Free books: It's the July GLC giveaway!
FREE BOOKS! (the books are gone) | Once again, the first person to write in and request one of the books linked below gets it for free. Limit one per person and you must request a specific book and send me your mailing address — although we won't use your email or postal address for anything other than sending you the book. Email me for a free book while they last!

Gone! Sent to Aubrey of Leonard, Michigan
Best Food Writing 2006 | "In this excellent collection, Hughes brings together an eclectic mix of writing by restaurant reviewers, chefs, food writers and food lovers that succeeds in connecting distinctly different writing styles with a common thread of respect for and fascination with eating. Hughes separates the essays according to such themes as 'The Food Chain,' 'Home Cooking,' 'Someone's in the Kitchen' and 'The Restaurant Biz,' and culls from publications as well-known as Bon Appetit to the lesser-known enRoute. The pieces range from technical ('The Blowtorch Gourmet' by Chris Johns) to intensely personal (Floyd Skloot's 'Jambon Dreams'). In 'Mama's House,' Jason Sheehan cruises the streets of Denver in search of 'Mama,' a Ghanaian refugee who operates a kitchen out of her home, cooking at all times of the day for whoever shows up on her doorstep. Frank Bruni, the New York Times's dining critic, gets a look at how the other half lives in his humorous and humble 'My Week as a Waiter.' Other standout pieces include 'A Mentor Named Misty' by Gabrielle Hamilton, and 'The Egg Men' by Burkhard Bilger, which explores the cavernous kitchens of the Las Vegas hotel industry." Editied by Holly Hughes —Publishers Weekly (List price: $15.95)

Gone! Sent to Alicia of San Francisco, California
Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated Into What America Eats | "In this delightful romp through the food processing industry, Ettlinger, who writes on consumer products (The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware Stores), says, 'Believers of urban legends take note.... Twinkies are not just made of chemicals,' nor will their ingredients allow them to last, 'even exposed on a roof, for 25 years.' But what exactly their ingredients are, and how they come from places like Minnesota and Madagascar to be made into what Ettlinger calls 'the uber-iconic food product, the archetype of all processed foods,' is the subject of his book. Each chapter looks at individual ingredients, in the same order as on a Twinkie package, so Ettlinger finds himself traveling to eastern Pennsylvania farms to study wheat, as well as to high-security plants that manufacture highly toxic chlorine used in minute amounts to make the bleached flour that is 'the only kind that works in sugar-heavy' Twinkies or birthday and wedding cakes. His exploration of the manufacturing processes of cellulose gum ('perfect for lending viscosity to the filling in snack cakes—or rocket fuel'), for example, cleverly reveals how Twinkie ingredients 'are produced by or dependent on nearly every basic industry we know.'" By Steve Ettlinger —Amazon.com (List price: $23.95)
Like I said, just email me for a free book while they're still available! Posted at 9:57 PM Central Time

Just the Thing To Carry Your Conscience In
"If you are reading this anytime after dawn on Wednesday, you are probably too late to make a fashion statement and simultaneously keep the world safe from plastic bags. At 8 this morning, 15 Whole Foods stores in the New York area were to start selling $15 cotton bags by Anya Hindmarch, a London designer better known for bags that range to $1,500 and beyond. The bags, which read 'I'm not a plastic bag,' are intended to be used and reused for groceries, in place of plastic. Whole Foods is selling 20,000, first come first served, limit three to a customer while supplies last. If offerings of the bag in other cities are any guide, the lines will be long." Posted at 6:56 AM Central Time

Weight loss grocery list?
"Hey everyone. I just started this diet last week, so I don't have the healthiest of food options in my apartment right now. I want to go grocery shopping tomorrow or Tuesday to stock up on some healthier food, but as I'm new to this I don't really know where to start. What are some foods you all would recommend that are good for weight loss?" Posted at 6:49 AM Central Time

Me on KMOX again!
Hey St. Louis and the rest of the Midwest -- I'll be interviewed on KMOX Radio (AM 1120) today, July 27, around 8:45 a.m. I'll be on with Debbie Monterrey and Dan Grey on the Total Information AM Show, talking about Milk Eggs Vodka, of course. Posted at 6:40 AM Central Time

Old people are angrier than any teenager you'll ever meet
From the Orlando Sentinal's reader gripes column: "I'm ticked off at the moron who designed the grocery carts that have those insipid little cars attached to the front so the kids can ride and pretend to drive. These carts are the equivalent of SUVs, and I'm even more ticked off at the ignorant mothers who use them and don't pay attention when pushing these behemoths through the store. They are usually "double parked" in the middle of the snack-food aisle while mom jawbones on the cell phone and blocks what remains of the aisle. Block me again and shoot me another dirty look when I say "excuse me," and I'm going into ramming speed." Posted at 9:49 PM Central Time

Recipe: White Russian Cupcakes with Kahlua Whipped Cream Frosting
My sister sent me a weird recipe -- it actually uses the ingredients milk, eggs and vodka! Check it out: White Russian Cupcakes with Kahlua Whipped Cream Frosting. It comes from a recipe book called Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor. Thanks, Kathy! Posted at 7:59 AM Central Time