Easing Into Fall Cooking

 Don't put away the grill and cold salads just because a few leaves have fallen and school has started.It's still summer, albeit with slightly nippy mornings and evenings. It's just a matter of easing into fall cooking and combining the best of the two seasons.

There may still be warm days and evenings ahead. Go ahead and barbecue those cuts your family loves. You can still have chicken legs and hamburgers but add a fall spice like ground star anise , turmeric or sage. The last is an autumn staple, appearing mostly in Thanksgiving stuffing. Sage traditionally goes with poultry and smoked sage will infuse the chicken meat with a lovely ,  citrus-y note. Mix it with rosemary and add to any hamburger for a more autumnal spin on a hot weather classic. One fall dish, roast turkey can easily be cooked over wood chips.Use the breasts instead of the whole bird. For a bit more fun think about turkey legs.Don't fret over trying to find them. Most Wal-marts and Shop-Rites have them. Since the turkey flavor is so unique, just baste with melted butter, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Just these alone will make for a nice crispy exterior. What to serve with it? You can buy jarred gravy or use any frozen stuff from the holidays. Add homemade stuffing and a salad featuring craisins  - dried cranberries for a tasty Saturday supper or Sunday lunch.

One fall comfort food is meat loaf. Unfortunately to cook or bake it, requires a hot oven which can be uncomfortable on a warm day.Luckily this is another recipe that is grill friendly. Spray the grill with non stick cooking spray so the loaf won't stick and get messy, You can even add half a cup of barbecue sauce to the  mix for a tangy bite. A fun spin would be serving sliced meat loaf on hamburger buns. Add the same fixings you would a regular hamburger.  Pile with bacon, tomatoes, and lettuce. Add onion slices and avocados or even a slice of sharp cheddar. Grilled foods call for salads. By now you're probably sick of the mayo soaked macaroni ones. Again use the grill to create tasty ones with a rich smoky flavor. Try late season corn and tomatoes for a flavorful one.It's easy to char both on a grill, then scrape the niblets off the ears. Mix with the tomatoes along with a tasty lime vinaigrette. If you want to make it more substantial, add the Mexican cheese, queso fresco which is like feta cheese and sliced avocado. A more fallish one is simply butter lettuce with apple slices and walnuts. Use different types like Fuji and Granny Smith for color and crunch. A simple apple cider vinaigrette works with this.

Ease into fall cooking by combining the ingredients of both seasons. Use and pair cool weather ingredients with hot weather techniques. It makes for tasty meals with both a summer and autumn vibe.

New Life For Old Food

How do you feel about buying food sold a day before its' sell by date? Would you be leery  and pass it up? Or buy it if it was offered at a really deep discount? That's the new question at European food stores.

Today's Monday New York Times Business section featured the article written by David Segal. The idea intrigued me. The one store,  The S-Market in Valila, Finland has what it calls a "happy hour". It doesn't revolved around half priced drinks but half priced merchandise. The only catch is that the  food usually gets discounted only hours before its' expiration date. Items that would be considered unsellable here in the States goes on sale at the nine hundred S-Market stores throughout Finland.It does make sense to try to  move it and avoid waste. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations one third of the food produced and packaged for human consumption is tossed. what a waste, considering there are soup kitchens and families, especially struggling ones who would appreciate affordable foods.This waste costs a whopping 680 billion dollars along with filling landfills with rotting , methane producing overage.

Luckily this isn't the case in most supermarkets here in the States. Stop & Shop offers day old and two day old veggie packs that still can be used in everything from salads and sides. The store also packages up cold cuts sliced from what's left of hams and London Broils along with what's left over from chicken and turkey breasts. There's a similar policy regarding their baked goods too. Some supermarkets and fast food chains will let workers take home what's left over from the day, whether free or with a very deep discount.A lot of times, however food pantries will get the nearly expired foods. A new concept is salvage grocery stores which sells what's known as "lightly expired" foods. There are cheaper pastas and even dairy products such as ice cream and butter.Of course there are frozen foods. As we all know they can last for months and even a year if they're properly stored.The only product that may be questionable is frozen dough. It does get tough and crusty with age. Hopefully the salvage grocery store will come to Europe. Right now there are the S-Market in Finland and REMA 1000 in Denmark which has cut down on buy three for the price of two bulk selling.  The last is the baby of Selina Juul, a Russian born Dane who is a champion of zero food waste. There are also apps  such as Too Good To Go which gives users discounts to 25,000 restaurants in eleven country.

Salavaged food will be much more than a trend. It will be a way of life as we all help to combat overage and the damage it does. Don't be leery of day old or lightly or almost expired foods. Just buy them.