Saturday Snacks: Links from Around the Web

In case you missed some of the food finds and culinary happenings around the web this week, here is a round up of some of the news that made my eyebrows raise, recipes that made my mouth water and kitchen gadgets that I’m coveting.

The Perfect Pantry’s Market to Pantry: If you’re not already following along with food writer Lydia Walshin as she peeks into other people’s pantries on Saturday mornings, you’ll get a real kick out of her latest foray: into other people’s markets. Every other Saturday you can take a look at markets around the country and see where people in different parts of the country buy their food. In between, Lydia shares great recipes that she creates from simple pantry ingredients.

KitchenAid Pasta Excellence Kit: I’ve only made fresh pasta a handful of times but whenever I do I’m left wondering why I even bother with boxed spaghetti in the first place. I have a treasured KitchenAid stand mixer with prominent placement on my counter and what do I have my eye on next? The set comes with several pasta making attachcments that let you create homemade spaghetti, fettuccine, ravioli and more – talk about delizioso.

A Fruit Pie Crust with a Crunch: For me, pies in the summer are even better than pies around the holiday dinner table. Fat, sour cherries and round, juicy blueberries make for better pie fillings that mincemeat and pumpkin, in my ever so humble opinion. It turns out, Melissa Clark from the New York Times shares my love for sweet fruit pies – and hers have a crunchy twice-baked crust that is not to be missed. The next person who invites me to a party just might be getting one these.

Eatocracy: A new food blog from CNN.com and former AOL food editor Kat Kinsman launched this week to feed readers food news, trends and tip nationwide. Between recipes, local food features and a daily “5@5″ food list from chefs, writers, political pundits, actors and more, I’ll be coming back for seconds…and thirds.

VitaCoco: This summer I can’t seem to get enough coconut water. It’s low-calorie and offers the same hydration benefits as plain H20, plus it delivers some nutrition and healthful benefits. Coconut water contains high levels of lauric acid, which helps the body fight disease and boosts the immune system. Plus, it comes in a variety of tropical flavors that will make you feel as though you’re on an island – instead of the carpool lane or a city bus.

(Photo Credit: VitaCoco.com)