Treats With A KIck The Weed Gummies Cookbook

 There's nothing like a sweet treat.Now imagine that enhanced with the addtion of CBD and THC . These will not only bring about a mellowness ut will also helo with various ailments.There's a new cookbook that incorporates these into interesting sweets and goodies.

Monica Lo wrote The Weed Gummies Cookbook (Ulysses Press 2022)and it's an interesting and very thoughtful book. She came to it after suffering a herniated disc after an intesive booiktcamp work out. Herf reind gave her cannabis gummies/ she wanted to create her own and luckily she had a sous vide - after being part of a sous vide start up - infuse the cannibis. A sous vide cooks food in a sealed bag in hot water. The temperature is very precise for exact cooking. This makes for bnone of that telltale cannibis aroma wafting around the house or neighborhood. She also delves into the history of using the pkant for medicinal purposes with its' use going back to the second Century in China and recording in PenTs'ao a medical book of the time. Ms. Lo also incudes a page on ethics along with what ingredients to use to create the sweets. she also includes all important warning labels to download too. There are reminders about how much cannabis and hemp or THC to use. she recommneds a low dose although there is a page on dosages,Ms. Lo also includes a page on infusion basics including the process of decarboxylation . This is a process to activate the phytocannibinoids.

What aabout the recipes? There's a wide variety of them. You could try Ms. Lo's cannabis infused sugar made with a cannabis tincture .it would be an interesting addition to teas and  fruit ades. There are many gummie recipes that would make fun gifts and party bites. Kombucha gummies are an interesting mix of the tea and Kief  (a kind of cannabis pollen) infused honey. A really cool dessert would be terrazzo coffee jelly which looks like tiles and is a mix of coffee and coconut jellies. Fill a candy dish with sour pink lemonade and blackberry thyme gummies along with lavender chamomile ones that will help with sleep. There is also a bubble tea recipe too for a soothing sip. Trendy candy makers will appreciate the salted  mocha.caramel recipe. rich with whipping cream and cannabis infused butter (and yes you can infuse butter with it , there's a recipe fro that too. That alone  would be great for different spins on traditiional savory recipes). Ms. Lo also includes nougat and hard candy ones too. There is a nod to her favorite Chinese candy snowflake crisp nougat made with tea biscuits, whole almonds, the infused butter and marshmallow. Enthisiasts will love the lollipop and brittle recipes along with a jelly and cream recipe. There are also recipes for marzipan and honey chews,alternatives to refined sugar.

The Weed Gummies Cookbook is the perfect cookbook for cannabis enthusiasts. It is chock full of advice and recipes for interesting sweet treats. Get the book and create homemade edibles.

Dragonfruit Drama

 Dragon fruit or pitaya is a beauty of a fruit.A bright fuschia rind protects the black speckled creamy flesh. Yet as with all beauties it comes with drama. There's a war going on , leaving farmers with an excess and financial problems.

 Regular contributor Christina Morales wrote about the dragonfruit war between Floridian and Ecuadorian farmers in yesterday's New York Times Food section.dragon fruit is becoming popular, especially as a flavorer for drinks. Taco Bell uses it in their iced teas and Starbucks combines it with lemonade or mango juice in their refreshers. This would equate tremendous demands and top sales to those farmers in South Florida. Yet they were slapped in the face when Ecuadorian famers glutted the market with it. They extended their season which would be going into the Southern Hemisphere fall just as the June crops were coming into being. This overlap has been a major blow to the Americans whose budgets have been tightened by inflation and high labor costs.Dragon fruit grows from June to November, with the fruits grown at the end of the season being nourished by artifical sunlight along with lots of water, fertilizer and pruning.

The US has always had competition regarding the pitaya. It is grown in Vietnam and Peru besides Ecuador. Yet it's the Ecuadorans that are giving the farmers the most worry. In recent year the South Americans have provided a reliable supply in recent years, especially during the pandemic when the Florida farmers had to deal with labor shortages.It also has more appeal because it's larger than the Floridian ones. It's popularity has increased in the last twenty years thanks to it being nutrient dense according to Jonathan Crane , the associate director of the Tropical Research and Education Center at the UNiversity of Florida. The fruit also has a nice flavor. Think a not so sweet pear which makes it idea for all sorts of recipes from cold teas and refreshers to sorbets and even salads.The problem is that it's not as popular as other fruits which would create demand for it. Many farmers are now selling it directly, trying to make up for this excess.They  also had to deal with drought which ruined a good mumber of plants as well.

The dragonfruit wars are on hold now thanks to Hurricane Ian. Hopefully the fruit will gain in popularity and both American and South American farmers can benefit. It's a delicious tasty  fruit worth the drama

Anthony Bourdain's Legacy Of Controversy

 Anthony Bourdain was one of those great food writers. Part Hemingway, part Epicurious, he created a legacy that should stand out for its' culinary boldness.Yet there is another legacy lurking there. It's creating a stir for his fans and his family.

Regular contributer KimSeverson delved into this in today's New YorkTimes Wednesday Food section.Bourdain tragically took his life in 2018 in an Alsace-Lorraine hotel room. His family and friends instantly closed ranks and remained mum on what had happened. That all changed last year when two events happned. They were interviewed for an upcoming documentary called "Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain" and a brand new biogrpahy by journalist Charles Leerhsen . The book ,published by Simon and Shuster is Down And Out IN Paradise: The Life Of Anthony Bourdain".  Mr. Leerhsen, who has written biographies on everyone from Ty Cobb to Butch Cassidy captures every aspect of the food writer's life. His telling is different than the others/It's unvarnished ,often times showing Bourdain in a very bad light. He said in an interview that he wanted to write a book "without that dutiful sheen of an official Bourdain product. He does cover Bourdain's life from a sullen teenager in Leonia New Jersey to his years at Vassar and the Culinary Institute of America , or the CIA. There is BOurdain's  rise to a food writer and TV celebrity. Yet apart from this glamor , Leerhsen also covers Bourdain's addictions and his isolation along with his cold treatment of his young daughter.

Without a doubt the Bourdfains are upset with this. His brother Christopher sent Simon and Shuster two emails calling the book "hurtful and defammatory fiction". The publisher's vice president and senior counsel, Felice Javit responded with they disagree that the material is defammatory and they'll stand by the publication.One person who hasn't pushed back is Mr. Bourdain's ex-wife Ottavia Busia Bourdain. she allowed Mr. Leerhsen access to her late husband's e mails and messages from Mr. Bourdain's phone. Other info came from his first wife Nancy Pitkoski who did provide a valuable source of information. The book delves very deeply with his last relationship  actor Asia Argento, a controversial figure herself. She was one of the first to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct and was one of the architects of the #MeToo movement. She was later accused of sexual misconduct  herself with actor Jimmy Bennett  who was twenty years younger than her. She was thirty-seven to his seventeen. She also controlled Mr Bourdain and according to the book they fought as he gave her large sums of money.It does show him in a bad light. His friend Eric Ripert says it's  all fiction.

The best legacy from Anthony Bourdain is his own words. watch his shows .,Read his essays. That shows the true character of the man.

Fall Into Fall Cooking

 There'sa sublte shift in cooking and baking right now. The reason? It's autumn. Gone are those lazy summer barbecues and no bake treats.It's time to get serious about all things kitchen.

Cooler weather means bigger appetites. Think rib sticking meals for both the weekday and weekend. it's time to get out the crockpot and Insta Pot and create some hearty recipes. Chili is one of those meals. It's quick and easuly made in any kind of cooker. Chase away that chill with a good dose of chili powder and cayenne pepper. You can also make it mild by omitting the second. Chili can be adapted to suit any taste. Vegan and vegetarians can enjoy one consisting of mostly beans or add a bag of soy crumbles  to emoutalte the beef ones. Turkey chili is another variation which can also be made healthier with the addition of cannelini beans and topped with avocado chunks. This can also be done with ground chicken too, called white chili. This is the season for roasts as well.There's nothing like a good Sunday dinner with a roast as its' star. Think a roast beef or London Broil, complete with gravy and mashed potatoes. Take advantage of the seasonal veggies too. Butternut squash is big right now and iot can easily be a great side with just melted butter or an entire meal, stiuffed with rice and quinoa along with ground beef or soy crumbles. You can also brush up on your Thanksgiving dinner skills by roasting a turkey and whipping up homemade stuffing and string bean casserole.

The cool weather also signals the start of the baking . This is apple season. Take advantage of it. A tasty dessert after a heart meal is apple pan dowdy. This is first mxing the batter which is a blend of flour , cinnamon and brown sugar in water and lemon juice. it's combined with amother mix of more flour, butter and milk. tHis sauce is  poured over the apples and then the dough is dropped over all of this. It's baked at 350 degrees Farenehit for fifty-five minutes. A more sophsiticated dessert is the galette. This is an easy make and bake. The dough is a rich, buttery one using a stick and a half of butter. The apples are mixed with ginger and cinnamon for a spicy bite. Honeycrisp apples are best for this. You could easily add mounds of cinnamon dusted whipped crean or vanilla ice cream..It's also pear season and a pear galette is also an easy and delicious bake. Slice the pears as you would do the apples for a crunchy bite. Pumpkins are all over the place right now. You could make a pumpkin pie but think about pumpkin tarts or mousse. You get the same spicy, earthy taste but in smaller, lighter bites.

It's time for fall cooking and baking. There's a whole slew of recipes perfect for the chillier days ahead. They're all tasty and rib sticking.

Sweets For The New Year

 One of the best traditions of Rosh Hashana is eating a sweet for a sweet new year. The holiday and the season lends itself to all sorts of delcious desserts.They're perfect for ending a meal or jsut having with tea or coffee.

Since this is also apple season think cakes with them as the main ingredient. The Sephardic Jews bake an apple ginger cake called tishpishti.It's a gluten free cake also made with almond and walnuts which also makes it perfect for Passover. Fuji apples are used as are cinnamon and nutmegs for a sweet spicy flavor.It's drizzled with a boozy apple jack (apple brandy) drenched syrup that also has lemon juuice, ginger and unsweeteened apple juice in it.Another cake celebrating the harvest is an apple one made with tart Granny Smith apples. Brown the sliced apples first in vegan butter or margarine along with lemon juice and two to three tablespoons of sugar. The cake batter consists of flour eggs, sugar ,baking powder canola oil and vanilla. The cooked apple slices are added to the batter and the whole mixture is baked in a springform pan for 350 degrees Farenheit for an hour . You could sprinkle demerara sugar (which can be bought at any British grocery shop) on top for crunch. For the kids  apple cupcakes are a fun idea. These have diced apples any kind and a cream cheese buttercream frosting. You can drizzle caramel on top but these are pretty good with just the frosting.

Honey plays an important part in Rosh Hashana baking.There are so many recipes regarding it. You could go with one that also has brown sugar for a deep brown color.Coffee and orange juice are added to counteract the sweetness. To match the orange-y flavor use orange blossom honey . You coulkd also sub in black tea if the coffee feels too strong tastewise. You could also use tea in a moist honey cake. again make it a s trong black one to really project its' flavor. Fresh honey can be used (whole Foods may carry this) along with such spices as nutmeg and cinnamon. large eggs are used to help the cake main tain their moistness. To make it fancier arrange almond slices on top before baking. This creates a pretty pattern on top.Honey cupcakes are also another good dessert. It's a fun and easy one that uses baking soda and baking powder to create light tender cakes. A buttercream icing may be too heavy here. Go with a whipped cream one that's an easy make.It's just whipping the cream with confectioner's sugar and a few drops of vanilla extra. Add a sprinkle of almond slivers for a more festive look.

Try something sweet for a sweet new year. It could be a cake or cupcakes  to celebrate. Use the flavors of the season to make tempting and tasty holiday desserts.

Not Your Granny's Meringues Black Sheep CBD Meringues

 Meringues have gotten a stodgy image. Mention them and people think of them gracing staid afternoon teas or being shown on The Great British Baking Show as a challenge. That's about the change thanks to Black Sheep. They've added CBD to the basic recipe and punched them up.

I love anything meringue so these caught my eye.Black Sheep meringues made by Sannte Foods an Oak Ridge Texas Company also knoiwn for their sweet Tidbit snacks.

CBD is added to the classic meringue recipe of mostly egg whites and sugar (hopefully they'll come out with an aqua faba one). This added ingredient helps in lowering inflammation and decreasing anxiety. They're the perfect snack after a hard day of for those with joint pains.

These are tiny one bite puffs which come in a wide variety of flavors. There is caramel, cappuccino ,birthday cake., cookies and cream and cotton candy as well as the classic chocolate , chocolate mint strawberry and vaniila. Be warned however. There is a slightly bitter aftertaste unlike regular meringues which have a continous sweet flavor.

The packages come in two sizes - five count which is $12.99 while the ten pack is $18.99. The smaller packs  would make fun stocking stuffers while the larger ones are perfect in fun birthday surprise baskets.

Black Sheep CBD Meringues are not your granny's meringues. They 're perfect for just kicking back and relaxing with a sweet snacl. Try them for a different take on a bakery favorite.

Topping The Toppings

 One of the best parts of making homemade pizza is adding the toppings you like. They could be traditional or over the top, simple or lush. You can also create a variety of combos that pizzerias would dare touch.It's your pie. Have fun with it.

What are tradtional toppings? Pepperoni , onion, olives and mushrooms. These are good on their own but they're great in combinations and with other toppings as well .Pepperoni goes good with mushrooms but you can also try it as part of an Italian hero topping. Add some shredded provolone , capacola and prosciutto for a different yet surprisingly traditional take. YOu can still have an onion pizza but thro in another allium such as scaalions or spring onions. These zing up the pie and give the sauce more bite. Olives are good on their own but you can also create an Italian style tapas to spoon onto the pie , sort of like a bruschetta. Mushrooms can be the usual buttins ones but baby bellas add more flavor. These wiull give the pizza a steak like flavor , perfect for vegetarians and vegans wanting a "meaty" kind of topping. You can also combine onions and mushrooms too for a different taste. Another idea is slcing up all different kinds of the fungi and using them instead of tomatoes.

Of course you can also try lusher toppings. Chef J> Kenji Alt has created a Korean-Italian fusion with buldak chicken. This recipe appeared in the new York Times Wwednesday Food section. BUldak chicken is a charred chicken coated in paste of tomatoes, gochuchang and gochugaru. The first give the meat a sweet and tangy flavor while the other is spicy.  the chicken is cooked first and then chopped into topping size pieces and placed on top of the pie. You could also tone down the fire and just top the pie with a garlicky chicken for a chicken prm vibe. Layer on more cheese for this. Steak topped pizza is a great weekend pie, perfect for those at home football parties.it's cooking the steak first with garlic and herbs. You can cut it into strips or for a better bite into smalller pieces. Kids may go crazy for hanburger pie>It's browning the meat with chopped onions first and then spooning it over the sauce. Mozzarella is then layered on the top. A lusher pie is a shrimp one. It's taking shrimp scampi and putting it on top .

Pizza toppings can be anything you want. be traditional. Be bold. Just top your pie with whatever makes it memorable.

A Taste Of Moules

 Whatt;s agood fall dish ? Moules or the American version  mussels.They're a wonderful chill chaser, stilly briny with a taste of  lingering summer. Their broth is amazing too and can even made better with simple additions like beans.

Melissa Clark experimented with this in her A Good Appetite column in yesterday's New York Times Food section. MOules or mussels are excellent with a simple garlic, white wine and butter sauce. Their juices cook up well with it and this is an added treat. Theyre's nothing like dipping hunks of crusty French bread in this for stretching out the dish and that lovely buttery,briny flavor. Ms Clark adds cannellini or white beans aong with rosemary springs and hot pepper flakes. There's also vegetable broth too in the recipe and the usual white wine. what is also good about this recipe is that's it's thrifty - something seafood is not these days. she can buy a rwo pound bag of mussels for around nine dollars.It's a few dollars less than shrimp and a lot less than lobster. They're also the best example of sustainable seafood too. You can buy farmed ones, constantly rated as one of the best foods to eat. Another plus about this dish it can be made in under just twenty minutes.It's a great weekend dish but can easily be whipped up on a busy weeknight.

One of the best aspects of this dish is that it's so simple evne a novice home chef can ace it. first come the beans which are briefly braised in olive oil with the red pepper flakes and garlic cloves (the recipe calls for eight of these but you can decrease if you want to tame down the garlicky flavor).If you're ambitious you cna cook your own beans, but using canned is much easier. At this point they're tender and the mussels should be added.As the mussels are steamed they release their liquid or juices which the beans soak up. THis makes them plumper and more complex. Rosemary is also added and this adds a punch of astringency.This is also when the vegetable stock and a quarter cup of white wine is added too.Keep inmind to rinse and clean the mussels before adding to the beans.Use cold running water for this and pull off the sharp hairly clumps called beards that nest around  the edge of the shells, You can use a fingernail for this but if that doesn't work then try a sharp knife. These are added and then cooked for five to eight minutes. You can serve this with a simple tomato salad or just a tossed one. For true Belgian goodness you can also serve fries with this too and dip them in the broth.

A hot bowl of moules and beans are the perfect fall dish.They're beyond delicious and easy to nake. Try a bowlof them for a tasty week day or weekend dinner.

America's Best Restaurants

 America is both a gourmand and foodie country.It's no wonder that we're home to some of the best restaurants. They're in the big cities. They grace small towns. They could be in your neighborhood. The bottom line is they offer delicious and memorable dishes.

Today's Wednesday's New York Times  Food section put out this fascinating guyide that not only mentions eateries in the US's big cities but smaller towns as well. Regular contributers such as Priya Krishna, Brett Anderson ,Kim Severson and Pete Wells to name a few. some are in big cities like Bonnies which is a favorite of Mr. Wells. Their specialty is Cantonese and Chef Calvin Eng adds American influences to his dishes like his salt and pepper squid with a hinese ranch dressing.Another Manhattan eatery  worth noting is Little Mad reviewed by Nikita Richardson. Its' highlight recipe is it' galbi, Korean grilled ribs. The city also offers The Musket Room which borrows ideas from everywhere from Spain to Lebanon to Japan. Los Angeles is another gourmand city. It has Here's Looking At You, which is favorite of contributor Tejal Rao. its' famous for its' frogs legs with salsa negra,LA. also is home to a fan favorite Kato which features Chef Jon Yao's Tainwanese dishes and tasty cocktails. Yes there are Chicago restuarants such as Dear Margaret which features the rare French Canadian menu. There is no poutine, that famed French fries and cheese dish. Instead Chefs Ryan Brousseau and lacey irby have created a smooth duck liver pate graced with pink lemon marmalade.

Smaller cities are also represented. Junco,Puerto Rico,a small town has Bacoa Finco + Fogon which features a rustic setting and good food. There is grilled shrimp over fideua with a crispy bottom. Way further north is Cafe Mutton located in Hudson New York, a bit south of Albany.It's a down home kid of place thanks to chef Shaina Loew -Bayanan's easy laid back style. You can try their fried  bologna or crepes with maple syrup.Arlington Texas has the famed Smoke "N Ash BBQ that's a fusion of Texas barbecue with Ethiopian fare thanks to owners Patrick and Fasicka Harris.Berbere spices are mixed into a spicy sauce called awaze and lacquered on brisket. Florida's sunny Coral Gables has Zitz Sim an interesting fusion eatery that Clumbian born Pablo Zitzman created. He grew up loving dim sum and teppnyaki restaurants in his native Columbia. His menu reflects it along with South Florida influences  with a guava hoisin slathered on brisket. ashland Oregon, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival offers Mas , a Japanese inspired menu with what Chef Josh dorcak calls Cascadian cuisine featuring the best of the region.

America is a food and foodie country. There are many great restuarants in this country. Check out the New York Times and visit one for a fun fall destination.

A Vegan Table For Two

 What do you cook for just two vegetarians? The easy answer would be a couple of Impossible Burgers on the grill. Yet there's a wide range of recipes out there that make for a tasty meal. For those wondering what sort of dishes  there's a new cookbook perfect for those fogoing meat. Vegan Cooking For Two 200+Recipes For Everything You Love To Eat.(American Test Kichen 2022) will guide anyone through all sorts of tasty vegan meals.

This is a great cookbook for hard core vegans and those just coming to it.Expect some good advice and cooking lessons since this comes from the PBS show America's Test Kitchen. For those plant based meat lovers there is a page devoted to it, along with recommnedations on what kinds to buy, namely Beyond Beef and Impossible Burgers. There are also recommnedations about what vegan butters to use, namely Earth Balance and Miyokos' vegan butter. They also recommnend using Just Egg egg subsritute and Hampton Creek vegan mayo (although Hellmann's Vegan mayo is just as good). There's also a dictiornary of what tools to use and how to use them as well as organizing your fridge, from the crisper to the freezer.Another plus is the section on basics. There are recipes for such vegan broths as a vegetable broth base made with a kind of mirepoix of clery, onion and onion with tomato paste. This si perfect for all sorts of soups and even stews.There are also recipes for the Arab spice mix harissa and quick pickled red onions along with tempeh crumbles and aquafaba mayonnaise. There's also recipes for vegan based ranch dressing and vegan cheeses like cashew ricotta and cashew Parmesan.These are made with cashews for a totally vegan take on cheese.

The recipes are divided into sections, from breakfast to sweets. You can start the day with classic cinnamon French toast made more or less the same way as the usual one but with the addition of conrstarch. There's also a hashbrown  omelet chock full of cripsy potatoes. Their soups are perfect for lunch or dinner and there are recipes that can take you from summer to winter. Try their chilled watermelon soup made with basil, pepper and watermelon, perfect for hot days. Ease into fall with okra pepper pot a take on the classic spicy potage.Salads abound here and they're perfect for lunch. Their beet and watrcress is a definite must make along with their warm escarole and cannellini bean salad, a perfect dish on a cool day.Orzo salad is another one.  I love their pastas There are so many recipes that have to be tried.The spaghetti with the broccoli and avocado pesto is on my radar and I'm looking foward to making campanelle with roasted cauliflower and garlic sauce, there are also tofu recipes like crispy baked tofu peperonata and grilled tofu with charred broccoli and  peanut sauce.  the cauliflower steak and grilled eggplant are perfect for week days and weekends.There are dessert recipes like  crispy chocolate chip cookies and roasted pears, perfect for fall. I am definitely making their grilled pineapple with coconut rum sauce and the individual apple galettes.

Vegan Cooking For Two 200+ Recipes For Everything You Love To Eat is a must have in any vegan kitchen. It's chock full of meatless recipes full of flavor. B

est of all they're meant for two, perfect for a cozy meal in.

Rule Britannia's Foods

 Queen Elizabeth II reigned for seventy years, being one of the best ambassadors for the United Kingdom. The foods that she loved so well are also great ambassadors to this country rich in produce, dairy and meat. There are some good recipes out there for home chefs of any nationality.

One of the best loved is the English fry up or full English  breakfast. Think of it as a breakfast or brunch on steroids. It has everything from meats to eggs to beans to veggies even.Britsh bacon whuich is thicker than American (and ours comes from on the Irish)and sorts of resembles a pork chop.It may be hard to find here so use the regular kind. You start with frying up bacon and sausage, using the bacon fat to then fry up the eggs. These are usually made sunnyside up, perfect with runny yolk for dipping butter toast slices or soliders into. There are also tomatoes in these. These are seared but you could cook them in the bacon fat too for more flavor. Mushrooms are also added and these are cooked until they're brown and caramelized (you can use whatever is left of the bacon fat ro just saute them in butter)Beans are a must, You can use what they eat in the UK, the Heinz brand but Bush's is another tasty sub in. If you want you can make it vegan with vegan sausage and bacon and use Just Eggs instead of the real thing.Definitely make a lof of toast and liberally butter it. What to drink? Tea and plenty of it. Earl Gray is the best.It's the perfect mild tea to go with all those savory flavors.

Another tasty and easy to make British recipe is Yorkshire pudding. This is recipes dates back to the 1600's and the recipe hasn't changed much since then.It did come from Northenr England where chefs devised a way to use the fat drippings from Sunday roasts. This is a basic popover recipe made with four large eggs, flour and whole milk. You should use the beef dripping from roast beef but you can also use lard, vegetable, shortening or lard. Keep in mind to make the batter over night with just the first three ingredients. The drippings will be added the next day when you are cooking the roast. You will need special popover pans to bake them at 400 degrees Farenheir for ten to twelve mi nutes. Fill them up with gravy and eat with thick slices of roast beef.What about dessert? You could make any of the steamed puddings. These can be labor intensive  though and  best saved for the holidays. For a good week day or weekend sweet think about syllabub. This is a kind of zabaglione like pudding of white wine and heavy cream. The wine and sugar are first cooked over a low heat. This is stirred cosntantly until the sugar is dissolved. add the half and half once the sugared wine is off the stove and beat until frothy. Serve with whipped cream and nutmeg for a lovely and light dessert.

Queen Elizabeth was a constant in British life for seventy years. The foods of this great country are also  mainstays providing taste and comfort. Try them for a taste of British goodness.Queen 

A Late Summer Barbecue

 The weather's still warm. The grill is still viable. Why not celebrate the season with a late summer -early fall barbecue. Enjoy the taste of favorite summer treats while you can. They can even have a more fallish spin to them.

It's still warm enough to have hamburgers. You can easily go with beef , plant based or turkey. Yet if you want something different along with a nod to autumn then think pork based ones.Add sage to ground pork for more flavor along with bacon ground with garlic. Remember to make a two inch indentation with your thumb in each patty before placing over the flame to prevent bulging. grill them for five to six minutes on each side. What can go with this?Try an apple chutney from the season's first harvests. This is a kind of relish made with Granny Smitth apples, onions, and raisins. This are chopped and cooked in a mix of cider vinegar andd freshly squeezed orange juice. Spices such as hot pepper flakes and ginger are added for heat while brown sugar is added for sweetness. You could also put mustard seeds in if for flavor and color. Another idea is baked potatoes instead of  the ususal potato salad. pre cook them in the microwave for ten minutes before you put them on the grill. This ensured that they'll be fully cooked when you're ready to eat them.

What other dishes would compliment a late summer barbecue? Some gardens are still producing tomatoes. You can still whip up a salad with them with a nice creamy burata. Grilled toamtoes are also tasty side for any late summer barbecue. You can even give them a sprinkle of breadcrumbs for a take on tomatoes Provencale. They are just good rubbed in olive oil and garlic and then served on grill toasted Italian bread.Some gardens are still producing zucchini. These are wonderful too after being cooked on the coals. Slice them lengthwise instead of in coins and give them a light brushing of olive oil and a sprinkle of rosemary and oregano. What to drink with this? Try a French cider that's not as dense or heavy as  the regular cider that's just coming out now. The Duche du Longeville, a fizzy tasty quaff is too perfect with those late summer burgers. It'll chill nicely. If the night becomes nippy then bring out a thermos of flavored coffe or herbal tea. have these with grilled apples cooked in a foil pcket with brown sugar and butter and spiked with ginger and cinnamom.

Yes, you can still have a good barbecue depsite what the calendar says. Enjoy a late summer cookout with good food and good drink. There's still time.

Vegan Tailgating Go Meatless

 Yes, it's tailgaiting time in the US. it's where rabid fans camp out in their local arean's parking lot and cook like crazy. There's a wide array of meats , from sausages to hot dogs, wings to hamburgers. Yet what do vegetarians and vegan have? Their own equally delicious menus!! It's time to go meatless!! Yay team vegan!

Of course you can have the same yummy burgers that meat loving fans enjoy. Beyond Burgers, Gardein and Impossible Burgers carry plant based patties that grill up just as good and crispy as the real thing. if you want a more authentic hjommade burger taste just give the burgers a very light dusting of onion powder.  They'll taste like those homemade ones with the chopped onion added to the mix. You can even make bacon cheeseburgers too.  Top the burgers with slices of Go Veggie cheddar and slices of Morningstar Farms bacon. The last should be made in the microwave ahead of time. They get their crispiest there. You can pack them in paper towels os they don't break or get crumbly.  Hot dogs are another fun tailgating food. Go for Field Roast ones that have a smoky flavor. These are also tasty grilled. You can turn them into cheese dogs with the addtion of vegan cheese or turn them into Chicago dragged through the garden dogs complete with chopped white onions, tomatoes , pickles and peppers.A squirt of mustard completes this. Try Field vegan sausage too with peppers for a Sicilian treat.

Chili always figures in tail gating parties. A vegan one is just as tasty and fun as one containing beef or turkey.The best soy "beef" crumbles come from Morningstar Farms or Gardein. Both brands have crumbles that cook up juicy and tender. Keep in mind this is one for hardy crowds so make it a two or three alarm one. What about  that staple of many an arean cookout chicken wings? There really aren't any comprable ones on the market yet however you can create your own version. Use seitan to emulate the chicken meat and bamboio sticks for the "bones". It's basically a dough made with flour and water and then boiled in vegetable bouillion, They're then fried in either peanut or grapeseed oil because these oils have a high smoke temp. Once they're done you can slather them in a spicy or bought homemade sauce. Another idea is cauliflower wings.First give them a thorough washing and then pat them dry.  Coat  them in a barbecue sauce and grill for a few minutes until the edges become charred.

Vegans can als have a delcious feast as they cheer on their favorite teams. It's easy with all the meat substitutes out there. You can have a tasty time with all sorts of fun vegetarian dishes.

Tough Days Easy Cooking

 These are rough days, with kids starting all sorts of sports and arts. Offices are cutting out their summer hours. That means less times at home. It also means hurried and easy to make meals. Yet you can still have a delcious dinner with just using a one pot or one sheet pan. it's makes a harried life simpler.

Regular contributor Melissa Clark gave us quick and tasty recipes in her "A Good Appetite" in yesterday's New York Times Food section.Her inspiration surprisingly comes from Manhattan restaurant An American Place. she was impressed with how chefs and sous chefs created all sorts of delcious dishes using a myriad of bowls, pots and pans.she wondered if everything could be condensed to one pot or one pan. Yes.ms. Clark is a firm beliver in less work, less mess and more flavor. It's not just for the sake of cleanup although creating a restuarant style meal can require a lot of equipment It reusing and repurposing the same bowls , from using one for mixing veggies  and then using it for dressing. They're quick to make too, start at six and they'll be on the table at seven.as she also points ou these are good for a busy weekend too. One, an English fry up is also perfect for brunches too. Again, these make for great meals if you;re busy too. It's less mess and more time to enjoy a walk or a relaxing day off.

The recipes are varied. You can try a sheet pan English breakfast . This was adlpted from "Dinner in One Exceptional and Easy One Pan Meals"It has everything for those who love breakfast for dinner. There are breakfast sausage links , frying up with eggs.Plum tomaotes are also thrown in with mushrooms too. It''s served with buttered toast but you could also have rolls with this. The eggs are added fifteen to twenty minutes in and cooked sunnyside up.For another sheet pan meal there's brussels sprouts and the Indian cheese paneer along with the one pot cooked  crispy chickpea stew with greens and lemon.They're also taken from the same cookbook. The fitst is kind of like a roasted salad, sprinkled with the paneer  A garlic and line vinaigrette spiked with cumin is sprinkled on top. You could try the chickpea stew, redolent with , garlic, onions and hot pepper flakes cooked with the chickepas and such winter greens as collards kael and winter greens. CHicken stock is added and feta cheese is sprinkled on top.

These are rough days ahead. Make life easier with one pan or one pot meals. They're delicious and simple.

Easy Breads For Rosh Hashana

 One of the highlights of Rosh Hashana, starting next week is the bread. Challah is always a great accompaniment to a holiday dinner. A homemad e loaf even more so. Best of all the dough can also be used for babka too.

Claire Saffitz ,a chef, food writer and You Tube personality wrote about this versatile dough in today's New York Times Food section. Challah is the perfect bread because it's easy to make for beginner bakers as well as being perfect for sweet and savory dishes. It makes for an excellent French toast while being perfect for sandwiches or accompanying soups and salads. How to make a  memorable loaf? Keep Chef Saffitz 's  hints sin mind when creating it. Start with a sponge. You have to mix a lot of yeast into the dough because of the recipe's high sugar low moisture make up. Mix a small amount of flour with water and a small amount of yeast to create a sponge.as it sits the yeasts feed on the starches in the flour and multiply. Thsi makes the mixture active and bubbly, removing the need to add more yeast to the dough. Another important tip - find ingreddient balance. You need to put eleven grams of salt in the dough. This may sound exccessive but it brings out the flavor and strenghtens the gluten network. Then there's the olive oil. There should be one third cup f it.It keeps the bread Pareve as well as giving it a silky feel.It will need a lot of kneading to give it good crust and crumb. How do you know when enough kneading is enough? The window pane test. Take a small ball of dough and stretch it out. The dough iis thoroughly kneaded if you can see light coming through it , 

Of course it's the braid that makes challah what it is. Basically it can be turned into any shape you want. The traditional braid is the most used and the simplest. a pretty one is a smaller braid tucked in a larger one. You can also wrap it around itself to form a circle. This would be a lovely one for any raisin laced challah.Once you perfect a simple braid you can try a French braid . Keep in mind that a light texture is essential for a good challah. Once you've conquored it, then move on to simple sandwich loaves and soudough.Ms. Saffiitz also includes a  cinnamonbabka recipe , redolent with the spice and zinged up with orange zest. The dough is a basic challah one but.a mix of cinnamon, brown sugar orange zest and almond flour. also add a generous pinch - about one hlf teaspoon of Diamond Crystal salt to it . Break up any lumps of brown sugar with your fingertips. Reserve about a quarter of the cup of the mixture to sprinkle over the loaf. The dough is then divided into two pieces. One  rolled out and the cinnamon mix is spread out on one piece while the other is put in the fridge. Chill both babkas in the fridge for anywhere from four to twelve hours. THey're then proofed, washe d in egg and then baked in a 350 degree oven for fortyfive minutes. They're then cooled for ten.

Observe the holiday with good food. This includes a good challah or babka with the meal. They are perfect breads to make for this holiday dinner.

Pudding Time

 Pudding may be old fashioned but it 's still a great dessert. There's nothing like ending a dinner with it or just enhoying a quick sweet. You can go old school and make your own to get that down home flavor.

Puddings are usually sweet recipes in the US .However in Britain you could have savory ones like Yorkshire which is really a popover. and France  meat ones like salmon and foie gras or chicken liver. The ones here though could be custards or mousses. All countries have some form of it and during the Twentieth Century it used to be a popular dessert that was easy to whip up. surprsingly the word comes from the Latin word for sausage botellus and then the French changed it to boudin. it could also be from the German pud meaning to swell. A good homemade pudding has cornstarch in it ,acting as a binder. milk is added for creminess while vanilla and sugar flavor it.It's first boiled and then constantly stirred until the mixture thickens.It can be spooned into individual bowls or into one big one and chilled. for a richer texture and taste , use whole ream instead of milk. One of the best desserts is chocolate pudding.Make a really rich one using whole cream, and one half cup of baking cocoa. Add butter and vanilla for a fudgy flavor. You could add a tiny drop of mint  for  a fancier chocolate mint dessert.

Many go wild for a homemade butterscotch pudding. This is  silken treasure made with brown sugar heavy cream and egg yolks, The egg yolks are blended with the cornstarch for a silky  but thick constistency.  The brown sugar is cooked into a syrup with water along with salt.It's important for it to caramelize for both the color and flavor. Butter and vanilla are added to the finished product . You could add bourbon or brandy for a grown up version of this childhood classic. What about vegans? Can they enjoy a pudding that's as rich as the egg and dairy laden ones? There are vegan puddings that can be made with any kind of plant milk like soy or almond. Vegan butter may be called for for more flavor. The most important ingredient in vegan pudding is the same one in regular ones - cornstarch. This will help in thickening the mix. Add cocoa powder or brown sugar for a chocolate or butterscotch one. You could even toss in peanut butter which will give a creamy texture and a unique flavor.

A scratch pudding is a great dessert or treat. Make a traditional or vegan one for a truly unique sweet.It's the epitome of homemade goodness.

Pet Parent Recipes

 Our furbabies are everything to us.We fret and worry orver them>we wonder if thye're eating right and what we can do to make their diets better. One way is cooking for them.  This ensure that they're eating the right foods for better lives.

As any cat parent will tell you cats can be both finicky and demanding. They may love one brand of cat fodo that's bad for them while compeltely ignoring what's good for them. Feline "junk food" can have everything from ground fish bone to dyes. Cats are like kids. They love junk food  - both theirs and human! This unfortunately can lead to obesity on both sexes and bladder stone in toms or males. What can you do as their parent? Prepare dishes with  fresh healthy meats, Cats are carnivores and will run to cooked poultry , beef and fish.  You will need a lot of meat thoug. A chicken one requires five pounds of chicken thighs along with such vitamins as B complex and Vitamin E. Taurine is a must. It helps them, to maintain that keen eyesight they're known for. Taurine is also essential for heart and digestive help and is a must for pregnant mama kitties.  You can buy it on Amazxon or Chewy which has one of the largest selection of animal companion foods and items. Keep in mind to add the chicken livers and heart for a truly nutritious meal.  You can also add rice too. Grains are good for feline digestion. A HUGE reminder - keep garlic , onions and other alliums out of the recipes. These are deadly to cats. Their food doesn't need flavoring. They love that meat taste plain.

Dogs are a tad easier. They're not as fussy as cats and you can feed them almost anything. They do  need fat, carbohydrates and protein for a balanced diet. That means also adding eggs, grains and even veggies to the recipe. They also need calcium and fatty acids. Start with either white or brown rice (if you want a healthier  food)cooked with lean ground sirloin and hard boiled eggs mashed for more protein.  You can add some carrots too for variety. You can also create ground turkey and broccoli mixed with dried rosemary . Dogs can have some herbs such as rosemary ,peppermint, dill and turmeric. Homemade dog biscuits are another treat you can make for your pooch. Some companies like King Arthur  flour sells dig biscuit mix along with cute bone shaped molds. Their mix has beef broth and carrtos added or for a sweeter mix try pumpkin and apples (canines can have these fruits without any side effects). the biscuits are like homemade cookies as opposed to storebought ones. They come out bigger and wider. You can also make your own dough using one of fido's favorite foods peanut butter along with honey and whole wheat flour.

Herbs Ahead

 Everyone is busy taking the last of the tomatoes and turning them into sauce. They're looking at those newly picked apples and thinking butters. Yet what about herbs. They're one of the most important ingrdients and the easiest to keep for fall and winter cooking ahead.

Herb drying has been around since the beginning of time. Home chefs and healers dried them in the sun or in their homes. The last was one by tying them in bunches and hanging them from the rafters. This not only provided flavor for their stews and roasted meats but also scented the main rooms. You can do this too, but preferably in a cool dry room like a pantry basement  or attic.Make sure the area is well ventilated otherwise the leaves will be soggy, damp or even rotty.  Can you dry herbs in the oven? Absolutely! You can even dry seeds ike pumpkin too this was too. Place the leaves on a cookie sheet in a low oven  - less than 180 degrees Farenheit for two to four hours.The leaves will be crumbly when they're fully done. Keep in mind that you should pick your herbs early in the morning and take the leaves before the plant begins to flower. This is when their flavor is at its' strongest. You can prolong harvesting by snipping off any buds that appear.Also remove dried , sickly or wilted leaves at this time too.

What can you do with dried herbs? Everything!!! Dried rosemary is used in many Italian dishes.It graces foccaccio, adding color and flavor to this famed bread. A truly tasty side dish is rosemary potatoes. This s taking red potaotes and sheet pan roasting them with rosemary and sea salt after tossing them in olive oil. They're roasted for 350 degrees Farenheit for thirty to forty minutes. You can also use the herb in homemade sauces and part of a pizza sauce. Basil is another incredibly popular herb that most gardens have. This too is versatile. Dried basil is a definite must for homemade tomato sauces what about pesto? Yes it's usually and traditionally made with fresh leaves but you can use the dried ones. Keep the same ingredients ,lemons, olive oil and walnuts and blend everything in a food processor or blender. Again you use the pesto as a plain sauce or add a teaspoon of it to sauces and even dressings. Sage is another herb that's great to dry.It'll be used in stuffings for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It imparts a slightly minty and pepepry taste that offsets the mildness of the bread. Also try it in minestrone soup too.

Keep those garden herbs going in delicious recipes for the entire year. They're a smap to dry and fun to use.  You'll have that fresh flavor well into fall.

Still Producing Late Summer Harvests

   Backyard gardens and farmer's markets are still going strong even as summer's waning. Home chefs can still pick a few good tomatoes or find a cucumber or two. It's the second raspberry season too, which means plenty of fun desserts too. There's an ongoing abundance of fresh picked abundance despite  the seasom.

 Regular contributor David Tanis knowss this and put in three delicious recipes in Wednesday's New York Times Food section,.Home chefs can use their own backyard bounty - and those without head to the Farmer's Markets.These will still be going until mid October to early November. They have plenty of bounty from summer harvests. There are still golden ears of corn, ripe, juicy tomaotes and bright peppers. Fruit also abounds and not just apples. You can still buy stone fruit as well as raspberries. Some carry fresh herbs , perfect for adding more flavor to any recipe. Take advantage of what's there. Mr. Tanis suggests three recipes bell pepper salad with capers and olives, followed by the unusual combination of shrimp with pasta and corn.  Dessert is a boozy Prosecco slush, topped with raspberries and spiked with Meyer lemons. It's the perfect late summer weekend meal. You could also get creative and vary the recipe too. 

The bell pepper salad is made with an anchovy dressing, reminiscent of a Piedmonrese favorite, pepe e acciughe, except this version doesn't roast the peppers. It's combining them with  cherry tomatoes and Castelvetrano or Morroccan olives.Anchovies come in the dressing.They're first pulverized with a mortar and pestle and then redwine vinegar, olive oil and red wine vinegar are whisked in. The main course is shrimp with linguine or spaghetti. The shrimp is cooked in a mix of olive oil garlic and scallions. The shrimp is cooked first then the corn is added (you could actually use canned corn for this as opposed to cutting the kernals off the cob). red pepper flakes gives the dish zing, but you can omit them if you find it too spicy. A boozy Prosecco slushie      -  which can be made for just on its own  finishes off the meal. Use a cup of the Italian sparkling wine with a cup of Meyer lemon juice and a teaspoon of lemon zest. freeze for fifteen minutes and then scrape with a fork like granita. Freeze and repeat. Serve with a topping of raspberries and mint leaves if you have them.

There's still a good bounty out there. Take advatange of it and enjoy the taste of fresh fruit and veggies. Go to your farmer's market or  garden  for the best.

Of All Foods British

 It is aad day for the world and for Britain. The Queen reprsdented the epitome of English resolve and the enviable fortitude. She truly persisted. It's time to honor her and the foods that made her beloved country great.

The British Isles are just that isles, surrounded by the English Channel and the North and Irish Seas. Is it any wonder that fish plays an important part of their diet. One of the most popular is the internationally loved fish and chips. How did battered cod and the English version of fries come into being? Through  Spanish and Portuguese Jewish immigrants by way of the Netherlands. Thye fried battered  fish on Friday night and could eat it cold on Saturday, their Sabbath. Charles Dickens mentioned it in Oliver Twist while  Alexis  Soyer, a French chef recorded it in his cookbook, A Shilling Cookery For the People in 1845. Deep fried "chips"of potatoes started around this time too.fish and chip shops started around this time in London thanks to eastern European Jewish immigrant Joseph Malin while in Lancashire, John Mossley began his.In Edinburgh Scotland,a Belgian immigramt Edward de Gernier introduced them to the city. Surely the Queen loved a good Yorkshire pudding. This savory , heavenly tasting popover accompanies another English favorite roast beef.It came about in the 1700's and was then known as dripping puddings. These buttery sides are made with the roast beef drippings and is served with huge slabs of beef and generous helpings of gravy.

Thanks to The Great British Baking Show  everyone knows about British goodies and tea time delights. The Queen undoubtedly enjoyed Victoria Sponge named for her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria, the second longest reigning British monarch. The recipe is a buttery sponge food cake one baked into two layers and filled with a whipped cream frosting and raspberry jam. A fun dessert is Eton mess. This is a tasty mash up of broken meringues, whipped cream and fresh cut fruit such as  strawberries and peaches. It's a favorite of her grandsons William and Harry. Her Majesty probably also enjoyed jam roly poly's or shirt sleeve pudding. This is another Nineteenth Century creation, first made with a dough using suet or beef fat. Butter replaces the suet in this steamed pudding.It's kind of like a Swiss roll but filled with either plum or raspberry jam. Custard is ladled on the steamed rolls. One of the most famous British desserts is the Christmas plum pudding. Again this is a steamed cake , made with breadcrumbs and rich with eggs. spices are added  as is port wine for color and sweetness.It's then topped with a spring of holly or lit on fire.

Queen Elizabeth made an impact on the world as did British cuisine. Like her it will be forever in our hearts and history. Rule Britannia.

A New Take On Tasting Menus

 Tasting menus took on the feeling of a Gilded Age dinner party with too many formal courses. Then the exorbitant prices for them was also off putting. However a new generation of chefs is changing all that. The portions are smaller and the prices are affordable.

 Regular contributor  and restuarant critic Brett Anderson wrote about this new generation in today's New York Times Food section. Tasting menus, especially around metro areas like New York and Los Angeles were expensive affairs where diners got tiny plate after tiny plate of carefully arranged food. The idea became a bit too stuffy - until young chefs grabbed the idea. They ran with it, creaing a new sort of dining, fun and flavorful. It does pay off and it's more cost effective for these young restauranteurs who are watching their budgets. A big advantage is they they encourage thrift, Because they tend to require reservations and compel diners to pay in advance for the meals, tasting menus allow chefs to estimate exactly what they want and the cost of these ingredients. Food is purchased with precision which reduces the waste of ala carte eateries. another plus is that only certain ingredients are bought and not a wide variety of meats, and produce.Fixed meals also require less steps which makes for less staff needing to be hired.Since the places also tend to be tiny , less space is needed hence lower rents.

These are reasons for any new chef to consider opening a tasting restaurant. It also gives them space to highlight their dishes. They could be creative takes on classics or updated family ones. At Southern Soigne in Jackson, Mississippi, chef Zacheus Golden uses t dishes like lump crab cakes and spices it with whipped Creole cream cheese frosting. and rabbit porch cheek terrine with strawberry jam, pickled mustard seeds and bread lace.It's also a fraction of the cost of more formal tasting menus at only $95.Amanda Shulman has opeend up Her Place Supper Club in Philadelphia takes advatnage of the season and the fact she has good fresh Jersey and Pennsylvania produce at her fingertips. Her tasting menu includes tomato panzanella and corn and truffle profiteroles.Her Place puts the food on the table family like the famed New Orleans Mosquito Supper CLub. They have a tasting menu for eleven months of the year, shutting down in August. Theirs is pure seafood, celebrating the area's shrimpers and fisherman with such recipes as  raw oyster with mignonette sauce and  fried shrimp boulettes.

Could tasting menus be the next food trend. Most certainly. They're now new and innovative with recipes bursting with flavor.

Home Chefs In The Making

 One of the best gifts  parents can give ther kids is a love of good food and cooking. Sometimes, though , you can't do it on your own. That's where a new and fun cookbook comes in. Kids Can Cook Anything : The Complete How To Cookbook For Young Chefs with 70 Kid Tested Kid Approved Recipes (America's test Kitchen  Publishers 2022).

This is not your typical kid's cookbook, Yes there are recipes for cupacakes and cookies but that's where it ends. It's an international mix of all sorts of recipes from Greek to Korean. This will give any young home chef a broader and worldier palate. where it does resemble a traditional children's cookbook is in the hwo too. This being from the great PBS TV show America's Test Kitchen. There are how to and hints. I commned the how topictures which show young cooks chopping and cutting with curved fingers to preven any serious wounds. There are pages about fresh herbs like basil and rosemary  and how to use them as well as a step by step prep process (which includes tying back yoru hair!) Another plus is a pictorial guide to kitchen gadgets and apppliances. This is very handy and helps kids to differentiate what's what. There are videos that they or parents can key into their phones to show them how to test to see if butter has softened or how to properly cut avocados.THere's also secrets to kitchen success too, like allow yourself to make mistakes and read focused and stay focused.

Again the recipes are for the sophisticated palate.The sections are breakfast, snacks,lunch dinner, sides and sweets, Breakfast and the sweet section are the most traditional. Breakfast starts with yummy buttermilk pancakes and fancy scrambled eggs, fun treats that would be great in a weekend brunch. The sweets range from scratch chocolalte cookies to red velvet cupcakes with creamc cheese frosintg. There is the interesting English posset, a rich cooked cream dessert and a fruit crisp. Yet' it's the main and side dishes that are different. Kid home chefs can learn how to make the famed Greek chicken soup,avologemo. There is sizzling beef zinged up with sriracha and soy sauce , and stuffed into lettuce leaves. Quick pickled cucumbers are served with it for an Asian vibe.Little foodies will get a kick out fo the rosemary socca or chickpea flour pancakes, orginally from Genoa. It's a nice alternative to foccaccia, There's a yummy mashed potato gnocchi made with instant mased potatoes kids can whip up instead of spaghetti. They may like the ramen with kimchi recepe too along with the roasted carrots.

Kids Can Cook Anything: The Complete How To Cookbook For Young Chefs with 70 Kid Tested Approved Recipes is the perfect book for baby home chefs.It's the equivalent of lessons at a Cordon Bleu school. Add it to their library of important books.

Extending The Gratitude

 Labor Day reminds us to be grateful of all those relted to the food and grocery industry. We need, however to extend that feeling to the rest of the year, epsecially with the upcoming holidays.

Remember to always give extra when tipping waitstaff. The extra money is always appreciated and is most certainly used for food and rent. It's used for toys and clothes for their kids around the holidays. Remember to always include the mom and pop eateries in your rota of places to eat.Again the business will be appreciated.

Also always thank your local grocery store workers too. If's a small market, think about giving them a gift card to a local restaurant to thank them for all their service. This can also apply to your local butcher , green grcoer and fishmonger too. Support your local farms too, Buy from them. If you have a pond or lake on your property don't think twice about sharing the water with  drought stricken farmers,especially in New Jersey.

You should be grateful to all laborers this Labor Day. entend that gratitude to the entire year. It'll will be greatly appreciated.

A Good Labor Day

 Everyone have a good Labor Day. Enjoy the weekend , full of good food and good drinks. Enjoy those end of season hot dogs and hamburgers . Drink real cocktails ot mocktails.

I'll be here

, in my barbecue oasis

Give Security This September

 This is the start of National Hungr Awareness month. The figures rgarding thois are startling , especially in a country like the US. We're a powerhouse and yet much f our achool kids go to bed hungry. Our elderly,, and even our vets can't afford a decent nutritious meal,

We have to bring about change. It starts in little ways. Offer some of your garden harvest to neighbors who may not be able to afford even simple veggies and fruit. Give them what you can. and let them pick through your garden.  If you made a lot of tomato sauce from your beefsteaks and Roma tomatoes, then divvy out jars of them. Add pasta if you want to give them a complete meal. Your fruit bounty can go into pies and bars , treats that will be greatly appreciated. Since this is apple and the second raspberry season, invite them to go picking with you. Make it a fun day out with lunches and even games for the little ones.Pay for their share, saying it's nothing more than a gift.  A basket of apples can be put to good use, from making apple sauce and pies to just providing a healthy snack. What else can you do? Urge those farms to donate to food pantries as well as offering freebies to at least the kids.

Another section that can help out are the restaurants.New Jersey rocker Jon Bon Jovi had the right idea with his JBJ Soul Restaurant. This was the first of his many restaurants that let people pay what they could afford. They pitched in with cleaning up. This was perfect for those who wanted to feel good by enjoying a nice meal yet didn't have the funds to pay for it. We should be pushing our local restaurants, whether they be a chain like Applebee's or Olive Garden to our local mom and pop pizzarias and diners. Even one night of pay as you can helps. It gives family a chance to enjoy good fun along with give the eateries good press.The same can apply to bakeries with them offering free cupcakes or half priced birthday cakes to families in need.Convince those same eateries and bakeries to contribute to school breakfast and lunch programs.Many  districts are cutting funding and kids are in danger of not only losing the most important meal of the day but also lunch. This cannot happen.

This is the month to make sure those around you eat. We have enough starvation worldwide. Le;ts try to ease it on the homefront.

Easy As Pie Bars

 There's nothing like an end of season pie to highliught late summer harvests. Yet apie at a picnic can be messy, especially eaten out doors. Try a pie bar instead. You cn bake and bring it anywhere, the back yard or the beach ,

Melissa Clark wrote about pie bars in her A Good Appetite Column in yesterday's New York Times Food section. These bars take the fruits and crusty flavors to a new level witohut the mess. Traditional pies can be messy. Their insides drip out. Crust crumble into a million  pieces. it hard to eat a piece of pie while ballancing a paper plate on your lap. Pie bars allow home bakers to bake them days ahead , cut them and  put them on plate.Guests and family can just grab one and nibble as they mingle. There's no gooey mess to deal with afterwards. Ms. Clark compares it this way, a pie bar isto a  pie as a hamburger is to a steak.It's totable and easy to eat . The crust should be sturdy and Ms Clark recommends prebaking both the given sortbread and grahan crackers, She likes the first for it's flavor and sturdiness. The shortbread should be a dark brown.It'll be harder to gauge the grahahn cracker one because of its' color. The color will deepend ever so slightly so keep an eye on it.

As for the filling Ms. Clark gives three. There is a raspberry crunch one with a a combo of five (!) cups of  fresh raspberries and half a cup of raspberry jam. There's a crunch topping of rolled oats, almonds , brown sugar and butter.Everything is flattened down to create three layers of fruity, sweet buttery goodness. Coconut lovers will go wild for the recipe that has a cocoonut pie filling laced with dark chocolate.It's rich with eggs and butter along with unsweetened coconut milk.  These two hav e the base of shortbread which adds to the flavor.Enjoy peach season with creamy peach pie bars. This starts with a graham cracker crust made ven more crunchier with pecans. The filling has a rich mix of cream cheese and heavy cream along with one whole egg. You will need three cups of peaches, preferably fresh. These can be peeled or unpeeled (go with the unpeeled - less work). The peaches are simmered in a sugary sauce and then placed on top of the already pired heavy cream and cream cheese mix.

Try a pie bar this Labor Day weekend. They're a fun and tasty way to enjoy the season's harvest.  They're better than pie .