What could be better than a frosty ginger ale to help cool off during these hot summer days? If ginger’s not your thing, how about a lemon-lime soda or an orange-ade? The combination is unlimited so long as your imagination is put to good use. The best part is it’s all homemade so you’re avoiding massive doses of sugar, artificial flavorings, and caffeine.
McCruelty
PETA wants to put an "injured chicken" statue on the 16th Street Mall to protest cruelty in processing the birds for food. They'd like it to be located in front of McDonald's.
This is no surprise to me
Hold the tomato
Frigid weather takes big bite of Florida tomato crop.
About 70% of this year's crop is lost, meaning prices for tomatoes will go way up, while quality will go down.
64 simple suggestions
In spite of the name, French fries are practically an American birthright. They’re offered as the first choice side dish with nearly every fast-food and sit-down chain meal available. But here’s the catch: In a recent study of 7,318 New York City patrons leaving fast food chains during the lunch hour, researchers learned that combo meals—meaning meals with sides—averaged 1,100 calories each, which is over half a day’s allotment ... The authors of the best-selling weight-loss series Eat This, Not That! and Cook This, Not That! have rounded up three of the worst orders of fries available at chain restaurants across the country.
America's Worst French Fries (and What You Should Eat Instead!)
Ramen Noodle King dies.
Momofuku Ando was 96.
"Food insecurity" is the politically correct term for starvation, now widely used by agencies and governments.
Many Americans report no income except food stamps.
Looking for a few good spuds
Grilling over a wood fire is as much a sport as an art — it's more instinctive than cooking with a gas grill, more nuanced than cooking with charcoal, and more athletic than both.
NY Times: Grilling Over Wood as a Sweaty, Smoky Sport
The Obama family picked peaches in Palisade, Colorado, and brought some back to share with people on Air Force One.
It's the birthday of food writer Julia Child, born Julia McWilliams in Pasadena, California (1912). She said,
"Life itself is the proper binge."
Think you know fruit?
We all know, I think, that a tomato is a fruit not a vegetable. It’s the sort of amazing fact printed on cereal boxes to amuse and entertain children with very low standards. The distinction is, so I fuzzily recall, that fruit are part of reproduction, whereas a vegetable is any other botanical bit we eat ... The plot, however, thickened when I was cutting up strawberries ... and idly wondered what the hell they were, since the seeds were on the outside ... I was prepared for a shock, but not the magnitude of what I actually found.
Schrodinger's Kitten: The Fruit is a Lie
Can I eat it?
Some molds cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems. And a few molds, in the right conditions, produce "mycotoxins," poisonous substances that can make people sick. When you see mold on food, is it safe to cut off the moldy part and use the rest? To find the answer to that question, delve beneath the surface of food to where molds take root.
USDA Fact Sheet: Molds On Food: Are They Dangerous? Be sure to check out the chart on what to do with food with mold on it. For most things? throw it out!
Putting the greenhoue effect to good use
How To: Car-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies
You brought cupcakes???
Boulder Valley Schools considers a no-junk-food policy not only for school lunches but for holiday treats and school fund raisers.
This year's Cherry Blossom Festival features special "fox" fortune cookies.
Ground beef by another name and in another form
The Denver Steak. Why isn't it sold in Colorado grocery stores?
I suggest eating moderately. Fasting may not be as easy as feasting, but after a while it is not too different. Both are extremes. It is not hard to go the extreme way, but what is really difficult is neither to fast nor to feast, but to be moderate in everything we do. This is what the Buddha called the Middle Path. It requires great artistry and vigilance.
Eknath Easwaran, "Words to Live By"
Slurp!
From 8:00 P M to midnight today you can get a free root beer float at any Sonic Drive-in. Here are some other freebies in the Denver area.
Food-related objects
Sometime ago, as I emptied a big pot of pasta water into the sink and waited for the fog to lift from my glasses, a simple question occurred to me. Why boil so much more water than pasta actually absorbs, only to pour it down the drain? Couldn’t we cook pasta just as well with much less water and energy? Another question quickly followed: if we could, what would the defenders of Italian tradition say?How Much Water Does Pasta Really Need?
Japanese kitchen knives cost more than a camera, they can't be washed in a machine, are subject to rusting and boy, they are so sharp that if you slip you'll lose a finger or two before you can say banzai. There is no doubt that these are the best knives in the world. Nothing comes close to them in terms of sharpness. With one of these knives, you could slice fish so thin you could read a whole chapter of La Physiologie du Goût through the slices. Earlier this month, I had the chance to see how knives are made in Japan like they have been for the last 200 years, following Mr Bjorn Heiberg from Chroma, a company that sells these legendary knives.fxcuisine.com: Japanese Bladesmiths
The Real Thing
"After 24 years, one of the most famous blunders in marketing history is quietly coming to end." Coca-Cola Deleting "Classic" From Coke Label
I finally figured it out-- I'm a flexitarian.
These so-called “flexitarians” — a term voted most useful word of 2003 by the American Dialect Society — are motivated less by animal rights than by a growing body of medical data that suggests health benefits from eating more vegetarian foods.
Gobble, gobble, gobble!
The average number of calories consumed in the Thanksgiving meal--7,100!!!
Health Management Resources
It's available from 7 AM to 2 PM
Free latte Fridays at McDonalds
In an effort to win over the Starbucks crowd, McDonalds is now offering "fancy " coffee. And you can get a sample for free. Also check out their coffee web site: unsnobbycoffee.com
Not just Delicious...
Fall is apple season, and here is a list of some of the most popular varieties, showing a picture, telling how each was developed, and the best use for each type.
Sign of the economic times
Raman noodle website grows more and more popular.
I saw a grocery store ad for "Peaches, Plums, and Pluots." That's a fruit I had never heard of before. Now I guess I'll have to try one.
What was the original flavor of the cream filling in Twinkies sponge cakes?
Banana.
The filling was changed to vanilla during World War II when there was a banana shortage.
from "365 Amazing Trivia Facts" calendar
Additional fact: Twinkies do NOT last forever.
Eknath Easwaran, in his book "Words to Live By" proposes this eating plan:
I suggest eating moderately. Fasting may not be as easy as feasting, but after a while it is not too different. Both are extremes. It is not hard to go the extreme way, but what is really difficult is neither to fast nor to feast, but to be moderate in everything we do. This is what the Buddha called the Middle Path. It requires great artistry and vigilance. Instead of negating the body and senses, we train them to be valuable instruments.
I try to eat good, wholesome food in temperate quantities in order to strengthen the body. If my body is not strong, I cannot contribute to the welfare of society, and I cannot give the best account of myself in life. We harness our physical, mental, and intellectual capacities not to make money or achieve power or fame, but to use these faculties to make our contribution to life
Gas, Milk, Wheat, Corn and now...
The latest item to be rationed --rice. Costco and Sam's Club stores are now limiting the number of bags of rice customers can purchase due to a worldwide shortage of the grain. So far Colorado stores aren't affected.
Allez cuisine!
Shooting Iron Chef America: Behind the scenes of the popular Food Network program.
Pie Oh My
February 23rd is National Pie Day.
Check out some Mercy Farms pie recipes HERE
Run, run as fast as you can
I made my annual batch of gingerbread men/women cookies yesterday. They take a lot of time, but it's part of the holiday tradition AND they taste good!
