The Importance of A Hot Meal

Everyone has busy lives these days. The problem is that that means certain aspects of or lives suffer, especially our diets. What can help ? A hot meal.There are so many benefits in having at least one warmed plate a day.

It is tempting to grab some easy and quick at any time during the day. The problem is an energy bar or even a sandwich isn't that great on a chilly winter day. There are also other benefits in creating a hot comforting meal, whether it's breakfast , lunch or dinner. A not meals also improves digestion, strengthens immunity , increases energy and even regulates elimination. A warm meals is a big help to the spleen which helps in digestion. If you keep putting cold food in your stomach, you'll feel fatigued and weak, along with having puffing eyes and bloating. A warm meal helps. It's also a great comfort for a stressful and busy day. Start off with a warm breakfast.if you;re rushed , then think a simple scrambled eggs and air fried bacon. Put this on toast for a tasty open faced breakfast sandwich. Another easy cook is oatmeal. Add warmed cream ro milk and maple syrup to start off the day, For a Sunday brunch go whole hog with fresh form the oven quiches  and waffles fresh from the waffle iron.

Most lunches aren't hot. This is Ok for the summer months when all you want is a salad or a sandwich along with a cold drink.Yet a hot lunch is a perfect break from a busy work or school day. Think hot sandwiches like grilled cheese or the fancier Croque Monsieur. Soup is always good too. What you can do is make  up a plot the night before for dinner and serve the leftovers for lunch.Warm up some rolls for a more filling plate.Keep in mind that those breakfast eggs can easily be turned into a lunchtime omelt or fritatta. Just add some cheese and ham for a tasty Denver omelet or some spinach and mushrooms for a flavorful fritatta slice. As for dinnr, yes you can order in or go out. It's fun to eat out mid week, However get out the air fryer if you want to eat in. This helps in quickly cooking up chicken nuggets or potato skins.Keep in mind that you can also cook chicken breasts and different cuts of steak. Also pasta comes in handy here. Jarred sauce works just as well as homemade if you're pressed for time. Add garlic bread for a fun treat.

A hot meal is not only a comfort but it's vital to your health. Try to have at least one hot one a day, YOU'll feel better anbd hav a better lif too.

Polenta, Pasta or Risotto What's Your Choice

 What is a nice accompaniment to a tomato sauce or grilled chicken ro steak? Do you go for a side or base of  polenta, pasta or risotto? or do you eat these on their own? What works best with various sauces and sides?

Out of all three polenta is the most versatile. The ground corn meal can be perfect on its' own, as a base or gracing a plate as a side.It can be labor intensive if you want to cook it.It does require a lot of stirring after a basic mixing of finely ground cornmeal, water and salt.It can also be lumpy however the best way to beat this is to pulverize the meal before cooking.An easier method  would be buying the already made polenta logs and grilling them until they're crispy and golden yellow. A simple cacciatore sauce with chicken is the best main dish with it. The thin tomato sauce works well with the polenta. Another good sauce is a simple mushroom and spinach one. This is an easy make with simply sauteing spinach with baby bellas in a mix of garlic olive oil and butter. Can you serve polenta with grilled or roasted meats. Only if there's a sauce. On it's own , without any sauce ro even butter and cheese polenta can be somewhat dry. There should be some kind of sauce there.

If you want to serve a good side with steaks or chicken then think either pasta or polenta. Pasta can accompany  achicken in the form of noodles. Again with any kind of sauce it's a great side. You can even cut up a rotisserie chicken or a flank steak and add it to a tomato or spinach  sauce to make a heartier dish.Any kind of pasta is good on its' own. Just add butter or to make it more flavorful cook it in the broth of your choice. Unlike polenta there are so many different types that work well with any type of ingredient.  Penn can work with a chunky tomato sauce while linguine is perfect  as a base for clams or chicken cutlets. Risotto is a diffrent matter.Risotto is a phenomenal , especially the saffron infused risotto Milanese. This is perfect as a main course or as a side with any protein form lamb chops to shrimp. A plus about this addition is, like pasta, anything can be added to it while cooking. The miost popular add ins are mushrooms and asaparagus. You can also mix in chopped tomatoes too along with a variety of cheeses.

What's the most versatile and best? Use polenta for sauces. Try pasta as a side and use risotto as a main dish. 

Air Fried Bacon A Tasty Treat

 Air fryer and bacon strips are a marriage made in heaven. The  heated air flowing around the strips makes for crunchy crackly pieces.The result is a mouthful of crispy goodness, to be eaten on their own or in  a sandwich or salad.

I recently discoverd this when I had the air fryer out and was looking to cook something hot and quick for lunch. Luckily I had Lightlife plant based bacon (excuse the syrup puddle on the package). This bacon is usually a chore to cook.It requires a griddle and either oil or plant butter.It's hard to get the pieces crisp.

That is until I discovred the strips can be put into the air fryer for eight minutes at 400 degrees Farenheit.

 First they';re sprayed with a cooking spray.I used Target's Good and Gather olive oil one They then just have to be flipped over at the halfway mark of four minutes. The end result?

Slices of crispy, salty goodness. These were good on their own and in a sandwich. I can just imagine a BLT with them or crumbled in a salad. I will also make them as a great side to a Just Egg spinach omelet. Keep in mind regular bacon also crisps up very well in an air fryer xcept the strips usually take ten to twelve minutes to cook at about the same degree 400 Farenheit.

Want the perfect match? Just cook any kind of bacon in an air fryer. The end product is a plate full of crispy, browned well cooked strips  that are just wonderful on their own.

Sopa Paraguayo A Tastier Cornbread

 Cornbread is always a treat. There's nothing like that dense , yellow crumb and sweet taste , perfect with a lashing of butter. Imagine that it could be made better.it can thanks to the Paraguayan version of it.

Regular contributor Christine Morales wrote about this side dish in yesterday's New York Times wednesday Food section. It is Paraguay's (a landlocked country between Chile and Brazil) national dish, created in the mid-1800's Legend hhas it that during Carlos Antonio Lopez's presidency , an over zealous chef added too much cornmeal to the often served dish of corn soup.In an attempt to fix the dish he put the dish in the oven and baked it. the leader loved it so much tat he proclaimed it the national dish of the country. However a truer story is that the bread hade been baked for centuries before that. The Cario-Guarini indigenous tribe living near what is now Ascension likely used native corn and baked a bread when they learned about dairy from the Spanish colonists. Its' hard to get here in the US where 30,000 Paraguyans live. Most  Paraguyan restaurants serve it as a side to grilled meat.It's also hard to recreate since cheese used, a rich,creamy Paraguyan queso is hard to find. Some bakers sub in mozzarella, Montery Jack or Muenster. Another problem is that it's usually wrapped in banana leaves and baked in a clay oven.

Can it be made at home? Yes. Ms Morales does include a recipe for it.Keep in mind it has a texture that os soft and spongy like bread pudding instead of the usual form one associated with cornbread. Try to use P.A.N. cornmeal which is white precooked cornmeal (if nothing else use your regular kind) aong with a cup of fresh or canned kernals.  Get the Paraguyan queso if you're lucky to have a South American market nearby.If not use grated Muenster or mozzarella. This is a very eggy dish . eight eggs with the yolks and whites separated are used along with one firmly diced yellow onion. The recipe is a little more labor intensive than the American version.The kernels have to be cooked and then pureed and then combined with the cornmeal until well mixed. The egg whites have to bee beaten into a meringue like froth . Then the yolks are wisked in one at a time. This is set aside. The onion is sauteed in corn oil and all the ingredients are mixed together. It'll look like cake batter and is baked for forty to forty-five minutes in an 375 F arenhit oven. The bakin pan should be greased with corn oil and not butter. Cool fifteen to twney minutes before serving with any grilled meat.

Sopa Paraguayo is a wonderful accompaniment to any steak or chicken dish. Try it with pork as well.Its a different take on the classic cornbread.

OnThe Menu

 Has anyone ever taken a good read at their menus? Do you know what your favorite eatery serves?Or the font that it's printed in?what about the graphics and size?Well, there's a new survey that shows exact;y what's on those pages.

Regular contributors Priya Krishna. Tanya Sichynsky and Umi Syam wroteabout this fascinatingaspect of restaurant lif in today's New York Times food section. After dealing with the pandemic , plexiglass barriers, QR codes that brought menus to our phones , masked servers and curbside delivery menus are back, They've become works of art. Mses Krishna, Sichynsky and Syam looked over a whopping 120(!!!) menus and discovered some interesting trends that emerged.One is the Ceasar salad.There are dozens of varieties of it ,from a catfish Casar, redolent with fried green tomatoes ,boiled eggs and cheddar to a Thai one with puffed rice croutons to a Casar del jardin that is loaded with carrots.There is even a tofu Caesar that many places are serving.Another interesting point is that menus have literally shrunk in size. They're not as large as they used to be. Menu colors have become brighter too.  Some are a dazzling Barbie pink while others are a cheery canary yellow.

Restaurants have also become more creative with their fonts. There are many different types and they 've become smaller. They're now fiv points (in comparison to Times which is printed in seven to eight points)  . Another phenomena popping up on menus are mascots. They could be drawn by a creative employee or borrowed from Hnri Matisse and Jean Cocteau. Like fashion restaurants have become brands. Logos are too obvious but a mascot is a sublte way of advertising.A big trend  is informal. Most look likey they've been created by a design school freshman  .Cheesy fonts reign supreme as do wonky formatting and using printer paper.A more eco version is using an inkless embossing stamp to impress a restaurant's name on a menu. The anatomy is also changing. Restaurant employees are also getting salary increases thanks to their bosses cutting down on menu costs;There's also a service charge explanation also included as well as eateries telling  diners that they offer health benefits for their help. Also on the menu is having entrees explained as smaller or bigger along with listing mocktails with their sodas and teas.

Menus are the window to any restaurant. new innovations in them show new innovations in the kitchen. They are the bestway to introduce a new diner to great cuisine.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Shopping RIght

 Many home chefs don't know how to take advantage of their grocery stores. They may not know how to shop in a discount store or take advantage of a more expensive grocery and what it has to offer. It's time to shop right.

I found this out recently when a friend complaind about Lidl. She said the food was not good quality. That surprised me because I've had nothing but hits from the store. Her mistake was buying their fresh meat, namely chicken. She should have bought from either a chicken farm or a store known for its' meats. For any kind of meat, whether its' steak or chicken she should have headed to stores like Acme, Stop and Shop or Shop Rite simply because they have butchers there. Whatever you buy will always be fresh and better tasting. Lidl is excellent for freshly baked goods like their breads, pretzels and focaccios along with their frozen foods. Thir pizzas are from Italy and taste better than Blaze's or local pizzerias. Other Lidl must buys are their frozen veggies and dinners like their frozen risottos. These re extremely flavorful and easy to store and cook. Another Lidl plus is their good variety of fruits and vegetables. Their seedless purple grapes are wonderful, sweet and delicious. The same can be said to their competition Aldi, They have good and well priced veggies and fruits along with very inexpensive instant dinners like packaged flavored spaetzles and risotto. Their soda, like Lidl's is not only delicious and better tasting than Coke but also much less in price.

What happens if you want to still shop at the bigger supermarkets? You can. Yes, will get better quality meats and fish along with fresh deli food like salads and rotisserie chicken but a bit more in price. You'll also have a wide range of baked goods like Acme 's and Stop and Shop's where their array of freshly baked goods are better than local, privately owned bakeries. However they can be expensive regarding many items. The best bet is to bargain hunt. I'm a huge fan of their lunch meat ends which are always price below two dollars. These are usually hidden in a corner of their hero section.. The turkey one is especially delicious and cheap  $1.45 for a half pound of cubed ends. Buy their jar of in house Signature gravy for $2.45 for a quick hot lunch or supper I've also bought their lunch meat ends ham which is perfect for salads. As with any large grocery store, take advantage of their coupons, and their apps. Acme gives you points toward major discounts and you can save as much as $20 on an order. Another tip is always buy the inhouse brands. They'e just as good as the national and usually taste much better too.This also applies to their toothpaste, mouthwash and some beauty products too as far as with cost.

It does take some savvy and hunting but you can do well both in the better and more cost effecient supermarkets. Use these tips to get the most for your dollar. You'll  do well and also have tasty food and drink.

The Joy Of Maman

 If you want good French inspired pastries go to Maman. This  sweet coffee shop is popping up all over and features such treats as Kouign amann and pain chocolat. It'sa great place to go to if there's one on your neighborhood. Visit and have a treat if you want a taste of France.

I went to the one in Princeton, new Jersey located a few blocks away from the famed university. it's like being inside a Versailles garden with flowers oeverywhere and lovely  delicately printed china. Of course its' the pastries that shine. There is the to die for Kouign amann from Bittany . This is a coil of pure butter pastry , sweetned with a thin caramel syrup along with chocolate croissants. There are also slices of various sweet loaf breads to try as well.

                                            There are all sorts of cookies, especially chocolate chip and oatmeal. Try their ginger molasses snap. It;s a sweet  fiery bite, good with a cup of  their wide variety of  herbal teas.

You can biu a boy of their teas. I loved their ginger tisane which was a lovely , hot hit of spice on a frigid day (perfect when I was racing around the campus snapping pics). The teas are supplied by Sloane's, an American tea company.

Keep in mind Maman's are mostly in New York City but you can visit them also in Philadelphia, Princeton and Madison,New Jersey. they also have a wide array of salads and soups as well along with sodas and lemonades.

Visit Mana's if you want a taste of France. It's a calming haven to enjoy a tisane and a croissant. it's une oasis parfait.