A Questionable Fourth

 Many people are not happy with this particular holiday.Some futures are not solid, especially with SNAP benefits being cut. Luckily the American people for the most part have the American spirit. We will help those in need. We can;t stand to see children go hungry. We will do our best to feed all those who are hurt by those budget cuts.

Almost two hundred and fifty years ago we fought for our  freedom and the pursuit of happiness. We need to do this again  by helping each other. It will be tough but we need to do it

Fight we must and fight we will. Then we can celebrate with foods we love and that represents America.

New York Croissants Guide

 Manhattan and its' sister boroughs will be the hot spot of many a vacationer this summer. Yes people come for the city's thin crust, tomato and mozzarella rich pizza yet there's another treat to consider. The city makes a good croissant and variations of it. The question is where to go for bite of flaky ,buttery goodness.

New contributor and food critic Mahira River gave the most comprehensive guide to finding this French class in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section. A croissant crawl is a worthy side trip to any Manhattan visitor. There are so many bakeries that produce good ones.The best bakeries are int he trendiest neighborhoods like SoHo and Chelsea. Visit the alf Bakery in the Chelsea Market. The baker Amadou Ly creates a twice baked croissant that's more like a cookie. He adds bittersweet chocolate and almonds for a crunchy bite.Check out another Chelsea classic Le Bergamot, known for their luscious cakes also has a melt in your  mouth croissant that breaks off in feathery shards  when bitten. Chelsea also has Tall Poppy that has a mouthwatering cruffin -a croissant and muffins hybrid,It also has a thick dab of chive cream cheese in the middle for a a different kind of lunch.No Ho (North of Houston street) has trendy restaurants and shops but it also has Lafayette Grand Cagfe & Bakery . The pastry chef there creates a croissant with a flavor between toasted bread and tangy butter.It i beautiful to look at too.It is deeply bronzed with a layering that looks like grained wood.

The boroughs have all sorts of neat eateries and shops. These are worth visiting as well as their bakeries creating croissants. park Slope is as trendy as New York City  neighborhoods go. stop in and see Miolin. Chef Claudio Miolin has elevated the chocolate croissant by adding cocoa to the dough and filling the middle with silky dollops of Nutella. Brooklyn Heights, long know for excellent eateries and luxury brownstones has L"Appartement 4 F. Owners Gautier and Ashley Coiffard even created a croissant cereal made up of tiny crescents. Yet their fan base is all for their regular sized ones, with their sweetly buttery and a tad salty flavor. Astoria may be known for souvlaki and gyros but surprisingly  there are some good bakeries to find melt in your mouth croissants. Bench Flour Bakers gives just plain croissants - nothing filled with almond or croissant. These are just perfect with coffee.There is also someday Bakery which features the black tahini croissant.It's stuffed with a nutty tahini frangipane and twice baked with a cap of black sesame brittle. someday's also has savory croissants that would make for a perfect lunch. There's also Gowanus Runner & Stone that bake their croissants with New York State grown and milled flours ,

Visit New York for the croissants.There's a wide variety of them to choose from. enjoy a a buttery bite with an iced coffee for the ultimate city experience.

The Rise Of Hmong Food

 The Hmong people have been displaced for centuries. They may have found a place to thrive in Minnesota.Here they can create their amazing dishes and have a thriving community.

Regular contributor Brett Anderson wrote about this much troubled Chinese minority in today's New York Times food sction. The Hmong are a minority , first coming from the Yellow Basin area and the originating to laos, Viet Nam , Thailand and MYamnar. They were displaced and settled in Minnesota. from a group of 200, living in the St Paul area in 1979 the community has grown to 100,000 to day. This is thanks to both democrats and Republicans working with  churches and other charities t o help with relocation. with them they brought a rich  south asian cuisine similar to Laotian Vietnamese and Thai. Out for this came two award winning restaurants, Vinai and Diane's Place. Both chefs and owners Yia vang and Diane Moua have brought the cushions to Minnesota, which is enjoyed by Hmong looking for a traditional recipes and foodies dyigng to try their small minority cuisine.The food is a mix for grilled and spicy along with a wide variety of meats, fish and veggies.

The cuisine and eateries are garnering a lot of attention, Vinai, named for the refugee camp where ChefVang's parents met is loud and boisterous. Guests are encouraged to order one large protein such as a double cut , tamarind glazed pork chop or a grilled chicken with what Chef Vang calls a southeast Asia sofrito. His personality is just as delicious and delectable.His dishes have appeared on the cover of Bon Appetit magazine and  he has a show "Feral" on the Outdor Channel. Many  diners want a selfie with him. Ms. Moua's menu is a bit different. She longed to bake and went to a culinary school after she married at the age of sixteen. Baking interested her after seeing the cakes at Lunds and Byerly where he mother-in-law had a pop up sushi stand. her brunch is an interesting mix of American breakfast foods and Asian staples like egg rolls. The dinner menu is more Hmong centered. she offers Hmong pulled pork and spicy Hmong sausage with sticky rice. she also bakes croissant and muffins too.

There will be a day when Hmong cuisine will be just as well known as other South Asian cuisines.Thanks t chefs Vang and Moua this is happening. The food will be popular throughout the US and not just in Minnesota.

Celebrating All American Foods

 Americans tend to do the fourth of JUly with what's considered all American fare. It's the usual hamburgers, hot dogs and ribs. yet our country s so much more than this. we have a richly ethnic table that's perfect for barbecue season,

We actually celebrate the Fourth and every barbecue Germn style. Hots dogs come from the German weiners and wurst. Hamburger derives from the chopped steak dish from Hamburg , the North Sea port. of course beer is as German as it comes.If you want truly American food then think Buffalo wings that came out of that New York State city and was created by Teressa Bellissimo in 1964. Yet Buffalo wings can have so many variations. Add a marinade of ginger and soy sauce for an Oriental flair . add cumin and garam masala if you like Indian flavors. Jerk chicken wings are a tasty addition to any holiday barbecue. However they can be super hot so tame down the recipe Add only half the mount of scotch bonnet peppers or try a mild habenero. ribs come from the Caribbean and these are always a tasty bite. Again, try the same marinades on themes you would with the wings. Middle Eastern dishes  such as kebabs are perfect for any outdoor cooking. You can try lamb ,chicken or a ground beef mix called kibbeh that redolent with mint and cumin. sharwarma can also be made for a flavorful Syrian and Lebanese spin.

Sides can be salads. Yes you could go for the traditional German born potato salad which is a barbecue and picnic standard. This can be varied to be served hot or cold , with bacon or without. There is a Sicilian version that subs in olive oil for mayo  and has the brightness f cut green beans instead of chopped onion and celery .sliced cherry tomatoes are also added for sweetness and tanginess. You could just add olive oil as a dressing or mix it with white wine vinegar for some tartness. An Oivier or Russian salad is another innovative salad. THis is also popular at Piedmontese summer suppers being known as insalata russe. This is a delightful mix of  boiled potatoes, peas, chopped ham and hard boiled eggs. Mayo binds everything together  while fresh dill give its color and flavor. Elote or Mexican Street corn is big right now. It can easily be turned into a salad.First grill the corn and then removed the kernels from the cob. The dressing is a blend of mayonnaise, chili powder, lime juice and Cotija cheese (use feta if you can;t find Cotija). cilantro, and smoked paprika give it more flavor while jalapeno, give ti a nice kick of heat.

Use these flavors in your Fourth of July barbecue. They represent what this country is  - welcoming to everyone and their cuisine. Try these recipes for a fun holiday meal.

Food Is For Everyone

 It doesn't matter who you love as long as you can produce a good  product. This also applies to anything in the food business.If it's tasty and makes cooking an prep time a breeze, then what matters is the integrity, love and spirit that goes into it.

One company is Diaspora, a spice company. The spices are all grown sustainably and they're a must for any home chef into cooking and baking. There are varieties of different masalas that add depth and layers to curries and roasted veggies.Try Nik's achari masala, or turmeric for a golden dish or even a chai. Keep in mind that the spices are top quality so that means a higher price that the spices you'd buy at your local grocery store.A tin of hot cocoa will coast twenty-five dollars while cinnamon is twelve dollars for a small tin. They do offer  the sometimes hard to find jaggery, the brown gritty sugar used in Indian baking and cooking. Hot sauce is a must for summer barbecues. Pick up a bottle of Shaquanda's Hot Pepper sauce created by drag queen and entrepreneur Andre Springer. This is a mix of fresh hot Chile peppers, ginger, onions and turmeric. adding more kick are mustard and apple cider.It would be perfect for  a zingy barbecue shrimp or chicken. There are also other hot sauces such a as west Indian curry  - a zippy ginger sauce with the fiery heat of Scotch bonnet and Oomami a fancier layered sauce made from caramelized onions, habanero peppers and balsamic vinegar.

A good bean can elevate any dish, from soup to chili. Try Rancho Gordo ones. They may be a bit more expensive but they are flavorful and perfect for any dish.Add their Santa MAria Pinquinot bean to chilis; for a thick, beefy flavor that will make the traditional dish stand out.Rancho Gordo also has both black and white garbanzo beans . The black ones have an earthworm nuttier flavor than their white counterparts and would make for an interesting chickpea salad or a hummus rich with flavor. The last can easily be made with just the beans olive oil and a bit of tahini for an interesting appetizer. The company also sells split peas perfect for soups and black eyed peas , ideal for a richly flavored Hopping John. For another legume there is the peanut butter company Peanut Butter & Company. The store has everything ,from peanut powder for making shakes to peanut butter (as well as maple almond butter cookies) Their peanut butters have not only the usual smooth and crunchy types to choose from but also peanut butters blended with chocolate, honey and cinnamon for a different spin. They also offer their version of Nutella, both light and dark chocolate as well as almonds butters.

It doesn't matter who you love.It matters what you love if you're a foodie. Celebrate all sorts of love and people with these brands, full of their own love and goodness.

Gardein's Ultimate Burger Big and JUicy

 This is burger season. Everyone loves a juicy, patty dripping with juices. Unfortunately vegans and vegetarians don;t get this tasty experience - until now.Gardein has the Ultimate Plant Based Burger that's thick  juicy and tender.It's the perfect summer burger.

These burgers are really thick, weigning in at a whopping two and a quarter pounds. 

They took about fourteen minutes in the air fryer at 370 degrees Farenheit. They were flipped halfway through. The result was amazing ,especially on Lidl's brioche buns

This was a big ,tasty bite similar to what you;d get in restaurants. It was sheer perfection in the air fryer.It was juicy and  beefy tasting It will be wonderful on the grill.It doesn't go with it but I took leftover mashed potatoes mixed with Lidl's spinach and created a tasty if unusual side dish colcannon

It actually worked with the burgers. (I was going to air fry  Lidl's crinkle fries for the ultimate fast food at home experience but I had so many left over  mashed potatoes). Still the burgers go well with any side ,from salads to just sliced tomatoes.

Gardein's Ultimate Burgers are the perfect burger experience. Grill or air fry them to enjoy their juiciness .every bite is a treat.

Oil Or Mayo

This is the season for all sorts of salads. They're made with all sorts of ingredients but what binds them together is oil, mayo or a combo of both. Some salads such as egg and potato benefit from the rich creaminess of a good or even homemade mayonnaise.Other green based ones are perfect with a light oil based vinaigrette. 

Here is the question - which type of salad do you prefer? For myself a light vinaigrette works best for me. I even prefer macaroni salads made with it because the flavors of the pastas and spices along with the veggies shines through better.

Which do you prefer?A mayo based one or an old based one? Let us know ..