The CDC expands Romaine recall

The  current Romaine lettuce recall  was expanded to include the state of Tennessee as the state confirms several cases of E.Coli exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Michigan, Ohio, New York and Tennessee have a combined total of 23 confirmed cases of E.Coli. Another seven persons are listed as having probable exposure to the bacteria. Most of those affected are between the ages of 13 and 31 years of age. The recall includes lettuce sold to food service distributors and does not include lettuce sold on retail outlets.

Gastronomic Monstrosity: Spleen Sandwich

I was perusing my second-favorite ( only to Facebook) website on Monday when I ran across this article written by The Atlantic’s own Tejal Rao. The article entitled, “Spleen, It’s What’s for Dinner” awoke me from an otherwise comatose day in front of the boob tube. You must read this article, if simply to digest my favorite line from this superbly-written hysterical account of the writer trying a spleen sandwich at the urging of her culinary curiosity:

“After a few bites I lift the bun to peek and the sandwich yawns an ancient, meaty stink.”

Sweet Jesus, What the eff????!!!!!

This was THE BEST article I’ve read in awhile.  I gotta tell you; I’m recharged again just reading Ms. Rao’s adept descriptions and wry sense of humor.  I’m going to try and read all of her  articles whenever I can.

Oh for those of you who need to see this in action, I’ve posted this just for you:

I’ve eaten haggis before, and lived to tell about it. I think I’m gonna pass on the spleen.

Enjoy!!

The Responsibilities of Stewardship

Merriam-Webster defines stewardship as ” the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care”

Well. if you like Gulf shrimp, Blue Crab, Snapper, Marlin, Swordfish, Grouper, Stone Crab, Oysters  and a host of other culinary delicacies from these waters, we aren’t doing a great job of managing our natural resources.  I am saddened and angry that our thirst for oil has once again threatened the perilous balance of nature.  I believe that in our quest for black gold, we time and time again trash the environment. You know what folks? It may take weeks or month before we cap off the pipeline that is spilling between 5,000 barrels a day in some reports, to 25,000 barrels a day in other reports.

And meanwhile, we are killing the wildlife and destroying miles and miles of fragile wetlands that support the fishing industries in this area and impacting the livelihoods of thousands of people who depend on fishing for a living. I can’t fathom why we would allow drilling without a way to stop leaks when and if they occur.

I’m not a mental giant. I’m just a person who likes the environment and had made an indirect living from it.  I don’t have answers; I just have questions.  I just want us to act like the stewards that God, Buddha, Jehovah or Allah or the Flying Spaghetti Monster made us.

We have to. It’s our home.

How to Roast Peppers at home

Part One of my Pepper Tutorial:

Part Two

Applesauce Bread for your soul

Great with your morning coffee!

During the winter event known as Snowzilla, Snowpocalypse or my personal favorite Kaiser Snowze,  my neighbors did a bang-up job of digging a gimpy girl out ( five times to be exact).  I am eternally grateful for their efforts, so I decided to make them all a little treat. This bread is simple to make and can be frozen for 3 months if double-wrapped carefully.

Makes four 8 x 4 inch loaves

2 1/3 c. applesauce

6 eggs

1 1/3 c. vegetable oil

3 c. water

4 2/3 c. all-purpose flour

1 Tbl. baking soda

2 tsp. salt

1 ¼ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. fresh chopped ginger

1 ½ c. brown sugar

1 ½ c. white sugar

1 c. raisins, soaked and drained

1 ½ c. grated apple

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour four 8 x 4 inch aluminum baking pans.  Mix the flour,  dry spices,  baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl and set aside. In a larger bowl;  mix together eggs, water, apples and sugar. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together until blended, taking care not to over mix. Fold in raisins and pour into loaf pans. Top each loaf with the chopped walnuts and bake in center of oven. After an hour, check each loaf for to see if cooked thoroughly by inserting a toothpick in the center of each loaf. Bread is done when toothpick comes out clean.

Bon Appetit!

I needed a break

My job has made me computer weary, so I needed a break from cyber space.

I’m back to posting twice a week starting today.

Sorry for the radio silence.

The CC

Recall of Health Valley Bars announced

The Georgia Agricultural Board announced a recall of several varieties of Health Valley Organic granola bars for possible salmonella contamination.

According to the Atlantic Journal-Constitution (http://www.ajc.com/news), Health Valley Organic Wildberry Chewy, Peanut Crunch and Dutch Apple bars may have possible salmonella exposure from soy grits used in the bars.

No press release has been issued by the makers of the bars at this time.

For SKU and Lot numbers go here

Easy-Bake Oven creator dies

This is a sad day for me because the inventor of the Easy- Bake oven has passed away at the age of 83.  Ronald Howes, a defense contractor invented the popular toy when he tried to come up with a safe version of  the chestnut roasters found on New York streets.  This man was instrumental in shaping the curiosities of many a future chef, including me.  You weren’t a proper young lady if you didn’t have one of these along with your play kitchen set, Barbie dolls

and your real china tea set (from China).  Our EBO looked like the one on the left, and I became jealous when models after this one resembled the real oven models that were popular at that time. I remember having problems baking with the oven. It didn’t quite cook evenly and I remember the cake mix that came with the set not being as good as the ones my mom made, so my sister and I improvised and asked my mom to save some cake batter for us when she made her next cake.

Things turned out better the next few times, and we got used to using the oven. Then my mom started letting me bake with her and I lost interest in the oven. My sister kept it for a while after that, and when my mom included my sister in our baking time, she too lost interest in the oven. I think we gave the oven to a younger cousin, but I never forgot the feeling I got when I made my very first Easy-Bake Oven cake. I was on top of the world.

Thank you, Mr. Howes for planting the seed in me.

Rest in Peace.

Rigatoni with Chard, Tomatoes and Garlic

Last week, I ventured out and went to the store for the first time in weeks and bought some chard with the intention of posting it for the blog. Then this great lady beat me to the punch.  If you haven’t stopped by the blog Dianne’s Dishes, you should.  She puts up recipes for everything from soup to nuts five days a week, and does a great job of doing so.  I ribbed her about it, then I tried her recipe with one half of the chard ( which was quite dee-lish), and sat on the other half and pondered what I would do with the other half. This is what I came up with.

For those who aren’t familiar with chard, it is a leafy vegetable that comes in several varieties. When eaten young, ti can be used raw in salads.  Mature chard can be sauteed, roasted or used in sauces or soups. When cooked, its texture is a bit heartier than spinach, and is slightly more assertive in flavor.

Rigatoni with Swiss Chard, Tomatoes and Garlic (serves two to four)

1 bunch of fresh chard ( 1 to  1½ lbs)

2 tbl. olive oil

½ c. chopped onions

1 tbl. chopped garlic

1 ½ c. chopped tomatoes

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

8 oz. dried rigatoni or other similar pasta

2 tbl. Parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

red pepper flakes (optional)

Prepare chard by cutting off the last inch or inch and a half off the ends of the stems.

Chop chard into bite-sized pieces and float in a tub of water to wash off any sand and grit.

Drain chard in colander until ready to saute.

Cook rigatoni in boiling salted water until al dente, about 10 minutes, drain and set aside. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until tender and fragrant, being careful not to brown. Add tomatoes and saute for three minutes, then add chard to pan. Toss chard with the tomato mixture and add stock.

Cook chard until wilted and leaves are tender, about seven or eight minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Toss rigatoni into chard mixture and serve immediately with Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.

Thia makes a  quick and elegant light supper, and healthy to boot!

Kaiser Snowze or the Blizzard of 2010

Well, here is a taste of what we are dealing with in the Northeast ( Baltimore to be exact).

Now, I’m going to chill, maybe make something good and wait for the game!

A special thanks goes to http://thescottishgypsy.com for the great name for the storm! ( Go Saints!)

CC