I Know She'll Like it — Someday

So, how was your Mother’s Day? Good? Good.

Oh, mine? Well, let’s see. My kiddo must have decided the best way for me to celebrate my day was to prove I am really a mom. We started off the morning with her licking the bubble solution she spilled off the deck. Following that, was a trip to the petting zoo/farm where she fed the goats and herself the same feed (including the goat slobber), tried the duck feed, and actually ate a few pieces of fish feed. For an aperitif, she licked the spigot in the public restroom, and ate some dirt from my herb garden for dessert. Oh yeah, and a marker. I always forget about the markers, at least until that next diaper change in Technicolor.

“What the … ?! Oh, it was the hot pink one …”

Fortunately, she also ate dinner. Or, not so fortunately, since we capped off the celebration at 5 am Monday with her getting sick in bed. Not her bed — mine. I remember when celebrations ended like this, at about this early in the morning. That was college. Not the same at all. I think I need a day off to recover from the festivities. Mostly, I hope she gets better soon.

It’s times like these that I sit back in stark wonder at the things my child will eat, and then the things she won’t — like the recipe that follows. It’s really good. Someday, she will try it — it’s only had one review — probably when we are past the dirt-eating, spigot-licking, goat-food-munching phase. Probably.

In the meantime, I will hope that just seeing my vegetable creations on her little segmented doggy plate will cement in her mind that vegetables have a section of her plate, and that’s the way a meal should be.

I can hope, anyway. The same way I can hope she forgets how fun it is to dip her hands in yogurt and then clap them together hard.

The recipe is a reinvention of a classic Spinach Artichoke Dip. There are hundreds of versions of this dish out there. I was going to post the best one I’ve ever made, but when I read my recipe, I realized, “Hey, this is really bad for you!”

And it is. It has mayonnaise, cream cheese, sour cream, lots of cheese, all baked, then served on fried tortillas. Hmmm. Not really a vegetable dish at all. So, I took the flavors I loved from the dish and made it new. You can actually taste the vegetables now that your taste buds aren’t doing the backstroke in butterfat.

The other thing I changed is that all the recipes I found used frozen spinach, which often has just about as much flavor as the box it’s frozen in.

Fresh, local spinach survived the odd spring weather we had, so the recipe calls for two large bunches of it. Fresh makes a big difference. Local does as well. You notice that I did not make my own tart dough this time. Hey, it was my holiday! I need a break, too.



Spinach Artichoke Tart in Puff Pastry
1 box (2 sheets) puff pastry, thawed
2 large bunches spinach (to make about 1 lb. Cooked or so)
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/3 cup shallot, minced
2 tbs. Olive oil
1/4 cup half and half
1-1/2 cups Grana Padano cheese, grated (or Parmesan)
1/2 tsp. Cumin
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
2 oz. Goat cheese
2 tbs. Pine nuts
black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375.°

Wash the spinach, and remove stems. Do not spin dry, but just shake off the extra water. Place in large pot, 5qt. size. You will have to stuff it into a pot, but it cooks down fast. Place the lid on the pan and turn on low heat. This is called “panning” the spinach, which is like steaming it, just using very little water. You will need to turn the spinach a bit in the pot to get it all cooked. When it is just cooked down, turn off heat and allow to cool in a strainer.

While the spinach cools, chop the shallot, and the artichoke hearts. Do your other mise en place (ingredient prep and measuring). When the spinach is cool enough to handle, gather it into a ball and squeeze hard to get all the excess cooking liquid out. Place the spinach on a cutting board and chop.

In the large pot (why get another one dirty?) heat the oil and sauté the shallot until golden. Add the spinach and artichoke hearts and just toss with the olive oil and shallot. Turn off heat. Add the half and half and the grated Grana Padano. Mix in the salt, cumin and a couple turns of black pepper.

Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Place the sheets of puff pastry into dish. The dough should come up about an inch on the sides, and you will need to just fold over the ends a bit. Spread the spinach filling evenly onto the dough. Dot the top with the soft goat cheese. Sprinkle on the pine nuts.

Bake for about 35-40 minutes until the pastry is golden on the edges.

Happy Mothers' Day

Until I became a mom, I had no idea what it took for the job, to do it right, at least. Now, I know. So, for all of you moms, you are remarkable, beautiful women. Have a wonderful day.

Culinary Misadventures

I am not Tony Bourdain. There is no camera crew following me around the world filming my lunch special. I don’t have to suck it up for the viewing audience and eat raw baby seal. It’s a good thing, as Martha would say. It’s a really good thing.

Even so, I’ve managed to be adventurous enough in palate to consume an odd item or two along the way. I've shared pounded kava root with the chief of a Fijian village. Had sushi right off the boat, parasites and all. Tried everything from mountain oysters and sea urchin gonads to quite possibly road kill. I didn’t ask, the cook didn’t tell. Some of it was even tasty. Some.

An occasional culinary mishap is the price of admission for those willing to bite deeply into the Sandwich of Life. The trick is to know when to eat. And when to run. It’s good to be a fast learner.

I grew up in a rural area, as my spouse puts it, “So, this is where the UFOs land!” Folks out there are not opposed to doing a bit of hunting and gathering. Well, a lot, actually. Kids brought guns to my high school all of the time. They were in racks in the pickup windows. We had a whole taxidermy room in the biology class. I kept my lunch in the fridge with the "projects." Nothing says "Lunch!" quite like having to reach in past Sparky the Wonder Squirrel forever frozen in mid-flight over your PB&J.

No big surprise that the annual fundraiser for the Future Farmers of America Club was an event called the “Wildlife Supper.” The wildlife supper was cooked by all of the moms. There were always tons of pies and sheet cakes, potato salads, canned green beans, and, uh, wildlife. This pretty much included anything that could be shot, stabbed, bludgeoned, or run over with a pickup. Sometimes all four.

The last year they hosted the fundraiser, I decided to get my Jed Clampett on and try some barbecued raccoon, and a side helping of possum. These were not good choices. This was my first lesson. While ‘coon is tolerable, if a bit gamy and stringy, possum tastes exactly like it smells. If you’ve never smelled a possum, then you should know that they smell just like they look. Even if you have seen a possum, this photo just says it all.

Like I said, it’s good to be a quick learner. However, even the most schooled of we culinary adventurers can be caught unprepared. A fellow foodie from work and I often head out for lunch to find new and different places to eat. This particular occasion, he had Cubans on his mind. Not the cigars, the sandwiches.

He’d spotted a new place near the Hispanic neighborhood downtown. It’s an area I love to go eat in, but one where I hate to park. The main lot is under a bridge, and usually inhabited by a huge flock of pigeons. The piles of pigeon dung are immense, and any time in the lot guarantees the need for a car wash and/or a shower. I dashed out of the car, hand over head, and ran for daylight. Funny thing, the pigeons were no where to be found, even though there was plenty of pigeon “evidence.”

It was a lovely summer day, high noon, outdoor seating and not a single other person in the tiny restaurant. Run. But J. was out for a Cuban, and the massive sign on the door advertised as such. Cuban it was. After scanning the menu repeatedly, I decided to ask what the special was.

“Guatamalen Tacos,” I was told. “It’s a specialty of my co-owner. His mother’s recipe.”

The sign is now flashing RUN, RUN, RUN AWAY. I ordered the tacos. Out they came, stale tostada chips with cabbage, carrots, onions, and what was supposed to be chicken. The meat was gray. I could not recall a single cooking method that produced gray chicken. Black chicken, pink chicken, raw chicken, but not gray chicken. It did not taste like chicken. I tried to place the flavor, this mildly pungent taste. Gamy like, like … a wildlife supper. Oh. My. I glanced over at the deserted roost under the bridge. Then I wondered, was I was eating The Other Gray Meat? No, couldn't be. Maybe it was just old chicken, that's why it was gray. Sure.

I just now did a Google search on the term Guatemala Taco. I can't type what I found. It's vile, worse than a Southpark marathon on late night cable. I wish I hadn’t looked. Oh, I wish I hadn’t. Run, run, run. Run, Lassie, get help, no, not the pigeons, Lassie! Lassieeee!!

So, now I know. More than I ever wanted to. I did find a reference to someone actually eating a real taco in Guatemala, and I am feeling a bit better. What would we do without this Internet thing? Not know the truth about Guatemalan tacos, for one.

I recovered from the incident. Well, as far as I know, we’ll see after the lab tests. The next adventure came along sooner than I had planned — the next day. I was ready this time. Queasy, perhaps, but ready.

It was Friday, a half day Friday. So, my husband and I went to an Asian furniture store that was having a closing sale. There was a lot of really interesting stuff in the store. Possibly the most interesting item was the store owner, who insisted on following us all around the place telling stories non-stop about life in Korea and visits to other parts of Asia. Every part of the store. Non-stop.

At one point, we were on the loading dock. The owner was going to show us something on a truck. As he tried to open the rusted lock, he groaned and complained that his back hurt. He then described his long-standing injury, in great detail.

The his voice got quiet, and his eyes got a bit wild. He looked around and came in close to us. Run, oh dear, sweet child, run.

“Ever hear of a Two-step Charlie?” he whispered. There was no one else on the dock. I do not know why he was whispering. “It’s a snake from Vietnam, if it bites you, you might live two more steps.” His eyes glowed, kind of like Kaa, the boa constricter’s in the cartoon Jungle Book. (Trusssst in meeee …) He ran off to the small, dingy bathroom where there was a cabinet. From this cabinet he pulled a gallon jar filled with cloudy liquid and a couple of filthy shot glasses from the back of the toilet tank. Run while you still can.

When the light hit the bottle, I saw floating in it a huge and very dead black snake. It had been dead for a long time, reminiscent of a 20-year-old dusty jar off the shelf in my old biology classroom.

“It’s snake wine!” the owner went on. “I drink it for my back pain. Just one little shot and I don’t feel a thing, the venom, you know. It’s diluted by the alcohol. You should try some!”

I eyed the shot glasses in his hand. Frankly, I am not sure which scared me more, the shot glasses or the wine. I felt my leg muscles twitch violently. I had the car keys. I could make it. One-step back Charlie, two-steps back Charlie. I was leaving my spouse in closest reach of the owner. "Sorry, honey, it’s been a bad week with the tacos and all …”

Just then the owner dived back into the bathroom, jar in hand, thankfully. “Oh, if you think this one is potent …”

Oh, please, no. Please, please, no.

“The Albino Two-step Charlie is even more venomous!” Another cloudy jar of doom proffered. Another step toward the door. Quiet, quiet, so he doesn’t see … "trusssssst in meeee, jusssst in meeee ..." Oh, sweet Julia Child in heaven, no ... three-steps back Charlie.

“But, then, I could get into trouble for giving someone something so strong!” he gloated. Some kind of testimony to his bravery for drinking a decaying reptile carcass in grain alcohol. Hey, it’s not a worm, but, you go for it. I did. I ran. We ran. Politely, quickly, but we ran.

Back in the safety of the parking lot, my husband looks at me and says, “Hey, how about Mexican for lunch?”

Oh, help me. Please, please, help me.

There were no tacos that day. It was all I could do to order the tamales wrapped in banana leaves. I was not packed for another culinary adventure. I was ready to sit home and eat a peanut butter sandwich. Although, peanut butter has been an adventure trip in and of itself lately.

In fact, should you want to go new places and try unpronounceable, exotic ingredients, and risky meat substances, you need look no farther than the nearest drive-thru. Tires hum on the hot pavement. Windows down, Pink Floyd on the radio. Your adventure beckons like neon arches on a dark, deserted highway. You'd better runnnn, run, run, run ...

A must read

I've noted here and there my concern about what's up with bees. Well, here is a must read article on the topic. The author, Mark Morford, had me on the first paragraph and the rest got better. Smart, funny, and dead-on accurate. Enjoy the read.

Thursday Thirteen: Confessions of a Busy Mom

1. I'm eating ice cream straight from the carton right now.
2. I let my toddler help empty the dishwasher because it saves me from bending over. Sometimes, I catch her licking the plates. If she doesn't have a cold, I still put them away. (We use the other dishes for company.)
3. If I ever got stranded in my car, there's enough miscellaneous food on the floorboards for me to survive a week and gain weight.
4. I used to have the energy for erotic fantasies. Now when the hot stranger arrives in my dreams, all I want him to do is rub my feet. While I eat ice cream straight from the carton.
5. I keep a brush in my desk at work. Not for those quick touchups, but because most days I didn't even have time to brush my hair before getting to work. I do brush my teeth, though.
6. I quit wearing socks as soon as it gets above 50 degrees. Not just because I hate socks and shoes, but because I can rarely find a match. In the winter, I wear a lot of boots. No one can see my socks.
7. I used to think women who put on makeup while they were driving were terrible drivers. Now I just understand the desperation to try and look decent, and not having the time.
8. I have fallen asleep in a meeting. Sitting next to our CEO.
9. After months of going nuts trying to keep my child from eating off the floor, I gave up. Now, if it's part of a cookie lying there, I just try to eat it first. If we got a dog, I might weigh less.
   
10. I remember characters on Sesame Street having some depth. Even Kermit had a few lonely moments singing, "It's not easy being green." I don't know what to think of Elmo. It's like everyone on the whole friggin' street got a lobotomy.
11. I take vacation days so we can clean out the garage and basement. I look forward to this vacation.
12. I keep tons of lists so that I can remember all the things I need to get done. I can't remember where I put the lists.
13. I've bought lottery tickets for weeks now, thinking, if I won, I'd quit work and have time to get my part of the work done around the house! It just now occurred to me, if I won, I could also afford a cleaning lady. I always forget to check the numbers anyway.
    

Wordless Wednesday

Even worms are beautiful underwater. (tubeworms).

Am glad for WW posts. Things have been way too serious in food world lately and it's nice to lighten up! Thanks for coming by!

And, now, for some serious pandering ... could you give me a vote for the Blogger's Choice? I've love it. Someday, I'd like this little blog to grow!

You Get What You Give (Up)

This is the time of year when cooking is a joy. My herbs are ready to harvest as needed — well, if they don’t drown in all the rain — and the farmers market, a few weeks behind, is starting to fill up with fresh, local produce. The recipes in this post are all ones that I made over the weekend, and all use the produce that I found at the market and my fresh herbs along with some pantry staples.

I wouldn’t say the first year or so of “cooking local” was as easy. I had been living without seasons as far as food goes. I cooked what I wanted, when I wanted because it was all there at the store. Why it tasted okay sometimes and sometimes not, I blamed on my own cooking.

“Cooking local” meant giving up having what I wanted when I wanted. It meant finding what is fresh and cooking with what is there, even when it is rhubarb and you've never cooked it before. It was a learning process, this letting go of control, but at the end of that first year, I found a passion and appreciation for food at its finest, ripest, best and in season. I found new varieties that could not be found in a store, grown by people even more passionate about the food they grow than I am about eating it. I learned to give up control to the seasons, to nature, to my geography, and in doing so, I gained the finest of foods on my table. Fresher than four-star restaurant finest, literally.

Unfortunately, I can’t say how my kiddo liked, or didn’t, many of these dishes I prepared over the weekend. This was one of those weekends where she seemed to survive on wholegrain bread, a few grapes, one serving of edamame, and mostly, air.

It’s distressing for me as a parent even though I have been told over and over that it is normal. At one point I found myself desperately trying to just get her to try one of the things I made. I had to take a deep breath. To say to myself, “Wait. Stop. You are not doing any good here. Just making it a struggle.”

“Yeah, you’re all done. Okay.” I said aloud.

I have to admit, as you work hard to create recipes for the little ones to like, the odd hunger strikes are hard on your domestic goddess ego. You think, “Oh, if she would just TRY it, she would love it!”

Once again, I learned, food and control do not mix.

I’ve given up a lot of things as a parent. Things like my sense of style and time spent to look decent (did I ever have this?), my sense of what is gross to handle (or have spewed on me), my workouts, free time, the state of certain body parts post pregnancy, control of my schedule, my life, my sanity. I just had to let all that go. There is a lot of letting go. So much, I wonder which of us is growing more on a daily basis, my child or me.

Tonight, Monday, she and I “raced” each other to eat our broccoli, laughing and playing, hugging one another, having an easy, fun dinner with no worries, no hassles. It was a joy, a real joy for all of us. I realized just how much you gain when you let go of what doesn't matter. And I am not just talking about food.

Although, I admit to a bit of pride at the joyful shouts of “More broccoli! More broccoli!”

The fresh herbs on hand, pantry items, and produce from the farmers market inspired the following dishes. Also served the roasted asparagus, broccolini with sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts, and whole grain rolls from the local bakery.

Chicken with Pan Sauce, Roasted Tomatoes, Pesto and Goat Cheese
Basil Pesto
Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
Tarragon, Red Grape and Ricotta Salata Salad
Rhubarb Crumble with Rosemary and Thyme
Looking for these recipes? They will be included in my upcoming book co-authored with Ali of Cleaner Plate Club!

More than Melamine

I had a whole bunch of recipes to post, all on fresh herbs and spring menus. I'll get that out, but I saw an article in the paper that needs some attention first.

“The public thinks the food supply is much more protected than it is,” said William Hubbard, a former associate commissioner who left in 2005 after 27 years at the agency. “If people really knew how weak the F.D.A. program is, they would be shocked.”

“For the life of me I cannot understand why the terrorists have not attacked our food supply because it is so easy to do,” said Mr. Thompson, who is a member of the Coalition for a Stronger F.D.A., a lobby group in Washington, and is running for president. He said he worried “every single night” about threats to the food supply.

These are quotes from the New York Times' article "Food Imports Often Escape Scrutiny." The Times also did an investigation into another type of import from China causing not pet deaths, but human deaths, specifically children. The import is a counterfeit ingredient used in many medications, often cough syrups for both adults and children. The pure ingredient is safe glycerin, but the counterfeit sold in its place is sourced from diethylene glycol, a primary ingredient in antifreeze, and highly toxic. Ingestion of the substance causes kidney failure, then affects the central nervous system causing paralysis and leaving the victim unable to breathe. Most die.

This toxic syrup has figured in at least eight mass poisonings around the world in the past twenty years. It is estimated that thousands have died. Due to underreporting in third world countries, this number may actually be much higher. Three of the last four cases the counterfeit was made in China, a major source of counterfeit drugs. The most recent incident was in Panama where an estimated 395 people have died, most of them children. The shipment in this case was linked directly to China.

In 1995, a shipment made its way to Haiti, and even to the U.S. After 88 children in Haiti died, the U.S. buyer of the tainted shipment was lucky enough to catch the counterfeit before it was used. The FDA had no awareness of the shipment.

According to the World Health Organization, in December 2006, 440 Chinese drug counterfeiting operations were closed down last year and two of the top Chinese drug reglators were arrested for taking bribes.

The costs savings for a counterfeiter? $975 per TON. Pennies per tainted bottle of medicine sold that could kill a child. This is not just counterfeiting, this is murder for pennies a person. And it needs to stop. China is the third largest exporter or food to the U.S at 199,000 shipments per year, of which only two percent is tested.

Tell your representative that you want a stronger FDA, that you want sanctions against imports from China until this is resolved. All food and drug imports. First melamine, now this. This has to stop.

If you do not know who your representatives are, you can find them and email them at www.house.gov and www.senate.gov. Feel free to use the text of this post to express yourself.

You can read more at these links:
From China to Panama, a Trail of Poisoned Medicine
Food Imports Often Escape Scrutiny

Thursday Thirteen: Food Labels

While the FDA may not always enforce such things, it has established standards for the language that can be used on food labels. If the manufacturer (gosh, should that word even be used in association to food?) does not follow the guidelines, you can double check the product label to know this as well. Here are thirteen label descriptions and what they should mean:

1. Free: food contains none or "physiologically inconsequential" amounts of a given item such as fat, hydrogenated oils (trans fat), saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugars or calories.
2. Low fat: food must have 3 grams or less total fat per serving, be sure to check serving size on label, while it may be packaged to look like a serving, the label may use more servings per package to make the product sound healthier.
3. Low saturated fat: 1 gram or less saturated fat per serving (same caveat on servings per container) and no more than 15 percent of a serving's calories from saturated fat.
4. Low sodium: Food must have 140 mg or less sodium per serving.
5. Very low sodium: 35 mg. or less sodium per serving.
6. Low cholesterol: 20 mg or less cholesterol per serving.
7. Reduced: as in reduced fat or reduced sugar, product must contain at least 25 percent fewer calories than the standard product from which it was derived.
8. Light: as a reference to nutrition not color, must contain between one-third to one-half the amount of fat than the original product.
9. High: Product must contain at least 20 percent or more of the daily value for a given nutrient per serving.
10. More: Product must contain at least 10 percent more of the described nutrient than the original product.
11. Good source: most often misused with regard to wholegrains, must contain 10-to-19 percent of the daily value for the indicated nutrient.
12. Lean: Meat item must contain less than 10 grams of fat, less than 4 grams of saturated fat, and less than 95 mg of cholesterol per serving.
13. Extra lean: Meat must contain less than 5 grams of fat, less than two grams of saturated fat, and less than 95 mg of cholesterol per serving.

Of course the key is to always read the label and the serving size that is indicated in order to "make the numbers" for the claim. If the FDA is too understaffed to police the guidelines on labels, it's up to us.

Wordless Wednesday

Turks and Caicos Islands

Three Recipes, Two Kinds of Asparagus

Ugh. It’s been a long day. This may not be all it should be, but here goes. We had a great weekend, the first weekend a few local vegetables made it to the farmers market after a crazy bit of weather stunned us all, plants included. As it happens early and late in the season, the variety is not so much there, but what there is, is really good.

Saturday’s bounty included my lettuce plants, but also some large, sweet scallions, and fresh asparagus, green and purple. If you have never seen purple asparagus before, don’t worry. It’s not that common. It is uncommonly good, however. We bought four large bunches of purple and one of green, a bunch of scallions and a few more herbs and plants for me to try not to kill. By the way, the plants are looking good. I know, it’s only been a couple weeks, but I don’t have a good track record with horticulture.

It was warm, and beautiful outside all weekend. Sunday, we met some friends for a picnic snack and trip to the “farm,” a petting zoo and play area. I lured them into dinner by describing the menu: roasted purple asparagus; ham, asparagus, onion and goat cheese tart; very fresh lettuces for salad; roasted green beans; and a bottle of Pouilly-Fuissé. To make the meal perfect, I got a "Mommy, I like it!" from the toddler section. And she ate it all.

No cheating, the recipes follow. I’ll make the long story short. No leftovers for the week. So, here I am on a Tuesday night after a long day, and nothing cooked. Clinging toddler, who also had a long day. She just held onto me when I picked her up. Would not let go, did not want in the car. Things were not looking good for trying out the new recipe I drafted over lunch at my desk.

I remember why most people don’t cook for their kids every night. There was clinging, and demanding, and pulling of my shirt. Little hands shooting up onto the counter to grab some ham as I chopped it, oh-so-close to the knife, oh-so-close to the stove. Ever have those moments that seem to stretch out like ten times their normal length? Now, why can’t those be the good moments?

Hard to believe it was just 15 minutes of time. Yup, still the same amount as a trip through the drive-thru. Well, there is the kitchen to clean. But I hear clattering down there. Hey, it might be done — thank you, husband! Rachel Ray never promises the clean up in her time frame, and she gets 30 minutes without a wild banshee diving through her legs and screaming the whole time.

So, tonight I cooked a variation on the theme, using many of the same ingredients. I promised more of these recipes! And, when all you have is a lot of one vegetable, that’s how you cook. Tonight’s feast was Asparagus, Ham, Peas and Tortellini with Parmesan Herb Sauce.

A heavy cream sauce would have drowned all the flavor of fresh spring veggies and herbs. I wanted to go light. There’s only a couple ways to lighten a cream sauce; use half-and-half, and a lot less sauce. The result is healthier, and tastes better without that “Thanksgiving dinner” feeling from saturated fat overload.


Ham, Asparagus, Onion and Goat Cheese Tart

Roasted Asparagus

Asparagus, Ham, Peas and Tortellini with Parmesan Herb Sauce

Looking for these recipes? They will be part of an upcoming book with Ali of Cleaner Plate Club.

Amazing NEW Diet Plan!

Call now for the easiest diet plan ever! You won't believe it. No pills to buy, no special prepared foods, no costly and useless supplements! Act now, and we will throw in this handy plate guide for FREE! All this is yours for just ...

Well, I could make a lot of money selling the next, hot, new diet. And why not? Everyone else is. Just think the Expat Diet!

"Oh, are you on Expat? So, am I!"

I can hear it now to the tune of cash registers ringing. Sign me up.

I hate diets. I hate diet ads and diet products and diet plans. I hate promises of that easy magic pill that lets you sleep away fat or some other b.s. And it is just that.

There's no magic pill. Get over it already. We're onto you diet people and you are not going to lie to us anymore. Or make us give up bread. You were a cruel, cruel man, Dr. Atkins.

So, here is my anti-diet. I had to learn this when I was pregnant and could not tolerate the glucola long enough to get through the test. So, I got to be treated for gestational diabetes. I got a lovely monitor and a food plan. Not diet plan. Food plan.

Most of it was common sense and a lot of pokes in the finger. It was also a lot of work. It was like I was walking — waddling — around all friggin' day either eating, getting ready to eat, or planning what I would eat next. I have vowed never to become diabetic.

But, I didn't take a vow that I would not gain weight like every other working mom, too busy to exercise much. So, here I sit, with my few extra pounds, tight waistband, and my food plan out again, trying to get back on track. I learned a few good lessons from the experience:

• How many servings of each type of food I should eat each day
• All the different colors and kinds of veggies I can eat on the plan
• Small meals and healthy snacks work best for me
  
• When is best to eat, and what combinations of foods are best (eat proteins with carbs)
  
• The true size of a portion
• The tremendous amount of healthy food I can eat for the same amount of calories as a small bit of unhealthy food
• Glucola tastes awful, makes me throw up, and pass out

Other than the last lesson, this is some pretty useful information. The trouble is, it is hard to do all that measuring and planning when you are a busy mom. I mean, if I had that much time, I'd just work out more and keep eating ice cream. That's what always worked for me before. Okay, before I found out I have high cholesterol.

So, here's the easy plan I am going to try. See the plate photo at the top of the post? It's a normal size plate. I will not overload it or mound the servings to the rim. I will have three of these a day with half the plate holding fruit and veggies, one-fourth the plate holding a lean meat, and the other fourth holding a whole grain.

I will try to eat most, not all, of my meals like this. Sure, I will have to make adjustments for things like pasta dishes and other combination dishes. If I get hungry, I'll try to have a healthy snack. I will aim for 5-9 servings of vegetables and fruits per day, more veggies than fruit. I will try to make sure most, if not all, of my fats are healthy fats.

It won't work every day. I know this because I am a realist. But, I will aim to make it happen most of the time. And I will try to remember my portion sizes.

Some examples:

• One serving of meat = 3 oz.
• One serving of vegetable = 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw
• One serving of fruit = examples are 1 small apple, or 1 cup berries, or 1/4 cup dried fruit
• Grains/Legumes/Starches = 1/3 cup cooked pasta, or 1/2 cup mashed potato, 1 slice whole grain bread (note that potatoes are not in the vegetable category).
  
• Milk = 1 cup skim, or 3-4 oz. sweetened yogurt

Surprised? Portions really aren't as big as what we think. Certainly not what's packaged or served to us in a restaurant.

Oh yeah, ketchup? Does not count as a vegetable. Sorry, but no way, unless you eat half a cup of ketchup. Fries count as a starchy vegetable, not a vegetable. Ready for this? You only get 10-15 fries per serving. That's like the corner of the supersize box, you know? Or maybe just licking the grease off the bottom of the carton even.

As far as number of servings of each food type to eat daily, the food guide pyramid is a good resource — if you can decipher the new food pyramid diagram, that is. Luckily, they have a handy calculator on the site. It also has tracking tools and a worksheet if you are more interested.

It's not a bad idea to check these guidelines out since this is the kind of plan that school lunches will be based on if they ever update the guidelines from the 70s. This is basic, healthy eating guidelines. It is not a diet. I hate diets. Almost as much as I hate sit ups.

Because I also hate to count servings (and don't have time), I will just stick to my plate, eat a lot of different colors of fruits and veggies, and take the stairs. And, yeah, once in a while, I'm still going to eat ice cream. Because I am a realist, and I really love ice cream. But, I really hate sit ups.

Leafy, Local, Luscious, Lettuce

I've been boycotting packaged greens. In fact, all winter I spent time figuring out ways to cook greens instead of the usual salad from California. Part of it is concern over food safety with 18 outbreaks of foodborne illness since 1995 linked to lettuce and one to spinach. The other part of it is that fresh, local lettuce is just so much better and lasts so much longer than greens harvested and shipped to the grocer's shelves.

Processing and shipping time aside, the lettuce tastes better because it does not have to be "conditioned" for shelf life through such processes as antioxidant treatment, modified atmosphere packaging, refrigerated storage, washing with chlorinated water or ozone, and most recently, irradiation, which was approved for use in 1998.

So, you can imagine my delight when I went to the farmers market and found two huge heads of leaf lettuce for $2.00 each. As a special bonus, the lettuce came with roots, dirt and pots attached. So I will (if I don't kill it) get about EIGHT heads of lettuce for $4.00. Even though I am too late for the Pennywise Eat Local Challenge, that's some darn good shopping.

Best of all, if I want to see how my lettuce is being grown, all I have to do is look out on my back porch. Yep, there it is, still growing. Didn't spray it with anything today. No wild animals or bad bacteria. Okay, let me just step outside and clip a really fresh salad.

I like this new local twist in my life! But we also LOVE greens. So, just in case I do kill my little red and green beauties, we signed up for a CSA with a grower that is even more fanatic about the quality of my produce than I am. He's also started a winter CSA using greenhouses, so we should be able to eat local lettuce in December. Almost enough to make me not mind winter. Almost.

With greens this fresh, you don't want to kill the flavor with commercial dressing. It's cheaper and better to make your own dressing. And, it's really easy, too.

Basic Viniagrette
Looking for this recipe? It will be part of an upcoming book with Ali at Cleaner Plate Club.

More Good Reasons Not to Import Food from China

From the New York Times:

• The pet food case has put China’s agricultural exports under greater scrutiny.
  
  
• The country has had a terrible food safety record.
  
  
• China’s recent food safety scandals include: fake baby milk formulas; soy sauce made from human hair; cuttlefish soaked in calligraphy ink; and eels fed contraceptive pills for growth.
  
  
• Chinese officials deny that melamine from the country could have killed pets, but have created a ban on using the substance for export. How that ban will be enforced is not explained in the article.
  
  
• Melamine has been mixed into Chinese animal feed and then sold to unsuspecting farmers as protein-rich pig, poultry and fish feed for many years now.

Note to self, buy local poultry and pork that does not eat commercial feed...

Got Grass?

On my way home from work, I pass not just one, but two California “Happy Cows” billboards. Given that I live in the Midwest, and I can find a cow standing in pasture less than 20 minutes from my city in any direction, I’m not all too clear on why I should be seeing ads about the mental state of cows in California. I’m also not certain why someone spent $17 million in 2001 alone to tell me how happy the cows are.

I mean, many of the cows here look happy to me. Especially the ones that make my milk. They pretty much live on a pasture most of the time. They get milked only a couple times a day, no hormones or antibiotics. They eat grass, lie in the sun and basically do all the things happy cows should be doing. I even have a photo of the actual cows that make my milk posted here. So, see for yourself. Do they look happy to you?

So, what’s the deal? And are California cows all happy? Is the cheese really better?

The deal is this: the ads were done by the California Milk Advisory Board to try and compete with Wisconsin for the cheese market. When you consider the budget for just one year plus superbowl ad and national TV and outdoor advertising, all for over 10 years, well, that’s a lot of cheese. Literally and figuratively. It’s also a lot of cows and a lot of milk.

Last time I checked, there was no statewide mandate in California that dairy cows could not be kept in large-scale dairy farms in order to produce all that milk. Farms where many of the cows live indoors, in a small pen, over a hard floor and are fed grain, not grass, along with hormones and antibiotics. Others live in muddy, crowded enclosures with no access to grass or pasture.

Giving birth is a job requirement for dairy cattle, but the calves are taken from the mothers in about 24 hours in most cases. As for these mothers, many of them wear out after a fraction of a dairy cow’s normal life span, and are then led (limping and lame because they never got to move around) to auction. Shortly after, the dairy cow is slipped between a sesame seed bun and handed to you through a drive-thru window.

It’s not so happy, is it?

When the heir to the Baskin-Robbins business considered joining PETA in suing over these ads, well, maybe the rest of us should think twice about the truth. Besides, the cows can’t exactly speak for themselves or hire a lawyer, can they? If they can, I want to see that ad.

So, is the cheese really better? Well, not that cheese, or at least not all of it. Good cheese comes from good milk. Good, healthy milk comes from a healthy diet. For a cow, that diet is grass. And, maybe, just maybe, being allowed to produce a normal amount of milk without hormones and living in healthy conditions has some affect as well. I'd like to think so.

Grassfed dairy products have been shown in studies to be one of the richest known sources of conjugated linoleic acid or CLA (Dhiman, Annand, 1999). CLA is a type of good fat. Cows that are solely fed on fresh pasture alone produce milk with as much as five times more CLA than dairy products from animals fed conventional diets.

CLA is thought to be one of the best dietary defenses against cancer, including lowering the risk of breast cancer. (Scimeca, et al. 1994) (Aro, Mannisto, et al. 2000). I've just begun researching the information on the benefits of grassfed dairy, meats, poultry and eggs, but as I find more, I will post it. In the meantime, this site is a good reference.

While I can’t attest to the taste of cheese from happy cows, (my dairy has not started cheese production yet), I can say that the milk is incredible. Complex, rich and has a lovely soft grassiness to it that I had never tasted in milk before. Possibly because I never had real milk before. The taste of the milk even changes with the season. You won’t believe the difference in taste.

I can’t wait to try the cheese. Or make some ice cream. Or drink some more milk. It’s good to have happy cows. Really happy cows.

Friday Quote Roundup

It’s Friday, and my attention span is shot after a very long work week that will likely stretch into my weekend. So, for all of us short on attention and time this rainy, cool Friday afternoon, here are some lovely food tidbits and issues, a couple excerpts and links to the full story.

A couple bits from the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood:

"Our Achilles heel is the discussion about obesity," Coca-Cola Co. Chief Creative Officer Esther Lee confessed to attendees at the Venice Festival of Media last week. "It's gone from a small, manageable U.S. issue to a huge global issue. It dilutes our marketing and works against it. It's a huge, huge issue."

Hmmm. Define "manageable issue." Is that one that quickly fades from the radar and life goes back to business as usual? Look, you make soda. That's fine. Just quit marketing it to kids, or make some healthy options, too. Maybe you could make more money doing the right thing, even.

Food marketers fear as FTC issues mandatory requests for information from 44 food, beverage and quick-service restaurant chains this summer. The FTC wants to understand the full scope of these companies’ marketing practices targeted to kids. As an interesting twist, FTC will also examine not just commercials, but practices of in-store promotions, events, packaging, internet marketing and product placement in video games, movies and TV programs.

Good. I am not anti-marketing, but marketing should have some standards, especially where our children are concerned. More importantly, FOOD MANUFACTURERS should have some integrity in what they make and ask marketers to target to kids. You can read a 9-part summary of the obesity issue and food marketing in my series here on this site. You can also find more at the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood site.

Shrek’s Fitness Role in Question
CCFC raises questions over using Shrek in Public Service Announcements to encourage children to exercise. Shrek is featured in sixteen separate food promotions for seventy different products.

The products include: McDonald's Happy Meals, Kellogg's Marshmallow Froot Loops cereal; Keebler E.L. FudgeDouble Stuffed cookies, "ogre-sized" Peanut Butter M&M's, Cheetos, and Kellogg's Frosted S'Mores Pop Tarts.

Kids, can you spell "Hypocrisy?" I thought you could. CCFC has a point, if kids are going to believe Shrek when he says "Exercise is good," why aren't they going to believe the same character when he is saying, basically, "Sugar and Saturated Fat are good?" Kids aren't dumb, they can add two and two. And, they know when it doesn't add up, as well.

A couple from the Center for Science in the Public Interest:

“If U.S. pets must serve as the ‘puppies in the coal mine,’ we urge FDA to heed the warning and take action now to ban grains and other grain products until the Chinese government and producers can guarantee that these imports are free of illegal and dangerous substances,” wrote CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson and CSPI food safety director Caroline Smith DeWaal.

Center for Science in the Public Interest urges FDA to ban imports of wheat gluten, rice protein, and other grain products from China after the recent pet food issues. CSPI wants all imports banned until the FDA can certify that the products are free of contamination.

I am starting to wonder how many products contain this grain and how would I know? Why do we need grain from China? We grow it here, last time I checked. It's even subsidized by our government. Read the full article and the CSPI letter to the FDA here.

“The difference between the current USDA and new IOM school food standards is night and day,” said CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan. “Congress should support parents and protect kids by having USDA bring its disco-era nutrition standards in line with modern science.”

Can you hear the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever, too?

CSPI wants the Institute of Medicine’s School Food Recommendations to replace 30-year-old standards. Imagine that!

Ah, I love these CSPI folks. I like the brutal honesty here. I've said that before, but every time I see a press release from them, I think the same thing all over again. Great quotes, great watchdog group, better than a pay-per-view dose of Ultimate Cage Fighting in my book. You can read more here.

The thing is, none of these groups are asking manufacturers, marketers or government to do anything except the right thing; tell the truth, be consistent, care about the quality of your product and the people who buy it. Makes you wonder why they are issues at all.

Thursday Thirteen: Herbs

I have to admit that I am not much of a gardener. Friends know to never, ever, bring me a house plant. You can literally watch it die in my hands. It’s that bad. For some reason (my husband would say it is because he helps water) I have had some success with herbs. This is great, because I like being able to walk out on the deck and snip a few items to cook with just as I need them.

Not many things enhance a dish as much as using fresh herbs. And, given the cost of buying these in the store versus a few bucks for seeds or small plants, it makes a lot of sense to get my hands in the dirt. Research has even shown that getting dirty is good for your mood.

I definitely got my hands in the dirt. Three hundred pounds of dirt to be exact. This year’s container garden is my most ambitious yet. I am hoping something survives my “brown thumb.” Wish the plants luck, they will need it. This year’s “porch garden” includes the following herbs:

1-2. Genovese Basil and Black Opal Basil. Basil is one of the most used herbs and it works well both cooked in a recipe and for a garnish. Opal basil is deep red-purple in color and has a milder flavor.

3. Chives. Part of the onion family, both the stems and the flowers can be used in cooking. The flowers are most often used as a garnish. Avoid cooking this herb for long periods of time or at high temperatures. Chives have natural insect-repelling qualities. Chives are one of the four fines herbes of French cooking. The other three are tarragon, chervil and/or parsley.

4-5. Oregano, Italian and Turkish. Oregano is referred to as wild marjoram. Its flavor is a recognizable element in Greek, Italian and Mexican dishes. Unlike most herbs, the dried form can have more flavor than fresh. Oregano has a high content of antioxidants such as phenolic acids and flavonoids.

6. Italian Parsley has many varieties, but is commonly recognized in two varieties, curly and flat-leaf, or Italian, parsley. It has a sharp, tangy flavor that adds “life” to any dish it garnishes. Flat-leaf parsley is more commonly used in cooking, while curly parsley is often the garnish at the side of the plate.

7-8. Sage, berggarten and common. Sage was used for ceremonial and medicinal purposes long before it became a pantry staple. It does not play well with other herbs, however, and it has a strong flavor that complements fall dishes like winter squash, poultry and fatty meats like lamb.

9. Tarragon is best fresh as its flavor tends to change when dried. The slightly licorice-like flavor goes well with light dishes such as fish and tomatoes. Tarragon is recognizable as the main flavoring in Bernaise sauce. French tarragon, interestingly, cannot be grown from seed.

10-11. Thyme, French and lemon. Thyme comes in many varieties and is a hardy perennial. It is used in all types of dishes either vegetable or meat, and can even be used in some desserts. Egyptians used this herb for medicine and embalming as early as 3500 B.C.

12. Rosemary. This is easily my favorite herb. I often just put my face down near the plant and inhale. I use rosemary soap. I even use this herb in desserts like Blackberry Crumble and love it infused in caramel. Rosemary has medicinal uses and is purported to be a stimulant, and even dangerous in large quantities. Those who are pregnant or breastfeeding are cautioned to not eat large quantities of this herb. I am not sure how large a quantity this indicates. By the way, it is not uncommon for pregnant women to need to avoid certain herbs. Licorice root, for example, stimulates ovulation and is a good one to avoid during pregnancy.

13. Lemon Verbena. This is a new variety to my herb garden. I am not sure how I am going to use this lemon-flavored herb yet. The information I have on it says it can be used for fish and poultry dishes, vegetable marinades, salad dressings, jams, herbal teas and even a sorbet.

I also planted some other interesting things; edible flowers, bee balm, spring greens mix and red lettuce. Next market day, I will get lavender, marjoram, perhaps some mint, and more lettuces to finish my container garden. The bee balm and lavender are for any stray bees in my neighborhood. I am worried about the bees. Expect a post on that topic soon.

Fixing the Farm Bill

Ali at Cleaner Plate has been an amazing crusader for this issue. You can find a ton of information and her thoughts on the subject over at her site. Ali seems like one of the nicest people you could meet. A genuine altruist.

Me, I am an altruist, mostly, but I've been beaten up by my professional life in research and am becoming a bit of a realist. Human nature is that we will not take direct action on an issue unless we first, see a real benefit for ourselves (not being farmers, most of us). Second, we won't take action unless it is easy to do and quick.

No, I'm not cynical! I am a realist. And, as much as I know so many of you care about our planet and one another, let's just go down the realist path for a moment.

So, here are some good reasons why you, as a consumer, would want to send a QUICK, EASY email to support change. Hey, you don't even have to know your representative's name! And, realistically, most of us don't. It takes less than a minute!

Here are the two ammendments that would help the situation and the basics of what they would do for YOU.

The Healthy Farms, Food and Fuels Act will do the following for YOU the consumer:

1. Promote renewable energy development on farms, ranches and forest lands (cheaper, clean energy FOR YOU!).
   
   
2. Link producers with consumers through farmers markets and farm-to-cafeteria (as in your school's cafeteria) initiatives, and provide new assistance to low-income and elderly consumers (wait the last one goes under altruism, unless YOU are low income or elderly).
   
   
3. Help create more organic farms, thus better and more sources of quality produce for YOU.
   

The EAT Healthy America Act will do the following for YOUR CHILDREN:

1. Require federal feeding programs, including the YOUR CHILDREN'S school lunch and school breakfast programs, to adhere to the 2005 USDA Dietary Guidelines.
   
   
2. Expand the fruit and vegetable snack program in YOUR CHILDRENS' schools across the nation and develop new nutrition promotion programs to assist producers in enhancing their markets.

Fellow altruists, keep reading ...

Oh, see, I KNEW YOU CARED!

Both bills would also have the following benefits for us all (Kum-bay-ya! Kum-bay-ya! All together now):

• Increase access to valuable export markets (go economy!).
• Expand programs to assist local growers with the specific investments they need to increase competitiveness (go local!)
• Increase opportunities for specialty crop producers to access conservation programs, which will improve air quality and water quality and supply as well as protection of working agricultural lands and of sensitive environmental resources (go environment!)
• Invest in research priorities for specialty crops to improve prevention of invasive plant pests and diseases (go organic!)
• Double funding for farmers to promote conservation (environment again!).
• Fund the restoration of wildlife habitat, including wetlands and grasslands (again!).
• Protect more than 6 million acres of farm, ranch and forest land (and again!)
  

Did I mention the QUICK, EASY, EASY LINK to tell your rep (whoever it is) to quit chasing pages (okay, that was cynical) and do something meaningful for all of us?

Thanks, Ali, keep us all on track, would you? I know our world is a better place with people like you in it. And that's real.

Wordless Wednesday

I love Santa Barbara, CA. This was early morning about 6:30 in the harbor.

Mad on Monday Morning

I had a funny post ready. With a recipe. And a happy ramble on the joys of planting herbs. But I don't get to post those this morning. Because I have to post on this.

If you have seen the front page of most newspapers, then you know that the FDA was aware of the problems that led to the spinach and peanut butter contamination for some time before the outbreaks.

In the case of the Salmonella in the peanut butter, the FDA knew of the issues as early as 2005. When FDA inspectors requested documents from the ConAgra plant, they were refused. The FDA inspector left and the issue was not followed up on.

While the spotlight is being thrown onto the FDA, with reason, there are others who need to be called into question.

"This administration does not like regulation, this administration does not like spending money, and it has a hostility toward government. The poisonous result is that a program like the FDA is going to suffer at every turn of the road," said Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), chairman of the full House committee, as quoted in the Washington Post.

The FDA was given a budget increase of just $10 million, a mere bandaid when you consider they are responsible for nearly 80% of the inspections of our food supply. The USDA was given a budget increase nearly 10 times that amount.

Let's also not forget that ConAgra knew of its problems and sent inspectors away. And did nothing. And the spinach producers knew of the issues, and the outbreaks continued. In fact, 18 outbreaks of foodborne illness since 1995 caused by E. coli involved fresh or fresh-cut lettuce and one concerning fresh-cut spinach. The 19 outbreaks account for over 400 reported cases of illness and two deaths.

So, when you line everyone up to take the blame, don't forget the food producers (ConAgra, others) who allow life-threatening problems to continue and deny them, the FDA that cannot and will not do its job, and the current pro-business administration who will not support the FDA in doing its job. That's a lot of blame. That's a lot of anger for a Monday morning.

Beyond blaming, what can we do? Because blaming does not solve the issue of getting dinner on the table tonight. As consumers we need to decrease our reliance on processed foods and mass-scale agriculture. We need to Eat Local, to buy food from people we know and trust, who feed their own families the same produce and meats that they sell to us. And, we need to tell our government that we are mad, that we do not support them. And tell companies who sell us tainted product, knowingly, that we don't care to buy their products. Any of them. And there are many.

Taking on the "Tater"

I've posted a few times about some of the more questionable entrees on the menu at my Kiddo's school. Hot Dog Tacos, Beanie Weenies, and the one I have tried for the longest to figure out — Tater Tot Casserole. Try as I might, I just can't figure out what kind of casserole you could make with mushy tater tots and soup base as the centerpiece.

A friend over at Mother Talkers solved this culinary riddle for me. She posted the link for the Duggar family's favorite Tater Tot Casserole recipe. The site is located at www.jimbob.info, and that is not a joke url. See, first I thought it was a joke. And then, when I read the recipe, I REALLY thought it was a joke. Three 2-pound bags of tater tots. Two cans cream of mushroom soup, two cans cream of chicken soup, 2 cans evaporated milk ... it sounds awful. Wait a minute. THREE TWO-POUND BAGS? SIX POUNDS of tater tots? What the ...

Then, I read the site. The Duggar family has 15 kids, with number 16 on the way.

Now, I love kids. I'd like to have a couple more running around. I really would. But, I am sure I could not handle 15 of them, much less 16.

Mrs. Duggar has spent nearly 11 years of her life pregnant. Which, between the being pregnant, getting pregnant, and just been pregnant, doesn't leave much time for cooking, I'd guess. Or much of anything else.

When I am trying to get through a busy day with one munchkin, (and not pregnant), I think, wow, how does she do that? If I had 15 kids running around, I'd be half crazy (or more) and afraid to stray too far from the bathroom because I'd be in there every time I felt a sneeze coming on. Or a laugh. Or a blink. Believe me, if you've ever been pregnant, you KNOW what I mean.

As for Mrs. Duggar, who seems perfectly sane, she may just need a quick way to get all those kids fed. So, I thought I would try and come up with a better way to do a potato-based casserole. Something a bit lighter, with some veggies in it, more protein, but still an easy, one pot dish. While I probably won't be volunteering to babysit for the Duggars anytime soon, I can offer up the following recipe and my best wishes.

Hashbrown, Chard, Tomato and Ham Frittata
Roasted Tomatoes
Looking for these recipes, they will be part of an upcoming book co-authored with Ali at Cleaner Plate Club.

Does the Lunch Lady Wash Her Hands?

Not always, at least according to a recent Center for Science in the Public Interest report on food safety conditions in school kitchens. Keeping the risks in perspective, there have been 11,000 documented cases of food poisoning from school cafeterias between 1990 and 2004. Schools serve 29 million meals each school day.

Still, the food pathogens encountered currently are not a small matter with virulent strains of E. coli and more and more resistant strains of salmonella out there. Young children are particularly vulnerable.

The CPSI report, “Making the Grade,” analyzed inspection reports from high school cafeterias in 20 jurisdictions across the country. The 20 were then on quality of food-safety inspections, frequency of inspections, and if the public had access to the information. The inspection reports revealed unacceptable conditions such as roaches, both dead and alive; rodent droppings; and improper food storage and handling techniques.

“Cities, counties, and school districts shouldn’t wait until a major outbreak of Hepatitis A, E. coli, or Salmonella forces them to update their food codes and ramp up inspections,” said Ken Kelly, food safety attorney for CSPI and lead author of the report. “Regrettably, many school cafeterias may be just one meal away from an outbreak.”

Hartford, Conn., received the lowest score, 37 out of a possible 100. The jurisdiction racked up the most critical violations, including multiple cases of dirty equipment and utensils, inadequate hand-washing facilities, and poor personnel hygiene. Hartford also had infrequent inspections. Infrequent is kind of a subjective word, given that federal regulations only require two per year.

Others who failed to make the grade: District of Columbia, with the lowest inspection frequency; Rhode Island; Minneapolis, Minn.; and Hillsborough (includes Tampa) and Dade (includes Miami) counties in Florida.

Also from the CSPI: Beverage (soda) contracts are not that profitable for schools:

"Most school beverage deals aren’t very lucrative, raising an average of only $18 per student per year, according to the first-ever multi-state analysis of school systems’ contracts with beverage companies. The study, conducted by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI), analyzed 120 contracts in 16 states and found that the majority (67 percent) of the revenue collected from drink sales goes to beverage companies, not schools. The $18 dollars per student raised represents only one quarter of one percent of the average cost of a student's education, which, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, is about $8,000 per year. The study was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Argosy Foundation."

I don't know about you, but I would GIVE my school $18.00 a year to keep the soda out if I need to. Now we can print out the study, take it to our schools and demand the drink machines be removed as they don't provide an substantial benefit for anyone — except the beverage companies.

Well Said

“Of course, the Food and Drug Administration should be the one policing food labels, but the agency is so short-staffed and dysfunctional that officials won’t take action even when a neatly wrapped complaint is handed to them with a ribbon around it and a bow on top,” said Center for Science in the Public Interest executive director Michael F. Jacobson.

Well said. I love brual honesty. It's so ... refreshing. The quote relates to CPSI's step into the arena of actually bringing suit to companies that make exaggeraged or false nutritional claims on their packaging. Companies that have been the target of CSPI suits over labeling include; KFC, Enviga, Pinnacle Foods, Frito-Lay, Quaker and Tropicana.

The CPSI has also informed the FDA of additional labeling issues for the following foods:

1. Gerber Graduates for Toddlers Fruit Juice Snacks -- despite packaging pictures of oranges, cherries, and strawberries, the main ingredients are corn syrup and sugar.
   
   "You can guess why Gerber doesn't call these things Corn Syrup Snacks-no parent would buy them," says Bruce Silverglade, CSPI director of legal affairs. "This is candy, not fruit juice."
   
   
2. Betty Crocker Super Moist Carrot Cake Mix -- The only carrot ingredient is "carrot powder," which is the 19th ingredient listed, behind artificial color, salt, and dicalcium phosphate.
   
   
3. Smucker's Simply 100% Fruit -- Both the strawberry and blueberry versions have more fruit syrup than fruit. The syrup comes not from berries but from less-expensive apple, pineapple, or pear juice concentrate.
   
   
4. Kellogg's Eggo Nutri-Grain Pancakes -- the label indicates pancakes are "Made with Whole Wheat and Whole Grain," but the pancakes are made primarily with white flour and have more high-fructose corn syrup than whole wheat or other whole grain.
   
   
5. General Mills' Yoplait Light Fat Free Yogurt -- the label claims to the product will help burn more fat. However, the U.S. government's Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has called the evidence on dairy products and weight loss inconclusive.
   
   
6. Quaker Oats Pasta Roni -- the label name refers to White Cheddar & Broccoli, showing pasta and pieces of broccoli. Broccoli appears on the fourth line of a 14-line ingredient list, and there are only small bits of the vegetable in the actual dish.

"Food manufacturers are shamelessly tricking consumers who are trying to eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains," said Silverglade. "Too many processed foods contain only token amounts of the healthful ingredients highlighted on labels and are typically loaded with fats, refined sugars, refined flour, and salt, in various combinations."

Amen. And thanks to the CSPI for standing up for us all.

Thursday Thirteen: Spices

I was trying to plan my Thursday Thirteen during my "lunch run," the 3.7-mile loop around my office I suffer a few times a week. I realized yet another post on 13 things I do in a week might, just might, not be that interesting. In fact, I might not be that interesting. Other than a nod to my crazier past, well, I'm fairly normal, sort of, kind of, if all things are considered.

So, I have decided to make my Thursday Thirteen post center on 13 bits of culinary trivia to bore you with instead. Ready to begin? Fantastic! Let's go.

If you've read a few posts, you know that my Kiddo and I LOVE spices. The smell, the taste, the variety. Spices are so ingrained in our various cultures that many cultures even have a trademark "flavor principle." For example, Mexico is typified by chile and lime. India: cumin, garlic and ginger. Greece: cinnamon, lemon and oregano. You can experience the world from your spice cabinet.

Spices and herbs both come from plants. The primary difference is that herbs are usually from a plant's leaves, stem or flowers, spices are usually from the bark, roots, seeds, buds or berries of the plant. Some plants are the source for both an herb and a spice, as in the case of dill and coriander (cilantro). Fennel is also both an herb and the fennel seed is a spice, but the plant bulb is also used as a vegetable.

Thirteen Interesting Spices in My Cabinet:

1. Anise and Star Anise, which are not related at all, yet have a similar flavor and name. Both can be used in pastry and vegetable dishes. Star Anise is one of the primary flavors in Chinese Five Spice Powder.
   
   
2. Caraway. This is possibly the world's oldest spice, it's use has been traced to the Stone Age. Caraway is most familiar to us as the peppery flavor in rye bread.
   
   
3. Cloves are the unopened buds of a certain species of tropical evergreen. Cloves have a powerful flavor and only a small amount should be used.
   
   
4. Allspice. Even though it smells like a blend of cinnamon, cloves and nutmegs, allspice is from a single source, the dried berry from a tree found in Jamaica. It is commonly found in foods like cakes and curries, and jerk chicken.
   
   
5. Cinnamon and Cassia. Actually, most of what we think is cinnamon here in the States is actually the less expensive, related spice Cassia. Cassia has a stronger, less subtle flavor than true cinnamon. There are also varieties that offer different flavors. For example, Ceylon Cinnamon is soft and fruity and complex in flavor. Vietnamese Cinnamon is crisp and deeply spicy. Both are very different in flavor than China Cassia, what is normally sold as cinnamon.
   
   
6. Fenugreek. I just bought this and have used it on the herb chicken recipe. It works well with poultry. It has a fresh, tangy smell with a hint of almost maple to it. It is often found in curries.
   
   
7. Nutmeg and Mace both come from the same fruit of a tropical evergreen. The mace is the lacelike shell around the nutmeg seed. Ironically, ground mace will retain its flavor for longer than most spices, but nutmeg quickly loses its flavor when ground. For this reason, it is best to buy the nutmegs whole and use a microplane or grinder as needed.
   
   
8. Black and White Peppercorns both come from the same plant. The difference is the point at which they are picked and how they are processed. Black peppercorns are picked when the berry is still green, then it turns black as it is dried. White peppercorns are picked when the berry ripens and turns red, then they are allowed to ferment. The outer red skin comes off in processing and the resulting spice is white. White pepper is commonly produced by mechanically removing the black skin from black peppercorns. This is not the same spice, though the process is cheaper. This inferior white pepper should be labeled "decorticated."
   
   
9. Galangal is from the rhizome of a plant that is native to India. It's flavor is similar to ginger but with pepper and pine notes. Fresh ginger can be used as a substitute.
   
   
10. Saffron and Cardamom take the top two spots as the most expensive spices. It takes about 250,000 saffron crocus flowers to produce a pound of saffron.
    
    
11. Curry. While there is a single jar on the shelf labeled curry, curry is actually a blend of several other spices. There are also several kinds of curries as well. The bright gold powder most of us are familiar with contains a blend of pepper, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, ginger, mace and turmeric. A fun thing to do is to get a few of these blended spices and see if you can tell (no peeking at the label) what spices are in the mix. Well, it's fun for me, anyway.
    
    
12. Masala. A masala is a blend of roasted and ground spices. Garam masala, a favorite of mine, contains a blend of pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, nutmeg, turmeric, bay leaves and fennel seeds.
    
    
13. Juniper berries. I have these in my cabinet, but I have no idea why or what I might make other than a bathtub of gin. My culinary text says they can be used in wild game, venison or wild boar dishes. It's a bit more likely I would be making the gin.

There are hundreds of spices. Hundreds. I only get 13 in this post. But, there's always next Thursday!

Basic (Green) Beans

If I ever have to pull together dinner fast, there are a few sides, especially this one, I know I can count on to rest on the plate — even alongside a crown rib roast — and hold their own. No one has to know it took just a few ingredients and minimal effort.

I keep roasted or sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil) around as a staple. They have a ton of flavor and taste great. We also love nuts around here in the land of Genetically High Cholesterol. So, it’s no big surprise that this dish has both of these ingredients, plus the Kiddo’s favorite — fresh green beans.

Green Beans Sauteéd with Roasted Tomatoes and Shallot
Looking for this recipe? It will be part of an upcoming book co-authored with Ali at Cleaner Plate Club.

By Popular Demand: A Basic Veggie Dish

This recipe was from my last summer's trips to the farmers markets. Mike&Misty left me a nice note to say, "More regular vegetable dishes." So here is one. If you cannot find eggplant, just use all zucchini and tomatoes. Save this one for summer's bounty of squashes and tomatoes and eggplants.

I will admit that I have not been a fan of eggplant unless it is prepared very creatively. Remembering that eggplant is like a sponge that will soak up a ton of olive oil, I avoided the fry method. It also saves on calories, heating up the kitchen, and cleanup. However, I took the more laborious approach to the cheese filling, using fresh herbs from my garden. I also got a bit creative and used other vegetables I had from that market trip, zucchini and tomatoes. The result? My new recipe for Vegetable Parmigiano. Very tasty, crisp and light, then cheesy and luscious.

My eggplant-hating spouse devoured it. My toddler loved it. I was so emboldened by the initial success I bought a ton of eggplant the next week, white, Japanese and green ones. To my delight, a huge pan of this dish disappeared from a table of six adults and two kids. People asked for more to take home with them. Let me know if you try it.

Vegetable Parmigiano
Looking for this recipe? It will be part of an upcoming book co-authored with Ali at Cleaner Plate Club.

Channeling Mario

Last night I had a crazy dream. I had been selected to be Mario Batali's sous chef. A thinner, younger Mario, by the way. Throughout the whole dream, we were preparing to go places to cook, but we never got anywhere and never cooked a thing. I don't know what this means.

I tried to stay asleep, to garner some subconscious bit of wisdom from Molto Mario. Alas, my dream was ended.

"Wake up, Mommy!"

So, I am looking to all of you for a path to wisdom. What kind of cooking tip do you most need? What ingredient do you most want a recipe for? Just ask, and I will try and find an answer. Maybe we can get by without Mario.

Wordless Wednesday

Not me, I took the photo. But I did this same task as part of my brief, former life as a Shark Wrangler.

How Was Your Day?

I thought a lot about my day yesterday, my perfectly normal day. I sat on the floor and watched my child sleeping, and said a word of thanks for the miracle of "nothing special." A day where we all come home at the end. Take a walk, eat dinner, play a bit, then settle into bed.

I thought about the parents who lost their children in the shootings at Virginia Tech. I thought how much they longed for just another normal day, because nothing, nothing, will be normal again for them, ever. My heart hurt for them. And it hurt from straining at its very seams with gratitude for having had just another normal day.

We take each day for granted. How was your day? Oh, the usual, you know, same old, same old. I challenge each of us, out of respect, to realize just how good every day is. Call it a meme, call it what you will. But make a post, leave me a link in your comment and let me know, "How Was Your Day?" I'd like to hear about it.

Where's My Beef (Coming From)?

A pig walks into a spinach field in California. A two-year-old in Idaho dies. Somewhere a cow gives birth to an exact replica of its sire. We buy a new freezer.

How can these events be related? With a nod to Michael Pollan, let me trace the events back to the source.

On Sept. 20, 2006, Kyle Allgood of Boise, Idaho died from eating food contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. Over 200 people in 26 states were sickened and two others died. This type of food poisoning is normally only associated with consumption of contaminated meat. The contaminated food source was spinach.

The spinach was grown in the Salinas Valley of California, and harvested just weeks earlier. It took a long time to trace the source of contamination. However, according to Dr. Reilly of the California Health Department, the outbreak was most likely caused when a feral pig walked into the spinach field after visiting a cattle feedlot nearby. The pig had the bacteria in its system and had carried on it some of the cattle manure from the feedlot.

The manure contained the virulent strain of E. coli, O157:H7, that is usually found in the intestines of cattle, sheep and goats who consume a grain-fed diet. This strain of E. coli evolved by surviving in the highly acidic digestive system of cattle in feedlots. Grain feeding increases the number of bacteria and its resistance to stomach acids according to recent research published in Science.

The high stomach acidity is not a normal condition for ruminants, but feed lot animals have to adapt in order to process a diet of corn instead of their natural diet of grass. The diet of the cattle and the living conditions in the feed lot also require heavy use of antibiotics in order to keep them healthy. As a result, antibiotic-resistant and virulent bacterial strains like E. coli O157:H7 develop.

The grain is part of the feed mix that has been developed for livestock to promote rapid growth. The feed also contains antibiotics, supplements, and animal by-products including chicken parts, feather meal and beef tallow.

Previously, the animal by-products included other beef sources besides tallow, but that practice is now banned due to the risk of Mad Cow Disease (BSE). However, that same feed, including the protein products cattle are banned from eating, is still fed to chickens and hogs.

According to Eric Schlosser, in his book Fast Food Nation, only 13 slaughterhouses process the majority of the beef consumed by 300 million Americans. Thus, if one portion of the meat is tainted, it becomes mixed with that of hundreds of other cattle processed that day and distributed throughout the U.S. This type of centralized processing, similar to that for the contaminated spinach, explains how one small portion of contaminated food can affect hundreds in different states across the nation.

The situation gets even more muddled when you mix in some politics as well. The current chief of staff at the Agriculture Department used to be the beef industry's chief lobbyist. The person who headed the Food and Drug Administration until recently used to be an executive at the National Food Processors Association.

Cutbacks in staff and budgets have reduced the number of food-safety inspections conducted by the FDA to about 3,400 a year — from 35,000 in the 1970s. The number of inspectors at the Agriculture Department has declined to 7,500 from 9,000.

A study published in Consumer Reports showed the impact of such cutbacks and lack of food policies: 83 percent of the broiler chickens purchased at supermarkets nationwide were found to be contaminated with dangerous bacteria.

Now, the same agency, the FDA, has decided for us that cloned meat is okay for human consumption. With no labeling required. So, you will never know if you are buying cloned meat, or not. Ironically, it was Upton Sinclair’s exposure of meat-packing issues that precipitated both a meat inspection law and the law which created the FDA in order to protect consumers.

So, we bought a freezer. And we sourcing our meat locally. Grass-fed, antibiotic-free beef that lived on pasture (the way cattle should live), raised by people I know by name, and then were slaughtered in a humane and sanitary fashion.

While I can’t help you with the freezer, I can point you toward some resources, and some question to ask to make sure you are getting your meats from the right source.

Places to Look:
Online you can find farms near you by searching at localharvest.org and sustainabletable.org. You can also ask restaurants who serve local produce and meats who their suppliers are, or try your local food circle or Slow Food convivium.

Questions to Ask

1. Was the animal raised on pasture? How much of the time?
2. Was the animal fed only grass? If not, what was it fed?
   You want to be sure that the animal was not fed commercial feed containing animal by-products including those from cattle, supplements or poultry manure and feather meal. If the animal was fed grain, you want to ask how much of the animal’s diet was grain and what types. Corn is the hardest for cattle to digest, but it is the cheapest grain, so it is commonly fed to cattle in feed lots. Cattle fed grain only often get sick.
3. How was the animal “finished,” was it ever in a feedlot?
   The term finishing refers to a period of time prior to slaughter where cattle are often fed grain in order to promote marbling (fat) in the meat and weight gain. Cattle are often confined to feed lots during the finishing period. You will want to ask if the animal was in a feed lot and for how long, and under what conditions.
4. Was the animal grain-supplemented?
   Some sustainable farmers will provide various grains to cattle along with grasses in order to promote growth, but the animals are not forced to eat the grain, and are allowed to eat grasses along with the grains. It is important to ask how old the beef was before it was started on grain. Calves’ stomachs are not mature enough to digest grain, it if best to wait until the animal is near 18 months old before starting on grain.
5. Was the animal ever given antibiotics?
   Antibiotics promote growth and allow cattle to eat an all-grain diet without getting sick. Some researchers believe that the overuse of antibiotics will foster the development of highly resistant “superbugs” similar to E. coli O157:H7.
6. Was the animal ever given steroids, hormones or other growth promoters?
   The answer to this should be no. If it is not, you should look for another source for your meats.
7. Finally, ask if you can visit the farm and see how the animals are raised for yourself.

Gray Market

I awoke Saturday morning to snow on the ground. Snow. Not much, but still, it’s April! Later in the morning, the snow changed to a cold rain. We headed to the market for its first weekend — finally! We were met with quite a bit of disappointment. One farmer showed and he was selling strawberries. These are not ripe here until June, and many farmer’s lost their plants in the recent freeze. So … as much as I wanted to thank the guy for coming out, I didn’t want to buy non-local produce.

The day was gray and cold to start, which did not help my mood. Try as hard as I could to get happy, the burr was stuck under my saddle. The kiddo did not seem to mind it all. She got to eat her croissant at the market’s coffee shop and go color and smell jars at the spice store. I struggled for a good mood, giving five bucks to an indigent woman who is always there on Saturday morning. I figured I could use some good karma, or at least a reason the day was not lost.

As we drove home, the sun began to break through the clouds. Even so, the Kiddo had to drag me outside for a walk. I caved in, and watched her happily zooming up the sidewalk, full-speed through the puddles. She makes the best of every situation. It’s a good reminder for me. Sometimes, we all need to forget the rain and cold and just go jump in the puddles.