Happy Friday, everyone! Hopefully, by the time you’re reading this, you’re already enjoying your weekend (or at the very least, a few hours away from it). This week’s Flavor Buffet offers a funky variety of pieces that I found to be informative, very amusing, and a little helpful (I snuck in a recipe!).

Let’s go!

1. While I don’t mention it often, I find it somewhat difficult to fall asleep. I can easily doze off watching TV, sitting on the train, or on road trips, but falling asleep in my bed has proven tricky for a long time. This article has an amusing, but informative set of foods to avoid that may help you fall asleep faster. I’ll definitely be following these guidelines as best I can to get to dreamland more easily. 

2. The world of food writing is expansive and since the Internet isn’t getting any smaller, the volume of food-related text just keeps growing. Here’s a great set of food-article favorites from the staff at Food52. Of note, the one at the end of the list by. Caity Weaver was hilarious. I laughed out loud - multiple times! 

3. Despite my attempts to not include recipes on this list, I just couldn’t help myself with this one. Beautiful colors and ingredients I crave almost all of the time, this risotto looks like an awesome Sunday night dinner option that would easily offer leftovers during the week. Or! Have a few friends over and enjoy it together. A mealtime win either way! 

4. Are you a fan of holding books when reading? Or reading a screen online? While there’s a time and place for both, I firmly sit on the paper side when it comes to cookbooks (Insta inspiration aside). So when I found this article about 13 bookstores around the world devoted solely to cookbooks, I almost fell off of my chair. There are a few nearby in New England (including Boston!) as well as in prominent spots worldwide. My new goal? Go to every single one. ;) 

5. My passion for spicy food is at level medium-ish and the concept of crazy-hot hot sauce is a bit intimidating. However, there are plenty of people out there who adore the heat and for that reason there was a Hot Sauce Expo in New York recently. The options varied from “mild to wild,” and this writer gave his top ten choices from ultra-beginner to bravest-of-them-all. 😮

Bonus!  

Growing up in New England, and spending time in Maine during the summer, deemed seafood to be very important to me. A shellfish allergy terrifies me! Plus, if I could no longer eat shrimp, lobster, or crab, I’d be pretty sad (and crabby). Check out this “Food Crawl,” that guides you along the Boston Seaport District for a seafood afternoon with some fun restaurants included. Sea you there! ;)

Have a joyous weekend. 

Eat, well.  😎

GFMD