EIght Years Without The Chef

 It is still tough to run a kitchen without the Master Chef.It has been eight years since we lost our Mom ,a phenomenal home chef who should have opened her own restaurant but was also kind and caring.

What is going on in Washington would have shocked her. A lifelong Democrat ,like her parents and husband,she would have been horrified at what is happening in Washington. She would have been one of the first to give and one of the first to protest. She would have proclaimed that it was not right, especially children to have to suffer. We would have donated cans and loaves of bread. She would have urged our favorite restaurants to offer discounts and even free meals to those on SNAP. There would have been encouragement to friends and family to to the same. - donate and urge eateries to participate. 

Caring has always been part of the family mantra. My Mom saw how her father, my grandfather, made sure his brothers and their families ate during the Depression. He was lucky, being a manager in a dye house in Hudson County so he always had a steady job..He made my grandmother buy extra cold cuts for them along with her also buying food for her sisters ' families too. Both strongly believed in putting others before themselves.My mother  and her brother absorbed those principles and applied them in their relationships with friends and neighbors. All four  would have been out there , making sure people received parcels, possibly even cooking for those who needed a hot meal and a friendly table to sit at. Children would have received extra treats like cookies and candy to make the tough times bearable. They would have made sure animals were also fed, seeing cats and dogs as vital parts of any family.

My Mom would have been appalled at what's happening in her government. She would have protested. she would have donated. She would have helped when a government could not.

The Secret of Snacking

Is there a science to good snacking? It's more like a secret and one that's out in the open. Mostly everyone know what to snack on and what not to. Yet knowing what's tasty could help in creating a healthy and delicious experience. 

Health and fitness editor Anna Maltby gave a guide to good eating in today's New York Times Tuesday Science  section. Snacks can help in filling in nutritional gaps by adding such components, according to Emily Wilcox Geir,a dietician and associate professor in the Division of Nutritional Science at Cornell University. What exactly is a proper snack? It should be well rounded and satisfying It shoudl have at least two of the macronutruents protein, carbhydrates and fats. If the main component of a snack is sourdough toast , then top it with avocado , bean dip such as hummus or peanut butter.It's easy to create an olive oil rich avocado spread (add some spices to give ti a salsa vibe) and create a tasty hummus with either chickpeas or cannellini beans. Focus on making it delicious. Ms. Maltby suggests pairing salty with sweet and smooth and crunchy. Keep everything bagel topping handy along with berries, chia seeds and chives. for topping.

Another important question is how big should the snack be. Of course ti should be smaller than the everyday average meal. However it's not a one size fits all . Serving sizes depend on different factors, such as the time eaten between meals along with how physically active a person is. Also cater it to health needs and conditions. The recommended calorie range is wide from two hundred to four hundred calories. Maybe the best way to measure how much a person needs to snack is something called the hunger scale.It basically depends on how starved a person is. Seven is about the number to reach for; it's full but not uncomfortable. Keep in mind that a snack should keep anyone full until dinner. Don't over eat no matter how tasty it is. What exactly is a good snack?It can be a piece of fruit and some string cheese (or a more sophisticated version, apple or pear sllices with a good cheddar) or veggies dipped in hummus, preferably a homemade one. The New York Times has recipes for roasted chickpeas along with various yogurt based dips.Make something appealing  and special.

Good snacking is healthy snacking. It's also tasty snacking that's a great break from the day. Make one that's the perfect bute for an afternoon.

It's Cold Season

 Anyone can catch a cold at ny time of the year. Yet it seems that it's this time of year people are sneezing and coughing. It can be prevented - sort of and fed  - must do.

Preventing a cold can be tricky. There are other factors that play into getting one. Stale air in offices. People around you being careless when they sneeze or cough. However eating the right foods thought the season can help lower the chance of becoming sick.One is having a brightly colored diet. All those fruits and veggies actually do help. An easy way to have this , is sheet pan dinners. Serve a lean protein like chicken or salmon. Serve with roasted carrots and turnips along with broccoli and cauliflower. It's not just goof you ,it's good and tasty too. Add garlic and onion, to immune boosters for more flavor. Have dishes with a good portion of onions  like French onion soup and burgers with caramelized ones. Try to make garlic rich sauces for pasta . Eat more oats and barley.Oats stimulate glucan which boosts the immune system.Barley is also good, since it's full of Vitamin C and antioxidants. Barley soup is a wonderful dish to make and perfect for these frosty days ahead.  Fill it up with veggies too for more nutrients.

If you do wind up sneezing and sniffling, then be prepared. Warm liquids should be on a daily rotation. Hot tea with lemon can start the day(or add a splash of freshly squeezed orange juice to really boost the immune system). Warm apple juice is also good because it is so soothing on a raw throat.Any kind of broth is a must. Its not heavy and can go down easily. Eventually build up to a soup, preferably one with a lot of veggies and barley.What about fruit juices and that sickness must have  - ginger ale? Nix them. Fruit juices and ginger ale are loaded with sugar that have negative effects and zero nutrients. If you crave ginger then shave some ginger slices  into tea for the flavor. Snack on fruits with high water content. Watermelon is good if you can find this out of season fruit. However tomatoes and celery are still in abundance. You can easily create a light salad with either one or both. Chicken soup is good. Add noodles and veggies like carrots and celery for more flavor. Avoid spicy and greasy foods that can irritate nasal passages and upset already delicate stomachs.

it's cold season. Be prepared with having a good nutritious diet. If you do have the misfortune of getting sick, then boost your immune system with tasty and good for you ingredients.

Little Luxuries

 During this time of food hardship and high prices it's time to indulge in a little luxury. It's easy if you use what you have on hand. Any dish from savory to sweet can be elevated and turned into something special.

One of the simplest and in a way cheapest of luxuries is a lush butter sauce. This is an easy make. All you need is one stick of butter or plant based butter cut into pieces.Minced garlic and lemon juice are also added along with a tablespoon of parsley for color and more flavor. This is a great sauce for any pasta ,especially for angel hair and spaghettini. This is also great for any seafood like filets.It  is delicious on spinach and Brussels sprouts too. Kids and veggie haters will change their minds once they taste this over any green.Another budget friendly sauce to make is Hollandaise. This is an easy blend of a whole egg lemon juice and  butter whipped together with a pinch for salt, water and a dash of Cayenne pepper. You can make an easy Eggs Benedict or Eggs Florentine. It can be used on chicken and fish too.It elevates asparagus to a special side with it's creamy tanginess. What can be better than  sauce over veggies? The addition of almonds. You can easily get an inexpensive bag  for as low as $2.99  at Acme and $4.69 at Target. These also elevate such fish as salmon and add crunch and taste to all sorts of salads.

Keep in mind that luxury eating can also apply to baking and cooking. Baking a loaf of brioche bread is as easy as baking a loaf of white bread. What it needs is butter and eggs Warm milk instead of an egg can also add richness.Another buttery baked treat to make is a tray of croissants. Some home chefs might fight the recipe intimidating however it's not as complicated as thought. What makes a batch of them a success is using chilled butter. The recipe calls for flour any kind of milk, whether dairy or plant based along with sugar and the all important yeast. Once the dough is made then it's a matter of chilling it and rolling it out  and then folding ot about four to six times. It's then popped back into the fridge for an hour. Once out again. it's rolled out again and cut into triangular pieces. These are curved into a crescent shape and left to riseThey're then baked. What is great about croissants is that you can add chocolate for pain chocolate or almonds. These make for luxurious breakfast treats. However the simple croissant sandwich elevates the brown bag lunch to new levels. It also makes a great afternoon snack slathered with Brie.

It's easy to make littleluxuries for yourself during these hard times. You deserve good food. Make it.

HelpThy Neighbor

 Americans  are helping others get through these terrible times.It could be governors declaring states of emergency to get more food to their constituents. It could be local restaurants stepping up ,proving free hot meals and drinks. We care for each other more than our government cares for us.

Gere's the question of the week. What are you doing to help friends and family in need? Are you buying their groceries for them? Are you protesting ? Are you a restaurant owner giving up hot delicious meals?Or a concerned teacher bringing in essentials for students' families?

My way is protesting - quietly although I would love to do more. Not only do people suffer but their animal companions do too. I'm donating at Pet Smart but I know I can do so much more to help everyone.

What are you doing? Let us know here and thank you for doing such.

Martha Stewart Forty Years Of Influencing

 Yes, there is Joanna Gaines, Meghan Markle and Ina Garten. There are the tradwives with their milkmaid aesthetic However they wouldn't be who they are , influencers with how we eat and decorate our tables without the first and most influential influencer Martha Stewart. She changed the way Americans cooked and threw parties. Forty some od years later she is still a driving force.

Regular contributor Julia Moskin wrote about this great lady in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday's Food section. . Keep in mind that beofre Ms. Stewart there were only a handful of chefs that America followed. The first was the impactful Julia Child who brought French food to the American kitchen. The second was Marcella Hazan who showed the country the subtleties of Italian regional cooking. Some relied on Fanny Farmer cookbooks along with the famed Joy of Cooking. Yet these omitted important components of throwing a good dinner party. Her message was is that anyone who is organized and determined enough can cook entertain and decorate. There was also lesson on gardening and growing fruits and veggies for dishes. The book that kicked it all off was The 1982 Entertaining which is now being reissued from it's publisher Penguin ,Random House. It originally went out of print in 20201, after the pandemic during which it brought in a million copies.

Entertaining was something of an anomaly at the time. COokbooks by independent authors were an unloved niche of the publishing world.. Color photography was reserved for corporate productions such as the Time-Life Cookbooks and Better Homes And Gardens. The best seller list at the time listed such cookbooks as The Silver Papalte Cookbook, The Moosewood Cookbook and it's sequel The Enchanted Broccoli Express. which represented the culinary and domestic revolution of the Seventies. These showed homey recipes like casseroles and potlucks, perfect for a cozy dinner in but not for a formal gathering at home. Martha Stewart's book was different.It featured lavishly illustrated book of dressy events.There were fancy luaus to even a midnight omelette party with the description terrifying. These showcased antique baskets and spotless white dresses as party wear. Her book and tyle influenced the  great chef Carla Hal. She became obsessed with tiny stuffed tomatoes served on antique silver platters. There were other followers like Katherine Lewin who opened Big Night Store in both Brooklyn and Manhattan She introduced dinner therapy to those who are not adept at it.

Martha Stewart is the original influencer. Even forty years after her book was published her words and actions have an impact. People will always follow her.

Rescuing The Olive Groves

 Olive trees may be hardy yet these tough beauties do need love. There are groves all over the world that need tender care and affection. For years they were abandoned. Now there's a way to give them the warmth and care they need.

Regular contributor and Washington DC food journalist Jane Black wrote about these groves in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Olive trees can last for millennia  as one in Spain has lasted three thousand years and one of the oldest on the Iberian Peninsula Yet it snot just Europe. California has a lot of abandoned groves too. The trees are still viable, with a good harvest that can be used for oil or just for eating. However many are just being plain abandoned. There are close to fourteen million acres and billions of trees that are abandoned. entrepreneurs and nonprofts around the Mediterranean are also working to revitalize these foresaken groves. One prime example is Apradrina Un Olivo or Adopt An Olive Tree, an organization in the small village of Oliete Spain. This village, located between Madrid and Barcelona was in danger of losing everything. People were moving out .It's population was as dense as Siberia's!!. However once Apadrina came it that all changed. Donors came in and both a tree for around sixty euros (around seventy dollars) annually. Donors alro receive two liters of olive oil from the tree's olives too. It has paid off 26,00 trees have been recovered.

Spain isn't the only country,Italy and the Us, particularly California here olives once ruled also have  tree adoptions.Eight hundred trees on Lake Trasimeno in Umbria have been saved.This was the springboard for additional community ventures including a food truck that sells "olive oil" cuisine. In nearby Tuscany the group Abandoned Grove has resurrected five thousand trees.They have also hired disadvantaged workers to produce the highest quality oil.In California Giulio Zavolta and Rachelle Bross  found a twenty acre olive Grove near Los Angeles. The trees were majestic, rising thirty feet in the air. They were over a century old and overgrown.It was hard to reach the higher branches to harvest the olives. With the help of a hired crew Mr. Zavolta lopped off the tree tops as well as printing back gnarled brittle branches.There was nothing left but sawed off trunks and giant stumps. It took the couple three years of contatnt burning to bring the grove back to health. Now they sell their olives to a local cannery while there oil has won a variety of awards, starting with a gold medal at the California State Fair in 2018.

Olive trees are ancient beauties. They should be treated as such.Luckily there are organizations and people who recognize their beauty and want to save them,.