Amazing Food Art & The Great Family Cookbook Project!

People can do some masterful things with food as their canvas (in addition to cooking, of course). With our offer for a lifetime membership to The Great Family Cookbook Project, we decided to feature some of the neatest artistic food creations we've come across. While these pieces of art would be pretty hard to recreate on a daily basis, family recipes carry this same sense of everyday beauty as they are passed from generation to generation. Let us know about the dishes in your family recipe chest that you would like to see eternalized in a cookbook in the comments section below! 

Kevin Van Aelst- Apple Globe

Furryscaly- Monkeys on a Banana

Sarah Illenberger- Vegetable Dress

 Dark Roasted Things- Artist Unknown

A Bucket List To End All Bucket Lists

With our awesome deal for a parachuting lesson in Phoenix, it got us thinking about what we would put on our own bucket lists in addition to the ever-popular parachuting adventure. For those who don't know, a bucket list is a list people make of things to do before they die. It sounds morbid, but it can actually be a reflexive exercise that allows you to think about your life in a way you normally wouldn’t. Check out some of our silly suggestions and let us know about your serious (and not-so-serious) bucket list items!

1. Solve a NY Times crossword puzzle in under 5 minutes. Make sure to mutter the clues and answers aloud, so others can stand there in shock and awe.
2. Start a flashy flash mob inspired by moves from Flashdance.
3. Ask Siri what the meaning of life is.
4. Start a micronation, complete with your own government, currency, flag, and passport.
5. Live off the land for a week.
6. Dye your hair red. Wonder why people start calling you Lola when you run.
7. Start a frozen banana stand. There is always money in the banana stand.
8. Spend a week in total silence. Spend another week listening to The Sound of Silence.
9. Go to a farm and investigate why chickens cross the road.
10. Learn Eldarin, one of Tolkien's Elvish languages.
11. Write in Eldarin.
12. Refuse to speak to anyone unless it’s in Eldarin.
13. Become a recluse and only emerge during solar eclipses.
14. Write a bucket list to end all bucket lists. Oh wait, we just did!

Happy Community Manager Appreciation Day!

Here at HomeRun, we are über passionate about our members, which is why we’re so excited to celebrate Community Manager Appreciation Day! Jeremiah Owyang, from Altimeter Group, enacted this holiday two years ago as “a way to recognize and celebrate the efforts of community managers around the world using social media to improve customer experiences” according to the holiday’s official Wikipedia page. Community members can celebrate these people who are behind the (virtual) scenes making their online experiences seamless and efficient by sending them some virtual love. One way we like to celebrate #CMAD is by thanking our bodacious community managers on Twitter by saying something like this: “We love our HomeRun community managers! Happy #CMAD!” (Hint, hint)...

We love our HomeRun members a bushel and a peck and do what we can so they can have the best customer experience possible. Have a great #CMAD on this rainy San Francisco Monday!

Be The Best Swing Kid At The Swing Dancing Sock Hop!

It’s time to dust off your mom’s poodle skirts and cat eye glasses and get your dancing shoes on! Learn how to swing dance, sock-hop style, with our Overstreet Dance Gallery deal in Denver. Did you know there are more kinds of swing than flavors at Baskin Robbins? Check out a couple clips below of some amazing dance feats so you can impress teacher on your first day of class!

The Lindy Hop, which developed in Harlem in 1927:

The Jive, which was based on swing taken to England by American troops in WWII:

 And of course, that Gap swing commercial from 1998 which helped with the swing revival in the 90’s:

Have a good old-fashioned time with our Overstreet Dance Gallery deal in Denver! Make your swing dancing night extra 50’s-fabulous by heading over to a soda fountain after class to reward yourself for your dancing skills. What else would you do to make your night super fun, 50’s style? Let us know in the comments section below!

Score 100% On Our Burlesque Quiz & Receive $10 In HomeRun Credits!

In honor of our New York burlesque deal, we thought it would be a good idea for our readers to know a bit more about its provocative history. Post your answers in the blog comments, and if you get all of them right, you will get an A+ from us along with $10 in HomeRun credits! 

First off, burlesque is not just about stripteases and raunchy costumes. Burlesque is rooted in a smart tradition of political and societal satire sketches that were often performed before main shows in vaudeville and other theaters. Music, dance, monologues, and magic were all incorporated to give the shows a humorous and entertaining edge while also revealing a bold commentary on the issues of the day. Revealing costumes were added once burlesque traveled to New York because club owners saw that ticket sales boomed as soon as the costumes became more sensuous (not a shocker).

Learn more about burlesque by trying your hand in some entertainment trivia and take our quiz below!

1)      How did burlesque start?

1. As a way for the lower and middle classes in Europe and the United States to make fun of the upper classes
2. In Ancient Greece, with Aristophanes’ bawdy play, Lysistrata
3. In Vegas, as a way to employ women when their husbands were off to war
4. In Paris at the Moulin Rouge

2)      What was the main factor that contributed to the disappearance of burlesque clubs?

1. Prohibition
2. World War I
3. A performer’s strike
4. Smallpox

3)      Who was one of the first stars of burlesque?

1. President Roosevelt
2. Dolly Parton
3. Gypsy Rose Lee
4. Shirley Temple
5. Madonna

4)      Where does the word “burlesque” derive its name?

1. From the Italian burla meaning a joke or mockery
2. From the French word brûlée named after a famous star’s favorite dessert
3. From the name of a New York club owner’s wife
4. From that movie with Cher and Christina Aguilera

5)      What was the lead comic in a burlesque show called?

1. The top banana
2. The top tomato
3. The squashed banana
4. The overripe nasty banana
5. The lead comic

Post your answers in the blog comments and if you answer all of them correctly, you will get $10 in HomeRun credits! We will announce the winners once the deal ends. And if you’re in New York, make sure to score our Le Scandal Cabaret deal so you can get the full historical entertainment experience!

What To Eat On Your Movie Night + Win This Deal!

Know a film buff who also happens to get hungry? We have you covered. In honor of our sweet dinner and a movie deal, we want to ensure that your movies and dining choices are thematically well-paired, just like one would match a nice white wine with fish. Read on for some of our suggestions so you can have the most multi-sensory film experience possible. Did we leave anything out? Wow us with another movie/food pairing by commenting on our Facebook page or on this blog post and we will give this deal away for free to the most creative entry!  

 

Girl With The Dragon Tattoo- When Lisbeth Salandar takes the time to eat (which is rare), she gulps down French fries, hamburgers, and frozen pizzas, washed down with potfuls of coffee. Stare at your computer screen while eating, and smudge some grease on your keyboard for the full Lisbeth-effect. 

Young Adult- High school never tasted so good. Revisit the days of yore with pizza, candy, soda, and the sweet taste of unrequited love.

Twilight- Breaking Dawn 1- When you are a vampire, food does not interest you- only blood. Since we are not into the whole drinking blood thing, play along by eating red things for a night: Blood oranges, red meat, and red velvet cake should be enough to push you to the dark side.

Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol- Since we’re trying to infiltrate the Kremlin here, one must blend in with their surroundings. Indulge your Soviet side, with Borscht with sour cream topped with black caviar. Drink black tea from a Russian Samovar to top off the experience.

War Horse- Go full on Union Jack, with beans on toast, bangers, and hot tea. No chocolate, oranges, or cigarettes allowed as we are in the middle of a war, guys.

Beauty and the Beast 3D- It's pretty self-explanatory what you need to eat:

Soup du jour

Hot hors d'oeuvres

Hey, we only live to serve 

Try the grey stuff, it's delicious 

Don't believe me? Ask the dishes! 

Beef ragout 

Cheese soufflé 

Pie and pudding “en flambé” 

We’ll prepare and serve with flair 

A culinary cabaret! 

Let us know your Oscar-worthy film/food pairings for a chance to score our dinner and a movie deal for nada! Comment on our Facebook page or on this blog post for a chance to win!

HomeRun 101: How To Support Merchants & Get What You Want

With our new HomeRun 101 series, we are opening the curtain on how our site works so you can score deals with finesse and ease! Today’s lesson is about following merchants and why you should do it too. When you click on a the Merchant Page link at the bottom of a deal page, you will be directed to all of the information available on each particular merchant, including their location, past and current deals they have run with us, and the ability to follow them.

So why would you want to follow a merchant you like? There are four main reasons, we like to call the four S’s. If you’d like an easy way to remember them, use this mnemonic device: Sweet Sylvester sings soliloquies…or just refer to our list below!

Specials: Merchants often run special offers for followers and friends of followers so they can show how much they appreciate their fans. Not only can you score a great deal with a merchant through our site, but you can also get other exclusive offers just for showing them that you dig them!

Sway: Show us the kinds of deals you want! If a merchant hasn’t run a deal with us and they reach at least 20 followers, HomeRun will personally call them and try to get them to run a deal with us. Sway us and let us know what you want to see on our site!

Swagger: You get 10 HomeRun points for every merchant you follow and there is no limit to the amount you can follow. If you would like to be the coolest HomeRunner out there with a ton of points and more swagger than Mick Jagger, follow away!

Support: Support the merchants you love and help them reach new customers. On each Merchant Page, we have a scoreboard where you can see all the top merchants in your area for specific categories and where your merchant lies. Support your fave merchant by getting them to the top of the list. Here is what the merchant scoreboard for Activities in San Francisco looks like:

Start following your fave merchants in your city by clicking on the “Merchants” tab on the orange bar at the top of our site.  Remember-  Specials, Sway, Swagger, and Support! Ready, set,  start following!

Strange Beauty Practices + Win Our Vegan Beauty Products Deal!

Since we launched an all-natural deal for vegan cosmetics today, it got us thinking about some of the nutso things people do to themselves in the name of beauty. Let us know the most outrageous thing you've done or heard about when it comes to beauty practices, and we'll give you this deal for free! Just comment on on this blog entry or via Facebook and we'll choose a winner on Monday.

Here is a list of just a few of wild beauty practices that used to be all the rage!

-          In Ancient Egypt, both women and men lined their eyes with black kohl, which contained soot, copper, and lead. Accentuating one's eyes was seen as beautiful, as eyes were believed to be the windows to the soul. However, scientists today believe that the mixture may have actually been a beneficial concoction that was a way to ward off eye diseases such as conjunctivitis and protect the eyes from the harsh rays of the sun!

-          In the Renaissance, many women plucked their hairlines to achieve higher foreheads. This was believed to give the face a better, more attractive shape. Having a pale face was also deemed to be beautiful because it showed that you did not have to work and be outside all day. Women applied a cream called ceruse, which was a mixture of lead and vinegar to achieve this ghostly look. Some women also practiced bloodletting, where they would apply leeches to their head in order to drain blood, which resulted in "looking pale."

-          In the Court of Versailles, women (such as Marie Antoinette), would wear tower-high wigs in grey and other light pastel colors. They were made with human hair, horse hair, and goat hair. Some women would develop skin rashes and lice because they would wear their wigs too much.

What is the strangest thing you’ve done in the name of looking good? Let us know in the comments below. You may just win this awesome natural cosmetics deal we've heard about…

Contest Time: Win $30 in HomeRun Credits!

We are kicking off the New Year with a bang by giving away one lucky fan $30 in HomeRun credits! There are a whopping 4 ways to enter and the more times you enter, the higher chance you have of winning. Enter as many ways as you can!

1. Follow us on Twitter
2. Like us on Facebook
3. Add us to your G+ circles
4. Comment on this blog post and tell us the top deal you would like to see on our site!

Once you’ve done any (or all) of these 4 items, fill out this form and you are done! It’s so easy we can’t believe it either!

Winner will be announced on Tuesday, January 16^th, 2012.

Contest Rules:

• Winner will be chosen using RandomPicker.com
• Contest runs from 10:00 AM PST on Friday, January 6th, 2012 to 11:00 PM on Friday, January 13^th, 2012
• This contest is open to anyone in the US, excluding people who work at HomeRun/Rearden Commerce.

Good Luck, HomeRunners!

The Curse of the Bambino

Dreaming of the crack of the bat, the crunch of peanut shells under foot, and the thrill of scoring HomeRuns? (Not that we’re biased or anything). For all baseball fans out there (Sox fans and non), our deal for a Red Sox 2004 World Series commemorative pin and 2000-2500 mint condition baseball cards is too good to be true.

So why is the 2004 Red Sox World Series pin so important? When the Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004, after 86 years passed without winning any World Series, the “Curse of the Bambino” was finally broken. The curse is believed to have started when the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth, aka "the Bambino,” in 1920. The Sox’s owner, Harry Frazee, was reported to have sold Babe Ruth’s contract to the Yankees because he needed money to finance his girlfriend’s play. Before 1920, the Red Sox held five World Series titles and were one of the most respected baseball teams in the nation. However, since that infamous sale to the Yankees, (a team who had never won a World Series title before getting Ruth), the Yankees went on to become one of the most succesful franchises in MLB history.

This deal ends today, so, as they say in baseball, “you can’t hit a HomeRun unless you step up to the plate.”