New York City

Does the Right Thing

The news is exciting. The New York City Board of Health has stepped forward and spoken out by banning the use of hydrogentated oils in restaurants effective by 2008. One can only hope that by doing so, not only will other cities follow suit, but the food giants, seeing the handwriting on the wall, will eliminate this ominous ingredient from their processed foods regardless of where they are being shipped. Not because they are eager to do the right thing, but because it would be more economical than producing two versions of each item: one with hydrogenated oils, one without.

Are you feeding your family poison?
Poison In the Food: Hydrogenated Oils reveals the raw truth the food companies don't want you to know about health-harming hydrogenated oils and trans fatty acids. Read it for yourself.

Those of us who use only whole foods have no problem avoiding hydrogenated oils, but millions of people rely on the conveninence of prepared foods that beckon from the grocer's shelves and freezer cases. For those who read labels, attempting to avoid the worst of the additives, take note of the following:

Consumer Health Warning

Do not buy any foods or groceries containing the following ingredients:

Sodium nitrite (meats)
Monosodium glutamate (soups)
Aspartame (diet soda)
Yeast extract (snacks)
Hydrogenated oils
High-fructose corn syrup

Reduce your risk of diabetes, colon cancer, leukemia, breast cancer, heart disease, dementia, osteoporosis and other diseases by learning to identify and avoid toxic ingredients in common foods and groceries.

Click here to learn more.

If reading labels slows the shopping process for you, try perimeter shopping. Avoid all the inside aisles and only buy from the departments and displays along the outside walls of the store. Caution still must be used, but this is where you'll find the foods with the fewest additives. Produce, seafood, meat, cheese, dairy. The inside aisles are jam packed with overly processed, over priced, prepared foods that contain a bevy of ingredients that do you no good and long term, may do you much harm.

Eating is more than a pleasurable past time, it's the method our bodies require to develop, function and stay healthy. For children, in the growth and formative years, it's sheer negligence for a parent to have no knowledge of what is needed to build a sound mind and body that will be free of disease as it matures. Food processors gear their mega-million dollar ad campaigns at kids. Just look at the shelf space devoted to sugared cereals, cookies, candy, and a variety of snacks that have absolutely no nutritional value. But we sure have a nation of fat kids, along with youngsters exhibiting high cholesterol and developing Type 2 Diabetes, diseases once only common in aging adults. We have a responsibility to ourselves and our loved ones to be aware and to buy the right foods.

Take the time to read the labels. Buy, prepare and eat whole foods. Spend some time investigating which foods will provide the most benefit to you based on your age and health. Protect yourself from disease before it strikes, rather than resorting to treating symptoms once you're ill. Good food is good medicine. Don't wait for your city to ban hydrogenated oils -- ban it from your kitchen and avoid it when eating out.

Till next time . . . keep cooking & keep healthy!

How Good Does It Get?

Better and Better . . .

The steam from the oatmeal fogged up my lens in the first image, nevertheless, piping hot oatmeal cooked with a handful of raisins layered over a bed of minced fresh organic Fuji apples, then laced with a sprinkling of brown sugar and a wee bit of half and half provides a high fiber breakfast that will please the fussiest of eaters. Don't shy away from the real thing, instant oatmeal is like eating shredded cardboard with about the same nutritional value -- less actually, because of the sodium and sugar content.

The oatmeal above is the old-fashioned Quaker Oats 5 minute variety. Better yet to cook up a pot of steel cut oats -- far healthier -- but if you're just starting out on the "I want to eat better" kick, the 5 minute variety is a good place to begin.

It's even better for you without added sugar but again, all things in moderation, a sprinkling of brown sugar and a dash of milk or cream will make it more palatable for a lot of folks and if that's what it takes to get started eating well, so be it.

On the eating raw front, I've been alternating a hot breakfast, as described above,with an all raw fruit meal as I had this morning. Diced fresh pineapple, a sliced apple and banana with a navel orange. The four pieces of fruit filled the same cereal bowl pictured above, and filled me as well.

The up side of the all fruit meal? No energy required for digestion. Fruit, with its high water content, slips in and out of the digestive cycle miraculously fast. No sluggish after effects like those following a heavy, cooked meal. All the body's energy resources go into the digestion process leaving us yawning, sluggish and feeling very lazy. Live food will give you the energy boost you need to jump start the morning. A little protein snack mid-morning (a couple of ounces of turkey, a few almonds or walnuts) will get you to lunch time with no hunger pangs and no urge to eat everything in sight when lunch does roll around. Try it and see.

****BOOK NOOK****

Someone asked if I'd stopped reading. Not likely. I tried several new releases this past month, but didn't get past the first 40 - 50 pages with some of them. Those that held my interest, I finished. Nothing particularly weighty, but plenty of reading enjoyment:

November Book List

Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn; Proof Positive - Philip Margolin; The Wrong Man - John Katzenbach; Home to Big Stone Gap - Adriana Trigiani; Hundred Dollar Baby - Robert B Parker.

Till next time . . . keep on cooking.

Peasant Food

Perhaps that's not the best appellation for this kind of dish, but I always think of stew-like concoctions as country fare - not served at the squire's place but rather standard fare for his minions. We usually refer to this type of dish as comfort food. There is a subtle elegance to a fine cassoulet, the final dish far surpasses the sum of its parts.

Recently, I watched an episode of Daisy Cooks on PBS, and was treated to an Hispanic version of a cassoulet, made with ham, potatoes, and pink beans cooked to mouth watering perfection in a little chicken broth with a smattering of Alcaparrado (olives, pimentos, capers and brine) to give it a piquant twist. With that fresh in my mind, I wandered into the kitchen on a rainy day and wondered what to have for lunch. No ham on hand, but I found a couple of Boar's Head all beef franks tucked back in the freezer. They seemed a good substitute. I defrosted and sliced them and then tossed them in a saucepot for a quick sauté in a little olive oil. I added two peeled, diced Idahos and let them play tag with the dogs for a few minutes before adding a can of pink beans (rinsed and drained) and enough chicken broth to just cover everything, plus a couple of heaping tablespoons of Alcaparrado along with a smidgen of the brine, then I turned the heat down to simmer and let the stuff stew.

Once the potatoes were cooked, I was ready to eat. This is one of the fastest, comfort food meals I've ever undertaken. Thank you, Daisy. The olives and brine brought just enough zing to the overall dish to make it an amazing taste treat. Most of the broth had been absorbed but there was enough to allow for the dunking of a hunk of whole wheat bread.

Quick, easy, nutritious and very inexpensive. Think of something like this the next time you 'don't know what to cook'!

Till next time . . . keep on cooking!

Have a Healthy Helping

I'm excited. I ordered Nomi Shannon's book, The Raw Gourmet. To get a jump start on healthy eating for the new year, I'm starting before all the holiday temptations overtake my waist, butt and thighs.

Back in 1995, I'd managed to pack on a lot of extra pounds and was sluggish and feeling my age. I eliminated baked goods, sweets and meat from my diet. I had plenty of fresh fruit for sweets and made wonderful melon sorbets with no added sweeteners. I used eggs, beans and cheese to round out the protein portion of my intake. I'd say that my meals were 50 - 60% raw, accompanied by steamed or roasted veggies at dinner time. I occasionally indulged in a few sautéed dishes like latkes with freshly made raw applesauce balancing out a dollop of sour cream. As the man said, "moderation is the key". Not sure which man that was or perhaps it was a woman, but believe me, avoiding favorite foods entirely is ridiculous - there are no 'bad' whole foods. It's the processed, packaged, plastic, chemically laden, hydrogenized modern wonders that will do you in and certainly contribute to the national obesity epidemic.

While I wait for my new idea book to arrive in the mail, I've pulled out Marilyn Diamond's The American Vegetarian Cookbook, a veritable tome of fantastic ideas, excellent suggestions and recommendations with a raft of information regarding wholefoods vs. refined; fiber, protein, cholesterol, etc. This great resource offers a glimpse into how the body uses the foods we eat to help our immune systems fight disease, but it's also a straightforward volume filled with instructions for easy to prepare meals that will satisfy our appetites while filling us with vibrant energy. Check it out at a great savings.
One of my favorite finds from this cookbook is the goodwich. No, that's not a typo - - it's not supposed to be the good witch. It's an aphorism describing a healthy sandwich. In today's lingo, we call it a wrap. Tortilla based, filled with steamed and fresh veggies,tasty condiments and trimmings, a goodwich is ready to eat in minutes. Tightly wrapped and refrigerated, it's conveniently on-hand when hunger strikes.
Using a whole wheat tortilla for a base,we get the feel of bread without the bulk, (read extra calories) from two slices of bread or a bun. The filling can be any assortment of steamed vegetables, raw vegetables or salads that you choose with low fat condiments such as mustard, tartar sauce, soy sauce, barbecue sauce, fat free or dairy free mayonnaise, etc. and the trimmings are limited only by your imagination and how well you've stocked your pantry: sliced pickles, onions, chopped olives, sprouts, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red bell pepper, etc.

Marilyn spends several pages with examples, suggestions and combinations that have proven successful. Even including a diagram on how to layer and fold the goodwich for ease of handling and eating (keeping the drips to a minimum).

Here's one that I whipped together for lunch using my very favorite combination, vine ripened tomato and avocado with alfalfa sprouts. A paltry filling compared to some of Marilyn's combinations.

To see some exciting examples of raw food, check out Heidi and Justin Ohlander's blog Raw Food, Right Now. They've made the transition from surviving on cooked, dead food to thriving on raw, live food. They posted some fantastic recipes for the recent holiday that will give you an idea of how foods we are so familiar with can be prepared and eaten in a whole new healthier way.
Eating 100% raw food isn't eveyone's goal, but gradually incorporating raw whole foods into our diets is a means to take control of our health. After all, we are each responsible for our own well being.

Bill Buford's column, Notes of a Gastronome, in the October 12th issue of the New Yorker discussed the changing face of food TV. His closing paragraph speaks directly to the lack of food savvy and dependence on prepared food that has become the state of our nation.
"Never in our history as a species have we been so ignorant about our food. And it is revealing about our culture that, in the face of such widespread ignorance about a human being's most essential function -- the ability to feed itself -- there is now a network broadcasting into ninety million American homes, entertaining people with shows about making coleslaw."

It's food that keeps us free of illness and disease and conversely, it is food that contributes to the myriad of fatal illnesses that plague us today. Why have we allowed the food giants, meat processors, fast food chains and agri-business to jeopardize our health and well-being? It's time to take charge of ourselves and our own. Making small changes daily is a step in the right direction.

Till next time. . . keep on cooking, but try a little raw food!

Cranberry Nut Bread

In keeping with the season, it seemed appropriate to make something with cranberries. With a fresh bag of King Arthur Select Artisan 100% Organic All Purpose flour on hand, a new supply of walnuts and a bag of Florida oranges, cranberry nut bread was an easy choice. The following recipe will make three small loaves, two regular size loaves or one large loaf with a soft, moist crumb.

Fresh cranberries and freshly squeezed orange juice make this quick bread a festive, flavorful breakfast treat or the perfect companion to afternoon tea.

The process is simple when taken step by step.

1.) Butter and flour the loaf pan(s); 2.) whisk dry ingredients in large bowl; 3.)whisk wet ingredients in medium bowl; 4.) chop cranberries and nuts; 5.) add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, gently fold until all is moist; 6.) fold in berries and nuts. DO NOT OVERMIX. 7.)Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated 350° oven for 50 - 60 minutes. Cool on wire rack 8 - 10 minutes before removing from pan. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Wet: 3/4 cup orange juice; one large egg, lightly beaten; 2 TB vegetable oil; 1 tsp vanilla extract. Dry: 2 cups flour; 3/4 cup sugar; 1 1/2 tsp baking power; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp baking soda/ 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Fruit/Nuts: 1 cup coarsely chopped cranberries (fresh or frozen); 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans.

Till next time . . . Keep on cooking.

One for Me

Three for the Freezer

It's always fun to restock the freezer -- I get to sample everything that goes in. This morning it was Belgian waffle time. I made these sour cream waffles with white whole wheat flour from King Arthur, hormone & anti-biotic free eggs, organic, cultured butter and fat-free natural milk.

They're quick and easy to make. The first bite, laced with melted butter and Vermont maple syrup cried "heaven" -- with no hint of health food. But for a sweet treat, they're a big step up from the freezer case choices. Try them, even if you use regular flour, eggs and milk -- they still beat bought! Tuck extras away in the freezer. Cut in halves or quarters, they heat up nicely in the toaster.

Sour Cream Waffles

1 3/4 cups AP or white whole wheat flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 stick unsalted melted butter, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup sour cream, 3 large eggs

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl to combine and make a well in the center. Whisk the melted butter, milk, sour cream, and eggs in a medium bowl until well combined and pour into the well. Whisk just until smooth; do not over mix.

MORE FAST FOOD

THIRTY MINUTE MEALS

A protein with a light pan sauce;

fresh veggies; an occasional starch.

Master the pan grilled technique*,
Shop with a plan, toss in a little practice, and you'll soon be putting a tasty, satisfying meal on the table in thirty minutes or less.

*Start on top, finish in the oven, add a simple pan sauce.

Classes start in January. Watch for details.

On behalf of. . .

DINE . SHOP. TRAVEL. SAVE

and

HELP THE POODLES

Be a part of our fundraising effort!

The 2007 Entertainment Book makes the perfect gift for that hard to please someone on your holiday list.

And it will save you $$$$ at favorite restaurants - fine dining, casual fare and fast food for starters. But there's so much more. Check it out.

50% off and 2 for 1 discounts - super savings.

Books are available for 156 locations across the country. Surprise someone with the number one discount savings book - and be sure to get one for yourself.

Coastal Poodle Rescue rehabilitates unwanted, abused and abandoned poodles and then places them in loving and responsible homes to live out their lives as cherished family members.

We ensure that each dog is spayed or neutered and examined by a veterinarian. The dogs are placed in foster homes that provide love and patience to help the animals adjust before being adopted. As a non-profit 501(c) (3) corporation, we are 100% volunteer-based, which means overhead costs are minimal. Fundraising proceeds are put to direct use for the good of the dogs. We are entirely supported by charitable donations.

Coastal Poodle Rescue will receive a portion of every sale of Entertainment Books bought under our group ID. It's the easy way to do a good deed!

HELP US HELP THEM!

Remember This?

This lovely loaf of brioche, tightly wrapped in foil, sat patiently waiting in my freezer to become a luscious Sunday breakfast treat.

French toast with sweet cream butter and Vermont Maple Syrup

What constantly amazes me, as I cook, is the splendid reward for spending a little time with a few quality ingredients. Two slices of bread soaked in a beaten egg with a splash of milk, a pinch of sugar, a sprinkling of cinnamon and a few drops of vanilla, sautéed in a little butter, turned into this mouth watering treat in just a few minutes.

If the serving looks small, you must know, this was 'dessert' after a hearty bowl of steel cut oats with brown sugar, raisins and sliced banana, topped off with vanilla soy milk.

Just wanted to share the French toast image...I'm proud of my brioche!

Free Sample!

At my door this morning, tucked neatly in the plastic sleeve that housed my daily paper, was this little packet of instant bouillon. Nestle, what are you trying to do to us? I see they've lowered the amount of sodium per serving by 25% while maintaining the "same great taste". Instead of 900mg of sodium per teaspoon, this innovative, newly released magic pouch of powder only contains 650mg of sodium per teaspoon. But it's not just the sodium that concerns. The ingredient list contains a frightening roster of ingredients that have been shown to contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, migraines, to name just a few of the more common diseases that plague the planet since the inception of convenience foods became so prevalent in our kitchens.

Last time I looked, chicken broth comprised simply of simmering a whole or parts of a chicken with aromatics (onion, carrots, celery) four ingredients plus water. Not much effort involved in putting a large pot on the stove, rinsing the chicken and veggies and tossing them together with enough filtered water to cover. Once at a boil, the burner is turned down to simmer, the foam is skimmed and an hour or so later, you have quarts of chicken stock, plus some great chicken for salad or soup.

Sure, it isn't something we do after putting in a long day at work. But it works very nicely when we're occupied at home with other projects. It doesn't require much effort to produce. Not only is it superior in flavor to anything that can be purchased. It's good for us.

This little packet, made up of 98% chemicals and 2% dehydrated chicken, was made in Guatemala.

In addition to the listed ingredients, the packet is stamped in capital letters: CONTAINS SULFITES.

Salt, cornstarch, monosodium glutamate, sugar, partially hydrogenated palm oil, garlic powder, onion powder, and less than 2% of dehydrated chicken, turmeric, (spice and color), spices, artificial flavor, chicken fat, disodium inosimate, natural flavor, TBHQ (to preserve freshness) sulfiting agents.

(16 ingredients).

Check out the sidebar for more information and food warnings about the listed ingredients.

I suppose I could easily be considered anachronistic. But daily, studies are showing that it's what we eat or what we neglect to eat that determines the state of our health. Waiting for disease to strike then treating it with pharmaceuticals doesn't make much sense, when with a little knowledge, a little planning and just a little effort, we can eat our way to health.

ASK JOYCE

U.H.requested directions for preparing the perfect oven-grilled London Broil.

Thanks to Cook's Illustrated, I've become an accomplished hand at this simple technique for turning an inexpensive piece of chewy muscle into a delicious entrée.

By the way, the term London broil refers to the method used to prepare an inexpensive piece of meat, not the cut. Choosing the right cut of beef is the first step toward success in this preparation.

The traditional cut for London broil is flank steak, but that's no longer an inexpensive cut of beef. After much trial and error, Mark Bittman, who developed this particular technique, determined that an excellent alternate choice is the shoulder cut. The shoulder (chuck) is a bit chewy, but its full beef flavor, low cost and the fact that it can be purchased in a nice thick cut, makes it a favorite for London broil.

A quick and easy, flavorful, no fuss - no muss meal

I watch the specials, and often find a lean, thick piece of beef, labeled shoulder roast or shoulder steak, at $2.79 - $2.99/lb. When cooking for one, even a two pound piece is a lot of meat. I usually cut the roast in half and freeze a portion for another time. One pound of meat is plenty for three meals for me. London broil served cold is great, sliced thinly accompanied by a horseradish/mustard dipping sauce and some rye bread with a side salad, you've another fast meal or use the thin slices of rare beef to top a dinner salad.

Oven grilling is my favorite method for cooking pork, chicken and steak. It's simply starting it on top of the stove, then transferring it to finish off in a very hot oven. The trick with London broil is to use high heat both on top of the stove and in the oven to achieve a uniform, crisp crust.

An oven-safe, heavy skillet, cast iron or stainless steel, works best. The oven should be preheated to 500° for at least 30 minutes with an oven rack placed in the lowest position. Here are the instructions, adapted from the May/June 1998 issue of Cook's Illustrated:

1 1/2 - 2 pounds boneless shoulder steak/roast about 1 1/2" thick, patted dry. Salt and pepper.

Heat a heavy ovenproof skillet for as least 3 minutes over high heat. Generously sprinkle both sides of the steak with salt and pepper and add to pan. As soon as the steak starts to smoke, about 5 seconds (little white wisps appear), carefully transfer pan to oven. Cook for 5 minutes then turn steak and cook until well seared and medium rare (125° - 130° on an instant-read thermometer). Another 5 - 8 minutes. Transfer steak to cutting board and let it rest for at least 5 minutes to allow juices to flow back into the meat.

Meanwhile, place skillet on medium high burner, be sure to keep a pot holder on the handle to remind you it is oven hot. Deglaze with 1/4 cup of chicken broth and 1/4 cup of whatever red wine you're having with dinner. Reduce to half, remove from heat and swirl in a teaspoon or two of butter, salt and pepper to taste. Slice meat very thinly across the grain, serve with wine reduction and any meat juice.

While you're at it, you might as well try the 'quickie baked potatoes'. Scrub one medium sized Idaho potato per person, and zap in the microwave for 5 minutes on high, then place on the top rack in the 500° oven when you put in the meat. The potatoes will be ready when the meat is done and taste as if they've been baked for an hour. Gloria Pépin, Jacques' wife, came up with this innovative idea. It works beautifully.

The grape tomatoes pictured above are washed, cut in half, doused in a little first cold pressed imported Italian olive oil, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkling of grated lemon zest with salt and pepper.

This is another of those delicious thirty minute meals to add to your repertoire.

Thanks to U.H. for asking - hope many of you try it and enjoy it!

Till next time . . . keep on cooking!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

I took stock and realized I'd been eating too much meat lately. With a cupboard filled with whole food alternatives, I opted for a couple of meat-free days. But making a decision wasn't easy. Barley, quinoa, lentils, black beans, red beans, which would it be? As I tried to decide, I thought of all my non-cooking friends and opted for a tasty, nutritious dish that could be made by the most faint hearted.

Black Beans and Rice!

Here's the good news, you can use canned black beans, canned chicken broth and for the aromatics, add a can of every cook's secret weapon -- Rotel tomatoes and chilies. Use the Mexican variety with onions, garlic, oregano, hot chilies, etc. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt that you can cook up a little rice. But, just in case, here's a quick rundown on cooking rice.

Wash the amount of rice you need, based on how many you're serving, in a strainer under cold running water, let drain. In medium saucepan heat one tablespoon of olive oil over high heat, add rice and stir to coat, add enough cold water to cover rice by about one inch, add salt and bring to a rapid boil, stir again, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Cook for 17 minutes or until all water has evaporated. Turn off heat, leave on burner covered for another 5 minutes. Presto, fluffy rice!

Meanwhile, if you are using canned beans, rinse them thoroughly in a strainer. With canned beans there's no heavenly pot liquor, so add one can of chicken broth for every can of beans, and one can of Rotel Mexican tomatoes. Serve over cooked rice in a deep soup bowl.

If you cook your own beans, pre-soaking for at least 4 hours will speed up the cooking process. As with cooking all beans, do not add salt to the initial cooking. I boiled mine for about an hour and a half and then cooked them with a couple of cloves of minced garlic and a diced onion for another hour or so, then added about a cup of boiling water and a can of Rotel Mexican tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. A word of caution: these are spicy hot with the chilies - delicious.

Pizza Fills the Bill

Browsing through the current King Arthur Flour catalog, I ran across a recipe for "Light-as-Air" Pizza. The ingredients were the same as I usually use to make pizza crust with the addition of one teaspoon of baking powder in addition to the yeast. I couldn't wait to try it. They weren't kidding. This crust is crispy on the bottom and the crumb is light and airy not heavy and dense. The pie pictured above has a little too much end crust for my taste. Next time I'll roll it out larger and thinner or make two small pies to eliminate those big 'handles'. But despite the abundance of crust, it was delicious.

The topping is simply a can of Muir Glen Fire-Roasted diced tomatoes,reduced and minced garlic and shallot, salt and pepper. After cooking down, I gave it a few swipes with the immersion blender and then spooned it into a strainer and let some of the liquid drain off before topping the crust. I spread a few drops of EVOO over the crust before adding the tomatoes. I sliced mozzarella thinly instead of grating it and then when the pie came out of the 500° oven, I spread on freshly grated Regianno and a chiffonade of fresh basil and added another drizzle of high quality extra virgin olive oil. Believe me, you won't miss the meat with this one!

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

BOOK NOOK

Stuart Woods - Short Straw

Philip Margolin - Sleeping Beauty

Till next time . . . keep on cooking!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Before you fork out dough for more walks for the cure and pink ribboned paraphenalia . . . think about the industry you're supporting. Cancer is big business. Why is all the money and emphasis being spent on detection and cure? What ever happened to seeking PREVENTION? Why are women not being educated as to how they can prevent this deadly disease instead of waiting to be diagnosed with it and then looking for a cure?

A pharmeceutical pot o' gold, and we all buy into it year after year. Shame on us.

Researchers at the Nordic Cochrane Center in Denmark studied 500,000 women to determine the results of breast cancer screening programs. They found that for every one woman helped by breast cancer screening, ten were harmed through false diagnosis or unnecessary treatments that devastated their health. Check it out. . .

Little Tom Tucker

Sings for his supper;

What shall he eat?

White bread and butter.

- Anonymous

Brioche

This white bread is made with lots of butter -- brioche dough shaped into loaves instead of the traditional round bread with the big knot on top. I prefer this shape as it's easy to slice for toast and the leftover (when there is any leftover) is the perfect shape for French toast. Frustrated with not being able to buy croissants or brioche made with simple pure ingredients with no additives, I decided to make my own. It isn't difficult, just requires a block of time to allow for the various risings, especially the overnight one in the fridge. But with a little planning, it's a piece of cake. Hmm, slice of bread?

The Bun Also Rises

Swedish Saffron Pretzel Buns

After my successful experience with the brioche dough, I was in the right frame of mind to move on to more yeast dough projects. As I browsed through the new King Arthur flour catalog, the picture of the Swedish Saffron Pretzel Buns jumped off the page at me. Reading through the ingredient list and the simple steps, I just had to try them.

I didn't shape the dough into pretzel shapes, as you can see. Just made my usual sticky bun configuration. The buns, with no icing as they appear above, are fine plain, but you might like to slice them in half, butter and lightly grill in a sauté pan over medium heat. They become the perfect canvas for a spoonful of St. Dalfour's preserves or better yet, a dollop of raw, unfiltered orange blossom honey. My neighbor surprised me with a jar straight from the hive yesterday so I put it right to work. I used the simple almond icing suggested on a half dozen and sprinkled crushed almonds over the top. It's hard to eat only one.

Almond Icing and Crushed Raw Almonds

I used King Arthur Select Artisan, 100% organic, all purpose flour for the buns and the brioche. Publix carries several basic varieties of King Arthur flours. If you enjoy baking, King Arthur is the go-to resource for all your baking needs. Check out the recipes online and request a catalog. Baking is such a satisfying undertaking and learning to work with yeast dough is very rewarding. I'm particularly pleased with the results of the buns above. Not only are they lovely to behold - - they taste wonderful, too.

Calling all non-cooks. . .

I haven't forgotten those of you who don't cook, don't want to cook, have no time to cook, etc. I didn't feel like cooking last night, either. I really wanted to save some of my daily calorie budget for a bun! A quick salad filled the bill. Some crisp hearts of romaine, thinly sliced Vidalia onion, a vine ripened tomato, a couple of slices of bacon and a little crumbled gorgonzola with a lacing of homemade Ranch dressing provided a plateful of fresh, fast, tasty food. With plenty of room left over for an almond bun.

Bacon, Gorgonzola and Ranch Dressing

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BOOK NOOK

Hilma Wolitzer - The Doctor's Daughter

Michael Connelly - Echo Park

David Baldacci - The Collectors

'till next time . . . Keep On Cooking!

Food For The Soul

I read a letter to the editor in the Orlando Sentinel, from a reader in Apopka, who bemoaned the prospect of money being spent to build a new performing arts center. Her cry was "What good will it do me?"

If she were to ask me, I'd say, "Lady, get off the couch, turn off the boob tube and take advantage of the wonderful opportunities we have to enrich and broaden our horizons.

Go out and experience the joy, the excitement and the fun often coupled with thought provoking moments that add depth, dimension and meaning to our lives.

Then just think how much greater that will be when we have better facilities to accommodate more groups, more performances and are able to offer more young people exposure to drama, dance and music. An opportunity to reach into their hearts and souls, to buoy them up, to let their spirits soar, piquing their imagination, adding another dimension to their learning experience.

We All Benefit.

Think how much better our society will be if young people are engaged in positive uplifting activities. Having a multi-use Performing Arts Center will provide an opportunity and a place for many of our young people to take part in music programs, dance lessons, acting classes, and many will develop skills, gain confidence, and build character as they work behind the scenes.

Or simply being a part of the dynamic of a live audience, feeling the spark of engagement between actor and patron, artist and guest. This is a magic moment that's found no place else.

At A Price We Can Afford
The letter writer went on to say, the average middle class family couldn't afford season subscriptions to the Performing Arts. I have nowhere near the income she cited, yet I've been a subscriber and supporter of many of our performing arts groups for years and have bought innumerable individual tickets to many more performances. With the new center, I look forward to many more exciting entertainment options.

On a recent Saturday morning, I was part of the audience who enjoyed a fabulous hour of enlightenment and entertainment with the world famous Brentano String Quartet, part of the Fred Rogers Concert Series designed for families on Saturday mornings, featuring the visiting artists from the Bach Festival. Ticket prices for adults and children for this series are quite affordable.
The quartet is technically talented but it was their verbal interaction with the group that showcased the first class act they really are. The audience included senior citizens, many of us on a tight budget or who no longer are comfortable attending evening events, families with children, from quite young up to teens, some co-eds, and the current group of Outward Bound students - we all ate it up! The dialogue, the questions and answers and the amazing performance held us spellbound. How wonderful to be exposed to and enjoy this level of world class entertainment for the few dollars that amounted to little more than a visit to a fast food place. A new Performing Arts Center would provide many more such opportunities.

Based on my previous sales experience, I'm well aware that the bottom line in any sales transaction, isn't price. It's successfully answering the very question the writer posed, "What will it do for me?"

We, who so staunchly advocate support of the arts in greater Orlando, must stand up to the reality that exclusiveness will not win the day. We need to introduce, educate and encourage participation by all members of the community, lest we live up to an elitist label. Reach out to a friend, relative or neighbor. Invite someone to join you at a concert, play, ballet or opera. Let's broaden some horizons and enrich some lives. Let's swell the audiences of our current venues while developing a new audience and the next generation of theater- goers to fill that new Performing Arts Center. Let's answer that bottom line question: What will it do for me?

ASK JOYCE

My friend, Joyce, (coincidence that we share the same first name) and former associate, contacted me suggesting it would be helpful, as well as fun, to exchange ideas, look for solutions to problems and solve cooking challenges. She quickly approached the plate with the first conumdrum:

Dear Gourmet Joyce:
I would like to “ask Joyce” about what I can serve for dinner on Saturday evening for a couple who are coming over. They invited us over for dinner a few weeks ago and I am reciprocating, but am having “cooking anxiety”. They have traveled the world extensively and they made some elaborate vegetarian dishes for us! I am not a cook – I am great at opening a bag of frozen food, toasting some frozen garlic bread, making a salad, and buying dessert from Fresh Market – plus serving enough wine or beer to keep their mind off dinner! What can a “non-cook” serve to these “gourmets”?
Thanks for any thoughts you have!!
Always not cooking,
“Anti-gourmet” Joyce S.

Unfortunately, my answer for 'easy' was a bit more ambitious than the writer intended, she informed me by return e-mail after receiving my suggestions. But she did say she would hunt down the ingredients, give the suggested dinner a whirl, and let us know about the results. I love people who rise to a challenge, don't you?

My suggestion was to wow the world traveled guests with the sophisticated yet simple roasted beet salad with goat cheese, (March Archives) then follow with a simple penne with home-made marinara sauce, (August Archives) purchased rolls and a nice red wine. The apple crumble with vanilla ice cream (September Archives) for dessert would put the meal over the top, reciprocating in kind with a meal that the best of cooks would appreciate.

So, Foodiefumblers, what say you? Was this too ambitious an undertaking for a professed non-cook? Let me hear from you and let's start a little spicy dialog! Comment below or send an email: jwia@cfl.rr.com.

Joyce S, we hope dinner went well. Let us know what you decided to serve!

Some Things Are Worth Waiting For

One of my favorite sandwiches is tomato and avocado. But each has to be perfectly ripe. A lovely lopsided tomato sat on my kitchen window sill. Each morning, the rising sun warmed the lovely red fruit, and each day it ripened a bit more. Meanwhile, across the kitchen, a Haas avocado sat, hard, dark and dimpled. Slowly, with each passing day, it began to soften. And today, each had arrived at that moment of great anticipation. Like an annual vacation or great sex, in which anticipation plays a major role, so, too, with my little sandwich.

Just thinking about it, day after day as I awaited the right moment, had my mouth watering. I'd gently feel the avocado to determine its degree of ripeness and sniff at the tomato as I turned its face to the sun. I waited patiently for each to reach perfection.

This exotic combination of flavors and textures calls for a bread worthy of its company. The freezer held two large center slices from a loaf of marble rye I had saved expressly for this purpose.

I lightly toasted the bread and spread half of the creamy avocado over one slice of toast. Then layered on slice after thin, juicy slice of the perfectly ripe tomato, seasoned generously with sea salt and freshly ground Szechuan pepper. I slathered the top slice of rye toast with mayonnaise. A soft moan escaped my lips as I sunk my teeth into that first succulent bite. Too long anticipated; too quickly gone.

It will probably be a long time before I have another sandwich with a perfectly ripe tomato married to the rich, opulent creaminess of a perfectly matured avocado. Such a fine treat. Tomatoes are going out of season and only a vine-ripened, picked-from-the garden specimen is fit for this ultimate taste treat. If you get the opportunity, try it! But don't rush it, be sure each component is perfectly ripe and be sure to use a hearty bread to hold your treasure.

'Till next time . . . keep on cooking.

A Spicy Bite That's Sure to Delight

Cold chicken breast w/Salsa Verde, Oven Roasted Cauliflower

and Pan-Seared Fresh Corn w/ Garlic, Shallots and Thyme

What's for Sunday lunch? Easy, when you've a cooked chicken breast (For cooking instructions see What's In Your Chicken - 9/30) waiting in the fridge and a couple of interesting veggies to accompany it. The cold Murray's chicken breast was a great candidate to accompany the fresh tomatillo and chipolte salsa I whipped up the other day.

A trip to the Farmer's Market on Sunday morning reaped a couple of fresh ears of corn that I de-cobbed and sautéed in olive oil with a minced garlic clove, a small shallot and a pinch of thyme. One of the supermarket veggie bargains this week was cauliflower. It cooks up quickly in a hot oven (425°) with a light spray of olive oil and a dusting of Italian bread crumbs. To add a little extra kick, I sprinkled on some Aleppo pepper flakes as I plated it. (Complete instructions for cooking corn and cauliflower in post of 9/4/06)

It was an easy meal to prepare and a delight to eat, particularly since I opened one of Tim's great finds, a bottle of Michael Sullberg Cabernet Sauvignon to complete the meal.

If you've a yen for a fresh green salsa try this:

Simple Salsa Verde5 -6 medium tomatillos, one onion, 2 -3 cloves of garlic, 3 chipoltes in adobo sauce, juice from 1/2 lime and a generous handful of fresh cilantro, leaves only.

Rinse the tomatillos and then roast them on a hot, dry skillet. Rotate them often so they have nice charred spots but don't completely blacken. They should be soft in about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Meanwhile, mince the onion, garlic and chop the chipoltes (no need to rinse, leave some sauce on them) pulse in food processor. When the tomatillos are soft and have cooled, chop and add to the work bowl. Pulse to combine, then add lime juice and cilantro and salt to taste. Store in covered jar in refrigerator. Makes about 2 cups.

This was an easy, flavor packed lunch. With the chicken and salsa done ahead it was fast, too. The short, waterless, cooking technique for the fresh vegetables left them tender - crisp, full of flavor and retaining most of their nutrients.

'Till next time . . . keep on cooking!

Carne En Su Jugo

I have to thank Steve at Rancho Gordo for steering me to this wonderful meal of steak and beans and bacon with a piquant beef broth spiked with chipoltes en adobo and garnished with fresh cilantro to perk up the flavor along with a squeeze of fresh lime and a few slices of jalepeno. Wow.

This is a simple preparation providing comfort food with an ethnic twist for a satisfying Saturday lunch or a Fall weeknight supper.

The anasazi beans in their pot liquor are amazing on their own. But when you add them to a little sliced up sirloin steak, some crisp bacon and a zingy broth, you'll want to be sure to have some crispy crusted bread to soak up every last drop.

I kept the leftover beans separate from the broth and meat so they wouldn't absorb all the liquid. You can heat the beans and broth separately, same as the initial preparation, or just put a little of each in a bowl and give it a quick nuking. (Not my choice - but I'm willing to concede some things - gently heating in a saucepan over a medium burner would be my option).

You could use canned beans if you don't want to cook your own beans, which by the way is easy. Rinse the dry beans, picking out any debris, cover with cold fresh water and let soak 4 - 6 hours or overnight. When ready to cook, sauté some mirepoix with garlic (dice up an onion, a celery stalk, a couple of carrots and a couple of cloves of garlic) in a little olive oil until soft. Add to the pot of beans and soaking water, bring level of water to about 2 inches above beans. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until done.

Cooking time varies depending of the variety and age of the bean. Taste testing is the best gauge. Anticipate one to two hours of cooking time, depending on the bean.

Don't salt the beans while they are cooking. The salt will prohibit softening and will actually harden the shell. But by all means, season to taste once tender. If you use canned beans, please be sure to rinse off all the goop before proceeding with the preparation.

With cool weather coming, this is a wonderful dish to add to your repetoire. Follow the easy instructions under RG Cooking, open a cold beer, and enjoy.

'til next time . . . keep on cooking!

The Light, Rich, Buttery Croissant

This is one of my favorite treats, slightly warmed, washed down with a cup of full- bodied French Roast coffee, made even more indulgent with a serving of St.Dalfour's Wild Blueberry preserves. But short of whipping these up myself, a labor intensive project, where can I find a croissant that contains just the six ingredients it takes to make this flaky roll?

The croissant is nothing more than flour, yeast, milk, butter, salt and sugar.

Incorporating the butter, cooling the dough, rolling out, proper turning and folding are the tricks that transform these six simple ingredients into a regal bun with layer upon layer of buttery pastry. A technique that requires patience as well as much practice.

Unfortunately, Orlando lacks a true French bakery, a pâtisserie, where one can indulge in brioche, croissants, or madeleines to name just a few heavenly sweets made from fresh, wholesome, whole ingredients.

I found lovely looking croissants in the bakery department of my neighborhood supermarket. My mouth watered thinking of tearing one apart, slathering wild blueberry preserves on the jaggered buttery morsel and the satisfying pleasure as it melted on my tongue.

And then I looked at the ingredient list.

Enriched flour (wheat flour) ascorbic acid, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, fungal enzymes, folic acid. Water, butter (cream with natural flavor) Sugar, yeast, eggs, dairy additive, whey protein concentrate, nonfat dry milk, salt, dough conditioner, guar gum, datem, dextrose, canola oil, malt flour, natural butter flavor.

Do you read labels? Food companies incorporate so many additives into the processed food on grocery store shelves. Most of them are toxic. The faster and easier it is to prepare, the more likely it is, that it contains an ingredient list that is as long as your arm, filled with words you can't pronounce and your digestive system cannot begin to process. Take a look and pass the Tums, Mylanta, Prilosec, etc. Would it were just heartburn or acid reflux that is the result of eating all those chemicals. Unfortunately, what we put on our plates or what we neglect to put on our plates, is far more dangerous to us than Bin Laden and associates.

We each have a responsibility for taking care of our own health and those of us with families have additional responsibilities. It's a sad fact that most people take better care of their cars than they do of their bodies. Using the right oil and the right fuel in the car is imperative to keep it running. Do you think our bodies are any different? Our bodies need the right oil and the right fuel to remain in peak operating order and to prevent the modern day diseases that are mostly all food related. You owe it to yourself to do a little research.

A little food for thought.

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Book Nook

Ellen Crosbey - The Merlot Murders

A phone call at two thirty in the morning is never good news. Lucie Montgomery's semiestranged brother, Eli, calls her in France to tell her their father, Leland, has been killed in a hunting accident on the family's five-hundred-acre Virginia vineyard just as the fall harvest is about to begin. By the time he calls, Eli has already made funeral arrangements with what Lucie argues is indecent haste." "It is an emotional trip home - the first since an automobile accident two years ago, which left Lucie disabled and dependent on a cane. Her family's once elegant home and winery are now shabby and run-down, thanks to her father's penchant for fringy business deals. Eli, also cash-strapped and desperate to support his new wife's extravagant lifestyle, has already convinced their rebellious younger sister, Mia, to sell the debt-ridden estate and reap the profits from the valuable land it sits on, overruling Lucie's protests." "On the eve of the funeral Lucie's godfather, Fitz, a partner in the family business, tells her Leland's death was no accident. Whoever killed him was motivated by the potential sale of the vineyard. It is the last conversation she will have with Fitz. Now the lone holdout preventing the vineyard sale, Lucie realizes she's next in line for another "accident." With her greedy brother, hell-raising sister, and a seemingly cut-rate vintner hired by Leland just before he died, all the suspects axe disturbingly close to home. Unsure whom she can trust, Lucie must uncover the truth about the deaths of her father and godfather - and oversee a successful harvest to save the vineyard she loves."--BOOK JACKET.

Lynn Hightower - High Water

A suspenseful and chilling tale of a family undone by a mother's mysterious death and a father's startling secrets. Beaufort, South Carolina, is home to the Smallwoods, a family that appears close-knit but is in fact deeply at odds. The youngest sibling, Georgie, is consumed with anger at her father, Fielding, an unforgiving ex-marine, whose involvement in a notorious scandal many years earlier cast a shadow over his career and the Smallwood name. A fierce patriarch, Fielding neglects Georgie's mother; belittles her brother, Ashby; and denies her sister, Claire, the financial support she needs after a trying divorce. When her mother dies suddenly and of mysterious causes, Georgie immediately suspects that her father was somehow involved. As she works to convince Ashby and Claire of her suspicions, however, their father is murdered, and Claire is implicated in his death. Georgie desperately attempts to piece together both her family and her personal life, but the evidence of their father's betrayal and the secrets of his past threaten to leave the Smallwood family in ruin. As affecting as it is suspenseful, High Water infuses a harrowing mystery with an intensely personal study of the delicate, complex bonds that define a family. Lynn Hightower's most successful book yet, High Water, packs a powerful combination of intrigue and insight.

'Tis the reader that makes the book good. . . Ralph Waldo Emerson

'til next time . . . keep on cooking!