What Cooking Oil Should I Use?

By erika on 10/29/09 5:26pm
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Olive OIlOlive OIlRecently I have noticed recipes specifying the type of cooking oil.  "2 T canola oil," "1 T cottonseed oil," that kind of thing.  Now we're not talking a specialty oil, like recipes which specify extra virgin olive oil, or oils with particular flavor like sesame or chili oil.  I'm talking about oils that ordinarily I would just lump under the category of "vegetable oil."

Luckily, we don't have to worry about trans fats in the cooking oil section.  Trans fats are found in palm oil and coconut oil, neither of which are for sale at my local grocery store, anyway.

I decided to do some research.  What I found is that there is no single answer.  (Why must life be so complicated?)


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Pomegranate: The Magic Fruit

By erika on 10/22/09 12:47pm
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Pomegranate season is in full swing here in the Northern hemisphere, running from September to February.  The last time I went to the grocery store I noticed that they had gone on sale (only $3 apiece - which is quite a bargain around here!) so I picked one up on a whim.  I didn't have the slightest idea what it was for or how to eat it, but I do like the taste of pomegranate juice, so I figured what the heck!


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Newsweek: Food Blogs Considered Harmful

By erika on 10/13/09 4:53pm
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I understand that Jennie Yabroff's Newsweek article "How Food Blogs Led To The Demise of Gourmet" is meant to be a slam on food blogs, but it sure doesn't sound like it.  

Aside from conflating two possibly unrelated events (the recent death of Gourmet magazine, and the rise in popularity of food blogs), Yabroff's article reads like a condemnation of Gourmet magazine rather than a hagiography.  She posits - I think correctly - that Gourmet magazine was meant as a "lifestyle aspirational" magazine, in the words of magazine marketers.  


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Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

By sarajean on 10/13/09 9:09am
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Chestnuts always conjure images of Christmastime (or lame jokes), so it might seem weird that National Chestnut Week is this week. I guess every other week in December was taken; maybe it’s because they’re now fully in season. For whatever reason, this is the week that we celebrate the chestnut; so here are some of the health benefits of chestnuts, as well as some ways you might want to celebrate.

That said, there are plenty of other benefits to be had from eating chestnuts. A full serving contains almost three grams of protein and 27 milligrams of calcium. They also contain iron, niacin, vitamin B, vitamin C, riboflavin and phosphorus. A serving also contains only 4 grams of fat, which is low for nuts.

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Jamie Oliver Converts West Virginia Town to "Real Food"

By erika on 10/9/09 11:54am
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The New York Times has a really interesting article on Jamie Oliver's latest venture, teaching a small West Virginia town how to cook.  The article's author does an admirable job of portraying the tension between "real food" and "healthy food" which seems to be gripping America these days.

We all know that we should cook our own food more often.  It's cheaper, it's healthier, and it's better for the environment.  Kids who sit down to dinner with their parents every night do better in school.  The benefits of eating a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables can't be overstated.


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Coke Apologist Apologizes For Coke

By erika on 10/8/09 12:34pm
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In a move that surprises no one, the Wall Street Journal is carrying an op-ed piece which is favorable to a large multinational corporation.  The article in question is a defense of Coke by the CEO of the Coca-Cola company, and he wants you to know that the proposed tax on sugary sodas will not work, and will maybe break the entire country and also make puppies sad.  You don't want puppies to be sad, do you?  I didn't think so!

The CEO of Coca-Cola has a good point, which is that legislating behavior - particularly eating behavior - is probably doomed to failure, and possibly anti-American.  But he's a little disingenuous about the deal with the proposed soda tax.


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The Power of Garlic

By sarajean on 9/15/09 10:35am
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I could really care less about how garlic makes me smell. To me, it’s one of nature’s greatest foods—and not simply because it’s freaking delicious. Sure I put it on toast, pasta, and just about everything in sight—and have since I was old enough to reach it—because it’s yummy. But it’s also got the bonus of being completely full of health benefits.

While some cultures have claimed that garlic is a “cure-all,” I wouldn’t go that far. I have yet to see it wipe out AIDS. But research has show that it can help you out in the following ways.

Heart Health: Garlic can help reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. It can also lower your cholesterol, which is good because I’m not so into Cheerios.

Joint Relief: An anti-inflammatory food, garlic can help relieve asthma, osteoarthritis and other inflammation symptoms.

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Yerba-Maté avec moi

By lafeeverte on 9/12/09 6:31pm
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Oh, Yerba to the rescue... maté me. My brain falters down long miles of beached motivation and the sandy scramble of my thoughts threatens to backlog my day with one wasted hour after the next. My shoulders are tense as I flinch from too much coffee and hypochondriatic tendencies. You are the holy tea of anti-cancer and mental alertness mixed with physical relaxation, are you not? The treasured drink of Argentina designed to invigorate and be savored with others, hot or cold, it is impossible not to enjoy your earthy flavors and subtle rush.

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Jean season: Another Reason for Fasting this Fall

By lafeeverte on 8/31/09 7:48pm
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Fashion forward shopping addicts all know what the approach of the autumn season really means. This year, it's about the procuring and wearing of extra skinny jeans, Mad Men inspired fitted suits of wool and tweed, romantic evening dresses with cinched waists for that nostalgic 40's look that is so in again. And t'is the season of thigh high boots worn over skin-tight leather biker pants and looking good naked in the bedroom for the coming cold winter nights (above the covers)! While the pressure of swim season is over, inner thighs and potbellies simply never lie when dressed in low rise stove pipe distressed denim or a well-fitted suit. Do they?

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Stay Away From Sweets by Playing with Them

By sarajean on 8/30/09 8:52pm
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The other day I tossed a few of those chewy, bite-sized yummy miniature Twizzlers on my desk as I went to work, and found myself playing with them with my daughter instead.

Do you ever find that you mindlessly eat while you work at a desk? You think the sugar is helping you to stay awake or alert but in reality, it’s just packing on more pounds. My daughter taught me that I don’t necessarily have to eat the candy, however; just by messing around with it I was able to have a laugh, keep myself awake and get back to work!

Funnily enough, it also kept her engaged, which was a blessing; these days, the only thing that really keeps her occupied while I work are pasting stickers to everything in sight, which is tedious to remove later.

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