Hurricane Hoarding

September means hurricanes. The worst weather is about to be unleashed on us, even though some may not be affected that badly. Unfortunately people panic and run amok in their local grocery stores.Before doing this take a deep breath and a step back before you hurricane hoard.

The first thing to do upon hearing that a hurricane is coming is take stock of what you have already. Check to see what kind of canned goods you have and what they can be used for.Also check dates. You may have some expired ones stashed among your current collection of tins.Keep in mind that this assessing can spawn ideas on what to cook.If you have a lot of beans, they can be used in a variety of different ways.They can be used in soups or meat dishes or the main meal itself.. Mashed together you can create bean burgers or bean loaf. The same goes for canned veggies. Canned tomatoes are great in an impromptu sauce. They can also be part of a cacciatore sauce for chicken.Tinned string beans can be used in a salad along with being a hot side dish. Any veggie can be used to round out a minestrone. If you have them, figure you'll have enough ingredients for three or four days.Use them or they will go bad.

As much as you want to, be careful about hoarding dairy.It's tempting to pick up a few gallons of milk and hoard it. Yet milk needs a cool place or it could sour. What is a better idea is buying condensed or powdered milk and adding water to it. Water too gets hoarded as well. Before going out and buying several twelve or twenty-four packs, check again to see what you have. You may have a few bottles left over from summer road trips or beach days that still are potable.If they're past their sell by date, use them for washing  and get new bottles.Eggs and bread are other items that seem to be scooped up at the first bad weather report.Keep in mind that eggs are very fragile when left out at room temperature. Bacteria grows rapidly inside the shell, which can easily lead to salmonella.Unless you have guaranteed refrigeration, let them go for now. Beans can provide your family with the protein needed. As for bread, the freshly baked loaves from your grocery's cake department will turn moldy before the loaves of mass produced bread. Get the double wrapped name brands like Arnold and Pepperidge Farms. These will keep for a couple of weeks if they're properly sealed.

Stocking up for a hurricane is good. Hoarding isn't. Before you go out on a  grocery run, assess what you have. You don;t want to overstock or over buy, You may already have the food and drink you'll need.

Kitchen Cleaning For A New Year

Rosh Hashanah is upon us and that means a new year, along with sweeping out the old. For other this transitional time, it means evaluating the summer foods and ingredients. Get rid of the old,  and prep the pantry and fridge for fall ingredients.

Summer is all about the barbecue sauce. If it's still warm where you are,keep on grilling. The stuff can last anywhere between six to twelve months, depending upon its' composition. However it can also be used instead of ketchup for burgers and fries.Yet it can be added in meat loaf ,meat  balls and hamburgers. It gives the meat a sweet tang and a spicy bite, which takes ground beef out of the ordinary .Another idea of what to do with barbecue sauce is adding it to shredded pork for pulled pork or leftover roast chicken  for a take on the first.This makes a great Saturday lunch, perfect with potato chips or a scoop of potato salad.Barbecue sauce also can be a key ingredient in homemade baked beans.If you bought jerk sauce for spicier outdoor fare, you can still use it  in a variety of dishes.Like barbecue sauce it has a shelf life of anywhere from six months to a year. Add to a chicken stew for some bite and excitement or even to tomato sauce to create a Caribbean version of arrabiata  sauce.

If you have a garden, then you know about end of the season overage.Luckily tomatoes can be  turned into sauce that can easily be stored in freezer.It can also be turned into salsa and even jam.What is great about tomato jam or jelly is that it also uses green tomatoes,This is perfect if you're cleaning out the garden and have a few stragglers.Summer's herbs, especially basil can still be used or ground into pesto.If you've made several containers of the sauce, remember that it can be added to tomato sauce and even mayo.Try a pesto flavored potato salad or hummus for a different take. Make an Italian BLT with pesto mayonnaise and subbing in pancetta for the bacon.Pesto also highlights seafood and fish, Consider serving mussels with the sauce or add it to a tuna and white bean pasta sauce. That sweet summer treat, ice cream, is probably sitting in the freezer.It has one of the shortest shelf life of any summer food - two to three months only.If eating it on a chilly day gives you the shivers ,consider serving it with a hot fudge or hot caramel sauce. Smuckers has some great toppings that can easily be warmed in the microwave. Another way to get rid of it, is adding a blob of it to hot coffee for a different take on a latte.Or put it between Nilla or chocolate wafers for mini ice cream sandwiches (for a bigger bite, use the monster cookies from your local bakery)

It's a new year and a new season. Get rid of the old summer ingredients and make way for the fall..There will be more room for what's ahead.

Fancy Up Your Bake Sale

The new school year is here and with it the promise of bake sales. Sadly it'll be the same old products - cupcakes with blobs of store bought icing. Slice and bake cookies. Maybe a batch of scratch chocolate chip cookies. Perhaps it's time to fancy it up. Make elegant but easy treats that will be absolute hits and bring in more money for your cause.

Add a bit of France to your bake  sale with a  variation  of Gateau breton .This is a buttery tart made with buckwheat with the filling of  dried prunes and apricots. Melissa Clark made this , and gave the recipe in her A Good Appetite column in Wednesday's New York Times Food section.It is a tad labor intensive , because the prunes and apricots have to be cooked in rum before spreading on the dough. Still' it's about the same amount of work as a scratch cake.Also if the prunes and apricots are not to your liking, then try a hazelnut filling. If hazelnuts are hard to find, then try pecans.Another crowd pleaser is the French yogurt cake, This scratch cake looks and has the same dense crumb as a pound cake. It's zinged up with Greek yogurt and finely grated lemon zest. It can be sold in slices or make four or five loaves and sell them.Of course macarons are still hot and will definitely be a big draw to any bake sale.It's a flourless recipe made with a combination of almond meal and confectioner's sugar. One popular combination is a vanilla macaron with a chocolate ganache filling.

Italian treats are another idea. Biscotti is a well known favorite (and a chance to serve cappuccino) and relatively easy to make. It's a twice baked cookie with a simple flour and butter based dough. What is great about them is that the recipe can be varied.Add a cup and a half of cocoa powder for chocolate biscotti. Also nuts can be used to vary the flavors. To give them more oomph, dip the ends in a variety of chocolate  white, milk and dark . Crostoli, those deep fried ribbons of dough will definitely be best sellers at any bake sale. They are deep fried  dough, flavored with vanilla and lemon juice. You could sub in freshly squeezed orange juice to vary it. Most recipes usually call for them to be fried in peanut oil, however due to the large number of peanut allergies, use vegetable oil instead. As far as what to drink with these gourmet goodies,think cappuccino and espresso (although have regular coffee and tea for customers), Also have a variety of teas, from Earl Grey to peppermint and jasmine. If someone has  a Keurag machine and  there's an outlet, then use it to offer a wider variety of beverages.

Zing up your bake sale with fancier cakes and cookies. They'll not only be top sellers but will bring in much more cash than a regular bake sale. Make it fancy - and you'll reap the rewards.

A Late Summer Feast

The days of summer are waning.The farmer's markets will be closing within a few weeks. The barbecue closed until the Spring.Before all that happens , enjoy the fresh produce that can accompany a good cut of steak. It's the perfect weekend meal for a lazy September weekend,

The recipes come from David Tanis and Allison Roman from yesterday's New York Times Food section. Mr. Tanis writes in his City Kitchen column about a vegetable salad, good on its' own or with Ms. Roman's steak recipe.It has a variety of different beans from coco to cranberry, along with runner or Romano beans. Mixed  in with is is grilled eggplant to give it a smokey flavor along with  sliced medium and cherry tomatoes.It's a perfect marriage of cooked and raw with the tomatoes being left as is , and served at room temperature. The beans are boiled in a combination of water and olive oil, seasoned with salt and a sprig of thyme and rosemary , or bay leaf if you want a stronger flavor. The eggplant can be cooked over a hot grill,under a hot broiler or in a dry cast iron skillet. The vegetables are dressed with an anchovy vinaigrette which brings  out all the flavors.Another idea is adding anchovy filets and then using a plain vinaigrette to dress the salads. I would add the filets - which also would go well with the steak

Allison Roman's steak comes with an unusual salsa verde. The steak is a hanger cut, recommended by her butcher.With it comes the salsa verde, made with kale, mustard greens, and Swiss chard instead of the usual tomatillos, white onions, and cilantro.The steak is  cooked in a large skillet with canola oil. It's simply seasoned with salt and pepper and seared for three to four minutes on each side until it's completely golden brown..It's then laid on the greens  to "cook them." This wilts and soften the leaves, especially the kale. Ms. Roman advises to let the meat juices mingle with them to create a rich , savory sauce.She suggests serving it with salty potato chips or steak frites, but Mr. Tanis' salad can work well with it too.Hanger steak can be expensive (there's only one per animal)so you could use a thick skirt or flat iron cut. The skirt is a thin long cut of beef from the cow's stomach.It has a rich beefy flavor, that may work better with the salsa verde. The other option is the the flat iron steak, taken from the shoulder.It's a fatty piece with a lot of marbling to it, thanks to its' location. Still it's an excellent piece to pan cook or better yet , slap on the grill for a later summer barbecue.

A perfect late summer meal is a cooked steak with a tasty vegetable salad. Combine Ms. Roman's and  Mr. Tanis' recipes for a delicious meal Make it and enjoy the rich earthy flavors of both.

A Mexican Flavored New Year

The Jewish New Year is  fast approaching .It begins this Monday with traditional foods celebrating the day, with recipes handed down from Eastern European ancestors. However the next generation adds their own spin, using the ingredients and flavors of their adopted country.

This was the subject of Priya Krishna's article about Mexican -Jewish cooking in today's New York Times Food section., She focused on Fany Gershon, the owner of La Newyorkina ,a sweet, shop, and Dough, a doughnut business. Her Mexican heritage shines through in her paleta's and doughnuts  ,redolent with Mexican cocoa, chipotle and cinnamon. It stands to reason that her family recipes also have these flavors as well.As Ms. Krishna points out Jewish and Mexican cuisine couldn't be further apart but as Ms. Gershon pointed out both are very tradition rooted , very proud and very family oriented.Of course the traditional Rosh Hashanah  platter includes apples and honey to insure a sweet new year., a round challah to symbolize the circle of life , pomegranates to signify abundance and fish heads for fresh starts at the head of the year.The Mexican influences is spice added to matzoh ball soup, apple cinnamon challah and a guajillo pepper gefilte fish.

However she still needed help, especially when she threw her first New Year's dinner in New York.Ms. Gershon had to enlist the help of the New York Times  food writer, Joan Nathan., She was excited to learn that Ms. Nathan's recipes and her grandmother's weren't all that different. Over the years the dishes were honed and polished. The first night will be spent with friends at home while the second night she'll cook a Rosh Hashannah meal at her  husband's ,Daniel Ortiz de Montellano at his restaurant , La Publica in the  Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. There will be homemade challah (which kind of is shaped like her cat Leonard.), rich with apples cooked in sugar and cinnamon.Her chicken broth for the matzoh ball soup will include garlic , cilantro and white onions. She uses white ones because they "taste" like Mexico to her. Extra chicken is added to the pot because the leftovers can be used to fill tacos and enchilada. Her store, La Newyorkina will be serving honey , chile infused ice cream instead of honey cake and rugelach that 's spiked with chipotle peppers.

Family recipes are gems to be passed down. Yet there are outside influences that creep in and make them better. It is true for Mexican-Jewish cooking, a marriage of ancient cuisines.

Put Down That Hot Latte

It may be September but it's still summer - and it's still devilishly hot.Thanks to the chain coffee shops, hot pumpkin spice and maple coffees and teas are being shoved down  our throats, despite the high temps. Forget those. Continue with the frosty and refreshing.

Many coffee shops like Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts, have discontinued some of their summer sellers. This is ridiculous. Summer ends in three weeks.We will still have hot,steamy days that require large cups full of something liquid poured over ice.Luckily there are places that still serve coolers. Panera is one of them. You can still enjoy an iced coffee, or better yet, one of their refreshing agua frescas.These are just infusions made with prickly pear or hibiscus, light flavors that are perfect during these steamy days. Despite it pushing its' fall drinks Starbucks actually does still offer cold drinks Luckily they haven't put their popular Cold Brew coffees on the shelf. For those who want to save money, buy yourself a fancy container and make your own iced coffee.It's nice to bring to a soccer game or a later summer Sunday at the beach. A plus about making your own iced brew is that you add anything you want, from a soy or almond milk creamer  to a squirt of chocolate or caramel syrup.

This is not the time for a cup of hot cider.Instead try  apple slices infused in spring water.Slice up a Granny Smith - you could use Roma's or Honeycrisps if you want a sweeter taste and drop in three cups of cold water.For more zing add in a sliced ginger and some lemongrass. It should last up to three days. Want sparkle? Then combine the slices with seltzer. The latest one to hit the shelves is Bubbly, a flavor soaked seltzer that packed with natural juices. Try the Granny Smith slices with the cherry or orange flavors.September  is also the second season for raspberries. Try these gems in either plain or sparkling water.Add one cup of rinsed raspberries and the juice of one lemon to a pitcherful of liquid. Let it sit in the fridge for an hour and then strain out the berries. These can be reused in smoothies. Serve with mint leaves. Mint is also refreshing . Stir in a few leaves  - not a lot otherwise it will taste like mouthwash, and let set for an hour. Strain and serve with a lemon wedge for color.

Don't touch those hot pumpkin spiced lattes.It's still hot. Stick with an icy cold refresher that will take this later summer heat away.

Laboring To Feed Us

Today being Labor Day it's time to honor those who labor to feed us and our families. They include

the migrant farmers living in awful conditions with barely a roof over their heads and primitive bath and eating facilities. They work long hours tending and picking crops that eventually go into our meals.Then there are the supermarket clerks who check out our groceries. Some work five or six hours without getting a break, or only receiving a fifteen minute breather. Thank them every time you’re at their check out. Also honor them .Don’t go to the self checkouts . The more shoppers who do this eliminate the need for these workers. That means their jobs will eliminated and they will lose everything from a paycheck to their pensions.

Labor Day may mean a day off to you, but to waitstaff all over the US  it means a day of work. Granted they get time and a half and tips, but they’d rather spend this summer day with friends and family. They’d rather chill at a barbecue or beach instead of taking your order and serving them. Give them a bigger than usual tip. Keep in mind that busboys, chefs, cooks and fast food employees don’t receive tips. Treat them kindly, and tell them how much you appreciate their hours of work.

This day celebrates America’s work force. Honor those who are responsible for feeding and nourishing you.