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Watch Your Oscar Snacks

Mar 5

Posted by admin in lifestyle, news

Big food weekend coming up with so many people trying to figure out how to host Oscar-themed parties. Go with Julie & Julia and it’ll be tricky for food pairings (better get started now), but not as complicated as fooding Avatar.

If you’re thinking about carrying in to help ease the set-up, then you have some additional homework. In one of the larger, more widespread FDA recalls, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) has been targeted for a Salmonella outbreak. This is a tricky one. First of all, if you follow the “I don’t buy it if I can’t spell it” rule, you’d never have it within 50 yards of your cupbaords or refrig. The problem is far more complicated as it is a pervasive ingredient. You may be surprised by its presence! Scroll through the list and start checking your larder. Almost all of the government agencies that get involved with food safety issues (USDA, CDC, FDA) have information on their sites. Plenty to read.salmonella

Popular veggie and spinach dips, some types of potato chips, soup mixes, pre-packaged meals (various tofus), and organic salad dressings are well-defined on this list.

This recall started the week with fewer items, but has multiplied.

Be thorough as this ingredient has become a popular additive. Even some Chinese restaurants list their HVP menus which they have cleverly crafted to increase their dining base. You don’t want to ruin the Red Carpet or miss the weekend festivities.

Lotsa movie competition. Make room.

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Chilean Wine

Mar 4

Posted by admin in lifestyle, news

I have written numerous posts about the affordable wines coming from Chile. The news from last week’s earthquake disaster and the numerous aftershocks have rocked the industry. So much is still uncertain and long-term effects are still unknown, but this is a viable, economic industry that has grown significantly over the past several years.

The leaders of the Chilean Wine Industry call the loss limited which is astonishing. This week’s numbers indicate a financial loss of $250 million (125 million liters), but the industry last year proved itself a strong contender in the international wine world with over a billion liters of wine.  They feel fortunate that the loss is not greater, and, of course express their concerns for the overall devastation that the earthquake caused. This information is, of course, still in the estimation period as the infrastructure at individual wineries has not yet been fully determined. Daily updates have become the norm.wines-of-chile-vinos-de-chile

If you are looking for a way to help Chile during this devastation, drink Chilean wine.

Do your part: Support a strong, growing wine industry with so many wonderful, affordable, and delicious choices!

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Eating Healthy

Mar 2

Posted by admin in health, lifestyle

Something happened on the roll-up to the month of March. Maybe it was the unusual weather extremes that plagued all parts of the country. Maybe it was the bad economic news and the long list of woes affecting the general population. Whatever the exact cause, one fact is clear: All the healthy eating kick-off promotions that are normally part of the January lifestyle alerts went nowhere. February was a long month of a blur, and now look where we are.

Whole Foods has decided to take its healthy message up a notch. Not that this is the first time this year they have focused their staff and customers on strategies to improve their healthy lifestyle, but this time the emphasis is on the Whole Body section of the store (and online) withe the emphasis on edfucating customers with lectures and podcasts to promote healthy energy. The philosophy focuses on an energy boost with good nutrition and smart shopping. BTW, whatever Whole Foods has done recently has positively improved their bottom line: They are a healthier company.

Fresh Direct is making it easier for NY shoppers who are already time-stressed to get on the health bandwagon. The online grocer with its commitment to farm-fresh foods just introduced a free app that’s compatible with the iPhone and the iPod touch to let customers create new orders or modify current ones. New customers will love this incentive as they’ll receive a 15% savings on their first two orders by signing up with the company and then using the app. That works.

Wegmans continues to expand its healthy eating selections under the category of “Food You Feel Good About.” Sub-categories include meals under 500 calories. There are various commonsense tips and strategies (that are worth reminding us) such as fill up half your plate with fruit and vegetables.principle3_Large

Spring’s official start is still 3 weeks away and swimsuit parading is months from then. Take advantage of the promotions, shop smart and join the health brigade. No matter the grocer or the chain, the emphasis is the same: We can all take advantage of strategies to improve our shopping experience and improve our overall health.

The advice is readily available and free. Now it’s up to us to follow it and eat healthy.

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Restaurant Promotions

Feb 26

Posted by admin in beverages, lifestyle, news

If you need ways to study dining out, then a simple barometer is the number of promotions that flood your email, Twitter, and Facebook accounts. Social media has become the key communication tool to let potential guests in on ways to save money. The strategies were the saving grace during each of the major snow storms as followers received messages that said ”we are open,” or not. Double and triple point nites were a common incentive to get loyalists in the door.

This has truly been a long month of limited outings whether from record snows or unceasing inches of rain. The Coasts have been clobbered, and the spots with normally full outdoor tables have been holding court inside as record lows have walloped the FL sun. Enough about February; what’s to come in March?

It looks as if restaurants have come out of the gate in flying colors with multiple promotions to get us out of our homes. In Washington, DC, The Restaurant Association coordinated a one-week (March 1-7) “Unleashed” deal in the hopes of creating a buzz again as too many people have been stuck at home and not taking advantage of the conviviality of dining in a more spirited space.

Chicago restaurants, at all price points, have banded together and offer any number of food and drink specials via Open Table. This site is a particularly easy way to see who’s offering what during the coming weeks throughout the country. Hey, Minneapolis, get out, you still have til the 5th to enjoy Restaurant Week.

Resorts are getting into the act, too. One of my favorite properties, Meadowood in Napa Valley, has instituted a rain check. If your visit includes a rainy day during your stay from now through April 2010, they’ll give you a complimentary night’s lodging when you stay again before the end of July. It’s been raining a  lot in California. The fields still have their mustard color display, and the restaurant always offers a quiet respite with exciting food.

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Regardless of the city, coupons, social media tactics, and the old-fashioned Internet are ready to help move you from the doldrums to the tables. Let’s welcome March by getting out and helping the restaurants stay in business and be there for us when accessibility is even easier.

I’m on my way.

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Do More Than Shut Off the Ringer

Feb 20

Posted by admin in dining out, lifestyle

B2C_devour_ThumbHospitality: That’s the word that translates our dining out experiences. We want someone to extend the hospitality of good food and beverages and an environment that is welcoming. We can ruin the experience with the flash of a scroll or a button.

Yes, we understand about shutting off our ringers and plenty of menus say no cell phones, but what about texting or emailing? How do you like eating out with a dinner companion who can’t take his eye off the gadget and his finger from the button?

More often than not the texter or writer is a visible dinner companion. If you are dining alone, then quietly scrolling through emails may make a fine dinner companion. Returning calls or sending long tapping messages does not elevate the experience for anyone: Don’t.

Yes, if you are “ON Call” your situation is different, but for the rest of the universe, it’s time to soak up the hospitality and lose the gadgetry. Vibrate is no better. Hit off or quiet and settle in for a fine dining experience no matter the venue or the price point.

Relax.

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Tap Water, Please

Feb 16

Posted by admin in beverages, lifestyle

We’ve read and talked about plastic water bottles filling up the recycling bins and having no place to go. That we are stretching the limits of sustainability. Now, there’s a clever, and colorful, solution to the problem.

Welcome to Bobble, the little insert that fits inside a plastic bottle and filters regular tap water. Clever; smart; practical. BPA-free and, of course, reusable. We’re talking about an affordable solution with its activated carbon filter that goes into action and does the work of about 300 water bottles. Do the math: Not just on the wallet but on the environment, too.

You’ll love the design and the choice of 6 bright colors. Credit industrial designer Karim Rashid, a well-known design icon (who helped change the face of many of Target’s aisles), with the look.bobble

With your reusable bottle, you won’t have to look far to fill ‘er up.

It looks good enough to drink!

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Take Out the Party Hats

Feb 13

Posted by admin in lifestyle

Talk about a place ready for a party, and you’re probably thinking New Orleans. Didn’t they just have a party after winning the Super Bowl? Sure, but the big, annual (I didn’t say the Super Bowl win couldn’t happen again) fun fest is Mardi Gras. The religious day, Fat Tuesday,  before Ash Wednesday is a time of major celebration, after all deprivation is just around the corner. So this Tuesday, February 16 is the time to party. Religious notes aside, it’s a food feast.

If you’re not in the Big Easy, you can easily plan a Mardi Gras party and serve yourself some Cajun or Creole treats. Think Gumbo, Jambalaya, or even Etouffee.  If you prefer to go out and really whoop it up, plenty of restaurants are willing to show their true spirit by turning a single day event into two days of traditional foods and drinks. Bakeries stand ready for exhibiting their prowess with the traditional King Cake which you can make if you’re too late to place an order. Plenty of recipes, like the Emeril Lagasse Food Network version, make the colorful, ringed sweet a not so difficult spin for the mixer.FNmag_King_Cake-image_s4x3_sm

Those in the East who are still digging out from the record book snowfall are definitely looking for an excuse to celebrate something. Here’s an easy way to let the good times roll and partee.

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Support your Local Restaurant

Feb 12

Posted by admin in lifestyle, news

OK, East Coasters, it’s time: Get outta the house.

Restaurants are struggling after 3, count ‘em, 3 weekend snow storms and then the final touch, a monster 2-day blizzard.

Eat OUT–plenty of people ready to welcome you inside. It doesn’t matter where you go, just go.

Support your local restaurant and keep them in business.pizza

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Kick-Off: Food to Score

Feb 5

Posted by admin in food universe, lifestyle

OK, as a food blogger, I’d be remiss not talking about what food you need to have on hand for this weekend’s long extravaganza of a Super Bowl. Of course, if you are in the weather-beleaguered East Coast, you may be entertaining yourself in front of the game as mountains of snow are again predicted for this, the third weekend in a row!

Even if you are left with leftovers, most games revolve around the seasonal avocado. Grocers are touting their special prices for this versatile fruit/vegetable with its heart-healthy fats. Not everyone has to turn it into a chip dip of guacamole. The naturally, beautifully colored sliced avocado turns an ordinary platter into a more attractive platter for deli meats or cheeses. Yes, deli somehow wins over the legions of sandwich lovers, and dips of all types manage to fill the groaning board.

You would think this would be an impossible food celebration without wings. For over a week now, every bar and grocer has been promoting prepared wings and wings to prepare. Don’t forget the sauces as those who like milder wings will attest, they prefer to dip the wings into some condiment combination.

The other food that begs big bowl mastery is chili. This is the time of year chili cook-offs win over new legions of followers from the bean-no bean turf wars to the vegan aficionados.

The food safety people have even gotten into the act making certain you remember about temperature and storage.fsbillboard_feb2010_1

However you approach the weekend, remember this football maxim: The game takes forever. Food has to last into overtime.

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Coffee Mathematics

Feb 2

Posted by admin in lifestyle, news

There are those of us who run out the door in the morning to purchase the perfect cup of coffee. Then there are those who pre-set the machine the night before so coffee aromas waft one awake. Somewhere there’s a middle ground: Purchasers and home drinkers. Depending on the time of day and the coffee budget, one can easily play both sports and score a winning TD. I apologize, but Super Bowl mania makes it into food thoughts this whole week as it is about more than just the game–it’s what makes the game palatable!

Back to coffee. Consumer Reports just came out with another coffee study and has disappointing news for many home brews: They tested 37 caffeinated and decaffeinated blended varieties and no bag scored higher than a good rating. Starbucks should have some degree of a smile as it at least scored a good caffeine rating for its House Blend. Green Mountain’s Signature Nantucket Blend Medium Roast matched it on the top of the Good Rating pile.

Small consolation for home coffee drinkers who want that perfect morning cup. I learned a long time ago that coffee comparisons are a little like restaurant reviews. Everyone has an opinion. Some you can even agree with! I have real trouble with the flavored coffee folks as I believe hazelnut or whatever is added to a mediocre bean in an attempt to improve the taste! Hey, that’s just my opinion after 1,000s of cups of coffee!

The Decaf column had a few brighter stars with Allegro, Peet’s, Caribou, and Buck’s County each having a product in the top scoring good column.

If you are only looking at price, you might benefit from knowing that Maxwell House and Folgers resided near the bottom of the list. If it’s a combination of finding a good cup of coffee and not breaking the bank, then Melitta Classic Blend Roast (11 cents a cup), and Seattle’s Best Breakfast Blend (15 cents) are good products to consider. In the decaf universe Seattle’s Best Blend Decaf Light Roast (15 cents) and Sam’s Choice Organic Blend Decaffeinated Medium Roast (18 cents) are the ones to purchase.

Note that this study is quite different from one they conducted two years ago as the focus this time was on blended coffees (beans from multiple regions or countries). Last time it was on 100% pure Arabica beans, the more expensive bean. This is by no means a conclusive study as there are so many coffee choices out there, and there is so much consolidation of companies, as in Seattle’s Best is really a Starbucks company.

So many other factors contribute to a good cup of coffee: Water plays a major role in its outcome. The machine that brews the coffee, the freshness of the beans, and the specific grind are additional factors. What does this study say about the coffee at restaurants or coffee shops that serve the various brands? If it’s a cup from your favorite coffee shop, concentrate on consistency. Does it come out the same every time? That’s critical.mug

I know; it’s about the balance, the delicate interconnectedness of what goes into the machine or the scooper. I know. It’s personal.

They don’t call me “all about coffee” for nothing!

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