One of my favorite guilty pleasures in life is jerkey, from Beef, to Turkey, to fish. They are a must on any car trip (I occasionally take to upstate) along with chips, fried food and ice cream - it’s not a car trip if you don’t have jerkey. So I was pleasantly surprised when the owners of Jerky.com askd me to try their popular pineapple Jerky, at first I was a bit taken back but I can’t turn down anything free or Jerky.

Skeptical at first, but once I opened up a package the car filled with sweet tropical bouquet, my senses opened up my mouth was watering. You don’t need to take big bites, a little goes a long way just like protein jerky. The intense flavors of freshly cut pineapple perfectly ripen with a hint of honey busts into your mouth and it only gets better with every bite.
 
Anything that makes me think I’m in Hawaii gets a huge thumb up,  Surfs up dudes!   

The very cool people at Jerky.com give away free jerky if you register to win, you can find that on their home page www.jerky.com

To order some Tropical Jerky:

http://www.jerky.com/PINEAPPLE

Also
They gave me 4 sample packages to giveaway, so CheapAssFood.com will give them out to the wackiest, and Cheapest dudes out there. Send your craziest pictures, or lyrics or pros to hyunyoungjung@gmail.com

 

Use any cheap plastic to build your designer lampshade!

One simple cut-out shape lets you build all sorts of different designer-looking lampshades! You can make dozens different geometric forms using various numbers of the cut-out shape made from paper or plastic. All the standard mathematical polyhedrons and such are possible.

The pieces just fold together by hand into rigid forms, and you can take them apart and build into new shapes any time!

this is fun and educational for kids and adults alike, and you get a really nice lampshade when you are done.

 F o rg e t   C o s t c o ,   o r   T J ' s ,   c h e c k   o u t

9 9   C e n t s   U p   &   B e l o w   D e a l s, l o c a t e d   a t , 9 - 1 6   M a i n   A v e , A s t o r i a ,   N Y   1 1 1 0 2 .  W i t h   o v e r   1 5 0 , 0 0 0   i t e m s   o f   9 9   c e n t s   &   u p   i n   a   7 , 5 0 0   s q .   f o o t   a i r - c o n d i t i o n e d   s t o r e   s t o c k   f u l l   o f     f r o z e n ,   c a n n e d   f o o d ,    p a r t y   &   g i f t   i t e m s ,   f o a m   c u p s ,   p l a t e s ,    &   m u c h   m u c h   m o r e. Can’t beat the deals for the holidays!

•  USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline
(888) 674-6854 from 10a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. Closed weekends and holidays, except Thanksgiving. Special hours of operation on Thanksgiving are 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time.

On the Cheap!
Pay $24  and Spitzer's Corner chef de cuisine Sung Park will hand you some turkey breast, stuffing, “the usual fixins & bacon,” maple glazed yams, muscles from Brussels sprouts—with cranberries and walnuts, plus a slice of pumpkin pie. Warm spiced rum punch will hit you when you walk through the door. Walk-ins welcome; reservations recommended. Dinner from 3 p.m. onward.
Spitzer’s Corner // 101 Rivington Street // (212) 228-0027

Alloro celebrates Thanksgiving by cooking a turkey and pumpkin-based feast from 1:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The menu consists of turkey meatballs, Italian-style, in veal sauce sprinkled with fried sage, pumpkin ravioli with parmesan and red wine caramel, and pumpkin tiramisu in peach sauce for dessert. Keeping true to the rustic pumpkinpalooza at hand, Alloro’s main course is prune-stuffed turkey with pumpkin sauce, served with an eggplant/chocolate tart and licorice powder.
Alloro // 307 East 77th Street // (212) 535.2866

 

Flying Solo (With A Piece of Chicken Riding Shotgun)
When it’s Thanksgiving at A Piece of Chicken, $10 gets you a veritable party in a compact takeout bag, consisting of turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, apple-raisin-coconut stuffing, yams, mac and cheese, string beans, collard greens, roasted turnips, and banana pudding. 
A Piece of Chicken // 362 West 45th Street // (212) 582-5973

 

The Late Night Lebanese Spectacular Thanksgiving
From 4 p.m. all the way to 1 a.m.The $35 a head price tag also comes with fattoush, hummus, baba ghannouj, baklava, and a nice spot of Arabic coffee or Moroccan tea to finish. 
Al Diwan // 210 Avenue A // (212) 375.1300

 

 Gothamist.com 

Fashion for Action is sample sale featuring more then a million dollars in designer merchandise at 50-70% off, open to the public November 14-16 at the Chelsea Thrift Shop, 143 West 17th street.

This year’s benefit is hosted by Marc Jacobs and with his help we hope to raise more then $500,000 for homeless people living with HIV and AIDS in New York City

Do you have what it takes to become the next Food Network Star, maybe you had always dreamed of becoming the next Rachel Ray ( I know I have, yes it is a little kept secret, but I do enjoy a little Ray of Sunshine in the morning with my cup of joe). So here is the deal Food Network is looking for you to be their next Rachel Ray or Bobby Flay, the 5th season is holding   auditions in these cities, take a look.
     

New York, NY (sorry, a little too late for you New Yorkers)

Monday, October 6, 2008 from 11AM-3PM
Sutton Place
1015 Second Avenue, New York NY 10022 (btw. 53rd and 54th; map)

Los Angeles, CA

Wednesday, October 15, 2008 from 10AM-3PM
The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California
2900 31st Street, Santa Monica CA 90405 (map)

Charleston, SC

Thursday, October 23, 2008 from 10AM-3PM
The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Charleston
24 North Market Street, Charleston SC 29401 (map)

Portland, OR

Thursday, October 23, 2008 from 10AM-3PM
Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront
1401 SW Naito Parkway, Portland OR 97201 (map)

Philadelphia, PA

Wednesday, October 29, 2008 from 10AM-3PM
Embassy Suites Center City Philadelphia
1776 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia PA 19107 (map)

 

If you can not make the taping you can send in your tapes/dvd, for more info go to http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/the-next-food-network-star

So Time Out NY has decided to become a matchmaker for all young and hip food artisans, who are looking for love in the Big Apple. I know Mr Ong is desperately seeking a man, but if I had the chance to take a swing at his pitch, I'd eat him up like a fat kid eats cake. Even, if he’s not batting for the same team who wouldn’t want to have a top-notch pastry chef in their bed. If you are single male seeking other hot males who can cook, check out Pichet Ong ,39, he is a proclaimed, “self-taught pastry chef utilizing his childhood and professional culinary experiences, as well as his background in architecture and design…”

Creating delicious, innovative desserts that are visually appealing and whimsical are just for starters, who know what will end up as the entrees.   

Here are some of Mr Ong’s highlights as it reads in Time Out NY,  

PICHET ONG, 39
Chef-owner, Batch, P*ONG; partner, Manhattan Milk
Seeking men
What Ong’s food says about him: “Nearly every dish I have starts off with a zest, a saltiness or bitterness at first and then has a sweet finish. That’s also reflected in my personality: I’m a sweet person, but I’m not saccharine.”
Seeking: “I’d like to meet someone who is dynamic and accomplished. I work a lot, so I’d like someone who can provide me with an escape.”
tonysingles.pichet@gmail.com

To see more check out Time Out NY, who know maybe you’ll find your true luv.

As reported by newyork.seriouseats.com Trader Joe’s is finally here, some have been waiting years for this arrival, while others not so much. But as a true die-hard TJ's fan I can attest for all those crazies (you know the ones who wait in the long lines.. mmm some times 20min +). Once you understand the true value  and quality of TJ's, you’ll become one of us, hording all the frozen mangos, and the salted roasted almonds. 

The Brooklyn TJ's is located at the old Independence Bank at Atlantic Avenue and Court Street, all decked out in their Caribbean-themed décor.

"This is by far the least claustrophobic Trader Joe's I have ever visited. Tall ceilings, wide freezer section aisles, and hardly any head-on shopping cart collisions. Though the check-out line looked scary, a crewmember was dutifully holding up her "end of the line" sign, reminding shoppers that 18 cashiers were on duty. A quick, painless process—and one that involved snacks."  reported Erin Zimmer
 

Celebrating their 4th year NYC Shorts Films is showcasing provocative and entertaining short films from around the world. Screening at the landmark Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space in New York City, film makers such as Ben Hakim’s is showing The Elevator, in which two strangers—a man and woman—get stuck together for 23 minutes and are changed for life. The Confession, by Thomas Hefferon is about a young man who tries to profess his sins to a priest who’d rather chitchat about the local ladies. To find out more about the film makers and the festivals check out this link.   nycshorts.com

 September 19-20, 2008