Super Sized legacy

 it's been twenty years since the eye opening documentary "Super size Me." Have things changed? Are we still addicted or are we wary? The answer is surprising.

New contributor and regular New York Times Brian Gallagher wrote this interesting piece in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Twenty years ago document maker Morgan Spurlock subjected himself to eating McDonald's for a month  for this eye opening film. He put his health in danger as he chowed down on the worst that the chain had  to offer. After it showed the film sparked controversy and MCDonald's , soon found itself being loathed by the public. It was one of the factors in  a rising sea of childhood obesity and early onset diabetes.In fact the film was inspired by New York City parent suing the conglomerate for their childrens' health problems. However McDonald's catered and still caters to kids who love its burgers and nuggets.  As Frances Flemining-Milici, the director of marketing initiatives at UConn Rudd Center For  Food put it."If it's marketed towards children, then it's probably bad for you. "Recently New Jersey senator Cory Booker along with fellow senators  Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch introduced the Childhood Reduction Diabetes Act which stops fast food joints form advertising to minors and require stronger health and nutrition warning labels.

Despite this parents will still buy McDonald's for their kids. Many even add extras like soda instead of the milk that usually comes with a Happy Meal. The company is still a top seller around the world.Its' stock price nit a high January of this year and nearly went up a whopping one thousand percent since "Super Size Me" hit screens two decades ago. Milleninals are the biggest consumers.They were little when the movie came out and most of their life and important events were celebrated at McDonald's. It also helps that celebrities are pushing the food on various platforms.Sales of Quarter Pounder soared after rapper Travis Scott was advertised, eating it. This is also true for other fast food joints such as Popeyes' who has Megan Thee Stallion as their spokesperson, Justin Bieber for the Canadian doughnut chain Tim Horton's and LIttle Nas X for taco Bell. The last calls him their "Chief IMpact officer." To be honest Mc Donald's food isn;t as calorie rich as Chipotle who blatantly advertises their "healthy menu. A standard chicken burrito is 100 calories while a Big Mac has only 500 calories.

There will always be McDonald's and other fast food joints . Keep it as a fun treat .Maybe that's the best way to deal with it.

Strawberries At Your Fingertips

 One of the joys of having a garden is planting anything you want. Strawberries are a popular and much loved crop.Not only are they a high yield harvest, they are also a versatile one. They can be made into anything , from preserves to salad dressings.

Before you even buy the plants start staking out your garden. Strawberries thrive in bright sunny areas in soil that has a pH factor anywhere from 5.5. to 6.8. You can easily buy a pH indicator at any of your Home Depots' Lowes or Wal-mart.If the pH is too high or too low then mix in nutrients to help balance the dirt.Aged compost also helps in produce lush ruby berries with verdant leaves. THe plant is a perennial so it will die off in winter  but will return in the Spring. Many types of the Berry produce what is known as runners with baby pants at the tips. These runners often root themselves nearby yet remain attached to the mother plant. These types of strawberries produce more fruit if you clip off most of the runners, each plant should have no more than three daughter plants each summer. Because of all this extra growth try to plant the strawberry plants about eighteen inches apart.Let the roots be covered with soil while the stem or crown has adequate light and air.If not this will rot causing a blight.It usually takes three weeks to a month to see any fruit.

Once grown, there is a wealth. of recipes to try. Some home chefs may be brave and try to make jam or preserves.it;'s basically mashing fresh strawberries with sugar , lemon and water and  cooking in a saucepan. You could even add a pat of butter for Canadian style jam. It's then pouring this in sterilized jam jars.It makes for a nice memory when you're spreading it on warmed croissants in the fall and winter. Strawberry pie is another treat to make .It makes for a great dessert after a barbecue. A tart made with the fruit topping a creme filling inside a buttery tart crust is always a sophisticated treat. A different spin is strawberry bread which is a sweet tea bread rich with the fruit. A strawberry glaze covers it. Fresh strawberries can also be used to make delicious homemade ice cream along with a tasty butter cream frosting for chocolate or vanilla cake. Keep in mind that they can also be used in a tangy dressing. This is blending s a puree with olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Honey is added for sweetness. This is a great salad over a spinach and chicken salad. You could also add the fruit along with almonds for a really special lunch.

What a treat to have fresh strawberries. Grow them for a lovely  harvest. You 'll love the taste of these ruby red gems.

A Really Simple Bruschetta

 All you need is some tomatoes  olive oil and garlic  along with a good loaf of Italian or even French bread.to create a good bruschetta. Basil is sometimes thrown in for color and more flavor but other ingredients can be added as well. 

A Wal-Mart Mother's Day haul brought some interesting goodies. I found an everything French bread there, which is more of an Italian style loaf with a topping of sesame  and poppy seeds along with dried onion flakes.

I had originally wanted to turn the peppers and tomatoes I had also bought into a kind of ratatouille but didn't;t have the time yesterday, What to do ?

Chop  up the veggies into small pieces and toss with some good Lidl olive oil , salt and garlic powder.

No it's not a traditional bruschetta. That's made with balsamic vinegar which would kill me. I'm allergic to it and red wine vinegar would have been too tart. I settled on a good dousing of olive oil followed by a healthy pinch of garlic powder and some salt.You could add shredded mozzarella to this if you want or onions to vary it.

The end result is a tasty  and quick lunch or dinner. It can also be served on crisped flatbread for an appetizer or hors d'ouevre. This simple  can also be a refreshing sides to burgers on the grill. 

All you need is some chopped tomatoes, and olive oil for a simple bruschetta. This fits the description perfectly. Try it with fresh veggies and spices for a tasty meal.

Your Mom's Day Checklist

 it is Mother's Day tomorrow - a time when ads and kids test out their culinary skills. Yet is there enough bread for a family brunch of French toast?Or enough chicken for her favorite barbecue? is there even enough Dawn for the dishes?

One thing the dads or older kids - like the tweens and teens is making sure that there are the right ingredients in the kitchen. French toast is just milk soda bread fried in butter. The mixture is a custard made with whole eggs milk, cinnamon and vanilla  extract.This is what gives the bread  that custardy coating and unique flavor. Is there enough butter or plant butter to fry the slices along with saving some to put on top with maple syrup. Also the same goes for the milk. it goes fast in a house full of kids and there should also be enough for French toast. Make sure there is enough maple syrup too. As for pancakes do you have enough flour and baking powder to make fluffy stacks of them? Eggs are another all important ingredient. They;re part of a pancake mix but they can be turned into delicious Eggs Benedict for mom's breakfast in bed. Keep in mind that everyone may also want their own Eggs Benedict too. A dozen eggs will suffice and there should be some left over. Scrambled eggs for a  small group is usually four to five eggs. The same goes for Sunnyside up ones too.

What about Mom's barbecue. have her favorite wings and drumsticks been marinated yet?Id not get to it. Most marinades take overnight to really kick in.Do you have enough olive oil or soy sauce for the base? What about the extras  - such as orange, lime or lemon juice? Are there scallions cut or ginger grated? The next question is what about her favorite sides? Aluminum foil is all important in grilling.Is there enough. Another must check is the grill itself. Has the grates been cleaned and the ash tray emptied? Is it ready for the first barbecue of the season? has the charcoal been bought or the twigs and branches gathered?Do you have the macaroni and mayo for a favorite salad? Is there enough celery for it? Do you want to try a fun variation of one of classic recipes.(although it pays to tell her in advance. Subbing in one ingredient for another may be too much of a surprise).make sure that outdoor eating has outdoor utensils too. Check to see if you have enough forks and knives along with paper plates and plastic bowls. if not you still have time tonight or tomorrow morning to buy them.

A good Mother's Day begins with well planned prep. Make sure you have everything you need. It's Mothers Day tomorrow. Make sure her day is ready without any last minute mistakes.

Sweet Treats For Mom

 With Mother's Day Sunday, it's time to think of tasty treat's she'll enjoy not just for the day but also for the week following. You could try your hand at making macarons to homemade fudge and peanut brittle it could have the fruit or the season or her favorite chocolate. Whatever you decide it'll be a sweet, memorable gift.

Moms adore fancy treats and sweets.If you;re good at bread making try brioche or croissants. The original brioche was puffy little rolls baked in individual tins with papers much in the same manner as cupcakes. Since they are a bread they will require yeast for rise along with six large eggs. These give them that classic golden yellow crumb and burnished bronze colored crust. You'll also need a stick and half of butter(preferably a good European one like Kerry Gold) for that rich flavor. As for flour stick with a regular one . You can make a whole wheat version of you want but the flavor won;t exactly be the same as the French ones. From there it;s just brushing the tops with an egg wash and baking. Croissants also have the yeast for rise along with plenty of butter.It;s basically creating layers by folding and rolling and then shaping into crescents. Macarons are another sweet Gallic treat made by using almond flour.  and both granulated and confectioner's sugar.The filling is usually buttercream but you can also do a jam one if you;d like ,especially if you;re making chocolate ones.

Candy is always a fun gift on Mother's Day.Instead of a box with the usual boring assortment. try making a pan of fudge. This is always a treat and it's so easy to make. It;'s just a blend of chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract. You can add walnuts or almonds if you want. For a bit of color throw in a handful of mini M&M's. A marshmallow fudge is another fun candy. Try Martha Stewart's that;s also made with real butter too. The addition of Kosher salt brings out the flavors too. peanut brittle may seem old fashioned but homemade brittle is a true treat indeed.it's a combination of granular sugar mixed with corn syrup cooked into a sticky liquid. After the syrup is cooked for twenty minutes butter is added a long with the baking soda. This is what gives the candy that bubbly airy mouth feel. The peanuts are added last. Many home candy makers prefer unsalted but salted works just as well too. Break into pieces and put in a pretty tin for a lovely Mother's Day gift.

Mother's Day is all about tasty treats. Bake her something. Make her homemade candy. She'll appreciate anything.

A Very Buggy Dinner

 Cicadas will be a problem this year  to many gardeners. Yet they might be a new ingredient in this Spring and summers' harvest dinners. Surprisingly these pests can make for some pretty good eating.

Regular contributor and cookbook author Tejal Rao wrote about these critters in yesterdays' New York Times Food section.It is an edible bug much like grasshoppers, crickets and even -ewww-  termites. Around the world it's considered normal to eat them in a variety of different ways. here in the US not so much. American tend to sensationalize or trivialize it, seeing bugs as a source of cheap protein. They're OK if you're on a camping trips and you've run out of food.Yet some chefs here in the States will be happy thanks to the double season of them in the Midwest and Southeast. There will be a whopping trillion (!!!) of them within the next six weeks. Surprisingly they're a cousin of a lobster and can be prepared in much the same way according to Tad Yankowski, an entomologist at Missouri Botanical Gardens. People who have shellfish allergies are also advised not to eat them. He himself enjoys them in a scampi, claiming anything you can do with shrimp you can also do with cicadas.

Other enthusiasts feel the same way. Joseph Yoon, a bug enthusiast is going to forage big time for an event that features  hasn't happened since 1803, featuring two regional broods. Mr. Yoon is also a chef that offers up all sorts of insect dishes at his business Brooklyn Bugs.He combines cicadas with ramp to create Kim chi. The insects are left whole and intact in their cracking shells.They're then slowly infused with a spicy fermenting juice.After they're served with tofu and warm rice.He also fries them to make tempura, folds them into Spanish tortillas with potato and onion and bakes them with cheese into casseroles with cicada stuffed pasta shells.what do they taste and feel like to those wanting to try them? According to the entomologist Mr. Yankowski they're sort of like a tiny soft shelled crab a crunchy shell with a soft meat interior.The flavor is slightly woody thanks to a steady diet of sap from tree roots. This happens because they spend most of their lives underground. Foragers need to get them while their young and meaty otherwise their exoskeletons will grow, leaving them more with a shell.

Cicadas are not for everyone.If you;re into trying bugs, then go and forage. If not just admire them for their lacy wings and big orange eyes.

The Classic Mother's Day Dish Redone

 There will be  a lot of French toast made this Sunday, The American variation of the famed French pain perdu is a Mothers' Day classic right up there with macaroni necklaces and handmade cards. yet imagine doing it just a tad differently for a truly memorable holiday.

Regular contributor Melissa Clark gives her spin on it in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section.French toast has been around, way before the French used stale bread to create a tasty dish.The Roman Apicius had a recipe for it using wine and honey to an Anglo-Norman cousin which was served with almond milk.There is also a Spanish version called torrejas made with cinnamon and syrup. There are modern variations that include peanut butter and condensed milk, French toast with a streusel topping and even ones with pears, pumpkin spice and pecans.If you want the perfect French toast make sure you use stale or dehydrated bread .Fresh bread is too spongy and it would dilute the egg mixture with moisture.Most recipes call for frying the bread but why go to all that trouble. Baking it works better.it may not give you that crispy buttery crust but  it will become crunchy and caramelized with a sprinkling of sugar.

Her two recipes are baked French toast with different flavors. Those who love the earthy mellowness of brown sugar should try her sheet pan version. What bread should you use. Anything that strikes your fancy.It could be croissants for a light airy bite or challah for rich one. Regular white bread or pain de mie can also be used. The first recipe is soaking the bread in the egg ,milk and cinnamon mixture on the pan itself.The bread should be allowed to soak from anywhere from four hours to overnight. It's then sprinkling the brown sugar on the sheet pan and over the slices,Bake in a 375 degree Farenheit oven for twetty-five to thirty-five minutes.The tops should be golden brown and puffy. The other recipe calls for heavy cream lemon and Gran Marnier to create a lemon souffle type recipe .Whole milk and heavy cream are also added. lemon sugar is first created by mixing lemon zest into white sugar. A dash of nutmeg is also added for flavor The egg ,cream and dairy are added to this.It's poured over slices of toasted challah and baked ina  buttered casserole dish. Set in a 375 degree oven for twenty to thirty minutes.

These are great recipes for Mother's Day.It's nice to have a classic dish but even nicer when it's updated. Try for a great Mother's day brunch or even a light supper.