Everyone knows a picky eater. When we are young, we are all picky eaters, it's part of the brilliance of how humans have been made. When we are young and most susceptible to toxins, we are programmed to be suspicious of any new or different food. Recall when you were a child that perhaps you didn't like tomatoes but now you long for one fresh off the vine? Yet when we have children we want them to learn to like the foods we like - and we should. Possessing diverse tastes in food makes the wor
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July 19, 2012, 11:30 amThis is the first of a multi-part blog on Chicken. There is so much to write!
Chicken is the world’s largest source of meat. In the United States more than 5 billion chickens are raised annually. It is estimated that Americans consumed 81 million pounds of chicken in 2000. Imagine what
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May 30, 2012, 10:35 amLower in fat than most nuts, chestnuts have just 37 calories and less than 1 gram of fat per ounce (cooked). They add rich, earthy flavor to salads, stuffings, and rice dishes. Look for fresh, unshelled chestnuts in markets from September to February.
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May 29, 2012, 10:02 amEvidence of humans enjoying cherries dates back to 300 B.C. There are two main types of these tiny stone fruits: sweet and sour. Sweet cherries, which are larger, are best enjoyed straight from the tree, but they can also be cooked.
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May 25, 2012, 9:41 amMore custard than cake, cheesecakes are one of the best loved of all cakes. There are two main styles: those made with cream cheese, and Italian-style cheesecakes made with ricotta or other dry-curd cheese.
![]( "Chocolate Cookie Crust")
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May 23, 2012, 1:20 pmRipened cheese can be firm, like Parmesan; semi-firm, like Cheddar; semisoft, like Gouda and Monterey Jack; or soft-ripened, like blue cheese and Brie.
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May 21, 2012, 10:18 pmUnlike ripened cheeses, fresh cheeses are not cured and aged. These include cottage cheese, cream cheese, feta, mascarpone, mozzarella, and ricotta.
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May 18, 2012, 9:00 amThough sparkling wines are made in many regions of the world, only those made in the Champagne region of northeaster France can truly be called champagne.
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May 16, 2012, 11:35 amIts crunchy texture makes celery a favorite for eating raw, but celery’s sweet side is best emphasized when cooked. Used as a part of an aromatic base, celery lends a sweet, herbal flavor to soups, sauces, and stews. On it’s own, celery makes luscious braises and gratins. In French culinary circles celery is part of the “holy trinity” of celery, garlic and o
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May 14, 2012, 10:27 amThe gnarly-looking root, also known as celery root, comes from a variety of celery that is different from the celery familiar to most people. The flavor is similar to traditional celery but softer and deeper. Celeriac makes marvelously creamy puree, especially when combined with mashed potatoes.
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May 9, 2012, 11:23 amSalted sturgeon eggs are considered one of the most luxurious foods. At their best, the tiny sturgeon eggs unleash a delightful salty explosion on the tongue. You will find caviar from America, Italy and France just to name a few.
But c
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May 8, 2012, 5:33 pmLike other members of the cabbage family, cauliflower tends to be most flavorful during the colder months. The familiar white heads are the most common type of cauliflower but there are purple, green and golden varieties as well.
To choose - Look for vibrant heads that are fi
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May 7, 2012, 10:45 amThese orange roots are a workhorse in the kitchen. They bring a rich, sweet flavor to soups, stews, and sauces. They also shine when cooked as a vegetable in their own right. Though available year-round, carrots have different characteristics in each season. In spring, you’ll find tiny, tender baby carrots with a mild flavor.
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May 4, 2012, 1:32 pmIf you put a spoonful of sugar in a skillet and place over heat, it will turn to caramel. The sugar will melt and thicken, turning amber, then golden, then brown, and eventually, then burnt, black. Each stage develops a considerably more complex flavor.
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May 2, 2012, 7:54 amThe buds of Mediterranean caper bush are picked just before they burst into flower.
Capers are one of my favorite additions to white meat and fish recipes. I like them on salad, with smoked salmon, on pizza and I have been known to eat them as a snack!
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April 30, 2012, 12:24 pmTo add moisture and flavor to cake layers - Brush with a sugar syrup. In a saucepan over medium heat, simmer together 3/4 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar. If desired, add the peel of one lemon or the peel of one half orange, plus a cinnamon stick and/or hole cloves. You can also add 1 teaspoon flavor extract to 1/2 cup syrup. Let cool in the pan to room temperature.
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April 27, 2012, 5:04 pmPancakes, jelly rolls, angel food, and genoise all require their own techniques and ingredients. But there are a few general guidelines for successful cakes every time.
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April 25, 2012, 8:48 amMany a baking failure can be traced to using the wrong pan. So before you begin making a cake, make sure that you have the right pan for the job.
To line - Many recipes call for parchment paper, but any liner will do: aluminum foil, waxed paper, even a cut-up brown paper bag.
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April 23, 2012, 2:24 pmWhite, green, red, and purple: cabbages come in many colors. While they are available in markets year-round, the best cabbages arrived at the end of summer and stay until winter's cold puts an end to the harvest.
To choose - Look for the heaviest heads with bright firm leaves. Or check o
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April 5, 2012, 10:27 amAlthough burning food isn’t exactly what I’d strive to teach you in a cooking school, it is, however an inevitable occurrence from time to time.
If exposed to heat long enough almost all foods will carbonize or burn. In some cases carbonization is desirable as in a finely charred piec
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April 2, 2012, 11:12 amYears ago, buttermilk was the liquid left in the churn after making butter. Today, it's made by adding a bacteria culture to low-fat milk, which thickens the milk and gives it a slight tangy flavor. Buttermilk will break when heated to a near boil, so it's used mostly in baking or in cold soups, smoothies, or ice creams.
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March 30, 2012, 9:31 amMade from churned cream, butter is favored by cooks both for its rich flavor and for the incomparable texture it gives to food.
To store - Wrap butter tightly in foil or plastic and freeze until needed. Butter is particularly vulnerable to spoiling as well as to pick up odors. For this r
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March 29, 2012, 12:52 pmTypically made of ground beef, these unfussy sandwiches are one of America's best loved meals. The secret to making a good ground beef hamburger is to keep it simple. Use the best quality ground beef, season it simply, handle gently, and you can't go wrong. You can also make burgers with ground turkey or chicken or make veggie burgers with vegetables and/or beans.
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March 28, 2012, 10:48 amBulgur is a chopped form of the whole wheat berry. It contains all the components of the whole wheat grain: the bran, the endosperm, and the germ. The germ, or the nutritional core of wheat, accounts for only 3% of the surface area, yet 23 different nutrients, making it a powerhouse of nutrition. This form of wheat is cracked and dried, giving rise to its other moniker, cracked wheat. It needs
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March 27, 2012, 12:01 pmOne of the great flavor combinations of the second half of the 20th century is also one of the easiest to prepare and most versatile. It is the elixir fiery and tangy, lush and spare that we call Buffalo. Though made infamous on chicken wings, Buffalo sauce is equally magical on burgers, fried fish, and roasted potatoes.
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March 26, 2012, 9:01 amBrussels sprouts have to be one of the most hated of all vegetables, but it's not the little cabbage's fault. We just take too long to cook them. The solution? Quick cooking avoids the release of unpleasant sulfur compounds and preserves the vegetable’s the delicate, nutty flavor.
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March 22, 2012, 11:11 amDon't forget you can purchase a $5 trial for Ideal Mealz. http://idealmealz.com/login.php?mes=5
To make any of these appetizers, take a serrated knife and sliced a loaf of long, narrow bread (such as a baguette) into thin slices, about 1/2 inch to three-quarter inch thick for bruschetta and
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March 21, 2012, 9:42 amThe term browning may refer to several different processes. The most common type of browning, also known as the Maillard reaction, refers to a series of chemical reactions that makes foods from cookies to fried chicken and grilled steaks taste and look more appetizing. As the sugars in any food are heated, they change color from clear to dark brown and produce new flavor compounds. Browning is
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March 20, 2012, 12:53 pmBrownies; part cookie, part cake, brownies are one of the best loved of all baked goods.
To help brownies stay moist longer - Let them cool completely before cutting. When cut too soon, brownies will release their moisture in the form of steam and dry out more quickly.
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March 19, 2012, 9:50 amLet's face it: most home cooks don't make stocks anymore. Instead, we turn to the supermarket for this essential liquid to make soups, sauces, braised dishes, and stir-fries, or for cooking greens. Most store-bought broth is riddled with additives heavy on the salt and not very flavorful. Here's how to make the most of broth, bases, and bouillon, whether they be canned, frozen, or aseptically
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March 16, 2012, 7:23 amDefined as cooking directly beneath a heat source, broiling is a high heat, quick cooking method that produces brown food with a juicy, tender interior. The intense heat causes the natural sugars in foods to caramelize more quickly. That's why broiled steaks, poultry, and other meats are so flavorful. That's also what creates the delectably brittle caramel atop crème brûlée
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March 15, 2012, 9:12 amBroccoli “Mops” with Ginger Sauce
Cut florets from 1 large head broccoli (you’ll have about 40); drop into a large pot of boiling salted water.
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March 15, 2012, 9:10 amThough available year-round, broccoli is a cool weather vegetable, and its flavor is best from late fall through early spring. Warm weather broccoli is less tender and lacks the flavor in bright green color of broccoli grown in the cooler months.
To choose - Look for firm stalks and firm
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March 13, 2012, 7:34 pmConcentrated solutions of salt water, brines are used to cure, preserve, and flavor wide variety of foods, including olives, pickles, cheeses, meats, and fish. Homemade brining solutions are one of the best ways to enhance the flavor and texture of meats that tend to be dry, such as turkey and lean cuts of pork. Brining actually makes meat juicier by increasing the amount of liquid inside meat
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March 12, 2012, 10:13 amCheese Bread
Into 1 pound home made or thawed frozen bread dough, need 1 cup grated cheese (such as cheddar, provolone, or even smoked Gouda). Then, work in 1/2 cup of the same cheese cut into small cubes. Shape into loaf or roles and let rise until doubled befor
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March 9, 2012, 5:24 pmWhole Wheat Bread
Great for toasting, this basic bread can be made by hand or in a bread machine.
Ingredients:
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March 8, 2012, 12:45 pmChef's Tip: Using different glazes when baking breads will produce crusts of varying colors and textures. An egg yolk will brown the crust. An egg white glaze will produce a shiny crust. Whole eggs give both sheen and color. Milk mixed with melted butter or oil creates a soft crust. Water will produce a crisp crust (brush or spray prior to baking and, for an extra crisp crust,
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March 7, 2012, 6:57 amThe Fundamentals of Yeast Bread
Making bread is not an instant process by any means, but the actual hands-on time involved is minimal. All it really takes is a series of pauses throughout an afternoon.
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March 6, 2012, 5:54 pmPerhaps the most the essential of all foods, bread is extremely gratifying to make an to eat it. The basic ingredients of flour, water, salt and yeast can yield an enormous variety of loaves with a huge range of flavors, textures, and shapes. Bread has a reputation for being time-consuming and difficult to make, but almost anyone can make a satisfying loaf. In fact, the actual hands-on time sp
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March 5, 2012, 9:02 amMade without yeast, quick breads encompass a remarkably wide variety of baked goods. Pancakes, muffins, crackers, and fried doughs all fall under this category. These breads are relatively quick to make, requiring none of the rising time that yeast breads need. Heat, eggs, and fast acting chemical leaveners such as baking powder and baking soda are the most common leavening agents for quick br
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March 2, 2012, 10:17 amThese computerized bread makers combine the functions of a mixer, a dough kneader, a proofing box, and a miniature oven. Some models even bake cakes and cook jams.
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March 1, 2012, 10:56 pmCrisp coatings help keep delicate foods such as fish fillets and chicken cutlets moist while they cook. Two elements are essential: something dry for the coating and something wet to hold coating in place. The dry element could be bread or cracker crumbs, flower, cornmeal, crushed nuts, dried herbs, or dried cheese. The wet mixture should be some form of fluid protein, such as beaten egg
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February 29, 2012, 3:23 pmUse as a crisp topping for casseroles or as a thickener, add to the body of sauces. Bread crumbs are an economical way to use yesterday's bread. Use dried breadcrumbs as a filling for fried fish or as a crust for vegetable gratins. Fresh breadcrumbs are perfect for lighter crusts such as the classic coating for a roasted rack of lamb. It's a good idea to keep store-bought breadcrumbs on
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February 28, 2012, 11:48 amThis classic cooking technique calls for food to be cooked in hot fat, then covered and slowly cooked in a small amount of liquid over low heat. Braising is ideal for preparing tough cuts of meat, such as beef short ribs and pork shoulder, and firm textured vegetables, such as cabbage, leeks, and turnips.
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February 27, 2012, 5:10 pmOriginally designed as a bar accessory, blenders are a great help in the kitchen. Use them to crush ice, purée soups, smooth lumpy custards, and make no cook sauces.
To choose - First consider how you will be using your blender. 290 watts is fine for most blending jobs. If you pla
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February 17, 2012, 9:09 amA method of partially cooking ingredients in boiling water, blanching is usually done as a precursor to some later preparation. Peaches, tomatoes, and almonds are blanched in preparation for peeling. Broccoli, green beans, and cauliflower are sometimes blanched to soften their fibers before baking, frying, or sautéing. When she was often used to hide and set the color and flavor vegetab
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February 16, 2012, 7:25 amOne of the most popular and easiest to make of all quick breads, biscuits are the subject of much baking lore and mystique. Though the ingredients are simple - just flour, salt, leavener, fat, and liquid - the quality of those ingredients and the care with which they are combined are the keys to making biscuits that are high-rising, tender, and flaky.
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February 15, 2012, 6:53 pmA huge range of fruits fall under this category. Strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are some of the best-known ones. Lesser-known berries include gooseberries, currants, and Sylvan berries.
To choose - Shop for berries with your nose.&n
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February 14, 2012, 8:36 amRelated to chicory, Belgian endive looks like a thick, cream-colored cigar of tightly packed leaves that are about 6 inches long. The crisp leaves have a slightly bitter taste and a canoe like shape that allows their hollows to be stuffed with cream cheese as an appetizer. In addition to being a great appetizer medium, belgian endive is nutritious being high
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February 13, 2012, 7:44 amThese edible roots come in a range of colors, including pink, crimson, white and gold, and there are even two-tone striped beets called Chioggia. Used in salads, pickles, and the brilliant pink soup known as borscht, beets have an earthy sweet flavor that is best when tempered with a bit of acid, such as lemon or orange juice, vinegar, or wine.
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February 12, 2012, 8:29 amNot only is beer the perfect accompaniment to many foods, it’s also an important ingredient in many recipes. Beer can be used to add flavor to chili, as a steaming liquid for clams and mussels, or to cook rice instead of using water. It’s essential to the classic Belgian beef stew carbonnade a la flamande and can be found in recipes for yeast br
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February 11, 2012, 10:25 amTo get the leanest, freshest ground beef - Buy round steak, have the butcher trim off visible fat and grind it fresh.
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February 10, 2012, 5:42 pmHow to Grill a Steak
Sitting down to a perfectly grilled steak is one of life’s great pleasures. here’s how to get grilled steak that’s crisp and brown on the surface yet juicy and pink on the inside. <
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February 8, 2012, 9:07 amSince the mid 1900s, beef has been on of America’s most popular meats. Cuts range from the elegant and pricey filets, tenderloins, and prime rib to the popular and versatile ground chuck.
Grain vs. Grass - All cattle spend the majority of their
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February 7, 2012, 8:48 amFresh beans are usually sold in their pods. These include green beans, lima beans and fava beans.
To choose - Dig to the bottom of the green bean bin, where the smallest beans inevitably wind up. These littlest beans are almost always the most tender. Hold a bean lengthwise b
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February 6, 2012, 3:55 pmBeans are a member of the legume family, which also includes lentils, peas, peanuts, and even clover and alfalfa.
To choose - Buy beans from a busy market with a steady turnover. Freshness counts, even for dried bean. Older ones will take longer to cook.
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February 3, 2012, 7:28 amWe will address Beans in three forms; canned, dried and fresh. Let’s start with the canned version first.
Although cooked dried beans have a more resilient consistency and a cleaner flavor, canned beans are much more convenient, especially when y
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February 2, 2012, 8:46 amBarbecue
Although the terms grilling and barbecuing are often used synonymously, the two techniques are actually quite distinct. Grilling refers to cooking relatively tender foods quickly over high heat. Barbecuing is j
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February 1, 2012, 9:08 amBananas are actually the berries of a large tropical herb.
To choose - Look for plump fruits with an even color. A green tinge indicates an underripe banana; those with brown spots are edging toward overripeness.
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January 31, 2012, 8:21 amBaking soda is also known as sodium bicarbonate or bicarbonate of soda. It is an alkaline compound used for leavening baked goods that contain acidic ingredients such as buttermilk, yogurt, cocoa, chocolate, honey, molasses, or lemon juice. Baking soda is also useful in the kitchen for cleaning and deodorizing. As a mild alkali, it helps dirt
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January 30, 2012, 7:24 amCookings and biscuits are almost always baked on flat baking sheets. Rimmed baking sheets can also be used for cookies and biscuits, but the 1 inch rims on these pans are designed for making sheet cakes or sponge cakes such as jelly rolls. Whether flat or rimmed, heavy-gauge aluminum baking sheets that don’t warp are the hands-down favorite among professional
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January 27, 2012, 8:47 amBaking Powder is a leavener. Leaveners work by reacting an “acid” and a “base” by adding moisture (milk or other liquids) to create carbon dioxide, like the bubbles you see in carbonated drinks, to make baked goods rise. Baking powder is made from a combination of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate which is a base) and one or m
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January 26, 2012, 8:54 amBaking is one of the most basic cooking methods. Food is cooked by surrounding it with dry heat in an oven.
How Baking Works
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January 25, 2012, 8:36 amBacon is pork cut from the sides of a pork belly. Bacon is then brined and smoked, sometimes double-smoked. This technique intensely flavors the meat but only partially cures it. All bacon must be cooked before eating.
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January 24, 2012, 9:50 amAvocados are pear-shaped fruits that crop up in mostly in Mexican and South American cooking. They are best known as the base for guacamole.
To choose - Cradle each avocado in the palm of your hand and take home those that feel
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January 20, 2012, 7:36 amArtichoke Hearts are originally from the Mediterranean but are now cultivated mainly in California. They are buds of a large thistle in the sunflower family. The edible portions include the base of the green leaves, the tender inner heart, and the base of the choke itself. Artichoke season is at its peak from March to May.
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January 19, 2012, 10:08 amArrowroot is an excellent thickener. This silky white powder is a pure starch derived from a tropical American plant. It’s fat-free, easy to digest, and flavorless (so it won’t interfere with delicate sauces); it thickens at low temperatures (perfect for heat-sensitive egg-based sauces and custards)’ it has twice the thickening pow
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January 18, 2012, 9:44 amApples - New York might be called the Big Apple and Washington State is the largest apple-producing state in America but apples are native to central Asia.
Basic Technique:
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January 17, 2012, 9:14 amAppetizers are meant to stimulate the palate and differ from hors d’oeuvres in only one respect: They may be served with utensils, whereas hors d’oeuvres are usually served as finger food.
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January 13, 2012, 7:55 amAnchovies and anchovy paste are tiny, bold flavored and most often available in their preserved form in tins. Anchovy paste is available in tubes.
Basic Technique:
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January 12, 2012, 8:30 amAl Dente is an Italian term that translates to “to the tooth” and is used to describe the preferred texture for cooked pasta, some vegetables and meats. A common misconception is that the term means the food items should stick to the teeth.
Basic Technique:
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January 11, 2012, 9:16 amAlcohol
Alcohol is an important ingredient in many recipes, alcohol adds flavor to sauces, soups, marinades, and even ice cream. When heated, some but not all of the alcohol evaporates.
<
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January 10, 2012, 6:48 pmThis is my first blog in a series of blogs where I will share a vast array of cooking knowledge in manageable chunks, by topic, and in alphabetical order. Follow us over the coming months and learn one day at a time!
Acidity
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November 3, 2011, 4:05 pmWill power – some people seem to have a lot of it and others we call “weak” because they apparently don’t. Yet, recent research suggests that will power is like a muscle which is to say that if it’s used greatly in one situation it may be too fatigued to help you in the next moment of need but more importantly, like a muscle it must be properly nourished to perform its best.
That fact is ne of
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November 1, 2011, 7:14 amWho says the news is worse every day? Here’s news to love and it speaks to that very symbol of love – our hearts. British scientists reviewed studies involving more than 100,000 people and discovered that those who reported eating the most chocolate also were reported to be less likely to develop cardiovascular diseases and suffer a stroke. There was no benefit against heart attack or diabetes. This study was not designed to answer the question, “Why is cho
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October 25, 2011, 2:24 pmWhen we think about growing old, we often think about losing our hair, losing our mobility and gaining weight. It turns out that guys eating a junk food diet have sperm that are fewer in number and less able to move around (no word on whether they got “chunky” too). Additionally, a diet which was high in trans fat also caused the sperm to be high in transfat and to be more sparse in number than for men who had a healthy balanced diet. The results of that junk foo
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October 20, 2011, 4:07 pmThe food industry has taken heat recently for both what and how it sells to children. For instance, Kellogg’s, General Mills and other makers of breakfast cereals have been under criticism for the amount of sugar and the dearth of fiber in their cereals. The fast food industry has been criticized for using toys to increase the appeal of its Happy Meals, Kids Meals, etc. The meals themselves are hardly healthy fare being composed of fried breaded chicken or fried
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October 11, 2011, 9:15 pmThere is a perception that fast food is cheap and healthy food is expensive. That’s simply wrong, untrue, incorrect, you get the point.
A meal for a family of four, for example, two Big Macs, a cheeseburger, six chicken McNuggets, two medium and two small fries, and two medium and two small sodas will run about $24-28 depending upon where your McDonald’s is located. You
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October 4, 2011, 7:27 pmAmericans, indeed most of the developed world have been growing heavier since the 1970s. Today, about 30% of Americans are obese, if the trends continue almost 75% will be obese or overweight by 2020.
The ailment we most commonly associate with obesity is Type II diabetes, but the other consequences are sobering as well. For every 5-point increase in our Read More
October 2, 2011, 6:40 pmNot always. New research shows that eating more of certain foods can stave off hunger pangs and control calories.
Some of those foods might not seem obvious, for instance cayenne. Now before you scrunch up your nose and say cayenne is too hot – read on. It’s not what you’re thinking. For instance you need only 1/2 teaspoon, that’s just 5 grams for your metric folks. Here’
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September 27, 2011, 3:58 pmEveryone wants to be empowered; everyone wants choices – right?
Remember when there using the phone meant being tethered to a telephone cord, a car came from Detroit or Japan coffee was either black or with cream and sugar? Today, we face an explosion of choices and seemingly we’ve embraced the abundance of options. Yet, studies suggest that our ability to create choices has exceeded our brains ability to choose among them.
To illustrate, he
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September 13, 2011, 5:15 pmEveryone knows we shouldn’t waste food. Our mothers and grandmothers drilled it into our heads years ago – remember the stories of all those children going hungry because you weren’t cleaning your plate? As usual your parents and grandparents were pretty much right. But since they knew you weren’t paying full attention they didn’t tell you all the other reasons you shouldn’t waste food. Here are just a few more.
Care about green house gases? <
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September 2, 2011, 11:56 amIf you were going to serve 3 friends and yourself, ice cream for dessert, how much would serve? A pint? A half-gallon? Depending upon your perspective I have good news and not so good. The good news if you’re counting pennies is that according to its label a pint of Haagen-Dazs ice cream contains 4 servings. The bad news is that a pint of ice cream split 4 ways is only 4 ounces per serving. To put that in perspective, a “Tall&r
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August 29, 2011, 2:43 pmGood news for parents: You can get your children to eat zucchini, broccoli, tomatoes, squash, even cauliflower and like them. The secret is….keep the fact that you’re feeding them vegetables a secret until after they try them.
Researchers at Penn State University substituted pureed vegetables for the usual empty nutrition of starches such as pasta and rice in children’s meals. They were successful in reducing each meal’s Read More
September 5, 2011, 6:27 pmSome things are pretty certain, like death and taxes and some things have been almost as likely such as that we gain weight as we age and doctors will recommend cutting down calories and exercising more to combat this trend. At some point most of will try one or both of these to shed the pounds and most of us will be disappointed with the modest and typically unsustainable results.
A recent Harvard study of over 120,000 people conducted over 20 years shows that weight gain has m
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September 6, 2011, 4:32 pmImagine the following. Someone hands you a tool, tells you how to use it and as a result each month you will be rewarded with $100 and at least 12 hours of free time. Think about that again, 12 hours to do with as you wish and $100 of money. The money would certainly buy you a trip to a nice spa or having your nails done a couple of times. It would certainly fund a nice night out for you and your significant other or appetizers with some close friends. If you have children you could enr
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August 2, 2011, 9:31 amRemember Kindergarten those warm but now hazy memories of “Red Rover, Red Rover” and a time when taking a nap was not only allowed but encouraged? It was also for many of us our first exposure to formal teaching and instruction. So much of what we learned really is valuable and timeless as Robert Fulghum points out in his bestseller “
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July 11, 2011, 8:05 am Stress is as universal as gravity (and as certain as death and taxes). The results of stress are as predictable as gravity as well. So since it can’t be avoided it has to be managed and here are some ideas for effectively handling stress.
Avoid hot buttons – Now, I’m not talking about avoiding resolving important matters in hopes they will go away, I’m talking about not bringing up issues that you cannot change and in the grand scheme of life aren’t critical. For instance, your spou
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August 22, 2011, 3:40 pmEveryone knows a picky eater. When we are young, we are all picky eaters, it's part of the brilliance of how humans have been made. When we are young and most susceptible to toxins, we are programmed to be suspicious of any new or different food. Recall when you were a child that perhaps you didn't like tomatoes but now you long for one fresh off the vine? Yet when we have children we want them to learn to like the foods we like - and we should. Possessing diverse tastes in food makes the
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June 28, 2011, 9:02 pmLet's face it, most of us are not totally sold on our weight and appearance. We also wish we could lose a few pounds. And it's human nature to want to do it all at once. Yet we didn't get to where we are overnight and we aren't going to get back in a week either. Why not make some easy, simple and tasty changes to at least begin our journey? Here are some simple steps that can start you on the right path.
First let's focus on fiber. Fiber kicks! It slows digestion to make you feel full
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June 22, 2011, 10:00 amVariety is the spice of life and what has more variations than color? Yet, how often do we find ourselves in a color rut, a monochrome world of beige such as white bread, pasta, and potatoes? All of these are fine in moderation but too much indicates an overdose of starch and carbohydrates - not pretty!
Here’s what color in your food choices can do for you.
Red - The red in fruits and vegetables comes from the pigment called “anthocyanins” which are powerful antioxidants that protect
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June 16, 2011, 4:46 pmIn the U.S., more than 1/3 (34%) of adults over the age of 20 are overweight and another 34% are obese. Astonishingly, many youngsters ages 2-5 are obese (10%). The links between being overweight/obese and killer diseases such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and certain forms of cancer are well documented - yet the trend continues. The U.S. Surgeon General reports that the number of overweight children has doubled and the number of overweight adolescents has tripled since 1980
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June 7, 2011, 7:30 pmWe’ve all seen famous chefs on TV and wanted to cook as well as they do. Many of us even own some of their cookbooks. But how many times have we looked at the recipes and found ourselves a little (or a lot) intimidated? It’s not unusual; for one thing the jargon they use may be unfamiliar (is a dash more than a pinch? Is roasting the same as broiling? What does “kick it up a notch” really mean?). And sometimes the ingredient list is about a page long and you ask yourself – do I re
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May 30, 2011, 6:16 pmA freezer is one of your best friends, after all who else would keep your favorite ice cream ready for you without sneaking a single bite? So, do it a few favors in return and you’ll have a life long friendship.
Keep your freezer no more than 2/3 full so that air can circulate and maintain a consistent temperature. You should also keep your freezer at least partially loaded this will help your freezer maintain its temperature when you add new food to it. If you have room in your freezer
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May 25, 2011, 8:05 pmFor generations we’ve been told to cook pork until it’s well done or to an internal temperature of 160 F. If you didn’t follow this directive you were at risk for pathogens including a roundworm infection called trichinosis. If you did follow this advice you almost certainly encountered a grey and rather dry meat, which was a sad outcome for what can be a sublime and tender meat when properly cooked.
Fortunately, pork producers have improved feed and housing methods -- namely, moving
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May 20, 2011, 9:17 amRemember when vegetables and fruits were only available seasonally and some things such as blueberries might only be available if you grew them or were lucky enough to have friends who did. Today, thanks to airplanes and a global network of farmers we can enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables almost any month of the year. Of course, fresh produce in the dead of winter costs dearly but we justify that to ourselves by telling ourselves that fresh is better. That’s true – right? Right? We
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May 17, 2011, 10:46 amSome of us look at a recipe and see it as an exact formula, which must be followed precisely to turn out successfully. These folks are the one’s who agonize when the recipe calls for 2/3 cup of an ingredient and they possess only a 1/2 cup measure. Others, look at a recipe and see it as just a suggestion to be followed more or less – if we feel like it. These free spirits think that if the recipe calls for a teaspoon of something then a tablespoon will surely be better. I want to suggest
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