bottling of their very own homemade bottles.

Zoll’s passion for food and beverage began as child, when he would make bread as a hobby and continued when he attended Johnson & Wales in Providence, Rhode Island, graduating in 1997. In 2001, while he was pastry chef at The Marriot Marquis in New York City, often cooking for up to 3,000 people, Frank began making wine in his parents’ kitchen. Starting with grapes he’d procure from California, Massachusetts, and New York, Zoll began making more and more wine until, in 2008, he planted his first vineyard in Shrewsbury. The next year Zoll Cellars was a genuine winery and has continued to grow since the first Zoll Cellars bottles were introduced to commercial market in late 2010.

Zoll Cellars grows roughly 25 percent of the grapes they use for the wines in their repertoire. The varietal grown in Shrewsbury is Traminette, which is a French-American hybrid that shares many characteristics with a Gewurztraminer, strong and heady with a heavily perfumed scent of grapefruit, honey, and peach. Frank contracts most of the other grapes, including Riesling and Cab Franc, from other states.

Wines produced on the East Coast and in the middle of this country do not have a reputation for yielding the highest quality wines; that distinction has been bestowed upon California, Oregon, and Washington, but Zoll is looking to open people’s eyes to the growing quality of local wines.

“I want to show people what is growing around them, we can make good wine in this region,” he said. “We have an Alsatian like terroir with an elevation of 500 or so feet. It is similar to a Zone 5, French varietals grow well in Massachusetts.”

Currently Zoll Cellars distributes to nearly 20 wine and liquor stores across Massachusetts and is expanding. In 2011 they have sold over 500 cases.

Zoll is teaching the wine class at BCAE because he has noticed how much people enjoy consuming wine and that there has been a rising interest in the industry as a whole. On October 12th at 6:00pm Zoll will bring in a between 400 and 500 pounds of Riesling and a 30 gallon ratchet-press to the BCAE and instruct the students while they crush the grapes by hand. “We’re going to put the Riseling into fermentation for four weeks at room temperature, then bottle it in November,” says Zoll. “Each student will take home six bottles just in time for Thanksgiving.”

The second class, on November 15, will involve the bottling of the wine. Zoll chose Riesling because it pairs well with the traditional Thanksgiving Dinner. “It’s similar to a nouveau style of Riesling,” he said. “It goes very well with both roasted turkey and butternut squash.”

You can sign up for the class online at the BCAE website.

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s SUPERFOODS!

Drop that Dorito in the name of science. OK, maybe you don’t need science to school you on the fact that a corn chip dusted with salt and nacho cheese flavoring may not be the healthiest addition to your diet. However, science has determined that certain “superfoods” exist that mere perception may not be able to uncover.

This eclectic grouping of foods has been deemed “super” for their ability to reduce the likelihood of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and improve overall health. Each item is rich in important nutrients and anti-oxidants, and can help reduce cholesterol.

While there is no superfood directory for the curious diner to consult, many of the lists in existence feature a lot of the same eats. That being said, here is a list of 10 healthy (and common) superfoods to incorporate into your daily diet.

1. Berries

Berries such as blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries all provide a good source of fiber and memory boosting anti-oxidants. Each one provides a delicious means for maintaining a healthy digestive system.

You can also feel green about eating blueberries, because the odds are they’re local. Maine is the largest producer of blueberries in the world, producing 25 percent of all the lowbush blueberries in North America.

2. Salmon

Wild salmon and other fatty, cold water fish are rich in Omega 3’s that help reduce the risks of heart disease, arthritis, and like their counterparts from the berry group, may even help with memory loss.

So take out that spear you’ve had collecting dust in the attic, go find a nice cold river, and do some food shopping!

3. Spinach

The E. coli and Salmonella scares are long over. The bad press for spinach has finally gone away.

Now then, all Popeye jokes aside, the myth of spinach creating a stronger and healthier you isn’t far from the truth. Featuring an all star team of nutrients and very little in the way of calories, Spinach can help reduce the risk of heart disease, cataracts and even cancer. While it may not lead you to say, “Lift things up and put them down,” regular consumption of this dark green veggie certainly has its benefits.

4. Tomatoes

Although they are locked in a constant identity crisis, tomatoes can confidently claim their place among the ranks of superfoods. This staple of American agriculture is loaded with beneficial nutrients that provide a healthy boost to your diet.

The cherry on top of this superfood sundae has to be the fact that the tomato based products we all know and love (pizza sauce, ketchup, BBQ sauce, etc.) are all full of the same nutrients you get from fresh tomatoes! While this isn’t exactly an invitation to start thawing out those microwave pizzas, it does provide an easy way to incorporate tomatoes into your diet when they aren’t in season.

5. Beans

Beans may not be a sexy food, but they have a fantastic personality. They provide a great source of protein, without the saturated fats that are present in red meats, and can help reduce the risk of heart disease by keeping cholesterol levels in check.

Looking even deeper into their charm, beans are also rich in fiber and other essential nutrients. So while that medium rare T-bone steak may look enticing, health experts say that it’s important to substitute meat for beans every so often.

6. Tea

One of the more popular superfoods, tea is incredibly healthy and features zero calories if you can resist the urge to turn it into a sugar dumping ground. This first rate superfood helps prevent a laundry list of health risks including stroke, cancer, osteoporosis, and high blood pressure.

Instead of throwing that keg party you had planned for Saturday, why not invite your friends over for some tea and crumpets, raise those pinkies, and see where the night takes you.

7. Yogurt

Low fat yogurt is another easily accessible and nutrient-rich superfood. It’s an excellent breakfast option, or a good go to if you are looking for a between meal snack. You can add berries or rolled oats, (spoiler alert) another superfood, to give your yogurt a textural kick.

8. Nuts

Nuts may not be the healthiest option when taken at face value, but they can be an excellent nutritional source when cycled into your diet in moderation. The list of nutrients that they feature, including protein and Vitamin-E, help lower the chances of heart attack by a significant margin, and also help prevent other chronic conditions such as cancer and diabetes.

Walnuts are one of the healthiest varieties. though almonds tend to take a lot of the nut credit. Walnuts can reduce bad cholesterol (LDL), prevent gallstones, aid insomnia, protect bones and can even help in weight loss.

9. Broccoli

The vegetable many of us dream about at night has even more to offer than we first thought. In fact, there are compounds in broccoli that reduce the risks of tumors by a staggering amount (in the 50-60% range). Broccoli is also teeming with other nutrients that boost our immune systems, and contains a very low calorie count. In fact, broccoli is such a nutritional powerhouse, that one may even wish to write a song about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRW27fyvwCs

10. Whole Grains

Whole grains, such as oats, are a great cholesterol reducer, and like the other aforementioned superfoods, can help lower the risk of common heart conditions. Oats especially, are a very potent independent source of protein and fiber, and are probably one of the more cost efficient options available in the superfoods family.

Well there you have it. Ten “superfoods” that you can work into your diet on your way to becoming a healthier you. The best part is that each item is readily available at your local food store. No excursions into an exotic jungle. No phone calls to the village shaman. No majestic waterfalls that look like they belong in a shampoo commercial. Just ten easy to find foods that will help improve your quality of life!

(Media Credit/46137 via Flickr)

Hurra fur bier! It’s Oktoberfest season, and Blast has gathered information about the up-and-coming New England beer festivals that will have you dancing to Oompah music, yodeling to your heart’s content, chugging German beer from your stein, noshing on pumpkin-themed food, playing keg bowling, and…chicken dancing?

Connecticut

October 14: Brewfest at the Beach, The Pavilion at Ocean Beach Park, New London

The rain-or-shine event will feature live music, food, over 150 different types of beer, and ahh, that fresh sea air!

6 p.m. to 9 p.m., tickets $25 in advance/$30 at door.

October 15: The Connecticut Tigers Octoberfest and Chili Cook-Off, Dodd Stadium, Norwich

There is a three month period, between when the air is too thick to breathe and the apocalyptic snow fall, that New England becomes arguably the most beautiful places in the world. The fall season of September through November, a time when 70-degree weather reigns and the foliage paints a natural landscape, is the reward for living for in the area and a true call for celebration.

And as every true New Englander knows, no celebration is complete without the correct beer.

The Northeast is privy to some of the better brewers in the country and has its share of standards. But as you belly up to your favorite bars and shop through your regular package stores, why not take advantage of fall 2011 and give a new beer a try.

Here’s Blast Magazines list of the top 5 best unknown beers, locally brewed and just waiting to become your new favorites.

5. Wachusett Octoberfest

The Wachusett Brewing Company, the Westmister-based brewer which is mainly known for its economically priced blueberry flavored beer, also releases an Octoberfest seasonal. A thicker brew that comes off slightly bitter, the beer has a slightly less warm temperament than most of the autumn releases. But any fan of the Blueberry brew will enjoy this seasonal offering.

4. Hex

Magic Hat, South Burlington VT’s own pride and joy for strange brews, has come out with the Halloween theme seasoned Hex Octoberfest. Holding up Magic Hat’s reputation for strong taste and thick constancy, Hex is not something that can be sipped in a relaxed manner. Fans of hops will not be disappointed.

3. Pumpkin Works

Locally brewed in Boston Beer Works, this pumpkin beer is a fine example of something original in the way of autumn beer. An odd combination of smooth taste and strong spice, the beer goes down quicker than some of the more bitter seasonals, but let it be said it will get on top of you quick. (Only available at Boston Beer Works)

2. The Great Pumpkin Ale

Straight from the best kept secret in The People’s Republic comes The Great Pumpkin Ale. A specialty brew from the Cambridge Brewing Company, this fantastic offering marks the first time the company has actually bottled its beer. The Great Pumpkin has a great taste and good consistency, with its only real flaw being that it’s a rare find in most stores.

It is an unfiltered ale, and the company is promising better availability this year “cuz we’re making a LOT of it.”

1. Smashed Pumpkin Ale

Those who have been around the area may have noticed Shipyard Pumpkin beer making its mark on several large chains and bars around the area. But what you may not know is that the Portland Maine company makes another brew known as Smashed Pumpkin. It is only available at a limited amount of liquor stores (and only in pint sized bottles) but this beer is worth the looking. Amazing flavor, good consistency, and 9 percent by volume make this the best $10 you spend all fall.

So there you have it. Blast Magazine’s top five under the radar New England brewed beers for the fall seasons. Go out and enjoy the weather and ale while you can, because we’ll be walking through six to twelve inches of snow before you know it.

I like FlipFlop wine right away, because every time I buy a bottle, someone gets a pair of shoes in a third world country through the Soles4Souls charity.

As an Italian, when I do drink white wine, it’s usually pinot grigio, and FlipFlop makes a good one.

It’s crisp, like biting unto an apple. The taste does not overpower. In fact, I’d label FlipFlop Pinot Grigio very light. There is a citrus overtime and clean finish. It’s the kind of wine you want to serve ice cold outside, during one of those last hot days before fall truly kicks in.

On that note, the wine pairs excellently with summer foods like eggplant and acidy Italian foods like tomato bruschetta or a spicy chicken dish.

It’s not going to impress your wine connoisseur friends who are used to $50 bottles. At just $7, it’s a picnic wine, best served at parties and barbeques where quantity beats out swishing and sipping.

For “Saturday Night Live” fans who have always wanted a taste of the famous Schweddy Balls, you’re in luck! Ben & Jerry’s announced yesterday that it has launched its newest limited edition flavor, Schweddy Balls, which is Fair Trade vanilla ice cream with a hint of rum, fudge-covered rum balls and milk chocolate malt balls. Mmm, balls!

Available nationwide, the ice cream honors the classic SNL skit starring Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon, who play hosts of the National Public Radio-type show entitled “Delicious Dish,” and their guest Pete Schweddy, played by Alec Baldwin, owner of Season’s Eatings Bakery.

“For a long time, I thought that ‘Here Lies Pete Schweddy’ would end up on my tombstone,” Alec Baldwin said in a press release. “Now, thanks to Ben & Jerry’s, the goodness of the Schweddy family recipe won’t go with me to the great beyond. It is immortalized here, right now, and it’s an ice cream. Ben & Jerry’s and Schweddy. Two great names in American dessert, together at last.”

Former SNL cast member Ana Gasteyer said of the news, “The Schweddy Balls sketch was a personal favorite from my SNL run, so I am pleased as holiday punch that Ben and Jerry’s has taken it upon themselves to share the Schweddy Family recipe with the world. As a person and a performer, I am a sucker for holiday balls. And I have no doubt this ice cream will cause many to scream, ‘Good times.’”

So grab a pint of glistening, creamy Schweddy Balls and watch the premier of SNL’s 37th season on Sept. 24 at 11:30 p.m. We bet your mouth is already watering at the thought of those balls!

Calling all animal lovers! The Cocheco Valley Humane Society in Dover, N.H., invites you to the gala of the fall: The Great Catsby. Arrive at the 1920s-themed event in your best flapper or gangster garb and have your photo taken red carpet-style next to an antique car, sip cocktails and enjoy hors d’oeuvres while perusing the many silent auction items, including wine, jewelry, gift certificates, artwork and more.

After a delectable dinner and decadent dessert, bid on priceless experiences at the live auction, where you  could become a character in a murder mystery novel or an actor in New Hampshire’s famous Haunted Overload’s haunted walk.

The gala will benefit animals such as Hank, a kitten who was tossed out of a moving vehicle. He is being nursed back to health at the shelter.

Details

What: The Great Catsby gala

Where: The Portsmouth Sheraton Harborside Hotel, Portsmouth, N.H.

When: Sept. 17, 6 to 10 P.M.

Tickets: Tickets are $80 per person and are available online at cvhsonline.org or by calling 603-749-5322 Ext. 112. All proceeds go to the care and well being of the animals sheltered at Cocheco Valley Humane Society. Hurry! Tickets are on sale only until Sept. 9 at 10 P.M.

After undergoing major renovations and menu changes, Tryst restaurant in Arlington is celebrating its grand re-opening on Sept. 12 with “buy one get one free” entrees–and you’re invited!

Chef/owner Paul Turano proudly debuts the completion of his vision for Tryst, which has been at its 689 Massachusetts Ave. location for nearly seven years. A tapas menu and updated, lively decor help Turano bring the city to the suburbs.

“When I first opened Tryst, my goal was to bring the Boston dining scene to the suburbs, and I think we’ve done that to some extent, but life gets in the way,” says Turano. “I originally had planned to return to honing the concept less than a year after we opened, but things got busy pretty quickly. Two kids and thousands of supportive customers later I feel like I have finally completed my vision of bringing a city-like neighborhood restaurant to Arlington.”

The New Menu

Just a Fling

Shrimp Tacos with avocado, red onion and Aji crema, $8

Local Corn Chowder with avocado spuma and cornbread crouton, $8

Sassafras Glazed Baby Back Ribs with house-made kim chee, $10

Duck Wraps  with spiced cashews and crunchy vegetables, $11

Crispy Fried Calamari  with arugula, cherry tomatoes and hot pepper aioli, $12

Tomato, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella Flatbread,  $10

Habanero Chicken Wings with Great Hill bleu cheese and carrot pickles, $9

House-made Guacamole and Chips, $10

Artisan Cheese Plate  with three cheeses and spiced fruits, $11

A Lil’ Something on the Side

($6 each or three for $15)

Marinated Olives

Roasted Asparagus with evoo and parmesan

Truffle Fries

Sweet and Spicy Bar Nuts

Cheese Croquettes

Ricotta Stuffed Squash Blossoms with curried tomato sauce

Griddled Rice Cake

Getting Fresh

Simply Tossed Greens with champagne mustard vinaigrette, $6

Market Salad with Boston lettuce, shaved seasonal vegetables, seven-grain croutons and mustard vinaigrette, $9

Heirloom Tomato Salad  with burrata, arugula, sourdough crostini and vin cotto, $9

Baby Spinach Salad with Great Hill bleu cheese, poached cherries, pecan crisps and apple cider vinaigrette, $9

Caesar Salad with hearts of romaine, evoo, roasted garlic, cracked pepper and sourdough crouton, $9

(Add roasted chicken, $3, add steak tips, $6, to any salad) 

Getting Serious

Herb Roasted All-Natural Chicken with potato puree, toasted almond green beans and natural juices, $18

Prime Sirloin Tips with cheese croquettes, arugula and smoked tomato, $19

Slow Roasted Salmon with crab stuffed squash blossom, griddled rice cake and avocado salad, $24

Wild Striped Bass with “summer minestrone,” house-made pancetta and lemon aioli, $25

Pig Under a Brick with corn polenta, mostarda, collard greens and apricot glaze,  $22

Grilled Angus Sirloin with potato puree, roasted asparagus and truffle butter, $29

The Grand Re-opening

When: Monday, Sept. 12 from 5 to 8 P.M.

Where: Tryst, 689 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington

RSVP: Reservations are required. Call 781-641-2227 or visit trystrestaurant.com for more information.

New Yorkers needing a java fix have a new hangout. Internationally acclaimed The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, which is nearly 50 years old, opens its first East Coast location today on 1412 Broadway at 39th Street in New York City. This is just the first of the Los Angeles-based coffee shop’s upcoming New York City locations, where coffee and tea lovers can sip on The Bean’s (as it’s affectionately known) famous Arabica coffee, which is  custom roasted in small batches in California, enjoy its hand-plucked whole leaf teas, and munch on its freshly baked goods.

For more information, go to facebook.com/CoffeeBeanNY.

Freezing foods in plastic containers isn't as worrisome as heating them, but if you're leery of plastic, glass containers designed to withstand large temperature extremes, such as Ball Jars (aka Mason jars), like the one pictured here, or anything made by Pyrex, can be a sensible alternative. Just be sure not to load them to the brim as some foods expand when frozen. (Media credit/Wikipedia)

Reusing leftover plastic food containers to store items in the freezer may be noble environmentally, but it might not be wise from the perspective of keeping food safely frozen and tasting its best when later heated up and served. Many such containers are designed for one-time use and then recycling, so it’s not worth risking using them over and over. Likewise, wax paper, bread wrappers and cardboard cartons should not be used to store frozen foods; these types of containers don’t provide enough of a barrier to moisture and odors and also may not keep food fresh when frozen.

Luckily though, many other materials are suitable for use as freezer-safe storage containers, at least according to the National Center for Home Food Preparation. To qualify as “freezer-safe,” the Georgia-based non-profit maintains, food storage containers must resist moisture-vapor, oil, grease and water as well as brittleness and cracking at low temperatures, while being durable, leak-proof and easy-to seal. They must also protect foods from absorption of off-flavors or odors. “Good freezing materials include rigid containers made of aluminum, glass, plastic, tin or heavily waxed cardboard; bags and sheets of moisture-vapor resistant wraps; and laminated papers made specially for freezing,” reports the group.

As to the leaking of unsafe constituent chemicals (BPA, phthalates, etc.) from certain plastics into foods, freezing is generally less of a threat than heating, but it is better to avoid plastics known to be problematic anyway just to be safe.  Polycarbonate plastic, marked with #7, contains BPA while polyvinyl chloride, marked with #3, contains potentially harmful phthalates. If a plastic item does not bear a recycling number on its bottom, steer clear as it may well be a mix, which classifies it as a #7 polycarbonate.

Of course, the majority of plastic containers designed for freezer use are safe and, since they can be washed and reused, are a better choice than disposable freezer bags and wraps. For those still leery of using plastic at all, glass containers designed to withstand large temperature extremes, such as Ball Freezing Jars (Mason jars) or anything made by Pyrex—regular glass containers could break when frozen or if thawed too quickly—can be a sensible alternative. Also, beware of loading up glass containers to the brim before freezing; some foods expand when frozen so leaving a little extra room between the top of the food and the bottom of the (airtight) lid is always a good idea.

However you store your frozen delicacies, keep in mind that freezing food may inactivate microbes like bacteria and mold but may not destroy them. According to dietician and author Elaine Magee on the MedicineNet website, just thawing out frozen foods doesn’t necessarily mean they are automatically safe to eat. Foods that require cooking still require cooking for health’s sake after thawing. Also, Magee recommends quickly labeling and dating any foods you are freezing to facilitate purging of potentially spoiled or tasteless food down the line.

CONTACTS: National Center for Home Food Preparation, www.uga.edu/nchfp/; Pyrex, www.pyrex.com; Ball, www.freshpreserving.com; MedicineNet, www.medicinenet.com.