Just skip the damn brunch.

First, I should say I am not a mother. To the best of my knowledge, I have not sired any children. No one asks me to sign permission slips or make them lunch or take them to T-ball practice.

Some may claim then that I have no way of knowing when and what moms want to eat on Mother's Day. Fair enough. But that doesn't mean I can't point out the utter lunacy in the misguided cultural practice of designating brunch as the celebratory meal for moms.

I am sure there are many mothers who love brunch. If their deepest desire on Mother's Day is to be treated to a multi-course 11:30 a.m. repast of omelets and crepes, that's terrific. There's no shortage of venues offering said opportunity.

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is this really necessary?

In high school and in college, I consistently volunteered my time at hospitals, food banks, shelters and, one summer, even overseas teaching English to six-year-olds in northern India. Yes, my motivation stemmed in part from the fact that such activities looked good on medical school applications, but I also liked to think I was, you know, doing something to help. I led a relatively charmed life but was keenly aware (thanks to my socially conscious parents) that many others did not.

Ten years later, I'm ashamed to say I've become lazy. Not complacent, just lazy. Volunteering is forever on my to-do list, but work and school and life always seem to get in the way (or I let them). There are many ways in which I assuage my guilt over this perpetual inaction on my part and one of them is to go food shopping.

Yes, indeed, I buy out my shame. And I bet you sometimes do, too.

I'm talking about consumer activism -- that is, the assertion of charity affiliations, political beliefs and social cause sympathies through purchase choices.

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Photo by SodexoUSA

This weekend, I'll be attending the 3rd Annual Friendster. While it may sound like the name of a defunct social network, it's actually an Easter potluck with my degenerate group of friends. Last year's bounty was quite interesting -- from my homemade spinach bread and raspberry French macarons to a bag of McGangBangs. Yes, you read that correctly.

This year, I'll be making one of my family's favorite Easter treats: spanakopita and tiropita, or Greek spinach and cheese pies.

Layers of crisp, buttery phyllo dough are filled with garlic-studded spinach and tangy feta cheese, or creamy ricotta, crumbled feta and eggs. These pastries make the perfect springtime treat and are super easy to make for a crowd.

Here's how:

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Whether it's for legal purposes, local recognition or because pancakes are just damn tasty-sounding, check out these brands that may have a different name depending on where you find them:

Do you recognize this mayo?

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Photo courtesy of fotocommunity.com

January 9 is National Apricot Day.

As you might have guessed from my nostalgic post about New Year's traditions, I'm on a bit of a Polish kick. I put Kraków on my 2013 travel wish list (key word "wish") and I have started experimenting with Polish cuisine. (My husband, incidentally, is obsessed with cooking Korean food right now, so let's see what wins out, kielbasa or kimchi.)

Given that January 9 is National Apricot Day, it seemed especially fitting to try my hand at kolaczki. These wonderful little pastry-cookies can be filled with a number of different jellied fruits (prunes, raspberries), but my favorite are stuffed with apricot jam. A band of little old ladies used to make huge batches for my maternal grandmother and she always sent us back home with dozens extra. And though generous with their cookies, the little old ladies were rather secretive about their recipes, so I had to look to the interwebs for instructions. Thank God for sarcasticcooking.com. The recipe, somewhat modified, after the jump:

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Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

Makowiec (Poppy Seed Roll).

Don't be fooled by my mick-tastic name; I'm actually a quarter Polish (and damn proud of it!).

Growing up I spent a significant amount of the winter holidays stuffing my face with my nanny's terrific onion pierogi. The fact that we never stayed with my grandparents through the first of January was always a slight secret disappointment to me since Nanny's tales of Polish New Year traditions were very intriguing, to say the least.

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Cavemen everywhere are outraged by the Paleo diet.

From eating like cavemen to redneck sketti, we're taking a look back at some of the biggest food happenings of 2012.

12. Singapore Serves Mashed Potatoes...From A Vending Machine?

The internet was abuzz when a photo of a mashed potato vending machine surfaced. Eventually, the viral picture was traced to a 7-Eleven in Singapore, where a rep confirms the Maggi-based machines are "quite popular." For just $1, you can get a healthy squirt of instant mashed potatoes and some questionable-looking chicken gravy.

We're all in.

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Scene: KFC International Food Testing HQ

"So what you're telling me, Colonel, is that I can only get these creamy, delicious, bacon and herb stuffed taters...when I go to Japan? Japan!! Is that what you're telling me!??!

Cue sound effects: multiple explosions followed by a quick sword fight and the screech of a vehicle.

A masked girl in black leaves the HQ on a moped. Colonel Sanders is tied up on the back.

Cue montage of masked girl traveling the world on her moped, kidnapping fast food chain mascots using only her incredible intelligence and a sword. Note: montage set to the tune of Knight Rider theme song.

End scene.

To All Major Fast Food Restaurant Chains Around the World:

We have taken your precious clowns, kings and freckly, redheaded mascots hostage. Give us what we want, and we will return them to you unharmed.

The Ransom: Your Greatest International Menu Items.

The following are our terms:

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Ever come up with an innovative, couldn't be more perfect, fan-freaking-tastic idea, only to discover someone's already come up with it? Well, this is the complete opposite...

You see, in these cases, we can't seem to wrap our heads around the fact that these items exist...like, in real life. It truly hurts to think that while our Sprinklee-Doo (patent pending) Multi-flavored Sprinkle Dispenser has yet to hit the market, someone out there is making bank off of a foie gras-flavored gum. Oh, the agony!

Check out these 6 Food-Related Products We Can't Believe Actually Exist:

See Also:
- Top 5 Cheap Bottles of Booze
- Top 5 Ramen Hacks
- Top 5 Coffee Hacks

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Katharine Shilcutt

A new study conducted by Stanford University researchers suggests that organic food may not be as nutritious as many believe it to be.

A recently released Stanford University study, which reviewed and analyzed more than 200 previously conducted studies comparing the health effects of organic and conventional foods, suggests that organic food may not be a shining star in the department of nutritional value. The study's findings, in a nutshell: There is little difference between the health benefits of organic and non-organic foods -- organic foods are not necessarily more nutritious, and they don't necessarily carry fewer health risks than conventional alternatives. Additionally, although organic produce has a 30 percent lower risk of pesticide contamination than conventional fruits and vegetables, organic foods are not necessarily 100 percent free of pesticides.

Yikes. That's a lot to take in. For years now, organic food has been surrounded by a golden halo that makes it shine brighter than all other categories of food. Within hours of the release of Stanford University's study, both media and consumers alike were abuzz on this hot topic -- could it really be that organic products, which often cost two to three times more than their conventionally grown counterparts, fall so short?

It really depends on how you look at it.

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