November 2011

Turns Out Most Honey… Isn't.

Illegal, contaminated Chinese honey is being stripped and sold in the US

 

The latest food scandal to hit America is this vast and wide-spread problem with honey. Independent testing has shown that most of the honey which is sold at the grocery stores has been ultra-filtered to remove all traces of pollen. And legally, honey with all traces of pollen removed is not technically honey.
 
Who cares? You may not be particularly upset over the news that there is less microscopic pollen in your plastic bear-shaped squeeze bottle than you thought. You may (like me) not have realized until now that pollen was supposed to be - nay, legally required to be - in honey in the first place.

McRib Mystery Solved?

The answer to the distribution mystery may lie in commodities trading

 

Willy Staley at The Awl has analyzed the McRib's availability pattern with one of my favorite tools (economics) and come up with an interesting correlation. 
 
Staley's contention is that the McRib's availability is driven strictly by the price of pork. When the price gets low enough, McDonald's buys a ton of it and ships it out (with much fanfare) in the form of McRib sandwiches. As soon as the price rises, the McRib disappears. In other words, the McRib distribution is all about arbitrage.

Check this Recipe out Before Fall Ends

How to Make Pumpkin Waffles

 

Before fall ends, dive into this recipe for pumpkin waffles – a great brunch hit that’s sure to satisfy.

INGREDIENTS


Makes 4 round “Belgian” style pumpkin waffles


 • 1/4 cup light brown sugar


• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch


• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour


• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder


• 1/2 tsp. salt


• 1 3/4 tsp. cinnamon


• 2 tsp. ginger


• 1/4 tsp. cloves


• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg*


• 2 large eggs


• 1 cup whole milk


• 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin


• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and warm

*Grated and lightly packed into the spoon, use 1/2 tsp. Grated and loosely scooped, this is about 1 tsp. of nutmeg. If you have to use pre-grated, dried nutmeg, use 1/4 tsp.

A Need For More Alcoholic Teas

It occurs to me on this cold Saturday in November that tea is a warming drink but there is little done to make it alcoholic (at least to my knowledge).

I am, however, not an authority on this.  I tried Googling it but only found summer drinks that included sweet tea or apple teas.  It is interesting to think about because through all the years, I don't think I have heard of a warm tea that someone had put liquor of any sort into.

Yes, this may be a stretch since there are many people that put liquor in just about anything.  And I raise my glass to those who do.  But when it comes to winter, I believe hot cocoa and hard cider holds the grounds for alcohol.

This needs to change because if I believe in anything, it is the ability to get buzzed while benefiting from the properties that tea is blessed with.  So if you have any alcoholic tea ideas, I invite you to write them here because this world needs more Christmas drinks to keep people like myself warm, drunk, and hopefully healthy.

I am very sure that Chai Tea could be mixed with something like Vodka and be delicious(not the healthiest of teas but still).  If you or anyone finds a green tea drink mixed with rum or something, please please please let me know.  That would quite utterly be the best drink in my mind because of the many benefits of green tea with the added fun of rum.  It would be like having a pirate ship full of Buddhist pirates that only loot in moderation.

Good day tea drinkers.  Have fun mixing and matching.

What Are Food Cravings All About?

I've always heard that people crave food that their body needs. The classic example is menstruating women who are craving foods high in iron like chocolate, greens, and beef because their body needs iron. I have personally know many women who crave these foods at that time of the month so I do think there is something to it. These are examples of "good cravings" and you should learn to listen to your body more in these instances.

 

What about other cravings? For example, when you're lying in bed and you suddenly start craving popcorn. What is that about? You aren't going to tell me that your body actually "needs" popcorn for pete's sake.

Foods to Avoid on a Fat-Free Diet

There are so many healthy choices available to anyone interested in a low fat or no fat diet, but what about the foods you should avoid?  Generally, processed “wet” foods are bad ideas, such as canned meals, TV dinners and other packaged, prepared foods.

Beans
While beans are an excellent food and one that you can eat every day, beans with added ingredients can be full of fats and unhealthy additives.  Making your own beans from bagged dry beans is the best way to be sure all you are eating is healthy, nutrient-rich beans.

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