Goat Cheese - A Healthy Alternative

If you're looking for ways to cut back on calories and improve your diet look no further than goat cheese. This a great alternative to any cow's cheese . It also is a great addition to any meal or snack, being much healthier for you. A lot of people are squeamish for some reason when it comes to this kind of cheese . I don't know why. It''s actually tastier and creamer than any Edam or Brie I've tasted. There's a certain farm freshness to it that can't be gotten with regular cow's milk cheese.


Goat cheese has been around for millenniums. The Middle Easterners first realized that they could create a cheese from goat's milk and quickly added it to their diets. It then spread throughout the Mediterranean , ad became popular in France where it is still known as chevre and in Spain. The Greeks worship their version otherwise known as feta. Goat cheese is low in calories and high in protein . It has the same chemical components as human breast milk. Goat cheese can come hard or soft, creamy or crumbly. You can buy it on a cone, log or buche shape, circular or puck or crottan shape for entertaining. Goat cheese can also come in a wheel or "button" shape as well. it can be infused with lavender or marinaded in olive oil or red wine (this last was recorded by Homer in The Odyssy)



There's a lot you can make with goat cheese. I like it in a wrap with a healthy dose of spinach and red peppers. Its' creaminess offsets the veggies and makes for a really good and filling lunch. You can also sprinkle it on crisp Romaine lettuce along with olives and dolmades for an Athenian style salad.Some goat cheese have a creamy texture to them and these can be used for spreads A very nice one for parties is the super quick to make chevre and artichoke dip. Try goat cheese on individual pizzas for a different appetizer as well. it;s versatile and can add ot any main meal or horsd'ouevre.



Goat cheese is a healthy alternative to cow's milk cheese. Use it if you want to lose weight or just would like a better diet. Once eaten it will be your favorite for life.

Fun Foodie Gadgets

I love my Vidalia Chop Wizard. It's supposed to be for chopping onions and fruit but it"s also good at mincing hard boiled eggs for egg salad. it gets the egg pieces just right, small meaty bits that are what a good egg salad is all about. I'm not alone. other foodies go into raptures over other gadgets as well. These kitchen toys may look like fun but they're really a necessity. Besides they make the whole process fun and also time saving as well.

Another fun gadget are the Slurpee machines. these are great for the warm days just coming around . Pop in a few ice cubes and out comes ice chips ready to be drizzled with some kind of fruity syrup. These can also be used to make frosty margaritas as well. The Slurpee machine's cousin, the ice cream maker is another fun kitchen plaything. You can create all sorts of fantastic flavors as well as making your own fresh vanilla and chocolate ones.

Another fun gadget that foodies are now living are the salt grinders. Thanks to the increase in sea salt sales, these fun gadgets are in every kitchen. let's face it freshly ground salt tastes better than the plain iodized kind and it adds more crunch and texture than just the smaller grains. Pepper grinders are also big right now. There's nothing like the taste of freshly ground pepper in soups or even on roast beef or ham sandwiches. Like sea salt, it adds texture and a much needed zip you can't get with regular pepper.

OK , foodies, tell me what gadgets make your day. What do you like? Slicers? Melon ballers? Silicon bakeware (which really aren't gadgets). Let me know here.

Italian Ices - A Mini Italian Holiday

How to cool off on a hot summer's night?

Enjoy an Italian ice. There is nothing as refreshing as a cup of this in any flavor. It's cooling and sophisticated without the cloying creaminess of ice cream. Ice in any form cleanses the palate of the days tastes as well as adding a pop of fresh fruity flavor. It's the perfect ending to a sticky day. Now we can see why Italians from the Alps to the Mediterranean and Adriatic beaches enjoy this cooler.

Italian ice is as old as the Republic itself. (actually much older. Italy became a unified nation in 1861). Nero first ate it when his cooks mixed ice brought from the nearby mountains and mixed it with honey and fruit syrups. Centuries later Marco Polo bought back tho e Chinese recipe for making ice which is similar to how our modern ice cream makers work. It was made in a metal tin that was surrounded by salt and ice to keep it cold and later dished out.

It was Catherine de Medici who introduced a variation of Italian ice to the French court. Upon her marriage to Henri II of France. Sorbet is an ice but the only difference is that it has a mushier consistency (think Slurpee). It's a child of the Persian sherbet or sharbat that the middle Easterners enjoyed. These were used also used as plate cleansers during the Gilded Age when courses were heavily sauced and spiced.A refreshing lemon sorbet helped to ready the taste buds for the next round of dishes.

Granita is probably the oldest form of ice and the one most popular today. It can be made with a variety of flavors from pineapple juice to coffee. It's also the easiest dessert to make for a summer party. There's really no prep time or clean up and the amount of dishes used is next to nothing.What is great about granita is that you can make it up in one or two flavors. Try a blueberry one with a lemon or a cherry with a cola one (this is a no brainer . Just freeze Coke or Pepsi). You can even serve it with a dollop of Cool Whip.

I can't let this entry go without mentioning my favorite ice place - Rita's. This chain is in almost every American town.The one near me is my summer hangout. I love their Alex's Lemonade flavor (named in honor for the brave little girl who used to sell lemonade) as well as their black cherry and chocolate. Check the website - www.ritasice.com for a location nearest you. They have a birthday club as well as a treat card (for every ten ices bought you receive a free one). They also give out free samples so you can taste the newest flavors.

This summer treat yourself to a little bit of Italy. Enjoy a cold, refreshing cup of Italian ice.It'll make you feel like your on a Roman holiday.

Espresso Granita.

4 cups espresso coffee
2-3 tablespoons sugar.


Mix hot coffee and sugar together. Stir and then put into a metal pan (you can use a ice tray without the dividers). Freeze until you're ready to serve. Using a fork, scrape the ice into crystals and put into bowls. You can drizzle some chocolate syrup on the granita and serve with a small side of Cool Whip.

Cool Down With Ice Cream

Even though it's June, there are parts of the world where the temps are reaching 100 degrees Farenheit. The only good suggestion is to cool down with some ice cream. It's the perfect summery comfort food. It brings back memories of eating cones on the beach or sharing a gooey sundae under warm, starry skies. Ice cream always is a special treat for foodies - no matter how it's served.

Ice cream is one of the oldest foods in the world. Chinese emperors enjoyed a treat made of fruit and wine mixed with mountain ice as early as 3,000 BC. The ancient Romans also loved flavored ice and Nero always sent his slaves to the nearby mountains for snow and ice. He then had his cooks flavor it with fruits and nectar. During the 1300s the Chinese developed a way to add yak's milk to the ice for a creamier consistency. This new take on frozen dessert caught the eye of Marco Polo who brought it back to Italy. Italian chefs used cow's milk and - presto - modern ice cream was born. Catherine Medici brought the recipe with her from Northern Italy to France when she married into the French royal family. The French instantly took to it and served it at most court dinners. A century or more later Charles I had it at a French royal banquet and was so taken with it that he brought the recipe back to England.

America got its' first taste in 1700 at the dinner of Governor Bladen of Maryland. As early as 1777 New York City had its' first ice cream parlor. (you've got to wonder if General Washington stopped in to have a bowl).Ice cream parlors spread through the new nation and by the mid 1800s the first ice cream factory was born in Baltimore, Maryland (how appropriate because it was first made there). This was the era of the new improved ice cream. Machines were being built to make richer creamier ice cream at a faster rate. The French scientist, August Gaulin, invented the homogenization process which resulted in a creamier, smoother texture. Soon cones, invested by Italo Martchioni were being sold on the streets of New York.The 20th Century saw the birth of ice cream novelties such as the waffle cone, first introduced at the St Louis World's Fair, Eskimo pie and ice cream on a stick. The 1990s saw freeze dried ice cream called Dipping Dots sold at malls across the US.

The best way to have ice cream? Anyway you want. Add caramel or chocolate sauce but remember to take advantage of summer's fruit. Pair vanilla ice cream with blackberries for an extra special treat.Add strawberry slices to chocolate ice cream or better yet fresh picked raspberries. Consider putting your ice cream in a hollowed out melon or with pineapple, for a real old fashioned ice cream parlor taste. My Mom and her one cousin lived for these durng their girlhood and teen-age years.If you're lucky to own an ice cream maker now is the time to make fresh batches using all sorts of bounties, from blueberries to even lemon basil.

Ice cream is a wonderful cool summer treat It brings us sweet relief and happy memories from summers past.Have a bowl ,or cone of it when the high temps have got you down.

International Grilling

This summer shake up your outdoor parties by thinking outside the country. Add a little foreign flair to your grilling. Yes it's fine to have hamburgers and hot dogs but liven it up your table by throwing in some other dishes. Many other countries around the world also have some form of "outdoors " cuisine. Take from them and turn your dinner al fresco into something more interesting.

Mexican dishes can lend themselves to outdoor grilling.These are the perfect party foods because guests can create their own dishes and load up on what they like. It's easy to grill chicken, beef and fish filets for tacos and tortillas. Also you can grill onions and peppers too. This is also a good way to showcase the vegetables of the season, like fresh corn niblets, tomatoes, lettuce and pepper. You can also serve Corona beer and finish with a sweet taco , full of different flavors of ice creams, fruits and sauces.

If Mexican is too spicy then think about a languid Italian feast outdoors. You can grill if you like, such as the Italian bistecca which you can just take Porterhouse steaks and grill them with olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground pepper and some oregano. Another choice is a full antipasto complete with different cold cuts, sliced cheeses, olives, and giardneria or pickled vegetables. Have two or three loaves of crusty Italian bread and extra plates for olive oil. Guests can dip their bread into this. Serve different wines, preferably something light. Even uncorking a bottle of Asti Spumante is a nice touch because it adds a festive air. Finish with granita, an easily made espresso ice and some amaretti, those airy almond meringues.

Other cultures have dishes that can easily spice up an outdoor feast. Morocco can lend its couscous and lamb kabobs Greek foods such as a feta salad or grilled fish with lemon can be a different spin. Sometimes just do what the French do, a simple baguette with some sliced chicken or pate, and a good wine is all you need. Finish with pears or peaches soaked in a sweet wine.

This summer season be creative with your outdoor dining. Don't stick with the tried and true. Look to other parts of the globe for interesting dishes that can be served in your back yard.