HAPPY 250TH AMERICA

 HAPPY  250th Birthday America.

The world influenced how we eat and we influence the world  on what to eat.

We invented comfort food and soda.potato chips and ranch dressing. We created brunch and PB and J sandwiches. TV and microwave dinners are ours too.

We are brave - in everything - especially in eating and drinking.

Celebrate not just our values on freedom and democracy

But how we come together for feasting despite our differences

Happiest of milestone birthdays !!!!!!!

Fall's Other Stars of The Harvest

 This may be the season of apples and pumpkins but there are other stars coming out ofthose autumn patches.There's broccoli , cauliflower,and pears to name a few. They're great as main, sides , and desserts. Try them as a nice change up form those Macintoshes and gourds.

Broccoli is a versatile veggie.It can be served hot or cold. A great side is steamed broccoli with melted butter and just a sprinkle of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Many like it Oriental style, steamed with ginger and  sesame oil. Of course it can also be cooked with chicken or beef , flavored with soy sauce. Serve this on a bed of rice for a hearty and delicious quick meal. One of the best recipes with broccoli is broccoli salad. You may think this is a summer dish but's it's a refreshing side all year long.It's steaming the veggie in the microwave first and then dressing it. Use just olive oil and red wine vinegar along with dashes of garlic powder, sealt salt and freshly ground pepper.  You can add chopped onion for more flavor. Cauliflower , like broccoli is also versatile. Both veggies can be made into tasty homemade soups. Cauliflower soup is the perfect chill chaser and can be frozen for future use. Breaded and air fried cauliflower is a real treat and the perfect game day nibble. It's good on its' own but also served with ranch dressing.

The season has always been all about apples yet there's another fruit that's just as sweet and high in nutrition. Pears!!!! Bartlett, Clap Favorite and Orca are the main autumn ones. Bartlett's are the most popular anf have a love mild candy like flavor. A great dessert is a harvest pear crisp. This is six cups of cored and sliced bartlett pears that have been tossed with lemon juice and coated with a mix of cornstarch, sugar and cinnamon .This is well coated and then covered with a dry dough made up of flour, ,butter and more cinnamon. A mix of chopped walnuts and oats  are then sprinkled on top as a kind of streusel.It's baked for forty minutes at 375 degrees Farenheit. Serve with fresh cream or vanilla ice cream.Orca pears which are a fall favorite in the Pacific Northwest are great for canning.They're cooked in a sugar solution and then canned. Of course you can make pear jams and even syrups with them. Clapp pears are good for baking and what better than a pear cake for a nice autumnal dessert.  You could even bake a layer cake and fill it with pear compote.

Don;t forget thare are other harvest gems that are perfect for any meal or dessert. Give broccoli, cauliflower and pears  a try this season. They're tasty and nutritious, the perfect fall produce.

The Rise Of Ranch Dressing

Ranch dressing has become an American classic , much like burgers and fries, or apple pie. Except unlike those it's everywhere - from our veggies to pizza - yes - pizza. This simple dip has not only taken over our kitchens but our lives as well. It's  as much a part of our culinary landscape as Thanksgiving turkey  or apple pie

Julia Moskin wrote about everyone's favorite dressing in today's New York Times Food section.Americans  love this uniquely American dressing.In fact in Europe ranch is simply known as American, that's how much it's entwined in our culture and identity.The reason for this lies in the dressings truly US' roots. It was first created in Alaska, by former plumber Steven Henson, a Nebraskan from Thayer Nebraska. He was on a construction crew and sometimes cooked for his fellow workers. In that part of the US, fresh ingredients such as dairy, herbs, garlic and onions were hard to come by. They had to come in powder form which served as the basis of ranch  dressing. by 1954, Mr Hensen and his wife , Gayle, had bought a ranch north of Santa Barbara California which they renamed Hidden Valley. There was a guest ranch house and a steak restaurant also on the property with the latter becoming more popular. The reason - a creamy , garlicky, spicy salad dressing. According to their son, Nolan,  diners were bringing mayo jars to be filled with it. Ranch dressing was being poured on everything, from steaks and veggies to salads. The senior Hensens created much easier to carry   envelopes of the dried ingredients to be mixed with buttermilk or mayonnaise at the diner's home The base for ranch is not a new idea. French onion dip is a precursor as is Mediterranean aioli and Middle Eastern toum.

It took until the 1980's for the dressing to become nationally known.It has spread eastward in the Seventies however it wasn't until 1986 when Doritos introduced Cool Ranch Doritos that ranch became a phenomena. Everyone loved the cool flavor and crunch and the chips opened the door for ranch to go from salad topper to dip. People were dipping french fries into it, chips and even using it on Buffalo wings replacing blue cheese dressing.As for the pizza and ranch marriage, it was Domino's Pizza who first used it on their wings. Consumers then realized it went well with their leftover pizza crusts.Before long the Millennials were dunking whole slices of the pie into it.There was resistance at first , but now Domino's and other pizza chains offer pies drizzled with it. Even upscale fancier places such as Emily's , owned by chef Marc Hyland and his wife , EMily offer ranch  topped pizza. Because of it's popularity - it was voted America's favorite dressing - other eateries are making their versions of it.Williamsburg Brooklyn's Samesa offers a Middle Eastern version made with labneh,a thick yogurt alongside chicken wings crusted with the zesty za'atar. Parcel 32 in Charleston, South Carolina has a cumin buttermilk aioli  while at Compere Lapin in New Orleans jerk roasted corn is served with ranch infused bread crumbs, thanks to chef Nina Compton's creativity.

We love ranch dressing. What's not to love?It's a mix of cool and spicy that goes well with everything. It definitely is the star of the American culinary scene.

Halloweenies And Fright Burgers

It's the start of Halloween week and that means one thing  -fun food!! It 's getting creative and coming up with ghoulishly good treats and meals. Make these scary dogs and fright burgers for dinner or for a weekend of parties! They're sure to be loved by big and little trick or treaters across the board.

Hot dogs are one of the best mediums for All Hallow's fun. They can be dressed in as  costumes just as  real dogs can. One of the most fun is mummy dogs, These are simply taking a sheet of Pillsbury crescent rolls and first pressing the perforations to seal them. Take a knife and then cut each dough rectangle into ten thin strips.Also, cut slices of American, cheddar, or Monterey Jack cheese into four pieces..  Wrap four dough strips around the dogs and cheese and leave a 1/2 inch space for a 'face'. Bake for thirteen to seventeen minutes or until golden brown. Use a toothpick and mustard to draw on faces.Serve with any kind of mustard , from honey to spicy Dijon. For a healthier spin use soy dogs and soy cheese. You can also make your own gluten-free dough too.Another cool ghoul idea is monster fingers. It's just simply cutting the franks so  they look like fried, boiled or - really creepy - grilled fingers.Slice a square top layer off so it looks like a nail bed. Then slice two lines an inch below the nail and three lines midway to resemble knuckles. Make it look even gorier by putting a thin line of ketchup along the nail bed and maybe a little oozing out of the "knuckles".Serve on pita rounds cut square  to resemble bandages.

Burgers are another versatile "dress up" dinner. They , too, can be turned into yummy mummies. It's just taking any of your favorite sliced cheese  and  cut it into strips. Place haphazardly across a cooked burger, leaving a space for eyes. Cook burgers and cheese for five minutes or until cheese gets melty. Put two dots of mayo  in the eye space. Top with olive quarters. Jack o lanterns are another fun dinner, Use slices of good sharp cheddar and a paring knife to cut out eyes, nose, and teeth, Place cheese on burgers five minutes before serving or until cheese melts around the edges. You can make homemade devil burgers, patties that carry a huge amount of heat. It's taking a regular hamburger recipe and livening it up a dash of chili powder. This is perfect for teens and teens, but be careful with younger kids - who many not be used to hotness. Sriracha sauce can be subbed in  for the chili powder. Serve your devil burgers not with ketchup or barbecue sauce but with a cool ranch dressing or dip.This ices down the burgers a lot and it also goes well with onion rings and fries which have to be served.You can also make devil meatballs too to go with an equally fiery arribiata sauce.

Hot dogs and hamburgers are even better to decorate than pumpkins. There are so many neat methods to serve them for  Halloween week. Discover the fun! Make them for  tasty treating.

Mississippi Roast A New Classic

The South is known for classic dishes, such as ham and grits, biscuits and chicken Now there's a dish ,Mississippi Roast that is right up there with them. It's now a Pinterest classic.

Times Food writer classic, Sam Sifton wrote about this amazing dish in yesterday's Wednesday 's issue.It's a simple dish of beef chuck slow cooked with powdered ranch dressing , and butter.There also au jus gravy added and a few pepperoncini added for bite.It was created by Robin Chapman of Ripley ,Miss. She put everything in her slow cooker one day fifteen years ago and what came out is culinary history. It was a buttery stew that her family gobbled up.It was also devoured up by the local community thanks to Ms. Chapmans best friend, Karen Farese put into her church's cookbook. The result went viral .

It was then shared on Pinterest which means it was shared with the world.It was also a hit on Facebook too as well on several food blogs. Mr. Sifton decided to make this on his own. Gone are the mixes with their chemical  flavors. He made his own ranch  dressing using apple cider and buttermilk . Paprika was also thrown in for color and bite. The result? Just as good as the original recipe. His family devoured it as heartily as it was at Ms. Chapman's table. Personally I would go with Mr. Sifton's recipe.I'd rather have the homemade dressing  and only half a stick of butter. You can add the pepperoncini if you like . Again,I'm not a big fan so that's one ingredient nixed.Serve it with egg noodles or in a sandwich.

Mississippi Roast is soon to be an American classic, on the same level as Jello cake or Dr Pepper ribs. It's a tasty dinner that's easily made and easily eaten. Try it and see what the South has been raving about for years

A Healthier Party Time

The school year has been in full swing for a month now and that means one thing: parties. Every little kids wants a party to outdo their class mates. The question is can you give your little darling something that' s not only tasty and fun but also healthy too? The answer is yes!

Kids can be fussy eaters, especially when you try to push something nutritious on them. If it's green its obscene is usually their rule.. However you can actually make your birthday honoree and guests like veggies. Cut up broccoli and cauliflowers into dippable pieces and also have pitted black olives along with grape tomatoes and carrot sticks. You can serve them with a fun ranch dressing or even an onion dip made from onion soup and plain Greek yogurt. Another idea is whipping up healthy sliders. Try quartering veggie or turkey burgers and serving them on whole wheat slider rolls. Slice up sweet potatoes julienne style and bake in your oven with some olive oil and sea salt for a great and crunchy side.

All birthday parties call for cake or cupcakes of some sort. What you can do to make the treats healthier is bake your own cakes using unbleached flour . Use the King Arthur brand which also has gluten free flour as well. You can create a variety of healthier sweets with them, including cookies, brownies and even candies.. As for icing, you'll still have to make one using confectioner's sugar . However the frosting becomes healthier with subbing in Greek yogurt for cream or butter.You can decorate not with sprinkles and chocolate chips but with raisins along with dried cranberries and blue berries.Another fun idea for the tween set are fruit kabobs, where you can alternate pineapple chunks with strawberries and bananas slices.

Your little one's birthday party can be both fun and nutritious. Ditch the salty, greasy stuff and bring in fresh veggies. End with a healthy cake with even healthier icing.It's a great way of celebrating not just another year but a year of eating right!