Links for your reading pleasure, 3 January 2013

I was thinking about titling this post "food news you can use," but I'm sure that someone else has co-opted that tagline. {Sigh.} Put that under another list: "Things I wish I thought of first." Besides, not all these links are food-related.

It's January third, 2013. I spent all of New Year's Day hanging out and eating baked goods I've been trying out, which is probably not the best way to start the year healthfully. Tasty, though, I will admit. (I was back to eating my usual eggs with avocado yesterday morning.) And I tried to remember to write twenty-thirteen instead of twenty-twelve, which I will forget regularly until at least April.

While we're on the subject of the calendar change-over, our local NPR station put up a post about food trends from 2012 and predictions about what's coming in 2013. I do not agree with the points of every article linked to there (links within a link!), but most are certainly worth reading.

In the current political climate, it's worth remembering that it could be a lot worse. Your favorite morning beverage could be deemed a national security risk like it was in Turkey centuries ago. This article from early 2012 is especially interesting to me as someone interested in food and history. I, for one, am thankful that coffee is not illegal here, or I might have a serious problem.

One of my intentions in 2013 is to make more charcuterie, but not just from pork. Liver pate is incredibly nutrient-dense, and actually quite inexpensive to make at home. I found a tutorial with reviews of some of the  most popular recipes for chicken liver pate via the Guardian. Lots of good information there.

If one of your goals for the new year is to reduce your household waste, Martha Stewart has you covered. I saw this how-to for reviving old sweaters in Martha Stewart Living months ago (maybe last winter), and only just rediscovered it.  I don't know about you, but I have sweaters with raggedy edges and some snags that could use a little TLC. (Throwing away an otherwise good sweater is out of the question; donating a ragged sweater isn't optimal either.)

Getting more into sewing, I've been eyeing interesting home-improvement projects along with my wishlist of handmade clothing. How about this television cozy (also from Martha Stewart's website)? I think this is a fantastic idea, and a great way to make the television "out of sight, out of mind."

And finally, a fun way to cut down on paper waste: DIY cloth napkins. I actually found some gorgeous fabrics the other day that would be perfect for napkins. I made five a couple of nights ago, and have a few more pinned and ready to sew this evening. I love cloth napkins, but the store-bought variety never have quite enough personality for me.  Bonus points if you sew some and then embroider a monogram or a pretty songbird on the corner. (This is also great for homemade gifts.)