Elementary Chef

This is where we have a little session of “true confessions.” My husband and I have been married for 6 years. We’ve been together for 10 years. We’re somewhat, well, shall we say, stubborn people. When we got together I had my microwave and he had his. It was important to him that his have a dial on it. (No, I’m not kidding.) I, on the other hand, needed my heat sensors. So…. We have two microwaves. His and hers. They are stacked on top of each other (mine is on top) in our kitchen.

Today, I read a press release that may finally move us toward a combined microwave. Amana has introduced a new microwave with convection capability. (Oooooh….. Aaaaaaaaaah……) And they’re even offering a free online cookbook! Check it out!

When the world’s first countertop microwave oven, the Amana(R) Radarange(R), debuted in 1967, it was initially viewed with skepticism but was hailed as a technological breakthrough. Now, in celebration of the microwave oven’s 40th anniversary Amana introduces the next generation of microwave cooking with a new convection microwave that offers added conveniences and practical features. Since the sixties, consumers have enjoyed saving time and energy in the kitchen. In fact, the microwave has saved Americans an estimated trillion minutes in cooking time since its introduction, allowing consumers to do other things they enjoy. Over time, the microwave gave Americans not only cooking flexibility, but an entirely new category of food items developed
solely for microwave use.

Today, the microwave oven has become a standard kitchen appliance in homes across the country. A microwave oven can be found in 90 million U.S. households and research shows that 95 percent of Americans own a microwave. Consumers even rated the popular appliance as one of the top five necessities they couldn’t live without.

Convection: For Even Cooking
Amana brand’s new microwave offers the added convenience of convection, which cooks foods evenly and quickly. Consumers can cook roast pork, meatloaf or casseroles without having to worry about hot, overly cooked spots or cold, undercooked sections. Convection also makes it easy to prepare delicious baked goods in the microwave, including cookies, brownies, muffins, biscuits, quick breads and even pies. It is like having a second oven at your finger tips.

Roomy Interior for Today’s Cooking Needs
Cavity size helps consumers decide which pan can easily fit into the microwave. The new Amana microwave features a large interior cooking cavity. The countertop convection oven features a 15-1/4″ x 10-7/8″ by 15-1/4 inch interior — large enough to accommodate a wide variety of foods.

21ST Century Styling for Today’s Kitchens
Amana brand’s new microwave oven is designed to fit seamlessly into today’s kitchen settings. The sleek and sophisticated new countertop model provides an added level of style to the original and blends flawlessly with other appliances. Colors include Black, Stainless Steel or White.

Plenty of Power at Your Fingertips
With the new microwave oven, Amana puts plenty of power at consumers’ fingertips. The countertop microwave convection offers 1500 watts of power — enough to cook a five-pound ham or beef roast, or a six-pound chicken or turkey.

Fast Food Redefined Online Cookbook
As part of the anniversary celebration, Amana will also introduce its first online microwave cookbook, “Fast Food Redefined: 40 Years Ago, Amana Invented a New Way to Cook.” The new Amana microwave cookbook, featuring 40 fast and easy recipes celebrating 40 years of microwave cooking, is available free to visitors of http://www.Amana.com/cookbook.

microwave, convection oven

Wow. This is good news for the world of moms out there, but I have to wonder how it tastes…? Nestle Quick has released a new low sugar version. This is a popular trend. I’ve seen granola bars, cereals, pudding, all with the “less sugar” claim. It’s certainly time that we consume less sugar, but I wonder if this is the right course of action? I mean, what if we just splurged on chocolate occasionally and ate good stuff the rest of the time? Nestle owns Tollhouse. I wonder if we’ll see less sugar Tollhouse morsels next? I know… Bite your tongue, chef! Here’s the news:

Now with 25 percent less sugar than other powder and syrup brands, Nestle Nesquik Powder is a smart option for moms who want to encourage their kids to drink more milk.

In addition to having 25 percent less sugar than Ovaltine and Hershey’s, an 8 oz. glass of milk flavored with a serving of Nestle Nesquik Powder supplies 33 percent more calcium than the milk alone — making it a nutritious way for moms to give their kids the calcium and other essential nutrients they need to grow with a delicious taste kids love.

Myth: Calcium is the only bone-building nutrient in milk.
Fact: Milk also provides seven other essential nutrients important for growth and development, including vitamin D. Nestle Nesquik Powder is a good source of seven essential nutrients, six of which aren’t in milk — or are present only in low amounts — including vitamin C, vitamin B6, zinc and copper.

Myth: Snacking is not good for children.
Fact: Young children have relatively small stomachs, so they may need to eat often to fulfill their nutrient quotas. The trick is to feed them with small portions of the same foods you would serve them at meal time, such as sandwiches, fruit, vegetables and milk, instead of the low-nutrient, high-fat snack foods like cookies, chips, and soda.

Myth: Kids who drink flavored milk consume more sugars and fat overall.
Fact: According to the USDA, 70 percent of girls and 60 percent of boys ages six to 11 are not meeting the current calcium recommendations of three to five glass of milk each day.

less sugar, chocolate milk, Nesquick

I LOVE this idea! I’m not much of a beer drinker, but I remember a college boyfriend thinking Grolsch beer was cool. I think because it sounded German. Grolsch has unveiled a new mystery marketing campaign that lets YOU play along! Over 21 only please!

Check it out!

A scoundrel would never flaunt his crime for everyone to see — or would he? Mysterious, intriguing, and altogether groundbreaking, premium imported Grolsch Lager now brings you an online mystery that will have you searching for clues and racing to save the dame with the legs that won’t quit!

Taking its inspiration from 1950s film noir hit movies, Grolsch Gardens, an interactive online mystery that is one of the first of its
kind, debuts today at http://www.grolschgardens.com . Delivering delicious jolts of excitement via a truly innovative point-and-click experience, the Web site drops visitors into the middle of a film noir adventure and challenges them to untangle the complicated plot and save the beautiful Miriam Minx from the villains.

The mystery starts when Miriam, a lady in distress who needs to lay low for a while, leases a room with a view at the luxurious Grolsch Gardens Apartments. It’s not too long before Miss Minx is in love, and in trouble, again! Soon there is a missing lover, a painting has vanished, and a mystery only you can solve. The interactive site features a “rear window” that looks out onto the Grolsch Gardens complex and invites guests to peek into their neighbor’s windows in the search for clues.

And this isn’t the end of the road for our young heroine — the next installment of the Grolsch Gardens story is due to be released in fall 2007.

Groslch, beer, mystery

I’ve been halfway following this story with a low level of interest. (Wow. There’s a great way to capture your attention!) I want to care more, but the fact is, I like my Diet Coke with Splenda. I like my flavored water with Splenda. I think it tastes better. Splenda has been marketed for as long as I’ve known of the product as being the no-calorie sweetener that is actually derived from sugar. In the US, this hasn’t posed much of a problem, but in Europe, lawsuits have abounded.

The funny thing about these European lawsuits is that since they don’t wind up in the multiple millions and billions of dollars like they do in the good old U S of A, no one seems to care much about them. However, the marketing machine surrounding Splenda can be very much impacted — and as of last week it WILL BE impacted in the foodie capital of the world, France.

In France, Splenda will no longer be allowed to claim that it comes from sugar.

The ruling orders McNeil to amend all advertising and promotions that contain these and other claims, and to amend all packaging within a period of 30 days starting as of the service of the judgment. In addition, the Court prohibited the distribution of any products under the trademark Splenda(R) with unchanged packaging after a period of four months starting as of the service of the decision.

“We’re pleased the Court held McNeil accountable for Splenda(R) advertising that we believe has intentionally fooled a significant number of consumers into thinking Splenda(R) contains sugar and no calories, and that it is a natural product; both are completely false,” said Paul Block, chief executive officer of Merisant. “We want to ensure fair competition through accurate advertising so that consumers can make informed decisions about the products they’re buying. This ruling is a victory not just for Merisant, but for French consumers who no longer will be misled into thinking Splenda(R) is something it’s not. Splenda(R) is a synthetic compound — created in a lab and manufactured in a chemical plant — and is no more natural than any other low-calorie sweetener.”

OK. So I’m fine with Merisant’s claim here. And I’m fine with believing that Splenda is indeed a CHEMICAL. I willingly put plenty of other chemicals in my body. As with all things, it’s a matter of limiting your intake. So here’s the question of the day — do we care that Splenda isn’t sugar?

And, just ’cause I know you’re curious… Guess how much Splenda has to pay in damages? The equivalent of US $54,000.

Splenda, Merisant, law suit, sugar, sweetener

I’m writing you tonight from a middle school band trip that I’m chaperoning. Tonight, I can’t even tell you how wonderful some frozen yogurt sounds right now..! Monday, hit up your local TCBY for FREE yogurt! Check out the announcement:

On Monday, April 30, 2007 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, frozen yogurt lovers can visit any participating TCBY location nationwide to pick-up a free pre-packed quart of The Country’s Best Yogurt! Free with any purchase, quarts are available in 96% fat free Vanilla Bean, Chocolate Chocolate, Cookies & Cream, and Mint Chocolate Chunk, and No-Sugar Added Vanilla Fudge Swirl.

Check http://www.TCBY.com to locate a participating store near you.

What fun is this! A chance to win a dream kitchen and show the world — or at least the American public — that you really do make the best cookie on the block! Read on! It’s the American Idol of cooking! Of course, feel free to send ME your cookie recipe if you want an impartial test kitchen to try it out first!

To Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Mrs. Fields, the Country’s Favorite Cookie Maker and iVillage Announce a Nationwide Search for the Next Great Mrs. Fields Cookie

Calling America’s cookie connoisseurs! Bake sale divas, listen up! Mrs. Fields and iVillage.com are teaming up to give cookie bakers across the country a chance to help create America’s next great Mrs. Fields cookie.

To celebrate three decades of baking perfection begun by Debbi Fields herself, the Mrs. Fields and iVillage Search for the 30th Anniversary Cookie Contest, featured exclusively on iVillage.com’s Home & Food Channel, will give cookie bakers across the country a chance to showcase their baking talents and the winning entry will be used to create Mrs. Fields’ official “30th Anniversary Cookie.” The cookie will be sold in Mrs. Fields’ 400 stores nationwide, as well as through MrsFields.com, and the individual submitting the winning recipe will receive a brand new Dream Kitchen courtesy of GE Profile(TM) to help them carry on the baking fun at home in style.

Bakers who think their cookies have what it takes can submit their recipe by visiting iVillage.com and going to their Home and Food Channel or by going directly to http://mrsfields.ivillage.com. Recipes should be accompanied by a short description of the inspiration behind the cookie and a digital photo of the cookie itself. And of course, there is no purchase necessary to enter or win! The final day for recipe submissions will be May 25, 2007 after which time the public will have an opportunity to help select the winning entry by voting for their favorite cookie entry online. Based upon consumer voting and judging by Mrs. Fields, the recipes will be narrowed down to 30 semifinalists followed by five finalists. Each of the finalists will win a one-year supply of Mrs. Fields cookies.

cooking contest, cookies, baking, Mrs. Fields

I’m a big fan of almonds. I can’t really say why, I just like them. Maybe because they aren’t overly salty. Maybe because their diet-friendly. So this news made me sad. The Cornucopia Institute announced in a news release that new FDA guidelines will soon go into effec that will either put small farmers out of business or (better yet) introduce carcinogens into the pasteurization process. Worse yet, the chemicals to be used in the pasteurization process have been banned for food treatment in the European Union, Canada, Mexico, and most other countries.

Why do we keep poisoning ourselves in an attempt to…what? Make food safer?

almonds, FDA, salmonella

So, it could just be that Olive Garden doesn’t think we can handle the recipe. (And maybe we can’t.) But, Olive Garden has released their recipe for their new dish — Chicken Crostina. The picture looks wonderful. If the recipe looks slightly too daunting, Olive Garden will be hosting a web cooking class to teach you the techniques. (How cool is that?) The cooking demonstrations will become available on April 9 at www.olivegarden.com/recipes

If you need a weekend challenge, here it is! The restaurant recommends you pair this dish with a pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc.

At-Home Recipe For Olive Garden’s Chicken Crostina
Serves Six

Wine Pairing Recommendation: Bertani Due Uve

Ingredients:

Potato crust (recipe below)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups and 1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon roasted garlic, minced
1 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive Oil
1 pound linguine
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup Roma tomatoes, cored and diced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Potato Crust

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 small potato, peeled and grated
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

— Using a spoon, thoroughly mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
— Cover and set aside until ready to use.

Assembling Chicken Crostina
Preparation:

— In a shallow dish, mix 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, pepper and Italian
seasoning. Dredge chicken breasts in the mixture, shaking off any
excess.
— Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Cook chicken
breasts two at a time over medium-high heat until golden brown and
crisp, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Add
more olive oil for each batch as necessary.
— Place cooked chicken breast on a baking sheet or dish and top with the
potato crust mixture. Transfer the baking sheet to a pre-heated
broiler until golden brown (1-2 minutes).
— Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
— Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauce pan. Add roasted garlic and
cook for 1 minute. Stir in 1 tablespoon of flour and white wine and
bring to a boil. Add heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon of
parsley and tomatoes. The sauce is done when it is bubbling throughout
and has started to thicken.
— Coat pasta with sauce, then top with chicken and remaining sauce.
Garnish with chopped parsley.

cooking, recipes, Olive Garden, chicken crostina

I’m not sure how much news there really is in this, but according to Ragu, America’s moms KNOW what to do to deliver nutrition at home. We just don’t seem to always get it done. (Do we need to list the reasons for them?) At the risk of getting on my soapbox, I am a bit bothered that the study focuses on moms, ignoring all the dads out there who take primary responsibility for feeding their families! Take a look:

Practice what you preach. U.S. moms say that’s easier said than done, especially when it comes to nutrition. According to a recent poll of 1,000 U.S. moms sponsored
by Ragu(R) pasta sauce, 94 percent of moms say they know the nutritional needs of their kids. However, 80 percent find it difficult to deliver that nutrition. Moms say fussy eaters and busy schedules (47 percent and 38 percent, respectively) are the biggest challenges. In fact, an overwhelming 100% of moms admit they use one or more sneaky ways to get their kids to eat veggies, such as offering rewards or hiding veggies in other food.

The survey revealed that more than 60 percent of moms would like two to four more hours each day to accomplish everything they need to do while the other third need six to eight hours to get it all done. Sixty-five percent of those surveyed said they would welcome shortcuts on how to prepare nutritious meals their kids will eat.

* If getting your kids to eat veggies is sometimes challenging, look for new and interesting ways to serve those vegetables you know they’ll eat. If broccoli is the only vegetable your child likes, figuring out more ways to serve it will help keep them from getting bored of it!
* Encourage balanced meals by making your child “Chef for a Day” by letting them help make dinner. They choose the menu, help shop for the ingredients and help with the preparation.

* Getting your children to enjoy fruits and vegetables is easy when you play “The Colors Game.” Challenge your kids to eat two of each color — green, red, yellow, orange, and purple — throughout the day. Make sure to go over all the different fruits and vegetables in each color category and, at meal times, ask them “how many colors have you had today?” They’ll love reviewing their menus with you and hearing your praise when they’ve completed the rainbow.

moms, nutrition, cooking

My teenage daughter and I tried something new today — a CocoaVia chocolate almond snack bar. I can’t say that I blown away, but I was happy to eat something that did taste like chocolate and was only 80 calories for a bar. While this is NOT chocolate for foodies, for health-conscious chocaholics, this is worth a try. (For foodies, is there anything in the world that surpasses Lindor Truffles???)

According to Mars, the corporation behind such American favorites as M&M’s and Snickers, CocoaVia uses flavanols to help lower cholesterol and promote heart health. Like I needed an excuse to eat chocolate..!

The CocoaVia press release claims:

It may come as a surprise to chocolate lovers that it’s not the “milk” or “dark” chocolate that influences the amount of potentially heart-healthy cocoa flavanols in chocolate, but it’s the way the chocolate is processed. A common misconception is that only dark chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa is rich in flavanols. However, Mars, Incorporated has researched cocoa for more than 15 years and found that it is the level of flavanols in the cocoa used in the chocolate, not the percent of cocoa, that truly matters.

Through its research, Mars, Incorporated has found a way to keep both milk and dark chocolate lovers happy this Valentine’s Day by pioneering a new technology to retain much of the naturally occurring cocoa flavanols. CocoaVia milk chocolate products have the same levels of cocoa flavanols as CocoaVia Dark Chocolate products. All CocoaVia milk and dark chocolate products contain at least 100 milligrams of cocoa flavanols per serving, the natural compounds in cocoa beans that help to promote heart health.

Further, Mars conducted a study to figure out how we actually FEEL about chocolate. Are you kidding me? Here are some of their findings.

— Chocolate knows no gender - men and women might differ on many choices but chocolate preferences are not one of them. Milk chocolate is preferred by 41 percent of women and 47 percent of men, while dark chocolate is preferred by 25 percent of women and 26 percent of men.
— Chocolate preferences might have something to do with your age - Milk chocolate is preferred by 62 percent of 18-24 year olds but when people reach the age of 35 years, 45 percent of people prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate.
— There’s no need to debate over the great gift this Valentine’s Day - it turns out that chocolate is the number one gift to receive, beating out flowers and cards.

Hmm… Not sure how I feel about that last part. I love chocolate as much as the next girl, but I’d rather be given flowers. I will happily buy myself chocolate!

You probably already know about the US Postal Service’s new stamp for Valentine’s day. But wait — there’s more!

They have a contest with the prize of $10,000 for a romanticgetaway. Guess how many Hershey’s Kisses fit in a Priority Mail box. Enter online here.

You might have heard about the cold snap out here in the Desert Southwest. Hey, it’s cccc-old!

I’m hearing from friends in Phoenix who’ve had problems with frozen water pipes, which is a real problem we don’t often encounter here. This year has been the coldest winter in 28 years, I hear. I’ve even been wearing the coat I borrowed from my daughter in law for my trip to Washington in two weeks. Never expected to need it here!

What you’re going to see as a result, no matter where you live in the US, is higher produce prices. We’re not sure yet how much the weather has affected the citrus and lettuce crops, but in my experience, once that word of price increases gets out, the prices go up anyway, no matter how bad or good the situation is in the field.

How much the prices go up is something I’d need a crystal ball to predict. I’m hearing rumors of double and triple price increases. We won’t know, really, for another week to ten days. Quite often, what they do with partially-frozen orangesis use them for juice. So that might make orange juice cheaper, if there’s a lot of it around.

There’s more on the cold weather here at my local paper.

produce, shopping, groceries

My husband and I were working on a menu/grocery list for the next two weeks, and I realized we have sunk deeply into a rut. We are eating the same few things, mostly because we’ve both been so busy, we stick with the easy stuff.

So went looking online for something different and unusual.
What I found was

FoodProcessing.com

a site devoted to the processed food industry. It was neat to look around!

Though I didn’t find any radically-different meal ideas, I did find some new food products. Like these:

Sometime this spring you can look for a new carbonated soft drink made by Pepsi. It’s called Tava, and comes in four flavors: Brazilian Samba, Caribbean Calypso, Mediterranean Muse and Malaysian Satori. It will include vitamins and fruit flavoring, though I don’t know what fruits..

Three new flavors of Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate: Pure Dark Chocolate, Pure Dark Chocolate with Cranberries, Blueberries and Almonds, and Pure Dark Chocolate with Macadamias and Cranberries.

Knorr brand Mini Cubes of Garlic and Onion — which are like bouillon cubes, which may be interesting. I know Knorr’s bouillon is the best of the bunch, so this may also be a quality product.

Hamburger Helper Microwave Singles are a big deal right now, if you like Hamburger Helper. ;>) It’s packaged in a shelf-stable pouch, that you add water to and nuke. Yes, it has hamburger. If you’re wondering how they did that, well, it’s freeze-dried. I might have to try this, just for grins, though it’s being marketed for kids.

O’Coco’s organic chocolate crisps by Nspired Natural Foods Inc. are probably the most intriguing of the group of new foods mentioned. Imagine, if you will, chocolate, but crunchy, like potato chips. I wonder what provides that crunch?

…as a bonus, here’s

an article on chicken wings

— all the history, and how they evolved into one of the most popular snacks in America.

food, products, newfood

According to

this piece from British Columbia

, fondue may be making a comeback.

I remember it as being fun, but for those who were really hungry, it somehow didn’t fill the bill.

We used to do something a tad different. We’d have plates of sliced steak, shrimp, veggies, etc., and in the middle of the table we’d place a propane torch. We’d use our fondue forks to torch our steak and shrimp.

That was more fun, at least by our standards.

I see by

this story

General Mills is going to advertise more to try and prop up their sagging sales.

I remember way back when Sean was a toddler, and I got a bunch of single serving packets of cereal for free. These were all things like Fruit Loops and Apple Jacks — the sugary kind of cereals.

Sean refused to eat any of them, but he’d play with them for hours!

GeneralMills, cereal