Once Upon a Time, There Were 10… *

Docking pastry came up on the FOODWINE list this morning. What?? you might ask? That’s what I said. One of the nice gentlemen replied with this (Thanks, Stuart!):

A French guy, a British guy, and a New Yorker are walking through a jungle when, all of a sudden, cannibals appear and take them prisoner.

They are carried to the village and put before the chieftain. He says that they are all going to be skinned and their skins used to make canoes. He also tells them that they will have one last wish.

The French guy goes first and wished for a hand gun so he can shoot himself so he doesn't have to feel the pain of being skinned. The wish is granted, he shouts “Pour France!”, and shoots himself.

The British guy wishes for a sword so he can stab himself before being skinned. The wish is also granted. He shouts “God save the Queen!” and kills himself.

The guy from New York wishes for a fork. All the cannibals are puzzled but the chief grants the wish anyways. So the guy takes the fork, starts stabbing himself, and shouts “Here’s your %$#@ing canoe!!”

*with apologies to Jiminy Cricket

Super Lobster!!

Would I lie about a thing like that? Take a look at its picture:

Copperpots: Lobster Thermador

What’s Important

Today’s Daily Thought from Real Simple:

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.

― J.R.R. Tolkien

Were These the Mushrooms You Wanted, Dear?

We’re having a BBQ this afternoon/evening, and I’ve been assigned the shopping spree. On the list is a box of mushrooms, which I’m not seeing at Johnnie’s.

What I do see is this bunch, so I snapped the shot and sent it to Bob, inquiring as to whether these were what he had in mind; they are!! Ah LUV mah BlackBerry!




Sent, via BlackBerry, by AT&T

Read Your Labels, Mom Always Said

I stopped off at Safeway in Scotts Valley on my way home from Mass this afternoon. Amongst other things on my list was cottage cheese. I grabbed a carton and checked the expire date. 2 Jan 2009. Ooops!

Grabbed the next carton. Same date. Went through several cartons and got a date back in December amongst the Januarys.

Kept going. Found one from 23 Nov 2008.

I looked at the whole lot, at least two dozen, and not one of them was in date…

Caveat emptor.

These Cookies Sound Really Good!

How to Bake Lavender and Lemon Cookies

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Lavender and lemon make a delightful combination for homemade cookies. Guests will not be able to resist taking at least two.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon (about 1 gram) dried lavender flowers; must be culinary suitable and chemical-free
  
• 1 cup (227 grams) butter (ensure it is at room temperature)
  
• 2/3 cup (67 grams) sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract
  
• 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) lemon extract
  
• 1/4 teaspoon (.5 grams) grated, fresh lemon rind (ensure lemon has been well washed)
  
• 2 cups (250 grams) flour (all purpose/plain)
  
• 1/8 teaspoon (.75 gram) salt
  
• Frosting of choice (optional)
  

Steps

1. Grind the lavender flowers. A mortar and pestle is easiest but you can also use a coffee grinder reserved only for food grinding use.
   
2. Cream together ground lavender, butter, sugar, both extracts and the freshly grated lemon rind.
   
3. Add flour and salt.
   
4. Mix the ingredients together. Combine until dough is soft. Add a little extra flour if the dough remains sticky.
   
5. Refrigerate the dough until firm. This may take 1 - 2 hours.
   
6. Preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC) before removing dough from the fridge.
   
7. Flour a clean surface, lightly, in preparation for rolling the dough.
   
8. Roll dough out. A quarter of an inch (.635 cm) is an ideal thickness.
   
9. Cut cookies.. You can use a cookie cutter or just make balls.
   
10. Arrange on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
    
11. Bake 12 - 15 minutes. Cookies should only be lightly browned at the edges to retain delicate flavors.
    
12. Remove and cool on wire racks.
    
13. Frost as desired.
    

Tips

• If you have purple food coloring, this can make a delightful complementary frosting for the cookies.
  
• If using fresh lavender, add about twice as much.
  
• If using a mortar and pestle, adding some of the sugar to the lavender may help you grind it finer.
  

Things You'll Need

• Medium mixing bowl
  
• Mixing spoon
  
• Cookie sheet
  
• Parchment or baking paper
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Bake Cookies
  
• How to Dry Your Home Grown Lavender
  
• How to Prune and Harvest Lavender
  
• How to Enjoy a Lemon Italian Ice
  
• How to Make Lemon Pie
  
• How to Make Lemon/Lime Water
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Bake Lavender and Lemon Cookies. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Being a Food Critic is HARD Work!!

How to Become a Food Critic

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Introducing new restaurants and new dishes to the public is a demanding and competitive job with travel and new exciting experiences as the reward. If you enjoy tasting a wide variety of food and wines and love to write, this could be the perfect career for you.

Steps

1. Develop fantastic writing skills as a newspaper reporter. You can have the most discriminating palate in the world, but you'll never make it as a food critic if you can't communicate well. If you are heading for school, major in journalism or English. Work on the university paper and try to write as many articles as you can on food and the arts. If you can't go to school full-time, try to take courses part-time and/or look into getting an internship at a local magazine or newspaper.
   
2. Become familiar with the restaurant business. Owning or co-owning a restaurant is very practical for a food critic. At the very least, you should know how things operate behind the scenes. If possible, work in restaurants and study how they work from top to bottom. Ask many questions. Educate yourself.
   
3. Test the limits of your palate. To be a food critic, you must have an incredible and adventurous palate. Expand your curiosity and be prepared to try every kind of food and drink. You might have to be brave at times and go way out of your comfort zone. It really helps to be the kind of person who has tremendous zest for life willing to take many adventures and risks. This job is not for the faint hearted. Try anything and everything you come across, no matter how strange or foreign it may seem, and record your impressions as descriptively as you can. Training your palate is like exercising a muscle. You need to be able to detect the subtle nuances of flavor and seasoning in food.
   
4. Become an expert in food. Your goal should be to become a first class connoisseur of cuisine. Food should become your life! Dedicate yourself to searching out the finest, latest, rarest and most delicious incredible culinary knowledge. Read the cookbooks from all the great master chefs from all around the world. You should be obsessive in your search for new food trends and ideas.
   
   • Travel to food and wine festivals, from first class to the obscure.
     
   • Study the art of cooking. Take cooking classes non-stop. You should attain a "chef" level in cooking as a goal.
     
   • Build your culinary vocabulary. Frequent fresh food markets and learn about produce and herb seasonings from all over the world.
     
   • Try to take a few wine classes and make many visits to wineries. A good appreciation of wine is crucial. Knowing how to taste wine can also develop your palate.
     
   • Consider becoming an expert on certain foods, such as dark chocolate, later in your career. Many food writers also immerse themselves in the history and culture of food to add depth to their articles.
     
   • Study French, Spanish and Italian. Learn at least one language fluently as well as being versed in the languages of Japan, China and the Mediterranean.
     
   
   
5. Research other food critics and chefs. This is imperative. Everyone has there own style of food writing.You need to find your own "voice". You should read the works of M.F.K. Fisher, A.J. Liebling, Elizabeth David, Calvin Trillin, A.A. Gill and Robert Courtine.
   
6. Write reviews. When you go to a new restaurant, go with three friends. Bring someone who's familiar with that kind of cuisine (such as if the cuisine is ethnic, and your friend grew up in the country it originated from). Ask everyone to order something different (including appetizers and dessert) and take two bits of every dish, including your own. Then stop eating. The reason for this is twofold: it helps you maintain a healthy weight, and it helps leave enough room in your stomach for everything. (Besides, you can always ask to have things wrapped up and take them home, or your friends might have fun finishing what you didn't.) Between each dish, try to take a mental snapshot of the dish, and remember your impressions of it. Do not take notes at the restaurant. Wait until you get home, in the car, or even the bathroom. You don't want to tip the restaurant off that you're a reviewer. After your first visit to the restaurant, do it all over again. This time, you and your companions should order dishes that you didn't have the time before. That way, you'll have tried many different dishes and can get a good idea for how you're going to rate that restaurant.[1]
   
   • Also pay attention to the ambiance and service. Make note of anything that contributes to or takes away from the experience. Food critics often have an extensive checklist that includes, but is not limited to the impressiveness of the food.[2]
     
   • If you're going to make a career out of critiquing food, it's important that you don't become recognizable. Once people know who you are, they'll try especially hard to make sure you enjoy their food which, while nice, can interfere with your review of the food. After all, your readers won't get that kind of treatment, and your job is to let them know what they can expect as an average person, not a food critic. Make reservations under a fake name (or else they might recognize your real name with what's published in the paper) and keep a low profile (don't go to benefits, wine dinners, or other gatherings; don't appear on television or participate as a celebrity in events; don't accept offers to try a chef's cuisine).[1] Failing to keep your anonymity intact may warrant a lot of criticism from readers.[3]
     
   
   
7. Create a portfolio of at least 40 written articles that you have written on food, wine, restaurants, chefs, food festivals, etc. If your plan is to become a food critic, then you must write all the time to have something to show to editors. Schedule writing one article a week until you build up a body of writing work. Consider starting a blog.
   
8. Apply to different newspapers and magazines regarding writing food columns. A big part of your life will be writing newspaper stories about all aspects of food. You will not start out as a food critic in most cases. You will start at the very bottom. There will be no job you won't do. When you do land a job at a newspaper, keep a travel bag packed at all times in your office or car. You might even get a job that doesn't focus on food at all, but it'll put your foot in the door and you can write about food on the side--in some cases, you'll inherit a food critic's position as a result.[1]
   

Tips

• All food critics are food writers, but not all food writers are food critics. Remember that your job as a food critic is to scrutinize food and help the readers know if they'll enjoy it or not. If you give an inaccurate impression of the food, people will be dissatisfied with your work.
  
• Enjoy the fact that you will spend hours poring over menus from all over the world; food is one way to become more familiar with other cultures.
  

Warnings

• After a negative or mixed review, be prepared for a barrage of e-mails from the restaurant's fans telling you that you don't know what you're talking about.
  
• When you first start out it will very tempting to try many foods as well as the desserts and possibly gain a good deal of weight. This can be hazardous for your health. The best way to deal with this is to take a taste of a dish and not eat the entire thing.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Give Constructive Criticism
  
• How to Criticise
  
• How to Use the Compliment Sandwich to Critique
  
• How to Write a Critique in 5 Paragraphs
  
• How to Accept Criticism
  

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Boston.com - The Secret Life of a Restaurant Critic


2. ↑ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=26&entry_id=4946


3. ↑ 'Daily News' Food Critic Danyelle Freeman And Her Face

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Become a Food Critic. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Passing the Time at PDX - Music

Once the sandwich and football were done, and with plenty of time was left to kill, I wandered out of the “food court” and stumbled straightaway into Mario Carboni and Chazz Hamilton, piano and guitar players, respectively, extraordinaire!

What a treat!! These boys obviously have more than just a clue about ensemble playing and sound GREAT together! No surprise, I guess: according to MySpace, Mario and Chazz are Back Road Boogie. I’m gonna have to get back to Oregon RSN.

• Mario at MySpace
• Chazz at MySpace
• Back Road Boogie at MySpace; make sure you check out the songs!

You can sample, and buy, Mario’s CD, Big Bad Boogie, on CD Baby. It’s a good listen; why, oh why didn’t I think to have him autograph it when we were all still at the airport??

Passing the Time at PDX - Sports

So, I’m killing time in terminal/concourse/whatever-they-call-it C at PDX, having gotten to there with RenRen and Bwen, whose planes took off oodles earlier than mine, and stopped off for lunch at Big Town Hero (gobbled the tuna melt forthwith; saved the avocado delight for later!). They share a “food court” sort of central area with some other food vendors, so I took advantage and sat down and watched some football.

Interesting it was: Michigan beat Miami of Ohio 16-6, but it was 10-6 for a long time. And Ohio was leading OSU, but eventually lost, 26-14.

The Salvation and Downfall of Ireland

How to Celebrate the International Year of the Potato

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

"As wheat and rice prices surge, the humble potato is being rediscovered as a nutritious crop that could cheaply feed an increasingly hungry world."[1]The United Nations declared that 2008 is the International Year of the Potato. The celebration of the International Year of the Potato (IYP) is intended to raise awareness of the importance of the potato, as well as agriculture in general, in addressing issues of global concern, including hunger, poverty and threats to the environment. This article provides some ways for you to join in the celebration of the humble spud.

Steps

1. Learn about the reasons why the potato is an important food crop. The humble potato is being rediscovered as a potentially very useful food crop that can be easily grown in many parts of the world as a source of nutritious food. The benefits of potatoes include:
   
   • Global nature - they have been transported all around the world and are grown almost everywhere
     
   • Ability to feed the hungry - the potato is able to produce more nutritious food per area of land and in harsher environments than any other major food crop, providing “up to 85 percent of the plant is edible human food, compared to around 50% in cereals”.[2]
     
   • Nutritious - potatoes are good for you. They are rich in carbohydrates which provide long-term energy and they have the highest protein content for the root and tuber family, “with an amino-acid pattern that is well matched to human requirements”.[3]
     
   • Increasing future demand - there is an increasing trend in eating potatoes around the world, indicating that potatoes will become more and more important as a substantial food crop.
     
   
   
2. Learn about the different varieties of potatoes. There are many varieties of potatoes and different potatoes are suitable for different uses. There are potatoes suitable for baking, roasting, boiling, mashing, steaming and frying. Ask at your local potato distributor for information on the best types of potato for your cooking needs.
   
3. Learn about the nutrition benefits of the potato. Potatoes have received a lot of bad press from those insisting that potatoes make dieters fat but this bad rap is undeserved. Potatoes are low in fat; it is what you put on a potato can make it fattening but by themselves, potatoes are not a fattening food and can easily satisfy hunger cravings quickly in small portion. Potatoes contain many micronutrients, including vitamin C, iron, B1, B3, B6 and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus and magnesium, and contains folate, pantothenic acid and riboflavin. In addition, potatoes contain valuable dietary fibre and antioxidants to help prevent age-related diseases.[4]
   
4. Note the effects of cooking styles on potato nutrition. The method that you use for cooking potatoes impacts on the nutrition level of the potato.
   
   • Boiling causes a big loss of vitamin C, especially for peeled potatoes
     
   • Frying potatoes and making French fries/chips reduces the mineral and ascorbic acid content and causes the potato to absorb a lot of fat
     
   • Baking causes a higher loss of vitamin C than boiling but retains other vitamins and minerals.[5]
     
   
   
5. Make some potato recipes at home. Get cooking! Almost everyone loves the potato in some form or other and you can put your culinary skills to use cooking potatoes at home. Look for potato recipes on wikiHow and share some of your favourite potato recipes here and with family and friends.
   
6. Grow your own potatoes. Potatoes are really easy to grow and children can also join in the fun of planting them and watching them grow. For more details on growing potatoes for yourself, see our article Plant Potatoes.
   

Tips

• The Bangladesh army is including a 125g potato per member of the army regardless of rank to supplement a decreasing rice diet.[6]
  

Warnings

• The starch in raw potatoes cannot be digested by the human digestive system, so avoid eating potatoes raw.
  
• Avoid potatoes with green skins. The green indicates the presence of glycoalkaloids, which are toxic. These areas are not destroyed by cooking, so cut away green areas prior to cooking or discard entirely green potatoes.
  

Things You'll Need

• Potatoes - different varieties
  
• Resources and information about potatoes
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Plant Potatoes
  
• How to Grow Potatoes in a Wire Cage
  
• How to Bake Potatoes
  
• How to Make Fried Potatoes
  
• How to Make Roast Potatoes
  
• How to Celebrate the International Day for Biodiversity
  
• How to Help Protect Biodiversity
  
• How to Understand the Concept of Biodiversity
  

Sources and Citations

• International Year of the Potato - Official website for IYP
  

1. ↑ IYP, Why Potato?


2. ↑ IYP, Why Potato?


3. ↑ IYP, Why Potato?


4. ↑ IYP, Potatoes, Nutrition and Diet


5. ↑ IYP, Potatoes, Nutrition and Diet


6. ↑ The NZ Herald, Weekend Herald, Let Them Eat Spuds, pB6

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Celebrate the International Year of the Potato. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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via FoxyTunes

Nifty: Yummy and Good for You, Too!

From the Mail Online Friday:
Adding rosemary to your steak could reduce cancer risk

“Rosemary is usually added to meat for its flavour, but now there is another reason to use the seasoning - to help prevent cancer.

“Scientists found adding the herb to hamburgers can break up potentially cancer-causing compounds called HCAs (heterocyclic amines) which form when meat is cooked.

“The presence of HCAs can be a particular problem in beef cooked at high temperatures over a long period of time.

“However, research at Kansas State University showed that adding rosemary to beef patties reduced levels of HRAs by 30 to 100 per cent. This is due to the herb's antioxidant properties.

“Adding rosemary is an alternative to cooking meat at lower temperatures.

“Meat-lovers who do not like the flavour of rosemary can use rosemary extract, which can be bought on the internet.…”

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Slow Down, Yes…

…but don’t stop, or worse yet, start moving in reverse.

Moderation in all things: I don’t know about anybody else, but I have no intention of totally buying into any scheme(s) that guarantees I’ll be (physically) stuck where I am right now with no hope of ever leaving until I’m buried.

As it intimates in the warnings in this article, think; use common sense.

How to Get Started in the Slow Food Movement

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Slow Food is good, clean and fair food. We believe that the food we eat should taste good; that it should be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health; and that food producers should receive fair compensation for their work.[1]
The slow food movement is a reaction to a fast food lifestyle predominant in many modern cultures. By choosing to become a part of the Slow Food movement, you are making a choice to be a co-producer rather than a consumer; an active, proactive and informed part of the food chain that recognises the “connections between plate and planet”.[2] This article discusses a few ways to become involved and become a Slow Foodie yourself.

Steps

1. Understand what slow food means. Slow food is about more than food; it is about a lifestyle that connects our food consumption to the wider social, ethical, lifestyle, political, environmental and spiritual elements around us. Slow food is about eschewing haste and recognising that over-reliance on fast food damages our health, social fabric and cultural food traditions.
   
2. Join a Slow Food group in your region. The Slow Food movement has enlisted over 80,000 members in at least 122 countries, so it's probable you have a group near you.[3] Your local group will be known as a “convivium” and you will find your local group via Slow Food – Where To Find. Of course, you don’t have to join to be a part of the Slow Food movement; it is just a chance to be with like-minded people and to have the chance to share ideas and to participate in events together; benefits that may enthuse you.
   
3. Get cooking. That’s right. Stop buying the pre-made selection and start pulling out your recipe books. Look for family heirloom recipes passed down through the generations; many of us can recall delicious meal occasions prepared by family members, or even by ourselves before the need for speed overtook us. Be careful about your recipe choices, however. The fancy cookbooks might call for ingredients that need to be imported from many thousands of miles away; avoid these and favour recipes that let your local produce take centre stage, including veggies and fruit from your own garden.
   
4. Shop locally. Shopping locally is a key element to being a Slow Foodie. Shop at your local farmers’ markets, your local fruit and vegetable store and even consider asking for veggies from your neighbours if they’re growing some. Not only do you save the wear and tear on the environment from all the energy consumed in long-range transportation but you also know where your food came from and that’s a very reassuring feeling. The greatest benefit of shopping locally though? The food is as fresh as possible and that just tastes the best.
   
5. Avoid genetically modified food. Whilst some companies may put forth a vision that genetically modified food is the promise of the future, there remain many questions about the speed at which such modification is occurring and the means by which it is being achieved. Certainly, we have been modifying our food for centuries but the key word here is centuries, not a matter of years. The Slow Food movement has a fundamental opposition to the use of genetically modified food products because in making a large swathe of common food sources generic, we risk losing the all important diversity and quality of food available around the world and replacing it with mono-crops that become more susceptible to disease, providing less healthy variety and possibly increasing the chances of human-induced disease through over-concentration on a few food types.
   
6. Buy organic. Where possible, prefer organic produce over conventionally grown food. You reduce your exposure to pesticides, fungicides and fertiliser chemicals and you get produce that many studies have suggested are higher in nutrients that bolster the immune system, presumably because plants not treated with pesticides must produce more antioxidants to protect themselves.[4] Organic food is an important part of the Slow Food movement because organic food is low impact and harm reducing, especially when practiced on a non-industrial scale.
   
7. Grow your own food. Whether you have space only for a container of herbs or space for a large veggie patch, you can become a direct force in your own food production. For dwellers in small residences, use the window sill and balcony to grow herbs and fruit trees in pots. For those with larger gardens, plant vegetables in seasonal rotation and enjoy the freshest there is. It is really important to involve children in gardening, to aid their understanding of the connection between soil, food and their own health. Start children with easy-to-grow plants, such as radishes, herbs and peas. Encourage children to eat some of their crop raw, straight from the garden, so that they can taste just how delicious a fresh pod of peas or cob of corn really is.
   
8. Share your home-cooked meals. Not everybody can cook. Those who are infirm, disabled or simply too busy to consider the value of slow food are just some examples of people who are not in a position to cook. Share your cooking talents around to help out those less fortunate; and if you are trying to convince others about the message of slow food, what better way than by setting the example with your own delicious food? Tempt them…
   
9. Cook with the kids. The earlier that children get involved in the kitchen, the better. Children who know how to cook are not at the mercy of the fast food industry and know automatically how easy it is to whip up their own fresh food at home. Moreover, in teaching kids how to cook, you share a family tradition together that will bind you closer together and this helps to pass on traditional family knowledge. Encourage kids to enjoy cooking at home by letting their imaginations take a key part in the cooking process; creating shapes and food themes is a fun part of making food for the table, as in this image.
   
10. Pack a healthy lunch. For work, school, outings and play, take a home-prepared lunch. Soup can be kept warm in a thermos, sandwiches can be kept fresh by pre-cutting the filling but only adding it to the bread at lunchtime and homemade baked goods, cut fruit and veggies, salads and leftovers can contribute to a well-rounded and tasty lunch that lets you spend more time enjoying your lunch hour and keeping extra money in your wallet. Save that extra money for a delicious meal once a month in a restaurant that follows Slow Food principles.
    

Tips

• The Slow Food movement began in Italy, in 1989. Carlo Petrini advocated against fast food and was the founding member of the Slow Food movement.[5]
  
• Drink municipal water where safe; bottled water requires high energy usage to bottle and transport and there are concerns about leakage of chemicals from the plastic bottles. It is better to agitate for sustained municipal water supplies than to pay more per litre for water than for fuel; water that often is filtered municipal supplies anyway! Add a filter to your home taps and enjoy what you are already paying for and support the local waterworks.
  
• Many traditional cooking methods have fallen into disuse because of the time that they required to prepare and cook. Many people have solved this problem by preparing large quantities of old-style food in one day (imagine that you were going to have many guests), then freezing it in meal sized containers for easy defrosting and consumption. Freezers are very useful tools for the modern kitchen.
  
• Never forget that your slow cooker can be started in advance and allowed to cook all day, maintenance-free; and that when in a rush, a pressure cooker can greatly reduce the time necessary to cook items or entire meals! (Pressure cooking a half gallon of fresh-snapped green beans requires less than 10 minutes, and entire roast beef only takes 15 minutes per pound of meat.) Additionally, a huge “bale” of fresh spinach microwaves in minutes! Not all “slow” cooking has to be inconvenient or a long ordeal -- the word “slow” refers more to Anti-Fast-Food.
  

Warnings

• Test your soil for toxins. If you live in an urban area, or anywhere that may have once been industrial you would be well-advised to test your soil before growing vegetables. Even healthy looking soil could be contaminated with lead, mercury, zinc, cadmium, or PCBs. In the US, the local Agriculture Office should offer these testing services to their residents, along with relevant advice concerning growing things in your immediate area.
  
• It is easy to believe that organic farming and fair trade products are safer and better for the world. However, many experts disagree with the hype. Remember that “organic” is a business model just like any other, and presents its own problems and challenges.[6]
  

Things You'll Need

• Time
  
• Farmers’ markets, local fruit and vegetable stores
  
• Garden or container garden
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Choose the Most Important Organic Foods
  
• How to Start an Organic Garden
  
• How to Save Money at a Farmers’ Market
  
• How to Avoid the Temptation to Eat Unhealthy Foods
  
• How to Be Green
  
• How to Live a More Environmentally Friendly Lifestyle
  
• How to Practice Sustainable Agriculture
  

Sources and Citations

• Official Slow Food
  Web site
  
• Slow Food USA
  
• Slow Food UK
  
• Slow Food Canada
  
• Slow Food Ireland
  
• The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity
  

1. Å™ Slow Food, Our Philosophy


2. Å™ Slow Food, Our Philosophy


3. Å™ Where We Are


4. Å™ New York Times: Is Organic Food Provably Better?


5. Å™ Wikipedia, Slow Food


6. Å™ http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8380592

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Get Started in the Slow Food Movement. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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Yum!!

How to Select and Use Nutmeg

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Nutmeg [Myristica fragrans] is a sweet-tasting and aromatic spice that has many uses, both savoury and sweet. This article explains some of the ways in which you can make the most of nutmeg in your culinary endeavours.

Steps

1. Understand the makeup of the nutmeg. The nutmeg is the inside part of a yellow fruit from the nutmeg tree, namely the kernel.[1] The ripened fruit splits open to reveal a hard, black nutmeg. This nutmeg is dried for culinary usage. Mace is the inner case of the nutmeg and looks like webbing. Mace has a more delicate taste than nutmeg.
   
2. Select your nutmeg. There are two ways to purchase nutmeg.
   
   • The more common way is to purchase it pre-ground in glass, plastic or cardboard containers for ready sprinkling. Nutmeg purchased in this way should be used quickly to get the best flavour, as the flavour deteriorates over time in contact with the air and aromas of the kitchen.
     
   • The preferred method for the sake of ensuring excellent aromatic, spicy and nutty flavour is to purchase the nutmeg in its whole state.[2] You will need to own a nutmeg grinder/mill or nutmeg grater in order to be able to grate the nutmeg; some companies sell the nutmeg in a makeshift grinder as part of the supermarket or gourmet store sales package. It is better to spend a little and buy a solid, metal nutmeg grinder that will last you a long time, if not a lifetime. Alternatively, you can use a rasp-style grater (such as a Microplane) to grate your nutmeg. Freshly ground nutmeg cannot be beaten; its aroma is heady and the taste spectacular. Whole nutmeg will keep for at least one year.
     
   
   
3. Add nutmeg to savoury dishes. Nutmeg goes well with certain types of savoury dishes:
   
   • Cheese dishes
     
   • Pumpkin - pumpkin soup and mashed pumpkin
     
   • Soups
     
   • Spinach
     
   • Ravioli
     
   • Cannelloni, especially the vegetarian version
     
   • Stews, haggis and sausages
     
   • Middle Eastern curry dishes
     
   • Porridges
     
   
   
4. Add nutmeg to sweet dishes. Again, nutmeg goes well with certain types of sweet dishes:
   
   • Custard, including rhubarb and custard
     
   • Cake, especially spice cakes
     
   • Puddings
     
   • Vanilla pastries
     
   
   
5. Add nutmeg as a drink topper. Nutmeg is ideal for:
   
   • Sprinkling over cappucino or latte froth
     
   • Sprinkling over milkshake froth
     
   • Sprinkling over chai froth
     
   • Adding to milk and soy smoothies
     
   • Adding to eggnog
     
   • Infusing spiced or mulled wine
     
   
   

Tips

• The nutmeg tree is native to the Moluccas (also known as The Spice Islands) and is grown principally in the West Indies.
  
• One whole nutmeg is the equivalent of 2 - 3 teaspoons of ground nutmeg.[3]
  
• Do not mistake nutmeg for a nut - it is a kernel.
  

Warnings

• Avoid using very large quantities of nutmeg (over 2 tablespoons), as it is a hallucinogen and poisonous in large doses. The usual amount for culinary usage, however, will not produce these effects.
  

Some people are very sensitive to nutmeg and even a small amount may induce nausea and vomiting.

Things You'll Need

• Nutmeg mill/grinder or a nutmeg grater
  
• Nutmeg, whole or pre-ground
  
• Recipes using nutmeg
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Make Garam Masala
  
• How to Make Pumpkin Soup
  
• How to Make Vanilla Custard
  
• How to Make a Vanilla Bean Milkshake
  
• How to Make Vanilla Panna Cotta
  
• How to Make Cinnamon Rolls
  

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages, Nutmeg and Mace


2. ↑ A Pinch Of..., All About Nutmeg


3. ↑ The Epicentre, Nutmeg

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Select and Use Nutmeg. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Do NOT Let (Rocket) Scientists In the Kitchen

Chocolate Chip Cookies for Scientists

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Now playing: The Raconteurs - Steady, As She Goes (Acoustic Version)
via FoxyTunes

A Near-Tomaine Tommy Experience

We went to the Brewery for dinner. Perusing the specials menu, my eye first caught clam chowder, then bruschetta, then fried mozzarella, then the Italian sausage sandwich.   :::sigh:::   I haven’t had a decent Italian sausage sandwich in forever (Togo’s hasn’t had ’em in years…).

I was ready to settle in with the mozzarella and the sausage when my eye slid up the menu and there was Goddess salad with Goddess dressing. Instant time warp back to Tomaine Tommy’s and Green Goddess salad. Oh! Hope certainly springs eternal!!

After scaring me half to death telling me they were out, Burke doubled-checked with the chef, and sure enough, this was not some new-fangled, neo-something-or-other Santa Cruz thing with “goddess” stuck in the name for show; it was green, avocado-based dressing. There is a God, and He continues to love me!!

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Now playing: Led Zeppelin - Since I’ve Been Loving You
via FoxyTunes

There Is a (Food) God…

…and he loves me:

I was looking through the yogurt selections at Ben Lomond Market last week, and saw a cup of pomegranate yogurt. Lo and behold, not only was it of an unusual flavor, it was made from real (i.e., whole) milk and cream!!

The stuff tastes wonderful and has a marvelous texture. They also have a honey flavor, which is also quite good. Thank you, Greek Gods Yogurt, for such a thing!

Opa!!

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Listening to: London Philharmonic Orchestra, Pier Francesco Poli, Piero de Palma, Tom Krause & Zubin Mehta - Turandot: Act II, Scene 1, "Ho una casa nell'Honan"
via FoxyTunes

Geography Lesson

Acampo is just up Hwy. 99 from Lodi, in Central California. In the general vicinity can be found:

• Always Enough Ranch
• Woodbridge Winery
• Jewel Winery
• Housley’s Century Oak Winery
• Jessie’s Grove Winery
• Cottage Bakery
• and, of course, Lodi Airport

And how did we get from Boulder Creek (via Indy) to Acampo?? One of the gals on the hummus-and-pesto-recipes list is the co-owner of the Always Enough Ranch in Acampo.

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Listening to: Stephen Petrunak - Jesus, The Lord
via FoxyTunes

The Inaugural 2007 (Indy) Deck Sit

We went to Joe’s Crab Shack for dinner tonight. It was quite pleasant out, so we sat on the deck. Good choice!! And the food was good, of course.

They serve their strawberry daquiris in tall cylindrical glasses, with NO whipped cream! I’m gonna have to try one the next time we’re there.

Hoist on My Own...

RenRen and I went to Atlanta Bread Company for breakfast this morning after Mass, like we usually do. After our usual agonizing over the menu, I ordered a California Avocado sandwich, no dill sauce, add mayo; and a tall hot chocolate, no sour cream.

Yep. You heard right: sour cream. I still have no idea where that came from… We did get it straight, and it arrived with no whipped cream. Whew!!

Never a Dull Moment at Steak ’n Shake…

…even though I went in to order this time…

I ordered my stuff, including a chocolate malt; Brett’s stuff; and RenRen’s stuff, her usual: a grilled cheese sandwich, with mustard and pickles cooked in (it’s just a bit unnatural having to spec them cooked in…), beef and veggie soup, and cottage cheese.

15 minutes later, my malt showed up, with the latest fad garbage (whipped cream and a cherry??!) on top; my bad: I know better, but forgot to call them off. It was a malt, however.

Another five or so minutes went by. As I was idling around the front of the store, one of boys ran out from the kitchen into the parking lot, and darned near got himself run over by the SUV motoring by. Shortly thereafter, two young teenyboppers and their swains wandered in, the girls laughing hysterically. They’d been through the drive-through and gotten mustard and pickles in the grilled cheese sandwich, which one of them proceeded to whip out onto the counter, in its black clamshell, complete with fries. It was the grossest, weirdest thing they’d ever seen. Of course, as one of them put it, “I’ve never seen one like that before!!”

While they were still giggling and snorting over that, the two bags with my order came up. I asked if my grilled cheese sandwich was in there, and was assured that it was. Upon checking anyway, I found the girls’ grilled cheese sandwich, wrapped up in paper with no fries. And no mustard or pickles.

I got someone’s attention and requested the sandwich I’d ordered. A couple of minutes later, a black clamshell was brought to the counter. Inside was a cheese sandwich with mustard and pickles on rather raw-looking bread, and no fries.

“Besides that the cheese isn’t melted, where are the fries?” says I.

“You got them…”, whilst looking at the bags suspiciously, was the reply.

“No. They were with the grilled cheese sandwich you gave them,” pointing over at the teenyboppers, who were still hanging around with the swains, chatting up the kid who had dashed out previously.

Back went the clamshell. It returned in another bag, complete with a cone of fries. “I melted the cheese, too,” I was told.

The poor assistant manager apologized and gave me a gift card for my troubles.

There were no complaints when I got home, except mine over the stuff on the malt, but that’s my own fault, so it doesn’t count.