A Good Hot Lunch

 Think hot  If you're lucky to be home for lunch. It's a nice change up from dinner and breaks up the day. It'll keep you full for the afternoon and keep you from snacking too.

The easiest hot lunch is soup/ You can easily open a can of Progresso orCampbells' but a quick homemade soup is a better choice. Take any kind of broth, vegetable, beef or chicken  and use that as the base. Then add what you want. Tomatoes and peppers will give the potage color and flavor. Add cut celery and onions too along with any kind of bean.This will give it protein. If you want it to be heartier. then add smaller pasta like pastina, ditalini or orzo.. Serve toasted Italian or French bread with it and a simple salad. Another hot  lunch treat is a mild chili, This can eaily be made in a crockpot or Instapot. You can use ground turkey and cannekini beans for a  white chili. You can also make a vegan one using morningstar or Grdein soy crumbles. Have plentty of crackers and sliced avocado to put on top. What's great about chili snd soup, you can either have a bowl or cup if you're not that hungry. A different spin is putting a fried egg on top for more protein and flavor.

Of  course eggs are perfect in creatin a hot lunch. You can easily make a filling sausage scramble. Again you canuse pork  , turkey or vegan for a tasty, hot bite.  Add tomatoes an garlic for thar  Piedmontese lunch favorite, pomodori et uovi. Make sure you have plenty of Italian bread to mop it all up.Sub in chopped peppers foe that Sicilian favorite uovi e pepe. Serve on hoagie rolls . Omelets and frittatas can be fun , expecially with all the different add ins. A western style omelet is a tasty and filling lunch, especially if you load it up with extra ham and peppers. go Greek styke with a good cup of spinach. A cheese one full of Cheddar is a yummy, gooey lunch. Try subbing in Brie or Montery Jack  for a fun change up. Keep in mind that Eggs Benedict are not just for Sunday brunch. They work every day and it's a neat change  up for an ordinart day. You cam nake it with an egg sunnyside up or even scrambled ones. Make it a Florentine one by changing outthe Canadian bacon with spinach. You could also sub in crab meat too for a rich and satisfying lunch.

Nothing beats a hot lunch on a cold day. Make a soyp or an omelet to start off with to chase away that autumn chill. You'll fee warmer 

An Air Fried Fall

 Air fryers were every home chef's best friend during the sweltering summer months. It can still be a vital kitchen appliance during the autumn too. It's great for cooking up tailgate and foot ball party nibbles along with creating great dishes with the season's harvest.

Air fryers are perfect for any tailgating party.You could buy a travel one.Amazon has them for as little as $ 37.99 for the Elite one quart one. Keep in mind you'll also need a portable generator for it since air fryers require a lot of power.9although this can be saved for when you want to bring your air fryer on Spring and summer camping trips) What tail gating treats can you make? Chicken wings and thighs are perfect for it. They fry up crisply and evenly without all that fat. Coat the wings with seasoning and then cornstarch to  ensure a nice crunch. If you;re looking for a low calorie alternative then look no further than cauliflower "wings," These are the florets rolled in a fiery mix of cayenne pepper, hot sauce and smoked paprika. Worcester sauce and apple cider vinegar give the florets more zing as onion and garlic powders give them more flavor. Another fun , crunchy bite are zucchini chips. Again this is simply cutting the squash into very thin coins and then seasoning them with sea salt. They're then brushe d with olive oil and fried for a few minutes.You can serve these with a homemade ranch dressing. 

Other squashes can be air  fried for the main course or a tasty side. Butternut squash is the most versatile.You can cube it or air fry it whole , cut into two sides. The cubed way will produce a nice crispy bite, especially if they're well coated in olive oil or melted butter. You can also toss them in garlic powder , sea salt and freshly ground pepper.Give them a sweeter bite by dredging the cubes in a mix of brown sugar and cinnamon. This would be a perfect side for turkey or capon.  You can air fry the whole squash ususlly for five minutes. Brush the sides with olive oil or melted butter or margarine and season with just sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Again, this makes a great side for any poultry. Kale is another fall veggie that is perfect for the air fryer. Kale chips are not only a fun side with burgers and hot dogs but they're also a great snack. Use fresh and try to get the curly leaf variety. remember to thoroughly dry the leaves too after washing them otherwise you'll just have soggy chips. Don't include the ribs or stems in this., They're too tough to eat, even when cooked. Tear them into bite size piece s and then toss in olive oil. Sesaon with what you want, Add hot pepper flakes of you want a fiery bite or sprinkle some vinegar on them and salt for a salt and vinegar flavor.

Make the air fryer the most important appliance this fall. It's great for cooking up tailgating faovrites and delicious sides. Try it with autumn's abundant harvest.

Treats With A KIck The Weed Gummies Cookbook

 There's nothing like a sweet treat.Now imagine that enhanced with the addtion of CBD and THC . These will not only bring about a mellowness ut will also helo with various ailments.There's a new cookbook that incorporates these into interesting sweets and goodies.

Monica Lo wrote The Weed Gummies Cookbook (Ulysses Press 2022)and it's an interesting and very thoughtful book. She came to it after suffering a herniated disc after an intesive booiktcamp work out. Herf reind gave her cannabis gummies/ she wanted to create her own and luckily she had a sous vide - after being part of a sous vide start up - infuse the cannibis. A sous vide cooks food in a sealed bag in hot water. The temperature is very precise for exact cooking. This makes for bnone of that telltale cannibis aroma wafting around the house or neighborhood. She also delves into the history of using the pkant for medicinal purposes with its' use going back to the second Century in China and recording in PenTs'ao a medical book of the time. Ms. Lo also incudes a page on ethics along with what ingredients to use to create the sweets. she also includes all important warning labels to download too. There are reminders about how much cannabis and hemp or THC to use. she recommneds a low dose although there is a page on dosages,Ms. Lo also includes a page on infusion basics including the process of decarboxylation . This is a process to activate the phytocannibinoids.

What aabout the recipes? There's a wide variety of them. You could try Ms. Lo's cannabis infused sugar made with a cannabis tincture .it would be an interesting addition to teas and  fruit ades. There are many gummie recipes that would make fun gifts and party bites. Kombucha gummies are an interesting mix of the tea and Kief  (a kind of cannabis pollen) infused honey. A really cool dessert would be terrazzo coffee jelly which looks like tiles and is a mix of coffee and coconut jellies. Fill a candy dish with sour pink lemonade and blackberry thyme gummies along with lavender chamomile ones that will help with sleep. There is also a bubble tea recipe too for a soothing sip. Trendy candy makers will appreciate the salted  mocha.caramel recipe. rich with whipping cream and cannabis infused butter (and yes you can infuse butter with it , there's a recipe fro that too. That alone  would be great for different spins on traditiional savory recipes). Ms. Lo also includes nougat and hard candy ones too. There is a nod to her favorite Chinese candy snowflake crisp nougat made with tea biscuits, whole almonds, the infused butter and marshmallow. Enthisiasts will love the lollipop and brittle recipes along with a jelly and cream recipe. There are also recipes for marzipan and honey chews,alternatives to refined sugar.

The Weed Gummies Cookbook is the perfect cookbook for cannabis enthusiasts. It is chock full of advice and recipes for interesting sweet treats. Get the book and create homemade edibles.

Dragonfruit Drama

 Dragon fruit or pitaya is a beauty of a fruit.A bright fuschia rind protects the black speckled creamy flesh. Yet as with all beauties it comes with drama. There's a war going on , leaving farmers with an excess and financial problems.

 Regular contributor Christina Morales wrote about the dragonfruit war between Floridian and Ecuadorian farmers in yesterday's New York Times Food section.dragon fruit is becoming popular, especially as a flavorer for drinks. Taco Bell uses it in their iced teas and Starbucks combines it with lemonade or mango juice in their refreshers. This would equate tremendous demands and top sales to those farmers in South Florida. Yet they were slapped in the face when Ecuadorian famers glutted the market with it. They extended their season which would be going into the Southern Hemisphere fall just as the June crops were coming into being. This overlap has been a major blow to the Americans whose budgets have been tightened by inflation and high labor costs.Dragon fruit grows from June to November, with the fruits grown at the end of the season being nourished by artifical sunlight along with lots of water, fertilizer and pruning.

The US has always had competition regarding the pitaya. It is grown in Vietnam and Peru besides Ecuador. Yet it's the Ecuadorans that are giving the farmers the most worry. In recent year the South Americans have provided a reliable supply in recent years, especially during the pandemic when the Florida farmers had to deal with labor shortages.It also has more appeal because it's larger than the Floridian ones. It's popularity has increased in the last twenty years thanks to it being nutrient dense according to Jonathan Crane , the associate director of the Tropical Research and Education Center at the UNiversity of Florida. The fruit also has a nice flavor. Think a not so sweet pear which makes it idea for all sorts of recipes from cold teas and refreshers to sorbets and even salads.The problem is that it's not as popular as other fruits which would create demand for it. Many farmers are now selling it directly, trying to make up for this excess.They  also had to deal with drought which ruined a good mumber of plants as well.

The dragonfruit wars are on hold now thanks to Hurricane Ian. Hopefully the fruit will gain in popularity and both American and South American farmers can benefit. It's a delicious tasty  fruit worth the drama

Anthony Bourdain's Legacy Of Controversy

 Anthony Bourdain was one of those great food writers. Part Hemingway, part Epicurious, he created a legacy that should stand out for its' culinary boldness.Yet there is another legacy lurking there. It's creating a stir for his fans and his family.

Regular contributer KimSeverson delved into this in today's New YorkTimes Wednesday Food section.Bourdain tragically took his life in 2018 in an Alsace-Lorraine hotel room. His family and friends instantly closed ranks and remained mum on what had happened. That all changed last year when two events happned. They were interviewed for an upcoming documentary called "Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain" and a brand new biogrpahy by journalist Charles Leerhsen . The book ,published by Simon and Shuster is Down And Out IN Paradise: The Life Of Anthony Bourdain".  Mr. Leerhsen, who has written biographies on everyone from Ty Cobb to Butch Cassidy captures every aspect of the food writer's life. His telling is different than the others/It's unvarnished ,often times showing Bourdain in a very bad light. He said in an interview that he wanted to write a book "without that dutiful sheen of an official Bourdain product. He does cover Bourdain's life from a sullen teenager in Leonia New Jersey to his years at Vassar and the Culinary Institute of America , or the CIA. There is BOurdain's  rise to a food writer and TV celebrity. Yet apart from this glamor , Leerhsen also covers Bourdain's addictions and his isolation along with his cold treatment of his young daughter.

Without a doubt the Bourdfains are upset with this. His brother Christopher sent Simon and Shuster two emails calling the book "hurtful and defammatory fiction". The publisher's vice president and senior counsel, Felice Javit responded with they disagree that the material is defammatory and they'll stand by the publication.One person who hasn't pushed back is Mr. Bourdain's ex-wife Ottavia Busia Bourdain. she allowed Mr. Leerhsen access to her late husband's e mails and messages from Mr. Bourdain's phone. Other info came from his first wife Nancy Pitkoski who did provide a valuable source of information. The book delves very deeply with his last relationship  actor Asia Argento, a controversial figure herself. She was one of the first to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct and was one of the architects of the #MeToo movement. She was later accused of sexual misconduct  herself with actor Jimmy Bennett  who was twenty years younger than her. She was thirty-seven to his seventeen. She also controlled Mr Bourdain and according to the book they fought as he gave her large sums of money.It does show him in a bad light. His friend Eric Ripert says it's  all fiction.

The best legacy from Anthony Bourdain is his own words. watch his shows .,Read his essays. That shows the true character of the man.

Fall Into Fall Cooking

 There'sa sublte shift in cooking and baking right now. The reason? It's autumn. Gone are those lazy summer barbecues and no bake treats.It's time to get serious about all things kitchen.

Cooler weather means bigger appetites. Think rib sticking meals for both the weekday and weekend. it's time to get out the crockpot and Insta Pot and create some hearty recipes. Chili is one of those meals. It's quick and easuly made in any kind of cooker. Chase away that chill with a good dose of chili powder and cayenne pepper. You can also make it mild by omitting the second. Chili can be adapted to suit any taste. Vegan and vegetarians can enjoy one consisting of mostly beans or add a bag of soy crumbles  to emoutalte the beef ones. Turkey chili is another variation which can also be made healthier with the addition of cannelini beans and topped with avocado chunks. This can also be done with ground chicken too, called white chili. This is the season for roasts as well.There's nothing like a good Sunday dinner with a roast as its' star. Think a roast beef or London Broil, complete with gravy and mashed potatoes. Take advantage of the seasonal veggies too. Butternut squash is big right now and iot can easily be a great side with just melted butter or an entire meal, stiuffed with rice and quinoa along with ground beef or soy crumbles. You can also brush up on your Thanksgiving dinner skills by roasting a turkey and whipping up homemade stuffing and string bean casserole.

The cool weather also signals the start of the baking . This is apple season. Take advantage of it. A tasty dessert after a heart meal is apple pan dowdy. This is first mxing the batter which is a blend of flour , cinnamon and brown sugar in water and lemon juice. it's combined with amother mix of more flour, butter and milk. tHis sauce is  poured over the apples and then the dough is dropped over all of this. It's baked at 350 degrees Farenehit for fifty-five minutes. A more sophsiticated dessert is the galette. This is an easy make and bake. The dough is a rich, buttery one using a stick and a half of butter. The apples are mixed with ginger and cinnamon for a spicy bite. Honeycrisp apples are best for this. You could easily add mounds of cinnamon dusted whipped crean or vanilla ice cream..It's also pear season and a pear galette is also an easy and delicious bake. Slice the pears as you would do the apples for a crunchy bite. Pumpkins are all over the place right now. You could make a pumpkin pie but think about pumpkin tarts or mousse. You get the same spicy, earthy taste but in smaller, lighter bites.

It's time for fall cooking and baking. There's a whole slew of recipes perfect for the chillier days ahead. They're all tasty and rib sticking.

Sweets For The New Year

 One of the best traditions of Rosh Hashana is eating a sweet for a sweet new year. The holiday and the season lends itself to all sorts of delcious desserts.They're perfect for ending a meal or jsut having with tea or coffee.

Since this is also apple season think cakes with them as the main ingredient. The Sephardic Jews bake an apple ginger cake called tishpishti.It's a gluten free cake also made with almond and walnuts which also makes it perfect for Passover. Fuji apples are used as are cinnamon and nutmegs for a sweet spicy flavor.It's drizzled with a boozy apple jack (apple brandy) drenched syrup that also has lemon juuice, ginger and unsweeteened apple juice in it.Another cake celebrating the harvest is an apple one made with tart Granny Smith apples. Brown the sliced apples first in vegan butter or margarine along with lemon juice and two to three tablespoons of sugar. The cake batter consists of flour eggs, sugar ,baking powder canola oil and vanilla. The cooked apple slices are added to the batter and the whole mixture is baked in a springform pan for 350 degrees Farenheit for an hour . You could sprinkle demerara sugar (which can be bought at any British grocery shop) on top for crunch. For the kids  apple cupcakes are a fun idea. These have diced apples any kind and a cream cheese buttercream frosting. You can drizzle caramel on top but these are pretty good with just the frosting.

Honey plays an important part in Rosh Hashana baking.There are so many recipes regarding it. You could go with one that also has brown sugar for a deep brown color.Coffee and orange juice are added to counteract the sweetness. To match the orange-y flavor use orange blossom honey . You coulkd also sub in black tea if the coffee feels too strong tastewise. You could also use tea in a moist honey cake. again make it a s trong black one to really project its' flavor. Fresh honey can be used (whole Foods may carry this) along with such spices as nutmeg and cinnamon. large eggs are used to help the cake main tain their moistness. To make it fancier arrange almond slices on top before baking. This creates a pretty pattern on top.Honey cupcakes are also another good dessert. It's a fun and easy one that uses baking soda and baking powder to create light tender cakes. A buttercream icing may be too heavy here. Go with a whipped cream one that's an easy make.It's just whipping the cream with confectioner's sugar and a few drops of vanilla extra. Add a sprinkle of almond slivers for a more festive look.

Try something sweet for a sweet new year. It could be a cake or cupcakes  to celebrate. Use the flavors of the season to make tempting and tasty holiday desserts.