Unlike the Double Stuf, the Triple Double is designed more like a typical double cheeseburger, with the black cookie separating each level of “stuf” or cream.  The kicker?  The top layer is the typical white cream while the bottom layer is chocolate cream.  Parents, don’t forget about those fruits and vegetables, and make sure your kids exercise regularly, but when it’s time for a little dessert and the kids are demanding those “big Oreos” or “chocolate vanilla Oreos,” now you’ll know what they’re talking about, and I won’t tell if you take one for yourself.

Read on:

ChicagoTribune.com – Kraft launches the Triple Double Oreo

KraftRecipes.com – Triple Double OREO Tartufo recipe

If you’re not a coffee drinker, those are the cups you see in stores and trendy friends’ homes that look like large versions of half-and-half cups with a foil top.  You put one into a machine, and seconds later, fresh coffee pours out.  Ever wonder how the water flows through the little cup when the cup seems almost entirely intact after brewing?  The video below shows the basics, and it involves a hole in the top, a hole in the bottom, and what many might not know – a mini filter INSIDE the cup that houses the coffee grounds.

Anyone who has ever placed an empty mug under a Keurig machine knew how it worked on the outside – press a button and watch the magic coffee appear.  Now you know a little about how it works on the inside.

Read on:

Quick-cupcoffee.com – How Do K-Cups Work?

SingleCupCoffee411.com – Keurig K Cups… Whats all the fuss about?

(image above from oncoffeemakers.com)

Yesterday's news?

After your next intense workout, instead of grabbing your usual energy drink, consider reaching for… coconut water! Apparently since the mid-2000s, three major coconut water manufacturers have contributed significantly to the coconut water craze: Vita Coco, O.N.E., and ZICO. Vita Coco boasts backing from such celebrities as: Madonna, Matthew McConaughey, and Demi Moore.  PepsiCo is invested in O.N.E.  And in recent news, ZICO will be the sole coconut water to be sold at Target stores nationwide (effective Feb, 2011). ¹

Why is coconut water being touted as ‘nature’s Gatorade’?

“Coconut water has 15 times the electrolytes found in most sports drinks. And it’s a natural food, not a man-made product like a sports drink. Most sports drinks have a lot of added sugars like high fructose corn syrup, preservatives and artificial coloring. But plain coconut water contains naturally occurring sugar and minimal (if any) other ingredients. It’s also much lower in calories.” ²

What is coconut water?

Coconut water is the clear liquid from a green coconut. (Note: this is different from coconut milk, which is made from the white pulp inside mature coconuts).

What can be found in an eight-ounce serving of coconut water?

• 45 calories (zero from fat or cholesterol)
• 10-25 grams of sugar per serving (less than most fruit juices)
• Five essential electrolytes:

1. Sodium: 40 mg
2. Magnesium
3. Calcium
4. Potassium: 600 mg–over 2x’s the amount found in one banana
5. Phosphorous

Read on:

http://caloriecount.about.com/coconut-water-new-health-food-b484153

http://www.solomonstarnews.com/news/national/4847-coconut-water-the-new-coke-

Read on:

USAToday.com – Video: Punxsutawney Phil ‘sees’ early spring

Make room for #13!

Singles and the bar scene just got a lot more confusing.  “What’s your sign?,” the saddest pickup line in the history of mankind, suddenly doesn’t have a clear answer.  In short, for many of you, you aren’t who you thought you were.  According to astronomers, recent news came out that because the Earth is in a much different position to the Sun, the astrological signs we followed for centuries are… wrong.  Simply, “the Earth’s wobble on its axis has created a one-month bump in the alignment of the stars” according to astronomer Parke Kunkle.¹

Throwing another wrench into fortune tellers who use the stars and your sign, an old friend is back named Ophiuchus.  It seems that the Babylonians only wanted 12 signs in their Zodiac calendar², so they just set Ophiuchus aside and reworked the dates of the other signs to accommodate.  Hardly scientific.  For the record, everything I have researched indicates that Ophiuchus is pronounced “Oh-FEE-uh-cuhs,” but if anyone has a different pronunciation with solid documentation, post it in the comments.

The updated Zodiac calendar is listed below:

• Capricorn – Jan 20 to Feb 16
• Aquarius – Feb 16 to Mar 11
• Pisces – Mar 11 to Apr 18
• Aries – Apr 18 to May 13
• Taurus – May 13 to Jun 21
• Gemini – Jun 21 to Jul 20
• Cancer – Jul 20 to Aug 10
• Leo – Aug 10 to Sep 16
• Virgo – Sep 16 to Oct 30
• Libra – Oct 30 to Nov 23
• Scorpius – Nov 23 to Nov 29
• Ophiuchus – Nov 29 to Dec 17
• Sagittarius – Dec 17 to Jan 20

You might notice some overlap on the dates.  According to LiveScience.com, the dates can vary slightly each year, so this gives everyone a little leeway in case you’re a “cusper” and don’t like your sign.³

One last note: astronomer Parke Kunkle is getting a lot of press and has sometimes been misrepresented as being the one who did the research on this, but Kunkle makes it very clear that he simply looked at centuries-old data and commented to LiveScience.  In fact, a little research reveals that LiveScience.com wrote an article on this very topic way back in 2007, but for some reason, Kunkle’s recent comments have made this triviality the most talked about subject since K$sha’s latest single.

Click Here for a FREE numerology reading!

Read on:

SignCompatibilityHoroscope.com (kind of negates the entire premise of this site now)

Often used to showcase clothing (however not limited to)¹, the term “trunk show” was coined because “traditionally the clothes were transported from the designer’s studio to the store in giant, strapped trunks.” ²

Wiki defines “trunk show” as follows:

“A special sale in which vendors present merchandise directly to store personnel or select customers at a retail location or another unique venue.” ³

Who benefits from trunk shows?

• Potential customers have the opportunity to view and purchase the newest designs before they become available to the general public, oftentimes meet the designer, and order items custom-fitted (which can end up costing less than off-the-rack pricing).
• Vendors (i.e. boutique shops or divisions of department stores) can learn which items are ‘hot’ before placing mass orders, as well as sell items that aren’t part of their regular stock (since it’s typically not feasible for a vendor to purchase a designer’s entire line).
• Designers have the chance to showcase their entire line and get real-time feedback from their customer base–find out what consumers like most, hear what they are doing right…or wrong.  With pre-season trunk shows, they are able to pull items (pre-production) that didn’t receive a positive response.

Join WSJwine Club and Have 12 World-Class Reds Delivered Direct To Your Door w/ $120 Savings
Read on:

WiseGeek.com – What is a trunk show?

(image via CeoCoolEclecticOriginal.com)

“Auld lang syne” literally translates to “old long since” but more reasonably translates to something more like “times gone by.”¹ The language is Scottish thanks to its origin from a Scottish poem from the 18th century.²

And now for the lyrics, in case you are sober enough to want to sing them correctly:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne ?

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

There are a couple more verses, but if it gets to that point, just sing the first one again: believe me, no one will notice.  Happy New Year to all of our loyal readers from DinnerTopics.com!!

Read on:

AOLNews.com – What the Heck Is a Lang Syne Anyway? A Brief History of the New Year’s Eve Standard

Wikimedia Commons – sheet music for Auld Lang Syne