The Crazy Russian Hacker (previously at Neatorama) has some kitchen tips to help you out with Thanksgiving festivities. Never mind that none of it has much to do with traditional American Thanksgiving dishes. Just listening to him speak is entertaining to me!

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Seriously, the best way to get the rest of the honey off the spoon is to put the entire spoon in your mouth. I’ll have to try the lemon-rosemary-vanilla potpourri. For a winter holiday smell, I usually boil oranges, lemons, cinnamon, and cloves (or whatever combination of those I have). In other words, spice tea without the tea and sugar, but if it’s just for the smell, you can use fruit that’s past its prime. Oh my- did he put mashed potatoes in a muffin tin for an appetizer tray? Is that a Russian thing? -via Viral Viral Videos

Has someone ever told you they'd like to eat you all up? Have you then imagined what that might look like, only to picture that person chewing on your head?

Then you'll probably appreciate these portrait cookie cutters created by Etsy vendor Copypastry, they're custom made to look like you, or you and a loved one, or your pet...basically anyone you'd like to see people chewing on.

Copypastry makes each cookie cutter to order with a 3D printer, and a single portrait cutter costs about $50 before shipping from Hungary.

It's a really cute idea that would make a great project for someone with a 3D printer and a desire to devour themselves.

-Via Huffington Post

I'm thankful my mom taught me how to cook an entire Thanksgiving meal from scratch, and over the years I've volunteered to "do Thanksgiving" time and time again simply to gain experience.

And yet somehow I've been living, and cooking, with certain misconceptions about the meaty center of the Thanksgiving meal - the turkey.

Come Thanksgiving everybody trots out their favorite turkey related trivia, claiming you should rinse the bird before cooking it, and that white meat is healthier than dark and all that L-tryptophan makes them sleepy.

And then the budding animal expert begins talking about how turkeys can't fly, love to gobble and are so stupid they sometimes drown in the rain.

But this Thanksgiving you'll know better, and you can tell those sitting around your table that they've been chowing down on a plate full of LIES!

Read 10 Turkey Myths, Debunked at mental_floss

Sometimes momentous things happen over lunch, or a casual dinner, especially when the right minds meet for a meal.

1. FOSTERING THE FDA

American food in the late 19th century was not very safe for eating. Syrups contained morphine. Canned peas glowed neon green. Chemical additives like borax (now ant bait) and copper sulfate (now a pesticide) were common. Dr. Harvey Wiley wanted them off America’s tables, but every bill he introduced was killed by powerful food lobbies. So in 1902, Wiley hired 12 volunteers to eat meals laced with common additives. Called “the Poison Squad,” the men were paid with three doctored meals a day. The results spurred the country’s first food-regulation laws in 1906. As for Wiley? He became the father of the FDA.

2. A CAPITAL AFFAIR

(Image credit: Dinner Table Agreement by Jamocha101  on DeviantArt)

In June 1790, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton bumped into each other outside of George Washington’s New York City home. The two chatted and decided to have dinner sometime. But Jefferson had an agenda, extending an invitation to one of Hamilton’s rivals, James Madison. Madison had been fighting to relocate America’s capital to the Potomac River. Meanwhile, Hamilton wanted to transfer state debts into federal hands—a move that would establish America’s credit. The dinner triggered a historic compromise: The federal government assumed the state debts, and Washington, D.C., became America’s capital.

3. A SWEET ENDING

Mode has moved beyond fashions in its 100 Years series. Here we have a supposedly representative meal for every decade from 1915 to 2015. I don’t know how representative it can be of family dinners without a Big Mac and French fries.

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It starts out with a lovely dinner of roast beef and Franconia potatoes. Yum! But it quickly goes downhill from there. I thought the worst would be during the Great Depression or maybe World War II rationing, but no. It took until almost the end of the century for things to start looking up. -via Viral Viral Videos

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How much do you know about wine? You’re about to know a little more! Wine has an ancient history and is intertwined with many cultures. The mental_floss List Show has trivia about many different wines, from champagne to Two-Buck Chuck.  

(Photo: Tess Watson)

Although haggis may be found in the wild and hunted in Scotland and some parts of northern England, it is not native to the United States and attempts to introduce it have failed.

For those of us in the States who enjoy the refined taste of haggis, the 1971 federal ban on the importation of this Scottish delicacy has long been a source of frustration. But now the US is considering dropping the ban, provided that haggis manufacturers remove one essential ingredient from the dish: sheep lungs. The BBC reports on the saintly labors of the Scottish official Richard Lochhead:

The rural affairs secretary told the BBC: "Tens of millions of Americans want to enjoy Scotland's national dish. Now it may be that we'd have to tweak the recipe for haggis to get into the US market, because some of the ingredients - such as sheep lungs - have been banned since 1971.

"But I think our own producers here in Scotland are up for tweaking the recipe so that US customers can still get as close as possible to the real thing.

Perhaps we will finally see the end of this irrational Scotophobic prohibition.

-via Dave Barry

TV commercials in the 90s were made at the crossroads of cheesiness, with some stylistically stuck in the 80s and others blazing new trails by using 3D animation to make their brand feel more modern.

But there's one beloved TV commercial staple that was still going strong in the 90s, and is still used to this day- the mascot character.

The McDonald's corporation has one of the all time best mascots in Ronald McDonald, but by the 90s they were looking for someone fresh to sell the McDonald's dinner scene, a cutting edge character with old school cool.

And thus Mac Tonight was born, a moon faced crooner played by actor Doug Jones who shilled burgers by starlight and made Baby Boomers feel groovy about eating at McDonald's again.

(YouTube Link)

But Mac's rise wasn't as meteoric as you'd imagine, and the character hit a few snags on the way to becoming one of the biggest names in burger advertising.

Read Man in the Moon: How Mac Tonight Became The Burger King at mental_floss

Ready to clean your house a little but don't want to buy any new cleaning products? Well, chances are you can still do have all the things you need at home already -just head into your kitchen and grab some of the foods listed in our newest Homes and Hues article showing you how to use foods for other household purposes.

From nuts to condiments, it's amazing just how functional our everyday foods are. So if you're ready to get your house clean while making yourself a little snack, don't miss this great new Homes and Hues article: 9 Surprising Household Uses for Everyday Foods

Bacon cannoli: it's quite possibly the answer. The answer for bacon fiends, enthusiasts of classic desserts with inventive twists and lovers of sweet and savory combinations. Make an easy bacon "shell," stuff it with the riccotta cheese-based filling and liberally add the chocolate chips. 

Ready for the recipe? Head over to Thrillist. 

Via Foodiggity | Images: Cole Saladino/Thrillist

When people visit a Chipotle restaurant they expect to find mediocre quality Mexican food, middle of the road pricing and a mild atmosphere.

What they don't expect to find are sexual references printed on their soda cups, and when one mom discovered the words "Reproductive Sex" written on her kid's cup she had to share her discovery.

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The cup is part of Chipotle's "Cultivating Thought" author series, which is the fast food chain's way of "presenting the words and whimsy of thought-leaders, authors and comedians through unique, you’ll-only-find-them-here essays, each illustrated by a different artist."

So what's the "reproductive sex" on the cup all about? The illustration is based on a passage by author Anthony Doerr, which reads:

"Tattoo Earth's 4.5-billion-year timeline on your arm, shoulder to fingertip, and your upper arm will get nothing but geologic mayhem,"

"Life won't begin until your bicep ... Reproductive sex won't show up until your wristwatch."

So Chipotle is assuming customers will go to the "Culviating Thought" website and read these passages while they stare at the artwork on their cups, nice try Chipotle!

-Via Mashable

Wedding cakes are created to be tasteful looking and tasty, something lovely for guests to gawk at yet delicious enough for them to devour on the bride and groom's special day.

But when you want your guests to fear your marriage, and the end times it's ushering in, you should serve them a slice of this bloody zombie cake.

It takes guts to gnaw on this grisly mess of a cake, which was created by Cakes Cove bakery for their Zombie Horde event in Toronto, Canada, but rest assured- your guests will never forget eating a slice of this sickening cake!

-Via GeekTyrant

Even if you hate the costumes, the trick-or-treaters at your door and the spooky decor hanging everywhere chances are you still love Halloween candy.

Those fun size versions of our favorite candies are a Halloween tradition that just about everybody can get behind, and everybody has a personal favorite that they'll gladly munch by the bagful.

This "strictly scientific quiz" reveals What Your Favorite Halloween Candy Says About You, and it's about as accurate as your average horoscope, meaning most people will find it to be spot on!

My sugary drug of choice is the Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkin, meaning:

You're a free spirit. You march to the beat of whatever instrument you want to. You have a strong sense of self, and enjoy being around people who challenge you. You're in an artistic field, or you're a lawyer. You've thought about going Paleo once or twice, but decided it wasn't for you.

See What Your Favorite Halloween Candy Says About You here

(Photo: Gustavo Alvarez)

In 2009, Gustavo Alvarez (right) was serving time in Chino, California when a horrible race riot broke out. The black and Hispanic inmates were at each other's throats. To make peace, Alvarez said to the other men in his housing unit, "Gather up whatever food you have, and let’s feed these guys." Their hospitality paid off by diminishing some of the tension.

Alvarez was a grill cook in prison. After he got out, he wrote and published a cookbook filled with recipes from prisoners who have to improvise with ingredients and kitchen facilities. It's called Prison Ramen: Recipes and Stories from Behind Bars.

In a fascinating interview for the food blog First We Feast, Alvarez describes prison food culture:

Look at the patty. That's not just beef. Inside that cow meat you'll find whole Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

It's ingenious.

I'm embarrassed that I didn't think of this first. Then it would be me, not The Works in Kanata, Ontario, that would be acclaimed across the world as a fountain of brilliance. Now all of the glory rightfully belongs to this restaurant. Its Reese's PBC Burger also has onion strips, bacon, and even more Reese's Peanut Butter Cups mixed in. Each one costs $15.98 Canadian Dollars, which is about $12 USD.

-via That's Nerdalicious!