Our Getaway In Beautiful Downtown Newton

by Kevin Burton    “There are no boring towns, just boring people,” said my first editor. Not all his nuggets were golden. That one was, and is.    My wife Jeannette and I are not boring people Thus we were in no danger of being bored, though we made the curious choice of Newton, Kansas …

Quibbles And Bits: B-Side Fortune Cookies

by Kevin Burton    I list these songs below, and chances are you’ll pick up right away where I am going with them:    “Laughing” and “Undun” by the Guess Who, “It’s Too Late” and  “I Feel The Earth Move” by Carole King  “Who’ll Stop The Rain” and  “Travelling Band” by Credence Clearwater Revival, “Something” …

Bet You Didn’t Eat These Things Yesterday

by Kevin Burton    You’re not even tired of turkey yet, as Thanksgiving was just yesterday.    Unfortunately for most of us the holiday is more of an annual “couldn’t eat another bite” day than a day of Thanksgiving to God.    Well here’s a list from Dictionary Scoop that may inspire you to wake …

Talking Turkey And Thanksgiving Terms

by Dictionary Scoop     Thanksgiving is more than just turkey, family gatherings, and football games; it’s a time stuffed with unique words that make perfect sense in the spirit of the season.    The holiday’s vocabulary is as rich as the meal itself. Join us as we explore ten Thanksgiving-related words that carry meanings, histories, and fun trivia. 1-Bounty: …

Bags Of Glory, Crumbs Of Memories, Change

by Kevin Burton    There are many ways to illustrate how a person can change and change profoundly over the years, but I can sum it up in two words.    Stale Doritos.    I was amazed recently to have to admit the truth. The spicy nacho Doritos in our pantry had expired…on my watch! …

Mixed Up In The Mayhem Of Miscellany

by Kevin Burton    You have a drawer like this, admit it.    It’s that drawer where you keep things, small things. They will be useful, you swear, and you don’t dare throw them away. Twist ties, bolts, rubber bands.    That drawer is a physical category for the uncategorizable.    You may even have …

“Door Dash For Good” Helps Feed The Hungry

By Kevin Burton     The first of our two Good News Network stories today means food for the hungry in Pittsburgh and food for thought for the rest of us.    I have often thought a country that produces food on the scale of the United States should have no hungry people. Yes it would …

Get Rid Of Old, Damaged Plastic Utensils

by Ally Hirschlag and Martha Henriques BBC                         (Part 2 of 2)    Microplastics gush out of our taps and flake off cookware. They find their way into the yolks of eggs, and deep into meat and vegetables. But if we take certain steps, we can eat less of them. Kitchen utensils     The starting …

Without Knowing It, You Eat A Lot Of Plastic

by Ally Hirschlag and Martha Henriques BBC                         (Part 1 of 2)    You can’t see them, but they are there, hundreds of miniscule particles of plastic lurking in your steak. As it cooks in a hot pan, these unwelcome guests liquify, oozing into the meat before solidifying again as it cools down on your …

Turns Out My Wife Was Right All Along

by Kevin Burton    In yesterday’s food-safety post we learned that poultry that is green or has secretions should be thrown away immediately.    This is the sort of cutting-edge consumer lightning bolt that makes me proud and happy that I started a blog some years ago.    And today we’re still on the job …