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Mixed Review: Pasta Partners Vodka-Less Vodka Cream Sauce
Yeah, that seems like a lot of ingredients to add to a mix. Convenience foods that aren't convenient don't make a lot of sense.
Serious Green: How to Get Free Fruit via Urban Fruit Harvesting
"Ask first or leave a note" seems inappropriate to me. It may be legal to pick fruit from trees that spill over onto public property, but you're still (please excuse the pun) taking the fruits of someone else's labor. Leaving a note seems weirdly passive-aggressive, like you're challenging the resident to follow up if they don't like you taking fruit from their tree without permission.
Am I the only one who thinks it's inappropriate to not ask first?
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Corn-Bacon Relish
That sounds delicious, but it's also uncomfortably reminiscent of a recent Onion article.
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Cakespy: Homemade Starbucks-Style Cranberry Bliss Bars
I know what I'm making on my day off!
Mixed Review: Pasta Partners Vodka-Less Vodka Cream Sauce
Yeah, that seems like a lot of ingredients to add to a mix. Convenience foods that aren't convenient don't make a lot of sense.
Serious Green: How to Get Free Fruit via Urban Fruit Harvesting
"Ask first or leave a note" seems inappropriate to me. It may be legal to pick fruit from trees that spill over onto public property, but you're still (please excuse the pun) taking the fruits of someone else's labor. Leaving a note seems weirdly passive-aggressive, like you're challenging the resident to follow up if they don't like you taking fruit from their tree without permission.
Am I the only one who thinks it's inappropriate to not ask first?
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Corn-Bacon Relish
That sounds delicious, but it's also uncomfortably reminiscent of a recent Onion article.
The Organic Milk Business Has Gone Bad: Are You Buying Less Organic Milk?
I stick with hormone-free dairy products and eggs from Sunshine Dairy, which is local for me. It's just as important, I think, to support local farmers and a (relatively) small business as it is to go with organic, and growth hormones are my larger concern anyway. And the truth is that since my roommates and I are all grad students, our grocery budget is tight, and it just isn't possible to spend $6 per gallon on organic milk when we go through two to four gallons a week.
In Season: Asparagus
Asparagus season here in Portland coincides with the beginning of grilling season, so I've taken to skewering asparagus spears, brushing them with olive oil, seasoning with kosher salt and pepper, and then grilling them alongside the main course. Running two parallel skewers through a bunch of asparagus (like this makes it easy to flip.
Each week asparagus is in season, my roommates and I probably go through about half a dozen bunches (sometimes more!) prepared this way. And when asparagus season is over, we'll switch over to broccoli or zucchini from our garden, done in exactly the same way. Why blanch and risk bitterness when you can preserve crispness and flavor with grilling or roasting?
How To Save Money at Supermarkets
When I moved back to the United States after spending nearly eight years abroad, I was really surprised at the wastefulness (though I certainly took it for granted growing up here). Most of the "tips" that I've seen on Consumerist and other websites seem so obvious.
That said, these are my cornerstones for keeping my food budget under control (usually about $80/week for four adults):
Shop at ethnic markets. The packaging tends to be less slick (honestly, does anyone need pre-sliced fruit and vegetables? pre-shredded cheese?!) but produce and other necessities are, consequently, less expensive. H-Mart is an excellent small national chain, and their prices (at least in the Portland area) are excellent.
Stick to buying whole foods. Processed food isn't good for you, and you're paying extra for every step of processing. Cut your intake of processed foods for a month or two, and you'll be amazed at how salty, sweet, and artificial it tastes when you try it later.
Eat less meat. This is a really common tip, but it makes a big difference in your weekly grocery bill. Stirfries, many pasta dishes, and the Meat Lite features from this website use meat as a flavor agent rather than the focal point of the dish. Buy the meat you want when it's on sale (H-Mart is awesome for this) and re-package and freeze.
Practice la cuchina povera. Some of the best dishes in the world were born of poverty and lack of resources. Embrace simple recipes and use leftovers. La cuchina povera is usually associated with southern Italian cooking, but its principles are found in cuisines all over the world. You don't need expensive ingredients if you have a decent grasp of cooking and a little bit of creativity.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey Here!
Cornbread stuffing!
Classic Baked Acorn Squash
That acorn squash recipe looks great.
With butternut squash, I've found that my giant CCK cleaver does the trick nicely. It's ridiculously sharp and heavy, but it'll split a squash with a single swing.
Cook the Book: 'Second Helpings of Roast Chicken'
Either garlic or milk: we use ridiculous amounts of garlic in our cooking, and go through between two and four gallons of milk a week (no kids, just roommates).
As for what goes bad before it's eaten, when you live with three guys in their twenties, the answer is "not much." But I've noticed that whenever I buy green beans, at least three or four in the bag are always a bit weird and squishy by the time I get around to roasting them.
Nostalgia Via King Arthur Flour's Monkey Bread Mix
@ natemcguire
I grew up in the Bay Area, and my dad made monkey bread from scratch every Christmas.
In Season: Broccoli, and Cooking It Creatively
Broccoli is a huge at my house, even with my three meat-and-potatoes male roommates. I like to toss two or three heads' worth (including the stems, peeled and chopped) with a splash of olive oil and a few cloves of minced garlic (and maybe a wee dash of sriracha), and then roast it until it's carmelized. Yum indeed.
Cart Contents May Predict Who You Vote For
This is a really good example of how the media (and press-hungry researchers!) can warp statistics. There's a really interesting (possible) story here about the intersection of lifestyle (and thus consumer choices) and politics, and how our lifestyle choices and socialization help shape our political choices, but it's ignored in favor of (as Juliac so aptly put it) the sociopolitical equivalent of a newspaper astrology column. Which came first: the lifestyle or the politics (the free-range chicken or the organic egg)? And perhaps more importantly, why isn't our national press exploring these questions in a more critical way?
Cook the Book: The River Cottage Cookbook
I wish I had a garden. Spinach, strawberries, scads of herbs, garlic, fruit trees (pears and Meyer lemons, especially). The list is endless.
Cook the Book: Nigella Express
I keep a big freezer bag for vegetable and chicken bits, and every time it's full, I dump the contents into my stockpot with a bottle of wine, an equal amount of water, a bay leaf, and a bouquet garni--the resulting stock goes into the freezer and results in great sauces and soups midweek, with very little prep time needed.
Ed Levine's Serious Diet Week 10: The Zen of Eating Half
Great job, Ed. Dieting is hard work.
One option to consider--if you haven't already--is a site called Fitday. You can use it to track calories taken in and calories expended. I found that it made me much, much more aware of what I was eating, and helped create a sense of accountability--if I eat this piece of cake, I'll have to enter in in Fitday. I lost thirty pounds in two months, and it's stayed off, because I'm now much more conscious of calorie content.
Anyway, best of luck!
Cakespy: Homemade Starbucks-Style Cranberry Bliss Bars
I've been making homemade cranberry bliss bars for the last couple of Christmases... almost time to make them again :) One of my favorite parts of the holidays is all of the delicious treats like these (Great with a cup of coffee or tea).
Cakespy: Homemade Starbucks-Style Cranberry Bliss Bars
Oh man - Those things are fantastic, and this recipe - it's like I'm a dog that just got her special spot scratched and my leg is kickin!
Cakespy: Homemade Starbucks-Style Cranberry Bliss Bars
I worked at Starbucks in high school. This was the only pastry that I was even remotely interested in. It is the best food item they offer in my view and it is just divine. Now that I'm living in London they don't offer this at Starbucks, so this recipe will definitely be a must for me. I may even bake it for gifts and not mention my inspiration!
Cakespy: Homemade Starbucks-Style Cranberry Bliss Bars
I'm going to have to use "Thanks a latte" next time someone buys me a coffee :). It's genius!
Mixed Review: Pasta Partners Vodka-Less Vodka Cream Sauce
Hey, I have to disagree, I've made a pretty quick 'vodka' sauce (I didn't use vodka) in the past... the longest part was cooking the bacon.
http://feistyfoodie.blogspot.com/2008/07/farfalle-alla-not-vodka.html
And it was all those things you describe - thick, hearty, spoonfuls of tomatoes (the link states to use crushed tomatoes but if you want chunks of tomatoes, use a can of diced tomatoes, should be even better... mmm). :)
Mixed Review: Pasta Partners Vodka-Less Vodka Cream Sauce
"To make the vodka-less vodka sauce you need a 6-ounce can of tomato paste, 2 cups of water, one 14.5-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of milk."
Heck- you've practically made the sauce from scratch. Some onion, garlic, olive oil, pre-cooked bacon and vodka and you'd be done.
Have to agree with maggie and impeh. That's why I'm not partial to mixes. It's usally just as easy and tastes much better if you make it yourself.
Thanks for the input on the mix. With all your work, I'm sorry it didn't yeild a better result and flavor.
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Corn-Bacon Relish
This is so, so good. I've made it three times the past two weeks already. They're practically giving away corn.
Nostalgia Via King Arthur Flour's Monkey Bread Mix
Hello - check this out
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/italian-herb-and-cheese-monkey-bread-mix
Savory plus 2 sweet styles, in a bag. Less expensive than going through Williams Sonoma. Plus you can call King Arthur anytime and a professional will help you through whatever issue you are having. They are a wonderful company in Vermont, it's worth the trip for the serious baker.
We have a savory bread here called "Pork Bread" made with bacon, ham and onions from the local Polish bakery.
Bacon makes anything better...
Serious Green: How to Get Free Fruit via Urban Fruit Harvesting
In New York the mulberry season has almost passed, but lately I've been surprised to find peach trees growing by the roadside in Astoria and Crown Heights. I had a fun time harvesting the first (my fingers were free of mulberry-juice stains in just a few days); in a month or so, we'll see about the second!
Serious Green: How to Get Free Fruit via Urban Fruit Harvesting
According to my Danish boyfriend, stealing fruit from the neighbors' trees is a really classic and emblematic childhood activity over there: it's a common reference in childrens' books and TV, it's what parents tell you to go do to get you out of the house, everyone grows fruit trees in the first place. This is basically the definition of "healthy level of socialism."
Serious Green: How to Get Free Fruit via Urban Fruit Harvesting
@impeh- I took it to mean "Ask first or leave a note on a door with your contact information"... if no one is there to ask and then wait for them to contact you before harvesting.
Serious Green: How to Get Free Fruit via Urban Fruit Harvesting
@impeh...i wondered about that too. I think a note is ok, but I think a knock on the door is more appropriate.
Serious Green: How to Get Free Fruit via Urban Fruit Harvesting
FOOD FORWARD (foodforward.org) is an all volunteer grassroots group of Angelenos who care about reconnecting to our food system and making change around urban hunger. Several times a month we convene at a private property in the LA area that we have been invited to and glean the excess fruit on their trees, donating 100% of it to local food pantries. Our current receiving partner is SOVA Community Food and Resource Program, a 501c.3 which distributes food to over 8,000 clients a month across Southern California.
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Corn-Bacon Relish
You are right. The Thrill of the Grill is a fantastic cookbook. Love your articles. Very valuable information.
http://www.bbqaa.blogspot.com
The Organic Milk Business Has Gone Bad: Are You Buying Less Organic Milk?
Quality?
Youve got to be kidding!!! This rag will go out of business because it DESERVES to go out of business. Its no different than any other business. If what you got isn't what the public wants, adios...and good riddance.
It would be a good paper if all I wanted was editorials DISGUISED as reporting.
The Organic Milk Business Has Gone Bad: Are You Buying Less Organic Milk?
All our dairy is organic, I wouldn't have anything else in the house. If it is not available we do without. I make our yogurt and buttermilk which saves a bit. . I try to purchase Organic Valley exclusively, but when not available resort to other brands. I realize with a large family it is much more expensive and becomes a tough choice. Thirty years ago you were lucky to get organic milk in a health food store. Now all sorts of products are available and it is wonderful to have them. I would hate to see them disappear again. Please support organics and local farmer's markets as much as you can. It really matters! I am living proof of the difference it makes to one's health.
The Organic Milk Business Has Gone Bad: Are You Buying Less Organic Milk?
Thanks for reporting this. Our organic milk consumption as decreased due to allergies to casein, but half of the family still consumes milk & butter. I buy Organic Valley almost exclusively, the Safeway brand (and many others) do not have the same ethics in my opinion. There are so many loop holes in the system as to what substitutions can be made if organic feed becomes to expensive. Besides I like to support the littler guy.
For our family it is more responsible and better for us to purchase organic. I will continue to do so. My husband always says "you can pay for better food now or the doctor later."
The Organic Milk Business Has Gone Bad: Are You Buying Less Organic Milk?
I second the sentiment that real reporting is needed to keep us on our toes and aware of the issues that effect us. I'm a voracious reader and major foodie, and I was amazed how little I knew about the problems facing the dairy industry until just this last week. The issues facing the dairy industry are so dire everyone needs to be aware of the effects and what individuals can do to help.
Here is some research I did and made available at Foodwoolf.com concerning what consumers can do to support the struggling dairy farmers.
The Organic Milk Business Has Gone Bad: Are You Buying Less Organic Milk?
For one summer, when I was a child, I drank milk like most people drink coffee or water. Never drank a glass of the stuff after that. Whenever I would try, my stomach wanted to throw it back up. So I finally quit. Good thing my mother didn't insist. I now drink organic soy 'milk' but only if it's chocolate. Don't know why milk bothers me, since other dairy products don't, just milk.
I feel for any small/family farmers today. They don't stand a chance against 'agrifarms', which are driving out the local guy.
The Organic Milk Business Has Gone Bad: Are You Buying Less Organic Milk?
Frankly, I think organic milk is a shuck, like much of the "organic" industry post-USDA categorizing. It's all about bucks to agribusiness, not supporting small local farmers. In a lot of places it's illegal to buy directly from those farmers, anyway (and don't even get me started about the idiocy of drinking raw milk that's been oustide the cow, sheep, or goat it came from for more than an hour).
Me, I'm lactose intolerant, so I either drink coconut milk, almond milk, or treat whatever milk I buy with lactase drops. The lactase may interfere with the flavor, but if so, I don't notice it. Then again, I literally never drink a plain, unadulterated glass of any kind of milk--neither now nor as a child 50+ years ago.
The Organic Milk Business Has Gone Bad: Are You Buying Less Organic Milk?
The thing people were looking for with organic milk mainly was that it was drug free. No hormones and no antibiotics. Many believe that the increased amounts in milk over the years has hurt a generation of milk drinkers. Now that bovine growth hormone has been almost disappeared from milk producing cattle people aren't as worried.Look for labels that state hormone free. It is really the best choice in this crappy economy. Buy organic milk if you want to waste money.
The Organic Milk Business Has Gone Bad: Are You Buying Less Organic Milk?
Personally, I have a cow that I feed only the most organic of feeds, that I milk myself.
... This WAS a contest, right?
The Organic Milk Business Has Gone Bad: Are You Buying Less Organic Milk?
When my husband and I "cut back" and figured out what we would and wouldn't give up, organic milk was one of those "keeps". Yes it costs more but we figure the price is worth the taste. Plus we get our milk in bottles which are returnable so now carton waste. We'll give up going out to eat once a week or getting a cheaper brand of something else to keep up our organic milk drinking.
The Organic Milk Business Has Gone Bad: Are You Buying Less Organic Milk?
Surprised. We still buy our six litres of organic milk per week. Sometimes more.
The Organic Milk Business Has Gone Bad: Are You Buying Less Organic Milk?
I like the Organic Valley non-fat but I don't like that it only comes in half-gallons. I live 37 miles south of NYC. Does anyone know of a store between here and there where organic milk is sold in quarts?
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I know what I'm making on my day off!