Spring Awakening

Now that the weather is becoming warmer it's time for every foodie to start thinking about their gardens. You don't have to be a green thumb, plant hugger to have a successful spot. Even a small herb garden is always useful.

Right now you should be writing down what you want to grow. The second thing is mapping out where fruits and vegetables should be planted. Try to vary the spots from year to year to insure bigger and healthier produce. Don't keep planting your tomatoes and squash under the bedroom window year after year. Keep that space free for one season and let the soil replenish its' minerals. Also keep in mind how many plants you want. If your family is more tomato crazy than lettuce, then it stands to reason you'd be planting more of the first than the second. Since vegetables come in several subvarieties, think about what you'll be using them for. You may want to grow onions for burgers as opposed to shallots for sauces and stews.

Fruit trees are another matter because it takes a few seasons for some to produce any kind of bounty. Also make sure your yard can support trees. An apple tree requires a lot of space: anywhere from a foot up to a yard for perfect, unencumbered growth. Pear trees are similar. Fruit trees also require a lot of spraying and pruning. If you don't have the time for this, then stick with the much easier vegetable growing.

If you have zero time for any kind of gardening , then consider growing herbs. Raising chives, tarragon, dill and oregano are easy and fun. They do require some care such as watering and diligent weeding. Luckily that's about as much care as needed. Herbs don't require a lot of fertilizer as well as a lot of direct sunlight. You can grow a patch of them anywhere , even in your front lawn. Just make sure they have partial shade and adequate water and mulching. From then on you can use them to flavor grilled meats and vegetables. You can also freeze dry them or hang them in your pantry or basement for later use.

Garden plants and herbs can be bought anywhere, from Lowe's, Home Depot or your corner nursery. You can try the mail order catalogs and internet nurseries but be wary. I've been burned in the past by these and wound up losing money over "bad" plants.

I want to end this with a special thank you for my cousin Denise in Illinois. She sent the best sweet potato casserole and butterscotch pudding recipes at her little cousin's requests. They are awesome and I'll be publishing them soon.

For all you energy drink lovers remember that Fyxx Hybrid Water starts selling in the New York metro and northern New Jersey areas tomorrow. April 17th. If you can't get it at your local store, then go to www.fyxxwater.com

Salt of the Water

Does anyone love sea salt as much as I do? This is a centuries old condiment that's reaching new heights in the 21st Century. If you haven't tried it before , then try it now. There's something magical about these amazing grains and where they're harvested. Not only that but sea salt is better than regular salt because just a few grains of it flavor a whole plate. You don't have to go wild with your salt shaker and coat everything. Just a few briny nuggets are good for giving your food that extra oomph. Natural salt, although lacking in iodine, does have other valuable minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium and sulfate.

Unlike plain table salt , sea salt comes in a variety of colors and shapes.There is the delicate Sicilian salt, Sale Antico, which is a very fine flaked pure white salt. There are the grey sea salts of France that have natural iodoine in them. There is the much desired Fleur de Sel. from Portugal (I know, the name sounds French)This is the "baby" salt, or the first bloom of salts that forms on the tops of evaporation ponds. This is a great addition to cooking along with salads. My favorite is sea salt from Maine with it's crunchy nuggets and salty sweet taste.

Nowadays you can go everywhere from your local supermarket to Williams and Sonoma to online salt stores and buy the salt of your dreams. I usually head to Williams and Sonoma where they have an excellent array of American and European salts. I like the British Malden's as well but any kind is just great.

Make the switch from regular table salt to sea salt. You'll wonder why you didn't much sooner.

To Buy Or Not To Buy Organic

There's a real problem when we hit our local grocery's vegetable and fruit section. Do we splurge and buy organic?Or do we scrimp and get the regular pesticide doused tomatoes and apples? There in lies the question.

Is organic produce really better than ordinary produce? A good and dear friend of the family had suggested we try organic bananas. She said they were sweeter tasting and definitely worth the price increase of twenty cents more than our regular grown bananas. I bought them but was still skeptical. Well, they did have a slightly sweeter taste and slightly firmer texture than the non organic kind. Yet that was it. I went back to buying my good old bananas the next week. To be honest I really didn't see any real difference in buying the two qualities. As for fear of ingesting pesticides, my produce has always been thoroughly washed before serving or prepping. I do give every fruit and veg in my house a double rinsing before eating. Maybe it's not enough. I don't know.

Years ago another friend used to be into all things organic. However he switched prices on the organic and regular oranges so he wouldn't have to pay full price. I used to laugh at him as well as admonish him for doing such. He just shrugged and said he was doing his wallet and his body a favor. Even at that time, ten years ago, I wondered if organic was really that good for you. After all aren't all plants exposed to our toxic air too? I'm sure pollution has done a number to our American produce as well.To be honest if you want really organic, grow it yourself. You can limit the amount of pest control on your fruits and veggies. Besides now is the time to start buying plants. Most stores such as Lowe's, Home Depot, and your corner nursery are selling everything form fruit trees to herbs. Also your local farms and farmers markets are probably big purveyors of evertyhing organic, from greens to cheeses even

Should you splurge and buy organic? As a foodie I'll say yes. As a smart shopper I'll say no but advise you to double wash and rinse all your fruits and vegs.

Spear Shakers Unite! It's Asparagus Festival Time!!!!

What vegetable heralds Spring more than the asparagus? This symbol of rebirth and renewal is the perfect accompaniment to holiday meats such as ham and lamb. In my great grandparents' Swabian and Bavarian hometowns of southwestern Germany asparagus, known as sparkel , has its' own festivals. My cousins go mad for the white variety sold at roadside stands. This love carried over to my grandfather, my mother's father who made it a staple of his springtime dinners(my granddad was a killer cook by the way). His wife, my Piedmontese grandmother, put her own spin on it and produced a buttery , easy to make asparagus dish.

If you don't love asparagus, you should. Why? it's a good source of potassium and fiber along with being low in calories and rich in rutin. Rutin is a much needed bioflavenoid needed by our bodies to strengthen capillary walls. Hey, the real reason why you should love asparagus? The fresh Spring-y taste! Nothing can beat it!
PS - If there's no Asparagus Festival by you - then gather up your fellow spear shakers and throw one!
Here is my Nonna's asparagus recipe:

1 bundle of asparagus
1 hard boiled egg
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine

Cut ends off asparagus bottoms. Plunge spears into salted boiling water and cook for ten minutes until all spears are tender. Place in a large dish , with spears all facing one direction. Cover asparagus with a sliced hard boiled egg and grated Parmesan cheese. Pour melted butter over this and serve. You can place the dish under a broiler for about two to three minute to melt cheese if desired. Serves four.
Don't worry about leftovers. There won't be any. Believe me.

My thanks to the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board for the nutritional information

FOODIE PANTRY WILL BE THROWING ITS' VERY FIRST EVER CONTEST SOON! STAY TUNED FOR MORE DETAILS!!!!

Buffet Style

I live in New Jersey which should now be known as the Buffet State instead of the Garden State. I've seen this foodie phenomenon grow here in the last ten years. Every town has at least one all you can eat restaurant. It's a great premise really and one that can be adapted to your party style.

Most hosts and hostesses always serve just two or three dishes at a party. This is great but it kind of limits guests to dishes or tastes that they may not like. Follow what the buffets do - have many platters with a variety of vegetables and dips. You can also have that childhood classic - English muffin pizzas but put an adult spin on them. Have guests create their own toppings with olives , cooked shredded beef or chicken and different grated cheeses. You can also cut up some broccoli, cauliflower and onions for a raw food pizza. (Just bake the muffin slices with only a drizzle of olive oil and tomato on them).

For the main course serve smaller variations of party food. Chicken wings are a party saver as are any kind of kebabs. Everyone loves rice and pasta so make three to four smaller dishes of each . Salads are another good addition. You can make traditional potato and macaroni ones or try somehting new with arugula, or field greens. Since the warmer weather is coming grill your buffet. Guests love the season's bounty when it's been roasted over a fire. Because you want to mingle with your company also appoint a couple of sous chefs (or sous grillers in this case) to relieve you.

Desserts can be a fun cornucopia of easily made cobblers, ice creams and ices. If you're thinking about a big summer blow out stop by your local Rita's Ice and pick up party buckets in two or three flavors. You can let guests make parfaits with the different flavors, using ice and fresh fruit. Also a few quarts of just berries are a nice dessert topper as well.

Buffet style is easy to adapt to any party, especially summer ones. Just use your creativity to invent something that will rival the all you can eat ones in your neighborhood.

Contest Alert - Foodie Pantry will be holding its' first contest in the next few weeks. Look for more alerts and details!

Ginger Snaps!

The ginger root has been around since the beginning of time. It was first and still is used in Asian cooking, imparting a wonderful taste. As a dedicated foodie I recommend cooking with ginger. It adds zing and zest to stir fries while making desserts and drinks extra special. It's also good for the digestive tract as even our Colonial ancestors found out. Eighteenth Century Americans often finished a meal with ginger in some shape or form, whether in tea or as a candy. It's also good for curbing nausea . Moms to be and anyone undergoing chemo treatment should have ginger on the ready to prevent and squelch any queasy feelings.

Where can you find ginger? Surprisingly in your local grocery store. It's become a big part of our cuisine these days that chains have to stock it. If you want more innovative ginger products then visit http://www.gingerpeople.com/ This is a great site where you can find everything from wild ginger sauces to spicy ginger shortbreads. They even have authentic ginger beer which is not for the faint hearted. My faves are their crystalized ginger which is good mixed in hot tea and Gin Gins , energy boosting ginger drops. I'm also mad for their shortbread and sauces.
Their Ginger Lime Marimade and Sauce is perfect for Oriental stir fries as well as for barbecued meats.
Here is my recipe for Stir Fry using the Ginger People's sauce.

Olive or peanut oil for frying
3 cups, chicken, beef, soy chicken or soy beef strips.
1 cup carrots sliced,
1 cup diced onions,
1 cup pepper cut into strips
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup water chestnuts
1 cup caulifower
1 cup Ginger Lime Marinade


Cooking Instructions: In a wok or large frying pan, quick-fry soy meat or soy strips until tender in the olive or peanut oil. When the strips are a pale golden brown, add vegetables and stir. You may want to add the remaining oil as I do or even 2 tablespoons of water to keep meat and veggies moist. Slowly stir in The Ginger People's Ginger Lime Marinade and cook entire stir fry until strips are a dark golden color. Serve with either white or brown rice. Serves 4 . Can be reheated over stove or in microwave. Keep leftovers in a sealed plastic container in fridge. This will keep for three to four days.

Again log on to http://www.gingerpeople.com/ for great ginger based products

Been feeling run down lately? Then try the unique Fyxx Hybrid energy water. This is a great boost for anyone with a full schedule. It will be sold in New York metro stores starting April 17th. If not head to their web site http://www.fyxxwater.com/ for your bottles.

Have A Nice Egg

Eggs are wonderful(although they're loaded with cholesterol) They're used as binders in cakes and breads, along with being the basis of many interesting omelets and frittatas. Let's face it - who doesn't enjoy a good scrambled one smothered in bacon at their favorite diner?

Surprisingly enough they're the backbone of many Northern Italian dishes. My Piedmontese great grandparents brought over a wealth of good recipes that have been handed down to following generations. Everyone in my family loves the regional classic tomatoes and eggs. This is an easy dish to make and it just tastes so good. You won' t have to worry about leftovers because there won't be any.

Classic Tomatoes and Eggs. (Pomodore e Uovi)

6-7 plum tomatoes diced into one inch pieces

2-3 cloves of garlic

6 large eggs

Saute garlic and tomatoes in olive oil in a skillet for twenty minutes. While tomatoes are cooking lightly beat 6 large eggs , then add to the tomato mix. Cconstantly stir until eggs are cooked for about five to ten minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with loaf of Italian or French bread.


The Piedmontese are also famous for their egg rich bread crumb soup or panne pesto (translated ground breadcrumbs) This has sustained me during my annual bout with viruses and colds since I could eat by myself. It's such a dense, nutritious soup not to mention the best tasting in the world.

Panne pesto or Pompiest (dialect)

Approximately one quart broth (you ca n use chicken beef or vegetable)

Bring to a slow boil over a low flame. Now add a cup of bread crumbs and add two beaten eggs. Left over pompiest can be refrigerated or even frozen for later meals.

These are my favorite egg recipes. Feel free to send yours. As a devoted foodie I would love to try them! LR