Your Winning FIFA Party

 Everyone the world over will be closely watching the FIFA games in the upcoming weeks.Parties are also going to abound through the hemispheres/ It's a fun time.. Why not have fun foods.

A lot for people are having Brazilian themes like a Brazlian charcuterie. This is a tasty but meat heavy board that features such tasty plates as picanha ,a thick juicy sirloin cap that renders down to produce a juicy slice.Liguica, the country's national prok sausage is also served.It can be flavored with wine , garlic or a touch of pepper.Theyy're usually served invite sized pieces so they make for the perfect slider.Chicken hearts, coracao de galhuna, which are marinated in garlic, salt and lemon and  then grilled. Rounding out the board is costela or beef ribs. They;re slow cooked over an open flame and become so tender that the meat falls off the bone.  Cheeses and olives vary it. You could serve one o r two of these dishes along with a traditional charcuterie board. have good cold cuts like salami, rpscu=iutto, artichokes hearts and pickled onions, Have Brazilian bread - pao de Queijp a Brazlian cheese bread perfect for any eat and loaves of French and Italian bread. Should there be seafood? Only if the party is Heald inside a cool room where the shrimp ,crab and fish won't go bad.

Other counties are participating so you can have a whole cornucopia of international treats. A flatbread pizza is an easy fix and you can have a toppings bar. Line trays with olives, pepperoni's, peppers onions  ,broccoli florets and sliced bell peppers.Meat balls, either Italian or Taiwanese style are always fun. Italian meatballs can be eaten on their own or in subs. Taiwanese meatballs are made a bit differently these are called Ions Head because of their big size and are also popular in mainland China too. It's taking pork and mixing it in with breadcrumbs and egg  and d them adding water chestnuts to give the meatballs moisture. They're fried in sesame oil and can  be served with a ginger or soy sauce.Serve with a spicy broccoli salad or Asian Cole slaw. This last is a tasty and refreshing change from the usual mayonnaise soaked ones. It's taking red cabbage and dressing it with an oil and soy sauce mix .Fresh ginger and scallions are added for her and bite. What to drinK? Be creative Serve international beers and sodas to keep thirst at bay. End the meat with fresh fruit kept cold in ice tubes.

It's FIFA fever. Throw an international party that's full of good food and exciting moments. It's the best way to watch the games.

College Prep 101

In the next few weeks millions of kids will be returning to college life. They could be dorm students or commuters there for the day. The one thing they have in common? Bad nutrition. Everyone knows that the college years are the years where kids plump out. However there are way to avoid the freshmen fifteen and the all night binges.

Any college kid should hopefully know that a diet rich in veggies and fruits is the best one for them. However it 's not always easy  especially when they're cooking on their own or grabbing a bite between class and work. Fast food tends to reign supreme sadly enough. However if they choose wisely they can avoid those fat bombs and extra calories. Go for chicken on a plain or whole wheat roll. If the eatery   offers veggie and turkey burgers, then choose them instead. Salads should be a lunch time must have. It's a chance for to scarf down those greens, including tomatoes and cucumbers too.

Snacks also play an important part in a college kid's life. Most vending machines only offer bags of chips and candy bars. Some do offer power bars and lower calorie treats such as popcorn and pretzels.If it's possible head to the cafeterias.Nowadays they offer veggie and fruit plates that are not only healthy but tasty too. Have a plate of carrots and peppers or strawberries and grapes for a quick energy booster. As for beverages, STAY away from any sodas, iced teas  or cold coffee drinks. Stick to spring water or unsweetened ice tea to quench a student's thirst.

Eating healthier means a better outlook and not surprisingly better grades. It also mean keeping off the pounds and avoiding the start of unhealthy habits.Eat right during the college years. Like a degree, it'll be beneficial in years to come.

How Sweet No Sugar

It's been a part of our lives since infancy. We craved it as children , the addiction well lasting into our teens and adulthood.What is this ruinous food? sugar! pure and simple. the white stuff has been a part of our lives since we first learned to walk and talk.There is always candy around and treats laden with it.The problem is that it not only rots our teeth but ruins our immune system and plays havoc with our cholesterol .It's tough to get off it because it's like that other white powder - cocaine.What you can do is go for substitutes.Want cookies? Then try Kashi's different types made with evaporated cane sugar. Make your own soda with a carbonator and freshly juices. Even look into using Stevia and bring it with you when you go for coffee. Once you start weaning. Yourself ,then try to cut down on cakes and cookies, eventually eliminating them all together.Breads fall into this category as well as do crackers.You can switch over to whole grain breads if you want be keep this to a limit.Go back to occasionally snacking on fruit however ,be wary.Even though they are good for you ,they do turn into sucrose and glucose. try to sub in carrots which are naturally sweet into a dessert or snack.Some herbal teas suc as chamomile have a certain, slightly sugary taste to them.Try a hot or iced glass of it to satisfy those sugar cravings. Yes, sugar is sweet but it's also bad.Try to curb those cravings or at least wean yourself off them.You'll feel better and look better.What can be better than that.

Real Old Fashioned Sodas

Our great grandparents enjoyed a treat that's a rarity today - an old fashioned fountain soda.These were amazing concoctions all made before the birth of Coca Cola and Pepsi. Everything but the kitchen sink went into these lavish hot weather treats. Ingredients were fresh made and full of foamy goodness. Will those days ever come back? Yes thanks to a few dedicated purists..


This was the subject of an article in today's New York Times Dining section. The great Julia Moskin wrote the well researched piece that took her to old fashioned soda fountains. Before the birth of Coke in the 1890s soda, including colas were mixed in pharmacies across the country. After the drink's invention sodas weren't that special anymore and a once a week treat like ice cream sodas could be made at home. Thanks to a few dedicated soda jerks that world is coming back. The name jerk come from the jerking motion of pulling the soda taps and the modern ones are just as proud of the title as their 1890s counterparts were.



During the golden era of home made soda, the egg cream reigned king. This was and still is an amazing concoction that involves cream, chocolate and seltzer. The original recipe is making a comeback as is a strawberry egg cream made with fresh Long Island strawberries. Other creations are calling for fresh huckleberries and locally grown hazelnuts. Fresh milk from Hudson Valley dairies is also used giving the drinks a purer flavor. Artesanal seltzers are also being used. Before carbonation, pharmacists used water mixed with potassium, calcium and magnesium to give it fizz (this water was also made for medicinal purposes as well). Homemade sodas are also made, using the same ingredients as 19th century jerks used.


Nothing beats an ice cream soda on a hot summer's day. Even better is when it's made the old fashioned way with homemade seltzer and fresh ingredients. If there is a true soda fountain in your neighborhood visit it. Enjoy the purity of a real 19th century treat!

That Extinct Breed -The Ice Cream Parlor

Where have all the ice cream parlors gone to? If you're of a certain age, you'll remember like that (quick finger snap here). They were everywhere. Even some towns here in North Jersey had them. Now try to find one. Some do exist here in my state but they're down at the shore. I haven't seen any in this area since the late Nineties.

Don't get me wrong . I can still get a decent sundae in my neck of the woods. There are Friendlys all over here yet I classify them more as a restaurant than an ice cream parlor. They do make brilliant sundaes filled with the right amount of syrup and whipped cream. There's also Dairy Queen and Baskin Robbins which serve the standard stuff like cones and banana splits. Yet there are really no family owned ones anymore. I'm sure there are a few left in Manhattan . Most of them are at the Jersey shore where the big seller's are just cones or cups. Luckily the ice cream is home made and some even have their own invented flavors.

Maybe entrepreneurs should bring back the old fashioned ice cream parlor. Look there are now a plethora of cupcake stores everywhere and this was a food that all but forgotten just a few years ago. It's time for old fashioned, brightly lit, long marble countered ice cream parlors to be revived.With them should come the ingenous and heavenly creations that not only we enjoyed but our parents and grandparents did as well. Who wouldn't want a melon or pineapple sundae made with fresh fruit and freshly churned vanilla ice cream? Or the bottomless banana split that can feed ten people? Or homemade malteds with real malt in them? There's nothing like getting a chocolate soda with friends or just spend a relaxing Saturday in a plush booth enjoying a simple chocolate syrup drenched sundae.

Ice cream parlors will be relegated to Americana soon enough. It's time to bring back these wonderful places. There's nothing like spending an afternoon in one enjoying freshly churned ice cream.