Cold Snap Equals High Prices

We;'re nto the onyl ones freezing during this rare cold snap. Our fruits and veggies across the country are doing the snme. Entire harvests are being detroyed thansk to a weeklong bout of chill air and below normal temps. I dont; know what you cna blame it on. GLobal warming? The Myan calendar? Whatever the cause this cold snapit's hitting our local grocery's produce section big time.



FLorida is feeling it the most. Tons of oranges look like hanging popsicles thansk to frost and ice on the trees. This damages the entire fruit and th eonyl thing it;s good for is just juice. Thsi means that any salvaged citrus will be high in price and basically unaffordable to many. The same goes for grapefruit. There is the chance of importing them from South America but the cost will be high. Florida's winter strawberry crop is also suffering . Any decent berries will be coming either form California or South America. Again this could mean that their cost is going to be sky high.



What does this mean for fruit lovers or those wanting a healthier diet? Keep buying fruit but cut down on the quantity. Right now treat oranges and grapefruit like like expensive candy. Cash in on any sales local markets have and look for coupons with good discounts. Fruitwise we're at a disadvange because othe r fruit is also dear and it's hard to find a reasonable replacement. it; snto lie summer where we can jus t hea d off to any farm to get strawberries and peaches. Make the most of your fruit. Don't let it rot or get moldy. It's too darned expensive to waste.



The codl nspa not only affected people.it affected our valuble crops. Luckily the temps will be getting higher and hopefully no more damage canbe done. otherwise we'll be treatng Florida oranges liek caviar - a rare luxury and treat.

Sausage Variations

Sausage is versatile food product. You can eat it on the summer right off the grill or have it for breakfast on cold winter days. It's also flavorful with its' variety of meats and spices. If truth be told you can have every variety of sausage there is every day for a week and have any particular one twice.It's also easy to cook as well - a plus for beginners.

It's one of our oldest prepared meats having being made as early as 2,500 years ago. The name comes from the Middle English word sausige meaning salt. It was one of the first cured meats however it also included the precursors of our modern day cold cuts. Sausage was first mention in a Greek play of the same name and was also popular with Romans on feast days (so much so that the early church banned it) Smoked sausage was developed in Northern Europe to keep the meat good throughout the year while the Mediterranean countries developed dried or air cured sausage. As the international spice trade began and grew , spices were added to the meats to make them more delicious. Soon towns such as Bologna , Lyons and Berlin were lending their names to their famous creations. English towns and counties such as Berkshire, Wiltshire, Lincolnshire, and Cumberland also flourished in sausage making and their sausage.became known throughout the British Isles.

Nowadays there are several varieties of sausage. They're mostly made from ground pork however you can buy ones stuffed with chicken turkey and beef. Asians make and sell a seafood one in their outdoor stands. Sausages are often spiced usually with nutmeg, all spice or sage. Italian ones use fennel and garlic for a heartier , more robust flavor. Some have ginger as well and chili pepper for some kick and bite. If you're making your own you can have fun with spicing and try different combos.if you're making breakfast sausages stick with a light hand and maybe fresh ground pepper . However if you're making a heartier one then try out some dried onions , dill and garlic for a tastier type.

Sausages are a wonderful addition Io any meal. You can serve them with an omelet for breakfast or as a sandwich with peppers for lunch or for dinner. They're great in a hearty stew for winter or perfect for a barbecue grill in mid summer. Sausages are truly a versatile food.

Fondue Wintery Cheesy Goodness

Fondue is making a comeback and in a big way. This Sixties staple is being served throughout the US and there are even fondue restaurants randomly popping up allover New York and New Jersey., Fondue is a great for celebrating winter and enjoying a fun cozy dinner with family and friends. Cheese fondue is great and requires very little ingredients and cooking skill. It's also a good way to use up leftover wine and cheese.

The dish started in Switzerland in the 18th Century when the Swiss needed to get rid of the hardened cheeses. the dish was invented int he Swiss Canton of Neuchatel when the locals melted cheese and wine together. the name however is from the French fondre meaning to melt. However fondue can refer to anything that can be melted , dunked or dipped into a small Emmanthaler cheese mixed over a small sterno and the minced garlic is added in. the traditional dipping choice is chunks of stale French or Swiss bread but you can add apples or potatoes for more flavor.

Fondue is one of the easiest party and dinner dishes to make. Modern recipes call the same basic ingredients , that reall Swiss fondues have however cornstarch or flour is added for body along with dry mustard and nutmeg for some spiciness. Sometimes kirchwasser or cherry liqueur is added to give the fondue it's slightly tart taste. Also you can use Swiss cheese however this can be very gummy. Stick with a good Gruyere or Emmenthaler. Luckily with fondue there are no leftovers so you won't have to worry about storing it.

During these chilly nights make a comforting fondue for you and your family.It's perfect chill chaser and a great way to get together for some fun and conversation. Everyone will enjoy this tasty , rewarding treat from the Swiss Alps!

Just Like Our Ancestors Ate

Would we really want to eat lie our ancestors ate? Surprisingly the answer is yes. After all the animals back then were not pumped full of growth hormones nor where they treated cruelly. They were raised on farms and had good diets. Now there’s a movement to genetically engineer farm animals and bring back breeds that have become more or less extinct.
Say what you will about it but it has become an obsession with foodies. it’s part of the locavore revolution , the ones who want to eat what’; growing in their neighborhood. Already scientist s have brought back the fainting goat and which has a lot of meat and some breeds of cattle that came to North America via the Spaniards in the 1500s. The animals are packed with flesh which make them desirables for butchers and the flavor is probably more intense too.
Right now agrarian schools like Tufts University are handling the genetically engineered breeding. This is where endangered breeds are having their ovum frozen along with being artificially inseminated with a more everyday kinds One experiment is Hogg Island sheep, on e of Virginia‘s indigenous breeds and known for their dense, flavorful being mated with amore common breed to produce a hybrid with the best traits of both parents. Dorrance Hill Hamilton, heir to the Campbell Soup fortune, is another driving force behind these goings on. . She also believes that cryopreservation will help in preserving the animals incase there is an outbreak of Mad Cow Disease.
I suppose it is a good idea, to create a better locally farmed meats . I’m sure the idea will spread to the poultry farms as well . Do we want to eat richer meats like our ancestors did?. There are bonuses here, as in less fat and more flavor? There’s nothing like bringing back a rich taste and texture.

Extrending The Holiday With Ukranian Cuisine

Even though the holidays are over with and Epiphany was done with on January 6th you can still extend the taste of the season with Ukrainian food. Yesterday's Times Dining section gave an an entire page to this ancient and varied cuisine. These dishes are also wonderful chill chasers, flavorful and hearty. They are perfect for the snowy day and nights that come with this month.

The article written by Dining section regular Julia Moskin write about the dishes and the people who preserve this taste s of one of Russia's oldest provinces. She also wrote about the bastion of this cooking- the East Village where Ukrainian restaurants abound. It is hearty fare with the popular beet soup or borscht along with vuska , tortellini like dumplings filled with mushrooms or onions. These are a standard and and are usually added to the soup.Another popular food is stuffed cabbage. Usually these are meatless for Christmas Eve . Mos t of the time they are stuffed with pork or lamb.

The Ukraine isn't really associated with sweets. Yet there is the holidays meals end with a dried fruit compote called uzvar. Dried apples, pears prunes and raisins, basically the fall harvest is cooked with water, honey and lemon and then spiced with cinnamon and clove. The article doesn't mention the jam and semolina treats called povidlyanka. This is a type of custard made with whole eggs, semolina flour and jam of choice along with chopped nuts. The Ukrainians have several other pastries that they make and I suspect they have a few Easter treats that are really y something too since Russian Orthodox Easter is a huge holiday with them.

Ukrainian food reflects the people who make it - no nonsense and hardy .It is a great cuisine not just for holidays but for chilly winter nights to warm the body and the soul. Ukrainian food is the ultimate comfort food especially on a cold January night.

Goat Cheese - A Healthy Alternative

If you're looking for ways to cut back on calories and improve your diet look no further than goat cheese. This a great alternative to any cow's cheese . It also is a great addition to any meal or snack, being much healthier for you. A lot of people are squeamish for some reason when it comes to this kind of cheese . I don't know why. It''s actually tastier and creamer than any Edam or Brie I've tasted. There's a certain farm freshness to it that can't be gotten with regular cow's milk cheese.


Goat cheese has been around for millenniums. The Middle Easterners first realized that they could create a cheese from goat's milk and quickly added it to their diets. It then spread throughout the Mediterranean , ad became popular in France where it is still known as chevre and in Spain. The Greeks worship their version otherwise known as feta. Goat cheese is low in calories and high in protein . It has the same chemical components as human breast milk. Goat cheese can come hard or soft, creamy or crumbly. You can buy it on a cone, log or buche shape, circular or puck or crottan shape for entertaining. Goat cheese can also come in a wheel or "button" shape as well. it can be infused with lavender or marinaded in olive oil or red wine (this last was recorded by Homer in The Odyssy)



There's a lot you can make with goat cheese. I like it in a wrap with a healthy dose of spinach and red peppers. Its' creaminess offsets the veggies and makes for a really good and filling lunch. You can also sprinkle it on crisp Romaine lettuce along with olives and dolmades for an Athenian style salad.Some goat cheese have a creamy texture to them and these can be used for spreads A very nice one for parties is the super quick to make chevre and artichoke dip. Try goat cheese on individual pizzas for a different appetizer as well. it;s versatile and can add ot any main meal or horsd'ouevre.



Goat cheese is a healthy alternative to cow's milk cheese. Use it if you want to lose weight or just would like a better diet. Once eaten it will be your favorite for life.

Spring Rolls A New Year's Treat

Like us the Chinese have tasty New Year's food to celebrate the birth of a new year. One beloved one is our popular spring roll. This crunchier cousin of the egg roll is not only a good party food but also makes a quick and filling lunch or dinner. They're also less filling and just right for those starting their diets.

Spring rolls began in China and Taiwan during their New Year however the Vietnamese and Laotians also eat them. The rolls are different from the egg roll in the sense that they have a crisper, lighter wrap filled not so much with shredded cabbage ,shrimp or pork but with spices and different lettuces. They are fried with the gold color symbolizing wealth and prosperity for r the upcoming year. Some do have meat in them, but most are strictly vegetarian. In Vietnam , spring rolls do have a little meat added but also herbs, chives and some minced fresh garlic. The Northern Taiwanese add a different spin to their s with a layer of peanut powder added right before wrapping, The Southern Taiwanese add caster sugar and the powder for a sweeter
variety.

Are spring rolls easy to make? Well you can buy them in your frozen food section already wrapped and waitingto be fried or boiled. You can make them from scratch as well . They're really easy to make. Perhaps the only headache is finding rice wrappers which some stores do not carry. However any Oriental grocery store in your area probably will have them in stock, along with the necessary spices. Other wise it's just making what you like and then boiling or frying them. Malking the outer layer spring rolls is no different than creating a wrap sandwich. There's the same same kind of folding involved. Spring rolls also make great hors d'oeuvres even in the summer because they're very light.These can be filled with fresh picked herbs along with tomatoes, Romaine lettuce shreds and fresh picked string beans.

Spring rolls are a great way to ring in any New Year. They're also a fun appetizer or meal to create for these drab winter days. Try some for luck and prosperity!