Soda hysteria: The math doesn't add up

Bloomberg's proposed soda ban for New York City is ridiculous, but not for the reasons given. All the liberal hand-wringing (and I say that as a liberal myself) over soda ignores two basic facts:

 
1. It's not all full of soda!
 
This point is so patently obvious to any soda-drinker, but clearly lost on the non-soda-drinking hippies who want to ban sodas over 20 ounces. If you don't drink soda, you can be forgiven for not realizing how much of that cup is FULL OF ICE, NOT SODA.
 
Take a 32 ounce cup at McDonald's. I grant you, the cup holds 32 ounces. But it will be served to you at least 3/4ths full of ice, leaving a mere eight ounces of actual soda.
 
Mother Jones asks "How did our sodas get so huge?" I'll tell you how: because consumers want to drink a certain amount of beverage, but the war of escalation between consumer and corporate provider means that you have to order increasingly large cups in order to keep getting the same amount of beverage.
 
Even if you leave out any tongue-in-cheek exaggeration, at the very least there is some percentage of the cup in which soda is displaced by ice. All of the arguments overlook this fact. Isn't it time we inject some facts into the debate? If Bloomberg thinks that more than 20 ounces of soda is wrong and bad and should be illegal, then he needs to ban any cup over, say, 24 ounces at least.

 
2. What about diet soda?
 
These soda bans all assume that you, the ignorant consumer, will be purchasing Coke or Dr. Pepper or orange Fanta. It's like putting a loaded gun to your head! But what about Diet Coke? What about Diet Dr. Pepper? Banning large cups means that people who choose diet sodas are being punished, too.
 
Of course, this isn't about calories or sugar content. It's about enforcing a perceived morality. A certain stripe of health food hippie thinks that you should not be drinking soda of any form. They start by decrying the evils of HFCS, but if you mention Coke Zero they will eagerly switch to the (unproven, entirely anecdotal) evils of Aspartame and Splenda.
 
2.5. What about water, then?
 
Yep, that too. I don't know why no one is talking about this. I guess if you don't bring your tap water from home in your aluminum (BPA-free) water bottle, and prefer instead to buy it on the spot, then you are a bad person.
 

Amazing turkey wraps

I'm not sure why, but I tend to create more meat wraps during the spring and summer months than I do in the fall and winter. I made a really tasty turkey wrap yesterday that you can easily do yourself at home.

First, lay out a flour tortilla on your plate. I use the average size tortillas, but you can always get the ones that are used for making quesadillas, as they are much bigger. I would use the larger ones if I was serving a man, but since I was just making them for myself and my two daughters, I stuck with the regular flour tortillas.

Second, coat the top of the flour tortilla with a salad dressing. I used ranch, but honestly almost any salad dressing will do when it comes to wraps. Now sprinkle a bit of Parmesan cheese over the dressing.
Third, I shredded a radish and crumbled some bacon and added them to the top of the dressing. You can use bacon bits or shredded carrots as a substitute if you wish.

Fourth, I laid two large romaine lettuce leaves on the tortilla. If you don't like romaine, you can use iceberg lettuce.

Fifth, place turkey on top of the lettuce. You can use deli meat, but turkey shaved off the breast of last night's dinner tastes the best.

Finally, roll your wrap up from left to right. Slice it in half and serve immediately. If you are serving a small child, you may want to make several slices so that it is easier for small hands to hold.

Burger King's controversial bacon sundae

An unusual new dessert offering has set the Internet ablaze.

Unlike many of the people who are currently embroiled in discussions (some more civil than others) about Burger King's new bacon ice cream sundae, I have actually tried it. My experience was… mixed.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. 
 
When Burger King announced that it was going to start selling a limited edition ice cream sundae with bacon, a lot of people apparently lost their minds. The Atlantic, unsurprisingly, got all hoity-toity and sniffy about it, calling it "passe." Then an NPR blogger (correctly) took them to task for their snobbishness. And then the entire internet imploded in one long flame war, basically. Some people feel that Burger King is jumping on a bandwagon that's already played out. Other people seem to feel that Burger King is co-opting a grass roots movement, as if bacon has sold out and gone corporate. Power to the people! 

 
In the end, it all comes down to the sundae, doesn't it?
 
I was surprised at how substantial the bacon pieces were - they were far thicker, and more plentiful, than I would have expected. It had a ton of bacon pieces in it, too. Not just little flecks, but actual chunks of bacon, probably half an inch square. There was a bunch at the bottom, swirled in with the chocolate and caramel, and a ton around the top, too. Plus a jaunty half slice of bacon stuck in the top for added effect.
 
It had a good saltiness and crunch to it. I particularly liked the bacon pieces that were glopping around down at the bottom with all the chocolate syrup, that part was pretty awesome. And it only cost about $2.50.
 
On the down side, I encountered a blob of bacon fat (gone cold and clammy with the ice cream). I would describe this as "regrettable." Thankfully there was only one, but you could make the case that even one is too many. Certainly I think back upon that particular aspect of the experience and shudder. 
 
I was on guard for the rest of the sundae. Since everything is all covered with ice cream and chocolate syrup, you can't really pick through it to see what you are eating, and whether it is crispy or... not.
 
A lesser problem is that it lacked any kind of smoky flavor, which is a pity. If you think about  it, without the smoky flavor, you may as well just add peanuts. I don't like the way peanuts get too hard and crunchy when they get cold in ice cream. But then again there would be zero risk of encountering a blob of chilled, damp bacon fat.

Create your own cookbook


My daughter and I are halfway through creating our own cookbook. I suppose it began as a homeschool project, but it has been just as much fun as educational. We do plan on having our cookbook published and sold, and the process is much more simple than you would think.

There are several reasons you may want to make your own cookbook. You may want to share your recipes with the world, make some extra money, raise funds for charity or preserve important family recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation.

The first step is to decide where you want to publish your cookbook. I plan on using CreateSpace as soon as our cookbook is finished. This company will place your book on popular sites, such as Amazon. You can also order copies for yourself rather cheaply. Other options include Lulu and Kindle Direct Publishing.
The second step is to get your recipes written down on paper. From there, you can break down the recipes so that you are creating a few each week. Make sure to add details to your recipe cards as you create the dish. You'll also need a photo of the finished product.

Finally, you must type all of the recipes up in your computer. Add your picture and any notes that you may want your readers to know about, such as the inspiration for the dish or how you came up with a certain recipe. Then you can upload your cookbook into the publishing website of your choice. Some of the publishers, like CreateSpace, have templates you can use. This makes the submission process much easier.

Most publishers will send you a copy that you must verify. Once you give the 'OK' that the cookbook is exactly the way you want it, you can begin selling it.

Nutella: The newest craze


A friend of mine was posting on Facebook about a week ago that she just had to run to the grocery store to pick-up Nutella on her way home from work. She had run out that morning and couldn't be without it.

It was this post that got my daughter intrigued with the product. She begged me to add it to our grocery list for the upcoming week. I didn't see any reason why she shouldn't try it, so I got a jar of Nutella. The four main ingredients in this spread are: cocoa, hazelnuts, sugar and skim milk.  
The first thing my daughter did was lather a piece of toast with the Nutella. She loved it. She said it didn't taste like hazelnut, but just chocolate. Only a few days later and I'm noticing that half of the container is empty. I would try it myself, but I am not a big fan of nuts.

I wouldn't have thought much else about this product, except that I keep hearing about it everywhere. I went on Pinterest to look up some new recipes and it seemed like every couple of recipes contained Nutella. My daughter saw one for Nutella cookies and declared that we had to make it.

I believe it is the simplicity of the product that people love. There are no artificial colors or preservatives in Nutella. Also, it seems the online recipes only require the use of a few ingredients. The Nutella cookies, for example, only called for flour, an egg, and Nutella.

I would encourage people to try Nutella, as it seems to be a product that is going to stick around. I'd look for coupons or wait for it to go on sale though because it was almost $5 a jar.
 

Belvita Breakfast Biscuits

Reasonably tasty, not too bad nutritionally and not too sweet

I'll be honest with you, I'm not really sure what these things are. I didn't know what they were when I bought them, and I don't know what they are after having eaten a bunch over the last week. This is like some kind of next-wave breakfast treat stuff happening right here. 
What are they? Well, you eat them for breakfast. According to the Nabisco website, Belvita Breakfast Biscuits "are specially baked to release energy regularly and continuously in your body." Which is either some creepy food science, or a bunch of marketing BS. Which one, I leave it to the reader to decide.

One thing I can answer: these are "biscuits" in the British sense. Meaning, cookies. Not a very cookie-like cookie, to be sure. Their closest relation is probably the animal cracker. They share a similar taste and crispy, crumbly texture. Imagine an animal cracker crossed with a graham cracker, and you're getting pretty close.
 
I bought the Golden Oat flavor, which meant that as you eat it, whole oats kind of get stuck in your teeth. But oats are good for you, so it's okay to eat cookies for breakfast, right?
 
Nabisco touts the portability of these cookies, and I will hand it to them: these are one of the easiest breakfast foods to transport and eat. A lot of breakfast options are either greasy or sticky, neither of which is something you want to have to deal with during your morning commute. These cookies are dry - perhaps a little bland - but I'm not one of those people who likes a very sweet and flavorful and exciting breakfast. Frankly, every day for breakfast for the last two years I have eaten a bowl of quick oatmeal (whole oats; microwave two minutes).
 
Nutritionally, these aren't too bad. A pack of four cookies clocks in at 230 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 4 grams of protein. That's comparable to the next closest breakfast food, a Nutrigrain bar, which averages 240 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 2 grams of protein per two-bar pack. And Belvita crackers are not super sweet, the way that Nutrigrain bars are, with their jammy middles. 
 
I mean, there are probably better options for breakfast, nutritionally speaking. But you gotta eat breakfast, and these are easy to tuck in your pocket on your way out the door. As far as breakfast options during the work week goes, these aren't as bad as some, they have little potential mess, and they don't require cutlery (like yogurt does). 
 

Church picnic ideas


Each year our church has an annual picnic at the park. I hear the same thing from my Grandmother as soon as the date is announced, “What can I to bring to the picnic?” Our church handles the hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken and drinks, but it is up to the rest of the congregation to bring the side dishes and desserts. Here are a few ideas in case you aren't sure what to bring to your next church picnic.
Fruits and Veggies

For individuals like my grandmother, simplicity may be key. She doesn't have the energy to bake or prepare a big salad. She can, however, purchase a cantaloupe, honeydew or watermelon and cut them up into individual slices. Fresh fruit always goes quick at a summer barbecue. Of course, if you do have energy, consider turning your watermelon into a basket and adding mixed fruit inside of it.

Veggies can easily be arranged on a veggie platter with some dressing for dipping in a cup in the center. My veggie trays usually include carrots, broccoli, celery, olives, pickles and sugar snap peas. For the dressing, mix a packet of dry salad dressing with a container of sour cream. I prefer ranch, but other flavors are just as good, such as onion and vegetable.

Salads

When it comes to salads, anything goes. I like to make a kielbasa pasta salad for our church picnics with an Italian dressing base. I have tasted many other pasta salads that are just as good that don't use Italian dressing at all. Broccoli salad is always a hit, for example, and this salad uses mayonnaise. Of course, you can also make a tuna salad, a chicken salad or a garden salad.

Desserts

Who doesn't love a good dessert? The most common dessert I see at the church barbecues is chocolate fudge brownies. Yum! You can get creative though and make lemon squares, pineapple upside down cake, Rice Krispies treats or decorative sugar cookies. The only desserts I don't recommend bringing are those that need to stay refrigerated. It's usually quite hot out and there are no refrigerators around.

 

Watermelon Splits

A new way to enjoy summer melon


My local grocery store had seedless watermelons on sale for $3.77 this week. These babies were huge and I found myself looking for new ways to eat the watermelon. Of course, there is nothing wrong with simply cutting the watermelon into slices, but I thought it might peak my kids interest if the delicious fruit was served in a unique manner. That is when I decided to make watermelon splits.

The first thing I did was decorate the plates with a drizzle of hot fudge intertwined with a drizzle of butterscotch topping. On top of the hot fudge and butterscotch topping went a banana cut into two halves.
Next, I carved out a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt and placed it on the banana. I followed that by a scoop of watermelon, another scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt, and one final scoop of watermelon. Of course, you could use all watermelon if you wish. I just love mixing the sweet watermelon with the creamy yogurt.

Finally, I top the watermelon splits with fat free whipped cream and a cherry. My kids like to sprinkle a few jimmies on top as well. There is nothing like a cold watermelon split on a hot summer day.

There are several ways you can change up this recipe. I thought of freezing the watermelon scoops before adding them to the splits. You could also decorate the plate with chocolate syrup instead of hot fudge. Any flavor of ice cream can be substituted for the vanilla frozen yogurt, and there are a ton of ice cream toppings that would taste great on the top of the whipped cream. You could use chopped nuts, chocolate chips or even bits of crushed pretzels.

The things they do to an egg these days!

Real eggs are good for you, but the "improved egg product" they try to feed us sure isn't!

 

I happened across an interesting article on the Forbes website (of all places) about all the ways that the fast food giants manipulate and adulterate the humble egg. It brought the ridiculousness of mass market overprocessed food home to me in a way that a simple list of ingredients never has before. 
 
This might be because I have pet chickens. 
 
Every day I collect between 1 and 3 eggs from my feathery gal pals. About 75 percent of their diet consists of the (organic, vegetable protein-only, chock full of vitamins and minerals) chicken feed that I set out for them. During the day, they scratch around in their coop for the grain I toss them, eat my leftovers, or (when I have time to supervise) poke around the yard for whatever delicious morsels they can scare up. Their eggs reflect this ideal chicken lifestyle (technically called "Pasture Raised"). 

 

Their shells are substantially thicker than those of grocery store eggs - if I drop one, as I often do, it's only about 50/50 odds that the egg will crack. The shells of battery hen eggs are thinner because the hens are forced into laying more eggs faster than is natural, and their bodies don't have time to lay down as thick a layer of calcium. 
 
The yolks and whites are firm, not runny. Egg contents lose their structural integrity with time. I usually eat my eggs within 5-7 days from the time they were laid. Grocery store eggs may be as much as 90 days old, or even older.

The yolks, in addition to standing up high and round from the white, are a vivid shade of orange. Counter intuitively, this color comes from eating lots of fresh greens. Because of the broader spectrum of better nutrition, the eggs contain as much as 30 percent more Omega 3 fatty acids (the kind that's super healthy for you). 
 
It's no surprise that hens fed a bland diet produce eggs that look and taste bland. 
 
I wonder what it would take, for everyone to be able to eat mainly "real eggs" in a sustainable fashion? Real eggs from happy chickens would be much more easily available, except that USDA regulations about selling eggs are extraordinarily tight. You have to have your "facilities" certified, and the eggs have to be washed and refrigerated according to government specifications. 
 
This is meant to prevent disease and unscrupulous producers passing on sub-standard eggs, and I get that. But if the regulations could be made easier for backyard chicken owners to meet, I can guarantee you would have a far greater chance of sitting down to a breakfast of delicious pasture-raised eggs instead of the abomination that is Subway's "premium egg blend."
 

The many uses of a ham steak



Almost each week I get a ham steak with my grocery order. This is because I know that if I haven't planned dinner one night during the week that I'll be able to quickly create something with the ham steak. Best of all, the ham steak thaws in the microwave in 60 seconds. Here are some of the many ways I use a ham steak:

1. Fried. My kids love it when I toss the ham steak in a frying pan and brown it on both sides. They think it tastes just like bacon. A side of green beans and parslied potatoes and we are good to go.


2. Omelet. I love to dice the ham steak and toss it in an omelet with onions, green peppers and some cheddar cheese. A cup of fruit cocktail and a slice of toast top off this meal.

3. Soup. Soup is what I usually make when I have a lot of leftovers. A chicken broth base and your leftovers are all you really need. I dice the ham steak and toss it in the chicken broth, along with a variety of veggies, sliced potatoes and some beans.


4. Ham pocket. It is so much fun to roll out some biscuit dough and create a pocket filled with diced ham, onions, and cheese. Cook the ham pocket as long as you would the biscuit dough.


5. Pasta salad. Instead of chicken or kielbasa, I'll use ham if I have it. Pasta salad that has ham in it also tastes great with olives, cheese, onions, red bell peppers, and Italian salad dressing.

 

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