Beware the Almond Rustlers

A number of years ago, we purchased a small Haas avocado ranch on the central coast of California on which we had planned to build a home from which we could watch the sunset on the Pacific and eat a lot of guacamole. First one thing and then another interfered with our plans (mostly the obstructive, hostile posture of the local county planning board) and after several frustrating and expensive years of wrangling with them, we finally sold the property. It was our first foray into the world of agriculture and an eye-opening foray it was.

Shaking the Brown Bag Blues with Lunchbox ‘Sushi’

When our boys were kids in school, I spent my early mornings every Monday through Friday of the school year, toiling on the lunch sack assembly line. It’s a lonely and often thankless task to try to plan something that is not only nourishing and healthy for your kids, but something they’ll actually eat. In my experience, admittedly only an “n” of 3, the first directive is decidedly easier to manage than the second.

The Cranberry: It isn’t just for turkey anymore.

In a blog a couple of days ago on the health benefits of cranberries I spoke of adding more of this antioxidant-filled, low-carb gem of a berry to the diet. I mentioned, as well, that for many people, the cranberry sadly makes only one or two appearances a year on the dinner table, perched atop the turkey and dressing on the holiday luncheon plate, usually in the form of jellied cranberry sauce (a concoctiion that I cannot abide, but, for reasons utterly unintelligible to me, my brother adores.)

A Cut Above

The New York Times Sunday Magazine a while back carried an article entitled “Super Cuts” in its cooking feature “The Way We Eat” by Daniel Patterson. (Try though I might to find it elsewhere on the net, I could only come up with the NY Times archive, which can only be had free to subscribers, though there is a 14-day Free Trial Offer available.) The piece detailed the rising trend among top chefs of offering off-beat, oft-neglected, less expensive cuts of meat on their menus: pig’s feet, beef and veal cheeks, lamb’s neck, pork belly, and others. The great wide world of meat out there beyond steaks, ribs, and shoulders. For those who complain that a meat-based diet is just too expensive, they offer a reasonable (and flavorful) solution.

Booze and Berries Ice Cream

Yesterday’s paper contained a lengthy piece containing recipes by chef, and food stylist, Rori Trovato, on the front page of the Life section entitled: Turning Up the Temperature on Summer Ice Cream,
which focused on the current trend of chefs (and others) creating desserts that blend ice cream and booze.

Parfait Report Card

Parfait Report Card

Okay, the Coconut Milk Ice Cream I made for the grandangels was a hit. At least with the older one, who is who really needed to like it. Grandangel #2, who loves to help Granny cook, assisted in the making, but declared “Granny, this ice cream we made tastes a little wierd!” By which he meant that it didn’t taste like his normal “white” ice cream. Grandangel #1 scarfed his down straight away and I can attest, having done the taste test on it myself, that it’s yummy. Not to mention filled with really good fats.