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Posts Tagged food

Love is in the Air: One Month Warning

Jan 14

Posted by admin in chocolate, coffee, wine

At least merchants who believe in fairy tales have their windows and aisles all gussied up for an event that is four weeks from today. OK, don’t panic. The all-American lovefest, commonly known as Valentine’s Day, has become a major marketing opportunity for retail, grocers, and restaurants. Also anybody else you can think of, like those little Girl Scouts who are already out hawking their yummy cookies.

Besides the giant heart-shaped boxes of candy, this is the year you might consider designing your own specialized candy bar for your love. The German company Chocri has figured out that Americans, too, have a sweet tooth and are offering us the opportunity to personalize a chocolate gift with Fair Trade, organic, Belgium chocolate. This has real possibilities, especially the Marzipan rose!marzipan

There’s also time to go the personalized M&M route, and the almost limitless array of other candies already dolled up in special V-Day boxes. Sweet choices.

Besides chocolate, which I have few complaints about unless it is milk chocolate rather than higher concentrations of cocoa, there are other wonderful food and beverage options. How about coffee or tea? Plenty of those already packaged up and ready to go. Don’t forget wine–so many choices. So many winning opportunities: Maybe this is the time of the year to think of a wine club, a lovely possibility!

Or just purchase a special wine for the final touch to a beautiful evening. How about a Late Harvest Riesling or a true Ice Wine to warm your spirit.

So many wonderful food choices for a special Valentine’s Day.

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Buckwheat: Gluten-Free

Jan 13

Posted by admin in gluten-free

Sometimes words are just plain old misleading. Those who go in search of G-F products learn pretty quickly that wheat is a common enemy. Watch out. Stay away. Those are the phrases most often associated with wheat products. Then you hit the ultimate conundrum: Buckwheat and learn that it is gluten-free. What about the wheat?  How does this work?

It turns out that buckwheat, in and of itself, is gluten-free, but it is often added to other grains, and there’s the rub. Lots of people with a gluten intolerance avoid buckwheat because it can be grown in a field that is not protected. In other words, it may actually come into contact with pure wheat which then puts it back into the danger zone. Buckwheat, in an analysis, is not considered a grain but a fruit, a member of the rhubarb family. Getting strange, right. The word just becomes more confusing by the second!pancakebuckwheat

When you find a buckwheat product that says it is G-F, then it means that the buckwheat has been grown, processed, and packaged in a self-contained area, away from other grains. Then you’re halfway to making great G-F pancakes. One warning or attention-getter: Buckwheat is pretty heavy, go easy.

So do not let the name dissuade you. Check out the product. Make certain that if it says “buckwheat,” it also says, “gluten-free.”

It starts out that way. What happens next is critical.

The list of foods continues.

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What’s the Deal with Pepper?

Jan 12

Posted by admin in dining out

In my meat universe, a great piece of beef is just that: A Great Piece of Meat. It needs a heavy char, a rare, warm-to-the-touch inside, and little else. One over-condiments a product that is not of high quality. A superior piece of beef, Black Angus, dry-aged, or Certified Prime, needs no doctoring, just an attentive grillmaster. Why are so many consumers now saying, “hold the pepper”? Why did pepper become such a major flavor profiler whether it is with top-quality meats or sushi-grade tuna?

Both those fine foods need little outside interference. It goes back to purchasing quality, preparing it simply, and not ruining it by fussing with unnecessary seasonings.

Just yesterday attention was on the salt crisis: How we are oversalting everything and our health is paying for using too much of this seasoning. Black pepper has been making the research rounds as a positive, but encrusting a steak with pepper (unless you ordered steak au poivre) is a negative in my book. It can overpower a food and make the taste get lost under its weight. Plenty of people like salted and peppered food. I am a believer in top quality products that need little extra attention. If the quality is good, you have nothing to hide. Inferior cuts of beef will take more than salt and pepper to solve.

Hold the pepper, bring on the 12 oz beauty. I can handle it.filetmig_sm

OK, I promise to take  some home for lunch tomorrow.

Who made pepper King, anyway?

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SHH…We’re Doing a Good Job

Jan 11

Posted by admin in health, lifestyle

Before the New York Health patrol decided it was time to focus everyone on the evils of salt, and there are plenty of health reasons to cut back on salt intake, several food manufacturers began their own private assault on salt. The introduction of lower sodium products and no-sodium foods has seen a resurgence in the past year. This time the strategy is different.

Salt is truly a villain for many; OK, make that most of us. Eating out means subjecting ourselves to the whims of the person on duty at the station. Whether it is a restaurant you frequent regularly or only occasionally, the person with the shaker in hand makes the final determination, regardless of the recipe. That extra shake may elevate your blood pressure into the danger zone. High blood pressure, stroke, and heart attacks are the primary health catastrophes from over-salting. New York City announced today The National Salt Reduction Initiative, a partnership of health organizations to create a voluntary reduction in salt levels in packaged and restaurant foods. Although this is a voluntary program, a number of food makers have already said the timetable is problematic.salt_feature

Slowly reducing the amount of sodium has helped train the American consumer to appreciate the same product and not notice the gradual reduction in sodium. Campbell Soup Company is one of those food makers who has been on the frontline of the quiet reduction in sodium and simultaneously helping lower overall salt in their products. They pledged their continued sodium reduction program, a gradual step-by-step reduction. Their process has taken them from just 25 lower sodium products in 2005 to more than 110 such efforts today, including the entire line of V-8 drinks.

Sure there are plenty of labels that tout lesser sodium counts, but these ongoing efforts at lowering sodium levels gradually and getting consumers tastebuds on the program may have a more lasting effect. After all, salt is merely a seasoning.

We just need to use less salt, try other seasoning approaches, and be conscious of the overall health implications.

Time to shake it less and concentrate on a product’s natural taste.

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Gluten-Free Energy

Jan 9

Posted by admin in gluten-free

larabarNo, you do not have to give up your energy bars: There are plenty of choices that are G-F and let you rack up the bites without having to stand idly by while everyone else is doing the chomp. This is good news fort the humble date, a fruit that has seen its popularity wane but has been elevated by its prominence in the new lineup of bars.

Look at the LARABAR selection for starters. They are one of the original players in this space as they tout the limited number of ingredients, 8 or fewer, and the fact that they are creating an unsweetened bar of fruits and nuts. Did we mention some interesting, almost exotic flavors? Well, we should as the tropics come into play with Key Lime and Lemon and one of the newer flavors, Tropical Fruit Tart. Don’t forget Cherry Pie.

Then there is the Pure lineup, an organic, gluten-free bar. as with the LaraBars, these are cold-processed which gives them a purer form of antioxidants. Again, the flavors are enticing and the taste more than rewarding. There’s cranberry-orange and wild blueberry for starters to help you rack up your fruit intake.

The tropics and cherry tastes have also impacted BumbleBars with Tasty Tropical, Chunky Cherry, and Cherry Chocolate gaining some new fans.

The list of possibilities could go on: The point is simple, companies understand the importance of making a bar for those who cannot tolerate gluten.  Just to set the record straight, you do not need to be gluten-intolerant to enjoy this type of break.

Snack up.

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How ’bout The Apple?

Jan 6

Posted by admin in food universe, shopping

OK, settle down, this is not about the new Apple Tablet or an IPhone App. We’re talkin’ fruit, the lowercase apple.

It’s that time of the year when every talk show and commentator has a piece on NY’s Resolutions. Somehow the apple, the circular fruit with plenty of maxims about its importance, winds up in numerous discussions. Eat an apple. An apple a day. Make it a small one, no bigger than a tennis ball. Assuming they mean a yellow tennis ball and the apple of your choice! Or is that the apple of your eye?

Is there a season of the year when the apple is completely out of favor? We have to backtrack a little as the apple of yore, I guess that would be a Red Delicious Apple, has been relegated to the back of the bus. Not thrown off, but hardly the darling of the crop anymore. Sure there are plenty of recipes that clearly state use a delicious apple, but the core of the extensive lineup has lots of competition these days, regardless of the season (unless of course you are only eating products within a 100-mile radius). Name a state, and you’ll be able to find an orchard to match your tastes.

There are the basic reds and Golden Delicious, the Macintosh, the once uber-popular, Fuji, and the new darling of the aisle, the Honeycrisp. As there are numerous apples, there are apple prices all over the bag. If you go with the weekly sales, you’re likely to find good buys almost year-round on the apple. If you only eat organics, then you pay the organic premium and have your selection limited by availability. apple

What is it about the apple anyway? Is it the fact that it is low in calories, and has no fat? Is it some of the new research that gives it health benefits in staving off Alzheimer’s? Is it its ease of eating as it fits so comfortably into your hand? Yes, to all of these reasons and to its year-round affordability.

So with the emphasis on eating healthy in this new year, and with the reality that flu season has not hit in every part of the country yet, then the best Apple Resolution is from Ben Franklin: An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Whaddya got to lose?

Just the core–save it for the compost pile.

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Happy Anniversary

Dec 30

Posted by admin in food universe, lifestyle, news

birthdaycandlesIt’s hard to believe that I’ve turned a whim into a regular gig. Yes, when I tried my hand at the blog world last December 30th (that was 2008!), I occasionally visited my site, as a WordPress newbie, but something happened as time went on. I was drawn into the blog and decided I rather enjoyed it.

I am not one to put up a billboard and announce my latest interest, so this project was mine which I shared with very few people. OK, make that nobody!

I was content with communicating via the computer and my blog outlet. Then one day, somewhere in early spring, I decided to take a bigger plunge, I started to write daily, not just occasionally. I found it a relaxing way to deal with all the information floating around in my head. Reading does that to you!

I wanted an outlet, a means to communicate my food and beverage thoughts. I had an opportunity to comment on items I read, research I uncovered, or just the usual inanities of life. It was time to move on and say thank you and goodbye to WordPress and join the World Wide Universe. I was ready and even daringly upgraded the appearance of my communication. I still maintained my work-related reporting, but enjoyed the opportunity to expand my writing into a boundless arena.

As we all know, there are no shortage of bloggers. Actually if you look at how many blog posts there are daily, you’ll probably crawl back under the covers. As for food bloggers, that number in itself is shockingly large. We’ve all become experts in one aspect of the food industry or another. There’s so much to say.

The problem may fall at the feet of readers, or of the eyeballs, as so many people are oversubscribed to information and can’t comprehend the jump to an additional outlet they may not need. So I say to you, stay tuned. I still have a lot to say.

I’m ready to blow out my single candle (OK, maybe I’ll fill the cake with lots of candles as my posts number over 300!). Yikes, that’s a lot of words.

At the count of three, help me blow out  the past, and and join with me as I wish a great year for us all.

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Good Gluten Info

Dec 11

Posted by admin in food, grocer, health, news

When you make the rounds looking for tasty, not cardboardy, gluten-free products, you are assured of one common theme: High Prices. No matter where you shop, a bag of pretzels, gluten-free, is almost the equivalent of two or three regular wheat-laden bags. There are always deals and coupons for the latter category to ease you into snack nirvana.

Not for gluten-free products: The mark-up is significant. Finding the tasty ones (Glutino) and other snacks (Lundberg) make shopping a little less of a challenge. Interesting that Glutino just adjusted its product packaging, giving more prominence to its label. If grocers would just figure out where to place the G-F line (does it go in a section of an aisle by itself or does it comingle with similar products?), we could shop without so much interweaving among the aisles.

As for new packaging and heightened awareness, General Mills boldly showcases the term “Gluten-Free” on many of its familiar products. The big news is the introduction of its new website to help us broaden our G-F knowledge base: Live Gluten Freely. They have taken the guesswork out of a lot of label reading.list_logo_fruit

One can only hope that other large manufacturers will follow suit and do a product listing of G-F items and help us shorten shopping time.

Now if one of them would only do something about the pricing, more people might feel comfortable about making the healthier switch!

Hello, can you hear me?

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Follow the Apple

Dec 5

Posted by admin in food universe, health

It’s seductive to see people, one after another, walking the streets of a popular shopping area chomping down on an apple. Normally you might miss the eat-and-walk routine, but after seeing the 4th person, you decided it was time to put on the detective headgear. You knew you had traced the route when you peeked in the window of a local Panera Bread and saw a woman at a front table eating an apple. AHA.

Genius. Certainly no one needs another bag of chips or even a small salad. Now an apple, that has promise, portability, and it obviously attracts customers. It got me in the door. It got me to stay and order what I might consider a healthy lunch–1/2 sandwich, bowl of soup, and the prized apple.

I looked forward to taking my healthy dessert for a walk. It’s like a giant billboard that advertises “Eat at Joe’s,” in this case, it’s Panera. Yeh, the bread on the tuna fish was fine, but the apple, that’s the moral of the story.logo_home

It’s about way more than the bread. Smart, healthy strategy and judging by the number of chompers in a 3-block radius, it’s working. Advertising Age just called them one of the country’s hottest brands. I can attest to that: The place was crowded with diners, carry-out, and relaxing souls taking advantage of Wi-Fi. This fast-casual dining experience draws a broad swath of customers.

BTW, the apple was good. Quite good. I’m not even sure if all my compatriots and I got the same crunchy one, but that’s not the point.

Kudos, Panera, you have a new fan!

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Hunger: More than a Six-Letter Word

Nov 30

Posted by admin in Administration, food universe, news

The news gets more abysmal by the minute. In this formerly very wealthy county, record numbers of children go hungry. Now we learn that food stamp use is way up and those adults and families once averse to such a program are now willingly taking part in its offerings. This is no time to hide behind the wall of fear of notice. Estimates indicate that the food stamp program is still not reaching 100% of those in need. Going hungry has become a severe problem that continues to grow daily.

In schools the number of children who get to school early for breakfast continues to climb. Those on subsidized lunch programs and children in afternoon care rely on the nutrients offered as school-based food programs may mean the single hot meal in their daily routines. With a special initiative from the USDA, schools will receive additional funds for demonstrating improved menus and healthier quality of foods served. This is a positive first step for a growing national crisis.schoolbreakfastlogo

Just before Thanksgiving the White House announced a more aggressive program focused on the alarming spread of hunger. It’s allied with its commitment to volunteering: Feed A Neighbor. This is a program tied into the Corporation for National and Community Service and linked to an effort to increase volunteerism between now and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, the National Day of Service, January 18.

Hunger issues are now so profound that we are at the same dire level of food needs as we were almost 15 years ago. Our progress has been eroded. Additional tactics need to be implemented after the January focus as the severity far exceeds the 6-week focus!

Talking about a problem never makes it go away. Besides USDA, Share our Strength, United We Serve, and the major corporations and foundations that have stepped in with action plans, the severity of the issue demands more than mere introspective attention.

We cannot continue to feast in our homes while others go hungry.

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