Kate Crowley

The completed herb pot in action. You can make this in your backyard in under an hour. (Minus the chip on the left.)

One trip to the Desert Botanical Garden bookstore and you'll be full of ideas for your own garden. Some are practical and others require winning the lottery or moving. Luckily, they carry Concrete Garden Projects by Malin Nilsson and Camilla Arvidsson, a book that not only serves as inspiration via beautiful photos but also provides easy-to-follow DIY instructions on how to make everything from small pots for plants to a concrete barbecue.

You're thinking, concrete? First thing, concrete is pretty sturdy, and if you've ever had your favorite pot weathered by the Arizona sun, you'll soon realize that concrete is a great choice. Concrete also is very easy to work with, and nearly anything can be made into a mold for concrete. Once finished, your plant and its greenery will create contrast with the gray concrete and just looks cool.

See also:
- Boho Farm and Home's Caroline Van Slyke Offers Tips on Gardening in Phoenix
- How To Make the Best Mint Julep, Ever

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Yummy? photo by Kate Crowley

Yummier. Photo via Facebook

See also: Camelback Inn Cooks Healthy with the Chia Pet., and Turn a Little Head Into Dessert.

Earlier this week we brought you our position on a number of energy bars. Today we turn to seeds. If you've been to any health-food market lately you've probably noticed foods you're familiar with (like peanut butter) have added some new ingredients-- chia seeds and flax seeds. Both of these seeds have health benefits, but how best to eat them? That can be tricky. Tricky and tasty...or not so tasty. Let's break this down.

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Via bleacherreport.com

See what you should eat to be a champion. Wait, what?!

See also: Seven Summer Olympic Sports That, Yes, Really Are Olympic Sports

With the 2012 London games fast approaching, we here at Chow Bella are tirelessly trying to find ways to make gluttony an Olympic sport. And while we know that may take some time to pass over the Olympic committee, we figured the next logical step would be to highlight the 5 ways to eat like an Olympian.

You're probably guessing that after the jump you'll find 5 different types of fruits, vegetables, grains, and other assorted healthy options. Maybe a protein bar or two.

But think again, fellow gluttons.

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​One of the my favorite things about Pinterest is all the crazy stuff you find on it.  I like that you don't have to go out of your way to look for it, it's just always there.  But this is also one of the things I don't like about Pinterest.  Because I tend to be drawn to the most outrageous things, like making cookie dough dip from garbanzo beans or homemade American/Government cheese.  I don't even like American cheese!  I haven't had the stuff in years.  And I'm not exaggerating either.  

When I first came across the pin, the descriptor read "How to make your own Velveeta without all the gross chemicals."  Hmmm?  Can that actually be done? I was immediately intrigued. More »

​If you're on Pinterest you've probably seen the Heart Cake. It's a white four-layer cake with a red heart baked into the center originally found here. I've never been crazy about Valentine's Day. I'm not a girly-girl, I don't care too much for pink or hearts, and yet - there's something about this holiday that makes me want to get my crafty on. In fact, I have a whole Pinterest board called "Crafty Valentine." Why all the Pinterest talk? Well, because I'm addicted. And until this blog, it was a problem. Now, it's research. More »

​It's that time of year again: Time to navigate the thorny realm of holidays with the relatives. There are many ways to cope with the dread of sitting around the dining room table for hours, but there's nothing quite like a stiff drink to help ease the uncomfortable conversations about work, children, and especially politics.

Some of our favorite drinks include good old fashioned eggnog. If you need a recipe, check out Richie Moe's eggnog.

Then of course there's beer. Who doesn't like beer? And breweries are rolling out all kinds of great holiday editions like SunUp's The Nut Before Christmas.

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Jamie Peachey

​Nothing says Labor Day and the last gasps of summer quite like a good dose of fruit -- and liquor.

In a last-ditch effort to cool off and wholeheartedly prepare for the weekend, we vaguely recalled times spent in the dorms with watermelons, funnels, and spigots ... and decided to smarten up the process (if only a little).

After hours of drilling, pouring, soaking, and tasting, we present a spiked-fruit party recommendation in a three-step, five-item combination that's a guaranteed good time.

Step One: Gathering Materials
First, you need booze. Most fruits (and vegetables) can be successfully paired with cheap vodkas, rums, and tequilas. No sense in splurging on the good stuff -- this alcohol will soak right into the fruit and lose that plastic-bottle flavor in no time.


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Courtesy David Wells

David Wells setting up his beloved solar oven.

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This week we're taking a (hot) look at solar cooking. Today: a conversation with David Wells of the Great Solar Cookout.​

Solar cooking has intrigued Arizona State University political science Professor David Wells for years. He is interested in all things sustainable, going so far as to bike to work whenever possible, even during Arizona's hellish summers.

As he sees it, cooking with the sun is a "natural match" for Arizona and is challenging as it is fun. (Then again, this is a guy who bikes to work in the summer in Phoenix.)

Wells indulged his curiosity when he spotted a 'sport' solar oven on craigslist.

That was a year and a half ago. Since then, Wells has purchased several new cookers, built and experimented with several of his own designs and perhaps most impressively, helped organize the Great Solar Cookout for his birthday. For my birthday I ate at Nobuo; my former professor staged an event to promote sustainable solar cooking. Apparently, he is serious about this solar cooking thing.

So what went wrong with my solar cookies? Find out after the jump.

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Ando Muneno

Sun burned cookies from the dashdboard oven

​ Phoenix might be hurting for a great many things but sunshine is not one of them. To out-of-state friends I describe the heat as, "Like standing in-front of an open oven... forever."

So why not put that oven to good use? My car certainly feels like an oven when I hop into it in the afternoon and I've known people who use oven mitts to drive. After some research and a quick consultation with a local solar cooking enthusiast I came up with a quick supply list for my first foray into solar cooking:

1. Well-loved baking sheet, the darker the better.
2. Cookie dough. I went with store bought for consistency.
3. Plastic wrap.
4. Oven thermometer.
5. Oven mitts.

According to my research, optimal cooking times are from 1 PM until around 5 PM. I parked my car at 12:30 and let it sit for 30 minutes, pre-heating the oven if you will. I took this time to prepare my cookies.

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