Cooking at Home

Is coffee good for you? It depends on the kind of coffee and the quantity

2020-03-16T00:05:00.000-07:00

We’ve come a long way from the cans of Folgers that filled our grandparents’ cupboards, with our oat milk lattes, cold brews and Frappuccinos. Some of us are still very utilitarian about the drink while others perform elaborate rituals. The fourth most popular beverage in the country, coffee is steeped into our culture. Just the right amount can improve our mood; too much may make us feel anxious and jittery.

A moderate amount of caffeine can wake you up, boost your mood, energy, alertness, concentration and even athletic performance. The way you prepare your cup of joe may influence your cholesterol levels, too.

IS COFFEE GOOD FOR ME?

Yes.

In moderation, coffee seems to be good for most people – that’s 3 to 5 cups, or up to 400 milligrams of caffeine.

“The evidence is pretty consistent that coffee is associated with a lower risk of mortality,” said Erikka Loftfield, a research fellow at the National Cancer Institute who has studied the beverage.

For years, coffee was believed to be a possible carcinogen, but the 2015 Dietary Guidelines helped to change perception. For the first time, moderate coffee drinking was included as part of a healthy diet. When researchers controlled for lifestyle factors, like how many heavy coffee drinkers also smoked, the data tipped in coffee’s favor.

A large 2017 review on coffee consumption and human health in the British Medical Journal also found that most of the time, coffee was associated with a benefit, rather than a harm. In examining more than 200 reviews of previous studies, the authors observed that moderate coffee drinkers had less cardiovascular disease, and premature death from all causes, including heart attacks and stroke, than those skipping the beverage.

For example, having about five cups of coffee a day, instead of none, is correlated with a 30 per cent decreased risk of Type 2 diabetes, according to a meta-analysis of 30 studies.

In addition, experts say some of the strongest protective effects may be with Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and liver conditions such as cirrhosis, liver cancer and chronic liver disease. For example, having about five cups of coffee a day, instead of none, is correlated with a 30 per cent decreased risk of Type 2 diabetes, according to a meta-analysis of 30 studies.

The potential benefit from coffee might be from the polyphenols, which are plant compounds that have antioxidant properties, according to Dr. Giuseppe Grosso, an assistant professor in human nutrition at University of Catania in Italy and the lead author of an umbrella review in the Annual Review of Nutrition.

However, coffee isn’t for everyone. There are concerns about over consumption. This is especially true for expecting mothers because the safety of caffeine during pregnancy is unclear. While the research into coffee’s impact on health is ongoing, most of the work in this field is observational.

“We don’t know for sure if coffee is the cause of the health benefits,” said Jonathan Fallowfield, a professor at the University of Edinburgh, and co-author of the British Medical Journal review.“These findings could be due to other factors of behaviors present in coffee drinkers.”

DOES THE WAY COFFEE IS PREPARED MATTER?

Yes. Do you prefer a dark or light roast? Coarse grinding or fine? Arabica or robusta?

“All of these different aspects affect the taste, but also affect the compounds within the coffees,” said Neal Freedman, a senior investigator with the National Cancer Institute. “But it’s not clear at all how these different levels of compounds may be related to health.”

Roasting, for example, reduces the amount of chlorogenic acids, but other antioxidant compounds are formed. Espresso has the highest concentration of many compounds because it has less water than drip coffee.

The way you prepare your cup of joe may influence your cholesterol levels, too.

A study in JAMA Internal Medicine examined the coffee habits of nearly 500,000 people in the UK and found that it didn’t matter if they drank one cup or chain-drank eight – regular or decaf – or whether they were fast metabolisers of coffee or slow. They were linked to a lower risk of death from all causes, except with instant coffee, the evidence was weaker.

The way you prepare your cup of joe may influence your cholesterol levels, too. “The one coffee we know not suitable to be drinking is the boiled coffee,” said Marilyn C Cornelis, an assistant professor in preventive medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and co-author of the JAMA Internal Medicine study.

Examples of this include the plunge-happy French press, Scandinavian coffee, or Greek and Turkish coffee – the kind commonly consumed in the Middle East. (When poured, the unfiltered grounds settle on the tiny cup’s bottom like sludge. To peek into the future, elders in the region have a tradition of reading the sediment of an overturned cup, like a crystal ball.)

However, the oil in boiled coffee has cafestol and kahweol, compounds called diterpenes. They are shown to raise LDL, the bad cholesterol, and slightly lower HDL, what’s known as the good kind.

“If you filter the coffee, then it’s no issue at all,” said Rob van Dam, a professor at Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at National University of Singapore. “For people with cholesterol issues, it’s better to switch to other types of coffee.” He’s been studying coffee for two decades. (And, yes, he’s had a lot of coffee in that time.)

However, other researchers say not to throw out the boiled coffee just yet. The clinical significance of such small increases in cholesterol may be questionable, given that it’s not associated with an increase in cardiovascular deaths.

Many consumers have also swapped loose grounds for coffee pods. While there are environmental concerns with single use pods, researchers believe them to hold the same benefits as, say, drip coffee. The latter applies to cold brew, too, but more research is needed.

DO ALL KINDS OF COFFEE HAVE THE SAME AMOUNT OF CAFFEINE?

No. Espresso has the highest concentration of caffeine, packing about 70 milligrams into a one-ounce shot, but is consumed in less quantities. By comparison, a typical 12-ounce serving of drip coffee has 200 milligrams of caffeine, more than instant’s 140. And, yes, brewed decaf has caffeine, too – 8 milligrams – which can add up.

When buying coffee, you never really know what you’re going to get. At one Florida coffee house, over a six-day period, the same 16-ounce breakfast blend fluctuated from 259 milligrams all the way up to 564 – which goes beyond federal recommendations.

A moderate amount of caffeine can wake you up, boost your mood, energy, alertness, concentration and even athletic performance. On average, it takes four to six hours to metabolise half the caffeine.

But for some of us, knowing how much caffeine is in our coffee can be especially important. You’ve probably noticed it before. How a friend can pound quadruple espresso shots at 10 pm and sleep afterward, while you can’t have any past noon, or you’ll be watching Seinfeld reruns until dawn. Some of us have a polymorphism, a genetic variant that slows our metabolism for caffeine. It’s these individuals that Dr Grosso recommends limit their refills. “They take a coffee, and then they have the second and the third, and they still have the caffeine of the first,” he said.

You can even find out whether you are a fast or slow metaboliser through a variety of direct-to-consumer testing services, including 23andMe.

IS COFFEE ADDICTIVE?

Evidence suggests there can be a reliance on the drink, and tolerance builds over time. Withdrawal symptoms include a headache, fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and depressed mood.

Indeed, caffeine is a psychoactive drug, and coffee is its biggest dietary source. About a half-hour after sipping a cup of joe, the caffeine kicks in, and is quickly absorbed. Blood vessels constrict. Blood pressure increases. A moderate amount of caffeine can wake you up, boost your mood, energy, alertness, concentration and even athletic performance. On average, it takes four to six hours to metabolise half the caffeine.

For those knocking back more than 400 milligrams of caffeine a day, there’s not enough evidence to assess the safety, according to the Dietary Guidelines. Higher doses can lead to caffeine intoxication, with its shakiness, nervousness, and irregular heartbeat. Caffeine is also linked with delaying the time it takes for you fall asleep, how long you stay there, and the reported quality of that shut eye.

“I think that caffeine is so common and so ingrained in our culture, and daily habits, that we often don’t think about it as a potential source of problems,” said Mary M Sweeney, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Extremely high doses of caffeine can be fatal. But researchers say that’s more likely to occur accidentally with caffeine powder or pills.

Cutting down coffee may help with gastroesophageal reflux, too. A new study found that women drinking caffeinated beverages – coffee, tea, or soda – were associated with a small but increased risk of symptoms, like heartburn. The study’s authors predicted fewer symptoms when substituting two servings of the drinks with water.

Current available research hasn’t determined what amount of caffeine can be safely consumed during pregnancy, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Caffeine does cross the placenta so some doctors may recommend pregnant women stay below 200 milligrams of coffee daily.

Extremely high doses of caffeine can be fatal. But researchers say that’s more likely to occur accidentally with caffeine powder or pills. “You don’t see a lot of people going into the emergency room because they accidentally drank too much coffee,” said Dr. van Dam.

WHAT IS A COFFEE BEAN?

Inside the red fruit of coffea lie two coffee beans. Green in color, the duo spoon together, the rich brown hue to appear only after roasting. In fact, they aren’t beans at all. “It’s like a cherry, you pick off the tree,” said Patrick Brown, a professor of plant sciences at University of California, Davis. Unlike the cherry, though, the seed is the prize, and the flesh is discarded.

Coffee is also a good dietary source of vitamin B3, magnesium and potassium.

In addition to caffeine, coffee is a dark brew of a thousand chemical compounds that could have potential therapeutic effects on the body. One key component, chlorogenic acid, is a polyphenol found in many fruits and vegetables. Coffee is also a good dietary source of vitamin B3, magnesium and potassium.

“People often see coffee just as a vehicle for caffeine, but, of course, it’s a very complex plant beverage,” said Dr. van Dam.

With coffea’s estimated 124 species, most of flavours remain untapped; and perhaps will be forever, with an estimated 60 per cent under threat of extinction, largely from climate change, disease, pests and deforestation. What fills our mugs at cafes, the office, and on road trips are from two species: Arabica and canephora, known as robusta. Arabica fills specialty cafes, and costs more than robusta, which fuels instant coffees and some espressos.

For all of the pomp swirling around arabica, the fact remains it is an extremely homogeneous little seed. Almost all of the world’s arabica coffee progeny traces itself back a few plants from Ethiopia, coffee’s birthplace, or Yemen.

DOES ADDING MILK OR SUGAR CANCEL OUT BENEFITS?

Doctors don’t know. One 2015 study found that those adding sugar, cream or milk had the same associated benefit as those who preferred it black. But the coffee industry has exploded since the ’90s when the older adults in the study filled out their dietary history. “It was only about a tablespoon of cream or milk, and a teaspoon of sugar,” said the study’s lead author, Dr Loftfield, with the National Cancer Institute. “This is very different, potentially, than some of these coffee beverages you see on the market today.”

Sweet coffee and tea are the fourth largest source of sugar in the diets of adults, according to the October survey from the USDA. That includes dessert-like beverages, like Dunkin’ Donuts’ 860-calorie creamy frozen coconut caramel coffee drink, with 17 grams of saturated fat, and 129 grams of total sugars. Experts say some of these drinks bear little relation to the 2-calorie cup of black coffee of the past, worrying health officials.

“When you talk about a drink that has that load of unhealthy fats and that much sugar, can’t possibly be a healthy beverage on balance,” Dr Jim Krieger, a clinical professor of medicine and health services at the University of Washington. “That amount of sugar alone is astronomical compared to the current recommendations of US Dietary Guidelines of 50 grams of sugar a day.”

The concern is heightened, experts say, especially because an estimated 43 percent of teens are now drinking coffee – nearly doubling since 2003 – according to the research firm Kantar, driven partly by sweet drinks.

“People should worry a lot about what they put in the coffee and what the food and beverage industry puts in it,” said Laura Schmidt, a professor at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. “And sweetened coffee is one of the things that the beverage industry is pushing on the public now that consumers have turned away from soda for health reasons.”

SHOULD I START POUNDING DOWN MORE COFFEE?

Depends on your goals in life.

If you are enjoying the drink in moderation, doctors say continue onward, and savour those sips. And for those patients with a sensitivity to the beverage, Dr Sophie Balzora, a gastroenterologist, weighs the benefits and risks very carefully. The clinical associate professor of medicine at N.Y.U. School of Medicine understands its cultural significance, and knows to tread lightly. As she put it: “Robbing people of their coffee seems cruel.”

By Dawn MacKeen © The New York Times

Taken from this article:
Is coffee good for you? It depends on the kind of coffee and the quantity

Are plant-based Impossible Burgers really more healthful than a meat-based burger?

2020-03-13T00:05:00.000-07:00

The meat industry has a warning for consumers: Beware of plant-based meat.

That is the message behind a marketing campaign by the Center for Consumer Freedom, a public relations firm whose financial supporters have included meat producers and others in the food industry. In recent weeks the group has placed full-page ads in The New York Times and other newspapers raising health concerns about plant-based meat substitutes like the Impossible Burger and the Beyond Burger, which are designed to look, taste and even appear to bleed like real meat.

Millennials are gobbling down plant-based burgers, prompting meat producers to question the health benefits of "ultra-processed imitations."

The ads call them “ultra-processed imitations” with numerous ingredients. “What’s hiding in your plant-based meat?” asks one ad featuring a sad face made of two patties and sausage. Another directs readers to a site that compares plant-based burgers to dog food. In November, the group’s managing director, Will Coggin, wrote an opinion piece in USA Today that labeled fake meats as ultra-processed foods that can spur weight gain, although the research on processed foods has not included plant-based meats. A few days later, the center’s executive director, Rick Berman, wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal criticizing plant-based meats as highly processed and no healthier than meat. Its headline: “‘Plant-based meat’ is all hat and no cattle.”

Impossible Foods, which makes a popular plant-based burger, said the campaign was misleading and fearmongering. The company says plant-based meat alternatives are better for consumers and better for the planet, requiring less land and water and producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions than meat from cattle. The new “disinformation” campaign, they say, is a sign that Impossible Foods’ mission – to disrupt the meat industry and replace animals in the food system – is working. “It’s a point of pride to have that organization come after us,” said Pat Brown, the company’s chief executive. “It’s hard to imagine a stronger endorsement.” (The Center for Consumer Freedom did not respond to requests for an interview.)

Replacing a hamburger with a plant burger is not an improvement in diet quality if you chase it with French fries and a sugar-laden soda.

Unlike other vegetarian meat substitutes, the new plant-based burgers are winning over meat lovers. The market research firm NPD Group says that 90 per cent of the customers purchasing them are meat-eaters who believe the products are more healthful and better for the environment, said Darren Seifer, an analyst at NPD, which recently predicted that plant-based meats will have staying power because of their popularity with millennials.

“The two big brands, Beyond and Impossible, have replicated the burger experience without having to sacrifice the taste of the burger,” he said. “So now a lot of consumers feel like they have a healthier option, they are reducing the amount of meat they consume, and they just feel better about that.”

But are plant-based meats really better for you than meat? It depends on how you eat them, said Dr. Frank Hu, chairman of the nutrition department at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. Replacing a hamburger with a plant burger is not an improvement in diet quality if you chase it with French fries and a sugar-laden soda, Hu said.

For consumers trying to choose the healthiest option, Hu said studies comparing the metabolic effects of eating beef burgers versus plant burgers are currently underway. In the meantime, he considers the meat substitutes “transitional foods” for people who are trying to adopt more healthful diets.

In August, Hu, along with a group of health and climate experts, published a report in JAMA that explored whether plant-based meats can be part of a “healthy low-carbon diet.” Studies show that replacing red meat with nuts, legumes and other plant foods can lower mortality and chronic disease risk, but it’s not possible to extrapolate that processed burgers made with purified soy or pea protein will have the same health benefits, said Hu.

Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat say the building blocks of their burgers are plants. The Beyond Burger has about 18 ingredients, including purified pea protein, coconut and canola oils, rice protein, potato starch and beet juice extract for coloring. Beyond Meat says it uses no genetically modified or artificially produced ingredients.

The meat substitutes “transitional foods” for people who are trying to adopt more healthful diets.

The Impossible Burger is made with similar basic ingredients but it gets its protein largely from soy and potato, and it uses an iron-containing compound from soy called heme to enhance the burger’s meaty flavor. Both products use methyl cellulose, a plant derivative commonly used in sauces and ice cream, as a binder.

Compared to a beef patty, the Impossible and Beyond burgers have similar amounts of protein and calories, with less saturated fat and no cholesterol. They also contain fiber; real meat does not. But compared to real beef, the two plant-based burgers are considerably higher in sodium, containing about 16 per cent of the recommended daily value. An uncooked four-ounce beef patty has about 75 milligrams of sodium, compared to 370 milligrams of sodium in the Impossible Burger and 390 milligrams in the Beyond Burger.

This fall, Burger King said it had its most successful quarter in four years, driven by sales of its plant-based Impossible Whopper. Dunkin’ Donuts announced it was rolling out a breakfast sandwich made with Beyond Meat sausages in 9,000 of its stores after a successful trial run in New York City. More than 50,000 grocery stores and restaurants, including fast food chains like Subway, White Castle, KFC and Carl’s Jr., carry products from Beyond Meat or Impossible Foods.

Despite the popularity of plant-based burgers, beef burgers are still overwhelmingly the more popular choice at restaurants. Americans purchased 6.4 billion beef burgers at quick service restaurants during the 12 months that ended in May, compared to 228 million plant-based burgers in the same period.

An uncooked four-ounce beef patty has about 75 milligrams of sodium, compared to 370 milligrams of sodium in the Impossible Burger and 390 milligrams in the Beyond Burger.

While meat consumption in America is at an all-time high, many Americans have shifted from eating beef to poultry. In the past three decades, beef intake has fallen by about a third, while chicken intake has more than doubled and pork intake has remained fairly steady. Studies show that cost, convenience and health concerns are among the top reasons Americans have cut back on beef.

But the health messages about red meat have been confusing. Earlier this year, a group of scientists challenged decades of nutrition advice, saying that warnings linking red meat consumption to heart disease and cancer are not backed by strong scientific evidence, though it was later revealed that the study’s lead author had past research ties to an industry group whose members include fast food companies and a beef processor.

Meat producers are taking the fight against fake meat to lawmakers. At least 25 states have introduced bills making it illegal to use the words “beef” or “meat” on products made from plant ingredients or cultured meat that is grown in a lab. Missouri became the first state to pass such a law last year, which was initially proposed by the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association.

In October, Rep Roger Marshall, a Republican from Kansas and the top recipient of livestock industry donations in the House, introduced a federal bill that would require companies to put the word “imitation” on their plant-based meat products. The bill calls for the products to carry a statement on their packages “that clearly indicates the product is not derived from or does not contain meat.”

Marshall, an obstetrician, said he introduced the bill after hearing from constituents. Patients of his told him they were confused about the health benefits of plant-based beef substitutes, and beef producers told him they were frustrated that the products are sold in grocery stores next to ground beef. “Kansas has a very large beef industry and they said, ‘Why are we allowing this fake meat in the meat department?’” he said.

Brown, the chief executive of Impossible Foods, said his company’s mission is not to convince consumers that the Impossible Burger is the most nutritious food they can eat. It is simply to persuade people who want a “cow burger” to eat an Impossible Burger instead.

“The niche that this fills is not the same niche that a kale salad fills,” he said. “If you’re hungry for a burger and you want something that’s better for you and better for the planet that delivers everything you want from a burger, then this is a great product. But if you’re hungry for a salad, eat a salad.”

By Anahad O'Connor © 2018 The New York Times

Taken from this article:
Are plant-based Impossible Burgers really more healthful than a meat-based burger?

Red and processed meat increases heart risks, latest study concludes

2020-03-11T04:57:00.002-07:00

Four months ago, the Annals Of Internal Medicine published a controversial report that encouraged people not to worry about the health risks of eating red and processed meat, contradicting decades of nutrition advice.

A new study found a meat-heavy diet carries a small but increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

The report was widely criticised by public health experts, including leading health groups like the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. Some experts called for the paper to be retracted, while others celebrated its findings and used it to raise questions about long-standing dietary guidelines discouraging meat consumption.

On Feb 3 (Monday), a group of prominent researchers pushed back, publishing a large study in JAMA Internal Medicine that once again highlighted the potential harms of a meat-heavy diet. The researchers analysed data on a diverse group of thousands of people who were followed for an average of three decades.

They found that people who had the highest intakes of red meat, processed meat and poultry had a small but increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. People who regularly ate fish, however, did not see an increased cardiovascular risk.

The new findings are unlikely to settle the debate over red meat and its link to chronic disease. But they provide further evidence for experts who argue that red and processed meats contribute to the risk of heart disease, and they suggest that health authorities are unlikely to alter their recommendations to limit meat consumption.

One of the authors of the new study, Professor Linda Van Horn, is a member of the advisory panel that is currently helping the federal government update its influential Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which have long recommended that people limit their intake of red and processed meat. Prof Van Horn is a member of two advisory panel subcommittees, including one that is drafting recommendations on dietary fats and seafood.

The findings reinforce recommendations that people should prioritise foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fish, nuts and seeds, and limit their intake of foods such as red and processed meats, refined grains, fried foods and sugar-sweetened beverages.

In an interview, Prof Van Horn said that the new study relied on some of the highest quality data available. She said the findings reinforce recommendations that people should prioritise foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fish, nuts and seeds, and limit their intake of foods such as red and processed meats, refined grains, fried foods and sugar-sweetened beverages.

“When you eat a diet that is rich in processed and refined foods, it collectively contributes to increased risk of disease and denies you the benefits of the fibre, vitamins, minerals and plant-based proteins that contribute to health,” said Prof Van Horn, division chief of nutrition in the department of preventive medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

The conclusions of the new study contrast with those of the report last fall in Annals, which found that reductions in red and processed meat intake resulted in fewer deaths from cancer and heart disease but concluded that the evidence was weak because much of the data came from observational studies that cannot show cause and effect. The authors said that any increased risk was too minimal to warrant telling people that they should cut back on meat.

Critics complained that the research was flawed. They argued that the authors evaluated the evidence against meat using a tool that was designed for clinical drug trials, not dietary studies. The lead author of the report came under fire for failing to disclose conflicts of interest, including taking money from a food industry group to publish a similar paper in the Annals three years earlier that used the same methods to discredit widespread guidelines urging people to eat less sugar.

In December, the Annals issued a correction on the meat paper acknowledging the lead author’s undisclosed conflicts.

The authors of the latest paper had a different interpretation of the evidence on meat consumption. Their analysis, initiated a year ago and funded in part by the American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health, looked at data on 30,000 people who were followed for decades as part of six long-running studies on cardiovascular disease. Among the studies included in the analysis was the landmark Framingham Heart Study.

Begun in 1948, the Framingham study has helped scientists identify what are now recognised as some of the leading risk factors for heart disease, such as smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and physical inactivity.

The researchers examined the subjects’ diets and whether it impacted their heart disease and mortality rates. The study was observational, meaning the scientists could isolate links between diet and lifestyle behaviours and cardiovascular outcomes but they could not prove cause and effect. Ultimately, they concluded that eating two or more servings of red meat, processed meat or poultry per week was linked to a 4 per cent to 7 per cent higher risk of developing heart disease. They found that the higher the intake, the higher the risk.

While many people who eat meat do not develop heart disease, the findings reflect what other large studies and scientific reviews have consistently found as well, including the recent Annals report: Higher amounts of meat intake are associated with a small but increased risk of developing heart disease.

Ultimately, whether to eat meat is for individuals to decide. Animal welfare issues are a concern for many. Sustainability issues are also a consideration, as red meat in particular has a high environmental impact.

As far as health is concerned, red and processed meat consumption is one of many overall diet and lifestyle factors that play a role in cardiovascular health, said Associate Professor Norrina Allen, a senior author on the latest study and associate professor of preventive medicine at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine. She said that while some people might consider it a minor factor, it is nonetheless important not to dismiss.

“I would say that even though it seems to be a small amount of risk, any excess risk for something as major as heart disease and mortality is worth considering,” she said.

By Anahad O'Connor © The New York Times

Taken from this article:
Red and processed meat increases heart risks, latest study concludes

A Sweet Challenge for Food Detectives

2015-02-06T21:43:00.001-08:00

Honey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I will leave this news article un-muddled... Read on...
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BY PETER ANDREY SMITH

SAVANNAH, Georgia – There are three vials filled with a sticky, yellowish substance here at the United States Customs and Border Protection’s laboratory. Honey, or so an importer has claimed.

The task: Determine whether the samples are adulterated with sweeteners or syrups, and, if they really are mostly honey, figure out where it originated. If the honey comes from China, often the case, the entire shipment may be subject to additional taxes.

Honey has been a focal point for the lab and the source of a long-running international food scam –known as honey laundering – that has challenged even the existing forensic technology.

Some 70 percent of the honey consumed in America is imported. In 2001, the Commerce Department enacted a stiff tariff on Chinese honey after American producers complained that Chinese competitors were dumping their products on the market.

Then, honey imports from other countries spiked, including from nations not known for large bee populations. According to the American Honey Producers Association, Malaysian beekeepers, for example, have the capacity to make about 20,000 kilos of honey annually, but the country has exported as much as 17 million kilos of honey to the United States in a year.

In an effort to stanch the flow of illicit honey, chemists here have tested thousands of samples from ports across the Southeast. In 2008, the lab demonstrated with about 90 percent accuracy that honey imported from Thailand, the Philippines and Russia had originated in China.

Robert Redmond and Christopher Kana, two of the lab’s chemists, recently took a honey sample and added an acid to digest it. The result looked like muddy water.

Scientists recently have demonstrated that subtle chemical variations in many foods, including honey –undetectable to the tongue or the naked eye – can give a strong indication of where it originated. The lab’s analytic work depends on these geographic “tracers.”

Once a sample is diluted, the liquid is pumped into a device called a mass spectrometer. Inside, a nebulizer turns the sample into a fine mist over heated argon, a process that yields a distinct signature of trace elements.

The spectrometer can measure chromium, iron, copper and other elements to several parts per quadrillion. Each combination reflects the composition of soils: The elements were taken up by flowering plants and foraged by bees.

Soils vary by region, and by statistically comparing the presence of some 40 different elements to a reference database, the Customs agency scientist can ascertain the probable origins of samples.

At first, the detection of transshipped honey relied on a simple test for an unapproved antibiotic, chloramphenicol, discovered in Chinese honey. Carson watts, former director of the lab in Savannah, said the Chinese quit using it when “word got out.”

Around 2006, some importers appeared to be cutting honey with high-fructose rice syrup or disguising cheap, pure honey as an artificial blend. (At the time, the import duty applied to artificial blends that were more than 50 percent honey by weight.)

The problem? Reliably determining the ratio of rice syrup to honey is nearly impossible.

“An importer could present goods to Customs and say, ‘This is 90 percent rice syrup, 10 percent honey,’ and Customs really has no way of knowing,” said Michael J.Coursey, a lawyer who has represented American honey producers.

In 2011, the government accused three companies of importing millions of dollars’ worth of rice fructose blend that was mostly honey. The importers said the product was less than 50 percent honey. The scientists in Savannah produced evidence that pollen in the blends showed the substance to be mostly honey. But defense lawyers challenged the research on scientific grounds. The case was dismissed.

The most sophisticated chemical analysis may have its limits. But for the moment, the food detectives are undeterred. Mr. Redmond said, “If it’s honey from Malaysia, then we’re testing for China.”

Taken from TODAY Saturday Edition, The New York Times International Weekly, 31 January 2015

We could always do with a KIT KAT

2014-11-02T07:44:00.000-08:00

Cover via Amazon

Mars bar (UK style). Photo by sannse. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A US Mars bar (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mars Believe Bar Limited Edition Football World Cup 2006 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: A US Mars bar that has been split in half. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Loco over choco

The taste for chocolate is one of the most fundamental and ineradicable human urges

ROBERT COLVILE
features@mediacorp.com.sg

London – I once met a nutritionist – one of these irritatingly healthy, glowing-skin types – who swore that she could eliminate the craving for chocolate. If you adhered to her chosen diet plan, she insisted, your body would return to a state of such perfect balance, be so in tune with nature and all its wonderful goodness, that the mere thought of a Mars bar would be enough to prompt mild nausea.

This struck me then, and strikes me now, as arrant nonsense. As far as I can tell, the taste for chocolate is one of the most chocolate fundamental and ineradicable human urges. Lord knows, I’ve tried to eradicate it. In fact, I’ve spent much of this week testing my taste for chocolate to destruction, after being left (in the wake of a birthday picnic) with a pile of confectionery that included a plate of brownies, assorted chocolate fingers, mini-rolls, squares of millionaire’s shortbread, and two whole chocolate cakes. After a few days of profiteroles for breakfast and scattering goodies around the office, I just about got through the backlog. But I could still murder a Kit Kat.

MERE BRAIN CHEMISTRY?

You can, of course, explain all this in terms of brain chemistry. Journalist Damian Thompson has written powerfully about the addiction mechanisms built into our cravings for little sugary treats, about how we become hooked on the hit of pleasure delivered by a cupcake frosted with towering icing. Sugar, as we all know, is an incredible mood-lifter: Another co-worker confessed recently – and was there a hint of pride alongside the shame? – that he has taken, when feeling low, to devouring an entire block of mint Viennetta in a single sitting.

It’s true that when you’re tired, or stressed, the siren lure of chocolate becomes ever more difficult to resist. The latest sneaky innovation is “sharing bags”, a section of the market in some places that’s going gangbusters. The ads tend to depict thin, happy people passing them round with beaming smiles, yet I have yet to meet anyone who has actually shared one, save under duress. Most are guzzled through in a single sitting, delivering bite after bite of chocolately goodness. (In fact, I’m prepared to offer a bar of Green & Black’s Maya Gold to anyone who has ever had the willpower to use the “resealable” bags to defer the pleasure till later.)

MORE ELEMENTAL

But I don’t think we’re just going through the neurochemical motions. I think there’s something deeper, more elemental, at work. With other products – wine or beer, for example – we gradually drift away from the cheap stuff, our tastes moving upmarket with our income. Sure enough, many confectioners now dwell on their bars’ cocoa percentage and the beans’ origins in a remote Peruvian village, presenting their choccies as the artisanal equivalent of a particularly spectacular Pouilly-Fuisse.

But while I’ll happily devour a bar of 70 per cent Venezuelan, there are many more times when all I want is to get hold of a little brown square of Cadbury’s, and let it do its Proustian work. I’m hardly alone: Indeed, the new musical of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory has done such boffo box-office because Roald Dahl tapped in, with his peculiar genius, to exactly this sensation, setting up Wonka’s chocolate as the ultimate sweet, the Platonic ideal of chocolate.

Think of the almost pornographic way in which Dahl tantalises the reader with the thought of Wonka’s factory- first the view from outside, then the taste of that first bar of Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight, then (once the doors creak open) the smell from the great Chocolate Room wafting down the corridor, until finally Charlie and the other children are unleashed to eat their fill. The book is, in theory, a parable about the virtues of restraint over indulgence. But if you had a golden ticket, you’d be scoffing your face alongside Augustus Gloop in a heartbeat. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

Taken from TODAY Saturday Edition, June 29, 2013

New cookbook reveals popes’ favoured dishes

2014-10-24T17:28:00.001-07:00

Cover of The Bon Appetit Cookbook

VATICAN CITY

From an Argentinian dessert that translates as “milk candy” to Polish ravioli, a member of the Vatican’s famed Swiss Guard has unveiled a range of recipes of dishes favoured by popes.

David Geisser, 24, who joined the elite Vatican security corps a month ago, launched his cookbook Bon Appetit, Swiss Guard in Rome on Tuesday.

In includes recipes for dishes such as the Dulche de Leche, a milk-based dessert created in Argentina a century ago, which made its way to the Vatican’s tables last year with Pope Francis.

There is also the Polish pierogi, or dumplings of unleavened dough traditionally stuffed with potato filling, sauerkraut, meat, cheese or fruit – a nod to the late Pope John Paul II – and Bavarian delicacies favoured by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a German.

“A soldier can fight and wage war only when he has eaten well, and enough,” said Daniel Anrig, the head of the Swiss Guards.

AFP

Taken from My Paper, Thursday, October 23, 2014

When cooking liver...

2014-08-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

Lamb (sheep) liver (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

25-August-2014

How do you cook liver? Actually, I did not mean to ask that question. My point on this short article is how you prepare the liver before cooking.

So how do you clean pig liver or cow liver before you cook it? Or specifically, how do you lessen the liver-y smell or taste?

Some say soak in vinegar. Some say pre-cook for a short while, etc.

What we discovered is to simply cut and wash well, and then before cooking, about half an hour, soak in water that can be easily drained. So it could be in some deep bowl and the cut liver in some strainer, which can be easily lifted up and out and washed.

Do this every 5 minutes, and you would notice that the water will always be red, for why not? Liver is doing blood cleaning, so it is just naturally soaked in blood. And the blood in liver is what makes it taste and smell liver-y.

Once the blood in the liver is removed, or kept to the minimum, then the taste and smell will be very different.

So if you need to eat high-protein meat, which is usually liver, try this one. You'll like it!

Does Scent Carry Olive Oil's Secret?

2014-07-23T07:10:00.002-07:00

Oil tasting, BAIA October 2006 Wine Tasting, California, USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A 1-liter glass bottle and bowl Bertolli brand Riserva Premium extra virgin olive oil. Olive oil from Italy, Greece, Spain, and Tunisia, and bottled and packed in Italy. Olive oil purchased in a Stow, Ohio store. Photographed in Kent, Ohio, United States. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Olive Oil (Photo credit: Smabs Sputzer)

23-July-2014

Well, it's been about 2 years since my last post, and since I stopped writing articles due to work constraints, I just decided to collect papers so one day (and that is now), I would be able to type in selections. This is one, and I have a whole stack of year-old papers but timeless and priceless artifacts. Read on....
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by Anahad O'Connor

Why is olive oil, the crown jewel of the Mediterranean diet, so good for your health?

Nutrinionists points to its abundance of antioxidants and oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that protects the heart. But new research suggests that some of the benefits of olive oil might be contained in its aroma.

The research found that compared with other oils and fats, extra virgin olive oil was more likely to increase a person's feelings of satiety after a meal.

But another phase of the study showed that imparting the scent of olive oil to food -- by adding an aromatic extract -- reduced the amount of calories people in the study consumed and improved their blood sugar response.

The senses of smell and taste, it is well known, are two senses that are strongly tied together.

Previous research has shown that manipulating the aroma of certain foods can influence the amount of them that people choose to eat. Intensifying the smell and flavor of a dessert, for example, can prompt people to take smaller bites.

The goal of the new study was to look at the factors that make some foods more filling than others.

Many products in supermarkets attract buyers with labels saying "low-fat," but eating low-fat foods can cause people to compensate by overeating later, said Dr. Malte Rubach, a nutritional scientist who conducted research with colleagues at the German Research Center for Food Chemistry, a government-financed institute based outside of Munich that published the report.

"We wanted to see whether there was a way to reduce the fat content of food without losing its taste or aroma," he said.

The researchers, who received no funding from producers of olive oil, began the study by comparing the effects of four different fats on feelings of satiety: lard, butter, olive oil and canola oil. Canola oil has less monounsaturated fat than olive oil, but less saturated fat as well, and is often recommended along with olive oil as a healthy alternative to other cooking oils.

The researchers recruited 120 people and randomly split them into five groups. The participants were told to eat 500 grams of yogurt every day for three months. In four of the groups, the yogurt was enriched with one of the four fats. The fifth group, which served as the control, ate plain, zero-fat yogurt.

The subjects were followed closely and regularly given blood tests. They were not told specifically what was in their daily yogurt, though for ethical reasons they were informed that it might be enriched with animal or plant-derived fats, Dr. Rubach said.

After eating their yogurt, the olive oil group showed the greatest increases in blood levels of serotonin, a hormone associated with satiety. They also reduced their caloric intake most days to compensate for the extra yogurt, which prevented them from gaining weight, a pattern that was also seen in the butter and control groups.

The canola and lard groups, however, did gain weight during the study period. Instead of cutting back on other calories, they added the yogurt to what they were eating on a regular basis.

"You could see that those who felt satiated reduced their total energy intake," Dr. Rubach siad, "whereas the others didn't reduce their energy intake and they gained some weight."

The researchers were particularly surprised to see that weight and body fat increased in the group that was fed canola oil, despite health properties that are similar to olive oil's. So they designed the next phase of the study to see whether something other than the nutrients in the two oils accounted for their different impacts.

This time, subjects were split into two groups that were given zero-fat yogurt.

In one of the groups, the yogurt was mixed with an aroma extract that imparted the scent of olive oil without adding any fat.

Those who ate the plain yogurt showed a drop in serotonin levels and reported less satiation after eating it.

They also did not cut back on other calories to compensate; instead their intake increased an average of 176 calories a day.

The group eating the olive-oil scented yogurt, meanwhile, reduced their calories from other foods and showed better responses on glucose tolerance tests,which measure blood sugar control. Abrupt swings in blood sugar are part of what drives hunger and satiation.

The researchers attributed the impact of the olive oil scent to two compounds that are particularly abundant in Italian olive oils, including hexanal, which is said to resemble the scent of fresh cut grass.

Dr. Rubach siad that because the study was small, it would not be a good idea to draw any general recommendations from it.

But the findings suggest that consumers should be aware that the physiological impact of a meal is not limited to what they can see on the plate.

"This is the first time where we've really looked at the effects that things other than fatty acids, protein and carbohydrates have on satiety," he said. "Everything that completes our impression of a meal can have an impact."

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Taken from TODAY Saturday Edition, April 13, 2013

Green Mussels in Tomato Paste

2013-02-13T04:30:00.001-08:00

Cooked mussels (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

13-Feb-2013

This green mussel in tomato paste recipe has passed hands, so I decided to post it, so others who are very fond of eating green mussels, if they don’t have this dish already, may try it. Now this isn’t entirely mine – this was passed on by a fellow engineer while we are on training in Ireland, when we are on our own, away from our spouses. Some good things can come out in such situations, you see.

Now don’t think that this is a very complicated recipe, hard to prepare, and even harder to cook. It is all the contrary. So go ahead and try it. I’m sure you will enjoy it. Bon appétit!

Green Mussels in Tomato Paste

Ingredients:

Onion – 1 whole is small, half if big
Garlic – 5-6 cloves
Ginger – about the size of the onion used
Tomato – ripe, very ripe preferred for easier cooking into paste
-    1 big piece for each kilo of green mussels (min 2)
Mussels – small to medium easier to cook, and tastier, too
-    Empty shells easier to manage during disposal also…

Method:

Preparation:
1.    Buy green mussels in the morning when you are going to eat for lunch.
2.    Put in the ref, not in the freezer, if not cooking immediately.
3.    Do not wash. Wash only just before adding in the wok.
4.    Mince the onion and garlic.
5.    If desired, the onion can be sliced sideways to keep it visible.
6.    Wash, then cut the tomatoes into small pieces.
7.    Wash the ginger. If not removing skin, wash very well.
8.    Slice like a thick potato chips (quarter of an inch or so).

Cooking:
1.    Heat up wok in medium fire.
2.    Add in enough oil, not too much.
3.    Drop in onion, stir until semi-transparent, then add in garlic.
4.    Stir until garlic turns medium brown, then put in tomatoes.
5.    Stir, then cover. Leave for a minute or two.
6.    Repeat step 5 until tomatoes get pasty (halfway into becoming paste).
7.    Drop in ginger.
8.    Do step 5 until tomatoes are fully cooked and pasted. Cover.
9.    Clear everything away as you have to do this quick:

Wash under running water the mussels.
Drain away in a container.
Wash again, and drain away.
Make sure no mud or dirt stays on the shells.
However, never submerge the shells in the water so the mussels don’t lose their juice.

10.    Open wok and put in the mussels, stirring vigorously, making sure paste covers as much mussels as possible.
11.    Do this carefully so nothing spills out of the wok.
12.    Cover. Leave for 2 mins. Stir. Repeat.
13.    When boiling starts, add in some salt (and MSG, if you please). Just enough.
14.    Let it boil for another 5-10mins.
15.    Best served right after cooking.
16.    Enjoy!

Havard unveils findings on canned soup diet

2011-12-19T19:52:00.001-08:00

Now this is something that has to be checked on your diet... eat in moderation...
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Posted: 23 November 2011

WASHINGTON: People who ate canned soup for five days straight saw their urinary levels of the chemical bisphenol A spike 1,200 percent compared to those who ate fresh soup, US researchers said on Tuesday.

The randomised study, described as "one of the first to quantify BPA levels in humans after ingestion of canned foods," was done by Harvard University researchers and appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association's November 23 issue.

"We've known for a while that drinking beverages that have been stored in certain hard plastics can increase the amount of BPA in your body," said lead author Jenny Carwile, a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health.

"This study suggests that canned foods may be an even greater concern, especially given their wide use."

The chemical BPA is an endocrine disruptor that has been shown to interfere with reproductive development in animal studies at levels of 50 micrograms per kilogram of body weight and higher, though it remains uncertain if the same effects cross over to humans, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

This study did not measure BPA levels by micrograms per kilogram of body weight, but rather by micrograms per litre of urine, so a direct comparison to the EPA-cited danger level in animals was not possible.

However, previous studies have linked BPA at lower levels than those found in the Harvard study to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity in humans, Carwile told AFP in an email.

BPA is found in the lining of canned foods, cash register receipts, dental fillings, some plastics and polycarbonate bottles marked with the number 7.

Seventy-five people took part in the study, eating a 12-ounce serving of either fresh or canned soup for five days in a row. They were advised not to otherwise alter their regular eating habits.

After a two-day break, the groups switched and ate the opposite type of canned soup.

A urine analysis showed the canned soup eaters had 1,221 percent higher levels of BPA than those who ate the fresh soup.

BPA is typically eliminated in the urine and so any spike is usually considered temporary. The researchers did not measure how long elevated BPA stayed in the body, saying more study would be needed to examine that question.

The US government's health and environmental agencies are considering whether "further action is needed to address human health risks resulting from non-food-packaging uses of BPA," according to the EPA.

France's Agency for Food Health Safety (Anses) in September called for tougher preventive measures, warning that even "low doses" of the chemical had had a "confirmed" effect on lab animals and a "suspected" effect on humans.

Preventing exposure to BPA among infants, pregnant or nursing women was a "priority goal," Anses said.

Meanwhile, the Harvard study authors said their findings should encourage people who eat a lot of canned foods to opt for fresh instead, and should serve as a red flag to manufacturers who use BPA to make cans.

"The magnitude of the rise in urinary BPA we observed after just one serving of soup was unexpected and may be of concern among individuals who regularly consume foods from cans or drink several canned beverages daily," said senior author Karin Michels.

"It may be advisable for manufacturers to consider eliminating BPA from can linings."

- AFP/wk

Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
Havard unveils findings on canned soup diet

Green bean casserole, Baked baby eggplants, etc.

2011-12-19T18:40:00.001-08:00

Image via WikipediaImage via WikipediaImage by Sea-Turtle via Flickr20-Dec-2011

I was going through some recipes, and i realized that the articles are copyrighted materials. This prevents me from copying over the items into my blog, since I haven't got any permission from the authors/owners.

Therefore, here are the links. Hopefully, these are superb dishes, and healthy ones as well.

Enjoy!

Green bean casserole from the Osceola Sentinel-Tribune

Baked baby eggplants & String beans and potatoes from FOX News Network

The Picayune Creole Cook Book from New Orleans Net LLC

Vitamin D activates immune response to TB

2011-11-24T06:39:00.001-08:00

Posted: 13 October 2011

WASHINGTON: Vitamin D is needed to activate the immune system's response to tuberculosis, said a US study on Wednesday that could lead to new treatments for the lung disease that kills 1.8 million people per year.

Researchers have long known that vitamin D plays a role in the body's response to TB, but the study in the journal Science Translational Medicine shows it must be present in adequate levels to trigger the immune response.

This finding could be crucial to efforts to treat the disease in parts of the world like Africa, because people with dark skin tend to be more susceptible to TB and also are more likely to have vitamin D deficiencies.

Even though people can get vitamin D through sun exposure, dark skin contains more melanin which shields the body from ultraviolet rays and also reduces vitamin D production.

"Over the centuries, vitamin D has intrinsically been used to treat tuberculosis," said first study author Mario Fabri, who did the research for the study while at the University of California Los Angeles and is currently at the Department of Dermatology at the University of Cologne, Germany.

"Sanatoriums dedicated to tuberculosis patients were traditionally placed in sunny locations that seemed to help patients -- but no one knew why this worked," he said.

"Our findings suggest that increasing vitamin D levels through supplementation may improve the immune response to infections such as tuberculosis."

Previous studies by the same research team found that vitamin D played a key role producing a molecule called cathelicidin, which helps the innate immune system kill the tuberculosis bacteria.

The current findings show that vitamin D is necessary for the T-cells, which respond to threats as part of the body's adaptive immune system, to produce a protein called interferon which directs cells to attack the bacteria.

"At a time when drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis are emerging, understanding how to enhance natural innate and acquired immunity through vitamin D may be very helpful," said co-author Barry Bloom, former dean of the faculty at the Harvard School of Public Health.

The World Health Organization reported this week that 8.8 million people had TB last year, with about one quarter of those cases occurring in Africa and 40 percent in India and China.

-AFP/vl

Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
Vitamin D activates immune response to TB

Toxic chemicals in children's soup cans

2011-11-03T05:33:00.001-07:00

Posted: 22 September 2011

WASHINGTON: Worrying levels of BPA, an industrial chemical with suspected links to cancer, lurk inside canned soups and pasta targeted at American children, the Breast Cancer Fund said on Wednesday.

In a product testing report, the non-profit advocacy group - which focuses on environmental causes of cancer - said an average of 49 parts per billion of BPA, or bisphenol A, was detected in a dozen cans of food items tested.

"Every food sample tested positive for BPA," with Campbell's Disney Princess and Toy Story soups testing the highest," said the group, which is pressing canned food producers to embrace alternatives to BPA.

Best known as a hardening agent in plastic bottles, BPA is also widely used
to line the inside of metal cans, but a raft of scientific studies have pointed to a possible link with cancer and other illnesses.

Earlier this year, the European Union banned the use of BPA in the manufacture of baby bottles. Its use in infant food containers is also restricted in Canada as well as 10 US states.

"We're concerned about BPA because it disrupts the body's delicate hormonal system," Gretchen Lee Salter, policy manager at the Breast Cancer Fund, told AFP by telephone from San Francisco.

"There's a toxic chemical in our canned foods marketed to children, and it doesn't belong there."

In its tests, the group found levels of BPA ranging from 148 ppb in a can of Campbell's Disney Princess Cool Shapes shaped pasta with chicken and chicken broth to 10 ppb in a can of Campbell's SpaghettiOs with meatballs.

Earth's Best, Annie's Homegrown and Chef Boyardee products were also tested, with eight of the 12 cans found to have BPA levels in excess of the 49 ppb average.

It was unclear why there was such a wide variation between the cans tested, or why cans bought in California were liable to have higher BPA levels than those from Wisconsin.

But Salter said that previous laboratory experiments have suggested that some foodstuffs are liable to provoke greater toxic leeching from BPA packaging than others.

Pending sweeping legislation to ban BPA across the board, the Breast Cancer Fund urged parents to avoid canned foods and instead feed their youngsters dry or frozen pasta, fruit, or soup packaged in paper-based containers.

-AFP/pn

Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:

Toxic chemicals in children's soup cans

M.Y. San Grahams Pineapple Box Cake and Crema de Fruta

2011-10-29T06:32:00.000-07:00

Image by normanack via FlickrImage by Made In PHL via FlickrImage by Zeetz Jones via FlickrImage by Zeetz Jones via FlickrI have lifted these 2 simple recipes from M.Y. San's Grahams wrapper. Hope it is useful to many.
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M.Y. San Grahams
Pineapple Box Cake

Ingredients

12 pcs M.Y. San Grahams Honey
1/4 cup M.Y. San Grahams Honey, crushed
1 439g can crushed pineapple, drained
1 1/2 cup (1 1/2 of 250mL brick) all-purpose cream, chilled and whipped
1/2 168mL can condensed milk

Procedure

DO THE FILLING - In a bowl, combine crushed pineapple, whipped all-purpose cream and condensed milk. Divide into 4 equal parts. Set aside.
LAYER and ASSEMBLE - Spread a fourth of the pineapple cream mixture on the bottom of an 8 x 8 inch baking dish. Dip 4 pieces of crackers into reserved pineapple juice and place on top of pineapple cream mixture. Repeat procedure for the remaining crackers and cream mixture.
FINISH and GARNISH - Spread the crushed M.Y. San Grahams on top. CHILL before serving.

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M.Y. San Grahams
Crema de Fruta

Ingredients

Crust:

12 pcs M.Y. San Grahams Honey, dipped in fruit cocktail juice

Filling:

1 1/2 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/4 cup condensed milk
1 1/4 cup water
2 pcs egg yolk, beaten slightly
2 cups fruit cocktail, drained (reserve some juice)

Gulaman:

1/2 bar clear gulaman
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 cup water

Procedure

DO FILLING - Mix sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. In a bowl, combine condensed milk and water. Gradually add milk mixture to the cornstarch mixture. Cook on low heat until thickened, about 8-10 minutes. Turn off heat.
ADD - egg yolks to the thickened cornstarch-sugar mixture, beating vigorously to avoid cooking the eggs. Return pan to low heat and cook for 2 minutes more. Cool.
ASSEMBLE - Arrange 6 M.Y. San Grahams (dipped in the fruit cocktail syrup) on the bottom on an 8-inch square pan. Spread half of the custard evenly on top of the crackers. Top with a fourth of the fruit cocktail. Repeat procedure.
BREAK - gulaman bar in half of the cold water to soften. Boil the remaining water; add the softened gulaman mixture and the sugar. Boil until gulaman is completely dissolved. Pour gulaman on top of fruit cocktail. Chill and serve.

Winning recipes from the SJ-R's annual cookie contest

2011-10-28T23:06:00.001-07:00

Image via WikipediaImage via WikipediaImage via WikipediaImage via WikipediaImage via WikipediaImage via WikipediaImage via WikipediaImage via Wikipedia

By KATHRYN REM (kathryn.rem@sj-r.com)

The State Journal-Register

Posted Oct 18, 2011 @ 10:10 PM

Last update Oct 19, 2011 @ 06:02 AM

A chocolate cookie topped with mocha frosting, a spiced oatmeal cookie and a slice-and-bake shortbread cookie with dried cranberries took the top prizes in The State Journal-Register’s 2011 Homemade Cookie Contest.

“The cookies this year tend to be homey, more old-fashioned,” said Bitzy Groth, who judged the contest for the fourth year with her husband, Patrick. The 43 recipe submissions were whittled down by newspaper staff to 12. Those finalists were asked to prepare their recipes, which were judged Oct. 10 by the Groths, who own Incredibly Delicious, a Springfield bakery and café.

Prizes were $100, $75 and $50. Cookies were judged on taste and appearance; recipes did not have to be original.

Annie Jaech, a history researcher and retired insurance underwriter who moved to Springfield in June, took the top prize with Baked Truffles with Mocha Frosting.

“I’ve had this recipe for 40 or 45 years. I make it often,” she said. “I think it’s the best recipe I have.”

“It has a great texture and layers of flavor,” said Patrick Groth about the soft drop cookie. “The frosting is complex, but not too sweet.”

“The flavors just pop in your mouth,” Bitzy said.

An avid baker, Jaech follows advice dispensed by Julia Child: Use the best ingredients you can find, and use unsalted butter for the best flavor.

This was the first time Jaech has entered a cooking contest.

“I’ve never won anything before,” she exclaimed.

*************

The Loaded Oatmeal Cookies, which came in second, live up to their name. Besides walnuts, raisins, oats and buttermilk, they are packed with a blend of spices and topped with brown butter icing.

Joan Newell of Springfield first tasted the iced drop cookies at St. John’s Hospital. While visiting a relative there, she ate a cookie that a nurse had brought in.

“I found the nurse who made them and she gave me the recipe. I’ve been making them ever since,” said the mother of six and former home economics teacher. She later found out the recipe originated with celebrity cook Paula Deen.

“They’re very spicy, but the spices have a great balance. One doesn’t overpower another,” Patrick Groth said. “It tastes like something your grandmother might make,” added Bitzy.

Newell said the cookies are very easy to make, but the icing can be a bit tricky.

“Don’t burn the butter. Simmer it until it’s a golden color and then take it off the heat,” said Newell, who entered a spice cake in her first Illinois State Fair contest this year and won.

**********

Pat Pedigo of Springfield found the recipe for third place finisher Holiday Cranberry-Orange Slices in a magazine long ago. She has been making them ever since.

“You know it’s a shortbread when you see it. It would be great for the holidays, with the orange and cranberries and pecans in it,” said the Capital Development Board employee and grandmother of four. (Her fiancée has another two grandchildren, and they’re all eager cookie eaters.) She often makes the icebox cookie dough in advance and freezes the rolls.

“The cookie is pretty. And it would be convenient for people to make at home,” said Bitzy Groth. “It’s crisp, and it has lots of bits and pieces in it,” added Patrick.

“This is probably going to be one of the easiest cookies you’ll ever make,” said Pedigo. She bakes all of her cookies directly on a baking stone, rather than a cookie sheet.

“The bottoms never get burnt,” said Pedigo, who also likes to bake pies and make fancy appetizers.

Baked Truffles with Mocha Frosting

From Annie Jaech of Springfield

2 squares bitter chocolate, melted and cooled

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar, light or dark

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup sour cream

¼ cup cream or milk

Mocha Frosting:

1 square bitter or bittersweet chocolate

3/4 stick unsalted butter

2 tablespoons very strong coffee (can be omitted)

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk or cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

Carefully melt chocolate in microwave (or use your preferred method). Sift flour, soda and salt. Cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in cooled chocolate. Add milk or cream to sour cream. Add sifted flour to chocolate mixture, alternating with sour cream. Drop onto lightly greased cookie sheet, using about 1 tablespoon per cookie. Bake at 350 degrees 8 to 10 minutes. Cookies should be soft.

Frosting: Melt chocolate and butter together. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Spread cooled frosting on cookies. Very good when made, but the flavor improves if cookies are stored overnight in cookie tin. Keeps well.

Makes 2 dozen.

Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

From Joan Newell of Springfield

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (or freshly ground nutmeg)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

1 cup raisins

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Brown Butter Icing:

1/2 cup butter

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 to 4 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 1 or more cookie sheets.

Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, shortening and sugar in a bowl until fluffy. Add eggs and beat until mixture is light in color. Add buttermilk.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and allspice; stir into creamed mixture. Fold in oats, raisins, walnuts and vanilla, blending well. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes.

Brown Butter Icing: In a small saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat: stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in enough water to make an icing of drizzling consistency. Drizzle on warm cookies.

Makes 5 dozen.

Holiday Cranberry-Orange Slices

From Pat Pedigo of Springfield

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel

In large mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Stir in cranberries, pecans and orange peel.

Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a 9-inch-long roll. Wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper. Chill 3 hours or until firm enough to slice.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut rolls into 1/4-inch slices with serrated knife. Place slices 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm and lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute. Transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool.

To store: Layer cookies between waxed paper in airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month.

Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

Crispy Pecan Sugar Cookies

From Jeanine Benanti of Springfield

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 ounces softened cream cheese

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and warm

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

1 tablespoon half-and-half

2 teaspoons pure vanilla

1/2 cup finely chopped toasted pecans on a shallow plate, set aside

Raw sugar for sanding

Pecan halves, for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in medium bowl. Set aside.

Place 1 1/2 cups sugar and cream cheese in large mixing bowl. Pour warm butter over sugar and cream cheese and whisk to combine (lumps will remain). Whisk in oil. Add egg, half-and-half and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture and mix with rubber spatula until soft dough forms.

Roll 2 tablespoons dough in hands to form ball and roll in raw sugar. Place bottom of each cookie in chopped pecans and flatten into cookie using bottom of drinking glass. Place cookies on baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with more raw sugar, if needed. Place pecan half in center of each cookie, if desired.

Bake 11 to 12 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack. Cool completely before storing.

Makes 2 dozen.

Frosted Nutmeg Treats

From Stacy Meyer of Springfield

Cookies:

3 cups unbleached flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling

1 teaspoon rum flavoring

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg

1 large egg

Frosting:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon rum flavoring

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of kosher salt

Freshly grated nutmeg for dusting

For the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with baking parchment.

Whisk flour and salt together, and set aside. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and ¾ cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in flavorings and nutmeg. Beat in egg. Gradually add flour mixture on low speed, just until blended.

Working with a handful of dough at a time, roll on a surface sprinkled with granulated sugar into ½-inch-diameter ropes. Cut ropes into 3-inch lengths, and place them 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until light golden brown on the bottom and around the edges.

Meanwhile, make the frosting: Beat butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream, flavorings and salt on medium-high speed, until very creamy.

Spread baked cookies with frosting while still very warm, just a minute or so out of the oven. (Frosting will melt and adhere to the warm cookies, hardening into a crisp coating as they cool.) Dust with nutmeg while they are still wet. Allow cookies to cool completely before serving. Store in airtight container; they will keep well for up to 1 week.

Note: These cookies pack and mail extremely well, so they are perfect holiday cookies for gifting.

Makes 3 dozen.

Glazed Orange Cookies

From Dotti Milner of Springfield

¾ cup shortening

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda dissolved in ½ cup sour milk

1 teaspoon orange zest

Glaze:

1 ½ teaspoons orange zest

1/3 cup orange juice

1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream shortening and sugars. Add eggs, lemon extract, vanilla extract, baking powder, salt and flour. Blend in the baking soda that has been dissolved in milk. Add orange zest.

Drop on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Bake 11 to 12 minutes.

Glaze: Mix orange zest, orange juice and powdered sugar. Spread on cookies while they are still hot from the oven, to give them a glazed effect.

Makes 4 dozen.

White Chocolate and Raspberry Cookies

From Brenda Dutcher of Springfield

11 ounces white baking chocolate, chopped, or white chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

1/2 teaspoon shortening

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheet. In small saucepan, cook and stir 4 ounces of the white chocolate on low heat until melted. Cool slightly.

In large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium to high for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking soda and salt. Beat until combined. Beat in eggs and melted white chocolate until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour and another 4 ounces of the white chocolate.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto cookie sheet. Bake 7 to 9 minutes only, just until edges are brown. Let stand for 1 minute on cookies sheet, then transfer to wire rack and let cool.

Before serving, in small saucepan, cook and stir raspberry jam on low heat until melted. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of jam on top of each cookie. In small saucepan combine the remaining 3 ounces white chocolate and shortening. Cook and stir on low heat until melted; drizzle over cookies. If necessary, let stand until white chocolate is set.

Makes 3 dozen.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cookie Bars

From Kasey Schwartz of Chatham

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Golden Delicious apples, chopped

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 jar caramel topping

Crumb Topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cubed and softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into 13-by-9-inch pan or cookie sheet with edges. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

In large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time. Next add vanilla. Mix until combined. Pour over warm crust.

In small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture.

Crumb topping: In small bowl, combine flour, oats and brown sugar. Add cubed butter and combine. Crumble over cream cheese mixture.

Bake 30 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping and store in refrigerator.

Makes 12 to 18.

Big-Time Cookies

From Marilyn Okon of Springfield

Cookies:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/4 cup sour cream

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup buttermilk

Icing:

2 cups confectioners' sugar

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 tablespoons hot water

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon gel or paste food coloring (color of your choice)

Cookies: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 baking sheets.

In a bowl, stir flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a larger bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add egg, then sour cream, chocolate and vanilla. On low speed, beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk until just blended.

Drop five 1/4 cupfuls of dough on a prepared baking sheet, 4 inches apart. With spatula, spread each into a 3-inch mound. Bake 10 to 12 minutes on center rack, turning sheet 180 degrees halfway through, until a wooden pick comes out clean. Cool cookies on sheet 5 minutes, then remove to wire rack and cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough on second sheet.

Icing: Put 1 cup confectioners' sugar into each of 2 bowls. To each bowl, add 1 1/2 tablespoons corn syrup, 1 tablespoon hot water, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Stir mixture vigorously with wooden spoon until smooth. Stir cocoa powder into one bowl until icing falls in thin ribbons from the spoon (add water, if necessary). Stir chosen food coloring into the other bowl.

Turn cookies over. With a small spatula, spread half of the flat bottom of each cookie with chocolate icing, creating a line down the center, and spread the other half with the colored icing. Let set for 1 hour.

Makes 10 large cookies.

Blueberry Oat Bars

From Merry Riley of Springfield

1 ¾ cups quick or old-fashioned oats, uncooked

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar

½ cup chopped nuts

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup margarine or butter, melted

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

¼ cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8-inch square glass baking dish.

Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, nuts and baking soda. Add margarine, mixing until crumbly. Reserve ¾ cup mixture; press remaining mixture onto bottom of prepared dish. Bake 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine blueberries, granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons water. Bring to a boil; simmer 2 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.

Combine remaining 1 tablespoon water, cornstarch and lemon juice; mix well. Gradually stir into blueberry mixture; cook and stir about 30 seconds or until thickened. Spread over partially baked base; sprinkle with reserved oat mixture. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Cool on wire rack; cut into bars. Store tightly covered in refrigerator.

Note: This also tastes great when made with other small berries, peaches , pears or a combination.

Makes 16.

Raspberry Thumbprint Lemon-Sugar Cookies

From Heather Miller of Springfield

Cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon lemon juice

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Extra granulated white sugar for sprinkling

Raspberry preserves

Buttercream Frosting:

½ cup butter or margarine, softened

½ cup vegetable shortening

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon lemon zest

4 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Using electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar and lemon juice until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg over butter mixture, stir to blend. Turn dough onto floured surface and knead gently for 1 minute. Shape dough into ½-inch thick rectangle, cut into fourths and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours. Let dough soften a little at room temperature.

Position oven rack in the center and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter large baking sheet. One piece of dough at a time, roll out on floured surface into 1/8-inch thickness. Dust surface lightly with flour. Using floured 2- or 3-inch round or shaped cutters, cut out cookies. Pull away excess dough from around cookies. Transfer cookies to baking sheet, spacing ½-inch to 1-inch apart (cookies won’t spread). Sprinkle half the cookies lightly with granulated sugar. Re-roll dough scraps to make more cookies.

Bake cookies until light brown, 9 to 11 minutes. While they are baking, prepare the frosting.

Frosting: Cream butter and shortening with electric mixer in large bowl. Add vanilla, lemon juice and zest. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. Icing will appear dry once all the sugar has been mixed in. Add 1 tablespoon milk and beat until frosting is fluffy. Add more if necessary. Cover bowl with a damp cloth until ready to use.

Remove cookies from oven. Let cool 3 minutes and then use your thumb to indent centers of the sugar-sprinkled cookies. Transfer cookies to a rack and cool.

Turn an un-dented cookie bottom-up and add thin layer of buttercream. Sandwich the frosting by placing a thumb-printed cookie on top. Repeat with all cookies. Add a dollop of raspberry preserves into each thumbprint.

Makes 2 to 3 dozen.

Triple Chocolate Cherry Drop Cookies

From Trish Fenton of Springfield

1 ¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ cup cocoa powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup finely chopped chocolate chunks or miniature chocolate chips

¾ cup dried cherries, plus another 30 reserved

11-ounce bag white chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine butter and both sugars. Use electric mixer to beat until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add egg and vanilla, mixing to fully incorporate. Gradually add the dry ingredients, then mix in the chocolate chips and cherries.

Arrange balls of dough, about 1 tablespoon in size, on prepared baking sheets, leaving 1 ½ inches of space between each cookie. Bake cookies, rotating sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through, until spread and set, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on pan 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Set out sheets of parchment or waxed paper.

Once cookies are cool, in a microwave-safe bowl, heat white chocolate chips on high in 15-second bursts, stirring between each, until fully melted and smooth. One at a time, dunk half of each cookie into melted white chocolate, then set on parchment paper. Place 1 of the reserved cherries on top of the white chocolate on each cookie. Refrigerate to set.

Cookies can be stored in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

Note: Nuts or golden raisins may be substituted for the dried cherries.

Makes 30 cookies.

Taken from The State Journal-Register.com; source article is below:
Winning recipes from the SJ-R's annual cookie contest

Recipes for those with a gluten intolerance

2011-10-28T22:57:00.001-07:00

Image via WikipediaEllen Lund/Daily Bread | Posted: Tuesday, October 18, 2011 11:00 am

Last week I promised you a column with recipes designed for gluten intolerant folks. I knew just where to find them - the Celiac Sprue Association headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.

This organization's goal is to offer information to those who are living with gluten intolerance and offer them the opportunity to meet with others who are also living a gluten-free lifestyle. To that end, the organization publishes a newsletter entitled Lifeline. This publication offers extensive first person narrative about the effects of celiac disease and suggestions on how to live well with this challenging diagnosis.

Lifeline also features ads that show common products on our grocery shelves that are gluten free and therefore acceptable for a celiac patient's diet. In addition, the publication deals with legislative issues that benefit the celiac community and tax code changes that offer deductions for those who must follow a special diet and deal with the extra cost that the diet entails.

By reading this publication, I also learned that there is a gluten-free dining and travel club that allows those who must live a gluten-free lifestyle the joy of exploring this beautiful world we inhabit without worrying about the availability of food to support their nutritional needs.

This publication can be obtained by contacting the Celiac Sprue Association at P.O. Box 31700, Omaha, Nebraska or by telephone at (402) 558-0600 or by going on their website at www.csaceliacs.org. They will explain to you the many benefits of membership in the Celiac Sprue Association.

The following recipes are from Lifeline and are delicious additions to anyone's cooking repertoire. Since it is very likely that most of us know someone who is gluten-intolerant, these recipes allow you to serve healthful and delicious food safe for their consumption.

Quick and Fabulous Chickpea Soup

Melissa Belser

1 chicken breast, skinless, boneless

1 can (16-ounce) chickpeas, drained

1 can (10-ounces) Rotel tomatoes, original recipe

1 cup brown rice

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon minced onion

2 teaspoons thyme

2 teaspoons oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 stalk celery, diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

32 ounces gluten-free chicken stock

Sauté chicken on medium heat until just cooked. While chicken is cooking, peel, chop and assemble the remaining ingredients. Remove chicken from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Cut the chicken into cubes and add back into the pan. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan with the chicken. Cook on a medium or low heat for 30 minutes and serve. This recipe freezes well.

Coconut Banana Muffins

Mary Buchman

1/2 cup butter or palm shortening

2 eggs

3 very ripe bananas

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour mix

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 and one-half teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the butter or palm shortening and eggs in a medium size bowl, add mashed bananas and set aside. Place the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Add the wet ingredients into the dry just until moistened. Spoon the resulting batter into greased muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Easy Flourless Brownies

2 cups chopped pecans

2 tablespoons dark cocoa

3 tablespoons regular cocoa

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, blend nuts until they have the appearance of sand granules. Add the rest of ingredients and blend for about minutes. Place brownie mixture in a greased 8-inch-by-8-inch pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes.

Taken from FremontTribune.com; source article is below:
Recipes for those with a gluten intolerance

Cancer cookbooks aim to help patients, caregivers bring joy back to eating

2011-10-28T22:44:00.001-07:00

Cover via Amazon19-October-2011

By Maureen Linke, USA TODAY

When a friend is going through cancer treatment, we naturally want to help — and for many people, that means whipping up a casserole or some other comfort food.

But for those experiencing nausea, stomach upset or a metallic aftertaste from chemotherapy, some rich or heavy foods may be anything but comforting, say authors of cookbooks created with cancer patients in mind.

Good nutrition is especially important during cancer treatment because people who are nutritionally depleted don't tolerate treatment well, says Kris Ghosh, a gynecologic oncologist and co-author (with Linda Carson and Elyse Cohen) of Betty Crocker's Living With Cancer Cookbook: Pink Together Edition (Wiley Paperback, $19.99), out last month.

PHOTOS: More recipes for cancer patients

Listening and simplicity are key when cooking for a cancer patient, Ghosh says. "First and foremost, find out what their cravings are," he says. "Tastes can change during treatment. You don't need to cook fancy for them to be happy; they need substance … something they can tolerate or digest."

Cookbooks such as Living With Cancer and theAmerican Cancer Society's What to Eat During Cancer Treatment: 100 Great-Tasting, Family-Friendly Recipes to Help You Cope ($19.95) aim to help patients and caregivers with symptom management. Both categorize recipes by common symptoms: nausea, diarrhea, constipation, mouth soreness and difficulty swallowing, altered sense of taste, unintentional weight loss.

Though it can be difficult for family and friends to discuss a loved one's diagnosis, patients don't want pity, Ghosh says: "These books can be a subtle and supportive way to start the conversation." Some insurers may even cover cookbooks' costs, he adds.

The recipes in these books are not difficult, the authors note: Each recipe in What to Eat takes only about 30 minutes, and Betty Crocker cookbooks are known for easy-to-prepare recipes.

Different stages of cancer treatment can affect taste or appetite in a variety of ways. Chemotherapy is the most significant because chemo drugs kill cells that divide rapidly, such as taste buds, causing patients to have to regrow new ones, Ghosh says. Regrowth doesn't begin until at least a month after all treatments are completed. During regrowth, everything tastes bland or patients have cravings they've never had before, he says.

Though nutritional value is a high priority, overall calorie intake can be the ultimate goal, especially for someone suffering from frequent nausea, says Colleen Doyle, a registered dietitian and editor of the American Cancer Society cookbook, published in 2009. "If nothing but ice cream sounds good, that's OK," she says.

Simple, non-spicy foods can be the most appealing during chemotherapy, says breast cancer survivor Jody Schoger of The Woodlands, Texas.

"I was always hungry for soup, but something that you may have enjoyed before may not appeal to you at all during chemo," says Schoger, who is now in remission and cooks for cancer patients in her community.

Foods can bring back memories of how life can be normal and positive again, and that mental aspect of treatment is just as important, Ghosh says.

"Here you are going through the most challenging part of your life, and your basic ability to eat has been taken away," he says. "People get depressed as they go through treatment, and a side effect of depression is lack of appetite. Bringing that joy back to eating is a really critical part of treatment."

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

Taken from Your Life, USAToday.com; source article is below:
Cancer cookbooks aim to help patients, caregivers bring joy back to eating

Taste of Home cooking show returns to Shoals

2011-10-28T22:39:00.001-07:00

19-October-2011

By Teri Thornton
Lifestyle Editor

Culinary specialist Michelle Roberts will return to the Marriott Shoals Conference Center for the Taste of Home Cooking School on Tuesday, Nov. 1.

Just in time for the holidays, Taste of Home Cooking School is returning to the Shoals with a show full of hints and recipes for entertaining guests or a family meal at home.

Returning with the Cooking School will be culinary specialist Michelle Roberts.

“I have 10 brand-new recipes,” said Roberts, who originally hails from Mississippi but resides in Birmingham. “Those attending will get to experience a live show where you can see and smell all of the food being prepared right there.”

In addition to demonstrating the recipes, Roberts will share tips and ideas for holiday entertaining throughout the program, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center in Florence.

Roberts said the show for is everyone, from experienced cooks to those who just dabble in the kitchen.
“Any and all skill levels can make our recipes,” she said. “I love our shows because there is something for everyone.”

Taste of Home Cooking Schools also introduce new products on the market.

“I will bring lots of information about our products,” Roberts said. “One that will probably be new to most people is Domino Agave Nectar.”

Before the show, the public can keep track of the cooking school through its blog, cookingschoolblog.com.

“It is great, and people can keep up with our adventures,” said Roberts, who will be posting on occasion.

All attendees to the cooking show will receive a gift bag with two Taste of Home magazines, recipes, coupons and trinkets. There also will be door prizes including a dining room table and chairs from Story & Lee Furniture, one of the show sponsors.

In addition to the TimesDaily and Story & Lee, sponsors are Hunts TV and Appliance and Window World.

The following recipes are from Taste of Home. They have not been tested by the TimesDaily.

Chili Cheese Dip

1 pound lean ground beef (90 percent lean)

1 cup chopped onion

1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14½ ounces) diced tomatoes in sauce

1 cup frozen corn

¾ cup water

1 can (2¼ ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained

3 teaspoons chili powder

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon chipotle hot pepper sauce

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

1 package (16 ounces) reduced-fat process cheese, cubed

corn chips

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a 5-quart slow cooker. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, corn, water, olives, chili powder, oregano, pepper sauce, garlic powder and cumin.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until heated through; stir in cheese. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with corn chips.

Yield: 8 cups.

Pumpkin Pie Dip

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin

½ cup sour cream

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

½ teaspoon ground ginger

gingersnap cookies

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Beat in the pumpkin, sour cream, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and ginger until blended. Serve with gingersnaps. Refrigerate leftovers.

Yield: 4 cups.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2 cups fresh pumpkin seeds

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Line a 15-by-10-by-1-inch baking pan with foil and grease the foil. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients; spread into prepared pan. Bake at 250 degrees for 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Increase heat to 325 degrees. Bake 5 minutes longer or until seeds are dry and lightly browned. Serve warm, or cool before storing in an airtight container.

Yield: 2 cups.

Teri Thornton can be reached at 256-740-5742 or teri.thornton@TimesDaily.com

Taken from TimesDaily.com; source article is below:
Taste of Home cooking show returns to Shoals

12 healthy homemade candy recipes

2011-10-26T07:54:00.001-07:00

Image via WikipediaImage via WikipediaLooking for candies? I mean, if you wanted to make them at home for your energetic kids who need refuelling every now and then, here are 12 candy recipes that you can try. Enjoy!
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Making homemade candy is fun, delicious and easy. These 12 recipes will get you started.

By Kimi Harris
Tue, Oct 18 2011

Robin shared some wonderful choices for healthier organic candy for Halloween last week. It made me long for candy myself! I thought I'd share 12 recipes for homemade candies that everyone can enjoy. Some of these recipes are candy bars, some are great to serve at parties, and others make perfect additions to lunch pails. Better yet, the recipes can be surprisingly simple and healthy!

The following recipes use unrefined sweeteners and high quality ingredients. It’s candy you can feel good about feeding your family. With these around, your children will thank you and you can satisfy your own sweet tooth on something more nutritious as well as delicious. Just be careful with the couple of recipes that call for making a sticky syrup out of honey or maple syrup. I use my back burner and make sure all children are out of the kitchen as it can cause serious sugar burns.

1. Mock Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups: I created this recipe for my then 3-year-old daughter. They were an instant hit with both her and her friends.

2. The Easiest, Healthiest, Most Scrumptious Fudge Ever: The title says it all. This fudge is so much easier to make than traditional fudge and much healthier, too. I've made it with the more common sweetener, honey, with great results as well.

3. Nature’s Candy Bar (pictured at top): I called these Nature's Candy Bar because they feature dates, which are rich in natural sugar. A chocolate coating doesn't hurt either.

4. Candy Bar: This chocolate-covered candy bar looks amazing! I would recommend simply substituting the agave syrup in this recipe and the next with the less refined sweetener, honey.

5. Mock Mounds Bar: Mounds bars used to be my favorite candy bar. Now I can have a a healthier version guilt-free.

6. Cracker Toffee (pictured above): My daughter and I made this super easy recipe last year as part of our Christmas candy platter. They are rich, delicious and so easy.

7. Old-Fashioned Caramel Corn: I adapted my husband's favorite caramel corn recipe from his younger years to only include unrefined sweeteners (no corn syrup here!) It is a certain favorite at parties.

8. Caramel Apples: This recipe uses cream and honey to create a rich caramel coating for apples. It's perfect for this time of year.

9. Dairy-Free Caramel Apples: This recipe doesn't use any dairy but a combination of honey and maple syrup. How delicious does that sound?

10. Honey-Sweetened Dark Chocolate Macadamia Nuts: These make a very special gift, and very yummy snacking.

11. Maple Magic Candy: All you need for this recipe is maple syrup. If you've ever had maple syrup candy before, you know how amazing it is.

12. Decadent Chocolate "Larabar" Truffles: (pictured above): These truffles were inspired by Larabars, but morphed into truffles; perfect as an afternoon pick-me-up.

Also on MNN:

Taken from Mother Nature Network; source article is below:
12 healthy homemade candy recipes

‘Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible’

2011-10-26T07:38:00.001-07:00

Cover of Joy of Cooking

Oct 18, 2011

By Lauren Torrisi

Paula Deen, the bubbly Food Network star, has released her cookbook “Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible.” Known for her use of large amounts of butter in recipes, Deen offers a variety of southern comfort food guaranteed to please everyone. (She doesn’t disappoint with her “Butter Burgers” or “Gooey Butter Cake.”)

In addition to her delicious recipes, Deen always focuses her attention on family. Her cookbook contains recipes that you can’t help but imagine eating with your loved ones and enjoying a laugh.

Deen’s cookbook aims to mimic “The Joy of Cooking” with its textbook like nature but with a southern twist. With few images, she sticks straight to the recipes, offering tips and time-saving tricks for the home cook. With 325 recipes, this book is your go-to guide for southern food. Check out this recipe for Paula Deen’s Best Ever Southern Fried Chicken, excerpted from her new cookbook, “Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible.”

I’m dieing to try this recipe for her fried chicken, which I’m sure, when paired with homemade biscuits, is the perfect weekend family meal. Try it for dinner tonight!

Taken from ABCNews.com; source article is below:
‘Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible’

French sojourn in Provence nourishes a cook's soul and palate

2011-10-26T07:16:00.001-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

Oct. 18, 2011

Written by

Ron Mikulak | The Courier-Journal

I have just returned from a “busman’s holiday,” a vacation during which I did pretty much what I do during my workaday life. I spent two weeks with friends in a house in a Provencal village south of St. Remy, France, during which one of my deepest pleasures was cooking meals for the group, using ingredients from local groceries and the weekly village market.

I didn’t prepare every meal, of course. We ate at local restaurants a few times, and one of the other couples was enthralled by French markets, and had ideas for making a couple of dinners.

While I am adept at winging it in the kitchen, I thought I should bring with me at least one cookbook to get me focused on Provencal food. I thought immediately of Elizabeth David.

I have briefly written about David before. She traveled extensively around the Mediterranean after World War II, living for extended periods in southern France and Italy.

Returning to the still food-rationed England in the early 1950s, David missed the vibrant foods she had eaten in her travels and consoled herself by writing a small book of recipes of dishes she had enjoyed. The success of “The Book of Mediterranean Food” led her to return to France to research her next book, “French Country Cooking,” a survey of regional Gallic cuisine, which starts in Provence.

“Provence,” David writes, “is a country to which I am always returning, next week, next year, any day now, as soon as I can get on to a train.”

The food that is grown on Provence’s “warm, stony, herb-scented hillsides,” she explains, “is not primitive food; it is civilized without being over-civilized. That is to say, it has natural taste, smell, texture and much character. Often it looks beautiful, too. What it amounts to is that it is the rational, right and proper food for human beings to eat.”

Although I did not have to read this to be eager to cook in a Provencal kitchen, with local ingredients, David’s prose certainly gave my eagerness a boost. The fact that our rental house was right next door to a wonderful fruit and vegetable market with a fine little cheese department, a selection of a dozen or so olives and several shelves of wine (crisp local rosés went for 4.95 euros, less than $7) all added to the pleasures of cooking while on vacation.

One of the first truly Provencal dishes I ever ate, in a small restaurant some 30 years ago on my first trip to France, was daube, a beef dish somewhere between a pot roast and a stew. I was eager to try my hand at this quintessential “home-cooking” dish of southern France.

David says this about daube: “There must be scores of different recipes for daubes in Provence alone, as well as all those which have been borrowed from Provence by other regions, for a daube of beef is essentially a country housewife’s dish. In some daubes the meat is cut up, in others it is cooked in the piece; what goes in apart from the meat is largely a matter of what is available, and the way it is served is again a question of local taste.”

In her inimitable, narrative way, David writes her recipe as a sort of essay, with often impressionistic allusions to quantities, assuming that her readers will have enough experience in the kitchen to know to taste before adding more salt or pepper to a sauce. My recipe is a mash-up of David’s instructions and my own approach, couched in the more standard format of modern recipes.

Other characteristic Provencal dishes include tian, a casserole named more for the local style of pottery casserole than for the recipe, which can be various. Tomates provencal farcies — “stuffed” roasted tomatoes — is usually made with ripe tomatoes, but I have adapted a recipe for green tomatoes, which are more abundant in markets at this point in the season.

I was bemused that the “in” desserts in French restaurants, both modest and upscale, were fruit “crumbles,” apple or pear crisps, with a pastry dough undercrust and a streusel topping. My poached pear over crumbles is a sort of deconstructed fruit crisp.

La daube de boeuf provencal | Provencal-style beef stew

2-3 pounds beef chuck or shoulder roast, cut into 2- to 3-inch square chunks
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ pound bacon (unsmoked is preferable, but not essential), cut into 1-inch pieces
¼ pound salt pork or pork rinds, cut into thin strips
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed flat with the blade of a knife
Bouquet garni of a bay leaf, a generous sprig of thyme and a few sprigs of parsley, tied together
4- to 6-inch strip of orange peel, removed with a vegetable peeler
1 cup bold red wine
2 onions, peeled and cut into quarters
2 carrots, scraped and cut into chunks
½ pound new potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
½ pound grape or small Roma tomatoes, stems trimmed but tomatoes left whole
1 cup pitted black olives

Season the chunks of beef with salt and pepper.
In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat, and when shimmery, add the beef pieces, in batches, and sear until nicely browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium-low, and add half the bacon and half the pork rinds or salt pork. Place the browned beef chunks on top of these, stick the garlic and bouquet of herbs in between the pieces, then add the orange peel and the rest of the bacon and pork rind, scattered over the top of the beef. Add the wine, bring to a simmer, cover first with foil, then with the pot lid and reduce heat so the dish simmers slowly.
After one hour, add the onions, carrots, potatoes and tomatoes, and simmer for another hour. Add the olives, and simmer until the meat is very tender — until a testing fork slides into and out of a chunk of beef without catching. Serve with salad, hearty bread or a side of tian or tomates provencal farcies.
Serves 6.

Tomates provencal farcies | Provencal tomatoes

In France, these are made with ripe tomatoes. But this late in the season, gardens are bursting with green tomatoes, so I adapted the idea to use one of my favorite late summer vegetables.

6 green tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper
½ cup breadcrumbs
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
½ cup minced parsley

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Trim both stem and blossom end of tomatoes so both sides are flat. Slice tomatoes in half at the equator. Salt the tomatoes lightly, then place upside down on paper towels to drain for about 30 minutes.
In a large ovenproof frying pan, heat 1½ tablespoons of olive oil until shimmery. Squeeze the tomatoes lightly to work out excess moisture and some seeds, then pat dry. Add the tomatoes, largest side down, to the pan, and cook 5 minutes over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Carefully turn tomatoes over with a spatula, and cook other side about 3 more minutes. Then place tomatoes in an oiled baking pan, largest sides up.
In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, minced garlic, minced parsley and the remaining 1½ tablespoons olive oil, and spoon evenly over the tomatoes. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until topping is nicely browned and the tomatoes are starting to bubble.
Serves 6.

Tian of zucchini and rice

3 pounds fresh zucchini
Salt and pepper
½ pound rice
½ stick (4 tablespoons) butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 tablespoons minced parsley
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
4 eggs
1 cup cream or half-and-half

Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Wash and trim zucchini, but do not peel. Grate coarsely into a strainer set over a bowl. Sprinkle the grated zucchini with salt, and let drain for 15 minutes.
Bring 3 cups of salted water to a boil, add the rice, stir and cook until al dente, about 12-15 minutes.
Drain and fluff with a fork.
Squeeze excess moisture out of the zucchini by wrapping and wringing in a clean tea towel. In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, add the grated zucchini, and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or so, until softened. Stir in the minced garlic, parsley and thyme. Taste, and adjust seasoning. Fold in the cooked rice.
In a mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then beat in the cream or half-and-half until custard is smooth. Oil or butter a 3-quart baking dish. Spoon in the zucchini and rice mixture, and then cover it with the egg mixture, mixing lightly so custard is evenly distributed. Place in oven, and bake until set and slightly browned on top, about 45 minutes.
Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish, but is a good basis for a vegetarian main course.

Wine-poached pears in a crumble bed

For the pears:

4 cups cold water
Juice of 1 lemon
6 firm but ripe Bosc or Bartlett pears (with stems intact)
1 bottle light red wine
1¾ cups sugar
4- to 6-inch strip of orange rind, removed with vegetable peeler
1 star anise
1 whole vanilla bean, cut in halves
1 whole clove
1 cinnamon stick

For the crumble base:

¾ cup sugar
¾ cup flour
1 tablespoon water
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
¼ cup butter, softened
½ cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

In a large bowl, combine the water and lemon juice. Peel the pears, keeping the stems intact. Cut a small slice from the base of each pear so the fruits sit without toppling. Drop each one into the water; set aside.
In a saucepan large enough to hold all the pears, combine the wine, sugar, orange rind, anise, vanilla, clove and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Add the pears, and simmer for 25 minutes or until they are tender when pierced with a skewer, turning as needed to get all sides immersed, and turning the same ruby color. They may need to poach longer if they were not ripe.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Leave the fruit to cool completely in the poaching liquid.
Transfer the pears and their liquid to a large container. Refrigerate for at least several hours and as long as 3 days.
Strain about one-third of the poaching liquid into a saucepan. Bring it to a boil over high heat, and reduce it by at least half, until it has the consistency of a light syrupy glaze, like thin honey.

To make crumble base:

Heat oven to 325 degrees.
In a bowl, mix all ingredients until crumbly. Spread in a shallow baking pan in an even layer, and place in oven. Bake 15-25 minutes, until the mixture is nicely browned on top. Let cool.
When cool, but before the mixture sets, use a fork or your fingers to break up the mixture into a “crumble” or streusel-topping texture.
Spoon a layer of the crumble into a shallow serving bowl. Place cold poached pear in the center. Spoon over some of the reserved reduced poaching syrup, and serve.

Reporter Ron Mikulak can be reached at (502) 582-4618.

Taken from Courier-Journal.com; source article is below:
French sojourn in Provence nourishes a cook's soul and palate

A fruitful search: recipes on the internet

2011-10-26T07:09:00.001-07:00

Cover of The Best RecipeOliver Thring offers his guide to the best and worst recipe websites. Where do you turn for online culinary inspiration
-----

Earlier this year Google launched a new recipe search in the UK, having guinea-pigged it in America and Japan. This proves what you've surely noticed: that more and more people are using the internet to help them decide what to cook. Blogs, aggregators of chefs' recipes and online compendiums of family cooking are snatching at the apron-tails of magazines and cookbooks.

It's an exciting but bewildering time. The quality of recipes online varies wildly and blindly: from America, de facto ruler of the English-language internet, gushes a twee slew of cupcakes, anodyne renderings of international food, and "50 ways with a jar of marinara". The situation is little better here, where literally a squillion blogs publish endless quiche recipes and where, on the same website, sensitive methods from Mike Robinson jostle with the slapdash culinary zeugmas of Ready Steady Cook. Here's my attempt to guide you through the best and worst.

Epicurious

Epicurious is probably the best of the main American food sites, amassing recipes from Gourmet (RIP) and Bon Appétit magazines as well as those from individual chefs, while providing a forum for discerning users to upload their own. A glance at menus for St Patrick's Day reveals attractive methods for smoked haddock soup and beef and Guinness pie. Eppy claims to have over 100,000 recipes: there's plenty of diamante in the rough.

AllRecipes

Another huge site, with over 100,000 "likes" on Facebook. Its food is mainly ordinary, midweek home cooking: cakes, pasta dishes, "delicious gluten-free pancakes", with an occasional good idea. The difficulty with a user-submitted recipe is that it has to stand on its own: reader reviews offer some guidance but one probably needs a basic understanding of food to predict whether a dish is going to work. For the tired or unadventurous cook, though, a well-reviewed dish AllRecipe on is often a safe bet.

Food Network

This bloated website, a spin-off from the TV channel, is simply a hoot. At least half of Food Network's recipes are straightforwardly revolting. A glance at the "comfort food" section throws up "meatloaf masterpiece", "mac and cheese soup" and "red velvet bread pudding", the red coming from food colouring. The site also hosts this fine "recipe" combining pre-sliced carrots with shop-bought dressing.

Best of all, FN is the place to behold Sandra Lee and Paula Deen, who between them offer the ultimate in culinary disaster tourism. Deen is a fluorescent-toothed Georgian responsible for such irony-free wonders as the Krispy Kreme burger, ham and banana casserole and deep-fried lasagne.

Lee is a dead-eyed Stepford robot notorious for what she styles "sem-eye homemade cooking", a woman apparently terrified of slicing a mushroom. Food Network is a twisted joy to browse, but I wouldn't go near it when looking for dinner.

BBC

Confusingly, the BBC has two food sites: an archive of its TV chefs' recipes and a spin-off of its Good Food magazine. I use the main BBC food site a lot: it's beautifully designed, I like its seasonal guide, and because it tells you which programme a recipe was taken from you can normally gauge how good the dish will be.

Christ knows what James Tanner thought he was doing when he brainspawned "baked alaska with garlic and herb cream cheese and orange", but the bulk of Saturday Kitchen recipes and those dishes from old faves Hugh and Nigel tend to be reliable, enticing and worth cooking. BBC Good Food, which has a lot of user-submitted recipes, sensibly stresses peer reviews. It has plenty of good stuff but this recipe, described no doubt with some accuracy by its owner as "breathtaking", is one of the most emetic things I've ever seen.

Blogs

The best recipe blogs are as good as the best cookbooks – just as the best restaurant bloggers are as good as the best professional critics – and have the advantage of being free. But there are many more bad food blogs than good ones. Quality blogs, however, tend to garner readers and fame, so a blog's popularity is a rough though not indisputable guide to its worth.

Some of the best blogs specialise in a particular cuisine, such as Homesick Texan, which showcases the food of the southern US in droolworthy detail, or Appetite for China. Here are some of my other favourites:

Simply Recipes. Elise Bauer began her blog in 2003, which makes the site a stately old dame in internet years. Its recipes, such as purple potatoes with caramelised onions and shiitake or barbecued ribs with Dr Pepper sauce are homely, inviting and have a sense of humour.

101 Cookbooks is another behemoth in the food blogosphere. Its well-photographed dishes are almost intimidatingly healthy, but I do find this a rather preachy blog, at best a collection of hangover cures. Some of the recipes look good but one wonders from what red hell this dish arose.

David Lebovitz is a good American living in Paris, an old-school patissier and a first-class food writer. His method for tempering chocolate is the best I've read anywhere, and his advice for would-be food bloggers is gold-dust. Deservedly one of the most famous blogs.

Tartelette: writing what is inexplicably one of the world's most popular food blogs, this woman can no doubt cook. But her prose is an exercise in soppy solipsism, and I find it singularly unreadable. Use the pictures as inspiration, and shield your eyes from the words.

Many WoM readers will have encountered Food Stories and Hollow Legs before. I place them together here because they exemplify some of the best of British food blogs (and both have fine links pages). Lizzie Mabbott of Hollow Legs is probably a more deft cook of Asian food, while Helen Graves is better with a camera, but both these blogs make me rush to the kitchen.

Internet marketeers trill that "content is king", that if only you cram your website with enough Google-friendly words you'll soon dominate your little corner of the internet. They may be right, but the advice is no help to a hungry person. The quality of recipes is always more important than their quantity: sites that boast of having hundreds of thousands of recipes only flaunt their indifference to their readers.

My advice: find a smattering of blogs you like, have a gander on Epicurious and the BBC and, once you're well-fed, gaze in mesmerised horror at Sandra Lee's Kwanzaa cake.

Taken from The Guardian, UK; source article is below:
A fruitful search: recipes on the internet

Recipes Lost and Found: Falling for squash

2011-10-26T06:47:00.001-07:00

Image by cookipediachef via FlickrImage by VancityAllie via FlickrImage by Zlatko Unger via FlickrImage by vigilant20 via FlickrImage by Laurel Fan via FlickrImage by NilmaBoston via FlickrImage by cyberpenguin via FlickrImage by thebittenword.com via FlickrImage by thebittenword.com via FlickrImage by VancityAllie via FlickrImage by La Grande Farmers' Market via FlickrImage by cathepsut via FlickrImage by lynn.gardner via FlickrImage by elana's pantry via FlickrBy JEFF HOUCK | The Tampa Tribune
Published: October 18, 2011

Fall is a great time to take advantage of the seasonal squashes, including pumpkins.

Chef Scott Swartz of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., suggests using gourds as bowls to serve his Butternut Squash Soup. Use smaller pumpkins for individual servings, or place the soup in one big pumpkin and let guests serve themselves.

Prepare a pumpkin by washing the exterior and patting it dry. Carve out the top to make a lid and remove the seeds from the inside. You can also carve away some of the flesh inside the pumpkin so it can hold more liquid.

The following recipe has been adapted from The Culinary Institute of America's 2009 book "The New Book of Soups." To watch Swartz demonstrate how to prepare Butternut Squash & Apple Soup go online to www.ciachef.edu/ButternutSquashSoup.

Drink your cranberry

During a recent event at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, I had a chance to chat with Ocean Spray cranberry grower Jim Bible. During our conversation, he mentioned that his dad made a margarita recipe using cranberries.

Unfortunately, the Bible family didn't write down the recipe – a company spokeswoman says it's just a matter of throwing a handful of Craisins Dried Cranberries into any frozen margarita mix before blending – but I went online to the Ocean Spray site and got a more formal recipe. It runs below.

Longing for steak sandwich

"I don't know if you are old enough to remember the Mac and Ivey's Steak Sandwich," writes Bob Moore. "Their shop was located on Henderson Boulevard in the '60s. They made a steak sandwich somewhat similar to a Philly Steak sandwich but BETTER."

Bob says that the sandwich's meat was finely chopped ("You knew you were there by the sound of the cleaver chopping the meat on the grill!") and had chopped onions and chopped tomatoes in it.

"For a long time you could get them at the state fair, but I haven't seen them for a while," Bob writes. "I would love to find someone who knows the recipe!"

Leftover recipes

Roxanne Papia of Tampa is looking for a recipe for Stuffed Shrimp a la Pepe from the former Café Pepe's on Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa.

Connie Rott wants the fried beef tips recipe served with yellow rice at J.D.'s in Ybor City.

Kathy Freeman of Lake Placid is looking to make the fluffy coconut dessert served at the Fred's restaurant chain in Plant City, Lakeland and Winter Haven.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Makes 8 servings

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups diced onion
1/3 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced celery root
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
3 to 4 cups vegetable broth
3 cups cubed butternut squash
1 cup sliced tart apple
1/4 teaspoon salt, or as needed
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper, or as needed
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 cup crème fraîche for garnish (optional)
8 small pumpkins (about a pound each) or one large pumpkin

Heat the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, ginger, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is tender and translucent, 5 to 6 minutes.
Add the broth, squash, and apple. Bring the broth to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook until the squash is tender enough to mash easily with a fork, about 20 minutes.
While the soup is cooking, wash the pumpkins with mild soapy water, rinse thoroughly, and pat dry. Carve a lid off the tops and remove the seeds from inside.
Purée the soup using a handheld blender directly in the pot, with a sieve or a food mill, or in a countertop blender food processor. Return it to the soup pot if necessary. Return the soup to a simmer over medium-low heat.
Season the soup as needed with salt, pepper, and orange zest.
You can serve the soup in heated bowls topped with a dollop of crème fraîche, if desired.

Or, to serve the soup in pumpkins, place each pumpkin onto a plate and fill them with soup topped with a dollop of the crème fraîche, if desired. If serving the soup in one large pumpkin, place the lid back on top to keep the soup warm. You can also offer the crème fraîche in a separate bowl on the buffet.

Nutrition Analysis per 8-ounce serving without crème fraîche: 80 calories, 2g protein, 17g carbohydrate, 1g fat, 250mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol, 3g dietary fiber

Cranberry Pomegranate Margarita
Makes 1 serving

2 ounces Ocean Spray Cranberry Pomegranate juice drink
1 ounce tequila
1/2 ounce orange-flavored liqueur
1/2 ounce lime juice
Orange zest
2 lime wedges
Coarse salt

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine cranberry pomegranate juice drink, tequila, liqueur, lime juice and orange zest. Shake until well-chilled. Rub rim of margarita glass with lime wedge. Dip in coarse salt. Strain cocktail into glass with ice. Garnish rim of glass with remaining lime wedge.

Seeking a recipe? E-mail jhouck@tampatrib.com or write to Jeff Houck, The Tampa Tribune, P.O. Box 191, Tampa FL 33601.

Taken from Tampa Bay Online; source article is below:
Recipes Lost and Found: Falling for squash

Two great recipes for fall

2011-10-26T05:36:00.001-07:00

Image by digiyesica via Flickr

Posted on Wed, Oct. 19, 2011

By STAFF

www.healinglifestyles.com

The fall is a great time to get fresh ingredients from the farmers' market and treat yourself and your family to delicious and healthy comfort foods, such as these two dishes below.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Recipe courtesy of The Heartland Spa

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup fat-free (skim) milk
2 tablespoons cholesterol-free egg substitute
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

In small bowl, combine flours, baking powder and spices. In large bowl, combine pumpkin, milk, egg substitute, oil, honey and vanilla.
Pour dry ingredients over pumpkin mixture; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix.
Cover pancake batter; refrigerate 30 minutes to thicken slightly.
Lightly grease griddle or large skillet and heat until hot. For each pancake, spoon 2 tablespoons batter onto hot griddle.
Cook until bubbles appear on tops of pancakes, then turn them over and continue cooking until golden. Serve immediately.

Artichoke Veggie Loaf

Courtesy of Green Valley Spa

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice, cooked
1/2 cup artichoke hearts, minced
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup cauliflower, minced
1/4 cup minced carrot
1/4 cup Swiss chard
3 tablespoons minced onion
2 teaspoons garlic, finely minced
3 teaspoons sun-dried tomatoes, minced
1 cup tofu, crumbled
1/3 cup egg whites
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons soy sauce, low sodium
3 teaspoons Jensens Protein Seasoning
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook rice according to the package.
Mix artichoke, mushrooms, cauliflower, carrots, Swiss chard, minced onion, garlic and tomatoes together.
Crumble tofu into mixture and add egg whites.
Stir in soy sauce, protein seasoning and onion powder.
Add rice and mix everything together.
Put into a 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 loaf pan that has been sprayed with vegetable spray. Fill 3/4 full. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour.
Place almonds in a baking dish and bake for 2 to 3 minutes in the oven while baking loaf. Serve with almonds sprinkled on top.

Healing Lifestyles and Spas is a website that focuses on natural living. Their mantra is "Live Mindfully, Travel Consciously, Eat Joyfully." They believe that spa living - being mindful of how we live, eat and travel - is a day-to-day experience, not an occasional practice. To read more, log on to www.healinglifestyles.com. To sign up to get a daily tip in your inbox, go to http://www.healinglifestyles.com/index.php/tip-signup
Healing Lifestyles, www.healinglifestyles.com

Taken from KansasCity.com; source article is below:
Two great recipes for fall

17 million US households lack proper diet

2011-10-26T04:24:00.001-07:00

Posted: 08 September 2011

WASHINGTON: Over 17 million US households -- or 14.5 percent -- were unable to eat properly in 2010, either due to small portions, or chronically unhealthy diets, a government report said Wednesday.

Households living near or below the poverty line, single-parent households, and black or Hispanic households, were mostly affected, said the report from the Department of Agriculture.

Among those affected, some 6.4 million homes (5.4 percent) were particularly affected by food insecurity, said the report, facing smaller portions, unhealthy diets, hunger and weight loss.

Some 9.8 percent of households with children faced similar food insecurity, down slightly from 10.6 percent of the same demographic in 2009, the report said.

The "study underscores what we know, that the food security remains a serious problem," said USDA under secretary Kevin Concannon in a conference call with reporters.

The USDA last month noted that nearly 46 million people, or one-in-six Americans, were in April this year living with government-issued food stamps.

-AFP/mt

Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
17 million US households lack proper diet

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French sojourn in Provence nourishes a cook's soul and palate

Oct. 18, 2011

Written by

Ron Mikulak | The Courier-Journal

La daube de boeuf provencal | Provencal-style beef stew

Tomates provencal farcies | Provencal tomatoes

Tian of zucchini and rice

Related articles

A fruitful search: recipes on the internet

Epicurious

AllRecipes

Food Network

BBC

Blogs

Related articles

Recipes Lost and Found: Falling for squash

Related articles

Two great recipes for fall

Posted on Wed, Oct. 19, 2011

By STAFF

www.healinglifestyles.com

Related articles

17 million US households lack proper diet

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