Tailgate Feasts

It's that time of year when stadium arking lots have tantalizing aromas.It's tailgate season and that means delicious bites .They're always fun to make and just loaded with taste. Yet what's the best? There's is a list.

Regular contributors Ranya Sichynsky and Margaux Laskey compiled two pages of delicious recipes in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Many of their fellow New York Times contributors, like Ali Slagle gave some neat recipes that can be made all year round.Lidey Heuck contributed her turkey Reuben sliders which are also perfect for a wintry weekend. It starts with those honey sweet Hawaiian rolls and they're filled with deli bought turkey  slices,sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. There;s Russian dressing for dipping.Ali Slagle gives chicken wings but baked ones, rich with  a buffalo style hot sauce and a cooling Blue cheese dipping sauce. She also has a Buffalo chicken dip made with two cups shredded cooked chicken(think rotisserie here)To give it creaminess she blends cream and cheddar cheese together. I t can be served with veggies and both potato and tortilla dips.Every meals needs veggies so J-Jaye Shackelford Hurley has her crunchy veggie slaw. What akes it different is the addition of crunchy ramen noodles that will soften thanks to the soy sauce,apple cider and sugar dressing.

What's a tailgating party without nachos? The great chef Pati Jinich gives her bricklayer nachos which are also perfect for any holiday party this is rich in bacon and chorizo along with all sorts of spicy chilis.It's topped with a variety of gooey cheeses like Montery Jack and Mexican cheeses like Oaxaca and Asadero. Sue Li gives a nother fun nibbles dish.Her Taiwanese popcorn chicken with fried basil has the bite of Chinese five star spice powder which has clove and Chinese cinnamon mixed with Szechuan pepper. More Szechuan peppercorns are added to tapioca flour.This is used to give the chicken a crispy layer of batter. There is more chicken in Millie Pear Tree;s sweet and savory chicken meatballs what makes these so unusual is the addition of Jamaican jerk seasoning such as Grace or Walker wood.To container act this si the glaze, a blend of pineapple juice dark brown sugar, Worcester sauce and ketchupGarlic is added for more zing as is a pinch of red pepper flakes and onion powder. Yes there is dessert. Lidey Heuck gives the basic brownie recipe, made with rich cocoa powder and semi sweet chocolate chip cookies. She recommends adding sprinkles  on top in your teams favorite colors for a more festive look.

It;s tailgating season.Have a good party with these yummy recipes..They;re perfect for the stadium parking lot but also perfect for any party at any time of the year.

Grilled Cheese AN Easy Sandwich For Any Night

 Nowadays weeknights and weekends are busy. After hard days of work and school along with chock full of activity weekends trying to make a hot meals seems impossible.Yet there's one that's a classic and easy to make.It's grilled cheese and it can be made any way you want.

I made the vegan version the other night. It was the perfect Saturday hot meal. 

Violife Cheddar is the best Vega cheese.It actually gets melty and oozy;Is lathered Melt plant butter on rye bread and then fried it in a skillet until the bread was golden and toasty.

It was the perfect bite however it did need more.

Morningstar Farms came out with  their extra thick cut Apple wood  pepper laced bacon slabs. You could also add sliced tomato this for a diner style grilled cheese. However this sandwich calls for variation. Use pepper jack or a Gouda for something different and tasty.

The perfect hot and easy dinner is the perfect hot and easy grilled cheese.It;s a simple cook no matter what night you make it. Just enjoy it with its' gooey texture and rich cheesy flavor.

:Labor Day Hopes

 Labor Days brings American to not only thinking about their jobs but other people's jobs as well. Some of the most grueling jobs are in the food industry, especially the produce industry. This is the time to think of them.

A lot has been made about American produce in these past few months.Keep in mid though that workers have some of the worst conditions. They are regularly denied meal breaks along with they and their families being put up in squalid "housing" Think shacks with no indoor plumbing.Then there's the threat of immigration and ICEready to take them off to detention camps heaven only knows where.

What we can do  - not just for Labor Day but for all year round - is stand by them. They;re doing jobs no American would want to do. Protest.Bolster.Supprt.

Make Labor Day not just a once a year remembrance. Make it all year round.Think of those who pick your fruits and veggies.

Jack And Annie's Nuggets Not The Usual Ones

 Vegan nuggets can basically  be - well boring.They kind of taste like chicken while being chewy like it. Unfortunately there's no tenderness to them - unless they're Jack and Annies ones.

I tried these the other night . Jackfruit has always held an exotic hold on me. After all it supposed makes for good vegan bacon. What is it like as a nugget.

It was very good and a lot more lobster than the regular vegan nuggets It was made from jackfruit an large green squash- y type of veggie found in southern India. It 's didn't;t have the usually dry mouth feel and was really delicious. 

I like this brand and was excited to find out that the founder, Annie , has several variations.What excites me is their shaved steak perfect for Philly steak sandwiches along with their burgers and chicken patties that make excellent meals with a side of flavored rice. They also offer breakfast sausage patties and links, perfect for those Sunday brunches. Another plus about eating jackfruit is that it is high in iron ,Vitamin C and potassium, all vital nutrients. Yes its' also low in calories but the nutrition is perfect, especially in the busy weeks ahead.I definitely plan on getting more of the brand for quick weeknight meals and big Sunday brunches. What is also nice is that the company's site offers suggestions and recipes for the products to create yummy meals.

If you;re looking for tasty moist vegan nuggets, look no further than Jack and Annies. This is the perfect meal and the perfect nugget,It's not only high in nutrition but high in taste.

A Most Perfect Cake

 What makes a good cake? A tender crumb and a fluffy frosting.It's hard to get a combo this good but there is a recipe that embodies both. It is a geat Meding of flavors and fruits.

Regular contributor and chef Yewande Komolafe  wrote about this in Wednesday;s New York Times Wednesday Food section.Her recipe is coconut and mango layer cake, It is a labor intensive one with home bakers having to make the mango curd and the mango jam for the filling.Yet this recipe is worth it. It; can even convince the most averse coconut hater to actually liking a slice.Many of her fellow Times chefs and food writers have a loathing to the tender white flakes.Chassidy David, a junior video production editor for the TImes day the flakes get stuck between her teeth.Others claim that ti tastes like suntan lotion. Another, Tanya Sychinsky feels like the actual coconut doesn't;Lt takes like it.Yet there are some that consider the ingredient perfect. ChefClaire  de Boer of the Hudson Valley's Stissing House avers that it;s mildness is what makes it.,Dria Atencio of Queens bakery Salty Lunch Lady's Little Luncheonette dosn;t like most coconut cakes save her own.She elevates the recipe with mango filling which Chef Komolafe riffs on in her recipe. It;s is a light , ethereal cake with coconut everywhere ,complimenting the mango.

How did coconut become so popular? According to Dr. Ken Abala of the University of the Pacific, it started in the 1880;s  and 1890s when it ,bananas and pineapples made their way to the continental  US. Soon there were coconut farms in Florida , Hawaii, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Americans taste for it intensified thanks to candy bars like Bounty , Mounds and Almond Joy. This cake is perfect for those . Again it is labor intensive thanks to eh mango curd and jam. The curd is made with canned mango puree , egg yolks butter and sugar. The jam is made with mango puree too, along with sugar lime juice  fresh ginger and vanilla extract.Once the two are made they're blended together with an immersion blender.The cake and frosting are easy to create. The cake is a scratch one with a cup of butter and egg whites to create an almost angel food cake. A quarter teaspoon of coconut extract is added a long with vanilla extract to give it more of that coconut flavor  along with half a cup of coconut milk. To add to the flavor is a cup of sweet shredded coconut flakes. The frosting is a cream cheese one mixed with butter. More coconut extract is added for the flavoring along with vanilla extract.The entire frosted cake is then sprinkled with more coconut on it;s sides and top.

This is the perfect cake for those who love tropical flavors. Make it for a taste of both coconut and mango.It;s a nice way to hang on to those hot ,tropical summer days.

Easy Dinners For Busy Nights

Sad to say summer is over (even though season wise it's really not) .That means crammed school schedules and five day work weeks again. Gome are those lazy dinners where ingredients are either thrown together or grilled for a simple yet tasty meal. Not to worry Easy cooking can still be done.

The New York Times Wednesday Food section brought back Weeknight 100, the annual list of easy dishes to make in the year ahead.The emphasis is on effective yet excellent cooking. These dishes are not only delicious but won;t take too much time. Most can be made and served in under an hour. The list was also made with kids in mind. Picky eaters will like them. Picky adults even more. The recipes can even be modified to suit tastes and allergies too. One is the yummy flavored chicken and pesto rice with peas. This is skinless chicken breasts cooked in a Dutch oven with a chopped white onion and garlic.  Homemade or store bought pesto is added a long with chicken broth. Towards the end of the cooking , frozen peas are added as the peas cook with the rice and chicken;s heat.  Ground chicken makes an appearance in a comforting spinach rich curry too>it is flavored with garam masala and both Kashmiro and Thai Chili's.Plum tomatoes are also added for more color and a tangy sweetness. Tomatoes and spinach also make an appearance  with farro and pesto.Mozzarella is added for creaminess.Kids will  love these za'atar laced turkey meatballs with a tahini dip

Shakshuka is usually reserved for a hearty breakfast but it can also be made for dinner. This is an easy one with the addition of white beans for more protein with the eggs and store bought marinara sauce.This can be served with toasted bread for white rice, For another exotic bite try making crispy coconut salmon with a chive Chile sauce.  The batter has honey in it to accentuate the coconut while the sauce is a blend of  scallions, chili and lime juice for zing. Honey and olive oil are blended in for smoothness. For the cooler lights try the Moroccan inspired ras El hangout chickpea and spinach stew.There are also tomatoes in this and the surprise ingredient of soy sauce. Chickpeas and spinach leaves are cooked into this  along with veggie stock for a truly vegetarian dinner. Dollops of Greek yogurt can be added to it for creaminess of wanted.Everyone will love peanut noodles with spicy tofu. The peanut sauce will be prepared first with it being added to brown sugar and vinegar. Soy sauce along with garlic to create a thick paste. The tofu crumbles are fried in oil  until brown in a large skillet.Also cook spaghetti as the base and then added the peanut sauce. Top with the tfu crumbles and chopped cilantro.

These dishes are tasty and quick to make. They're the perfect dinner for those busy days.Try them for a tasty and simply satisfying meal.

 

Students Starving For Food

 The school year start with thousands of kids not getting a good breakfast. It also applies to dinners too. What can we do about student food insecurity.Give them a H for help. We can help kids of all ages have three decent meals a day.

Why are so many American kids starving. Two reasons. One is loss of direct  certification. This means that when families lose their SNAP or Medicaid their children automatically lose their automatic school eligibility. There's also CEP or Community Eligibility Provision Drops. Schools rely on overall low income enrollment percentages to offer universal free meals through the Community Eligibility Program. This is a non pricing meal option for schools and school districts in low income areas. Declining SNAP enrollment too is forcing major districts, like MIami-Dade in Southern Florida to drop out of the district wide free meal program. even if it's a bowl for cereal and milk, itt's still nutritional and gets a kid through to lunch,Hungry kids wind up disrupting classes or worse zoning out. This isn't right yet what can be done.One thing is don;t donate directly to the teacher or the students there are several organizations you can give money to. Try the non profits like All For Lunch , School Lunch Fairy and Lunch It Forward.These can help tremendously.

What are they? All For Lunch partners directly with schools to pay off delinquent lunch accounts and funds reserve accounts so children never have to go without a hot meal. You can even target your town;s school or district. There is also the sweet sounding School Lunch Fairy which establishes emergency lunch funds at public schools across the US to guarantee a child gets fed if they don;t have money that day.Lunch It Forward dedicated funds to eliminating school lunch debt ,specifically focusing on supporting students who just fall outside federal assistance guidelines.There's also No Kid Hungry which  works on broader campaigns to fund not only school breakfast and lunch programs and advocates for universal free lunches. Also contact the town;s PTA to work with them along with school counselors. Counselors know exactly who is struggling and CNA quickly route community donations directly into student accounts without any administrative red tape.

Hungry kids are a problem in this country. Thanks to an uncaring governments, little ones are going without decent meals. It has to be stopped without any further damage.