Read Your Labels

This summer I went camping with my girlfriends. We had a terrific time with plenty of laughs, food, and drinks. One morning we decided to make omelettes. The picnic table was full of snacks, beverages and miscellaneous items so I cleared off a space and starting chopping mushrooms and onions. Several of the girls joined in and helped prep veggies while I started the camp stove. Everyone was chopping, cutting, talking and laughing at the same time. I grapped the blue can of crisco, sprayed the pan, and threw in the mushrooms. A few seconds later a horrible taste was in my throut and the pan on the stove was smoking. Oh, my gosh! I had grapped the BLUE can of OFF instead of the blue can of crisco!

Potato Chips belong in Food Pyramid

On a recent family vacation we stopped at the Cape Cod Potato Chips Company. Cape Cod potato chips are my families favorite, but with recent diet changes I have nearly eliminated potato chips and other snack foods from the pantry. So touring the plant and sampling their product was a treat.
The Cape Cod Potato Chip Company was founded in 1980 by Stephen and Lynn Bernard (thank you!) in Hyannis, MA. They now produce over 80,000 bags a day with the motto of "To make the best potato chips possible". And, as far as my family is concerned, they are the best!
Here is what we learned from our tour:
* It takes approximately 4 pounds of potatoes to make 1 pound of potato chips because a potato is mostly water. (I wonder if anyone thought of bottling the 3 pounds of water? - yuck)
* They use approximately 39 million pounds of potatoes a year. That is 1,400 acres of potatoes.(I was going to compare this to a football field but that required too much math on my part)
* They work closely with farmers from Maine to North Carolina to ensure a steady supply of higher quality potato. (did you know that in Idaho there are no potato chip manufacturers?)
* Each truck load of potatoes are sampled for specific gravity (how much water it has; less is better), sizing (grading) and raw potato defect level (not sure what this is). A sample is done to see how well the potato will "chip". After approval the potatoes are peeled with a brush peeler (not a 'potato peeler' as I would have thought), inspected, washed and precisely weighted.
* Potatoes are sliced and put directly into Cape Cod's unique kettle fryers. They are stirred to guarantee an even cook and than placed in a centrifuge where the excess oil is spun off (I told you these chips are good - no excess oil).
* The cooked chips are individually inspected by hand and salted. (images of Lucille Ball and the chocolate candy conveyor come to my mind). All discarded chips are considered organic waste and farmers use them for animal feed (yes! - recycling!)
* Most of the Cape Cod Potato Chips are "all natural" and all of the chips have NO added preservatives. The combination of fresh potatoes and the special "Kettle" cooking process produces a heartier potato flavor (could I say healthier).

The government Food Pyramid states a 30 year old women should have 2-3 cups of any vegetable (a potato) a day. Vegetables may be raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned, or dried/dehydrated; and may be whole, cut-up, or mashed. After learning how Cape Cod Potato Chips are made, I really think "kettled cooked" potatoes need to move to the top of the Food Pyramid.

rhu⋅barb: Any of several plants of the genus Rheum,R. rhabarbarum, having long green or reddish acidic leafstalks that are edible when sweetened and cooked.

Rhubarb is the fruit of the garden. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it.
There are desserts and jams. There's rhubarb torte, rhubarb cheesecake, rhubarb crisp, rhubarb bread, rhubarb muffins. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's berry rhubarb pie, lemon rhubarb bars, rhubarb soup, rhubarb salad, rhubarb chutney, rhubarb compote, rhubarb daiquiri. (Does this remind you of Bubba's shrimp mantra from Forest Gump?)

Rhubarb is a faithful and plentiful plant - it will sprout back each spring, spread and produce more rhubarb than you can use. In the spring, when the flower heads appear in the plant, snap them off to keep the rhubarb from taking over your garden. Rhubarb is a vegetable but treated more like a fruit. The stalks are tart. Do not eat the leaves as they contain a high level of toxin.

This weekend I made rhubarb muffins, rhubarb crisp and a pie.
Here is the recipe for the muffins:
Cream together 2 cups light-brown sugar and 1 stick unsalted butter. Beat in 2 eggs; add 1 1/2 cups low-fat milk and stir to combine. Add in 4 cups whole wheat flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt; beat until smooth. Fold in 3-4 cups rhubarb, ends trimmed and cut into 1/2" cubes. Batter will be thick.
Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray or use paper cups. Spoon mixture evenly among cups. Sprinkle each muffin with course baking sugar. Makes 2 dozen. Bake about 25 minutes in a 375 degree oven or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, turn muffins onto a wire rack, cool completely.
"That's all I have to say about that."

"Please Don't Eat the Daisies"

Don't eat the daisies but try the pansies instead! Edible flowers add flavor, create a beautiful presentation, and can add a touch of elegance to any menu. Not every flower is edible and sampling some flowers can make you very sick. A Google search for "edible flowers" resulted in 502,000 websites. So, do some research before adding any flower to your recipe. I learned that English daisies are edible.
My garden has mint, violet, thyme, and lavender that comes back every spring. I am going to add nasturtiums and scarlet runner beans, and since we have an apple tree that we do not spray, I am going to experiment with apple blossoms. Never use pesticides or other chemicals on any part of any plant that is edible. You could lightly wash the flowers but shaking and checking between the petals is best for removing bugs and insects. If you don't have a garden your local supermarkets and specialty grocers will have some edible flowers and buds in stock.
For the Vanilla-Almond Panna Cotta recipe I garnished with snap dragons and fresh blue berries. I was the Food Stylists for
Image Studios when this photo was taken. The recipe is from "Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cooking 3".
Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk
1 package (1/4 ounce) unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Chocolate fudge syrup, choice of edible flowers or fruit.

1. Pour 1/3 cup of almond milk into a small bowl and stir in gelatin. In a medium saucepan, stir together heavy cream, remaining almond milk, and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, watching carefully as the cream will quickly rise to the top of the pan.
2. Pour gelatin and almond milk into cream mixture and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Add extracts and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and pour into six 4-ounce individual ramekins. Leave ramekins uncovered at room temperature to cool. When cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 8.
3. To remove, run a knife around the sides of each ramekin and invert over a serving plate. Garnish as desired.

Vintage Fashion Show

I am digressing from my usual "food blog" to share with you how three Image Studios employees volunteered their time and talent. Julie, Vicki and Karla volunteered to be models for the Community Clothes Closet Fundraiser - a Vintage Fashion Show. The show was held on Sunday, May 3 at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton, WI.

Weeks before the show each of the "models" had to try on clothes for fitting and to decide which outfits we would be willing to model. A run-through was held the week before so we could learn how to walk the run-way, practice our turns, and make last minute accessory changes.
The day of the show we arrived early to prepare and review each other's outfits. The dressing room was well organized. Hair stylists were available and each model had an assistant who would help with wardrobe changes, zipping and buttoning, and accessorizing. Each of us had 6 to 8 wardrobe changes with clothes from the 1940s to 1980s. Julie and Vicki had one "fast" wardrobe change that I was afraid they would fall off their spiked high-high heels running to the back stage!

The Radisson Ball Room was full, the music began and the show was on. This picture is what each of us wore for our first outfit. After 2 hours of modeling, lots of laughs, and comments like "nice outfit" or "OMG" we were done. All of the clothes in the show plus racks and racks of other outfits along with accessories were for sale. The show also had a silent auction and door prizes.

We had a lot of fun and are glad we volunteered.
And, just so you know; "Talented and Experienced Models" for hire at Image Studios!