In the process of working on Be Thrifty, I came across creative uses for all kinds of food bits that might otherwise be tossed (cheese nubbins, celery orphans, stale pita). You’ll have to buy the book to get the full story on those, but here’s a freebie. I recently baked a cake and then shaved pieces off of it so it would be a perfect rectangle, and was left with a heaping plate of chocolate cake parts. The thrifty Brits are a good always a good place to turn, so I thought I’d make an English trifle, with layers of cake, whipped cream and berries. But then, I realized, I’d have to eat it all at once. I have no dinner parties on the horizon, and didn’t want to basically force myself to eat an entire chocolate trifle, so that idea was nixed. The solution (as with most dilemmas) was ice cream. I had a partially eaten carton of vanilla ice cream, which I softened slightly and then mashed up with the cake bits. (If I had had peanut butter chips or caramel on hand, I would’ve added them, too.) I refroze the treat, and dug in. This is also a great way to use cookies or brownies that are going stale–the ice cream softens them up, and they freeze to a nice chewiness. There you have it–the cheapest ice cream flavor (vanilla) transformed into a Ben & Jerry’s worthy frozen showstopper.

As I posted before, the tragic loss of Gulf fisheries (one-third destroyed so far, probably for years to come) means the loss of some of the most sustainable seafood we have access to. However, that means two-thirds are still open, and in serious need of customers! Remember, this is shrimp and shellfish listed as “good choices” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, and which is being closely inspected for any trace of oil contamination. To find out which fishes to seek out, and jumpstart your craving for Gulf seafood, check out this southern-fried slideshow on Grist.

If you felt as inspired and tantalized by the National Agricultural Library’s “Beans are Bullets” war-era posters exhibit as I did, you may have also come to the same greedy conclusion: I want one. Well, lucky us. Because while we are at war, we are anything but materially deprived, the miracle of the Internet has delivered a wealth of WPA poster reproductions for our enjoyment and purchase. These magnificent displays of graphic design will make you feel heroic for planting a row of lettuce, not to mention canning a jar of tomatoes (Si Se Puede!), or baking a pan of cornbread (you GO!). Nothing brings out the patriot in me like good design and the pioneer spirit.

The grand finale to the Cochon 555 2010 tour–”10 Chefs, 10 Pigs, 1 Crown.”

What: From the Chocon 555 website: “Chefs will each prepare dishes from a whole heritage breed pig in this ‘head to toe” competition. Together, we honor the entire animal and its history by utilizing each pig in its entirety. As a result, the competition promotes heritage pigs and breed diversity in the culinary community. Guests will announce a winner based on Overall Best Flavor while professional judges will determine a winner based on utilization, presentation and overall best flavor. The winner of Grand Cochon will be honored as the 2010 “King or Queen of Porc”.

When: Sunday, June 20, 3:30 p.m.

Where: Hotel Jerome 330 East Main Street Aspen, CO

Tickets are $125/$175 VIP. Go here to purchase.