FROM THE COOKBOOK SHELF
Although it's still August, Christmas cookbook offers are showing up in our mailbox. Although I didn't need it I ordered the Gooseberry Patch Christmas Cookbook anyway. Published in 2004, it's in its 8th printing this year. That tells me the book is selling well. It came on a day when I was pondering what to serve at Chief that weekend. Winter Salad may not seem to appropriate in August but it's a good alternative to leafy green salad anytime and leftovers store well in the frig. I added 1/2 cup Craisins instead of 1/4 cup optional raisins.
WINTER SALAD
- 1 bunch broccoli (remove stems and cut florets into small pieces)
- 1 head cauliflower (remove stems and cut florets into small pieces)
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
- 8-ounce package sliced mushrooms
- 1/2 cup Craisins
- 1/2 pound bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
- 1 1/2 cups Hellmann's Light Mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- Toasted almonds for garnish
Toss broccoli, cauliflower, onion, Craisins and bacon. Whisk mayonnaise, sugar and white vinegar together and add to vegetable mixture. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Sprinkle with toasted almonds. Recipe makes 8 to 10 servings.
Source: Gooseberry Patch Christmas Cookbook; Oxmoor House, Inc. To order call 1-800-765-6400 or visit their website.
TIMELY IMPOSSIBLE PIE
A BLT sandwich is good anytime but it tastes even better when homegrown tomatoes are plentiful. Betty Crocker recommends Impossibly Easy BLT Pie. I had everything on hand to make this entree recently.
IMPOSSIBLY EASY BLT PIE
- 12 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
- 1/2 cup Bisquick mix
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise Hellmann's Light Mayonnaise
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons Hellmann's Light Mayonnaise
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- 6 thinly sliced tomatoes
Heat oven to 400F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. Layer bacon and cheese in pie plate. In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, 1/3 cup mayonnaise, milk, pepper and eggs with wire whisk until blended. Pour into pie plate. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until top is golden and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Spread 2
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tablespoons mayonnaise over top of pie. Sprinkle with lettuce. Arrange tomato slices on lettuce. Recipe makes 6 servings.
Source: Betty Crocker recipe.
SNACKING WHILE GLUED TO THE TV
TV snacking could make you eat more, especially if the show is entertaining. In a recent study, 45 adults were asked to eat potato chips for 5 minutes with the television off and while watching a late-night talk show. All told, participants are 44 percent more chips while watching the "Late Show with David Letterman" and 42 percent more while watching "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' than they did when the screen was blank. Experts think that the more distracted you are while eating, the less attention is paid to a food's flavor and the less satiated you feel. Bottom Line: Shut off the TV or snack while watching C-Span.
Source: Consumer Reports On Health, August 2007.
THE POWER OF BLUEBERRIES
The fight against aging and its attendant ailments has a powerful ally, and it comes in the form of a little blueberry. Plus, now that the health benefits of antioxidant supplements are being questioned, foods that contain natural antioxidants are more important than ever and no food delivers antioxidants quite like blueberries. They contain an antioxidant called anthocyanidin, which is found in the red/blue pigment. According to Lynn Goldstein, MS, RD, CDN, a nutritionist at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell's Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health, this antioxidant can neutralize free radical damage to cells and protect our bodies from any number of ailments, such as cataracts, glaucoma, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers and cancer. Blueberries also contain another antioxidant called ellagic acid, which has been shown to block metabolic pathways that lead to cancer, Goldstein reports. Blueberries, she adds, are high in soluble fiber, which can help lower cholesterol levels, improve heart health, improve digestive health and assist in maintaining a healthy weight.
Source: Cornell Medical Center Food & Fitness Advisor, August 2007.
COFFEE CONTROVERSY STILL BREWING
Years after Folger's "the best part of waking up," ads started airing, it's still the beverage of choice for many of us. Doctors, however, continue to debate coffee's pros and cons. Earlier this year, a group of physicians gathered in Washington to discuss the "coffee controversy" and revealed that drinking coffee may increase the risk of some serious conditions such as leukemia, stomach cancer and hypertension. But that shouldn't make coffee drinkers panic. The consensus among most doctors is that the evidence is not conclusive enough to make people stop drinking coffee altogether.
The good news is that, at this point, there is no reason why you should stop drinking coffee if that's what you enjoy. And while nothing has been proven, numerous studies suggest that drinking coffee may also reduce the risk of certain cancers, such as liver, colon and colorectal. So coffee lovers can keep reaching for their mugs and in the end, that daily dose of energy may turn out to be more helpful than originally thought.
Source: Cornell Medical Center Food & Fitness Advisor, August 2007. |
