Healthy Care Packages

This is the  time of year when kids start going back to college.  That means  eating at all different hours and non stop snacking. It also means gaining weight and unhealthy diets. What to do? Plan for sending good and healthy care packages.

It's hard to monitor your student when he or she are miles away. You can always tell them to eat healthy and instill good eating habits when they're at home. However that all changes when they get their first nip of  freedom. What you can do is either bring or send healthy and tasty dishes that make up for all that junk. Iif you're a two or three hour drive away from the campus you can always visit with a cooler of premade frozen dinners. Most dorms have some kind of kitchen or microwave where they can cook or live in a regular apartment or house with a kitchen. You can easily premake whole wheat pastas with healthy , fresh made sauce. These are always tasty and appreciated. Also think about making dinners  that feature salmon or chicken. Bring brown rice dishes as well or bring boxes of it for the kids to cook fresh.

If your collegiate is farther than three hours then send a care package. The most traditional care packages contain homemade cookies along with cakes and breads. If you want these to be healthy then consider baking with whole wheat or gluten free flour.A good recipe is oatmeal raisin cookies made with whole wheat flour and brown sugar. You can also add good for you cranberries and walnuts. Of course  the more appreciated are chocolate chip cookies. These can easily be made with all natural ingredients. Think about sending whole wheat breads and cakes too for  alternative treats. A slice of  zucchini or banana bread  is a great snack for the morning or during an evening study session. Care packages also can contain dry  or jarred ingredients. You can pack whole wheat pastas, all natural jams and sauces along with homemade granola mixes too

Even though you;re not there you can still make sure your kids eat healthy. Send them care packages not only packed with love but with nutritious snacks and treats. Your dorm student will have fun food and a good diet.
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Campfire Cooking

There's nothing like an end of season camp fire , especially on the beach. I recently experienced this for this first time and it was amazing. There's something about sitting around a roaring fire , sharing grub and stories. Not only that but there's a lot of fun food that can be cooked over an open lame.

Unlike a barbecue, campfire cooking is actually safer for you. It's just fire and wood along with hot stones. Food is not near any carcinogenic fluids, Usually the fire is ignited with a match or sometimes just a spark from two rocks. Before you build one however there are rules to follow. Try to build one about eight feet away from any foliage otherwise there could the the threat of a forest fire. The beach is ideal for this. Another important act is building some kind of barrier between you and the pit. This saves anyone  from falling in later on. As for kindling, use whatevers' around, sticks, branches, etc. You can start it with a match or cigarette lighter - or the very old school way with thwo rocks banged together

For food think simple.The only utensils you need are more sticks or tin foil. There's nothing like cooking hot dogs over a flame and letting them get blistered. You can also try bratwursts or any kind of sausage as well, Potatoes can also be roasted .Wrap them in  tin foil with butter and herbs and cook for a few minutes. For this you would need fireproof tongs(Or you could cook on the embers) Of course save room for the classic toasted marshmallow. Again these are easy  to toast. Get the sticks again place one or two puffs on them and toast. If you want have the Graham crackers and chocolate on the ready (although s'mores can be messy).

Nothing beats an end of season campfire.It's a fun way of communing with nature  and people. It also is a neat way to cook summer favorite foods under a brilliant and starry night sky,

A Big Summer Blow Out

This is the time for those bigger summer blowouts, the once last chance to really party before the fall season arrives. What kind of party to throw? That's up to you but make sure it's full of fun and food. Try buffets if you' ve spent the summer just grilling or have an old fashioned fancy picnic with real china and elegant food. There's a lot of different types to try.

Most people usually throw an end of season barbecue. This is the easiest to have and within most cooks comforts zones. However you can mix it up a bit by adding some bratwurst and bauenwurst to the mix. These tasty German sausages go well on hot dog buns or just eaten by themselves with a good potato salad.Another shake up is trying ostrich, or emu burgers .You could also throw a luau with a whole roast pig along with fun tropical kabobs of pork, pineapple and cherries. For any of these make sure you get a definite head count so you're not under or over with supplies.

Of course you can also try something elegant and Old World. Having an entire pasta dinner out under the trees on a starry night is a great way of ending the season. First have a traditional antipasto of cold cuts cheeses and pickled veggies. Then serve just simple rotelli or penne with a fresh veggie sauce. Finish with an easy to assemble tiramisu or fruit and wine salad. Another idea is an elegant picnic and if you want have guest s come dressed up. You can serve cold roast chickens and turkeys along with roasts and hams on a carving board. Serve cucumber salads along with ones made from spring greens . Place buckets of iced champagne in  set up corners along with plastic flutes  for niche dining. it's a neat way to have a blow out but in a very courtly manner.

No matter how you do it just celebrate the end of a fun season. You can do it with a wild style or a regal manner. Anyway just have a blast with good foods and good friends.

A Cooling Gazpacho

There ' s nothing like a cooling gazpacho during these dog days of August. It ' s refreshing change from sandwiches and anything grilled.Even better is you can make it any time of the day without working up a sweat.It's great to make right now with fresh tomatoes. The recipe was the subject of Wednesday's City Kitchen column in the New York Times Dining section.David Tanis gives us a good recipe for all those lush vine ripened tomatoes gracing gardens and farmers markets right now.This gazpacho is a rich mélange of those ruby red tomatoes along with garlic and sherry added for nip.It also has cayenne for more bite.ALl the seeds and skins should be removed for a smoother texture and it should be refrigerated for fifteen minutes before serving. The piece de resistance ,though is the topping, a yummy mix of diced bell peppers,Vidalia onions and avocado on a garlic rubbed slice of ciambatta or Italian bread. The veggies are diced into a relish and then with the avocado layered on the slices.It's sort of like the bread topping bouillabaisse .If you want to switch it up some ,nix the bread and relish and just put a scoop of either cream fraiche or even sour cream. If both of these are too much, then just have with simple toasted French bread that's been dipped in olive oil. Gazpacho is an excellent dish on a hot August day.It's different as well as cooling.make it with some vine ripened tomatoes today for a summer lunch or dinner treat.

There's Still Time for Fruit

Even though August is winding down, we still have plenty of harvests around , especially with fruit. There's nothing like using them in great , home made dishes whether a tart or even a clafoutis style pancake,It's a nice way of  enjoying summer's bounty.

Both Melissa Clark and Florence Fabricant gave us good recipes and ideas in yesterday's New YorkTimes Dining section. Ms. Clark  created a sort of clafoutis style pancake made surpisingly of corn and blackberries in her A Good Appetite Column. This recipe is actually lifted form a 1966 Times recipe made by Dasvid Eyre and is named for him.It involves putting corn along with corn meal in a large skillet sied griddle cake. She tops it with fresh blackberries along with sugar. You can easily make this even without the fruit or try others such as cherries or apples along with peaches, The berries are cooked in a simple syrup and then added on top of the pancake.

For Dining regular Florence Fabricant, a tart using a stone or pitted fruit is a nice summery treat. With this she employs peaches, plums, nectarines and even figs, She quarters these and sticks them  in a simple buttery crust. It is a tedious job  artfully placing the quarters in a flower like pattern. Then comes the equally tedious buttering to get a nice carmelization on top of the fruit. Ms. Fabricant reinvents this as pouring mellted butter over the fruit and then sprinkled sugar to help in the glazing process.It gives the entire tart a nice shiny coating and emphasizes the fruit. She  suggests serving it with creme fraiche to cut the sugariness.

Take advantage of the fruits that we still have. They're perfect for topping tarts and pancakes, giving each a burst of added flavor. Use them now, while we still have them.

Kick Up The Grill With Indian Spices

By now everyone must be sick of barbecuing. It's the same thing dinner after dinner or party after party. meats are either  spritzed with lemon or lime or slathered with an overly sweet sauce. Yet barbecue can be revived with new spices and new cooking methods.

Reviving a tired barbecue menu was the subject of the New York Times Dining section article today.The piece, coauthored by John Willoughby and Chris Schlesinger tells how any griller can make an end of season grilling exotic and tasty. Tne Indians have a certain way of dealing with enhnacing their food. Since there are so many different spices, how each one will be used is carefully thought out. For most newbies to this kind of cuisine it's best to start with the basic spices. According to the authors start with whole ones and grind them fresh. The aromatic oils within them start to act and are at their most powerful.There are also two methods to further bring out their flavors , roasting and letting them sit in oil. Both let the spices' flavors blooms and give optimum flavor.

What spices can liven up a mid summer grill? Chili and curry work wonders, especially curry which is just a great flavor. There's nothing like curried chicken or shrimp but you can also try a curried pork chop too for a different spin. Turmeric is another spice that would go well with any meat.Another plus is that it's good for you and can stave off cancer.It has a very mellow flavor, and would work well rubbed on chicken legs and wings and then have them crisped over the fire.What is great about these spices is that they can be combined to create a variety of flavors for any kind of meat., whether beef, poultry or fish.

Grilling can be boring if it's been done for the past two months. However a new injection of Indian spices can turn an ordinary rack of ribs or chicken into something special. It gives new life to tired barbecue.

Easing Into Good Eating

Summer is widning down and with it some bad eating habits. Let's face it, all of us are guilty of either over indulging on goodies or just eating fast foods because we were too lazy to cook in hot weather. However with cooler weather comes better eating habits.With fall and schools comes nutrition.

Even though summer does provide us with a bounty of good , nutritious fruit and vegetables, we have a tendnecy to eat junk. Let's face it who can resist Boardwalk cotton candy and candy apples along with deep fried pickles and Oreos. We love drive in fare and drive through meals.A transition can be made even during a late August vacation. Pack fun fruits that are great nibbles . Think cherries and blueberries. Some blackberry bushes are still producing . Arrange a berry picking outing and then make a tasty dessert using them and honey.If the weather is still boiling and you;re all craving ice cream, think ice instead. It's less calorie and non dairy which means it's healthier for you

 You can start reforming meal time now as well. Try bringing salads instead of the usual fried fare when you're at the beach or on trips. Make them just as fun as a burger or dog by adding garbanzo beans, olives and/or croutons. Also try having a lunch of just crudites and a fun low cal dip such as ranch or a simple vinaigrette. Dinner can be just as healthy. Chop up egg plants, tomatoes and onions for a healthy and tasty ratatouille. Serve with toasted pita instead of the usual French or Italian bread. Consider a simple grilling of chicken with lemon and olive oil or rubbed with healthy spices such as turmeric. Even just a plain steak with a baked potato is a light meal if you don;t add sauce to the steak and a ton of butter and sour cream to the potato.Finish with fresh fruit or a berry parfait made with Cool Whip.

Easing into a healthier diet for the fall is easy. It just means getting away from those fun but bad for your foods and returning to good foods. It doesn't take much but a sublte change every day.