The Straw Controversy

Hard to be believe a simple plastic tube like this is at the heart of so much controversy.

Yet it is. Plastic straws are being vilified and with good reason. They are seriously harming marine life across the globe and damaging underwater ecosystems. As an environmentalist and veteran of many a beach sweep, I have picked up dozens of these. They range from the regular sized ones people use in their sodas to the tiny juice box ones.Americans throw away a whopping 500 million a day while an ecology conscious Europe tosses out about 25.3 billion ones a year. They, along with other non biodegradable plastics are contributing to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch located halfway between California and Hawaii. The worst problem with straws contributing to this is that a straw is made from polypropylene which is derived from polypropylene gas. The real damage comes from when the plastic degrades into microscopic bits. Fish eat it. We eat the fish. It's not good.

There are alternatives and many restaurants are embracing them. Atlantic Highland's  Bahr's and its' sister eatery, Moby's has long embraced biodegradable paper straws. The family who owns these ocean front restaurants know first hand the damage these tubes can do. However paper straws do have their downside as well. They can be ingested by marine life which can ruin the animals' digestive systems. Paper straws do decompose more efficiently and quicker, by almost two hundred years. Other restaurants such as Feroce's in Manhattan use bucatini, those wide, sturdy long pasta tubes. These can be great  except for two problems. They can't be used by those with gluten allergies and they dissolve during use. Another idea is bringing your own  glass or metal straws. Amazon sells a pack of borosilicate ones in pretty colors. These are highly heat and cold resistant and also come with their own cleaning brush. A set can cost about ten dollars. They also sell metal ones with silicon mouth tips, also in pretty colors. A pack of ten goes for $9.99.

What should you do about the straw dilemma? Protect the planet by just going strawless. If you have to use them, then settle for paper, metal or glass. It's a small way to help lessen a big problem.

The Most Perfect Egg Cream

One of my favorite drinks - and it really should be considered a sweet treat -is the egg cream. My Dad introduced me to it on on our many trips to local diners.I recently discovered the best add in  - Bubly flavored seltzer. Mix this in for sheer heaven. Another plus is using Hershey's Extra Dark syrup. This is a new addition and it adds a richer flavor.

Many will have questions about what kind of milk to add in. I've used almond milk which does make for a creamy drink. You can use regular milk or even a scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream which made up the original ones sold in Brooklyn candy shops.

Here is the recipe.

1 can of either Bubly Cherry , Raspberry or Blackberry flavored seltzer (if you're making a vanilla egg cream, then use Bubly's Lemon or Peach flavors)
1/2 cup milk any kind
one good squirt of Hershey's Extra Dark Syrup (or vanilla syrup if you want to make a vanilla flavored one - go easy with it .Vanilla syrup is intense)

Squirt a good half  inch (more if you want it more chocolate-y) of syrup into a tall glass. Fill glass halfway with any kind of milk. Add Bubly and stir with a fork (yes a fork) to aerate and create foam. drink with a straw or straight to catch all that yummy froth.

This is the improved version of what my Dad and I used to have.💙💙

A Family Classic Updated

One of my favorite dishes growing up was zuppa di montagna. It's a simple layered bread and cheese casserole,made moist with the addition of vegetable broth. I've been making it in the microwve for the last few years I decided to make it in the oven this time.
There was one problem though, no one has ever written down the recipe which was my Piedmontese great grandmother's and probably made for centuries before her. I scoured the internet until I found a comparable recipe on Our Italian Table. It was a take on the Sardinian version zuppa Gallurese.
It starts with cubing French or Italian bread. Mine was so stale, it was an easy snap.

It's then making the broth. I made two cups using Herb-Ox vegetable bouillon

The next step is super easy -layering.It's bread  Swiss cheese , a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and,broth .Repeat  the four ingredients  in an olive oil greased  glass dish.I used Sargento Baby Swiss slices which is the best. You can add a layer of Savoy cabbage too for more authenticity. Kale and Swiss chard would work.

It's then popping in the oven for forty-five minutes at 325 degrees Farenheit. I had to lower the temperature because I used s glass dish. Always lower the temp by 25 degrees when using glass.

It bubbled up into brown crusty goodness.

The flavor was amazing. I loved the texture too.

It was chewy , gooey and even crunchy. This is the recipe I'd recommend to every home chef.

If you're looking for a comforting winter dish on a cold night - this is it. It's easy and delicious .. Best of  all it has two kinds of cheese and Italian bread.

How Green Is Your Kitchen

Earth Day is tomorrow and people all over the world will be evaluating what they can do to reduce their  carbon footprints. It's also time for home chefs to examine their kitchens and see if they need to make any "green" adjustments.

One of the most used resources in any kitchen is water. We need it to wash fruits and vegetables , along with our plates and utensils.It quenches our thirst  when we're thirsty and is often an ingredient in both savory and sweet recipes. Yet do we respect it? How many times do we just let it run as we seek the exact temperature? This is one of our worst habits. If you're hand washing dishes, use a small plastic basin like what you'd use for leftovers to wash the dishes. Then do a quick rinse to get the soap off. Don't let the water run. As for dealing with a parched throat, the best bet is put ice cubes in a glass before you fill it with tap water.  The ice will instantly chill it. and that way  you're not wasting water.As for cooking , get the exact measurements - not that you're throwing away any overage. washing fruits and vegetables are always a must however this also creates water waste. Use a large bowl for any kind of produce washing however scrimp on the water. Due to the pesticides used, you can't repurpose the water. It does have to be dumped down the drain.Another idea is using vinegar to clean skins and even rinds.Wipe down with a towel afterwards.

Paper and plastic are big components of a home kitchen. Our food comes in both. What to do with those boxes and containers afterwards? Any box should be put in the recycling paper bin or bags.This includes cereal and microwave foods boxes along with any cookie paper bags or pie boxes. Those paper bags from the grocery can be repurposed to hold the flattened boxes along with newspapers. Milk and ice cream cartons, made of wax coated paper do need to be thrown out with the regular trash. The plastics lids, however ,can be put into the plastics. As for plastics, whether they're bottles or cupcake holders, they all belong in the plastic recycling bins. You can repurpose  your water bottles by refilling them with tap water. Any straws can also be used for a second and even third time.. Just wash and dry them. What about those cracked plastic and glass containers? Do you just toss them or use them for a different purpose? Small ice cream bowls can hold dry snacks such as nuts pretzels or potato chips. The larger ones can be used as fruit bowls or even to hold rolls for dinner.The same principle goes for cracked glass , although this last does come with a caveat. If there are sharp edges, then you'll have to throw it out. A jagged edge can produce a nasty cut on the fingers.Just remember to toss the glass into the plastic bin. Many towns recycle the two together.

Is your kitchen as green as you want it? Use this Earth Day weekend to re-valuate your family's habits. Changing them may help save the planet in a small but very important way.

Following Directions Or Not

As any nervous or perfectionist home chef  will tell you directions are crucial in everything - well sort of.Sometimes you have to go on your gut feeling about a certain recipe or cake. There are times when being a bit of a rebel helps in creating the perfect dish.

I had to go off course when I baked gingerbread today. It was the Pillsbury brand and usually their directions are pretty exact. Everything went well I add the required one egg and one cup of water. I beat it close to eighty strokes, making sure all the lumps were broken and the batter was silky smooth. I poured it into a throwaway cake pan - I used one that fit their requirements 8" by 8".Then I baked it in a 375 F. degree oven for the required twenty-five to thirty minutes. At the end of that time I tested it with a cake tester, expecting to see a clean probe. Nope! The middle was still runny!!! That was a shock. There is always panic and the instant thought of "what did I do wrong? Was it because I used an aluminum foil pan as opposed to a metal or glass one? Of course, I put it back in for another fifteen minutes. After forty-five  minutes in the oven, I did the test again. The probe came out relatively clean. I was happy.At least I wasn't going to serve a cake with a raw middle.

What could have gone wrong? Was it my oven? I don;t think so. Mine is almost brand new. What I think did go wrong? It could have been a misprint which does happen from time to time. Initially, I thought that twenty-five minutes to half an hour was too little time for a thorough bake. A scratch version would take an hour to thoroughly rise and cook through. Surely someone from Pillsbury's test kitchens must have realized this when they tried out the mix and wound up with a runny inside.If this is the case for many home bakers just go with your gut feeling. Always have a cake tester handy as well. These are invaluable  in seeing if any cake or cupcake is done. They help to prevent a half baked baking project, vital if you're making a special occasion cake. Toothpicks and even a straw from a broom can stand in if you don't have a tester yet.  Another great help is reading the directions a few times to make sure you'll get it right. Sometimes we transpose numbers. and those stick in our head. We think  the cake or cookies need to be baked for 25 minutes when the directions actually reads 52  to 55 minutes.

Should home chefs and bakers follows instructions. In most cases, yes.. However follow your gut instinct if you think your recipe isn;t quite right. It results in a thoroughly baked cake instead of a half baked disaster.