The Case of the Missing Blueberries

Photos of blueberries on packaged foods can be misleading.

August 15, 2011


What's not to love about blueberries? They're sweet, juicy and nutritious. Blueberry harvesting ends this time of the year, making berries plentiful at markets right now.


Just beware of 'blueberries' in packaged food. More often than not, they're imposters, according to natural foods investigator Mike Adams. 


Adams finds that blueberry muffins, bagels, breads and cereals prominently displaying plump blueberries on their packaging most likely do not contain actual blueberries. Reading labels shows most packaged blueberry products contain blueberry 'bits' or 'crunchlets' made of sugars, oils and artificial coloring. The artificial coloring, often Blue #1, Blue #2, and Red #40, are derived from petrochemicals to mimic the color of blueberries. It's more expensive to use real blueberries in packaged products, so it's less profitable for food manufacturers. However, organic food products are more likely to contain real blueberries.


Beware of deceptive photos on food products. And do read your labels, dear readers, particularly when buying any packaged 'blueberry' food products. 


There really ought to be laws against counterfeit blueberries.

For Adams' video report on fake blueberries, copy and paste the following link into your browser's address bar:
http://www.naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=7EC06D27B1A945BE85E7DA8483025962

Happy Birthday America!

"The story of barbecue is the story of America:  
Settlers arrive on great unspoiled continent, discover wondrous riches, 
set them on fire and eat them."  

Vince Staten, columnist

Roasted Asparagus

Roasted Asparagus is basted with olive oil, sprinkled with garlic
and baked for 10 minutes in a  400-degree oven. 

June 29, 2011

My parents have an asparagus patch in their backyard. Come spring, we covet its tender, fresh spears. My love affair with asparagus began as a child when we trekked into the wild, northern Michigan ditches to hunt it down. We were answering the call of my dad - rather than Euell Gibbons.

This recipe is simple and quick

If you like asparagus and garlic, you’ll love this recipe for Roasted Asparagus, lightly basted in olive oil and sprinkled with a good quantity of minced garlic. It’s outrageously delicious. A quick and easy dish to prepare, asparagus has well-balanced nutrition and many health benefits.

In Michigan, peak season for this perennial spring favorite is from late April to mid or late June. Michigan asparagus is a bit seedier than usual this year, thanks to our cold and wet spring. Still finding young, tender spears at farmer’s markets and the grocery store made me merry this week, but the peak is waning. Choose asparagus spears that are small in diameter; thicker spears can be stringy and tough.

Asparagus is packed with nutrients

Asparagus is so good for you; they put it in capsules and sell it. It has anti-oxidant, anti-cancer and anti-aging properties, and works as a detoxifier and a diuretic. This verdant vegetable is packed with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals (plant chemicals that block cell damage). Phytochemicals help prevent and treat cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension. As if that’s not enough, asparagus gives your body folic acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, B vitamins (including B9), calcium, fiber and potassium. Sounds like asparagus should be in a vegetable Hall of Fame! 

Oftentimes, I think there's no such thing as too much garlic

Who’d have guessed that you could actually watch asparagus grow? In ideal conditions, an asparagus spear can grow 10 inches in 24 hours.

Whether steamed or roasted, asparagus should always be cooked tender-crisp. A minute or two more and it gets soggy. This Roasted Asparagus recipe calls for 12 medium or 6 large cloves of garlic. If you prefer less garlic, cut back on the number of cloves. Sometimes, I’ll add a whole head. But I must confess, I’m a garlic junkie.

You'll find the following links helpful if you want to learn more about asparagus.


Everything you ever wanted to know about asparagus: 
http://www.asparagus.com

A nutritional profile of asparagus:

http://www.dietobio.com/aliments/en/asparagus.html

A video on planting asparagus:

http://www.soilman.net/2009/asparagus/video-planting-asparagus/

Video tips on growing asparagus:
 http://www.5min.com/Video/Growing-Asparagus-161418937

Roasted Asparagus Recipe Card

Savor. Flavor. Spice.

This vintage Three Mountaineers spice rack is one of my favorite things.

June 27, 2011

Sometimes, I tweak recipes to make them more succulent. Adding a little more of the right spice or experimenting with a new one can turn a good recipe into a savory one. If you're adventurous, take a bite or spoonful of a finished dish and add a few grains or a tiny piece of whatever herb or spice you think will kick it up. This helps you decide whether you like the added flavor. Or not.

A secret to great cooking is learning which spices and flavors combine well with certain foods. One of my first prized possessions was a 1965 vintage Three Mountaineers Spice Rack. This wooden rack includes comprehensive charts – inside and out – to help you combine herbs and spices with foods. Over the years, I’ve discovered many spices that make all the difference in preparing flavorful dishes. Plus my herb and spice rack makes fussy eaters in my family gobble up their vegetables (and sometimes even ask for more).


If you're interested in becoming adventurous with spices, check out the following links:

http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/spiceref.html

http://www.realfood4realpeople.com/spice.html
http://seasoned.com/Tools/HerbChart/
http://www.ethnic-spicy-food-and-more.com/chart-for-spices-and-herbs.html

"There are five elements: earth, air, fire, water,

and garlic."

Louis Diat, French Chef 

http://www.photos8.com

Puffy Sole

June 23, 2001


Whether you love fish or loathe it, Puffy Sole is a delightful surprise. If you’re looking for a savory dish that melts in your mouth, this is it. Puffy Sole is the first recipe I collected, as shown by a tattered, yellowed piece of paper-splattered with egg whites and drops of Worcestershire sauce-in my recipe box.

So began my adventures in cooking. We were renting a professor’s home with a gourmet kitchen full of shiny copper pots and pans. As college students, our cooking was usually somewhere between hit and miss. There was so much to learn.


My good friend Carol and I love succulent dishes. (Carol taught me that there’s no mayonnaise worth its salt except homemade or Hellman’s). One evening, Carol whipped up a filet of sole recipe. She lightly broiled the fish, garnished it with scallions, and topped it with a tasty meringue mixture. Yum! I had to have the recipe! In time, my roommates and I were dishing up all manner of eats and treats with creativity and wild abandon.


Sole is a delicate and mild (almost sweet) flatfish caught mainly in the Behring Sea near Alaska. It's a strange looking fish with both eyes on one side of its body. When shopping for sole, it’s always a good policy to ask someone behind the fish counter how fresh it is or when it was delivered to the store. On a cautionary note, beware of adding more Parmesan cheese than this recipe calls for; instead of Puffy Sole, you’ll end up with fish flat as a pancake.


Download and print the Puffy Sole recipe by clicking on it. If you scroll to the bottom, there's a menu for enlarging, downloading, and sharing this recipe.


Varieties of fish and their tastes are found here, courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens:  http://www.bhg.com/recipes/fish/basics/guide-to-fish-types/
Fish FAQ can be found at:  http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/faq/

Puffy Sole Recipe Card

Preheat Oven

If you treasure fabulous recipes, we’re kindred spirits. It’s a joy to find the best recipes, shop, prepare, and savor the food we eat. So, I’ve been thinking…wouldn’t it be an excellent challenge to search for the most beloved and celebrated recipes? I can't imagine a more delicious goal. And so, here goes….

Dear Readers, I welcome you to my food blog…a place to linger…to celebrate life and great food…to come delight your taste buds. I’m hopeful that this blog becomes as much yours as it is mine. I hope you’ll join the treasure hunt and encourage your marvelous cooking friends to come along. As a gastronome and recipe columnist, I have recipe boxes and binders full of gourmet and homemade recipes to die for; but they’re only the tip of the iceberg. This blog hungers for famous and beloved recipes that you treasure. 

We’ll share gourmet and award-winning recipes, delicious simple recipes, recipes made famous by chefs, praiseworthy cookbook recipes (with credit given), time-honored favorites and savory recipes from myriad sources, including my kitchen and yours. Recipes will be posted on handy recipe cards designed to fit in your recipe box. In addition to recipes, this blog will include tips on cooking, reviews of kitchen gadgets, historical and anecdotal stories about food and recipes, and information about health and nutrition. Oh, and there may be a few random thoughts interspersed.

Readers are encouraged to send in their most savory recipes, comments, and recipe requests.

Breaking out of the mold by taking food to an entirely different level brings joy to my family, my life, and my palate, and I hope it does the same for yours. If you cook it savory, they will come. Bon Vivant!