oh...no wonder...

cookbooks make you fat. I collect cookbooks. you do the math.

Per the LA Times

'Joy of Cooking' or 'Joy of Obesity'?
In the classic cookbook, published since 1931, changes in ingredients and serving sizes have led to a 63% increase in calories per serving in 17 of the recipes, a study shows.
By Jeannine Stein February 17, 2009
Restaurants get a bad rap for serving gargantuan portions of food and contributing to Americans' expanding waistlines. But what if something in your home were equally guilty? Something as innocent as . . . "Joy of Cooking"?The classic cookbook, first published in 1931, has done some girth-expanding of its own, a study has found.


More calories
Published as a letter Tuesday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the report examined 18 classic recipes found in seven editions of the book from 1936 to 2006. It found that calorie counts for 14 of the recipes have ballooned by an average of 928 calories, or 44%, per recipe. And serving sizes have grown as well.Take beef stroganoff: In the 1997 edition, the recipe called for three tablespoons of sour cream. The 2006 edition calls for one cup.Then there's waffles: In 1997, the basic recipe made 12 six-inch waffles; in 2006, the same ingredients made about six waffles.
Overall, the scientists found, changes in ingredients and serving sizes led to a 63% increase in calories per serving in 17 of the recipes between 1936 and 2006."When we talk about obesity, people like to plant the source of the issue on away-from-home dining," said Brian Wansink, the study's co-author and director of Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab. "But that raised the thought in my mind: Is that really the source of things?. . . . What has happened in what we've been doing in our own homes over the years?"Wansink and co-author Collin Payne, assistant professor of marketing at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, said they wanted to quantify how home cooking had changed, but knew that doing it anecdotally wasn't scientific. So they turned to cookbooks, settling on "Joy of Cooking" because of its history and the fact that it had enough recipes carried through all editions.In addition to beef stroganoff and waffles, recipes chosen for analysis included macaroni and cheese, goulash, Spanish rice, brownies, sugar cookies and apple pie.Wansink said similar calorie increases were found in other enduring recipe books such as the "Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book."The study found that some of the added calories in the dishes came from a substitution of ingredients -- extra meat instead of vegetables, for example. Back in the day, meat was expensive, so less of it was used, he said.In other recipes, Wansink said, sauces were added, or more butter or sugar, or extras such as nuts and raisins. "They're now there for a little more excitement," he said.Cultural shifts may have also had an effect on recipe ingredients and portion sizes, Wansink added. Families have gotten smaller, so a dish that once was consumed by eight people is now consumed by four.And because sizes of dinner plates have grown over the years, a standard 2-ounce portion of pasta can now look diminutive.Jeannie Gazzaniga-Moloo, a Roseville, Calif.-based registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Assn., said she was surprised by the findings."I would have expected that with the increasing awareness of nutrition, the calories would have been lower or stayed the same," she said.Beth Wareham, editor of the 2006 edition, is not losing sleep over the study."It's such a tiny number of recipes. It's really a non-event," she said.She said that the book has become more healthful overall, booting out many processed foods in favor of fresh ingredients. The 2006 edition has a chapter on nutrition written by Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health.In putting together the latest edition, writers and recipe-testers used their common sense in terms of ingredients and serving sizes, Wareham said -- and they figured readers have some common sense of their own."We give Americans credit," she added, "for knowing that eating a brownie is not as good as eating a plate of whole grains and vegetables."jeannine.stein@latimes.com
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-joy17-2009feb17,0,7687368.story

super miserly superbowl

So, I am on a serious pay off our debts so I can stay home kick lately.
We were having some friends over for a low key Superbowl party, and the guys wanted to get Country Sweet for dinner. Which in all fairness, they get like once a year now. (When we were younger, we used to get it once a week.) So the wives agreed that this is what we will eat.

One morning last week, at about 3am, I got a brilliant miserly idea. We will buy frozen chicken fingers, frozen french fries, and Country Sweet sauce, and I will make my own for a fraction of the price.

It was really good. The chicken fingers tasted EXACTLY the same. No difference what so ever. Even our picky eater guest thought they were good. The fries - well, there is something to be said for fries that are actually fried. But they were good enough.

But the best part was the fact that the cost of the entire 8 pounds of french fries (we didn't use all of them) and the 4 pounds of chicken was the same as if my husband and I purchased 2 dinners from the restaurant. Approximately 20 buckaroonies for an entire super bowl party.

I feel proud of my miserly self.

i'm a cheater

I have been going to the same Polish butcher for my whole life (European Meat Products & Deli). It is where my Babcia shopped when she lived here, and it is where my dad always goes, and it is where I started to go a few years ago. But today, I had to go to another shop to get my Babcia something specific that the regular one does not carry. And when I went to the new place (Polska Chata), I found that in addition to a plethora of delicious smoked pork products, they had all sorts of homemade baked goods, and homemade golobki, and homemade pierogi. All things i know how to make but take too much work to cook for two people. So for dinner I got a little sausage and some golobki, and it was FANTASTIC. And, it turns out they are renovating the upstairs to have seating for a restaurant. Could be deadly for us, we may become frequent customers....

Carbonara

I made spaghetti carbonara tonight for dinner. Because, seriously, how much easier does it get? Boiling the pasta is the hardest part. I used this recipe I found here on Every Day Food:

http://www.pbs.org/everydayfood/recipes/Spaghetti_Carbonara.html

plus honestly - it is spaghetti, bacon and cheese. can' t get much tastier than that.

bye bye, tupperware

so lately I have been obsessed with getting rid of the "bad plastic" i have in my house that is POISONING ME! I thought for sure it had to be all of that cheap crap I have bought at the grocery store over the years that is taking up too much space. but no. it is my Nalgene bottles that I have used for ever, and my beloved Tupperware that is slowly killing me and my unborn children. OK, I know that is a bit extreme, but word on the street is that it isn't doing me any good either. So alas, goodbye my Sheerly Elegant bowls that I store all my fresh cut fruit in and microwave my broccoli in each week. Goodbye my Rock & serve containers that claim to be made out of unbreakable materials. So long. Sorry to clog up the landfills with you, but I don't want you poisoning me any more.

here is a link to Tupperware's list of what their containers are made of. Steer clear of the BPA #7.

here are the general rules for ditching plastic.
Avoid:
#3-PVC
#6-PS
#7-Polycarbonate (BPA = bad)

Choose instead:
#1-PETE (but dont reuse apparently - one time only)
#2-HDPE
#4-LDPE
#5-PP

junk food junkie

With my husband coaching baseball, we have been eating the most horrible diet. On game nights, he doesn't get home until about 8:00pm or later. I don't want to cook when I get home since it will be 3 hours before he will get to eat it. Plus, I like to wait for him and eat dinner with my husband. But by the time he is home, I don't want to cook, and neither does he.

In addition, this week I have been kind of busy, not getting home until later a couple times this week. And, I have also been neglectful in defrosting anything.

So this week, we have had chinese food, bagels, Wendy's, and pork chops (ok, I cooked one night - when he didn't have a game, just practice).
Not the best diet in the world.

Tomorrow night, we are going to go to the movies - so most likely we will have popcorn for dinner. So gross.

Nation Eggs Benedict Day

Today is National Eggs Benedict Day.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE eggs benedict.

So much so that if I am on vacation, and they are on a breakfast buffet,

I have to be held back.
I love them.

I make it at home too, but it is never the same.

Hey people - go eat some Eggs Benedict today!!!

to market, to market

I finally got to make it to the public market this morning. It is one of my favorite places to be. I have been going to the market since I was a little kid. In fact, my mother had a newspaper article with a picture of me sitting on my dad's shoulders buying eggs at the market when i was a toddler. Anyway, it was nice and packed this morning. It is the only place I don't mind the crowd. It means that the market is prospering. I got myself some empenadas for breakfast from Juan & Maria. I got an oatmeal cookie and a cupcake bigger than my face from Jon John's, and some of the sweetest shrimp from Coastal. And lots of fruits and veggies. The best part was that it was a nice, easy Saturday morning trip. Some weeks it is get in and get out shopping. This week it was all about leisure.

Best Yogurt Ever

I tried this Greek yogurt that I keep reading about. It was FANTASTIC!!! If you are a yogurt fan, try this yogurt. It is awesome.

FAGE Total 2% Greek Yogurt Made from skimmed cow's milk, cream and yogurt culture. Perfect for those who want to keep fit with only 2% fat. Best flavor ever tasted! DID YOU KNOW! Each 200 grams (7-ounce) serving includes: 130 calories (36 from fat) 17 grams or 32% of daily value of protein, 15% calcium, and 8 grams or 3% of carbohydrates in the form of lactose (based on a 2,000 calorie diet).

salt

Salt is something that gets missed a lot in our house. My husband has been all over me to get more salt this week at the grocery store. He has been on a popcorn kick this week, and he thought we were out. On the shelf with all the baking items, we were out. So he went to the store, picked up some salt with the groceries. I went to put it away - and we have 3 - yes three - open containers of salt in the house now. This includes the shaker that is now filled and the jar I keep by the stove for cooking. Urgh - too much salt. I might have to use it for cleaning or something. Not because it will go bad, but because it is taking up too much space!

It's Corned Beef & Cabbage Day !

It's Corned Beef and Cabbage Day!

So I slapped a brisket in the crock pot with some cabbage, carrots, onions, and Guinness. Everything tastes better with Guinness.

Not the most visually appealing meal, is it?

syrup-rific

March is apparently Maple Syrup Month.

Somehow, this escaped me. I wonder why.

Anyway, since I have family in Vermont, I am partial to syrup from Vermont only. All the rest is crap (no offense to all you other maple syrup-ers out there).

This is where we get ours:http://www.vtmaplesyrup.com/info/info.htm

I particularly love maple cream. It is a favorite of mine. I got a recipe from a Vermont Maple Syrup cookbook once, but never made it. It involved too much boiling and beating. I am not that precise. I say, take this entire month to eat syrup.

Comfort Food (the healthy way)

Taco Salads are one of my comfort foods. No one thinks of taco salads as comfort foods, I am sure. But to me, they are. In an effort to eat healthier though, I needed to make it better, but no less delicious. So, I cut out the chips here, and you don’t really miss them. If you do, add them. And tonight, I made cheaters guacamole.

Vegetarian Taco Salad

1 large can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
1 bag Morningstar Farms Crumbles
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp ancho chili powder
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
Field Greens
4 green onions, chopped
4 oz. Cabot 75% reduced fat cheddar cheese , shredded
Handful chopped cilantro
40 cherry tomatoes
Guacamole
Light sour cream

In a large non stick pan, cook whole can of tomatoes and whole bag of soy crumbles, add all the dry spices and cook down until the liquid is reduced. Assemble salad and eat up.


Cheater’s Guacamole

4 ripe avocados
1/3 jar Fire Roasted Salsa Verde or Tomatillo Salsa (I recommend Wegmans or Rick Bayless’ versions)

Mash all together in a bowl.

Roasted Chicken with Fresh Lime Mojo

1 medium roasting chicken
2 limes
6 cloves garlic, chopped fine
½ bunch fresh cilantro, chopped fine
Olive oil
Salt

Place the zest of both limes, the juice of both limes, a generous pinch of salt, and 3 or 4 glugs of olive oil in a bowl, mix well. Loosen the skin from the chicken, and smoosh the mojo under the skin. Repeat on both breast and underside of the chicken. Roast chicken breast down for maximum juiciness. Roast at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn down to 350 degrees for an hour and a half (or longer depending on size of bird).

The Big Dipper

I've realized lately that I am seriously into dipping my foods into condiments. But not ketchup and mustard.

Last night, I made chicken satay with peanut dipping sauce.

Today, when I got home and was scavenging for a snack, I ate some of the leftover chicken, dipped in my FAVORITE salsa. I was so excited to see Wegman's come out with their own version of Salsa Verde. I eat it with everything, and I especially love to put it in my guacamole when I am too lazy to chop.

Julie & Julia

How come I didn't notice this before? I loved this book because I love cooking and I love reading and it was both. And now it is going to be a movie, a third love. Great news. I hope they actually make the movie, and that it is true to the book.

saturday

Tonight I made a delicious meal and watched two fantastic movies.

I made this for dinner:

Shanghai Stir-Fry Tofu with Sesame Seeds from Wegmans.

It was really good.

(That's Wegmans' picture by the way.)

And then I watched these two really really great movies. I recommend them both.

cabin party

we went to a sledding party, though it was really a cabin party since the sledding wasn't all that great. Now I don't sled. I find no enjoyment in it whatsoever. But I did get to strap on my snowshoes for the 3rd time this year. Conditions were a bit wet, but it was only the 3rd time there has really been any snow on the ground, so I figured I needed to take advantage.

And I made clam chowder. It was good.

Yucatecan Chicken & Vegetables

I made this beautiful Yucetecan Chicken and Vegetables from the mexican cookbook.

It was really fantastic.

chicken marsala

hmmm, lets see, what else.......

Whatever sickness we were feeling this weekend is now in full swing. I have been going to work, my husband has been told by the doctor that he needs to stay home from work. Apparently it is viral. whatever it is, it is exhausting and it wears you down.

All kinds of craziness at lunch today. Big dog' s turtleneck friend did the guy head nod and made him move from his assigned seat to another spot, and he was clearly uncomfortable with the move. He was actually sitting with the birth mark.

Speaking of the birth mark, it was discovered that he has the greatest voice, the sweet dulcet tones of the birth mark......

Lipstick quit after just 6 months, and after our boss made the announcement, she gave a full blown speech which no one clearly cared about except NP, who stood there with a giant grin on her face like she was in on the secret...too bad most of us knew already. And the job lipstick took? she got it because she literally was the only one who applied. She is a nurse. And this is a job for an analyst. Not to mention, she is mildly computer illiterate. I give her 3 months.

I want to call in sick, but this week I am swamped, and next week we leave for Boston on Thursday. Looks like I have to tough it out for a while.

This is the book I am reading right now:

Escape

by Carolyn Jessop (Author), Laura Palmer (Author)