Watch “Food, Inc.”

This week PBS will air the documentary, “Food, Inc.”  ”Filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that’s been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won’t go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli — the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults”.
Check your local PBS station for broadcast times.

http://www.pbs.org/pov/foodinc/

Easter Dinner

The above picture is the ham I made for Easter last year. Easter is at my sister’s house this year. We switch off every major holiday which is nice because this year I only have to worry about bringing a couple of side dishes. Instead of the usual, cleaning of the house and preparing the bulk of the holiday meal.

My responsibility this year is the scalloped potatoes and the dessert. I’ll be experimenting with a new dessert this year, a trifle. I am going to attempt the recipe in Ina Garten’s, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, the raspberry orange trifle. I’ll post pictures when I’m done.

Happy Easter.

Mixed Greens Salad

A salad would seem to some to be an insignificant, boring side dish and depending on the type of lettuce and dressing used, of little nutritional value. With the addition of a few ingredients, a simple salad can be a powerhouse of health. Start with the following:

Leafy greens such as baby romaine, arugula and chard are excellent sources of magnesium, potassium and folate(vitamin B).

Red onions are full of antioxidants. According to research from by Rui Hai Liu, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of food science,Cornell University, “Onions are one of the richest sources of flavonoids in the human diet,” Liu points out. “And flavonoid consumption has been associated with a reduced risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Flavonoids are not only anti-cancer but also are known to be anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-allergenic and anti-inflammatory.” This research was published in the 2004 October issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Vinegar for weight loss? Current research suggests that vinegar may help a person lose weight. In a study conducted by Tomoo Kondo and other researchers,one group of mice was given acetic acid(vinegar) and another group was given water via a stomach tube. Analysts found that the mice that received the vinegar gained 10% less body fat than those mice that were given only water. Both were fed a high-fat diet. “Findings suggest that vinegar turns on genes that produce proteins that help the body break down fats. Such an action helps prevent fat buildup in body, and thwarts weight gain”. This study was published in the July 8, 2009 issue of Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

No longer is salad a sad excuse for a side dish but the superhero of the meal.

Dinner’s Ready!

My husband and sixteen year old daughter are forever bickering about her food choices. As she approaches adulthood we want to make sure that she understands that what she chooses now can impact her later. If you think like my husband and I do about your children’s food choices let me offer you this bit of hope.

According to an article in the March/April 2009 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, children from the ages of twelve to eighteen benefitted from regular family meals together. “Researcher Teri L. Burgess-Champoux, PhD, RD, LD, states, “These findings suggest that having regular family meals during the transition from early to middle adolescence positively impacts the development of healthful eating behaviors for youth. Findings from the current analysis, in conjunction with similar findings from a longitudinal analysis of older adolescents transitioning to young adulthood, strongly suggest that regular family meals have long-term nutritional benefits…The importance of incorporating shared mealtime experiences on a consistent basis during this key developmental period should be emphasized to parents, health care providers, and educators.”

As parents it’s nice to know we’re doing something right.

The article is “Are Family Meal Patterns Associated with Overall Diet Quality during the Transition from Early to Middle Adolescence?” by Teri L. Burgess-Champoux, PhD, RD, LD; Nicole Larson, PhD, MPH, RD; Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, MPH, RD; Peter J. Hannan, MStat; and Mary Story, PhD, RD. It appears in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, Volume 41, Issue 2 (March/April 2009) published by Elsevier.

Gourmet Jams and Syrups

Oregon Hill Farms started with the intention of bringing that “fresh from the field flavor” into their gourmet syrups and jams. Their products are made with all natural ingredients, using only pure cane sugar. Genuine ingredients are used, adding nothing artificial – no low quality fructose corn syrups, preservatives, colors, gums, or thickening agents. As a consumer who is concerned about my health and what I put into my body I appreciate the attention to quality, natural ingredients.

Oregon Hill Farms gourmet jams and syrups taste just like homemade. The flavor of the fruit is concentrated and intense. I like the syrup on pancakes and the jams on buttermilk biscuits although you could use it on ice cream, p b & j and in jam thumbprints. I especially love the marionberry syrup.

Organic Coffee

Bay Coffee & Tea Company is an artisan, organic coffee roaster and retailer of organic coffees and specialty teas.  The coffee is roasted in small batches to capture the unique qualities of each bean’s country of origin. All of the company’s coffees and teas are either fair trade or organic.

I have had the occasion to try some of the coffees from Bay Coffee & Tea Company. Normally, I prefer a dark roast but I decided that I could be converted to a medium roast drinker after tasting some of the medium bodied coffees from Bay Coffee & Tea Company. My favorite medium roast was the Organic Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and as for my favorite dark roast it was the Organic Papua New Guinea.

For more information on Bay Coffee & Tea go to FromTheFarm.com and click on meet the farmer.

“On the eight day God created coffee.”

Pumpkin Bread

The weather is starting to turn cold and the weatherman is forecasting a storm. Times like these make me want to stay home to cook and bake. I love to putter around in my kitchen with the warmth of the oven and delicious smells permeating the air.

I don’t always have the time to make everything from scratch. As a time saver I will occasionally use a mix. I try to pick one that doesn’t have a lot of preservatives, hydrogenated fats or sweeteners other than plain old sugar.

I recently tried a mix from Oregon Hill Farms, one of the growers with FromTheFarm.com. The recipe on the side of the bag was simple. There are two recipe variations. I used the one that called for the Oregon Hill Farms pumpkin butter which I mixed into the batter. The aroma that filled the house as it was baking was heavenly. It was all I could do to keep everyone away from the loaf as it cooled. The loaf baked up so beautifully that it looked like it could win a first place ribbon at a county fair. When I sliced it the outside was tender but had some body to it and the inside was moist and aromatic. Unfortunately, it didn’t last the evening. It was devoured, leaving not one crumb.

Oregon Hill Farms offers a variety of gift sets of breads, scones homemade jams and syrups. These sets are a special way to thank a hostess, your mailman or hairdresser during the holidays. What about those hard to buy for relatives? Food is the one size fits all gift.

Quail Eggs

In continuing with my breakfast theme, I am moving into the egg category. I love eggs. I eat at least three a week.

I have recently tried something new, quail eggs. At first I was reluctant to try them. They were different, small and speckled. They didn’t look like chicken eggs, but they were so cute. My daughter told me that each hen lays a characteristic pattern and color on each shell which I verified. Google is awesome, but I digress. My first attempt at cooking the quail eggs was a success. I gently cracked the shell on the counter and shallowly inserted scissors to cut the shell. I didn’t want to break the yolk. I was rewarded with a beautiful, tiny egg that had a yolk that was double the size of the white. I fried up a couple and my boys devoured them instantly.My second attempt was to cook the quail eggs in a manner other than frying.  I settled on baking them.  I read one recipe that said to use a muffin pan but I only wanted to make a few not a whole dozen.  I decided that ramekins or oven safe bowls were the way to go.  So I buttered up three ramekins as well as sliced some tomato to lay down as a base for the quail eggs.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Salt and pepper the quail eggs to taste. Place ramekins or oven safe bowls on a cookie sheet. Place in the oven. Bake until set, approximately 15 minutes. Gently press on the eggs to make sure they are thoroughly cooked. Once the eggs are done remove them from the oven and allow them to cool five minutes. Gently run a knife around the edge of the ramekin/bowl. Allow the egg to slide out onto a plate or piece of buttered toast. Garnish with some chive, parsley or basil.

I used a garlic, sourdough bread for the toast. A perfect way to start the morning, a couple of quail eggs on toast and a cup of strong coffee.  My ideal breakfast.

I’m sure you are probably wondering where I got quail eggs.  One of the growers with FromTheFarm.com., Turnbull Farms, sent some to me so I could try them and tell you what I thought.  What I think is that quail eggs are little bundles of culinary joy. The yolks are large and buttery and they make the most adorable hard boiled eggs.

If you would like some more information about Turnbull Farms go to FromThe Farm.com and click on “Growers” to read the bio.

I have more tips on how to prepare quail eggs. I would be happy to talk with you and pass on any knowledge that I might have. Please comment or ask any questions.

Lapin Cherries

This past weekend I had an eighteenth birthday party for my niece.  All of the family was there, about 20 of us total.  That day I received a box of the largest cherries I have ever seen. Of course, I shared them with my family members.  I was telling them about a FromTheFarm grower, Glacier Farms in Montana.  As I was talking with my uncle about the cherries he tells me this story about this trip he had taken to Flathead Lake in Montana. He goes on the say that there were these amazing cherry orchards around this gorgeous lake and it was at this point that I realized that the Glacier Farms cherries were from the same orchards he was talking about.

The cherries I received were Lapin cherries.  They are large,  9.5 to 8.5 row size (this means BIG).  As for color they are a deep burgundy, almost black.  The texture is crisp and juicy. The taste is sweet and addictive.

I know I should post some recipes I made with the cherries, but we ate them all before I could. (see the addictive part above)

“He who likes cherries soon learns to climb” German Proverb

Food Snob

I have frequently been called a food snob. Actually, I’m from a family of food snobs. As I was growing up my mother never made anything from a box. She always said it was because of my dad, but I think it was her. She is an excellent home cook and it is because of her that I have such high standards.

Many times, too many to count, I have been let down by the value of store bought baked goods. It is infuriating to me to spend hard earned money on something I’ve eaten only to think I could have made it better myself.

This weekend I had chance to sample a hand crafted apple pie from Willamette Valley Fruit Company. As pies go apple is okay, but definitely not my first choice when berry or cherry are available. Although, after eating this apple pie I would have to rethink that.

When it arrived it was still frozen. I followed the instructions on the box which were very user friendly.  I did exactly as the directions instructed and I had a pie of golden perfection. The crust was was crisp and flakey, even on the bottom. I was impressed by that. The pie was filled with fruit. The apple slices were thick and tender. I couldn’t have made it better myself.

Being a food snob I was skeptical, but it was one of the best pies I’ve ever tasted. Don’t take my word for it. Try one for yourself. I think you’ll be astounded at the homemade like qualities of the pies from Willamette Valley Fruit Company.  No one ever has to know that you didn’t make it yourself.

REMINDER:  Holiday’s are right around the corner.  Order your pies now.

If you are interested in Willamette Valley Fruit Company and how they got started just click on the link to read more about them. Check out their wide variety of pies and cobblers.  I am going to try the marion berry next.  I can’t wait.