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Not just coffee

Archive for May, 2009

One More Thing to Worry About

May 31

Posted by admin in Environment, health | 1 Comment

02_59139405If you weren’t germ-phobic enough already, then this may put you over the top.

We have been conditioned to bring in our own recyclable bags so we can save plastic and paper. Some stores, such as Ikea, charge for their bags. They are so big, you can use them to hold everyone else’s bag and then some. They are currently holding a contest (see website above) to judge who is using their enormous, recyclable Ikea bag in the most creative, innovative fashion. Bet there are far more clever ideas than the storage monster.

Other stores, often grocers, give you a 5-cent bag credit for each one you bring in and use. Hello, it’s free advertising!

Now here’s the rub.

A study just came out which said that these bags may be harvesting all types of germs. Like from spilled foods or products that have sweated into the sides. That they create more problems than they solve.

Are we to go home and pop these bags into the dishwasher? Can they sustain the temperatures? Will they lose their insulating functions?

What should we believe–trash our bags or clean them out? Recycle them?

There’s so much to be frightened of that my recyclable bag collection is way down on the list.

Now, salmonella, that’s a different story.

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I'll Take Mine with Lox

May 30

Posted by admin in health | No Comments

No high fructose corn syrup. No doughy interior that has you scooping out the middle. Just a thin bread. Not quite Melba Toast, but a resilient product that becomes your bagel, your morning toast, or your sandwich holder.

Arnold Bread introduced Sandwich Thins, the 100-calorie flatbreads that toast great and let you have a sandwich without the guilt. They’re great toasted and cut into pieces as crackers, too.

You really want to feel great, use the product asandwichthinss your bagel and lox delight and save upwards of 300 calories. Sorry, it’s true, a fresh bakery bagel can often top out in the 400-calorie range. That’s before butter, cream cheese, a protein, or even a slice of tomato or cucumber. Not to rain on your weekend outing, most bagel stores are not shy about telling you their calories in the same sentence they extol the quality of the product.

Yes, it’s hard to go past a fresh bagel store and not be seduced by the enticing aromas filling the air. Next time, consider the grocery store aisle. Yes, it’s not the same, as all smells are muddled into a meld of uncertainty, but the saved bagel calories give you time for a quick stop at the dark chocolate aisle–remember it has health benefits.

Arnold may have introduced the sandwich thins, but the successful concept has been followed by its sister company, the English Muffin Thomas’ with its 100-calorie Muffin.

Now they need to focus on another strong food trend: gluten-free foods. How about it, Arnold and Thomas’?

Can you do it?

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The Shine is Back–A Reprise

May 30

Posted by admin in Environment, life, New York Times | No Comments

OK, maybe it’s beginner’s luck, or first-load excitement, but my silverware is shining again. My plates are cleaner.

Thank you New York Times for that dishwashing article.

I made all the possible adjustments:

–bought powdered detergent, yes, Cascade 

–spent the big bucks on Cascade Complete

–did not scrub clean the plates, andT711.zoom.1

Got the results I crave: The Shine.

My silverware thanks you.

Anyone want a liquid gel?

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Listen, I'm Talking

May 29

Posted by admin in dining out, restaurants | 1 Comment

Some servers just don’t get it. Like the guy last night who got all huffy and puffy in the face as we continued our conversation and ignored the fact he was giving us the look. We were trying to find a place to pause our thoughts. He had the offended look a 2-year old quickly masters. He started over, and still nothing from us. It was his face. His attitude. The look that said: Stop talking right now, guests, I’m here I have important things to say. You are at MY table.

Wait a second, isn’t that part of the official name: wait person. Don’t make us stop just because you have the face that says–you stop; I want to talk. OK, what’s so important? You have specials to recite. You have a script to deliver when you arrive at the the table? It can all wait. We are not being rude. We have come for hospitality. To relax. To order and enjoy and not be bullied by your face and so-called hurt feelings. 

That was the dance last night as we settled in at our 2nd restaurant of the night for some coffee and dessert. When we arrived, we indicated we’d just be having dessert, and the host saw no problem with that process.

The waiter/server/wait person had a different view. His way. We were at his table. He was in charge.

No, not really. We did this face duet, through the ordering. through the incorrect delivery of the items, and through the coffee refills. He never got it. BTW, how hard is it to get 4 coffees to the table and two hot fudge sundaes without whipped cream? Nothing complicated. Hardly worth taking out the pen. dessert

(See the caloric whipped cream)!

It’s simple.

Lose the face; practice hospitality.

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Elbow Grease Works

May 28

Posted by admin in cooking, Environment, news | 1 Comment

cascadeSomewhere back in the recesses of your mind you can hear your mother tell you to clean the dishes before you put them in the dishwasher. “The dishwasher can only do so much.”

You’ve lived your life cleaning and then loading and enjoying the sparkle. Along comes a reporter for the New York Times who sets your world upside down. Yes, you know you are probably wasting water and paying 2x the amount for water with rinsing and then dishwashing, but what is wrong with clean dishes and silverware?

Nothing; absolutely nothing. Heard it’s even healthy.

So now you’re told not to wash, just scrape off. Skip the liquids and use the powders. Let the dishwasher do what it is supposed to do.

Remember I’ve already tussled with the low phosphate products, and now this. I’ve got to stop reading. I bet you’re thinking I should buy a new dishwasher. Wrong. Have a great one, but I keep subjecting it to everyone’s whims in order to save the environment.

OK, I’m game. I tried it.

Not so impressed.

Everyone else in my household is quite pleased with the ease of the chore now that’s basically scrape and stack. Me, not so much.

I have a few rejects with every emptying. Yes, I may be saving water, but I’m asking the soap to kick in and do the yeoman’s task.

I have one more ace up my sleeve: I’ll wait and try this logic on a new package of powdered detergent.

Then, the test will be complete.

In the meantime, the plates look pretty disgusting as they await the cycle to begin.

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Empowerment

May 27

Posted by admin in dining out, life | No Comments

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The best servers are those who understand they can make a difference in an experience. That’s the scenario at the Lounge at Bourbon Steak in DC’s Four Season Hotel: Empowerment.

When the diner asks, “can we,” and the server does not look flummoxed but responds,”I think we can make it happen,” you know that training has won the game.

The customer wanted something crunchy from the bar menu to go with the tuna tartare. Instead of saying sorry we have nothing like that, the server began an exploratory option guess–how about truffle rolls? No, too fattening.

Want oyster crackers?  No, I eat no shellfish. That was quickly remedied with an analogy drawn from the lore of Saltines. If you smashed a number of saltines and used a circle machine, you would have the basis of an oyster cracker. Close enough.

Nuts?  No, that won’t work. 

Then, the bright light hit. After a quick consult with another server, he came back and said, “sure we can do almost anything, we are a restaurant in a hotel. We have an extensive room service menu. “

We could get chips. Would that work?

All handled with polite sweetness and no charge for the thinking and clever solution!

Ingenuity, the mother of invention, and good training.

The perfect combo!

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Taste Counts

May 26

Posted by admin in food, health, life | No Comments

Here I am the official family condiment queen, but it turns out I’m a condiment IQ failure. In a bit of clever marketing, French’s has decided to show how their mustard is the preferred condiment of choice.

Take the quiz, they beckon. So, confident in my abilities and tastes, I took the quiz. Let me warn you, your tastes may influence your answers. After all, mustard is fine, but it flunks the taste test with some foods. 

–A fried egg sandwich with a thick juicy tomato: Mayonnaise. 

–Piping hot extra crispy fries: Ketchup. Malt vinegar, a close second (first place if you’re at the beach).

–A hamburger: Ketchup and Mustard. Maybe even Mayo or A-1. Are we talking turkey burger–definitely need Mayo and Ketchup and Mustard. Thick, juicy, extra charred Angus burger: I’m with the President on the Grey Poupon discussion. If we’re talking roadside slider, I give it the mustard and ketchup duo squirt with plenty of pickles. See, it’s the specifics that decide, not my condiment IQ!

BTW, I know when to use mustard! It’s all about the taste, baby.

You get the picture: A condiment is only as good as its environs. Yes, I know Kheinzfamilyheaderetchup has some unnecessary ingredients–take the test, you’ll see.

Yes, I know Mayo has some unnecessary components–calories. Oops, now you know.

Mustard has its place. Not on every plate.

Take the test. It’s worth the squirt.

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It's Simple–It's Summer

May 24

Posted by admin in International Herald Tribune, life, restaurants, shopping | No Comments

IMG00360-1Let’s argue with the calendar: The summer mindset has kicked in. It’s as if everyone turned on his grill at the same time. Wonderful smells waft thru the neighborhoods and the stores are filled with an air of excitement–everyone’s asking what are you doing this weekend?

No, we are not forgetting that this is an important Holiday; patriotic spirit does fill the air, but it competes with the earthy smells of relaxation. There’s something soothing about the first foods of the season: Strawberries are so delicious at this time of the year–they make you question why you ever buy them out of season. Maybe we should take the winter frozen strawberry pledge–they have to be tastier than the plastic container version. Sign me up.

These jus’-picked beauties symbolize summer about as well as any other food. Sure, I’ve seen beautiful stalks of asparagus and great mushrooms, but strawberries say it so sweetly: It’s summer.

Maybe there are a few other signs besides the grills being fired up and the foods of the season emerging on every street corner. 

People are out on the streets again, in stores, looking like they are ready to rejoin the universe. All the gloom of winter has been peeled off. They’re ready to eat, to indulge.

I saw a small sandwich shop list its daily specials and include tuna sliders. They had me there–was it just the additional mayo that made them slide or was this little shop alot more creative and trend aware than I thought. Neither. They knew nothing about a national food trend that spoke of sliders. They knew what they had: Extra mini buns and a big batch of tuna: Ahoy mateys: tuna sliders. Think I’ll slide over to the beef aisle. 

Another sign of innovative marketing is a new hot dog stand that sits in front of a restaurant better known for afternoon cocktails and dinner. They bought a shiny stainless steel cart and have a more diverse menu than the basic dog. Condiments such as mango relish and mustard creme fraiche accompany the sandwich possibilities that include  lamb sausage, bratwurst, and crab cakes and some of the biggest chocolate chip cookies you’ve ever seen. Really, they’re about the size of a dinner plate!

It’s marketing, folks,whether we’re talking strawberries, the new grill we’re trying to put together, or the hot peanuts at the farm market. Everybody’s got an angle, and we are ready with the napkins.

Bon appetit, summer.

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It's Not too Late: An Heirloom Awaits

May 24

Posted by admin in gardening, health, life | No Comments

IMG00354All those gardeners out there who began early are still way ahead of the game. That is if their crops did not succumb to a late spring freeze or fall behind their growth pattern from odd weather fluctuations.

You can still jump on board and grow your own heirlooms. These kits make it super easy, and you will have them in the ground when the soil appreciates their entry–not too cold, not too hot. They may look odd in their current form, but you’ll be singing their praises when the stringy sprouts grow into your own bountiful display of multi-colored tomatoes.

What I like about these seed starter wombs is that they do all the work for you. You occasionally, not that often, need to water them to get them hearty for their natural soil habitat. They grow in specially prepared pods that have all the organic nutrients to help them survive the ground. 

Instead of going to the store all through the summer, you can supplement your farm market trips with your own garden that will give you more personal pleasure. If space is a problem, these seed starter babies grow nicely in larger containers on balconies or wherever you have space.

Gardening is such a wonderful self-fulfilling exercise. If you remember the maxim: Plant what you can eat but plant more than you think you want as not every seed will become a 4 lb zebra beauty.

The taste is unmatched and the cost minimal for the pleasure.

Start your own greenhouse.

It’s not too late.

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The Little Big Innovations

May 23

Posted by admin in Environment, life | No Comments

Sometimes we are such creatures of habit that any slight change is met with major resistance. OK, that’s me.

Take paper towels. We know what they are supposed to look like, but whoa, not all are the same anymore. I thought it was so silly to give me a little piece of a towel, until I became a fan and now pride myself on using the little soaker to solve the issue. Thanks, Bounty.

The tag line (Clean the Mess with Less) works, too. Maybe I just like being in charge. “Select-a-Size”IMG00358
 lets me decide how big of a piece the mess deserves! They’re right–I’m using a lot less so saving money and not wasting paper. I like this!

I know I am not supposed to use paper towels or paper napkins but seriously, fried (OK, broiled or grilled, cause “fried” is a bad word, too) chicken is a monstrous mess for a cloth napkin. I’d rather pull out a roll of paper towels for the messy meals than look at someone’s disgusting cloth napkin. I say, Grab more towels–it’s OK. After all I want to enjoy my meal. 

I wonder how sales of  cloth napkins and washable dish towels are spiraling upwards as we all study the impact of every indiscretion on our environment. Definitely the “correct” way to go; just can’t do it all the time. 

The biggest marketing buzzword is green–we have green soap products, and I can attest to the fact that not all are created equal.

I’m over that problem and have decided to stay with Method products as they seem to work for me and continue to expand their product line to meet my next household need. They give me the look and save the environment. That’s a win-win. 

Eating clean is what it’s all about.

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