Live Longer, Eat Junk

Forget the healthy diets.if you want to live longer eat what's bad for you. That's the big article in this week's New York Times Dining section. Several octogenarians and nonagenarians have been interviewed and their dietary tips may be startling. It's not all healthy veggies and fruits that's keeping them going.

The article, written by Henry Alford, tells about three or four of these golden agers who have a passion for the golden fried. They have nixed the sugar and salt free diets and heartily dive into dishes that are laden with all the wrong things. Too many calories. too much salt, too much sugar. They even have copious quantities of alcohol , lovely mixed cocktails that would put twenty year olds under the table. Yet they survive. Lets face it, if these foodies lived this long without any problems then they can eat and drink whatever they want.

The secret though is what the French believe in - moderation. Have the occasional salty fried chicken and fries but don't make it a habit. Indulge in steak every so often, however temper it with sides of healthy good for you vegetables like spinach or carrots . Both veggies are chock full of needed antioxidants and vitamins. Desserts are fine but also have some healthy fruits too. As for drinking a mixed cocktail every now and then it's OK, Just watch yourselves. Too much of a good drink can impair balance which is extremely important in the elderly . It's basically a question of treating yourself and knowing when to pull back - which is good advice for any age.

Getting to three digits these days isn't as rare as it used to be.Most attribute this to a healthy diet, however that's not necessarily the case. Some live to a ripe old age thanks to the fatty foods, sweets and snacks!

Spring Cleaning Your Kitchen

It's almost time for Spring cleaning and that means getting the kitchen in good shape. Yup throw out that black gunky stuff that was party food at Christmas, get rid of the appliances that don't work and defrost the freezer. A cleaner kitchen makes for a better one and now is the time to do it.



The most important thing is getting rid of food. Cold cuts can last only up to three days unless they;re the vacuumed packed ones. Then you can keep them two to three weeks tops. veggies will get wilty and brown - not to mention nasty smelling. Check expiration dates. Those salsas you bought for the Superbowl are more or less OK, depending on how much air has been let into the jar (Oxidation is food's worst enemy. it;s causes a lot of bacterias to grow over night). Also check pantries too. Flours only last so long otherwise they get wormy (little weevils tend to appear). Sugar is more or less OK as is coffee.



Another idea for Spring kitchen cleaning is to check your appliances Make sure they work properly. If their cords are starting to look frayed then toss them. You can easily get replacements (and on sale too at this time of year!) . Another idea is sharpening your knives .It's always good to have them rehoned once o twice a year.Of course the big thing is defrosting the fridge. This is an excellent time to also make sure that it's working properly. Check wires and underneath.Spring is also a good time to reassess the stove to see if it too is working properly.



Spring cleaning extends to every corner of the house, especially the kitchen. Start fresh by reassessing and throwing out. You'll be able to enter the season with a healthier, updated cooking and eating area.

Party Planning

Spring is coming and with it a wealth of parties. There will be showers, small weddings, graduations and everything large and small in between. What do you do? Do you throw a bash in a big hall, or restaurant? Can you try to have it at home? What about a small barbecue? Or a series of them? So many questions but luckily they all have answers.

For anyone planning any big events this season there are three choices , restaurant,hall or someone's house. The best bet is a restaurant for groups larger than twenty(I would even say groups larger than ten). A restaurant can work with you to have a variety of menus or just an all satisfying buffet. You can work with them to tailor to meet needs and dietary restrictions.They will also throw in a dessert buffet too , depending upon the place. A hail is nice too but you have to have a good caterer to go along with it. A good thing about renting a hall though is that you can decorate it the way you want. Restaurants do have restrictions. Someone's home is nice but it;s just that someone's home. There's only one kitchen and one bathroom. at times.


Private homes aren't bad for smaller get togethers. There's nothing like relaxing in your yard and celebrating some event. with a close cadre of friends and family. There;s nothing like making your own barbecue or buffet.Again you can incorporate your guests with yours. Remember to keep it small. A party can get out hand when you have too many . You'll be running out of food or worrying about people's allergies With smaller groups you'll be able to manage everything from cooking to cleaning up yourself. There's also more of a chance of guests chipping in to help too.

Yes, Spring is on the horizon and with it the party season. If you are planning one go over the available options. Think about what you want. Then start mapping out the festivities

Want Pure and Natural? Try Vegan Essentials

Years ago it was hard getting all natural food.You usually had to go to out of the way health food stores or scour your supermarket aisles Then came the Internet and with it search engine and goo s all natural food sites. One is Vegan Essentials which offers cruelty free and mostly all organic foods . You can get everything from breakfasts to snacks to party foods here.



Vegan Essentials is a great place for any vegetarian along with animal rights activist. here you can get tasty soy based main dishes like faux chicken nuggets and pulled pork . They taste like the real thing and are lifesavers when cooking for an all vegan household. There are even "chicken soup mixes that taste like the real thing with soy bits filling in for the bird. You can even buy fake soy meat loaf and fish flavored fingers too if you're craving them.Another plus is that Vegan Essentials also has some good cheese products as well as ethnic foods. They have a wide range of Indian and Mexican, perfect for vegans craving variety.



The site also offers some yummy sweets too. Here I found Sweet Money cookies as well as the Liz Lovely ones I wrote about yesterday. VE also offers some tasty all natural doughnuts and best of all that Midwestern treat Kringle! Theirs is rich and buttery , surprising, because it is dairy free (I don't know how they do it)! The site sells all natural gum and chocolate too! I think on my next visit , I'll order the all natural gumballs from Dylan and Delaney along with reordering these fantastic after dinner mints called Summerdown Pure Mints. These are bitter chocolate with a refreshing all natural mint added to them.


Vegan Essentials is perfect if you're looking for all natural, cruelty free foods. It's also good if you;re thinking of converting over to a healthier lifestyle. the food is still yummy whether it's a main meal or a snack. Visit them today and check out their other cool products too!

Liz Lovely Cookies A New Favorite!

I've recently discovered an amazing cookie company that produces the most decadent cookies. Why are they so amazing ? Because Liz Lovely cookies can bake something so sinful and decadent without dairy or eggs. They also create gluten free masterpieces that would make your knees weak! How could something so good taste soooo bad?


The company was started back in 2003 by Liz Lovely ( it's not listed whether this is her real name or an alias) and Cowboy Dan (his nickname???) her husband in crunchy granola Vermont, home to some of the most organic and wholesome products in the world. Their beliefs mirror other all natural green Vermont industries with supporting sustainable and local agriculture by using products grown in their immediate area. They also use all green packaging when shipping. Above all this Liz and her staff make cookies that are just simply good. They are good tasting and good for you, perfect for those with dairy or egg allergies or those with gluten problems.

What I love is that the cookies taste like pure heaven. I've only bought two kinds , the amazing awesome Cowboy cookies and the Snicker Dudes. The first is a wonderful meld of walnuts oatmeal and chocolate and actually taste buttery. The cookies have a chocolate bottom which makes them more candy like . The Snicker Dudes are these again buttery tasting snickerdoodles. They have just the right amount of cinnamon to give them a punch. I also like that the fact the cookies are big. like those individual bakery cookies and they come two to a pack. I am dying to try their mint Lovely Ohs which is a chocolate cover minty Oreo along with some of the gluten free chocolates.

Pure and natural doesn't t have to taste bland and boring. Liz Lovely Cookies makes that certain. They may be wholesome in ingredients but sinful in taste!

Shaved Beef, Delicious And Easy

Shaved beef is one of the easiest ingredients out there. You can make whatever you want with it and it will still be tender and tasty. Best of all any novice cook can take it and turn it into a masterpiece. It's hard to screw up - no matter how you prepare it.

The cut was feature din yesterday's New York Times Dining section in an article written by Jane Sigal. She not only explains what it is but gives some excellent recipes with it. The cut is basically the chewy top round from the leg. it should be tough however thanks to precision butchering it comes off perfect for any kind of dish. The Germans make rouladen out of it where it's rolled around pickles, onions and bacon while the Italians create bracciole which has the slices stuffed with a spinach and cheese mix or tomato and breadcrumbs mix. Shaved beef can also be used in bulgoki, the Korea's national dish.

The recipes include d in the article were good too. There was glazed beef and scallion rolls, which would be the perfect small dinner party treat. This involves asparagus and scallions wrapped around marinated shaved beef and then grilled in canola oil. There's also a saucy Mexican twist on peppers and steak involving jalpeno or habenro peppers along with beef involtini ( a smaller version of bracciole) that;s great topping fettuccine. Shave beef allows you to be as creative as you want to be. It's even good just served plain on toasted Italian bread.

Shaved beef is any novice or creative cook's dream. it is simple to make and serves as the base for any number of recipes. You can make traditional like bracciole or exotic like bulgoki. It can be turned into a Sunday rouladen served with sauerkraut or a Saturday night party dish filled with fiery peppers. Shaved beef is really a great canvas for any cook.

Indianaolis Culinary Capital??

Midwestern cities aren't usually known for ethnically diverse cities. The people may come from all over the world bu t the tastes are usually mid American with chain restaurants and simple grocery stores. Not so in Indianapolis, It turns out this capital city is host to a wide variety of ethnic restaurants. The heartland doesn't just offer beef and potatoes. it has a whole new menu these days.

In a brilliantly written article for the New York Times Dining section, regular contributor, John T. Edge tells about the diversity in Indiana's capital.. It was once the home to just Germans, English , Scotch and Irish,. The city now has Burmese and Mexican. Pakistani and Salvadoran residents, all creating interesting foods. Restaurants now offer dishes like tikka masala and satays, enabling both newcomers and older residents to experience great international feasting.

Indianapolis is not a new phenomenon. There have been Vietnamese coming into New Orleans for four decades now, mixing Southeast Asian with Creole and Cajun cooking. There is Charlotte, North Carolina that has a big South American population. Empanadas and Southern classics mix freely. As with immigrants groups before them these new waves blend their tastes and likes in with the established to create a new kind of taste.

The heartland is changing. Gone are the days of the typical Midwestern meal of just meat and potatoes. new dishes are making their way into the Midwest, and they bring delicious winds of change.