Homemade Cooking: Is it Becoming a Lost Art? Don't People Really Know How To Cook Anymore?

IMAGE SOURCES: ©MELANIE NEER~PERSONAL PHOTOS

Quiche Lorraine
Chicken Alfredo
Bœuf Bourguignon
Homemade Minestrone Soup

ABSTRACT: In today's society, many people have resorted to shortcuts in cooking, from getting processed foods, frozen dinners, and relying on fast food restaurants. Sadly, this means it seems the people have forgotten how to cook good old fashioned homemade meals.

CONTENT:

Once in awhile I reflect on different things, and only recently I was thinking of how real genuine, homemade cooking from scratch has become a lost "art' form. And yes, homemade cooking can be considered an art form, as it can take skill, time and patience. However these were qualities our ancestors seemed to have naturally; they had whether they liked it or not since there weren't the conveniences we have nowadays. Did one want to serve piping hot biscuits with their dinner? Well one couldn't simply go to the supermarket and get that pop-able Pillsbury canister, our ancestors had to make them from scratch. Did one want some kind of soup, no matter what kind? Yes, back in the old days one had to spend perhaps hours making it, from first making the homemade chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, then later adding in all the other ingredients. One couldn't simply open a can, pour into a saucepan and heat the soup on the stove or pop in a container and place into a microwave.

Another thing that kind of sparked my recent reflection of how cooking has become a lost art form was when one day I was talking to someone and I mentioned that I was planning to make homemade chicken pot pie. So here I was rattling on how I make the dough for the crust part from scratch, chop up the onion and garlic, cook up the chicken and vegetables and make a white sauce for it. The person listened to me with a great deal of interest and when I finished yakking about it, but she asked me, what is a white sauce? At that moment, I swear I was having a Hell's Kitchen Chef Gordon Ramsay moment and rolled my eyes up in disbelief.

As for myself, I must be one of those rare breeds of people. I absolutely love cooking and yes, I do things the old-fashioned way: I prefer to make everything from scratch. I must have inherited my great grandmother's skills in cooking, as she was known as THE cook of the family, while ironically my grandmother nor my mother could cook to save their lives. I had been told that in her younger days, my great grandmother would get up literally at the crack of dawn just to start making the homemade bread for the day. I do happen to know the joy of real, authentic homemade bread as I've done it myself in the past, and nothing beats smelling that yeasty aroma as the bread dough is rising, and then to actually bake it in the oven. I plain couldn't wait to "sample" a slice as the homemade bread came out of the oven and have it literally dripping with a lot of butter.

For awhile there, up until I was about five years old, my great grandmother, grandmother, mother and I all lived together. No one was really allowed to go into the kitchen as that was considered my great grandmother's domain, save for myself that is. Since both my grandmother and mother worked, my great grandmother became something of a babysitter to me, so I supposed to keep me busy and amused she actually would allow me into the kitchen to help out so to say. I remember her teaching me very, very basic things to cook at that young age, like scrambling eggs or frying up the bacon; she'd let me stir her homemade soups as they were simmering, and even taught me how to make something like homemade mashed potatoes.

After age five, my grandmother, mother and I moved out from my great grandmother's home. Well things changed. As I mentioned neither my grandmother nor mother could cook to save their lives. And yes, by that time there were more convenience foods, especially frozen TV dinners like Swanson's, other types of frozen foods like vegetables, canned soups like Campbell's, even instant mashed potatoes once could buy in a box. Yes, of course on occasion my mother would perhaps roast a chicken or form ground beef into hamburgers and fry them up, but my mother had a habit of burning everything she cooked, even the frozen dinners. Let's put it this way, growing up I often ate foods in various shades of grey or black. It's a wonder I survived my childhood!

As I got older, say in my teenage years and a bit older, yes I started to do some cooking, but very, very basic things. In other words, nothing fancy schmanchy, but at least I didn't burn anything. Then came my college years and I was about to embark on a journey so to say. It was during college that I decided to take a basic course in French. The course was entirely conducted in French by the professor but on occasion she would then speak in English and tell of various aspects of the French culture, which of course included French foods. By a coincidence one time I was watching an episode of Julia Child and she was introducing an upcoming new French chef, Jacques Pepin. Well that cinched it. I had become inspired by the talks about French foods via my French language professor and now with Jacques Pepin.

After buying a good number of French Cuisine type recipe books, including ones by Jacques Pepin of course, I now started my new "journey", that of attempting real cooking, not just scrambling eggs, frying up bacon, cooking up hamburgers and fries, I was to embark on real cooking journey and entirely from scratch. It didn't seem to take me long to acquire my new culinary skills, for as I said, I must have inherited my great grandmother's skill in cooking. Yes it did take skill, patience and time, but out of it all I was having fun with my new skills. I was making Crêpes, French Onion Soup, Bœuf Bourguignon, a myriad of French styled desserts and yes, I even did a few Soufflés.

It didn't stop with French cooking however, but I also ventured at making Italian, Oriental, German, and Mexican cooking, heck it really didn't matter what nationality, if it was food and a recipe sounded good to me I would make it. Even when I did old-fashioned American type cooking, I still would do everything from scratch, no short cuts. For example, if I were fixing a Thanksgiving Dinner, I would make some kind of homemade soup, usually Cream Of Celery, homemade stuffing of some kind, no Stove Top here! I would make homemade mashed butternut squash, the homemade biscuits, and no, Bisquick was never used and to this day, some thirty five years later i still won't use Bisquick. For dessert I would usually opt for sweet potato pie rather than pumpkin.

Don't get me wrong however since I'm not saying I don't use any kind of processed foods at all, I do as its not as if I'm making homemade pasta for instance, nor am I churning my own butter, but I do try to eliminate as many shortcuts and processed foods as possible. My freezer hasn't seen any kind of frozen foods stored in it in decades. Swanson? Lean Cuisine? Banquet? Healthy Choice? You might as well be speaking a foreign language to me. The only frozen foods I have stored are my own food that I cook in volume and and maybe some frozen vegetables, but that's it. Also, now that I'm on my own since both my grandmother and mother have passed on, I'm not exactly cooking the way I used to, but I'm still a stickler that when I cook for myself I still cook from scratch.

Now…I just might have another Hell's Kitchen Chef Gordon Ramsay moment and roll my eyes up as I wouldn't be surprised if you are wondering what a white sauce is. It's one of the most basic of all sauces to make, and basically it is a combo of melted butter, flour, milk or cream, salt and pepper; also by adding ingredients to it, it can also become Sauce Mornay, Alfredo Sauce and so forth. It's the type of sauce that is used when making chicken pot pie, macaroni and cheese, the base for creme-styled soups, potatoes au gratin and scalloped potatoes; goodness, the list is nearly endless.

To give you an idea of just how versatile white sauce can be, I've done a good number of articles in the past using white sauce and I have them listed in my Sources section.

Image Sources: ©MELANIE NEER~PERSONAL PHOTOS

Quiche Lorraine
Chicken Alfredo
Bœuf Bourguignon
Homemade Minestrone Soup

Sources:

Former articles of mine using white sauce which have been published. Originally at Yahoo.voices, now on my blog:

The Many Uses For White Sauce in Recipes: Cream Soups Without the Cream

http://myfavoriterecipecreations.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-many-uses-for-white-sauce-in.html

Old-Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese

http://myfavoriterecipecreations.blogspot.com/2014/07/old-fashioned-baked-macaroni-and-cheese.html

Two Special Potato Recipes to Enhance Any Meal

Part Two: The Versatile Potato

http://myfavoriterecipecreations.blogspot.com/2014/07/article-two-special-potato-recipes-to.html

The Art Of Making Croquettes:

http://myfavoriterecipecreations.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-art-of-making-croquettes-special.html

The Skill and Art Of Making Crepes
Part Two: Creative Ideas for Using Leftovers by Making Crepes

http://myfavoriterecipecreations.blogspot.com/2014/07/article-skill-and-art-of-making-crepes.html

This article had been originally published on May 23, 2014 on the Yahoo.Voices website,which no longer exists

ARTICLE: Homemade Cooking: Is it Becoming a Lost Art? Don't People Really Know How To Cook Anymore?

IMAGE SOURCES: ©MELANIE NEER~PERSONAL PHOTOS

Quiche Lorraine
Chicken Alfredo
Bœuf Bourguignon
Homemade Minestrone Soup

ABSTRACT: In today's society, many people have resorted to shortcuts in cooking, from getting processed foods, frozen dinners, and relying on fast food restaurants. Sadly, this means it seems the people have forgotten how to cook good old fashioned homemade meals.

CONTENT:

Once in awhile I reflect on different things, and only recently I was thinking of how real genuine, homemade cooking from scratch has become a lost "art' form. And yes, homemade cooking can be considered an art form, as it can take skill, time and patience. However these were qualities our ancestors seemed to have naturally; they had whether they liked it or not since there weren't the conveniences we have nowadays. Did one want to serve piping hot biscuits with their dinner? Well one couldn't simply go to the supermarket and get that pop-able Pillsbury canister, our ancestors had to make them from scratch. Did one want some kind of soup, no matter what kind? Yes, back in the old days one had to spend perhaps hours making it, from first making the homemade chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, then later adding in all the other ingredients. One couldn't simply open a can, pour into a saucepan and heat the soup on the stove or pop in a container and place into a microwave.

Another thing that kind of sparked my recent reflection of how cooking has become a lost art form was when one day I was talking to someone and I mentioned that I was planning to make homemade chicken pot pie. So here I was rattling on how I make the dough for the crust part from scratch, chop up the onion and garlic, cook up the chicken and vegetables and make a white sauce for it. The person listened to me with a great deal of interest and when I finished yakking about it, but she asked me, what is a white sauce? At that moment, I swear I was having a Hell's Kitchen Chef Gordon Ramsay moment and rolled my eyes up in disbelief.

As for myself, I must be one of those rare breeds of people. I absolutely love cooking and yes, I do things the old-fashioned way: I prefer to make everything from scratch. I must have inherited my great grandmother's skills in cooking, as she was known as THE cook of the family, while ironically my grandmother nor my mother could cook to save their lives. I had been told that in her younger days, my great grandmother would get up literally at the crack of dawn just to start making the homemade bread for the day. I do happen to know the joy of real, authentic homemade bread as I've done it myself in the past, and nothing beats smelling that yeasty aroma as the bread dough is rising, and then to actually bake it in the oven. I plain couldn't wait to "sample" a slice as the homemade bread came out of the oven and have it literally dripping with a lot of butter.

For awhile there, up until I was about five years old, my great grandmother, grandmother, mother and I all lived together. No one was really allowed to go into the kitchen as that was considered my great grandmother's domain, save for myself that is. Since both my grandmother and mother worked, my great grandmother became something of a babysitter to me, so I supposed to keep me busy and amused she actually would allow me into the kitchen to help out so to say. I remember her teaching me very, very basic things to cook at that young age, like scrambling eggs or frying up the bacon; she'd let me stir her homemade soups as they were simmering, and even taught me how to make something like homemade mashed potatoes.

After age five, my grandmother, mother and I moved out from my great grandmother's home. Well things changed. As I mentioned neither my grandmother nor mother could cook to save their lives. And yes, by that time there were more convenience foods, especially frozen TV dinners like Swanson's, other types of frozen foods like vegetables, canned soups like Campbell's, even instant mashed potatoes once could buy in a box. Yes, of course on occasion my mother would perhaps roast a chicken or form ground beef into hamburgers and fry them up, but my mother had a habit of burning everything she cooked, even the frozen dinners. Let's put it this way, growing up I often ate foods in various shades of grey or black. It's a wonder I survived my childhood!

As I got older, say in my teenage years and a bit older, yes I started to do some cooking, but very, very basic things. In other words, nothing fancy schmanchy, but at least I didn't burn anything. Then came my college years and I was about to embark on a journey so to say. It was during college that I decided to take a basic course in French. The course was entirely conducted in French by the professor but on occasion she would then speak in English and tell of various aspects of the French culture, which of course included French foods. By a coincidence one time I was watching an episode of Julia Child and she was introducing an upcoming new French chef, Jacques Pepin. Well that cinched it. I had become inspired by the talks about French foods via my French language professor and now with Jacques Pepin.

After buying a good number of French Cuisine type recipe books, including ones by Jacques Pepin of course, I now started my new "journey", that of attempting real cooking, not just scrambling eggs, frying up bacon, cooking up hamburgers and fries, I was to embark on real cooking journey and entirely from scratch. It didn't seem to take me long to acquire my new culinary skills, for as I said, I must have inherited my great grandmother's skill in cooking. Yes it did take skill, patience and time, but out of it all I was having fun with my new skills. I was making Crêpes, French Onion Soup, Bœuf Bourguignon, a myriad of French styled desserts and yes, I even did a few Soufflés.

It didn't stop with French cooking however, but I also ventured at making Italian, Oriental, German, and Mexican cooking, heck it really didn't matter what nationality, if it was food and a recipe sounded good to me I would make it. Even when I did old-fashioned American type cooking, I still would do everything from scratch, no short cuts. For example, if I were fixing a Thanksgiving Dinner, I would make some kind of homemade soup, usually Cream Of Celery, homemade stuffing of some kind, no Stove Top here! I would make homemade mashed butternut squash, the homemade biscuits, and no, Bisquick was never used and to this day, some thirty five years later i still won't use Bisquick. For dessert I would usually opt for sweet potato pie rather than pumpkin.

Don't get me wrong however since I'm not saying I don't use any kind of processed foods at all, I do as its not as if I'm making homemade pasta for instance, nor am I churning my own butter, but I do try to eliminate as many shortcuts and processed foods as possible. My freezer hasn't seen any kind of frozen foods stored in it in decades. Swanson? Lean Cuisine? Banquet? Healthy Choice? You might as well be speaking a foreign language to me. The only frozen foods I have stored are my own food that I cook in volume and and maybe some frozen vegetables, but that's it. Also, now that I'm on my own since both my grandmother and mother have passed on, I'm not exactly cooking the way I used to, but I'm still a stickler that when I cook for myself I still cook from scratch.

Now…I just might have another Hell's Kitchen Chef Gordon Ramsay moment and roll my eyes up as I wouldn't be surprised if you are wondering what a white sauce is. It's one of the most basic of all sauces to make, and basically it is a combo of melted butter, flour, milk or cream, salt and pepper; also by adding ingredients to it, it can also become Sauce Mornay, Alfredo Sauce and so forth. It's the type of sauce that is used when making chicken pot pie, macaroni and cheese, the base for creme-styled soups, potatoes au gratin and scalloped potatoes; goodness, the list is nearly endless.

To give you an idea of just how versatile white sauce can be, I've done a good number of articles in the past using white sauce and I have them listed in my Sources section.

Image Sources: ©MELANIE NEER~PERSONAL PHOTOS

Quiche Lorraine
Chicken Alfredo
Bœuf Bourguignon
Homemade Minestrone Soup

Sources:

Former articles of mine using white sauce which have been published. Originally at Yahoo.voices, now on my blog:

The Many Uses For White Sauce in Recipes: Cream Soups Without the Cream

http://myfavoriterecipecreations.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-many-uses-for-white-sauce-in.html

Old-Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese

http://myfavoriterecipecreations.blogspot.com/2014/07/old-fashioned-baked-macaroni-and-cheese.html

Two Special Potato Recipes to Enhance Any Meal

Part Two: The Versatile Potato

http://myfavoriterecipecreations.blogspot.com/2014/07/article-two-special-potato-recipes-to.html

The Art Of Making Croquettes:

http://myfavoriterecipecreations.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-art-of-making-croquettes-special.html

The Skill and Art Of Making Crepes
Part Two: Creative Ideas for Using Leftovers by Making Crepes

http://myfavoriterecipecreations.blogspot.com/2014/07/article-skill-and-art-of-making-crepes.html

This article had been originally published on May 23, 2014 on the Yahoo.Voices website,which no longer exists

ARTICLE: You Are What You Eat: What Exactly ARE You Eating Though? Part 2: Organic Vs. All Natural Vs. Monsanto GMO

First Published at Bubblews~October 29, 2013

Product Review of Muir Glen's Savory Lentil Soup

(Originally Published at Yahoo.Voices formerly Associated Content~10/28/2012)

BSTRACT: Muir Glen's Savory Lentil Soup is a rich and hearty soup that is entirely made from USDA certified organic ingredients, vegan and without MSG. This soup is every bit as good as my homemade lentil soup.

CONTENT:

In a previous article, I had written about my introduction to the Muir Glen's line of food products by trying Muir Glen's Garden Vegetable Soup which I had come across while shopping in my local Duane Reade store. I had been overall impressed by the fact that Muir Glen is a company that produces food products that are all USDA certified as being organic. (Update: Previous article about Muir Glen's Garden Vegetable Soup can be found HERE

The Muir Glen company's main and only crop are organically grown tomatoes and is based in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Their tomatoes are then used for a wide variety of food products, from canned diced, fire roasted, crushed, and whole tomatoes, salsa sauces, tomato sauces, tomato paste, pasta sauce, ketchup, and of course, a wide variety of soups which also for the most part are also tomato based. S ince I had already tried Muir Glen's Garden Vegetable soup, now it was time for me to try their Savory Lentil Soup.

For those who wish to know the ingredient facts of Muir Glen's Savory Lentil Soup, they are as follows:
Water, Lentils*, Carrots*, Celery*, Tomato Paste*, Corn Starch*. Also contains less than 1% Sea Salt, Extra Virgin Olive Oil*, Onion Powder*, Raw Sugar*, Parsley Flakes*, Black Pepper, and Thyme*. (*Organic)

Here are the Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: 1 cup (251g), Servings Per Container: about 2. Calories 120 per serving, Calories from fat: 15, Total Fat: 1.5g (3%), Saturated Fat: 0g, Trans Fat: 0g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: go, Sodium: 780g (33%), Total Carbohydrate: 23g (8%), Dietary fiber: 4g (16%), Sugars: 2g, Protein: 7g

First up, I must point out, that I'm an excellent cook in my own right and yes, I have done my own version of Lentil soup in the past, so I was curious if Muir Glen's version was up to par. In a word, yes! I have to admit since I'm now I'm on my own, I often take shortcuts, which means I'm not exactly cooking the way I used to, particularly in making soups, so if I can find a product that may be similar to my own home cooking I'm all the more willing to try it.

Now of course I have tried other soup company brands, such as the tried and true familiar Progresso and Campbell's brands. Each company has their own versions of Lentil soup, however, they are some flaws to both of them. The first is that while both companies use what can be considered as being natural ingredients, neither use ingredients that are certified as being organic but are instead are commercially grown and processed. Two, in the case of Campbell's Lentil soup, there is the added use of MSG (Monosodium Glutamate), and for the person who is vegan, this soup also contains Parmesan Cheese. Muir Glen's version of Lentil soup, is not only organic, contains no MSG, but is also completely vegan friendly.

And what is my opinion of Muir Glen's Savory Lentil Soup? In a word: fantastic! I found the soup to be every bit as tasty as my own homemade version. The tomato-based broth was rich and hearty and there were generous amounts of diced up carrots and sliced celery, and of course, the lentils themselves. This soup comes in a 14.8 oz can and is not condensed, so there is no need to add water, and while the label says this can of soup is enough for about two servings, like the prior soup I tried (Garden Vegetable) it too is actually more like one large serving. This is one of those soups that will be terrific for those chilly fall or winter nights. In a rating of one to ten, I give this a well-deserved ten!

If you wish to learn more about Muir Glen's products, visit their website

If you're unfortunate in that you can't find any of Muir Glen's products in your local store, you may order directly on-line here

Sources: Life

Product Review of Muir Glen's Garden Vegetable Soup

(Originally Published at Yahoo.Voices formerly Associated Content~10/14/2012)

ABSTRACT: Muir Glen's Garden Vegetable Soup is rich, hearty and favorable and has completely organic ingredients.

CONTENT:

Whenever I go grocery shopping, I'm always on the lookout for processed food products that contain natural ingredients, or better yet, foods that are made from organically grown methods. And yes, there is a difference between the labeling of foods as natural vs. organic. When any food product labels itself as containing all natural ingredients it can simply mean that particular product doesn't have any chemical or synthetic additives, yet may and will often contain foods grown by commercial means, which of course, may mean grown with pesticides and may also mean contains GMO/GE (Genetically Modified Organisms/Genetically Engineered) ingredients. For food items to be considered organic on the other hand, means that the food had to follow the strict standards set by the USDA , that is not commercially raised foods, pesticide free, and no GMO/GE ingredients. (1)(2) How can one tell if a food product is truly organic? Quite simply by looking on the label and there will be the USDA Organic seal on it.

When I think of it, I must look a rather comical sight when I do my grocery shopping as I'm always reading the ingredients labels like crazy, and this is true especially if I'm interested in purchasing a food item that I haven't tried before. This is exactly what I did when by chance I came across a variety of soups in my local Duane Reade store and made by the Muir Glen company. Now when I think of companies that make soup, of course I'm familiar with Campbell's, Progresso, Healthy Choice and so forth, but Muir Glen? I have to confess, I never heard of this company before. What did attract my attention was the fact that under the name of each Muir Glen soup variety it clearly stated "Organic" and yes, had the USDA Organic seal.

Since I love vegetable type soups, I picked out the can of Muir Glen's Garden Vegetable Soup which also states on the label that is Vegan and free of MSG. Here is the list of ingredients: Water, tomato puree (water, tomato paste), Diced Celery*, Carrots*, Tomatoes*, Corn*, Cut Green Beans*, Peas*, Potatoes*. Contains less than 1% of: Sea Salt, Corn Starch*, Onion Powder*, Red Bell Pepper*, Garlic Powder*, Basil*, Black Pepper*, Citric Acid, Oregano*, Calcium Chloride. *Organic

Here are the particulars for the Garden Vegetable Nutrition facts:

Serving size: 1 cup (251g)

Servings Per Container: about 2

Calories per serving: 70

Calories from Fat: 0

Total Fat : 0.5g 1%

Saturated Fat 0g 0%

Trans Fat 0g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0g

Monounsaturated fat 0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 780mg 33%

Total Carbohydrate 14g 5%

Dietary Fiber 3g 11% Sugars 5g

Protein 3g

Now of course, the ultimate test itself, trying it. First of all, I have to point out that this is not a condensed soup therefore, one does not add water to it the way one might for any soup by Campbell's. Also, the can is only 14.9 oz, therefore a rather small-sized can and while the label specifies that the servings per container is about two, it's actually more like only one large serving. The base or stock of the soup is tomato, which I love, and I noticed a great blend of the vegetable ingredients; there were large slices of carrots, celery, and generous amounts of the other vegetables listed. There is one thing however that I need to point out and that concerns the sodium content of the soup which is 780mg, and may be rather high for those watching their sodium intake.

So, how did it taste? In one word: fantastic! I do have to admit that sometimes in the past, I've been disappointed with certain organic food products as they often tasted rather bland, but this soup has a great, rich hearty taste and very satisfying. In a rating scale of one to ten, I would rate it a ten, and can't wait to buy some more! I also can't wait to try some of their other products as well. With the company Muir Glen, and with my first introduction of their foods via their Garden Vegetable soup, I feel as though I've hit a goldmine of great taste and of a great company of products. The cost of this can of soup at my Duane Reade store was $3.99, a dollar or two more perhaps than most canned soups, but in my opinion well worth it.

If you want to learn more about Muir Glen and their food items that they produce which includes all of their tomato products, such as their canned diced, fire roasted, crushed and whole tomatoes, plus their salsas, sauces, ketchup and soups, visit their website

If you can't find their products at your store you can order on-line here

Sources:

Meaning of Natural Ingredients:

Natural Ingredients (1)

Natural News article (2)

Product Review: Review of Taste of Inspirations Neapolitan Pizza Sauce

(Originally Published at Yahoo.Voices formerly Associated Content~5/3/2012)

ABSTRACT: Despite being labeled a "Pizza" Sauce, Taste Of Inspirations Neapolitan Pizza Sauce can be used in a truly versatile manner for a variety of recipe dishes.

CONTENT: I recently had the wonderful good and great fortune of being sent a variety of jars of pasta sauces. This came about after I shared my product review article that I wrote here of Vito Marcello's Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce with none other than Vita Marcello himself on his Facebook page. He loved my article so much that he decided to send me four jars of different pasta sauces to me, of which this product review of Taste Of Inspirations Neapolitan Pizza Sauce is just one. UPDATE: My article review of Vito Marcello's Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce can now be found HERE

I have to admit when it came to choosing which pasta sauce Mr. Marcello sent me first I was a bit stymied, as they all sounded delicious, but finally decided on trying the 16 Oz. jar of Taste Of Inspirations Neapolitan Pizza Sauce first. Despite the name of being a "pizza sauce" I found it was versatile to use it in a number of different ways and I managed to whip up three different meals from it.

Now before I share my own recipes on how I used this sauce, let me share the ingredients of which are all natural and consists of: Tomatoes, Water, Onions, Pecorino Romano Cheese, Garlic, Canola Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt, White Pepper, Parsley, Basil, and Rosemary.

The complete Nutrition Facts of Taste Of Inspirations Neapolitan Pizza Sauce are as follows: One Serving Size which is 1/4 cup has 25 Calories, Calories from Fat 10, Total Fat is 1 gram, Saturated Fat 0 grams, Trans Fat 0 grams, Cholesterol 0 Mg, Sodium 160 grams, Total Carbohydrates 3 grams, Dietary Fiber less than 1 gram, Sugar 2 grams. Bottom line, this sauce is wonderfully low in calories, fat, carbohydrates, sodium and sugar, and therefore perfect for anyone's dietary needs.

Now for the good part, that is, how I used this sauce. The first meal I made using this sauce was my version of Spanish Rice. I'll try to give as precise measurements of all the ingredients, but as they say, good cooks don't measure and I've been cooking a long time, so measurements are approximate.

My own Spanish Rice dish:

2 or 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 small onion chopped
1 or 2 cloves garlic minced
1 cup uncooked white rice
approximately 3/4 cup of Taste Of Inspirations Neapolitan Pizza Sauce
2 cups water
1 cup precooked Chicken breast cut into cubes**
1/2 cup Cooked Kidney Beans***
Optional:
One plum tomato sliced and diced
Half of one large green bell pepper, seeds removed, sliced and diced

In large skillet, heat Olive Oil over medium heat and add the chopped onions and minced garlic and sauté for a few minutes, add uncooked rice and continue to stir until rice is slightly browned. Add the Taste Of Inspirations Neapolitan Pizza Sauce and stir again, then add the 2 cups of water and again stir to blend. Finally add the cubed Chicken Breast and Kidney Beans, diced tomato and green pepper if used, stir once more, reduce heat to low and cover. Let simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking for approximately 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.

My version of Spanish rice can a great one dish meal (with chicken added) and can provide 2 healthy servings.
**This is also a great as a side dish with chicken if the chicken is omitted in the rice, and can serve up to four people.
***If you wish to have this as a more vegetarian type one dish--again omit the chicken and instead of only 1/2 cup cooked Kidney Beans, can add 3/4 of a cup beans instead. 2 Servings.

Now for my second recipe using Taste Of Inspirations Neapolitan Pizza Sauce:

Homemade Tuna Fish Cakes "Parmesan"

Two 5 Oz. Cans of Solid White Albacore Tuna (brand of your choice)
--drained of water or oil and rinsed under cold water in a strainer
One egg
approximately 1 cup flavored/seasoned breadcrumbs of your choice of brand ( I use 4-C)
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
approximately 1 cup of Taste Of Inspirations Neapolitan Pizza Sauce
Grated and/or shredded cheese of your choice: either Parmesan, Muenster or Mozzarella OR a bit of a blending of all if you wish

In a medium sized mixing bowl add the tuna and crumble up until tuna is in smaller pieces. Add egg and blend with hands. Pour breadcrumbs onto a plate, and take one-quarter of the tuna/egg mixture and form into a pattie or "fishcake" then place in breadcrumbs to give a coating of the breadcrumbs. One should have four patties.

Add the 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil into a large skillet and place the tuna fishcakes into skillet, allowing to brown for a few minutes, turn patties over to brown on the other side. Remove from heat.

Lightly grease a square or round 8" cake type pan and place fishcakes into pan. Pour enough of the Taste Of Inspirations Neapolitan Pizza Sauce on top of each fishcake to cover each one. On top of each fishcake then add the cheese or blend of cheeses of your choice, the exact amount is up to individual taste, but at least 1/4 of a cup. Place in a pre-heated oven at 350º degrees and let bake at least 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and melted.
Servings 4

Suggested side dishes: Pasta of your choice either spaghetti, rotini, or linguine; or mashed potatoes plus other vegetable of your choice

Well, now I had a dilemma on my hands! Most of the Taste Of Inspirations Neapolitan Pizza Sauce was nearly gone and not enough to make a full meal out of, ah, but being rather creative and not wanting the sauce to go to waste I came up with a solution and used the last of the sauce for how it was meant to be used...yes pizza!

English Muffin Pizza:

I was having a case of the late night snack attacks and wanted something to eat but didn't know what and then the idea came to me to have English Muffin Pizza! The recipe is very simple. Just take one English Muffin and slice in half if not already pre-sliced. I added the very last remaining Taste Of Inspirations Neapolitan Pizza Sauce equally on each half...about 1/4 cup each. Add approximately 1/4 cup of grated or shredded cheese of choice...I had shredded Muenster cheese at the time. In a pre-heated oven of 350º "bake" until cheese is bubbly and melted. How simple, right? And so delicious!
One serving.

From my recipes, you can see how wonderfully versatile Taste Of Inspirations Neapolitan Pizza Sauce really is. Now the "bad" news. You may discover that this brand of pasta sauce is hard to find in your own supermarket. According to the Vito Marcello website, one will most likely find it at a Stop and Shop, Hannaford, Giant or Market Basket supermarket or one can order directly via the Hannaford website itself and costs $3.49 per 16 Oz. jar (plus shipping charges). It's well worth ordering this sauce however, since as I discovered this rich and hearty sauce allowed me to create some really diverse and great meals. Just think of the possibilities you can come up with. It's a winner in my book!

Sources:

Life

To Order:
Hannaford website

For more information about Vito Marcello:
Vito Marcello website

ARTICLE: You Are What You Eat: What Exactly ARE You Eating Though? Part 1

(Originally Published at Yahoo.Voices formerly Associated Content~3/26/2012)

ABSTRACT: While we have enormous choices of the kinds of food we have available to eat, do we really know just what we're eating and more important, is it safe?

CONTENT: It would be nearly impossible for me to write an in-depth article concerning the food we eat and the safety factors in one contained article, therefore, I plan to write a series of which this is Part I.

This series is meant to be a basic overview of all aspects of the food industry, not just one and I hope to touch base with each issue concerning our food supply. I will provide as many links to articles about the food industry, the same ones I've been reading up on while doing my research should one decide to do a more in-depth research on their own on all the topics I touch here in my series. There have been many factors that have inspired me to write such a series of articles, some of which I have known about for years but never really thought of doing my own in-depth research until fairly recently. What kept running through my mind as I continued to read one article after another, I began asking myself, why did we as a collective whole, turn a simple thing like food and how it is grown, raised or processed into something so complicated and not necessarily for the better and in many cases downright unhealthy? Why despite our so-called sophisticated technology do we hear of more and more recalls of foods due to E. coli, salmonella, or listeria contamination? Not one week goes by without some major recall of food, and not just food for humans, but for pets as well. In the past there have been recalls of tomatoes, peanut butter, lettuce, spinach, blueberries, cantaloupes, eggs, ground turkey, ground beef, frozen beef patties, and those are the "major" ones that are announced on the news; there have been scores of other foods that are recalled that the average American doesn't even know about, unless that is, one is subscribed to the USDA recall page itself here. Another thing that also cropped up in my mind, the more I read, the more I honestly began believing that the only way I could be certain what was safe to eat would be for me to literally go out and buy my own farm and raise everything myself, or to completely forget about ever buying any foods or meats unless it was one-hundred percent organic or humanely raised; this isn't just a sentiment of mine, but with others I've been discussing this with. Unfortunately, for most of us, neither solution is practical; we all can't run out and get our own farms, nor can we expect to always buy everything "organic" since the vast majority of food in supermarkets are commercially grown and/or raised, and there is also the cost factor as organic or humanely raised foods are so much more expensive.

When we walk into a supermarket we are literally bombarded with every kind of food imaginable, and not only your "typical" expected food products that the "American" diet consists of, but often we can find foods from around the world and from every culture. Gone are the days where one could only eat fruits and vegetables that were in season, such as was in the case of say in my great-grandparents or grandparents time. Back in those times, if one wanted foods year round not in season, one had to resort to "canning" food, that is, going through the time-consuming process of blanching/preparing the food and store in glass Mason jars. Today, we take it for granted that we can buy fruits and vegetables not in season in our own country year round due to them being grown in other countries where they are in season.

In your supermarket, you will find row upon row of select enticing array of meats carefully arranged and beautifully wrapped up in their packages. Don't want a whole chicken or turkey? No problem, you can choose from just drumsticks, either with skin or not, or breasts (again skin or not), ground chicken and/or turkey, chicken and/or turkey wings. The list of select cuts of beef, pork, duck and other meats are also endless. However, does the average person actually know how most farm animals for food consumption are raised?

Then of course are the overwhelming and staggering selections of frozen foods, from vegetables, fruits, entree upon entree of self-contained whole dinners for one person or family sized, pizzas, and even frozen foods that are more "vegetarian/vegan" friendly.

With all this food at our fingertips, it all sounds like sheer heaven, doesn't it? The question is though, do you really know with firm conviction what exactly is in your food, whether fresh produce, meats or processed foods? Is it really enough for instance, to read labels of processed foods to see what ingredients are contained in them? And more important do you even understand what those all ingredients are without needing a Ph.D in chemistry? Also, did you know that with the labeling of food products here in America, companies are NOT obligated to alert the American consumer if their food product contains GE/GMO ingredients, while such labeling exists in other countries? (1) (2) If you don't know what GE/GEO means, you'll find out in this series of articles of mine.

I think the goal of many of us is to naturally eat as healthy as possible, and thus hopefully are probably more aware of what is in the food we eat, or are we? To give an example, today's consumer may be cutting down on any food that contains high levels of saturated fats due to all the past studies of the health risks; but what about those other ingredients in foods that we may have been eating or drinking for years that also pose possible health risks, and yet still remain in our foods?

The real irony of it all, is that government agencies such as the FDA, USDA and EPA which are supposed to protect us and be "watchdogs" for the well being and safety for its people still allows all too many unsafe, unhealthy practices to continue in the food industry world and despite any scientific evidence found, public input, or protests in the matter continues to be listened to these agencies with deaf ears.

THE SAFETY FACTOR OF PROCESSED FOOD CONTAINERS

Before I examine what ingredients in our foods may pose a health risk or hazard to us, I have to touch on the subject of just how safe the containers our commercially processed foods are kept in, that is, canned foods and the foods or drinks in plastic containers. Gone are the days when a person could purchase some processed food or drink that were in glass containers of any kind, from bottles to jars. I remember vividly as a child we had milk delivered to us and it was in glass bottles; once used, we'd left the empty bottles in front of our door and the milkman would pick them up to be reused and he'd give us new bottles of milk. Sodas, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, salad dressings, relishes, even baby bottles were all made of glass years ago. Glass posed an on-going problem however, for as let's face it, glass is heavier than plastic and of course, breakable, also when glass was the primary container for foods or drinks decades ago, the concept of recycling them didn't exist then as it does now.

The plastic world isn't as new as one would think, in fact the first form of plastic was invented circa 1862, however it wasn't until 1947 that the first plastic bottle was made, but widespread use wasn't utilized until the 1960s (3). In today's world, it's nearly impossible to find processed food products in glass jars or bottles, but are our processed foods safe in such plastic containers? Back in 2008, I wrote my own article expressing my viewpoints over the safety factor of plastic containers. I not only included and explained in detail the various forms of plastics being used for holding processed food products, but I also indicated the great possibility that no matter what type of plastic was being used the chemical make-up of plastic could leach into our foods over a period of time(4).

While there are a variety of types of plastic containers that are used to store our processed food and drinks, and are given numbers from 1 to 7, the most toxic of all plastics is the #7, known as Bisphenol A, or simply known as BPA. Some years ago, there was great concern due to the fact that baby bottles were made out of BPA plastic. Today's parents can opt for BPA-free bottles, yet baby bottles made from BPA have yet to completely banned. Over the years despite the fact that more evidence keeps cropping up about the dangers of this rather lethal form of plastic and the health risks it can cause (5) it is still being used as the lining of cans of powdered and liquid infant formula.(6) BPA is also found as a lining in canned goods, anywhere from processed soups and meals, such as chili, stews, ravioli, (including single serving microwaveable containers), tomato paste and sauce, pie fillings, and also canned vegetables and fruits, juices, and soda. (7) (8)

What does the FDA have to say about the safety factor of BPA in our processed foods?

From what I've been reading it seems the FDA is aware of the health risks with the usage of BPA, yet they still contend no conclusive evidence has been found to ban it completely. The FDA itself even has suggestions and guidelines on how to minimize BPA exposure (10). The known health risks involved with exposure due to foods or drinks stored in BPA containers range from an increase risk of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes just to name a few (11) (12).

All in all, the FDA's contention that BPA is still safe shouldn't surprise any of us. Throughout my series of articles I will reveal that time and time again, the FDA maintains that any and all food industry practices that are used are safe despite continuing growing evidence on the contrary. If I sound like a cynic about the FDA, I am. And so should you.

A Possible Ban On All Products With BPA?

Despite all the evidence pointing to the dangers of BPA usage throughout the years, I can't help thinking that It seems rather odd to me that the USA is lagging behind in completely banning BPA products, while Canada, Denmark, China and most European countries, such as France have banned it completely. One step in the right direction however, is that the Campbell Soup Company, which turns out to have the highest levels of BPA found in their canned foods, recently announced that it does plan to ban the usage of lining it's cans with BPA, yet the company still contends that BPA poses no serious health risks. (13)

And now for the very latest news which I recently came across: the FDA is now considering a complete banning of BPA in all products where it has been used and is to make their decision soon. All I can say is, it's about time. However, before anyone can breathe a sigh of relief, it could take years before BPA is completely phased out and eliminated completely, after all, just think how many products are out there that still have BPA. One nagging question I have though, what will BPA be replaced by, and more important, will it be safer? Only time will tell.

SOURCES

Labeling Foods That Have GE/GMO Ingredients:

GMO Food Labeling (1)

Labeling of Genetically Engineered Foods (2)

History of Plastics and Safety Factors:

Glass Bottles (3)

Natural News Article about BPA (5)

Rodale Article About BPA (6)

The Daily Green Article About BPA (7)

BPA In Canned Soups and Drinks (8)

Plastic Safety (9)

FDA And Safety of BPA (10)

BPA Dangers(11)

Obesity and Diabetes Link with BPA (12)

Campbell Soup Company To Eliminate BPA(13)

FDA Possible Ban Of BPA

BPA Side Effects

History of Plastic Bottles

Product Review: Review of Vito Marcello's Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce

(Originally Published at Yahoo.Voices formerly Associated Content~3/12/2012)

ABSTRACT: Review of Vito Marcello's Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce is a delightful all natural blend of chunks of tomatoes in a thick tomato pureé with a hearty burst of basil flavor.

CONTENT: I have to admit I love using tomato-based pasta sauces in many of my cooking endeavors, whether I'm making my Chicken Cacciatore, Chicken Parmesan, giving an additional tomato zest and flavor to my homemade beef stews, to simple pasta dishes. Rather than always sticking to the old tried and true well-known brands of pasta sauces such as Ragu or Prego, I'm always on the look-out to try brands of pasta sauce I'm not too familiar with. Recently I had the opportunity to try a brand of pasta sauce that just happened to be a new featured item of the week that was available in my local Duane Reade store.

I have to confess I never heard of the Vito Marcello brand before, but since I was planning to make my homemade Chicken Parmesan that night, I needed some kind of pasta sauce and decided to take a chance and I bought the 24 ounce jar of the Vito Marcello's Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce at a cost of $4.99. Being an avid reader of labels, I was impressed by the fact that the sauce had no preservatives in it and had all natural ingredients consisting of: blended tomatoes, imported Italian Plum tomatoes, Sweet Onions, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Natural Flavorings, Fresh Roasted Garlic, Salt, Pepper, a blend of Vito Marcello's special House Spices, and of course, the Basil itself.

Once home I began fixing my planned dinner and came the taste test itself. Upon opening the jar, I stirred it up a bit and saw that there were chunks of the plum tomatoes in a thick tomato pureé and I was very aware of seeing the basil itself, and no wonder it's called "basil" marinara sauce, for indeed there was a delightful burst and taste of the basil. One thing I found rather surprising however, was the fact that the sauce didn't have an overwhelming salty taste to it the way other pasta sauces may have. According to the Nutrition Facts on the label, one serving size, which is 1/2 cup has only 170 mg. of sodium, which is way below the usual 300 mgs. or more found in most other pasta sauces and ideal for anyone on a low sodium diet. I'm fortunate that I'm not on any kind of sodium restricted diet, however, I really don't care for overly salty foods myself and never add salt to my own cooking, so this made for an ideal pasta sauce.

Being curious about the Vito Marcello brand in general, I discovered that there is a website that lists other brands of his Pasta Sauces, which includes his Fra Diavolo Sauce, Puttanesca Sauce, Roasted Garlic & Eggplant, Sunday Sauce and Vodka Sauce, as well as his Classic Creamy Italian Dressing. As an added bonus on the website one can watch YouTube videos of Vito Marcello preparing some of his favorite dishes as well as the ability to download some of his recipes in PDF format. For those wanting a little background and history of the Marcello family in general, one can read how they got their start back in 1927 with their Marcello's Family Restaurant in Rhode Island and then later moving in 1988 and began Bellini's Restaurant in Conway, New Hampshire. The information on the website also indicates however, that the Vito Marcello's brand of sauces are unfortunately only available in the northeastern section of the USA, however, one can order directly on-line if one so wishes, and I just might do that, since the one downside is that the Duane Reade store that I bought the jar of pasta sauce only has the one flavor of Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce.

As for my planned dinner that night? Well all I can say is that my Chicken Parmesan which I served it with a side dish of linguine was a hit that night and I couldn't wait to use the sauce for my other recipes calling for tomato pasta sauce. On a scale of one to ten I would rate this sauce a sure winner ten!

The complete Nutrition Facts of Vito Marcello's Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce are as follows: One Serving Size which is 1/2 cup has 90 Calories, 25% Calories from Fat, Total Fat is 3 grams, 0 grams Saturated Fat, 0 grams Trans Fat, 0 Mg Cholesterol, 170 grams of Sodium, 13 grams of Total Carbohydrates which includes 4 grams of Dietary Fiber and 11 grams of Sugar.

Sources:

Life

Vito Marcello's Website:
Vito Marcello

Product Review: Amy's Organic Chili Medium with Vegetables and Amy's Organic Refried Beans

(Originally Published at Yahoo.Voices formerly Associated Content~4/15/2010)

ABSTRACT: Amy's Organic Chili Medium With Vegetables and Amy's Organic Refried Beans are great food choices for a Mexican feast and they are made of all natural and organic ingredients

CONTENT: I happen to have a wonderful and delightful small market near me that has been there for quite a long time, and have to admit it was only fairly recently that I reintroduced myself to this store. It happened on a day when I was a bit rushed and didn't quite feel like going to the larger supermarket and I only needed a few things. So being that this store was on my way home, I decided to stop in. This store which is a true blue mom and pop type store has outside stands where they sell fresh fruits and vegetables, and inside the store, which is not much larger than my living room, sells a whole array of other food products.

Well as I mentioned, it had been quite awhile since I had even bothered to shop in this store, so I was in for a real pleasant surprise. The one thing I was to discover, and make me fall in love with this store, is that they happen to have a lot of organic type foods and amazingly not overpriced the way some stores will charge for anything labeled "organic". It was here that I happen to come across a fair amount of the Amy's brand of canned foods, a company that I quite frankly had never heard of before, but being rather adventurous I decided to try some. At this particular time, I picked a can of Amy's Organic Medium Hot Chili with Vegetables and a can of Amy's Vegetarian Organic Traditional Refried Beans as they sounded great. I mean, who doesn't love a good piping hot bowl of chili especially on a cold winter night?

In the past, I've made my own yummy tasting chili, but since I live alone now, sometimes it just doesn't pay for me to make large quantities of something like chili and yes, frankly while I still prefer cooking everything from scratch, now and then I've gotten a bit lazy about cooking and might reach for a processed type food product.

As it turned out however, I wasn't to use those cans of chili or refried beans for quite some time to come, not until just recently, and it was by no means a cold winter night, but a April spring evening. Just a week ago, the temperature here in the NYC area had soared to 92º, but then a few days later the temperature kept falling until it had plunged by some 30º and what can I say? It was as if those two cans were "calling" to me. Naturally, since these are canned foods, all one has to do is simply open the cans and heat up, but before I did, I cooked up some rice to accompany my little Mexican feast.

Here are the specific nutrition facts for each product:

Amy's Organic Medium Chili With Vegetables
Ingredients: (Vegan) Organic Red Beans, Filtered Water, Organic Onions, Organic Bell Peppers, Organic Potatoes, Organic Carrots, Organic Corn, Organic Rice Flour, Organic High Oleic Safflower and/or Sunflower Oil, Organic Jalapeno Peppers, Spices, Organic Garlic, Sea Salt
Nutrition Facts: Serving Size 1 Cup-190 Calories. Total Fat 6g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium: 590mg, Carbohydrates 29mg, Fiber 8mg, Sugars 6mg, Protein 7g

Amy's Vegetarian Organic Refried Beans (Traditional)
Ingredients: (Vegan) Organic Pinto Beans, Filtered Water, Organic Onions, Organic High Oleic Safflower and/orSunflower Oil, Sea Salt, Organic, Garlic, Organic Spices.
Nutrition Facts: Serving Size 1/2 cup-140 Calories. Total Fat 3g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 390mg, Carbohydrates 22g, Fiber 6g, Sugars 1g, Proteins 7g

As you can see, these two products are a vegetarian/vegans dream and what also makes these two products even more special is the fact that they are all organic. There are no added chemicals or preservatives for those wishing to eat a healthier processed food product.

Now for my opinion of the taste of both. Despite Amy's Organic Chili being labeled "Medium", I found it to have a good, spicy kick to it due to the Jalapeño Peppers, yet was not unbearably hot. In other words, I didn't need glasses and glasses of water to cool me down while eating it. Besides the beans, I could actually see the finely chopped bell peppers, potatoes, carrots and corn. The consistency of the chili was good and thick and rich and was to make for a great hearty meal. To give it a little extra touch to it, I decided to grate some Cheddar Cheese over it.

Since I have done Mexican cooking, I'm no stranger to making my own refried beans, but what could be easier than simply opening a can, such as Amy's Organic Refried Beans and heating it up? I also found it delightfully tasty and also liked the fact that it too uses all organic and natural ingredients. The consistency of the refried beans was thick and pasty, the way refried beans are supposed to be.

Then, I have to admit, I got curious. As you can guess, Amy's Kitchen does have a website and I would sure love to try their other products. You can't believe the variety of foods that they have, from 21 types of frozen pizza, either a full pizza pie or single serve varieties; a good variety of enchiladas, macaroni and cheese, lasagna, Indian type frozen foods, breakfast foods, veggie burgers, whole meal entrees, Asian meals, even snacks and cakes, and yes all are made with only natural and organic ingredients. Just looking at the vast variety of foods Amy's Kitchen sells is enough to make one mouth drool and I wish could find a store that sold more of Amy's food products, but alas, since that shop that sold the Chili and Refried Beans doesn't have a freezer section, it looks like I'm out of luck in trying any of the frozen foods. I even looked at the store locater hoping to find a supermarket near me that sold Amy's Kitchen foods, and discovered that there aren't. Yes, one can order directly from the Amy's Kitchen, but one can only buy in quantity of one product, in other words, you can't order just one of each item to give you a variety of choices. To give an example of what I mean, if you wanted to order Amy's Kitchen 3 Cheese Pizza with Cornmeal Crust, you would have to order an 8-pack in which goes for $65.36 which would be a bit pricey for me.

If you are fortunate enough to have a store near you that sells some of Amy's Kitchen food products, and you might be luckier in finding their canned foods, I would highly recommend the Amy's Organic Medium Chili With Vegetables and Vegetarian Organic Refried Beans (Traditional) for that evening you wish to have a Mexican feast and like the idea of eating a processed food that is completely natural and organic. My rating for both? While in my opinion, nothing beats completely homemade foods, I would rate both products a five out of five, that's how good it is.

Amy's Kitchen website

ARTICLE: The Tortured Orchard Garlic Balsamic Drizzle: Product Review

(Originally Published at Yahoo.Voices formerly Associated Content~10/23/2009)

ABSTRACT: Don't be fooled by the label company name of Tortured Orchard. They have a great unique line of sauces.

CONTENT: I happened to be very blessed and perhaps a bit spoiled by a pet rescuer friend of mine who lives upstate New York, and without fail, once a month, she sends me a "goodie" package. She works part time for a store called The Berry Farm Gourmet Market that sells high quality foods that are all organic. Since they are all rather expensive food items I would never think to buy them for myself being that I'm on a limited food budget. To give you an example of how expensive all the organic type foods are that are this store has, they sell hand-made, organic pasta that sells for a whopping $4.59 for a 1-lb package, something I just would never think to buy for myself, and usually wind up getting the cheaper brands at my supermarket that can sell for a mere dollar a package. Thankfully she sends me a good number of these packages of this expensive pasta and it lasts a long, long time.

Just a few days ago, once again she sent me a "goodie" package, and yes she sent more pasta, plus a good number of other items. It's always a complete delight and surprise what she sends me, as I never know what she's going to send me. One such item that she sent was a nine ounce jar of a Garlic Balsamic Drizzle sauce made by what I thought was a rather strange company name of Tortured Orchard.

Being curious, I decided to see if this company had a website, if anything to gain some info on why the product had such an usual name and how it was started. Sure enough, there is a website. While there is an "about" section of it's founders, the PDF file of an article one can download, entitled "Mother-Daughter Sauces From Tortured Orchard" originally published in The Berkshire-Eagle (April 4, 2009) gives more information and a history of how this company began.

As the title suggests in the article, the Tortured Orchand line of products was started by a Ms. Sandra Walley a long time vegetarian and skilled in the culinary arts and would often try out new original vegetarian and organic type recipes on her friends and family and it was she who came up with the variety of sauces under her Tortured Orchard label. Her daughter, Amanda Walley not as enthused with cooking as her mother was, despite having been a graduate of The Culinary Institute of American and a bachelor's degree in communication, decided to take on the role of marketing her mother's sauces. The rest is as you might say history. Besides being featured as an article for The Berkshire-Eagle, the Tortured Orchard sauces have also been written up in a short piece featured in Berkshire Living, entitled "Sweet For Certain" and is also a PDF file one can download from the Tortured Orchard website. As for the choice in calling her sauces under the label "Tortured Orchard", as stated in the Berkshire-Eagle article, Ms. Sandra Walley, being an environmentalist, decided on the name as a result of "the look of orchard branches in winter...With public concern for a cleaner and greener planet, the label is not only eye-catching, but ironic as well." (1)

Now back to the actual product itself. By looking at the Tortured Orchard website, I discovered that there is a total of four different type of sauces available. All are available as 9-ounce jars, are completely natural made with organic ingredients, with no preservatives, no High Fructose Corn Syrup, low in sodium and sugar content and are trans fat free, and come with the delightful, enticing names of Spiced Pineapple Zinger, Sweet Apple Blush, Lemon Ginger Twist, and Garlic Balsamic Drizzle. Each sauce can be used as a marinade, dipping sauce, barbecue sauce, or even sauce to enhance sandwiches; actually the list is actually endless of how these sauces can be used. One can order directly on-line on the Tortured Orchard Website by calling or emailing them, but there is also a rather extensive listing of other shops in the Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut and Vermont states that carry these sauces.

O, how I wish, my friend had sent me a jar of each flavor! Unfortunately she only sent me one, the Garlic Balsamic Drizzle Sauce. The ingredients are as follows:

Ingredients: organic evaporated cane juice, water, balsamic vinegar, sweet vidalia onion, salt, seasonings, garlic, jalapeño peppers. The particulars of the sauce are:
Calories 60, Total Fat 0g, Sodium 20mg, 22%, Total Carbohydrate 8g, 3%, Sugars 7g and Protein 0g

Well, now for the taste test. I opened the jar, dabbed my finger in it to give it a try. What struck me right away was a wonderful blend of flavors, yes, it's a bit hot due to the jalapeño peppers, yet sweet at the same time, and there's a rather strong taste of the garlic which I love. I couldn't wait to try it on food, so the next evening I made my own homemade chicken nuggets and used it as a dipping sauce. What can I say? It turned a rather ordinary meal into something special and so much better than using ordinary ketchup or barbecue sauce for chicken nuggets. I can't wait to use it as perhaps a steak sauce or a marinade for other chicken dinners.

I'm going to give my friend a nonchalant hint to please, please, by all means send me some more of not only this particular sauce, as I have a feeling it's going to go fast, but to also send me a jar of each of the other flavors!

Want something a little different as far as a sauce that is versatile and can be used a myriad of ways? Something that is completely natural and organically made? Then I highly recommend getting the Tortured Orchard label of sauces; if the jar of Garlic Balsamic Drizzle is any indicator, all the sauces from this company are simply a must try.

Sources:

Tortured Orchard Website

The Berry Farm

PDF file: "Mother-Daughter Sauces From Tortured Orchard" originally published in The Berkshire-Eagle (April 4, 2009) (1)

PDF file: "Sweet For Certain" Berkshire Living (March/April 2009)-Amanda Rae Busch

ARTICLE: Pizza: The History and Origins of One of Our Favorite Foods

(Originally published at Yahoo.voices formerly Associated Content~ 2/24/2009)

ABSTRACT: Pizza is probably one of the best loved foods in the American diet, but how many know of its origins?

CONTENT: If you're like me, every once in awhile you may wonder about the history and origins of some of our favorite foods that have almost become staples in the American diet, such as pizza, hamburger and fried chicken. Well I decided to look into one of these favorite foods, that is pizza, to find out its history and where it had originated.

Who doesn't absolutely love pizza? The modern day version can have every kind of topping one can think of, from the more "traditional" type, that being simple tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and a variety of spices, to more non-traditional such as when one adds sausage, ground meats, olives, green peppers, vegetables such as broccoli, seafood to even pineapple slices. Whichever way it's served, pizza is probably one of the best combo foods going as it includes a bit of all the food groups that are needed in one's daily diet, grains (from bread), protein (cheese, meats, seafood) to vegetable (tomato, green peppers, etc) and if one adds something like pineapple slices, adds from the fruit source.

As to how far back pizza goes in history, there is some question, yet it is felt that it's early origins may have gone as far back to ancient times. The early civilizations of the Egyptian, Greek and Babylonian cultures all made their own forms of bread, but not necessarily the bread we usually think of, that is the kind that uses yeast, but more often similar to the flatter breads like the Greek pita style breads, yet leavened bread wasn't entirely unknown. And like most of us today, rarely was bread of any kind eaten plain during ancient times , but usually with some kind of addition, just like the way we like melted butter or jam on our toast. And just like in modern times, bread came in a variety of shapes. Also, no doubt in ancient times they may have had their own type of what we call pizza, but certainly not what we think of that defines the true pizza, and why? One simple answer and key ingredient for pizza: tomato sauce.

Many people might be unaware of the fact that tomatoes were only indigenous to the South America area, so in other words, if the "New World" hadn't been discovered, pizza and any food product containing tomatoes would never have existed either. Just think of all those savory Italian dishes that would never have been invented if it hadn't been for the tomato! When the early explorers started exploring the Americas, not only did they discover a whole new world, a different race of people, but discovered many foods, not only tomatoes, but corn (maize), potatoes and so forth and took them back to Europe, more notably Italy and Spain.(1)

At first, not only the tomato, but potatoes weren't widely accepted by Europeans. Since both are of the nightshade family, many people thought tomatoes (and potatoes) as being poisonous. People seemed to be justified in their assumptions of the so-called poisonous qualities of the tomato when many people got deathly sick after eating them. Why? People of the richer class and could afford them, often ate on dishes made of pewter. The acidic reaction from tomatoes with these pewter plates created a leeching of the lead from the plates, resulting in lead poisoning and often death. Ironically, only the poorer classes who couldn't afford the pewter plates and instead used wooden plates never suffered from this problem. (2)

The origins of tomato sauce probably goes back to Aztec times but the idea of making a sauce from tomatoes probably didn't become popular until the late 1700s and grew even more popular in the mid-1850s, when the idea of "canning" became popular, that is preparing foods in larger quality, cooking them, and placing them in "cans" though the name is misleading, as so-called cans were the glass type we often now call the Mason type jars.

As far as when the earliest tomato-based pizza came into existence, we can thank the poorer people of the Naples, Italy area. Pizza was a relatively cheap meal to make for the poorer classes since the flat bread used was filling and the addition of topping the flat bread with a early form of tomato sauce gave it a satisfying taste. The popularity of this simple poor fare of a meal however, spread, and not only were the poorer classes eating pizza but also the wealthier classes including the king and queen of Italy . The original pizzas however, were only the tomatoes themselves and a blending of garlic, olive oil and basil...this was the basis for the sauce we know as Marinara. It wasn't until around 1889, that the Neapolitan baker Raffaele Esposito also added mozzarella cheese in honor of Italy's Queen Margherita of Savoy to represent the color of Italy's flag, red (tomatoes), white (mozzarella cheese) and green (basil) and thus the true pizza that we think of was born.(3)

As you probably can guess, pizza was introduced to America with the arrival of Italian immigrants in the late 1800s and quickly became popular in the larger cities such as San Francisco, Chicago, New York City and Philadelphia, however, pizza was generally only eaten by the immigrants themselves. It is thought that the first true pizzeria officially opened in the Little Italy section of New York City by Gennaro Lombardi around 1905(4). During the following years, in all the major cities, many more pizzerias were to open up, yet the popularity of pizza to people of non-Italian origins didn't come about until around the 1940s.

To this day, pizza is probably one of those meals we just can't imagine being without. Can one imagine not eating a pizza while watching a SuperBowl game for instance? The pizza has certainly come a long way from the simple fare of just tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and basil and now a whole array of toppings are used.

History of Bread
History of Bread

History of Tomatoes
(1)
History of Tomatoes
(2)
Tomato History

History of Pizza

(3)(4)
Wiki History of Pizza

Pizza HIstory

History of Canning

ARTICLE: The Wonderful Health Benefits of Garlic

(Originally published at Yahoo.voices formerly Associated Content~6/6/2008)

ABSTRACT: Garlic has been used for at least 6,000 years and has so many wonderful health benefits, particularly for lowering cholesterol levels and blood pressure to cardiovascular health

CONTENT: When I decided to write this article I had known about some of the wonderful benefits of garlic for years but not all. For instance, long time ago, I remember hearing that garlic was a natural antibiotic and in many ways was even better than Vitamin-C in helping in not only preventing, but shortening the length of time of the common cold.

I was also curious however, as to the history of this most used herb and how far back the use of garlic went. I was surprised to learn that garlic, which is known in the Latin as Allium sativum and part of the onion family, had been cultivated and used as far back as 6,000 years ago, and was first grown in the Central Asia area. In fact, most of our garlic that we buy in stores even today, is still predominantly grown and comes from the Asian countries. During the early millenniums of civilization, and as trade became more and more popular between other regions of the world, it was quickly adapted and used in Africa, Europe and the Mediterranean areas. In many cases, garlic was so highly prized and considered so valuable that it was even used as currency.

The most amazing fact I learned was that while garlic had been used for thousands and thousands of years in these regions of the world, it didn't become popular or used much in America, except of course by immigrants who came from Europe or Asia countries until the earlier part of the twentieth century. (1) This fact is something that I think would surprise most of us today. I had just naturally assumed that garlic had always been used here in America. I mean can you imagine not having that wonderful garlicky taste on one's pizza, pasta meals, or in soups, to only mention a few foods that we add garlic to? And how about that delicious mouth-watering taste of buttery garlic bread itself? Since I love the taste of garlic in food, I practically add a bit of garlic in all my meals, I even sprinkle a bit of garlic powder on my hamburgers to enhance the burger's flavor.

Over the past few years, more and more benefits are showing up on how healthy garlic is for you. As a result of this, a really large industry has been created in garlic pill supplements, such as Garlique, Kwai and Kyolic, just to name a few. Naturally, fresh garlic is great to use, however, garlic pills have an obvious advantage, in that one can take stronger doses than the equivalent of fresh garlic. I for instance take Nature's Bounty 1,000 mg. To eat the equivalent of 1,000 mg of fresh garlic I would have to eat an awful lot of fresh garlic bulbs and I sincerely doubt if I would have many friends, since lets face it, garlic is rather pungent.

The list of benefits garlic has is quite staggering. I've already mentioned that garlic is a known natural antibiotic and can help prevent or shorten not only the duration of colds, but the flu as well. One of the major reasons for the ever-growing popularity of garlic pills and garlic in general, however, is that it is known to help promote cardiovascular health, lower cholesterol and also lower blood pressure levels. Garlic is also known for it's anticancer properties and can prevent certain types of cancers, from esophageal, stomach, colon and even breast and skin cancers.(2)

With everything however, there are some precautions when using garlic. First of all, one has to remember that garlic is also a natural blood thinner, thus the reason for its benefits for the lowering of cholesterol levels, blood pressure and cardiovascular health. Therefore, high doses of garlic especially as in pill form, should be used with caution when taking any anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen, naproxen or even common aspirin. It also goes without saying that garlic can interact with any blood thinner medication such as heparin, or enoxaparin or any anticoagulant medication that reduces the blood from clotting, such as warfarin. One even has to use caution in taking too much garlic with other natural herbal supplements such as ginko biloba, ginger, and even willow bark, which by the way, is the natural form of aspirin itself. For a full listing of what medications may interact with garlic, you may refer to this website Garlic Interactions

As with anything when taking any supplement or medication, do talk with your physician about the safety factors involved, especially if you do take any of the prescribed medications that I've listed. All in all, however, I think the overall benefits of garlic far outweigh the risks and moderation is the key.

History of Garlic

http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhistory/a/garlichistory.htm (1)

More References to Garlic

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/g/garlic06.html

http://www.emaxhealth.com/19/1024.html(2)

http://www.garlic-central.com/garlic-health.html

http://www.naturalhealthremedies.org/what-are-the-health-benefits-of-garlic/

Possible Side Effects or Drug interactions

http://gsm.about.com/compact/showtext.asp?cpnum=2221&monotype=full&match=M&gname=Garlic,*Allium*sativum&r=6078

My Own Hearty Minestrone Soup Recipe

I consider myself a well established cook, having gotten involved with French cuisine in particular for over thirty years, however, my culinary skills aren't limited to French cooking, but a wide variety of nationalities, such as Italian, Mexican, and Oriental. During all these years I've always been a stickler for making any meal completely homemade and entirely from scratch, in other words, no "short-cuts". If for instance, I want to make biscuits, yes, I make homemade biscuits and have never used the Pillsbury biscuit dough in that pop-up can.

Among the many types of meals I've made over the years, I love making homemade soups, and now that the weather is starting to turn on the chilly side, what could be better than a nice piping hot bowl of soup? In the past I've made homemade Chicken, Lentil, Pea, Black Bean, Potato, Cream of Celery, Gazbacho, and French Onion soup Gratinée.

Recently, I came across a recipe called Harvest Minestrone with Quinoa & Kale Soup and looking at the photo, I have to admit my mouth began to drool, it looked delicious. I give the link for that recipe here, however, it inspired me to do my own version of the soup and I prepare it in a completely different way than the original recipe. The original recipe, for instance calls for a can of crushed tomatoes, kale and the quinoa, I omitted these three ingredients and substituted my own as you'll see if you compare recipes. Also most of the vegetable ingredients in the original recipe call for them to be diced; I instead cut most of the vegetables such as the zucchini in large cubes or slices.

My Own Hearty Minestrone Soup:

Ingredients:

2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 medium-sized onion diced

2 cloves of garlic minced

2 celery stalks sliced (not diced!)

2 or three large carrots, pared and sliced

1 large fresh zucchini, pared, thickly sliced and cut into cubes

1 cup of fresh green beans cut into about 1" pieces

1 green bell pepper, sliced and diced

1 large jar of pasta source~~I used a 24 oz. jar of Vito Marcello's Tomato and Basil Marinara Sauce

3 or 4 cups water

1 large plum tomato cut into cubes

1 15 oz. can chickpeas

1 15 oz. can either Cannellini or Red Kidney Beans ( I used the Red Kidney Beans)

1 cup cooked pasta (such as ditalini or elbow macaroni)

Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish with pre-grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

In a large stockpot add the olive oil, onions and garlic and sautée till tender (don't let burn!). Pour and add approximately one half of the pasta sauce into stockpot, then add the water. Stir to blend. Add all the vegetables to pot, omitting the beans. Let all the ingredients simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. While the soup is simmering, in a large saucepan, boil a quart of water and add about 3/4 cup pasta and cook until al-dente.

If necessary keep adding a little more of the pasta sauce and water to the soup as the liquid will have a tendency to evaporate. About ten minutes before the soup is done, add the chickpeas, Cannellini or Red Kidney Beans and the pasta and let simmer some more. Ladle in the soup into bowls and sprinkle some of the parmesan cheese on top.

Servings: about 8 to 10 servings

Enjoy!!

Image Source: ©Melanie Neer~my own photo of my Hearty Minestrone Soup

The Original Recipe Harvest Minestrone With Quinoa & Kale Soup as a comparison and what inspired me to do my own recipe:

www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11146/harvest-minestrone-with-quinoa-kale.html (Originally published at bubblews~~October 16, 2013)