Is it just me or are projects getting a little, um, tastier around here? I'm not just talking about instant staff favorites like Quinn Popcorn and Phin & Phebes Ice-Cream (which you may remember from Monday's new project round-up, *cough*), there's all kinds of stuff cooking up over here.  We know that winter is the "dead season" and all, but this summer's crop of new food projects is blowing our minds more than fresh tomatoes at the local farmer's market (waka waka waka). Ha! Don't read, just eat. Okay, read a little first.

Farmstead Meatsmith are already offering their butchery services to small farmers in the Puget Sound region, but they're hoping to get even bigger (meatier?) by filming a series of free, instructional videos to post on their website. Each mini-vid will focus on a particular process or dish ("how to cure bacon" for example), and will feature step-by-step instructions alongside historical anecdotes and illustrations. It's poised to be a valuable educational resource for burgeoning foodies everywhere ¸— check out their "Chicken Harvest" class for a sample of what's to come.

Rob & Anna (say it fast...) take frozen bananas and turn them into an icy, vegan, delicious soft-serve treat. In terms of deliciousness, the proof is in the pudding, but what really makes these sweet summer treats pop is the mouth-watering, handmade toppings. They come in drool-inducing flavors like "Raw Raspberry Coulis" and "Peanut Butter Agave Cinnamon." Guuuhhhhhhhh.

"Who you callin' cupcake?!" There's not a food on the planet that could not be improved by making it portable and/or able to be eaten with just your hands. Top-notch baker Elizabeth Marek applies the philosophy whole-heartedly to Savor Cakes, packing comfort foods like chicken soup, meatloaf, and baked macaroni into savory, puffy little pastries. My personal fave is the Chili & Cornbread, but you'd have to browse the full menu before picking for yourself! Wah, Portland! Why you gotta be so far away?!

Yes, I do want to eat my history lesson — especially if it's made of chocolate — but "An Edible History of Chocolate" is way more than just delicious. As Nat and Dave quite convincingly explain: "The culinary feats of the Maya were extraordinary; they transformed bitter cacao beans into frothy chocolate beverages seasoned with a dizzying array of aromatic herbs and spices...this treasure awaits us in the heady, maple scent of the rosita de cacao, the intriguing peppery spice of the orijuela flower, and the delicate nuttiness of the jaguar cacao! We're excited to share these delicious flavors with the world and help revitalize interest in their continued use and conservation." Ethically sourced, delicately spiced, aromatic, amazing chocolate. Hooray!

Dr. Rhee's will be a limited-time-only pop-up shop inside of an art store in Berlin. Except, instead of selling portions of this tangy, heavily marinated delight, creators Kate and Hanjo will be bartering the snack for "cultural artifacts" of each customer's personal history. By week's end, they'll have accumulated an eccentric collection of "national treasures" both totally personal and completely international. A global experiment of scrumptious proportion!