Strollerderby : cheese

Breaking News: Cadbury chocolate made in China recalled

Brett Singer — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 03:15:00 GMT

The AP is reporting that Cadbury is "recalling 11 types of Chinese-made chocolates after tests found they contained the industrial chemical melamine." This follows the recall of tainted milk powder in China.

AND, according to Newsinferno.com, a specific candy made by Cadbury called "White Rabbit" has been found to contain Melamine, the substance that cause more than 50,000 children to fall ill in China. The candy has been "distributed to California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington state through wholesale distributors to retail stores."

Before you say what I said ("Newsinferno? What's that?"), here's a link to the FDA's press release about the recall.

Newsinferno also reports that, "Pizza Hut suspended supplying cheese powder found to be contaminated by melamine in Pizza Hut’s Taiwan branch." Unless you happen to be in Taiwan, this one is pretty easy to avoid, but the White Rabbit stuff sounds like it could be in your local candy shoppe. Plus there are 11 other varieties, such as Eclairs (sold in Australia). So be careful.

But wait! There's more! According to Wikipedia, this White Rabbit stuff was recalled last year in the Philippines because it contained formaldehyde. Yum!

Anyone else in the mood for some good news? Like, "Field of unicorns found frolicking in Central Park, film at 11"? Sorry, I made that one up. Sounds good though, right?

Sources: CBS News/AP, Newsinferno.com, Sydney Morning Herald, Wikipedia (also image)

Arkansas Evangelist's compound raided, six children removed

They say: Chinese baby formula is dangerous

Mom finds hairy Goldilocks in 2 year old's bed

Dad buys beer for his toddlers

Now Chinese Coffee May Also Be Contaminated

Chinese Milk Scandal Heads to Europe. Is the U.S. Next? Yes!

YOU say: I got fooled (update to "They USED to say: give babies cola")

They Say: We're Fatties Because We Eat More Than Ever

Madeline Holler — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:03:00 GMT

I kind of consider the 70s as a real meat and starches gorgefest. Sure, I was just a little, little kid during that decade, but I remember lots of steak, lots of refined sugars, lots of sweetened iced-tea and Kool-aid. Basically, lots and lots and lots of food.

But I'll be damned. Turns out, Americans eat nearly two pounds of fat-loaded food per week MORE than we did back in the pre-aerobics, pre-low-fat, pre-low-carb, pre-food/exercise obsessions era launched in the 80s.

Wait! There's more!

In 2006, we ate an extra half-pound of fat -- FAT! -- a week, which does not include the fat found in the extra quarter pound of meat we eat every week. Now, to be fair to the gluttons of this great land, we did decrease consumption of one food group: dairy. Mainly because we've basically stopped drinking milk (guilty!). Wait, not such a drastic drop since we've upped our intake of cheese (groaaaaan ... guilty there too!).

The bottom line, from the NY Times:

The numbers don't reveal how much grain went into bread versus cookies, or how many chicken breasts became chicken nuggets. But the overall increase in eating does suggest a link with the rise in Americans' weight over the same period. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 15 percent of adults age 20 to 74 were obese by 1980. By 2007, that had more than doubled.

Come to think of it, those 70s steaks weren't all that big. And they were a tiny bit of a splurge. I mean, do we ever talk about stretching the ground beef these days? Or do we just head out to Costco for the crazy-huge family pack if we need a little more on the platter?

Photo: everydayweekender.com

One of Those Food Questions I've Always Wondered About

Adrienne Martini — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Pop Quiz:

You're making lunch for the kids and the cheese you pull out of the fridge looks a little green and fuzzy. Should you --

A) Fling it out the porch door while screaming, "Bad Cheese! Bad Cheese!"

B) Cut off the moldy bits and carry on.

C) Eat the cheese with the moldy bits because moldy cheese is a delicacy.

D) Sigh loudly and muse about how these things never happened to June Cleaver.

E) Feed it to the dog. After all, a critter who licks his own behind won't notice a little moldy cheese.

For the answer, click over to C. Claiborne Ray's column in the New York Times.

Image credit: KungFuCowgirl's Moldy Cheese Monster

Kitchenista: Cheesy Goodness

Adrienne Martini — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:00:00 GMT

There comes a time when all good eaters must take a stand. Comrades, gourmands and countrymen -- that time is now. Ignore that namby-pamby presidential primary hooha. This is the political process that really matters. In honor of National Grilled Cheese Month, I beg of you, let your voice be heard.

Those lucky enough to live in the LA area can cast their ballot directly at Clementine. Eaters who love peace, freedom and the American way should search their conscious and vote for the Philly Cheese Steak, which is "a ribeye steak grilled with onions, peppers and jalapenos topped with American and Provolone cheeses on a Freedom roll." Eaters outside of Cali who also love cooks who love their jobs should just check out the Melt the Vote site. It's full of melty goodness.

If you must cast an absentee ballot, here's a basic grilled cheese recipe from the Fanny Farmer cookbook, Ten Tips for Great Grilled Cheese, and a surreal wikipedia entry. For those who like a good food fight, head to the Grilled Cheese Invitational to cast your ballot.

In the immortal words of P.Diddy, "Vote or Die." Do it for the children.

Image credit: www.meltthevote.org

Kitchenista: A Bun in the Oven

Adrienne Martini — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:30:00 GMT

Lately, I've been obsessed by eggs. I blame spring. Spring just seems like a good time to eat eggs.

It also might just be that eggs are so darn easy to deal with, provided you don't have some kind of dietary reason for not embracing their delectable ovoidness. Lest I start to sound like the Egg Board, let me add that eggs are full of all sorts of things that are good for you. I tend to balance the good by adding cheese and bacon -- but it is the thought that counts.

Which is why I love these baked eggs in a bun: easy, pretty and full of gouda. If you can turn on your oven, you can have a warm, bubbly dinner on the table in no time.

Photo credit: Jeanette at everybodylikessandwiches.blogspot.com

Strollerderby Playdate: Mama Says Clean Your Plate

Adrienne Martini — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:30:00 GMT

Forgive me if I unbutton my pants. I've just been on a Playdate with The Cleaner Plate Club. Man, that Mama can cook. Plus, she and I are both attempting to make the food that we serve in the house better both in a nutritional and an environmental sense.

Which is cool and all -- but the best part is that she fails to take herself too seriously. Witness the picture at right, used to illustrate a post where our hero decides to eat like a Hobbit.

She also makes a mean soup, like this Mostly-Veggie Cheddar Broccoli. And her sister just won an Oscar. And she has a great six-word story and knows where to get some "Barick Obama" cheese.

I'm so full I think I'll need to take my pants clean off. Avert your eyes.

Photo Credit: Cleaner Plate Club

Kitchenista: The Magical Fruit

Adrienne Martini — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:30:00 GMT

My kids are just as fussy as any other child out there. What's maddening is that they are fussy about completely different things. One thinks pasta rocks; the other won't go near it. And so on.

The one food that they agree on, however, is beans. And Cheetos -- but that's a different post.

I spend a lot of time finding new ways to cook these little fiber packed beauties. This Veggie Chili Beans and Rice sounds like it might be a winner. I probably won't fry my own tortilla chips but it still will be delightful and get eaten by everyone in the house except my husband, who can't stand beans in any form.

You win some...

Photo Credit: Pinchmysalt.com

Kitchenista: Empty the Crisper, Mold and All

Madeline Holler — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 20:01:00 GMT

Do you ever wind up with the crispers full of not-too-perky, partially moldy veggies (with matching sprouted potatoes in the cabinet)? As punishment for letting my enthusiamsm at the farmer's market get out of hand, I force myself to scrape the mold and find a way to use the nearly rotting stuff anyway.

The best I have come up with winds up being actually pretty good. Sometimes I even make it with fresh, crisp mold-free produce.

The recipe:

Preheat oven to 350-375.

Clean, peel and chop whatever you have -- set aside any leafy stuff for now. When you chop, think about cooking time. Cut sweet potatoes bigger than, say, beets, since sweet potatoes cook rather fast while it takes extra time for beets to become al dente. Peel a few cloves of garlic if you have it (yes, even if it's sprouting). Toss it all in a roasting pan (or on a cookie sheet).

Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper well. And then just pick your favorite one or two dried herbs (I like thyme). I also like generously sprinkling on a smokey paprika. Mix well with your hands.

Roast uncovered for 20-ish minutes (until things start getting brown). Stir around and then cover with foil for another, I don't know, 20 minutes? Then stir again, poke beets or white potoatoes to see if they're soft enough. Repeat every 10 minutes until done. When the veggies are getting close to done, you can stir in leafy greens like spinach or kale. You can also add a melty cheese toward the end or sprinkle toasted nuts over it all or both.

It's not only tasty and healthy, but you've cleared out the fridge. Time to go nuts at the farmer's market again!

Photo: Mangopowergirl.blogspot.com

Breast Milk Cheese= There Goes My Meal

Kelly Mills — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 12:03:00 GMT

Let me start by skipping right to the moral of this story: you cannot make cheese out of breast milk. As Rani found, "It turned out that breast milk can not curdle, because the protein content is lower, and because the protein in breast milk is more easily digested compared to cow's milk." She had a bunch of expired breast milk lying around, and since she enjoys making paneer, she thought she'd attempt human cheese. After her experiment failed she said, "Don't even try" and I'll second that emotion. But not because it doesn't work as cheese. Because the thought makes me go bleurgh.

Again, bleurgh. Bleurgh. Bleeeeeeeeuuurrrrgh.

I'm all for breastfeeding 100 percent and you'd think if something is good enough for the babies I'd be more open-minded about its cheese possibilities. But, um, no. It's a completely illogical visceral reaction, but it's my reaction and I'm standing by it. You go on with your human yogurt and smoothies and such; I'll just be over here worshiping the udder, not the boobie. For food production, anyway.

By the way, I did get a wee little pang of envy at all the extra breast milk lying around. As I've mentioned, I was a sucky pumper, and would remain stuck to the suction cup for hours and only get like half an ounce. Not enough to even consider cheese.

The whole cheese debacle reminds me of a hilarious thing that happened to my better half when he was about ten: he and a friend were at a birthday party eating cake, and they overheard one mom compliment the groovy hostess on the spread. "Why thanks!" she said brightly. "I actually added my own breast milk to the cake recipe." Better half and friend were traumatized, had to covertly spit out the goods, and developed deep cake suspicions after that.

Conflicting and Confusing: Today's Nutritional Advice for Pregnant Women

Karen Murphy — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 13:55:00 GMT

Fish? Or no fish? Wild-caught or farmed? Is tuna okay? Doesn't it contain mercury though? What about deli meat? Oh, and cheese? Does it have to be pasteurized? Is blue cheese okay? How about caffeine? A little is okay, right? No? None at all? How much caffeine is in chocolate, anyway? Does it depend on the chocolate? What about alcohol? That's a no-no, right? No? A glass of wine is okay? No?? But I heard yes! And I had one last week; is that bad?

I'M PREGNANT AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EAT!!!!!*

That surely has to be the cry of pregnant women these days as they attempt to weed through often conflicting advice about what is safe and not safe to consume during pregnancy.

I remember standing in line at the supermarket deli counter when I was last pregnant and having people approach me to tell me I shouldn't be eating anything there. I'm sure many of you have similar stories of dirty looks from total strangers when you have a glass of wine or a coffee in front of you. It's bad enough that you and your pregnant belly become public property as soon as you're showing, but now the Food Police are after you too.

So what do you do? How do you make sense of this and figure out what's safe and what's not?

Here's some advice on fish, and here's some general food safety tips for pregnant women.

Good luck.

*Not me. Nope. Really.