Your Kitchen Your Pharmacy

Sadly most of us will either get a virus or a cold before the winter ends. we'll be running to the doctor or pharmacy to pick up all sorts of pills and potions. However you can easily look to your kitchen to find remedies. There are some good recipes and ingredients to get you those sick days.

Stomach viruses are in full force right now. These are the worst, leaving their hosts nauseous and weak. One of the best ways to deal with it is fresh ginger tea. Ginger is wonderful for soothing any stomach ailment from flu to indigestion. I always recommend having a few ginger roots in the fridge. For the tea cut the root into sizeable pieces in a cup or mug . Pour boiling water over them and let steep for  few minutes. Drink hot. If the flavor is too strong , add some honey to temper it.. Another must have is rice. This calms the stomach too.Make it plain or for more flavor add a cube of veggie,chicken or beef boullion. Probably in  a day or two you'll be feeing more puckish, . This is the time to reintroduce your stomach to food agian.Mashed potatoes and pasta should be the first foods. These are bland and can be livened up with butter and a little salt and pepper. You can then work your way up to chicken and turkey sandwiches made with dry toast.

Colds and fevers are other nasty winter woes.Again look to your kitchen for relief. Citrus is a big help.Home made lime, lemon or orange ade is always good and  when chilled feels wonderful on a raspy throat freeze the juice in Popsicle molds for all natural treats. Lemon and even orange in  hot tea is the perfect soother. You can go another route  and add cayenne pepper to blow out those clogged nostrils (sorry for that gross mental picture). The heat helps to loosen mucus (again sorry for the eww factor)and makes it easier for breathing. Don't buy the whole peppers, get it in the dried powder form at your local GNC. Be very very prudent with how much you put in.Too much and you can have a fireball in your throat. A small pinch can work nicely. You can also add it to chili or taco fillings too. Of course nothing beats a steaming bowl of fresh made chicken soup. it's both medicinal and a comfort food. Add superfoods like kale,carrots and onions to make it more healthier.

Your kitchen is better than a drugstore. Most herbs and spices have medicinal qualities that can get your through this cold and flu season.Use them. They are your arsenal in this war of gems.

Celebrating Dr.King's Legacy

We celebrate Dr. King's legacy today with service acts. It should be do ne all year long in small and big ways.There are so many in which foodies can to help the community and make people's diets better and  more nutritious.It's not about spreading the good, it's about spreading the good food.

Again I can not emphasize the importance of volunteering at a soup kitchen especially throughout the year.Many tend to only remember the homeless and destitute  during the winter months and holidays. Poverty is 24/7  as is need. Contribute as much as you can when you can.Also volunteering at nursing homes, along with helping to arrange parties to break the boredom is always needed. If you're a restaurant owner ask if you  can  donate any leftover foods such as soups and salads. emphasize to your staff how great it would be  if all of you worked at the local soup kitchen. Even bakeries can help by donating overage. It's a sin to waste day old rolls and cakes when they'd be a big plus adding to lunches and dinners.

Home gardeners and farmers can also contribute. Depending on how the summer goes  donate any bumper crops you may have  . Tomatoes are always appreciated  because they can be turned into everything from salad to sauce. Onions and garlic are also welcomed because they ,too , are versatile as well can be kept for a substantial amount of time. Even herbs can be donated. They are perfect for seasoning sauces and meats. Vegetables can also be used in creating soups which can be made in the summer and then frozen for the fall and winter. Any garden produce can be donated via Ample Harvest (www.ampleharvest.org) to food pantries in your area. This organization is great because it allows home farmers to contribute as well as providing fresh fruit and veggies to families in  need.

Dr. King envisioned a world where everyone could reach out and help each other. Continue that dream by helping your community. It could be a Sunday morning at a soup kitchen.It could be donating your garden's bounty . As long as it's reaching out to give your community nutritious ingredients and healthy meals.

Ardente Gourmet Stirrer A Cook's Best Friend

Cooking any meal is an elaborate process for both professional and home chefs alike. Home chefs though have it the roughest. They have to prepare everything from sauces to salads by themselves. This is hard, especially when two dishes require a lot of attention. However they may have a new best friend - the Ardente Gouremt Stirrrer. This helps in preparing sauces and soups , giving cooks a little relief during those hairy cooking moments.

This is a neat invention. It has a battery powered stirring mechanism that fits  perfectly over any large stockpot.A long rod connects the plastic paddles to this , allowing it to churn up the ingredients. There are two sizes of paddles included, one for lighter sauces and soups, a bigger and wider pair to  help stir polenta and chunkier  sauce.Home chefs needn't worry  about the whole thing spinning out of orbit and drenching them and their kitchens in tomato sauce or polenta . There are side handles  that allow the top to stay firmly in place. It was recently invented by John Ardent as a tribute to his mother, Angela Ardente. Mrs. Ardente was an excellent cook , however her meals were lavish and labor intensive. She either was stirring three pots at once or employing John to help her out. With this , home chefs can let the Gourmet Stirrer do all the work while they prep other dishes or take a breather.It sells on Amazon at $55.00 plus shipping and  need batteries , four C cell batteries in order to operate.

This is a great invention for any home chef.(and I wish Ardente would come up with an extensive cookbook for it)It's purpose is to aid in cooking sauce and polenta (not together). For a polenta lover like me, this is a godsend because I always make a sauce to go with it. My attention is divided between two pots and one always suffers, namely the corn meal. Polenta is a tricky dish to begin with. Stir it too long and it becomes runny, not enough and you have uncooked lumps of cornmeal . The Gourmet Stirrer gives me a perfect dish every time with a perfectly creamy mash that's just right in texture and consistency. Many other people use this device for cooking mashed potatoes  as well as stirring thick chowders and chilis. Surprisingly it also has a following amongst home candy makers. The constantly turning paddles help the syrups and pastes from sticking to the pot's bottom  and sides .It also helps in create a smooth , satiny consistency  which is crucial in making a perfect praline or fudge. Besides candy, you can also use it for making grits and different cheese dishes too.

Every home chef should have an Ardente Gourmet Stirrer .It is a big help , especially  when there are multiple dishes to tend to. It's really is a home chef's best friend.

Tabanero The Perfect Hot Sauce

January 22nd is National Hot Sauce day - perfect for trying out the zingy , lip tingling Tabanero Hot Sauce. This is a great new sauce that can  liven up everything from your wings  to even your cupcake frosting. It's a great plus to any game day menu or Mexican themed party. All it takes is a few drops.

Tabanero is the real deal as far as hot sauces are concerned. One big plus is that's it's all natural , using Mexican based ingredients. The peppers come from the area of Tabasco in the  sun drenched Yucatan Peninsula. Agave syrup is also added to give it a sweetness that other sauces don't possess. The best part is that slightly sour aftertaste  thanks to the elimination of vinegar in the recipe.Veggies such as good for you carrots and onions are also added for that kick of antioxidants.Also, unlike most hot sauces, there is also grapefruit seed extract too  with its many benefits, Another plus in Tabanero's flavor is no preservatives (although the grapefruit seed extract does have preservative properties). This is like a tabasco sauce you'd make at home or buy during a trip to Mexico.The ingredients mellow after a while but that adds to the flavor.Thanks to the agave it's also versatile. It can be added to almost everything from huevos rancheros to a mole cupcakes.

I love the taste.It's different than other commercially made which are just too fiery and sour. To be honest I'm not one to put any hot sauce in my chile or taco fillings. That's all going to change now. It is lip tingling , true, but I like the cushion of the agave's sweetness to counter the habanero's sharp bite. A few drops is definitely going into the chicken fillings I make for my tacos. It's also going to be added to my hamburgers for zing and even to  my Sloppy Joe mix. Tabanero can also be used as a spicy marinade for chicken and turkey. Definitely use it as a marinade and a dip for those Super Bowl Party wings as well as a great addition to those Bloody Marys(or better yet a Bloody Mary Punch).Since it has the sweetness of the agave it can be used in desserts too. Make fiery s'mores with them or add a few drops to a chocolate cake or frosting for a Mexican mole style dessert.A teaspoon can give an eye opening lift to chocolate fondue or homemade fudge sauce. Add a dash to your chocolate ice cream recipe for a zesty cold treat.

Celebrate National Hot Sauce day with a dash or Tabanero Hot Sauce.It is far different from other hot sauces. It's fiery and sweet, zingy and fun. Use it for your chile or for your wings, or better yet hot fudge sundae.

Frito Misto, Bollito Misto

The Northern Italians know how to do an antipasto platter right.There is the crunchy and fun frito misto , literally  assorted fried things and the earthy and hearty bollito misto, or assorted boiled things, Both are great served together or separate, perfect for all sorts of parties and cozy winter evening gatherings.

Luckily for all fried food lovers,, David Tanis wrote about frito misto in  yesterday's New York Times Foof section. He chose the Venetia style which is mostly all seafood,t's a surprisingly light fare, similar to Japanese tempura. You do need an electric fryer with a thermostat which can regulate temperatures . A regular one without a gauge can also be used ,however be care that the oil doesn't get overly hot and smokes.  When you make any frito misto, try to make it like an assembly line, with cleaning or washing first, them coating   all the morsels followed by frying. As for the batter, many  home chefs prefer a seasoned flour instead of a batter, however it's up to you.Mr. Tanis prefers a two step coating process. The first is a mix of flour , pumped up with white wine for flavor and seltzer for bubble. The seafood pieces are them dredged in a mix of  just flour, salt and pepper.. They are then fried for two  or three minutes until crunchy and golden. You can also use veggies such as broccoli,, mushrooms, cauliflowers and when they're in season, squash blossoms. The last is wonderful as fritto misto  and can be fried in butter instead of oil.

For a more earthier assortment , there is bollito misto This is a popular dish amongst the Piedmontese, Lombards and Emilio Romanese. It  closely resembles the French pot au feu. It's a great way of using tougher cuts of meat, with the cooking process rendering the meat's texture almost buttery. Beef and veal are always cooked together  as are whole hens and capons. Cooking time is two to three  hours over a low simmering flame. The meats are then thinly sliced and served with mostarda,candied fruit in  mustard sauce, salsa verde, a green parsley  sauce, chutney and / or horseradish. For a quicker recipe just poach the meats . The water should be flavored with the addition of salt and a handful of peppercorns along with two or three bay leaves. The broth can be repurposed as a the base for zuppa montagna,the savory bread pudding popular in the Piedmontese Alps.Serve the bollito misto with  thinly sliced and buttered Italian bread.

Both hot antipastos are perfect for cozy winter get togethers. Whether fried or boiled, they are tasty and fun, a different spin on a classic dish. Make it either fried , boiled or both for a yummy meal with friends or family.

Prime Rib Return Of A Classic

Many classic foods are making big comebacks, thanks to younger chefs and home chefs discovering them .This is the case with prime rib.It's starting to be seen both  in restaurants and dining rooms. Once, relegated to fancy affairs it's becoming a part of the American diet again.

Jeff Gordonier explored this in today 's New York Times Wednesday Food section  Once the star of Sunday roasts, it's been associated with weddings and bar mitzvahs. This is the year for it to come back into its own.Prime rib is already being seen in some of Manhattan's best restaurants such as Cherche Midi. The cut itself is stunning, a true roast with a photogenic and seductive look. It has a ruby red eye in its' center surrounded by a tender melt in your mouth meat. The exterior is a crisp rind of fat and salt, the perfect crust.There is also the plus of gnawing the bone, satisfying any Paleo urges.The meat should be aged 120 days before cooking so it has , as Mr. Gordonier puts it"a beautiful blue cheese funk about it."Prime rib is   usually served with Yorkshire pudding, as it has for centuries in Britain. This is the forebear of our popover, and started as a runny batter  to collect the cut's juices.

Both are easy to make. If  you have a fireplace you can roast the meat the original way.It does require a hook that will hold the string wrapped around the meat.You're going to have to check antique shops or even Etsy for meat hooks. They may have a comeback thanks to the cut  but stores like Williams and Sonoma and Sur la Table have yet to pick up on this trend . You can cook prime rib in an oven  usually for two hours  after an initial browning of 15 minutes at 500 degrees Farenheit Many chefs like to marinade the meat.The Lafayette Restaurant in New York preps the meat with packing it with salt , a necessary along with cracked peppercorns and herbs.Some, like, Washington DC chef Nate Anda of Partisan coats his in fennel pollen and red pepper flakes.it is then  cooked for eigh hours in a sous vide, followed by searing. It's then sliced in wafer thin pink slices and served on flat breads.FOr home chefs just use fresh ground pepper and kosher salt to seal in the juices and to give it a nice salty crust. Yorkshire pudding is baked afterwards, using the prime ribs' dripping. It's just a simple blend of flour, whole milk and kosher salt. A teaspoon of the meat's rendered fat or even melted butter is added to the batter for more flavor.The puddings only take 10 to 12 at 400 degrees Farenheit/ minutes to bake in a muffin tin. Serve with only horseradish cream.

Prime rib is an elegant cut, a throwback to our beef eating days. Make it and Yorkshire pudding for a truly flavorful experience  appealing to any and every meat lover's tastes. It's downright delicious and as you'll soon find out , addictive

Resolving Those Resolutions

It's already two weeks into the New Year and some diets have probably been ditched.It is hard to stick to a regime where favorite foods are forbidden and have been replaced by bland greens and cardboard crackers. Don't despair. Any dieter can combine tasty and healthy to create satisfying meals and snacks.

Most people nix chocolate from their diets. This is one of the hardest foods to cut out as we all know.
Luckily it doesn;t have to be given up. Instead of going for milk chocolate treats opt for the dark chocolate instead. A dark chocolate bar can be just as rich an even more sinful. It also is chock full of antioxidants along with being good for your heart and brain. You can even cheat a bit and have a dark chocolate drenched Mallowmar or Pinwheel. Treat yourself to the Lu company Petit Ecolier in the dark chocolate variety. This is a sizeable square of dark chocolate topping a crisp buttery cracker. Ice cream is another treat that's always a struggle with dieters.Instead of pints of rich Turkey Hill or Hagen Daz try Weight Watcher's or Skinny Cow. This last has an amazing array of cones and sandwiches. Their cones are truly delicious and have a variety of different flavors mixed with a chocolate syrup topping. The best part - they're only 150 calories with 90 fat calories. Fruit bars are also yummy and low on fat. Try Stop & Shop's chocolate dipped ones One is just 90 calories with 30 fat calories.

One of the hardest foods to give up is the hamburger.Who can't resist a juicy patty , sometimes smothered in cheese and bacon?  Again, no need for tears.Dieters can have their burgers and eat them too.Turkey burgers are  much leaner and higher in Vitamin B 6. You can still have bacon but switch over to the turkey version,It has a high amount of ever needed zinc to it. As for cheese go for the soy kind. which tastes like the real thing. Another dieting no no and temptation is fried chicken. The best alternative is the baked version. it does take much longer to make(think forty five minutes in the oven) but it has fewer health risks.It does still have the flavorful crunchy coating and tender juicy meat inside. Serve with a mayo less cole slaw for a fun weekend meal.Many dieters miss big breakfasts full of three egg omelets and French toast. They can still have these, but with healthy twists. Use egg whites instead of whole eggs, along with more veggies than ham or bacon. Nix the cheeses too.The egg whites also make a great coating for French toast too. Instead of the usual white bread use whole grain for a healthier slice.Top with dark honey to mix it up and a small pat of butter.

Diets are always hard , especially if it means giving up much loved favorites. Turn these into healthy good for you meals.  It'sll make sticking to that resolution easier.