Supporting The Smaller Markets And DIners

 This pandemic is still hitting the smaller markets and eateries. It's tough for any place to come back . Even the bigger establishments have troubles , struggling to make a profit.It;'s worse for the mom and op places.

Visit the smaller fruit and veggie stores or farmer's markets if you can. They usually sell produce for a fraction of the cost the chain groceries do. You can easily pick up a bag of plums for two to three dollars cheaper or score two heads of lettuce for only a dollar. Many of these smaller greengrocers also offer other products like breads, pasta and cookies. Some even have a small deli section like The Farmer's Market in my town, Saddle Brook, It's a great place to pick up a quick lunch or get the ingredients for a spaghetti dinner or stir fry. A few of these markets offer ethnic specialties too , such as tortillas or halvah, depending on the neighborhood.

Diners ,, such as The Bendix in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey also rely on loyal customers as well as take out orders,These places are wonderful if you're too tired or it's too hot to cook. They have a wide variety of different dishes, sure to please everyone's tastes. Diner burgers are actually better than the ones served than what the fast food joints have. The French fries are definitely better, since they're usually hand cut and fried up with each order as opposed to just sitting there in old oil. Many places also offer alternatives like sweet potato fries or a side of veggie and dip. You can also get French toast or eggs there at any time of day. Again McDonald's and Wendy's usually cut off the breakfast menu at noon.  Also diners customize lunch orders and throw in extras like cookies or rolls for loyal customers.

The smaller groceries and diners need our business. Help them out with regular visits.They'll greatly appreciate it> Not only that you'll receive good food at good prices.

Can You Be Sugar Free?

One of the worst habits  we have is eating sugar. We crave cupcakes wit sweet , gooey icing puffs,  we add more of the white stuff to already candy like lattes.We even add brown sugar  to our bacon. However that may all be changing . There's a no sugar movement going on challenging sweet tooths all over the world to give up their addiction.

Sadly we are hard wired to eat sugar. Blame it on our earliest days when a sweet flavor signified non poisonous in plants and berries. If it was sugary, like a plum or an apple , then the eater could rest easy, knowing he or she wouldn't be sick or suffer dire consequences.Then humanity  fell in love with sugar cane about 10,000 years ago in New Guinea. People got their first sugar rush and loved it. Cane syrup then was used in religious rites and as a medicine. Iit then went onto the Asian mainland where the Indians were turning sugarcane into a powder,  used mostly for healing.It went to Persia and then spread throughout the Arab world. hey combined it with ground almonds to create the addictive confection marzipan. The European Crusaders got their first taste of sugar cane during their crusades and again fell hard for it. Later Columbus discovered sugar cane on Hispaniola and that began Europe's hard core addiction with sugar.It replaced the all natural sweetener . Now we are trying to undo those centuries of sugar use. It not only puts on the weight but tricks the body  into gaining weight,. Those white grains also do extensive damage to the liver as well.The liver is the only organ that processes glucose ad eating too much will result in taxing it.It also causes extensive damage to teeth as well.

How do we curb our addictions and go sugar free? The obvious answer is give up baked goods, soda and candy. These are the easiest because the sugar in them is obvious.We can easily substitute cookies and sweets with with fresh fruit and 90 percent good for you dark chocolate. Soda can be replaced with flavored sparkling water. Hot tea and even coffee can be sweetened with honey or agave syrup.  , instead of white refined sugar . The problem is that sugar is everywhere, even in the most savory of foods.They lurk in our condiments.Ketchup has it to balance out the spices as does mayo, steak sauces and even mustard.The best bet is use spices  or herbs to flavor meats and vegetables.Salad dressing is a culprit too. It can turn a healthy bowl of greens into a sundae. Stick to a simple vinaigrette, possibly spiked with oregano or parsley.Yogurt, that much touted health food has a whopping forty-seven grams of sugar.if fruit is added Try to cut down on it or stick to plain Greek yogurt and add your own fruit. Bread is another culprit, with some of  us eating it as much as twice a day everyday. Try to sub in pita bread which has very little sugar in it. Another idea is wrapping up meats and cheeses in lettuce wraps. As for toast for breakfast, think oatmeal with a trickle of honey and cinnamon .


We can go sugar free. It's a hard task but will become easier as we distance ourselves further and further away from it. The end result is worth it.  - a healthy body.

Duck Aux Prunes

One of the tastiest fall dishes to make is duck. It can be cooked  a variety of ways, whether  braised or roasted. One of the best is the French way, avec prunes or with plums These add an earthy sweetness, perfect for the chilly days ahead.

David Tanis knows this and it seems he is a true duck lover as seen in yesterday's New York Times Food section. His A City Kitchen weekly column featured a meat , dear to many foodie's and cooks hearts - duck, He goes mad for the Five Spice infused mahogany lacquered ones  from Chinatown, He rhapsodizes about how duck is cooked in southwestern France, French home chefs take the large Musocvy duck whose meat is more like veal, is grilled like steak. Duck legs are used to flavor cassoulets or braised with red wine and prunes.The flavorful fat is used for confit.Mr. Tanis likes to braise the legs with fresh plums and red wine, preferably a dry one. The fruit may be a bit hard to come by right now. The big plump ones are going out of season so aim for the smaller, purpler Italian variety. What's left of them is sauteed in butter ad served with the duck legs.

Is this an easy dish to cook? Braising is a simple method. The meat is to be partially pan cooked before braising however. The legs need to sizzle and brown and then chopped onion is added for more flavor. Tomato paste is also included along with wine and  four cups of chicken broth. Mr. Tanis  does like duck Chinese style so there is the addition of clove, allspice, cayenne and star anise that are added in the first step . You can omit them if you want a more Gallic flavor.It's braised for thirty to forty minutes or until the legs are tender.At this time the plums can be sauteed in a separate pan. Mr. Tanis also garnishes with pistachios ,lemon zest, parsley ,and chives.

Duck is a tasty dish on its' own. Add spices and fruit to elevate it to another level. It becomes a truly magnificent dish, thanks to Italian plums and Chinese traditional spices.

Plums Rediscovered

There's nothing that says summer quite like a plump juicy plum. It's flavor is sweeter than any candy and it;s just fun to bite into. Another version of it, the prune is another great treat(don't smirk, it really is!)

I love plums any time of year, but especially now during the hot weather. I think it;s because of my grandfather planted a plum tree in our backyard and every summer we had deep purple Italian plums. These are smaller than the ones we get today in the supermarket but just as sweet. To me they were better than any ice cream or cookie.They still are. There's nothing like a chilled one for dessert with iced tea or seltzer.Better yet plums don't need embellishment like cream as strawberries do or be dipped in caramel like apples and pears. Because their taste is just perfectly satisfying, they're just good on their own. One caveat though, once you eat one, you'll want another.They can be a bit strong on the stomach  but that's it.

Dried plums or prunes are another treat. Yes, they are used as a laxative and are the drink of choice by most old people. Yet the taste is like that of a ripe plum, sweet, mellow and earthy. Surprisingly one famed soft drink is made with prune juice  and that is Dr. Pepper. You can make your own with eighty percent juice to twenty percent (just a splash ) of seltzer. The taste is the same without all the extra added corn syrup. Another treat is Sunsweet, Plum Bits. Sunsweet has long been the distributor of prunes and has even campagined to change the name to dried plums. They;ve come up with an addictive snack - dried plum but dipped in dark chocolate. These are the greatest and one of the most healthiest treats for you.Instead of reaching for other candies have these.A bag will be gone in a day.

Instead of the usual summer berries and melons try plums and prunes instead. They are a wonderful treat whether in fruit or juice form for a summer day.Rediscover their earthy, sweetness as a true warm weather snack.


Happy Bastille Days to all my French and francophile fooie readers. Bon fete toute le personne!