To get you started in new directions for your life as a cook and eater in 2010, we asked people with real-life experience to offer up tips for making life better, in and out of the kitchen. Try these on for size.
1 Eating healthfully.
From chef Jon Dubay of Blynk Organic in Charlotte.
"Each day, replace one unhealthy snack with fruit. Think about what you eat (and) detect the unhealthiest snack - the high-calorie smoothie, the chips, the candy." Choose a variety of fresh fruits you like and take them to work or have them ready on your kitchen counter.
"Fruits help strengthen your immune system, decrease the risk of cancer, and if they replace an unhealthy snack, will help you lose weight."
2 Cutting fat.
From Denise Hairston of Charlotte, founder of the Black Women's Health Network ( www.blackwomenhealth.org) and author of "Meatless Soul Food" (self-published, 2009).
"Bake, boil, steam or poach rather than fry." To get crunchy results without frying, oven-fry in a 425- to 450-degree oven. Dip meats or vegetables in milk, then in bread crumbs and place on a cookie sheet or shallow pan coated with cooking spray, and spray the breaded item for extra-crispy texture.
"Panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs) are best for oven-frying. They don't get soggy on the bottom like regular bread crumbs."
3 Saving money.
From Tara McAlister, Charlotte Observer columnist and a blogger on www.momscharlotte.com.
"Look at leftovers in a whole new way." Use bread left at dinner to make croutons; put leftover mashed potatoes or grits into muffin tins, top with cheese or bread crumbs and bake for a new side item; or combine leftover chicken and beef to make quesadillas.
4 Cooking better.
From food writer Debbie Moose of Raleigh, author of several cookbooks, including "Fan Fare."
"Refresh your repertoire. Break away from those standby recipes once in a while. Trying something different can change how you look at preparing meals. Pick a recipe you've always been curious about from a cookbook. Ask a friend for her favorite, or start an online recipe exchange among your friends. Or cruise an ethnic market for new ingredients to spice up those old standbys."
5 Baking better.
From food writer Nancie McDermott of Chapel Hill, author of "Southern Cakes."
"Do what Grandmama did - bake a lot. Bake every day if you can, or at least three times a week, and not only for company or show. Make sure you do the same thing over and over again. It's the secret to biscuits, pie crust, caramel icing, poundcake, yeast bread, meringue, cornbread, tea cakes, all those old-school baking triumphs...
"Things come to you over time, and doing it as an everyday endeavor lightens you up - less performance, more just showing up and giving it a shot."
6 Feeding kids.
From Dean McCord, Raleigh attorney and food blogger ( varmintbites.com), and father of four children, ages 9, 11, 14 and 15.
"Here's a tip that has saved my wife's sanity. She put together a comprehensive list of dinner options for the kids, broken down into proteins, starches, fruits and vegetables.
"On Sunday morning, one child chooses the meals for the week, ensuring there is a balance across the board. I shop for the necessary items that day, and if advanced preparation is needed (such as stuffed shells), we do that, too. The next Sunday, another child gets to choose. And so on."
7 Feeding teenagers.
From Cheri Wiles, Charlotte blogger ( cheri-femininewiles.blogspot.com and www.momscharlotte.com) and a single parent with two teens.
"Be very flexible when it comes to scheduling meals. My kids have plenty of after-school and social activities, and it is too easy and tempting to just grab fast food en route to an activity. I've got a couple of quick-to-prepare, one-pot recipes I can use on busy nights. I also keep chicken stock with chopped chicken in the freezer, for making a quick and hearty chicken-orzo-vegetable soup."
8 Planning ahead.
From Andrea Weigl, food writer for The News & Observer.
"Create space to stock up. What helps me really save money is my strategy of only buying the loss leaders (deeply discounted items) at the grocery stores and a few perishables: milk, bread, eggs, produce.
"To take advantage of sales, I had to make space. My husband turned an underused hall closet into a pantry and we bought a second refrigerator for $50. Once I had pantry and freezer space, I could wait for a really good deal to stock up.
"Now I plan a week's worth of meals based on what I have on hand, and supplement with the perishables."
9 Widening your repertoire.
From Kathleen Purvis, food editor for The Charlotte Observer.
"I plan most of our meals, but a couple of times a month, I leave one meal blank and make myself come up with dinner from what I have on hand. It helps me use up things I never get around to using, and it teaches me to trust my creativity."
10 Trying new foods.
From Sarah Blacklin, manager of the growers-only Carrboro Farmers Market.
"Sign up for a CSA (community-supported agriculture) box from a farmer. Each week you receive a surprise box of seasonal fresh produce picked that week. Many farmers provide recipes and cooking tips. If you don't want to purchase your own box, you can always share a box with a friend who can be a fun motivator to cook intimidating produce, exchange recipe ideas and share weekly local meals."
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Thursday, December 31, 2009
easy resolutions for the unrealistic in all of us
1. Lose 5 pounds. DON’T resolve to lose 100, just lose 5 pounds at a time. It’s relatively quick and achievable.
2. One family day each month. Plan a day with your family that’s just for fun. Go to a museum, have a picnic, play touch football at a nearby park, visit your cousins. This requires only a small amount of planning and results in a lot of fun and great memories.
3. Sign up for a class. This is another short-term goal that’s easily achieved. Sign up for a sewing class to tap your inner crafter. Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn about interior design, so look at offerings at local community schools and adult ed courses. Many local groups offer one-day classes on topics as diverse as Tuscan cooking or make your own soap. Enlist a friend for even more fun.
4 .Lose one dress size. Dropping from a 14 to a 12 is much more realistic than going from a 14 to a 4! Once you fit into a 12, you can start to work down to a 10. Baby steps guarantee success.
5. Eat vegetarian one day a week. This is an easy eco-friendly change that helps your waistline, your wallet, and the planet. All it takes is a dish like pasta primavera or veggie pizza for dinner.
6. Track your spending for one month. Wonder where the money is going? Write down all your expenses for 30 days to get an eye-opening view of what your budget really is. Then you can make simple adjustments to help save more money and spend it on what you really want, like a fabulous vacation! Speaking of which…
7. Plan a vacation. We all work so hard and don’t take the time to unplug and relax! Plan at least one vacation a year and, if you can, throw in one or two long weekends, too. It doesn’t have to be expensive; a tent pitched in the woods is dirt-cheap and can be a blast with the right travel companions.
8. Lose the fabric softener. Fabric softener, especially most dryer sheets, are loaded with chemicals, which you then wear against your body 24/7. Buy some dryer balls which make your clothes just as soft as before but without that chemical smell. You’ll save money and the effort needed to meet your resolution is practically nil!
9. Read a book a month. This one is especially for the Moms who miss their reading habit. Buy a book (or check one out from the library), and after the little ones go to bed, take some you time to work through the chapters. It might not be like those “lost weekends” of the past when you’d get lost in a book, but it can still be entertaining and you’ll get a little piece of your “old self” back.
via Lisa Johnson / twitter
http://www.lisajohnsonfitness.com/author/admin/
2. One family day each month. Plan a day with your family that’s just for fun. Go to a museum, have a picnic, play touch football at a nearby park, visit your cousins. This requires only a small amount of planning and results in a lot of fun and great memories.
3. Sign up for a class. This is another short-term goal that’s easily achieved. Sign up for a sewing class to tap your inner crafter. Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn about interior design, so look at offerings at local community schools and adult ed courses. Many local groups offer one-day classes on topics as diverse as Tuscan cooking or make your own soap. Enlist a friend for even more fun.
4 .Lose one dress size. Dropping from a 14 to a 12 is much more realistic than going from a 14 to a 4! Once you fit into a 12, you can start to work down to a 10. Baby steps guarantee success.
5. Eat vegetarian one day a week. This is an easy eco-friendly change that helps your waistline, your wallet, and the planet. All it takes is a dish like pasta primavera or veggie pizza for dinner.
6. Track your spending for one month. Wonder where the money is going? Write down all your expenses for 30 days to get an eye-opening view of what your budget really is. Then you can make simple adjustments to help save more money and spend it on what you really want, like a fabulous vacation! Speaking of which…
7. Plan a vacation. We all work so hard and don’t take the time to unplug and relax! Plan at least one vacation a year and, if you can, throw in one or two long weekends, too. It doesn’t have to be expensive; a tent pitched in the woods is dirt-cheap and can be a blast with the right travel companions.
8. Lose the fabric softener. Fabric softener, especially most dryer sheets, are loaded with chemicals, which you then wear against your body 24/7. Buy some dryer balls which make your clothes just as soft as before but without that chemical smell. You’ll save money and the effort needed to meet your resolution is practically nil!
9. Read a book a month. This one is especially for the Moms who miss their reading habit. Buy a book (or check one out from the library), and after the little ones go to bed, take some you time to work through the chapters. It might not be like those “lost weekends” of the past when you’d get lost in a book, but it can still be entertaining and you’ll get a little piece of your “old self” back.
via Lisa Johnson / twitter
http://www.lisajohnsonfitness.com/author/admin/
oh Michigan oh Michigan...
Jeff Foxworthy on my homestate:
If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 18 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by, you might live in Michigan .
If you're proud that your region makes the national news 96 nights each year because Pellston is the coldest spot in the nation, you might live in Michigan .
If your local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March, you might live in Michigan .
If you instinctively walk like a penguin for five months out of the year, you might live in Michigan .
If someone in a store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you might live in Michigan .
If your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of his
forehead, you might live in Michigan .
If you have worn shorts and a coat at the same time, you might live in Michigan .
If your town has an equal number of bars and churches, you might live in Michigan .
If you have had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you might live in Michigan .
You know you're a true MICHIGANIAN/MICHIGANDER when:
1. "Vacation" means going up north on I-75.
2. You measure distance in hours.
3. You know several people who have hit a deer more than once.
4. You often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
5. You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching.
6. You see people wearing camouflage at social events (including weddings).
7. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
8. You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend knows how to use them.
9. You design your kid's Halloween costumeto fit over a snowsuit.
10.Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
11.You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction.
12.You can identify a southern or eastern accent.
13.Your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to your blue spruce.
14.You were unaware that there is a legal drinking age.
15.Down South to you means Ohio ..
16.A brat is something you eat.
17.Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new pole barn.
18.You go out to fish fry every Friday.
19.Your 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.
20.You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.
21.You find 0 degrees "a little chilly".
22.You drink pop and bake with soda.
23.Your doctor tells you to drink Vernors and you know it's not medicine.
24.You can actually drink Vernors without coughing.
25.You know what a Yooper is.
26.You think owning a Honda is Un-American.
27.You know that UP is a place, not a direction.
28.You know it's possible to live in a thumb.
29.You understand that when visiting Detroit , the best thing to wear is a Kevlar vest.
30.You actually understand these jokes, and you forward them to all your Michigan friends
via Eileen
If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 18 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by, you might live in Michigan .
If you're proud that your region makes the national news 96 nights each year because Pellston is the coldest spot in the nation, you might live in Michigan .
If your local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March, you might live in Michigan .
If you instinctively walk like a penguin for five months out of the year, you might live in Michigan .
If someone in a store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you might live in Michigan .
If your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of his
forehead, you might live in Michigan .
If you have worn shorts and a coat at the same time, you might live in Michigan .
If your town has an equal number of bars and churches, you might live in Michigan .
If you have had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you might live in Michigan .
You know you're a true MICHIGANIAN/MICHIGANDER when:
1. "Vacation" means going up north on I-75.
2. You measure distance in hours.
3. You know several people who have hit a deer more than once.
4. You often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
5. You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching.
6. You see people wearing camouflage at social events (including weddings).
7. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
8. You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend knows how to use them.
9. You design your kid's Halloween costumeto fit over a snowsuit.
10.Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
11.You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction.
12.You can identify a southern or eastern accent.
13.Your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to your blue spruce.
14.You were unaware that there is a legal drinking age.
15.Down South to you means Ohio ..
16.A brat is something you eat.
17.Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new pole barn.
18.You go out to fish fry every Friday.
19.Your 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.
20.You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.
21.You find 0 degrees "a little chilly".
22.You drink pop and bake with soda.
23.Your doctor tells you to drink Vernors and you know it's not medicine.
24.You can actually drink Vernors without coughing.
25.You know what a Yooper is.
26.You think owning a Honda is Un-American.
27.You know that UP is a place, not a direction.
28.You know it's possible to live in a thumb.
29.You understand that when visiting Detroit , the best thing to wear is a Kevlar vest.
30.You actually understand these jokes, and you forward them to all your Michigan friends
via Eileen
Monday, December 28, 2009
I'm just sayin' - when HIS OWN FATHER (an ex-government official and prominent citizen) calls up and says his son has developed EXTREME VIEWS and might be in YEMEN, SOMEBODY NEEDS TO PAY ATTENTION! WTF??
This is an excerpt from the NY Times article:
... A law enforcement official said it was not unusual that a one-time comment from a relative would not place a person on the far smaller no-fly list, which has only 4,000 names, or the so-called selectee list of 14,000 names of people who are subjected to more thorough searches at checkpoints.
The point of the Tide database, the official said, is to make sure even the most minor suspicious details are recorded so that they can be connected to new data in the future.
“The information goes in there, and it’s available to all the agencies,” the official said. “The point is to marry up data from different sources over time that may indicate an individual might be a terrorist.”(www.nytimes.com)
This was a bit more than one random comment by A relative, and though privacy is important, shouldn't a one way overseas ticket with no baggage just by sheer oddity raise at least one red flag? Obviously their Tide database is not as interactive as it should be and is not to be counted on as an important working part of 'the system'. The 'system' didn't work, but rather, the system was dependent on diligent passengers acting above what should be assumed behavior - thankfully! Perhaps too, we might have been fortunate that due to such in-climate weather, many flights were cancelled. We'll likely never know.
This is an excerpt from the NY Times article:
... A law enforcement official said it was not unusual that a one-time comment from a relative would not place a person on the far smaller no-fly list, which has only 4,000 names, or the so-called selectee list of 14,000 names of people who are subjected to more thorough searches at checkpoints.
The point of the Tide database, the official said, is to make sure even the most minor suspicious details are recorded so that they can be connected to new data in the future.
“The information goes in there, and it’s available to all the agencies,” the official said. “The point is to marry up data from different sources over time that may indicate an individual might be a terrorist.”(www.nytimes.com)
This was a bit more than one random comment by A relative, and though privacy is important, shouldn't a one way overseas ticket with no baggage just by sheer oddity raise at least one red flag? Obviously their Tide database is not as interactive as it should be and is not to be counted on as an important working part of 'the system'. The 'system' didn't work, but rather, the system was dependent on diligent passengers acting above what should be assumed behavior - thankfully! Perhaps too, we might have been fortunate that due to such in-climate weather, many flights were cancelled. We'll likely never know.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Our bravest.
When doing your Christmas Cards this year, take one card and send it to this address. If we pass this on and everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these wonderful special people who have sacrificed so much would get.
A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20307-5001
If you approve, please pass it on.
(courtesy of Diane)
A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20307-5001
If you approve, please pass it on.
(courtesy of Diane)
Friday, November 27, 2009
The sound of freedom...
The complaint:
'Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base:
Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 A.M, a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns early bird special?
Any response would be appreciated.
The response:
Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a perfectly timed four- ship fly by of F-16s from the 63rd fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt Jeremy Fresques. Capt Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day.
At 9 a.m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend. Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly by, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured..
A four-ship fly by is a display of respect the Air Force gives to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.
The letter writer asks, 'Whom do we thank for the morning airshow? The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives.
Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you....Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr
courtesy of Jim (the anti FB) and Diane. Thank you for the little reminder of how to keep things in perspective. As a former 20yr resident of Hampton Roads Virginia, the sound of jets was common. While sometimes it made it hard to hear, I was never far away from the known that the sound of our Air Force and Navy fliers, IS the sound of freedom.
'Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base:
Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 A.M, a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns early bird special?
Any response would be appreciated.
The response:
Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a perfectly timed four- ship fly by of F-16s from the 63rd fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt Jeremy Fresques. Capt Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day.
At 9 a.m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend. Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly by, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured..
A four-ship fly by is a display of respect the Air Force gives to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.
The letter writer asks, 'Whom do we thank for the morning airshow? The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives.
Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you....Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr
courtesy of Jim (the anti FB) and Diane. Thank you for the little reminder of how to keep things in perspective. As a former 20yr resident of Hampton Roads Virginia, the sound of jets was common. While sometimes it made it hard to hear, I was never far away from the known that the sound of our Air Force and Navy fliers, IS the sound of freedom.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Dear God,
On this Thanksgiving day, just a few things I want to acknowledge.
* Thanks God, for placing me in this most awesome family. It's a perfect fit (as you know) and I love them all, even the weird ones. Give Dan a hug for me, I miss him.
* And especially thank you God, for my children. They make my heart swell with love and pride every time I think of them. Ok, some times they can be a pain in the..; well you know, but they're the best kids in the world, even at their worst.
* Thank you God, for giving me the capacity to believe in you. As you know, there have been times in my life, where my faith was shaken, but then you go and do something totally awesome, and I love you for that.
* And God, I know it's your world and you control the seas I sail, but thanks for letting me steer the ship.
* Thanks God, for placing me in this most awesome family. It's a perfect fit (as you know) and I love them all, even the weird ones. Give Dan a hug for me, I miss him.
* And especially thank you God, for my children. They make my heart swell with love and pride every time I think of them. Ok, some times they can be a pain in the..; well you know, but they're the best kids in the world, even at their worst.
* Thank you God, for giving me the capacity to believe in you. As you know, there have been times in my life, where my faith was shaken, but then you go and do something totally awesome, and I love you for that.
* And God, I know it's your world and you control the seas I sail, but thanks for letting me steer the ship.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
