Start "THem Off Right Healthy & Easy Eating

Any parent knows how to feed their kids. Theytry to give them the best available for the first few years.They want to get th e best baby foods and toddler grub and then follow that intot heir school years.Yet something happens, Those happy ,healthy little ones are growing into morbidly obese kids with all sort of adult health problems. WHy is this happening? Maybe it's not enough really good food.

No matter what we give kids , they still want the fun stuff. Luckily fast food places such as Wendy's and Mc Donalds are offering healthy and even fun choices with thier kiddie meals. They are giving kids the choice between fries and apple slices along milk or soda. Unfortunately most kids usually reach for the fries and soda .Mc Donald's also offers a similar menu with fat free chocolate milk. Still both introduce kids to grilled meats and fried foods  which are not a good. What's your best bet? Limit the fast food places to when they get good grades (It worked for our First Lady and her brother) .Make at home dinners fun too whether with a toy on their plate or a free pass to whatever.

Getting kids to eat healthy at home  is easy.Introduce them to flax seeds that super food that will reduce all sorts fo health risks. They may like the slightly nutty taste because it'll remind. them of peanut butter. Sprinkle the ground flax seed on veggies and even pasta. Use it as a topping for ice cream or mixed with syrup for a kind of nocciola (or Nutella)  taste. Another introduction is the juicer. Let them create their own homemade smoothies and juices for better immunity. Have them go with you when you buy it so they have a say.Once you buy the juicer everyone agrees upon then let them pick out  the orgnaic fruits and veggies that they want. As with treats, keep kids away from candy with fresh fruits and homemade whole wheat treats. Tell them that anything made with white isn't right and that brown is better.

Trying to get kids  to eat can be a chore. Trying to get them eat better is even worse.Yet if you're show them good foods from the very start, they'll be more apt to pick what's right over what's wrong. .It'll make for a better lifestyle later on. They may not thank you for it now but they will when they're grown up and healthy.

Organic Gardening - Your Own Organic Stash

Now that it's March it's time to start thinking of gardening for your future spring summer and even fall dishes. By planting  foodies have free access to any kind of fruit or vegetable. Even better if they plant organically, they have all natural ingredients ready to pick. These are highly beneficial to one's diet and well being.  Plant organic. It's surprisingly easy.

First of all, decide what you're going to plant. Most veggies and fruits such as peas, turnips and onions need to planted within the next few weeks. If you're planting mid spring veggies such as cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce along with peppers and eggplants then you have time to map out plots that take advantage of sun and shade. w,  Another good idea for future organic farmers is prepping the soil. Since there still can be snow and torrential rains, it's best to feel and test the soil's texture.If the earth is wet and gooey, don't plant.If the ball of dirt is crumbly and falls apart when rubbed then do so .Again it depends on where you live. Southerners and Southern Californians are probably chomping at the bit to start gardens while Northerners still have to deal with frozen or drenched soil.

Another important aspect of organic gardening is what you put into the garden to get organic produce. Compost is a big help. Anything is good from  pet hair to grass cuttings. Of course even veggies and fruit are also excellent add ins.The biggest mistake gardeners make is not following through and using organic pesticides.  They wind up spraying deadly and toxic mixes instead of making their own. Plants in the deadly nightshade family make the best repellents. Try cutting up tomato leaves or potato skins combined with water make excellent sprays. Another is hot pepper and water or even just plain catnip (which also works as an ant repellent indoors too.). That kitchen staple garlic is another repellent Plant it and anise between rows of veggies to repel aphids and slugs.

 Organic foods start with organic gardens. Start an all natural one this spring for a season of good healthy produce.Eating healthier and eating better is worth all the work.

Flax Seed Wonder Food?

Everyone is always looking for the next wonder food. Is it a hybrid or enhanced fruit or veggie?Is it a new grain from a Third World nation? Surprisingly it's not any of these.It's flaxseed - ,a food or supplement that's been around for a few millennium.It's not only good but good tasting too.

Flaxseed was first grown in Mesopotamia and used widely in ancient cuisine.  Romans and Greeks added it into their foods and even back then had enriched diets. The French emperor, Charlemagne , passed laws for the every day  consumption of it. Flax was also used in the making of linen so it was doubly important  in  life.It was brought to this country and Canada in the 1700's. The latter is the top flax seed producer in the world  right now. Flax seeds' health benefits are still awesome.It is known to reduce the risk of certain cancers from colon to breast to prostrate.It also helps in reducing heart disease and diabetes along easing menopause symptoms.

Flax seed can be bought at any health food store, such as the GNC chain here in the States.It c is usually  bought already ground or in seed form. The ground form looks like saffron and has a slightly nutty taste.The seeds can be ground in any coffee grinder and stored in a dark cool place such as a pantry or even a fridge. This powdered form  can be baked into muffins and breads or blended into smoothies. Sprinkle some onto veggies for a lightly nutty flavor or mix a tablespoon of it  into chocolate syrup for a kind of hazelnut or nocciola taste. Try the seeds too in either as toppings or in salads

Flax seeds are the closest thing to a super food. Start using them in cooking and baking for healthier fare. They'll nt only improve the quality of life but also the quality of food.

The Knives Are Out

Finding the right utensils can be a headache for anyone who cooks.  Home chefs and pros can agonize about getting the right knife or cutting board at a good price. There is the choice of a regular store or a specialty shop. However there is another choice - the restaurant supplier. This can be a blessing because everything is there and it's usually the best kind.

This was the subject of an article in yesterday's  New York Times Dining section. Contributor Jane Lear  wrote about the famed J.B. Prince Company a Manhattan based purveyor of all things culinary.This is great place (and website) for anyone wishing to stock up on items or starting either a kitchen or a restaurant. it has both old fashioned gear such as mandolines to new fangled microplanes.. The company was started in the mid 1970's by the Prince family. Judith Prince ,a German immigrant and her husband Lawrence, wanted to bring European quality cooking items from France, Germany and Switzerland. They turned their top floor into a warehouse and started a catalog business. They now have a store in the Park Slope section of New York City which attracts everyone from seasoned restaurant owners to culinary school grads..

J.B. Prince has everything from simple cookbooks to even ice carving tools. For those who like to collect recipes there are moleskin journals in which to write down family favorites. There are also a variety of molds for bakers and candy makers as well as the more unusual terrine molds used for making vegetable and meat terrines. The online cutlery section is also amazing , with a dizzying array of knives and turning forks JB Prince also carries poultry scissors and shears in all sizes  , perfect for cutting up various birds. The store also has a neat array of cool machines from the ordinary food processors to sprayers used for spraying chocolate,

JB Prince has a wide collection of all sorts of cooking items. They are a great destination place for any foodie, home cook or chef visiting New York City. If not check them out on line, It's not as great as visiting the store yet they still have everything and anything a cook could want.

The Return Of Classic French Fare

 Before dishes became trendy, they were considered elegant. Their ingredients weren't the flavor of the month.They were time honored and tested. This is true with French fare. Many foodies and gourmets have forgotten that this type of cuisine was the gold standard of all cooking whether it was prepared at home or in a restaurant.

This was the subject of Jeff Gordinier's article in today's New York Times Dining section. He discovers the classic Gallic dish, Tournados Roussini ,a dish that has been missing from most  menus for quite some time, The tournados are tender filet mignons topped with a small slice of foie gras . They are served on buttered rounds and then anointed with a sauce of veal broth , truffle juice and Madeira. The dish was created during the Golden Era of French cuisine by either the culinary giants, Marie-Antoine Careme or Auguste Escoffier. It is a rich dish that was pure heaven to Mr.Gordinier.

Sadly enough only a few French restaurants offer this dish named after the opera composer, Gioachino Rossini. The famed Manhattan Le Bernardin as well as Benoit restaurant in New York City offer Tournados Roussini only during the Christmas holidays. The trendier, Le Sirene in the West Village makes them on a regular basis. The famed modern French chef,Daniel Boulud bases his to die for burgers on them. Hopefully these lush treats  will be back on more menus, despite the price (even for lunch they're around $55.00).

Tournadoes Roussini are a throwback to a more elegant time in dining. Hopefully modern foodies and gourmets will want this amazing dish back in their lives. As with all good dishes, it transcends time and trends.

White Chocolate Defined

Mention chocolate and everyone thinks of either the dark or milk chocolate kind. Yet there is white variety and it's just as tasty and interesting as its' brown cousins.It's also pretty versatile too, ending up in everything from cookies to candy treats.

What is white chocolate? It is  actually a kind of chocolate, made from milk,cocoa butter, and  sugar along with vanilla and other flavorings.It doesn't have any cocoa solids. Cheaper varieties have the cocoa butter replaced by vegetable fats, sometimes giving it a kind of "lardy" taste. White chocolate first debuted right after World War One and made by - who  else -Nestle Chocolates. The first bar was from Switzerland and called Galek.A New Hampshire candy company, M&M  were first made to mass produce it  in the States. The first solid bar of it was called "Alpine White" and was made in 1949.The candy has been an Easter basket staple since the late Forties and early Fifties.

Since the Nineties white chocolate has been important in both baking and candy making.For a different spin add white chocolate chips or chunks to dark chocolate cookies. Its' smooth, faintly vanilla taste cuts the dough's intensity. White chocolate can also be used as frosting whether it's combined with whipped cream or added to a butter cream. The sweet is also  used for holiday candy making too. White chocolate  can be combined with toasted coconut to make haystacks or used to enrobe pretzels.It can be tinted however a lot of food coloring has to be used to get  richer hues

White chocolate may not have the fame and even  fortune of its' cousins, dark and milk yet  it is a  good  treat for any candy lover .It has a delicate flavor that's perfect on it's own or combined with other s. White chocolate is a nice alternative when chocoholics are craving something different and exotic,

Queen Of Tarts

Tarts are one of the most elegant desserts out there yet they're not popular. They're usually considered too prim or fussy - or even worse not trendy enough. Yet tarts can be an classy addition to any afternoon tea or a lovely way to end a dinner party. They are also simple to make, not requiring too much work. Tarts are also versatile, with a variety of different fillings and even crusts.

Tarts are basically shallow individual pies that have no top crust. They are usually baked in individual metal or ceramic shells however muffin tims can be used. A tart crust is the same as a pie crust's using just flour, lard and ice water. A butter crust can be made too for a richer tasting crust that would go well with a dark chocolate filling, Pre made crusts shells can also be made and these are perfect for puddings , fresh fruits and even ice cream.

Tarts can be filled with almost everything and anything, Custard is usually the filling of choice however you can also fill them with fruit and ice cream.  Most home chefs prefer an instant pudding yet a  stove top egg  custard is easy to whip up., Fruit filling is also popular, especially cherry . As with regular pies you can use either fruit in season or canned.  Pecan pie tartlets are also good too and can be made the same way as the pie, using chopped pecans and corn syrup. Treacle tart ,that British favorite is perfect for afternoons teas. It is made simply with golden syrup, breadcrumbs and lemon juice.

Tarts are a lovely way to end a dinner or a great accent to an afternoon tea. They are versatile and delicious , different from other desserts.Best of all they are classy and elegant and not in the least bit trendy.