"16 Secret Supermarket Ingredients Chefs Love": Really?!

Now here's some of the ingredients I love: Basic, unadulterated whole foods, spices, and herbs. But Bon Appetit has posted an article today about "16 Secret Supermarket Ingredients Chefs Love". After running through the list of crazy ideas, a whole lot of chefs have popped up in the comment section to say, "Wait a minute..."

I suspect the article writer was given a nice bonus for mentioning all the brand names (Wonder bread, Pop Rocks, Altoids, etc.). Sneaky way to advertise: Write something that appears newsworthy, to make the ad seem more legitimate.  And of course the profiteers will publish these advertisements as "news" (it will mean more money for everyone, right?). But the fact is: Processed foods that use really cheap ingredients like sugar, corn syrup, white flour, cheap fat and artificial ingredients are also high-profit foods. You don't see nearly as much advertising for whole grain oat meal or carrots. There's not enough profit for such items! There's hardly a middle man; it practically goes from the farm to your table.

For the really savvy chef, nothing can beat basic ingredients. The Bon Appetit article mentions Nabisco Ginger Snaps to top a butternut squash; "only" $5/16 oz. box. So I assume you use a little bit for topping that healthy squash, and then you gorge on the leftover cookies? Not really economical. I discovered that I can take the basic table crackers we keep in stock, adding a bit of sugar and ginger spice if I want a "Ginger Snap" flavored crust or whatever.

The article also mentions Orange-flavored Pop Rocks, used to flavor Chocolate Mousse. But you can just add a touch of orange extract to that chocolate mousse. No need to buy a package of junk food candy, complete with artificial additives. Altoids are also mentioned, but again, mint extract works at least as well; it's packed with flavor and can sub just fine for those Altoids.

Wonder bread is even mentioned, as an addition to meatballs, because it "blends more easily... making a lighter meatball". But how 'bout just processing some oats for that meatball? The oats process into a fine crumb, they add thickening, and are a whole grain. Why would you pay someone else to process the life out of wheat, and substitute that?!

Also, humm... Potato Chips as a substitute for Panko (soft bread crumbs)? Just what we need when we're dipping things into the bread crumbs, to then get fried: Already deep-fried chip crumbs, that will then be fried once more! I guess I would opt for the panko, or soft bread crumbs. Using crushed potato chip crumbs before frying is right up there with the deep-fried butter stick offered at some state fairgrounds.

But hey, thumbs up on the organic tomatoes and frozen pearl onions mentioned in the article. Now there's a a case where you're paying for the basic ingredient, not for the extra processing of dirt cheap ingredients into artificial replicas of the real thing!

The idea of going for basic ingredients and avoiding processed ones is just one of the things you can do to help make this world more sustainable. A friend at Massage Therapy Schools has made quite a comprehensive list: "100 Ways You Can Have a More Sustainable Table". It includes links to more reference pages on where to buy local food in your area, etc. Check it out for details!

Presentation: Important Ingredient!

The garden's going full blast right now, so we're definitely "eating local". Some veggies grow more easily than others; onions are real troopers, popping up with minimal care. So when I saw a cool recipe this morning using onions, I zeroed in.

It's always nice to find interesting ways to serve the standard veggies. And not only are onions economical, they can be found in the "super food" category, being full of flavonoids and other nutrients. A featured recipe this morning, "Roasted Onions with Parsnip Puree" looked awesome, topped with some blue cheese and chopped walnuts. Thanks, "Delish", for an inspiring article.

I liked the rustic presentation, with the skins left on the onions. The root side is sliced off a bit so they won't tip over, and the top is cut off some, hollowed out a bit, and filled with the cooked, mashed parsnips. It's baked for over an hour, and garnished with the blue cheese and nuts. Yum. I'll be making this for dinner soon!

Fun Jello Desserts

I must say, if you're not bent on making a natural, healthy style jello dessert, a recipe for Sea Glass Jello might be just the ticket! I had worked out a recipe for "Natural Style Jello Salad", posting it here... It uses fruit juices and unflavored gelatin, so you can avoid the artificial flavorings and artificial colors. When I was wanting a special treat to serve along with dinner (one that our one-year-old granddaughter might be able to have), I opted for "Natural". But for special occasions, perhaps the Sea Glass Jello is even better! If nothing else, it just looks so cool...

Labor Day Recipe Ideas: German Potato Salad

I just made a batch of German Potato Salad for our Women's Group. It was a hit! I didn't have frozen apple juice concentrate, so I used 1/3 c. honey and 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar instead. Worked perfectly. I actually ate more than usual, since I knew it was made with some healthy olive oil and honey instead of that mayo-based stuff. This is looking to be a perfect Labor Day Potato Salad recipe. Yum ;)

Small Weddings: Budget Style in the Bay Area

A friend just had a beautiful wedding reception at San Pablo's Holiday Inn Express. I suspect she did it at a bargain, as it's only $220 to rent the reception room there for the entire day.

Another friend was able to go over early and properly decorate the room for their fifty guests. (Which is the maximum capacity.) The hotel provided tables and chairs, and the friend brought in her own tablecloths and decorations.

By the time The New Deli arrived to set up the food, the place was looking great. We laid out fruits and grape leaves and more greenery, platters of Chicken Salad w/Walnut Sandwiches, a few big bowls of Potato Salad and Greek Salad. And it looked beautiful on the two black marble counters we had to set up on, on either side of the room's entrance.

People occasionally ask us at The New Deli, if we have any ideas of venues for smaller events (showers, engagement parties, small weddings). I now know of one economical place right close by! We had prepared everything just before bringing it over, which was good, since there are no kitchen facilities available on site. You must come prepared!

In this economy, it's good to know a few affordable places. I would recommend Holiday Inn Express!

Martha Martha Martha...

I was curious as to whether my "Shaker-Style Lemon Bars" were on the internet radar, so I googled it. How fun- my web page was there, right under Martha Stewart's "Shaker Lemon Bars".

I actually thought I'd created this recipe, as I'd adapted it from a Shaker Lemon Pie recipe. Apparently, Martha Stewart had had the same idea, But judging from the comments on her website, I suspect my recipe's better. (I'm not partial, ha!)

I noticed she doesn't mention using Meyer Lemons, but I think it's an important detail. I made the recipe both ways, with Meyer and with Eureka Lemons; the Meyer rind is way sweeter and not as tough. It made a big difference. (If you were to use Eureka, I think you'd want to only use slices of one lemon.)

I put less sugar and less butter in my recipe too. Like I said, I'm not partial, but I think mine were perfect!

How To Cook Veggies

Thought I'd review today's article on "How to Cook 20 Vegetables" by Carolyn Malcoun; I checked it out figuring maybe I'd find a new tip or two. And I did like her idea that you can steam a veggie, then add a half cup or so of white wine. Remove the veggies when they're tender, then reduce the wine/veggie juices down until they get thick, then glaze the veggies with mega-flavor.

I wasn't too keen on cooking asparagus under the broiler, given the hot weather we can have in the summer. (I'm all for keeping the heat out of the kitchen!) Plus, I've always used my iron skillet for cooking asparagus (and most other veggies for that matter), getting the pan piping hot, then adding the asparagus and a splash water. The water instantly steams up, cooking the vegetables. This method is perfect for the more delicate veggies like asparagus, broccoli and beans; you want to cook them quickly and avoid their yellowish-green, overcooked tendencies. I might leave a lid on such veggies for just a few minutes, until the veggies are tender (cook longer if you like yours more done). If the water steams off too quickly, I add a touch more. I don't add so much that the veggie flavors are lost into the water, but just enough water to help them steam.

A pot with a steamer inserted can also work, but I prefer the big iron skillet as it has more surface area and I can get them cooked fast. Fast is good for me! And if you want to bring out the natural sweetness of vegetables without resorting to getting out the grill, you can turn the iron pan back on high after cooking the vegetables, add a bit of olive oil, and leave the vegetables in just long enough to brown a bit on one side, then flip to do the other side. Gives you almost the effect of the outdoor grill, but easier in many instances. Carrots, potatoes and yams are perfect this way. They get a bit caramelized as the natural sugars brown a bit.

Carolyn Malcoun's tip on microwaving acorn squash seemed helpful. It's true, you can add a bit of water and microwave squashes, cut in half with cut side down in a baking dish. But I have a wonderful little toaster oven; it uses minimal energy and doesn't really heat the kitchen up. Acorn squash can be left whole and put in the toaster oven to roast for an hour or so on 300 degrees or so (if your toaster oven's big enough to fit the squash). All the natural flavors of the squash itself are steaming it from the inside, making it perfectly tender and totally flavorful.

I also wrap some veggies in foil and bake them in that toaster oven until sweet and tender; all their flavor is caught in the veggie itself. This method is perfect for beets and sweet potatoes. I often will bake them ahead, letting them sit wrapped up in their foil to cool some; then the peel comes off pretty easily.

Eggplants are awesome using the toaster oven method too! I'll cook them on the highest heat, right up close to the broiler coil. They get charred a little; Mideastern cooks know full well that this brings out the perfect, silky eggplant texture. Once the outside's charred on all sides (rotate the eggplant as necessary), just leave it in the toaster oven a while longer on lower heat, until it's soft and pretty squishy. Yum!

It shouldn't be painful to eat our veggies. Once we know how to treat the various veggies, using an iron pan and grilling method, or using the toaster oven, microwave, or other methods, we can learn how to optimize flavor and texture, and veggies become a delight. As well they should!

Google Analytics and Advertising

I'm not completely website-savvy, but I discovered that I could sign up for "Google Analytics". It's supposed to help me improve my site. It says, "Provide a URL where people can learn about advertising on your site". Oh boy. How do I do that?!

Well, perhaps I'm just supposed to have a page on my website that explains that I'm using Google Analytics. I guess Google Analytics tracks what people are looking for when they come across my website and blog, to better place ads that will be helpful to my readers. Hope you don't mind! And I hope you're looking for more, better, healthy, quicker recipes and cooking info, and find that in my pccuisine posts and pages! Maybe you'll even find a few more better, healthy products and services in the ads listed on the sidelines. Hopefully, this is a win-win situation!

"Go Local"... REAlly?!

I wouldn't have even imagined that Lays would try to imply that if we eat their potato chips, whose primary calories come from an oil that's been distilled at (most likely) a NON local processing plant, then sent to a Lays processing plant to have (possibly) somewhat local potatoes dipped into it, before being shipped to the warehouse, to the grocery store, to our home kitchen, and finally, into our mouths with a carbon footprint too big to even fit into that mouth... THAT's "Buying Local"?! (Lays uses one "local farm" in particular, that covers 17,000 acres in 11 states. Yeah, real local!)

I enjoyed reading up about the latest trend among multinational conglomerates' think-tank advertising teams (which I'm sure have an enormous budget to work with), about marketing more product with certain key words: "Sustainable", "Local", etc. One of my blogging buddies at "Gigabiting" tells more about how even McDonald's and  Walmart are finding ways to spin things in their favor.

Implying that eating junk food from processing plants across the country is encouraging sustainability is right up there with buying that pink bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken to support the breast cancer foundation. I told my husband the bucket should be black, as in death, if they wanted to more accurately distinguish it.

Separation of Business and Politics? Please?

The American Family Association keeps up with what's going on in our country; their newsletters keep me informed. (For updates, subscribe here.) When Home Depot is marching in parades promoting a certain sexual lifestyle, I find out about it. I mean, really... I hear a lot about separation of church and state, but what about a separation of business and political agenda?!

This morning, the AFA newsletter mentioned that I could send a letter to Larry Costello, Director of Sears Public Relations department. I could give you a link to the AFA page (that's been digitally altered enough to not show everything); it shows the Sears website page that's selling pornographic posters. But I don't want to "stumble" anyone! Just trust me: It's porno. It's kinky. It's a far cry from the Sears of generations ago. Didn't Sears used to sell farm equipment and kitchen tools back in the day? I guess there's not enough money in that :(

The American Family Association makes it easy to fill in their online form. If an issue ever bothers you enough to let any given company know about it, the AFA's form is user-friendly. Even if you don't have much time, they've already filled in the text (if you just want to sign your name to it), or you can write your own message. And off the email goes, good and simple.

In this digital age, we ought to use the technology that can so easily make our voices heard. It's a hard war to fight, and until the return of Jesus Christ, I'm sure it's a losing battle. But, Good News: The right side wins in the end!

So here's my little letter to Mr. Costello, sent through that online form:

Dear Mr. Costello,

I don't know why Sears would sell porno on its website. Business should never be so bad that you'd need to resort to that. You might make more money, but I'll be sure to avoid your store. You might get rid of a few annoying customers like me, but you won't get rid of your conscience. It will come back to haunt you.

If you change your position, the AFA will inform me, and I'll be able to pass a better report along to my friends. Until then, I'll have to tell them about this...

Sadly.

Jennifer Cote

A Good Dinner: Make Ahead Even- Holds Well in the Oven

I had some chicken breasts on hand, and company coming... What to serve?! And where does the time go?! I usually have to get innovative in order to serve classy food without it taking too much of my time. And this time, innovation served me well.

So here's a tip for others looking to save a few steps. Make some Spaghetti and Meatballs. Yes, the homemade meatballs are awesome; seasoned with an authentic tasting Italian seasoning (including toasted, ground fennel seed, giving 'em that sausage-y flavor). Make extra of the seasoned oat mix. We do this at The New Deli, because when it's time to make another batch of meatballs, it's a whole lot easier to just add the egg, Parmesan, and ground beef to the already-prepared oatmeal mix.

While you're making the Spaghetti and Meatballs, make extra of the tomato sauce. Yes, double it even, and put up pints for the freezer. They come in handy for other entrees!

Now, if you've made extra of the oatmeal mix and of the tomato sauce, the steps to making an awesome dinner of Chicken Parmesan are moments away! Use the seasoned oatmeal mix, diluted by half with some extra flour; dip pounded chicken breasts into to mix, and grill both sides until browned. You don't have to keep cooking until the chicken's cooked all the way through, as it will finish baking in the oven. Put in a baking dish and top with a bit of tomato sauce (just enough to cover most of the top of each piece). (Now aren't you glad you have some handy tomato sauce from the freezer?!) Add Parmesan on top and bake until golden. If guests are looking like they'll arrive later, just turn the oven way down; this dish will hold well for even an hour longer if the heat's down.

So you can make a fine dinner of Chicken Parmesan, let it hang in the oven until serving time, and you can actually visit with your guests without all that fussing in the kitchen to get dinner served!