The Hungry Of Summer

Even though it's summer, there are still the hungry and needy.So many people tend to forget them because most feel they"ll be OK.That's far from the truth.The weather may be fine, and in their favor but they still lack good and proper nutrition.Their children don"t even have the luxury of a treat of ice cream or Popsicles. Surprisingly homeless shelters are still packed in summer.Though not surprisingly the amount of volunteers decreases.If you can and have the time, then help out.If you have a garden, and fruit trees, feel free to share.Anyone would appreciate a juicy ripe tomato, and it's bursting with much needed antioxidants and vitamins.The same goes for carrots and peppers.Another kind idea is buy extra on your next trip to your local farmer's market and donate some.Also help out and cook at the shelter.Try to get local companies involved as well to donate for a barbecue.Everyone needs a fun afternoon ,full of hot dogs, homemade Cole slaw and watermelon slices. If there are kids, and there always are, then try to have a sundae bar as an extra treat or the healthier home made ice pops. Food pantries need supplies all year round.Again donate cans as well as any fresh veggies and fruits you're growing.Parents will appreciate these along with the usual canned and boxed goods.Print up recipes and vitamin charts for any fresh sauces or stuffed peppers or onions.If you're into canning , and preserving ,ask your pantry if you can donate these too as well as homemade, pasta sauces,ketchups and salsas.Any bakery owners can also give extra buns and rolls for hamburgers and hot dogs.Try to work with the pantry to ensure that there is a large variety of fresh picked fruits and veggies. Encourage your local pantry sell more fresh juices and waters which are better than all that soda and sugary teas and energy drinks.If you can arrange with farmers markets as well as with any local farms to possibly sell at cost or donate whole wheat baked goods as well as naturally processed honeys that did not sell. Hunger doesn't. Care what season it is. Neither does poverty.Help those who can't afford a meal of fresh picked veggies or a food filled barbecue.It will not only be a good day for them but for you as well.

International Burgers

This is definitely burger season.They 're probably on every grill in America right now.The problem is that they're probably all the same. Beef, waiting for the same kind of bland white bread bun, with the usual tomato, lettuce and ketchup.Yet, this German import is very versatile.It can be made in a variety of ways and have different sauce and condiments from all over the world.Take a trip to find your best tasting burger. Funnily enough, Mark Bittman wrote about varying burgers in tomorrow's New York Times magazine.His Food section features burgers made from different meats.For example you can nix the beef and have a fish burger.He suggests tuna,which can have a Provencale flair if you add tomatoes and olive oil and put the whole affair on a large slice of French bread.There is also his salmon and avocado patty with nori, I would also maybe a dab of wasabi as an homage to Japan.Mr.Bittman also has a shrimp and scallop one with bacon.This would be great topped with a remoulade served again on a generous slice of baguette to celebrate Cajun cooking.He also has burgers made with Italian sausage and chorizo.With the sausage, cook bell peppers and onion and gently lay over the cooked burger.The chorizo again try green peppers and chopped olives.He also went Chinese style with the pork as well, rendering the meat with soy sauce and sriracha along with rice wine and scallions.He serves this on a regular hamburger bun but I think it would taste better on fresh made scallion pancakes. Mr. Bittman also creates a patty out of lamb.This naturally calls to mind Greece and the Middle East.He adds mint and parsley to the ground meat and serves it with feta.You could also have a tahini sauce instead of ketchup or mayo.Ne also gives it a kabob style with kofte, which he just adds eggs to the burger,and serves it with lemon juice and parsley. Of course if you want a beef burger(and who doesn't) then add some international flair.When making up the burgers add a splash of cognac and mustard for a variation of the French bistro classic steak Diane.T A true German hamburger is made with equal parts beef and pork along with a dash of paprika for zest. Serve with string beans and thinly sliced onions.If you want the Southern German style add some plain bread crumbs to the mix.Nix the paprika and add clarified butter and nutmeg if you want Swedish meatballs flavored burgers.You can even make the sauce if you want a hot sandwich.Swedish meatball sauce is made with beef stock, flour, cream, and the pan drippings if you've made the burgers in a skillet. Take your burgers on an international trip this summer.Let them visit Greece or Japan, take them back to their homeland of Germany.Creating different styles is a fun way of adding flair to your barbecue.Get away from the boring and hit the road.

A Thoughtful Fourth

Happy Independence Day to my American readers at home and abroad.For those enjoying it at home, use this day not only to celebrate but what you can do to make your life and community better.It may be eating more veggies at the barbecue or cutting down on the ice cream cones.For your community it could be growing and harvesting fruit and vegetables to take down to your local food bank. Be grateful for our freedoms to do whatever we like.Remember to honor all those servicemen ,from past wars and current conflict.Treat our veterans and families out with a special dinner or a gift certificate to their favorite restaurants.Have welcome home parties if they want those, celebrating with burgers and dogs,pitchers of cold beer and hot roasted ears of corn.Listen to their stories as you sip a cold lemonade or iced tea on the front porch or backyard patio. For my American readers abroad , keep safe .Enjoy your all those amazing creations but remember to sneak in a hot dog or some potato salad every now and then. Above all celebrate this great country and the contributions we've made, big and small to the culinary world.

We Scream For Ice Cream

The one summer food everyone craves right now is ice cream.That and it's"variations are in hot demand and no wonder.It refreshes and revives anyone wilting from July's heat.There is nothing like cooling off with a scoop or two.After all an ice cream cone is what summer is all about. The frozen stuff had an entire Dining section dedicated to it, in yesterday's New York Times Dining section, Everyone from Melissa Clark to Julia Moskin contributed some interesting and sure to be classic recipes.The issue is chock full of some really interesting tidbits.Check out Ligauna Mishan's Hungry Kitchen for an international tour of New York City's ethnic ice cream parlors.Her ice cream journey took her around the city and its'boroughs to try almost every nationality from Filipino to Greek.The flavors were unusual,from an Indian version redolent with saffron to the Turkish Dondurna blend of goat,s milk ,mastic (a chewy resin) and a syrup derived from wild Anatolian orchids.Another contributor ,regular Kim Severson got to travel around the US try more traditional ice cream parlor treats.From Michigan to Maui she wrote about every kind from burnt caramel to shaved ice.As she found out America's relation with ice cream is spiritual and deep and sometimes the best part of the American college experience.People have always loved any sweet frozen treat and where they're served. Ice cream parlors were the first places that allowed single young women to dine and enjoy a night or afternoon with friends.It was the place to meet eligible young mean and fall in love or a scoop of chocolate or vanilla. One of the best articles is Melissa Clark of A Good Appetite.She gives an excellent guide to making ice cream with a basic frozen custard recipe.This makes the best kind of ice cream because of the amount of eggs and cream used.One batch should have six egg yolks and two cups of heavy cream.She also gives a recipe for financiers , a kind of merengue made with the leftover whites.There is also a chart to make different flavors of ice cream.For the aromatics, she uses the common vanilla and coffee along with the more unusual green tea?There is also cinnamon as well as lemon and lime.Ice cream lovers can also create fruit flavors such as strawberry and banana as well as the classic chocolate and the naughty butterscotch bourbon. There is also the recipe for classic pistachio ice cream and almond.Julia Moskin gives us the most perfect topping ,a rich ganaches that will sure to be a family favorite once tried,Another classic.It's a sophisticated and more flavorful alternative to hot fudge.If you want lighter fare then try David Tanis of A City kitchen flavored ice recipes.He has a savory tomato ice, perfect as a side to any grilled meat along with a shaved ice with a sweet blackberry syrup. If you scream for ice cream ten go to The Times online and download the recipes and articles.The recipes are a great dessert or even just a snack right now.They will keep ypu not only cool but supremely happy.They are what summer is all aboutabig scoop of goodness.

Ninety Acres Of Good Eating

It’s not the scenery,although breathtaking, that stands out at Peapack,New Jersey’s Ninety Acres Restaurant. It’s the innovative way of cooking thanks to a brilliant young chef. David Felton, that makes this eatery truly outstanding. Foodie Pantry received the privelege of sitting down with Chef Felton and discussing his philosophy.

For anyone, whether a professional chef or a home chef, just looking at Ninety Acres farms is a dream come true. A large variety of vegetables and herbs grow on rolling hills, just outside the kitchen and restaurant. There is no need to deal with dubious suppliers or questionable produce and meats/.The time of year dictates what the kitchen will create . “Seasonal main dishes right now feature corn,tomatoes ,Chinese cabbages, while dessert ones will feature fresh strawberries.There is no breakout dish or highlight dish of the season.” explained Chef Felton. However working with the farm to table philosophy can present some problems he added. Spring can give too many green or unripe vegetables. Summer gives an overabundance of tomatoes while fall brings about too many pumpkins and squashes. With winters come braises and a smaller list of ingredients to use. Yet he encourages home chefs to attempt their own version of Ninety Acres/.They can turn their yards into gardens as well as visiting their local farmer’s markets. This is a great way of eating healthier , eschewing chemical laden prepared foods.

Ninety Acres is a foodie’s dream, not only because of Chef David Felton’s vision and talent but because of the farm to table menu. His creations are not only delicious but also fresh from the garden. Eating at Ninety Acres is a true culinary experience.

Breakfast Sandwiches Explained

We're always told to eat a good, well rounded breakfast.It helps us get through the day and it's part of a balanced diet.However create a hearty home cooked breakfastvhas two thongs against it,it can be boring and it can also be too labor intensive.That's about to change.There's a new cookbook out with recipes on quick and easy breafast sandwiches.Best of all they can be made and eaten at any time during the day. Crazy For Breakfast Sandwiches (Ulysses Press) is a neat little cookbook by author and chef Jessica Harlan.She is a food writer as well as culinary teacher who has come up with a variety of recipes for anyone with a breakfast sandwich maker(the best one to buy is made by Hamilton Beach and can be bought anywhere from Bed, Bath and Beyond to Target and Amazon.)"It's a neat little contraption that can cook eggs, cheese, meat and muffins all together in five minutes.Ms.Harlan give advice as well as a categorized table from the base usually bread to what the basic ingredients and toppings.Anyone from the novice to experienced chef can make these.You can go without the breakfast sandwich maker, but it can be a little tricky. What's great is that you can sub in healthy alternatives too.Egg whites can used instead of the entire egg.Toppings can be cheese but there are a lot of recipes recommend fresh vegetables and even apples.Meats can be vegan breakfast patties or hot dogs.This is a cookbook for all tastes and for those curious cooks who want to try something new. Ms.Harlan has created some fun recipes .Some are perfect for a pajama party like the breakfast pizza.This is an egg topping a mini pizza made with Boboli pizza crust, pizza sauce and skim milk mozzarella.Weekend guests could be treated to crab cakes topped with dill eggs and hollandaise or the ever sophisticated lobster and tarragon creme fraiche muffin.This last is a muffin stuffed with lobster and scrambled egg with a sauce of tarragon laced creme fraiche.For health conscious breakfast lovers there is the gluten free sandwich with an avocado spread and a turkey egg white sandwich,The book and the breakfast sandwich are also perfect for those singletons living alone.There the tuna melt and English muffin pizza.There's also patty melts and grilled cheese that's are snaps to make.If you're craving a hot dessert then look into the back of the recipe book,You can try a quick pain au chocolate or an apple pie donut sandwich. Get the Crazy For Breakfast Sandwiches if you love hot sandwiches to start off your day.Ms. Harlan has created a must have, classic recipe book that's easy to follow.It's the perfect one for any McMuffin fan.You could have them your way!

Your Best Summer Friend - Water

Hot weather brings about thirst.That's a given.We reach for all sorts of cooling quenchers from cola flavored Slushies to all sorts of fruit infused teas and juices.Yet the best liquid is the simplest.Water.We need it as much as we need sunscreen and bug repellent during these ,sweltering months. Everyone should be in the habit of drinking Adam's ale. (and yes ,this is a cute but accurate description) Humans need water , especially now with the high temps.We can last a month without food but only a week without water.It is needed for lubricating vital organs as well as eliminating wastes from the body.It regulates our body temperatures,and keeps our eyes, mouths and noses moist.If you notice that your urine is a dark yellow or that you seem to be getting a lot of headaches , then you're probably dehydrated. Surprisingly drinking too much water can be bad as well.The condition is called hyponatremia where too much ingested water causes cells ,especially brain ones to swell.Side effects are nausea ,severe headaches and cramps.Mostly runners get this due to the extreme need to drink.The everyday person should have about six to eight full glasses of water a day.The best way to determine if you are getting enough of it is to look at your urine.You're drinking the right amount if it's a pale straw color.Deep yellow to orange colored urine is a sign of dehydration and if this is the case starting drinking more. A lot of people, especially adults, shy away from drinking water, especially now.Some would prefer an icy soda or slushie , others live for an iced coffee.These do add to the fluid intake but there are drawbacks too.Sodas and slushies have a high sugar content as well as leaving drinkers wanting more.Sweet drinks are also fattening ,not a plus during swimsuit season.Caffeine is even worse. It dries out skin cells not to mention it is a powerful stimulant.The problem with water is well, it is water. It's nice to take a sip before dinner or in the middle of the night when you wake up with cotton mouth.Water is luckily versatile, you can zest it up with a splash of lemon or lime.If you want something with a little more dash, then add some sliced strawberries or crushed blueberries.If you still crave fizz then think club soda.This is nothing but carbonated water.It's a great drink for the beach or for those summer parties when you don,t want alcohol.Like it's plainer cousin, it can be jazzed up with crushed fruit or fruit slices. If this hot weather is leaving you parched, then reach for a chilled bottle of water.It's the best weapon in dealing with the sweltering days of summer.Crack open a bottle now and enjoy it's cool purity.