Boston Globe Article from 12/2008...

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2008/11/18/making_healthy_meals_on_the_cheap/

Fun article from my time at Share our Strength teaching cooking classes!
ENJOY!

93 degrees out and all I can think about is ice cream...so I made it the newest poll!

Strawberries standing tall

Spring time means flowers, warm weather, first trips to the beach and succulent spring harvest strawberries! There is nothing better than a fresh strawberry shortcake on a summer's afternoon. Making fresh biscuits to use as the base and serving the treat with still warm biscuits is the secret to the success of this one!

For 6 servings

3 Cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1 pint half & half
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon Splenda or Sugar
sprinkle of cinnamon
6 fresh made biscuits (biscuit recipe below)


Biscuits
2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup skim milk

1. Combine all ingredients in bowl - do not over mix - just form into a mass
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
3. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter, dump dough ball on flour, flatten to about 1 inch thickness
4. Either use cookie cutter to cut out 6 rounds or cut with a knife into 6 squares
5. Coat cookie sheet with cooking spray
6. Place biscuits on cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes
7. Remove and place biscuits on wire rack to cool slightly

MEANWHILE
1. Whip up half and half to desired thickness in a metal bowl with a wire whip, once happy with consistency of cream, add vanilla, sugar and cinnamon and whip to combine
2. If strawberries are not already sliced, go at it

TO CREATE:
1. Slice open a biscuit
2. Place approx 1-2 tablespoons cream on bottom half, then 1/2 cup strawberries, then 1-2 tablespoons cream and then put the top back on
3. Serve with extra cream if needed!
ENJOY!

Sunday Fun Day

Alas I have been troving the acres of Westchester County, NY at another horse show and have been unable to connect to the Internet. (I really need to get one of those wireless cards don't I!) While no tents blew down this time and the show moved a long at an unremarkable pace, I was still happy to get home on a Saturday night so that I might enjoy one of my most favorite breakfasts on Sunday morning. Anyone who knows me, knows that pancakes rein supreme in my world (pretty much all kinds but mostly ones with chocolate chips), I think it goes back to the special holiday breakfast dad used to make G$$ and I, which really only occurred on Christmas morning. Anyway, in a pretty close second place is this concoction Mom always makes on Sunday mornings, which is her self proclaimed "bacon day".

*1/2 bagel (I prefer the top half of a sesame bagel :) or you could also use a piece of a baguette sliced lengthwise so you have lots of crust!)
*sliced muenster cheese, enough to cover the surface (obviously you can use a different cheese if you don't like muenster)
*1 slice of bacon, cooked until very crispy
*tomato slices

1. cook bacon until very crispy, drain on paper towel until ready to use
2. toast the 1/2 of a bagel or bread to your desired toastedness (is that a word?)
3. cover surface with cheese, place in toaster over (or big oven) on 325 to bake until cheese is melted
4. slice a small tomato (I like the ones that are about the size of golf ball - they come in a plastic flat from Costco- otherwise I recommed Cherry Tomatoes they will have the most flavor) - 1 tomato will be perfect for 1/2 a bagel
5. When cheese is melted remove from oven, crumble bacon over the top of the cheese, then place the tomato slices on top
ENJOY!!!!

**As always to lighten it up you can use low sodium bacon; turkey bacon; or natural bacon; for cheese if you want to a lower fat cheese go right ahead - I will warn that 50% less fat cheese tastes fabulous - you really won't know the difference, however, 75% less fat cheese and non fat cheese is CRAP don't waste your time you will be sorely saddened!

Be a facilitator of your own prosperity...

Hommos

1 can (I use the larger Progresso can in the bean section) Chick Peas/Garbanzo Beans/Ceci Beans, drained, liquid reserved
5 tablespoons Taheen (also spelled Tahini) - (I use the can with a brown/orange label & a man's face or an white jar with orange lid and blue writing in another language), be sure you completely stir the Taheen as it will come separated
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
4 LARGE cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Combine everything in food processor. You will need to add about 1/4-1/2 cup of the reserved chick pea liquid to thin out the hommos so that it gets nice and smooth
2. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl every now and then as it is processing. Let the food processor run for about 4-5 minutes. Adjust the taste with more lemon, salt, pepper to your desire.
3. Serve immediately or chill to enjoy later!
ENJOY!!

Don't settle for bad bread

A follower recently had a baby who has since been diagnosed with soy and dairy allergies. At first thought that doesn't seem like a huge life altering disaster, but the baby is breast fed and thus mom can no longer eat soy or dairy products as she will pass those allergens through her system and breast milk to the baby. The only real problem mom has had with this restriction is finding bread at the store which does not contain soy or dairy (today food manufacturers get their kicks from putting dry milk solids and soy lecithin in everything!). She found one product at Whole Foods but stated that it tasted "atrocious". Being a bread fanatic myself, I understand her pain and so here, my dear, is a bread recipe you can make at home which will taste 4 times better anyway because you are going to eat it piping hot from your own oven!


1 teaspoon yeast (I get the Bread Machine yeast in a jar-it ends up being cheaper)
2 cups warm water
4-6 cups UNBLEACHED white flour (you might need even more)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried rosemary (optional)

1. Find a BIG bowl in your house. Combine yeast and water in the bowl. Give the yeast about 3 minutes to start to "wake up" before putting any more ingredients in.
2. Add 4 cups of flour, oil, then salt (and rosemary if desired).
3. Combine ingredients. Use one in the bowl, and hold onto the bowl with the other hand here is your motto, "One hand dry, one hand wet." Swirl the 'wet' hand around in ingredients to get the flour to incorporate into the water at the beginning.
4. Continue to add more flour (about 1/4 cup at a time). Each time making sure to kneed all the loose flour into the dough. You will have to kneed it for about 7-10 minutes, adding a dusting of flour each time the dough gets to sticky. You will kneed the dough until it starts to feel soft and look smooth - not straited or bubbly.
5. When the dough feels nice, take it out of the bowl and put a drizzle of olive oil in the bottom of the bowl. Replace the dough into bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with dish towel and let rise on counter top for 1+ hours.
6. Heat oven to 375. Spray a cookie sheet with Pam. Punch down dough and form into a ball or loaf-type shape and place on cookie sheet. Let dough rise a few minutes while the oven heats up.
7. Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes
ENJOY!

A friend asked me the other day for directions down the vitamin isle of her local pharmacy, while I gladly put in my two cents, I couldn't help but think about the factors driving a thriving supplementation industry in this country.

Theoretically, there is no real need for supplementation of any kind if (BIG IF) you are doing the right things and you do not have a inborn condition which requires more or less of a certain substance. Every diet based on religious or cultural beliefs still allows for a diet completely balanced in all vitamins and minerals. Even vegetarianism, if practiced correctly, provides all the nutrition the body needs. Only the vegan followers need supplementation and that is with B12. So why the need, or the craze with all these vitamins?

The majority of Americans perceive an ideal life as a great job which they either love or it pays very well, or both; they have a nice house; a nice car; maybe they have 'perfect' children; pets; thriving social life; 'good health' etc etc. Not many people put 'ability to consume a balanced diet' or 'sound mind, healthy body' in their list of things which would make life more idealistic. The media is all over the release of scientific studies on disease prevention and nutrient interactions and is constantly 'enlightening' citizens as to how they can prevent disease with certain nutrients or lifestyle activities. The relentless "go-go-go" lifestyle of working American takes in all this information by relies on the convenience (of a pill, packaged diet foods etc) to the actual thought process over purchasing, production and consumption choices surrounding nutrients in the food itself.

The body is a pretty cool machine. Take for instance Vitamin D. The body needs it, we can't really find it in our food supply, so humans went through this great evolutionary process to produce it ourselves from something we get everyday - sunlight! Now, there are a few kinks in this system that still need a few thousands to work out but for the most part the system has good intentions. While we don't know how much vitamin D the body actually produces on a daily basis, how the mechanism differs from person to person, or how much vitamin D is to much, we do know that the production system is effected by how much sunlight is able to penetrate the skin, and this depends on the angle of sun throughout the day and the year as to 'how strong' the sun's rays are. The sun's rays are also deferred if you wear sunblock. Since many Americans 'enjoy' the luxury of an indoor desk job and when they do venture outdoors have been trained to lather on the sunscreen to prevent skin cancer, we can be pretty darn certain that most Americans are vitamin D deficient. The favorite saying to parents in the pediatric clinic when I worked in WI was, "you can put your kids outside starting October 1st in nothing but there underwear and leave them outside 24 hours a day until June 1st and they still will be vit D deficient, there just isn't enough sunlight here, and if you cover them with sunscreen all summer they will never get enough sunlight to produce adequate amounts of vitamin D." So for those of us blessed enough to live north of Florida and Texas, a little vitamin D supplementation is probably not a bad idea. For all my ladies out there, some calcium wouldn't hurt you either. Women are much less likely to take in calcium in their diet to the same degree as men, and the only time we (women) retain calcium in our body & bones is during our period, so it is very important that we keep calcium levels in the black (as opposed to red :)). Otherwise, if you are nervous that your food choices might stink, a multivitamin could ease your anxiety. Here are some suggestions below:

Vitamin D3 - 400 I.U. tablets; take 1 tab/day (if you think you are vampire take 1 tab, 2x/day)

Calcium - 1200 mg/day, use 600mg Calcium CITRATE tablets (a few people can not tolerate the Citrate form, for these people use the carbonate form but realize that it is not as well absorbed so you will need to take more); take 2 tablets/day, 1 tab in am and 1 tab in pm

Multivitamin - ie Centrum, One a Day, CVS Multi etc - BOYS!!! be sure that your multivitamin is FOR MEN - unless you bleed profusely on a regular basis I don't want you getting iron poisoning from the added iron to regular multivitamins

Sorry everyone for my lack of communication. I have been out in the farmland of New Jersey enjoying the company of my horses and friends. Usually when the Ashmeadow group gathers at a competition, our evening hours are filled with sore stomachs from the continuous laughter over cocktails and delicious dinners, but the super early mornings and late hours at the show this week, left me with only a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in my hand late night for dinner. Now I am truly a lover of peanut butter and jelly; creamy peanut butter with grape jelly on feather-soft white Wonderbread brings me right back to childhood. A slight modern day modification was made to my dinner (and lunch) for four days: ancient grains bread, natural creamy peanut butter and Simply Fruit blueberry jam.

Never was I so glad for the comfort of that sandwich as I was on Saturday night. A wind storm swept through the horse show Saturday afternoon. I have never witnessed such panic first hand. The tarp-like material used as tent roofs covering the temporary stabling had ripped open over one portion of the stabling area. At the same time the tent's middle support pole was ripped up out of the ground by the wind gusts, putting all the horses stabled in that area in danger of either the poles or the tarp material falling on them. The people from all over the grounds ran towards the screams from the stabling area, to meet the few people, under the collapsing tent who were freeing the horses. I ran to the end of an aisle and a man shoved a rope into my hand, "TAKE THIS ONE!" he yelled at me as he ran back under the loose flapping material. There were horses everywhere, people and horses, horses and people, firetrucks, policemen, search & rescue, and there were horses and more horses everywhere. I spotted one girl holding onto three horses and another girl running through the crowds screaming, "Where's my horse!" It was like a refugee camp out there. Debris was everywhere, people were searching for animals they knew, people they knew and places to put the animals. Huge tractor trailers were pulled up to load horses onto, other horses were moved to stalls in tents not yet torn apart by the wind.

As the girls and I sat on a tent flap in one of the 'good' tents to keep it from blowing away and letting debris fly into the area where our horses were housed, I couldn't help but think about being in this situation but in much more massive proportions. At 3-o'clock in the afternoon there were plenty of people on hand for removal of the animals before it became a real search and rescue mission. There were plenty of people willing to lend a hand. What would have happened if this all went down at 1am? What if instead of a horrific wind storm at a horse show it was a tornado through the middle of a city or an earthquake? I was sure that people would come together just the same but what would have been the end result?

Our trailer arrived and I leaped into action, moving out the equipment and supplies for the boys to pack into the truck. Then we moved the horses out and loaded them on the trailer. 30 minutes later, as I crawled into the cab of the pick-up, happy that it was warm, but more happy that I could open my eyes all the way without fear of a rock being lodged into my pupil, I breathed a sigh of relief. Tonight the horses would be safe in their own barn on their own farm, out of the wind and harm's way. When we finally got back to the house and started our forage around the kitchen for dinner at 11pm, there was no doubt in my mind what I would be eating: peanut butter and jelly. It is comforting, it reminds you of home and of childhood when nothing bad seemed to happen. I was feeling empowered from the day's events and so I added a sliced banana between the layers of peanut butter and jelly but it didn't change how that sandwich made me feel: Relaxed and rejuvinated - like if I needed to, I could go running back out into the storm and do it all again.

Vosp - Vosp - Vospie - Vosp

I am feeling productive today so I think I will post again :) This is a yummy Armenian dish perfect for summer and for those who like to be vegetarian every now and then :) 'Vosp' in Armenian is 'poor people's food', so in light of the slightly reviving economy, I think it a good fit, though I would never be to proud to delve into a heaping bowl of it!!

Vosp - for 2 people

brown lentils - for two people no more then 1 cup dry (they poof up really well)
1 small bunch parsley, chopped - about 1/2 cup
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional though mighty delicious)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
salt and pepper

1. Cook lentils by covering with water and simmering, add more water if needed to complete cooking
2. Meanwhile chop all vegetables and combine in bowl with oil and vinegar or lemon juice, salt and pepper, and cheese
3. When lentils are cooked, spoon a portion into a bowl and top with the 'salad' mixture, drizzle with extra olive oil and vinegar if desired and serve with a warm loaf of crusty bread.

**can also be served cold or at room temperature - to serve this way - premix the cooked lentils with the salad and let cool in the refrigerator

ENJOY!!!

Just like old times...

That first real ice cream of season is one you look forward to since the start of being couped up in the house around the festival of the turkey in late November. We yearn for the warmth of sunshine on our faces and the dripping mess that is the delicious ice cream cone we hold so proudly in our hands. Let's face it - of course we all eat ice cream or frozen yogurt, or sugar free/fat free lifeless white stuff with calorie free flavoring it all winter long, but that is not the same. That is not the stuff wee tots dream of when they want ice cream. We want to trek 10 yards from the front door or 10 miles in the car to a shop or stand that reminds us of childhood, where the line is 25 people deep and you gaze upon the selection board hemming and hawing about what to get. Each time another customer walks away with his jumbo cone covered in sprinkles or crunchy chocolate dip, you change your mind about what you will order. Then the moment of truth arrives, and every notion you had about branching out this time falls flat on the sticky pavement. You rattle off your favorite combo without even thinking, receive your treasure and walk from the counter hypnotized by the deliciousness that is about to ensue when you find that rock, stump, bench, grassy knoll, or even the middle of the parking lot to plop down and savor that first ice cream of the season.

How many was that???

On a self-guided foot tour of the Newbury/Bolyston and Landsdowne Street areas in Boston yesterday on the hunt for a happening spot to watch the Kentucky Derby, I happened upon a staple on the Beantown eatery trail: Spike's Junk Yard Dogs. It is home spanktacular hot dogs but also to an eating challenge which draws the New England residents harboring extremely expandible stomaches.

Filling the space between the framed imagines of 65 Mustangs and other muscle cars are the Polaroids of those men and women who put away 6, 7, or 8 dogs allowing them to make Spike's wall of fame. As you move closer to the register, your eye catches a doghouse called "The Kennel Club" painted on the wall with just a handful of photos plastered in it. I found a familar face in there almost immediately on the second row from the top with "15 Dogs" labeling the white area. As I cracked a smile and pointed out my find to my cohort, I noticed that same face was smiling back at me from a second photo at the top of the mound, with "17 Dogs" written on it. The smiling face was that of the Great Moomsi or, more personally, my brother, the great G$$ Maloomian. When I told him I had seen the photos his reply was, "Well I ate 17 and 3/4 dogs but I just couldn't finish it - they should have counted the 3/4!!"

Some of you may have seen his photo on the walls of eateries through New England, New Jersey, Califonia, and even Madison, WI, showcasing his ability to conquor the most stuffing of food challenges, but most people became a fan Great Moomsi after his appearance on the Man vs Food season finale as Adam's partner for a 10 pound pizza challenge in CT. They won, by the way if you missed it, and while I do find G$$'S hobby quite amusing, I have to stand on my nutrition feet and say that competitive eating is not something you should set as your latest life goal to master (I feel like an add right now - KIDS DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!). That tremedous influx of fat, sodium, and sugar is torturous to your digestive, filtration and body balance check systems which can leave you feeling terrible for days and days (that is, if you don't have a heart attack first from the shock to your system)

Anyway though, it is always heart warming to see someone you know pictured as a celebrity on the wall of a public establishment, and for that, I am very proud of him! If you would like to fill up on G$$'s amazing talent visit his site thegreatmoomsi.comENJOY!!