UPPITY DATE: This link from a adult beverage wholesaler.

Vinnibag promises to keep your vintage safe, even in the baggage compartment.

‘Tis the season for bucolic forays into Napa, Sonoma, and Tuscany (who are we kidding, that kind of travel’s always in season). And while I don’t generally write about products, this one caught my eye. Even thought I employ Ziploc bags, bubble wrap, and a sophisticated layering of socks and brassieres, many’s the time I’ve stood at baggage claim praying that the wine/olive oil/rum I’d brought home hadn’t “seasoned” the inside of my suitcase. This simple prophylactic system puts one more layer of barrier between your vintage and your dainties. A note from their press release:

VinniBag is a versatile travel accessory that suspends items in an air cushion, providing protection against impact and leakage of wine and olive oil to antique tea cups while traveling or on the road. Both the sophisticated design and material of VinniBag easily tolerate significant changes in air pressure and temperature, thereby allowing for safe travel by air, car, rail, bike, backpack and much more. What sets this bag apart from the rest is that it is reusable, recyclable, and only $28.

So, while I’m confused by the distinction between “traveling” and “on the road,” and while I don’t usually travel “by backpack” (unless I’ve had one too many el diablos and it’s the only way of getting me out to the car), I can’t help but think this is one of those simple yet ingenious ideas that could save my socks once and for all.

California fisherman need fish in the ocean.

Flaming Bananas Foster injures four in Florida.

Where to sign the “Carne Asada is Not a Crime” petition.

LeBron James has all summer to choke chew on his mouthguard.

Owner Scott Siers says that the next artist event is June 19^th.

And what does the artist himself say?

Now having a groovy chicken coop in your backyard or on a patio in New York is trendy. The gals over on the D Home blog have the scoop on the “must have” coop. If you want to get your backyard bird party started, the folks at Northaven Gardens have the knowledge and supplies. I’d rather have a goat.

Just in time for the start of grilling season, join Food + Wine today, Wednesday, May 18 at 1 pm for a live Q&A session with Chef Tim Love, veritable meat master and chef/owner of Lonesome Dove Western Bistro and Love Shack in Texas.

Chef Love will answer all your questions posted on the FOOD & WINE Facebook Wall (http://www.facebook.com/foodandwine) at 1:00pm for one hour. For a few of Chef Love’s recipes featured in FOOD & WINE like Sticky BBQ Beef Ribs and Cocoa and Chile Rubbed Pork Chops visit http://bit.ly/io52oy

Chef Love is part of our new Facebook chat series, FOOD & WINE Kitchen Insider. At FOOD & WINE we love to inspire the impassioned and adventurous epicure. To that end, each month we are giving you access to some of the epicurean world’s leading industry talent right here on our Facebook “Wall.”

Because everybody (except Zac) loves bacon. (Photo courtesy of Meat Soap.)

Seems like our pal, “Best BBQ in Dallas” author (and creator of the Full Custom Gospel BBQ blog) Daniel Vaughn has been holding out on us. Turns out he’s been moonlighting as a savoneur. Ok, that may not be a real word, but the skinny is that the dude is part of a four-person team that recently completed a Kickstarter campaign to fund the creation of Meat Soap.

What? What?

Yes…a soap…made from bacon fat.

The team consists of Vaughn, a chemist, a graphic designer, and a soap-obsessed marketer  who combined their Superfriends powers to fund, design, synthesize, and hand make soaps that smell like “bacon, beef, and other delicious and delicate meats.”

“I think people might be interested in washing their hands with soapy bacon,” Vaughn says on Meat Soap’s website.

jump to read more about Meat Soap…

Over the course of their Kickstarter fundraising campaign, 42 backers donated in a variety of funding levels: Tiny Bubbles ($5), Recovering Vegetarian ($15), Card-Carrying Carnivore ($35), Super Soap Suds ($100), Meat Soap Glorious Patron ($250), and Benevolent bather ($400). At the end of the campaign, on February 23, the Meat Soap campaign exceeded its $1,500 goal, with patrons donating $1,905 in seed money.

Once the piggy-themed molds arrived, the team started rendering and shipping their sudsy bi-product (as well as t-shirts and stickers). They even held a Meat Soap Meat Up at the Katy Trail Ice House on April 15.

Where were we? At home, doing our taxes, that’s where. Had we only known! (Shake haymaker at the sky.)

So, the real question is, did anyone out there make it to the Meat Up? We’re dying to know about this soap. Oh, and Daniel, drop a sister a line next time. That Meat Up sounds like it must have been way more fun than alternately cursing at weeping at the IRS.

And I’m guessing you’re dying to place an order. Go here to do just that.

Kevin Marple secret hotel room studio at the Holiday Inn Express in Marina del Rey.

D Magazine food photographer Kevin Marple traveled to LA to capture images we needed to compile “The Newbie’s Guide to In-N-Out.”  He returned with the pictures but he went through hamburger hell to get them. Here’s his story.

I’ve had art directors send me into some wild scenarios. And when D Magazine’s Creative Director Todd Johnson called and asked me if I could get to Southern California for a photo shoot, I said sure. In hindsight, I realize I should have asked a few more questions. At the time I didn’t know he was sending me into a private, secretive underworld. I just figured I get some time to hang in LA and shoot some burgers.

Like most of the population, I’d heard about In-N-Out but I didn’t really understand the hype. During a pre-production meeting, I got a briefing on my assignment.

Johnson wanted me to photograph burgers and some of the secret items on the In-N-Out Burger menu. Secret items on a fast food hamburger menu? I had a few questions. Like: How do I order them? What if they don’t have them? Do I have to learn a secret handshake or password?

Johnson explained that In-N-Out was very protective of their brand. They don’t allow photography in any of the restaurants or corporate headquarters. It was up to me to get to Southern California and figure out a covert plan of action to get the photos D wanted.

Jump for the whole bloody story.

First, I mapped out all of the In-N-Out locations in the L.A. area. Then I narrowed my search to sites with a hotel close by. The best combination happened to be in Marina Del Ray. Yes, I would have loved to have completed this operation at the Ritz-Carlton, but the Holiday Inn Express was only a half-mile from my mark.

When I arrived, I convinced the desk clerk to allow me a very early check-in so that I could have my “studio” set up by the time In-N-Out opened at 10:30AM. To avoid suspicion I had traveled light. My bag was filled with what I needed: a Canon Rebel T1i, a Canon 100mm Macro lens, 2 Canon 430EX Speedlites, and a Canon 580EX II Speedlite.

Plan 1.26a was to go to the nearest In-N-Out and order as many of the burger combinations I could safely carry to my room and bang out the whole shoot in one trip.

Wrong. I had to go back a second time. When I returned to the drive-thru, the clerk asked me if I’d been there earlier. When I said yes, he called a manager to do a “frequency check.” I felt like I’d just been pulled over by the F.B.I. They ran a check on my credit card number and noted that I’d made several significant purchases in a short period of time. They let me complete my order, but I was beginning to get paranoid. I felt like a criminal. So I did what anyone with a ATM card and a deadline to meet would do—I revised by attack plans and decided to go guerilla-style.

Scene of the crime.

I decided to mix my buys. Then next time I placed an order, I paid cash inside. When I returned to the hotel after my fourth trip, my paranoia multiplied. The clerks at the front desk were looking at me like I was some kind of pervert. For five hours they’d watched me carry in over 30 bags of In-N-Out burgers. I’m sure they though I was a single guy with a burger fetish.  I ran past the maid trolley, locked the door, and secured myself behind the Do Not Disturb sign.

I set the new burgers down and surveyed my room. It was a mess of bags, wrappers, napkins, and half-eaten burgers. I had to dodge bits of lettuce, onion, and the splatters of secret sauce on the floor to navigate across the room. Every inch of counter space was littered with stained gooey cheesy burger bags, boxes, and wrappers. The stench of seared, greasy meat would surely arouse suspicion soon. I felt guilty and seedy. How long before I checked the local porn rag to find a burger fluffer? The line between food porn and real porn was blurred.

Day one was also a blur. I spent 12 hours going back and forth and photographing burgers in various stages of undress. Each I drove to the restaurant, I purchased 10 of each item I needed to shoot and headed straight back to my “studio.” Once inside, I would dissect each burger and attempt to reconstruct a photographable double-double, triple double, or Animal-style fries.

I taped the curtains to conceal the flash of my camera. I had to work fast as the burgers don’t hold their poses for long. I jumped away from my camera every time I heard a noise in the hall. I burned endless images of melting cheese and oozing pink sauce to the brain of my memory card. That night I tossed and turned in a bed that reeked of grease.

I woke up in a panic. Not only was I behind in my assignment, I’d run out of trash receptacles. I decided to get smart. As I left, I located a clerk-free entrance to the hotel. I managed to repeat my “buys” without too much suspicion. Sometimes I had to step to the back of the line to avoid getting one of the staffers who had already filled one of my orders.

Gradually I got my images and got the hell out of LA.

I’m sure the cleaning staff is still talking about me. I left the room filled with evidence and feeling like a pervert. Every trash can and corner was crammed with bags of spoiling burgers and fries. Then there was the huge task of smuggling packets of secret sauce back to Dallas. For despite all of my efforts, not one shot was good enough for a magazine cover. My accomplice and favorite food stylist, Angela Yeung of Food NetworkChallenge: Food Magicians, was waiting for my return. She went to work in a real photography studio and recreated a romanticized interpretation of the 4×4 that graces the cover of D Magazine.

It will be a long time before I crave an In-N-Out Burger. And it will be a long time before I discuss them with the rabid fans who are eagerly awaiting its arrival in Dallas. I learned that a burger preference is a personal thing. And like politics, sex, and religion, you don’t discuss burgers at the dinner table.

There are supposedly social features, where Yummly will learn your tastes and suggest recipes to you.  I haven’t used the site long enough to see if those features are useful.  I don’t have business association with Yummly, I just find it to be a very cool and useful site.

This morning I came across this list of popular “food apps for foodies.” I like the idea of Locavore but I haven’t actually downloaded it to see how well it works. Do you use food-related apps? If so, share with us the good, bad, and the ugly. The first person who makes me laugh will receive a Godiva chocolate-scented candle. For real. Bring it.

Mung dal Falafel with Tabouli and Tahini Sauce. The falafels are made with garlic, ginger, and ground spice. It is accompanied by a tabouli salad made from mung dal sprouts, garlic, parsley, bulgur wheat, and lemon juice. The tahini sauce is essentially a sesame seed sauce with garlic.

Oh, there is lots more. (VIDEO!!)

Tuna Tarbooz with Mango Watermelon Chaat. Tarbooz is the Hindi word for watermelon. Sadhu marinates the tuna in lime juice and salt, a preparation like ceviche, spiced with garam masala and green cardamom powder. He tops it with toasted black sesame seeds. He uses chaat masala seasoning on the mango watermelon chaat. The tamarind sauce streaked on the plate is laced with cumin and jaggery. Audience response to this dish was that the tamarind sauce should be given more of a star role. Dipping the tuna chunks in the tamarind was a rich, succulent combination. Undoubtedly the tropical fruit flavors in this dish balance the tuna.

Goa Empadinhas with Star Anise Foie Gras, Sorpotel Sauce and Bombay Chile Chips. Just to prove every county has its take on empanadas, the Portuguese bequeathed empadinhas when they ruled Goa. Sadhu’s version is puff pastry stuffed with sautéed onions, ginger, and garlic cooked with fresh chorizo. Feni (fermented juice of cashew fruit) is added at the end. Sorpotel Sauce is also from Goa and another Portuguese influence on the cuisine. It is made of cloves, peppercorns, cumin, white wine vinegar, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, turmeric and cloves sautéed together. These spices go best with pork, hence the Spanish chorizo. The dish is topped with cardamom foam with tamarind jam.

Cashew Nut Crusted Soft Shell Crab with Mango Coconut Sauce. Kerala is the state in the very tropical, southern part of India. There are heavy Jewish and Dutch influences on the cuisine from this area. It is also seafood-intensive. Here. Sadhu makes a sauce of mango and coconut and roasts cashew with Bengal Gram, kari leaves, cinnamon, hing, cumin, red chilies. Then he grinds it into a fine powder, coats the crab, fries it and surrounds it with a mango, coconut milk seasoned with mustard seeds, kari leaves, and hing.

Nitro Kulfi topped with Basil Seeds (they look like caviar on top of the Kulfi) and Candied Pistachios accompanied by Cardamom Brûlée Bananas. The nitro in the name refers to liquid nitrogen which was used to chill a bowl of Kaurina’s Kulfi. This Kulfi is as rich and creamy as it looks. It is available (already frozen) at Central Market, Whole Foods, and local Indian markets. The liquid nitrogen made short work of the freezing. It took about 90 seconds.

Easy Does It. Handling the Liquid Nitrogen. Photo: Shane Stephens

Below is a video of the process. Excuse the happy people in the background!

Tommy Edison’s light bulb? Check. Bell’s telephone? Check. The first camera? Check. Dallas restaurateur Mariano Martinez’s 1971 invention of the frozen margarita machine? Umm, check please? What about The Clapper? The Snuggie? Genetically modified salmon? I could go on. Is this what it takes to get people interested in U.S. history?  The full release is below.

Bidding Farewell to National Inventor’s Month | Around The Mall

Sadly, summer is whizzing by. August has come and gone, and we have yet to acknowledge National Inventors Month! So happy belated!

We bring you our “Top Ten Inventions from the National Museum of American History’s Collections.” The museum, after all, is home to

the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, which celebrates National Inventors Month every year.

THE CLASSICS

1. Thomas Edison’s Incandescent Light Bulb. “The Wizard of Menlo Park” has many inventions to his credit—an electric vote recorder, the phonograph, a telephone transmitter—but his most famous was the light bulb. He scribbled more than 40,000 pages full of notes and tested more than 1,600 materials, everything from hairs from man’s beard to coconut fiber, in his attempts to find the perfect filament. In 1879, he finally landed on carbonized bamboo
and created the first modern-looking light bulb—filament, glass bulb, screw base and all. The light bulb was manufactured by Corning, a
leader in glass and ceramics for the last 159 years.

2. Alexander Graham Bell’s Large Box Telephone. In its collection, the NMAH has one of two telephones Alexander Graham Bell used to conduct a call from Boston to Salem on November 26, 1876. The system, which worked when sound waves induced a current in electromagnets that was conducted over wires to another telephone where the current produced audible air vibrations, was used commercially starting in 1877.

3. Abraham Lincoln’s Patent Model for a Device for Raising Boats off Sand Bars. As a 40-year-old lawyer in Illinois, Abraham Lincoln designed floats that could be employed alongside a river boat to help it avoid getting caught in shallow waters. He was granted a patent from the U.S. Patent Office on May 22, 1849. The product never came to fruition, but Lincoln remains the only U.S. president to hold a patent.

4. Sewing Machine Patent Model. Though not the first sewing machine, John Bachelder’s version, patented on May 8, 1849, was an improvement on the original. It was rigged with a leather conveyor belt that kept the fabric moving as it was being sewn. The patent was purchased by sewing machine giant I.
M. Singer and became part of a pool of patents used to barter the Sewing Machine Combination, a team of three sewing machine
manufacturers including the I. M. Singer Co. that propelled the industry forward.

5. Morse Daguerrotype Camera. Perhaps the first camera in the United States, this one made the trip from Paris with its owner Samuel F. B. Morse, inventor of the telegraph. Morse and French artist Louis Daguerre, who invented the daguerreotype process for photography, brainstormed invention ideas together.

6. Magnavox Odyssey Video Game Unit. Months before Pong, the ping-pong game by Atari, overtook the video game scene in 1972, Magnavox Odyssey, the first home video game system, was released. The system merged traditional board games with the new video game concept by incorporating things like
dice, paper money and cards. (Watch inventors Ralph Baer and Bill Harrison play a video game here, at the Smithsonian Lemelson Center’s 2009 National Inventors Month celebration.) Success, however, wasn’t in the cards. Less than 200,000 units were sold, while Pong sales skyrocketed. Baer went on to invent Simon, the electronic memory game. The National Museum of American History has, in its collection, an AbioCor Total Artificial Heart, the first-ever electro-hydraulic heart to be implanted in a human.

7. The Rickenbacker Frying Pan, the First Electric Guitar. Musicians had been experimenting with using electricity to amplify the sound of string instruments for decades, but it was George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacker who built the first commercial electric guitar around 1931. The electric guitar had its critics, who argued that it didn’t create an “authentic” musical sound, but it found its place with the rock and roll genre.

8. AbioCor Total Artificial Heart. Cardiac surgeons Laman Gray and Robert Dowling replaced patient Robert Tools diseased heart with an AbioCor Total Artificial Heart on July 2, 2001, at Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, making it the first electro-hydraulic heart implanted in a human. The battery- powered heart is capable of pumping more than 2.5 gallons of blood a minute to the lungs and the rest of the body. The invention was in clinical trials at the time of Tools’ surgery. He only lived for five months with the artificial heart, but even that, was well beyond the experimental goal of 60 days.

9. Krispy Automatic Ring-King Junior Doughnut Machine. Used by the Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation in the 1950s and ’60s, the Ring-King Junior could spit out about 720 doughnuts an hour! The miraculous machine and other Krispy Kreme artifacts were donated to the museum in 1997 on the 60th anniversary of the doughnut maker.

10. And last but not least, The World’s First Frozen Margarita Machine. As we savor the last days of summer, this one had to make the list. In 2005, the museum acquired the first-ever frozen margarita machine,invented by Dallas restaurateur Mariano Martinez in 1971. Museum director Brent Glass called the invention a “classic example of the American entrepreneurial spirit.” With the advent of the machine, margaritas became as standard as chips and salsa at Tex-Mex restaurants. (Next time I have one, I shall toast Mariano!)