Forget The Make Up Eat

 You don;t need serums or highlighters, creams or concealers if you eat the and drink the right foods and liquids. These can help achieving that glowy dewy look. Add some healthy meats and veggies or tnat extra glass of water and you'll not only feel better but look better too.

Winter brings about a lot fo problems with skin and hair. They get dull fast thanks to the frigid temps and the constant heat blowing around the house. What can bring back that summery glow? Salmon and lots of it. This versatile fish is loaded with Omega 3's which is good in restoring skin's . bloomy look.It can also help to protect the skin from certain skin cancers too.Salmon can be versatile too. Try a pan seared version , spiiked with ginger and soy for a tasty dinner or a sheet pan one for an easy Sunday dinner. It can be not only be flavored with ginger and soy but garlic and lemon too or lime for a different flavor. A fun lunch would be salmon patties  bound  with breadcrumbs and eggs. Air fry these instead of deep frying for a healthier meal. These too can be serve with brown rice as with the  grilled or sheet pan versions. Another fish that's great for keeping skin young looking is tuna.It's a good source of selenium (which also is in mnay nuts)and that helps preserve the protein elastin. This keeps skin smooth and tight and also helps protect it from UV rays. Of course you should eat fresh tuna . You'll be able to find fresh tuna steaks in every grocery store. Try marinating it in fresh orange juice before grilling or even a just  a pan seared tuna with just salt and pepper.

Veggies have always been touted as being good for the skin and hair. Of course it's true. Sweet potatoes can chase away acne and any other break outs. They can cut  those sugar cravings which can exercerbate  your blood sugar and in turn ruin cause all sorts of skin problems.  If you want sweet and crunchy then julienne a couple and then air fry them. It's a healthier way to eat a fun snack food while helping your body. Try a garlicky aoili dip with it  using plain Greek yogurt with olive oil added for smoothness and chopped garlic along with salt and pepper for flavor. Roasted sweet potatoes are good too, especially with a thick pat of Melt plant based butter. Tomatoes in season are also a great food to eat for beauty.They're chock full of lycopene which helps boosts the skin's protection against the sun's rays. A tomato is a truly versatile fruit (yes that's what it is) Think of adding roasted ones to a salad or making a tasty bruschetta with rounds of toasted Italian bread. What to drink with this? water. It  doesn;t have to be boring. You cna aerate with fizzy bubbles with a Soda Stream. If you want some flavor then add in some crushed strawberries, cherries or blackberries for a tasty new soda. If it's too bitter or sour. just add a tiny drop of agave to balance out that tartness,

You don;t need that expensive serum or popular concealer for beautiful skin or hair. Eat and drink healthy. These are the best you can get for looking healthy and glowing.

A Master 's Legacy

 Thnaks to Eileen  Yin Fei Lo, American home chefs have learned the subtleties of Chinese cooking. She introduced an entire generation to both varied and healthy Chinese cooking. Thanks to her,people  discovered they could  make the dishes they craved isntead of relying on take out.

Sadly Chef Lo passed away at the age of eighty five back in November.She was born in Guangzhou China, the daughter of a government worker and a homemaker. She married American journalist Fred Ferretti in Hong Kong where her family fled after the Cultural Revolution. She lived in Monclair ,New Jersey . According to her son Stephen Ferretti , she was constantly critical of restaurant food. It was easier to cook at home. She and her husband shared a deep connection to food. They even wrote joint reviews for the New York Times where Mr. Feretti worked. Her love of cooking led to her writing cookbooks. Thanks to her home chefs learned how to create won tons, siu mai - a Cantonese version for wonton and char si bao, buns stuffed with barbecued pork.She became friendly with such famed chefs as David Burke and Charlie Palmer and taught them how to cook Chinese food in their establishments. Chef Burke even hired her in the mid-1990s to create a dim sum brunch at his Park Avenue Cafe restaurant.

Yet it is Chef Lo's cookbooks that will be her best legacy. They're still sold on Amazon and there is a wide variety to choose from. She even wrote The Chinese Way :Healthy Low Fat Cooking From CHinese Regions (Wiley Publishers 1987) which features Chinese vegetarian cooking along with healthy ways of cooking through steaming and stir frying. Her first cookbook The Dim Sum Cookbook published in 1981 allowed  home chefs to have the fun of creating all sorts of won tons for the first time. They didin;t have to travel to their city's Chinatowns or Chinese restaurants. Authentic dishes can be made at home. Her second book Eileen Yin-fei Lo's New Cantonese Cooking (Viking 1988)  followed by ten more and ending with  Mastering The Art of Chinese  Cooking(CHronicle Books LLC 2012).  New York Times food critic Florence Fabricant praised her New Cantonese Cooking in 1989 for its' departure from the Chinese food Americans knew. There was a growing interest in Cantonese food  and she introduced Americans  to its freshly delicate and highly seasoned cooking along with how to s on navigating through Chinese markets.

Eileen Yin-Fei Lo made a huge impact on modern American cuisine/ She brought authentic Chinese recipes to the American table. Gone were the days fo chop suey and in its' place authentic wontons and char si bao.

Kouign Aamann The Jewel Of Pastries

The crown jewel of any home or professional baker is the Kouign-Amann ,a lush and fairly complicated to make butter cake. It takes time and patience yet it has its rewards. It can even be a healing experience for some

Regular contributor Yewande Komolafe wrote about this magnificent cake in yesterday's New YorkTimes Food section.Making the Kouign-amman , the Breton words for butter cake is like a climber scaling Mt. Everest. Hard work to do , but there's a feeling of triumph when it's completed. For Ms. Komolafe creating this  cake was also a healing process as well. She had first tried the cake in Montreal  at a bakery that specializes in making them, weeks after her daughter had a serious and frightening Covid infection.  within twelve hours of testing positive her litle girl had a fever so high that she developed febrile seizures. She lost consciousness and had to be rushed to the hospital. Ten hours later the child awoke wanting life to go back to normal. For her mother normal wouldn't return for a while Ms. Komolafe experienced a kind fo pervasive grief that folloowed her everywhere, even on their trip. The kitchen was her only refuge,.As she put it grief occupied all her senses but it neither aided or meddle in her cooking. She found an escape in the Kouign-amann. The patisserie's owner and chef Nicholas Henry let her make one in his kirchen. It helped her as making them six times since then has helped to dispel the grief that followed her.

Her recipe is not the bakery's original. The recipe 's steps are simple yet straightforward. There are three reipes , one for the dough, another for the butter itself (!) and  the third is for the aromatic syrup that soaks it. It is a yeast based dough. It also has the optional toasted sesame oil in it too of you want a nuttier flavor.  The butter part is for lamination and it's a combination of one and three quarter cups get good butter like Kerry Gold) sugar and Morton's salt. The syrup is a mix of granulated sugar, orange zest cinnamom, ground  ginger and cinnamon along with cardomon pods and whole cloves, These last two have to be crushed so they can give more flavor.The dough is a standard one mixed together in a mixer with a dough hook. The most complicated steps belong to the butter.Its' ingredients have to be combined in a stand up mixer using a paddle attachment It then has to be spread into a round and chilled while the dough rises. After the syrup is cooked then itpoured and swirled in the bottom of a greased skillet which will be used to bake the Kouign -amann. Assembly is  basically wrapping the dough around the butter to form a sort of envelope. In a nutshell, it's more folding and then pouring the syrup over it, spreading it with your fingers.It's first baked at forty five minutes in a 350 degree Farenheir oven and then flipped over. There's a second bake, with the cake being done when th e butter bubbling at the edges for an extra twenty to twenty five minutes. More syrup is added at this time. It's cut into wedges and served warm. 

The Kouign -amann is the star of any professional or home kitchen. Try this recipe if you want to create a delicious and lush pastry. It may be difficult to create but well worth it.

A Salad On A Winter's Day

Making a salad in winter is kind of like make a pitcher of frosty iced tea during a snowstorm. Why do it?.Because surprisingly you can create tasty bowls of flavorful greens that are refreshing. It's just treating the veggies differently to create a fresh , summery taste.

Regular contributor Melissa Clark wrote about then in today's New York Times Food section. Farmer's' markets sell slim pickings right now.. Many  veggies like tomatoes are frozen unlike their supermarket counterparts that travel halfway around the globe. However some winter veggies are better  as their flavors sweeten during this cold time.Mid winter is the perfect time for turnips and parsnips.According to New Paltz ,New York Ray Bradley says that leaving them in the ground makes tem sweeter and imrpoves their flavor.Veggies like Jerusalem artichokes need to freeze  because they'll otherwise taste like sawdust. The sugars in them act like a natural antifreeze , helping plants stay alove in cold climates according to Professor Lane Selman  who teaches horticulture at Oregon State University. She is also the director of Culinary Breeding Network. This affects their taste which makes them perfect for all sorts of dishes.Even a lettuce like radicchio mellows during the winter, giving the leaves a milder flavor instead of the usual sharp taste.

Ms Clark includes some interesting recipes. These can be a side but also make for an interesting main meal. There is a roasted butternut  squash salad with a home made Green Goddess dressing. The squash is roasted with honey and black pepper. The dressing is a nice foil to that sweetnessIt's yogurt mixed with basil, parsley and scallions. Olive oil gives it body while mashed avocadoes gives it color and silkiness. Jalapeno is added for zing. The squash is mixed with crisp greens like baby Romaine and Little Gem lettuce. Another winter dalad is smoked roasted carrots. The carrots are first roasted, then smashed and  put under the broiler  for some nice  charring. The dressing is Asian influenced with soy sauce mixed with vinegar and sesame oil. Brown sugar, garlic and ginger is added to this. Add chopped peanuts and a drizzle fo chili oil to the dressed salad. Those who love Casesar salad will go mad for one made with Brussels sprouts. The sprouts are cut in half and then roasted as homemade croutons are also being baked . The dressing is classic Caesar with lemon garlic  oil and Parmesan cheese. Those who love the sweet taste fo fennel will appreciate the roasted fennel and farro one. Tis has a simple dressing zinged up with orange zest and juice.Its a spin on a Greek salad with the addtiion of dates, green olives feta cheese and almonds,. Scallions and herb like dill mint parsley and cilantro also amp up the flavor too.

There's nothing like a bright fresh salad to liven up a  winter's day. Try the veggies of the season roasted and then toassed with a flavorful dressing. It's a nice way to enjoy a taste of summer.

Chutni Punch Adding Fire To Winter Dishes

 This is the time for warm, fragrant dinners. Curries comes to mind. A spice spiked curry with a marriage of different spices comes to mind. It's even better with Chutni Punch , a new flavoring that brings the flavors of India to everyone's kitchen.

I recently discovered Chutni Punch and thought it would be perfect in my slapdash tomato curry. This is a take on a chicken curry turned vegan. It's full of warm spices that are perfect on a cold winter's day.

They come in three flavors, savory chana ,super sesame and spicy peanut.I used a heaping tablespoon  of savory chana in my curry.

Other spices are also added in such as garam masala, tumeric, and cumin along with garlic and onion powders.

The base is a mix of vegan soy yogurt, crushed tomatoes and coconut milk. The proteins were vegan chicken and chickpeas. The chickpeas were cooked first in just vegetable oil and then the tomato was added. Two cups of vegan soy yogurt was used along with 3/4 of a cup of coconut milk. This was cooked for about half an hour until all the flavors are melded together. I used about two tablespoons of ground ginger too, along with a good dash of the onion and garlic powders. A good dash of cumin, turmeric  and garam amsala were also added.

The end result was a warming curry that perfumed my kitchen with all sorts of good aromas. It was great over rice and just the thing on a cold January night.It wasn't as fiery as curries that I've had at Indian restaurants., It was a smooth texture thanks to the yogurt and hot but not super spicy .I'm looking forward to having it tomorrow as leftovers.

Chutni Punch is the perfect add in for a curry.It's also great in other dishes too, Yet happiness on a cold night is a hot dish that warms you inside and out.

Shopping In This New Reality

 Food shopping used to be easy. You just bought the basics if you wanted to cut back. Yet suppose the basics are just as expensive as the frill foods? What do you do? Be thoughtful and open to alternatives.

This is the biggest complaint with eggs nowadays. New York City groceries are offering a dozen for a whopping eleven dollars . You can get a cheaper version across the Hudson River in New Jersey. Some stores like Target are pricng eggs at four dollars for twelve.Still it will be like this for a while thanks to the avian flu  which is rampant amongst wild and domestic birds. As far as having scrambled eggs and omelets  there are substitutes. Just Egg is one..This deep yellow egg substitute is only $3.95 for twelve fluid ounces. You can get two omelets or scrambles out of it. Two bottles is cheaper than a dozen of eggs in some areas. As for baking. you can use aquafaba or chickpea water or brine.This is a great vegan sub in for egg whites , especially if you want to make meringues.remember that three tablespoons of it equals one large egg. Apple sauce and bananas also work as well. With eggs comes bacon and in some areas of the US it has reached $11 a package!!!! You could go for the in house brands which are much less expensive and frankly taste the same. Another option is buying  the meatless varieties like Morningstar Farms which is selling for five dollars a package.

There are other  options you can go with to cut costs.The easiest way is buying all inhouse brands. Acme and Stop and Shop sell a twelve can pack of soda for four dollars , five dollars less than what the national brands like Coke and Pepsi. You won;t have the many variations of Coke but it's still not bad. These packs are great for a party too. As for th e flavor they bascially taste the same as the national brands.The same goes for cereals. You;re better off with buying your favorite store's inhouse brands. Another idea is coupons. now you can download all these different apps to help you shop. Also take advantage of those two for one sales, especially if its' frozen foods where you can store them for months.Those frozen veggies can be versatile too. They're good hot with butter and cheese added on top or turned in cold salads. Take advantage of the sales on them. Should you cut back on the stuff you like? The answer is don't go wild. The fancier foodstuffs like roasts and seafood can be reserved for special occasions only. You can add more veggies in your menu. Ratatouille is an easy and meatless blend of eggplant, tomaotes and onions. Pasta and rice are also cheap simple to make too and make for less expensive meals than one featuring meats.

This is a tough time for food shopping. Yet you can navigate those high prices by smart and thoughtful shopping.It can result in still having filling meals that are nutritious and tasty.

The New Year Throughout Asia

 The Lunar New Year isn't just solely Chinese. Many other countries such as  Singapore,  Hong Kong  Thailand, and Japan to name a few celebrate it with traditional dishes. each country has delicious recipes , perfect for dinner with family and friends.

The Malaysian country of Singapore celebrates with a nod to both its' land and sea  heritage. One popular dish is Bak Kwa or barbecued pork jerky It's thin slices of pork that's been marinated in a mix of coriander,ground white pepper and cinnamon.It's first air dried and then barbecued  reflecting Singapore's Chinese roots from the Fujian province.Home chefs may make a raw fish salad which features raw salmon and pickled julienned veggies like carrots, cucumbers, white and green radishes along with ginger and onion slice.Pomelo, the grandmother of grapefrui,t is also added to the salad for more tartness and possubly to cook the fish much like ceviche. The former colony of Hong Kong celebrates with tong yoon or rice dumplings.The name is similar to the phrase tun yun which means reunion in Cantonese. It's traditionally filled with either black sesame paste or chopped peanuts but more updated versions have red bean paste, chocolate,smashed taro and even custard as fillings.

Thailand's New Year's celebrations start with a whole roasted chicken which symbolizes prosperity and unity.It's s tuffed with small shrimp, sea cucumbers and  crispy pickled squid. Also part of the stuffing are chestnuts which represent wealth and pork innards representing wealth. if that's not enough celery and bell peppers are also added along with, smoked duck breast, gingko and noodles. The filling is stir fried before it's added to the deboned chicken and the whole thing is fried until it's deep caramel brown and crispy. An abalone sauce is added.Japan's New Year's foods are not that elaborate yet still delicious in their simplicity. The meal  starts with ozoni or ozouni a clear broth soup, chock full of chicken and different vegetables such as daikon radishes, shiitake mushrooms and carrots. Sometimes tofu is added along with mochi, a short glutinous rice usually reseved for desserts. The Japanese also enjoy Osechi, an assortment of different foods.  They're served in a giant bento box . There are black beans that symbolize hard work , datemaki, a sweet egg rolled in a fish cake and rolled kelp. Shrimp and herring roe are also served in this box along with the burdock root which represents stability. The meal is finished with mikan a type of fruit ressembling a tangerine.

All of Asia is celebrating the Year of The Rabbit (or Cat in Viet Nam).It's a time of coming together for good foods and good cheer. Families gather as they enjoy traditional customs and recipes.