New Fashion Board 10-3-2003 - 11-7-2003

[tmdiva]

They're voluntarily switching out those bad ingredients? Would someone please let me know when they do that for Skippy peanut butter and Nabisco crackers? We're suffering from withdrawal here in the Diva/Companion household since giving up trans fats. It's just heartbreaking when Magnus looks up at me with those saucer blue eyes and says, "We need to get some Wheat Thins at the store."

We've also been cutting back on the simple carbs--well, the starches anyway, if not the straight sugars. Damned if I'm going to give up my premium ice cream--but that's not so bad because the carbs are balanced by lots of fat and some protein (I did, however, cut back to one scoop--about the size of a "serving"--per sitting). No more white rice (risotto as an occasional treat), potatoes, pasta, or white bread.

We've also been trying to get more and better protein--grass-fed organic beef, pork, chicken and lamb, wild salmon. I feel lots better, am very gradually losing weight, and I break out less.

The other day I made Rice Krispie treats for the first time in years (surplus marshmallows from a family reunion campout), and was amazed at how sluggish and blah I felt after eating them. There's a small amount of butter, but otherwise they're straight simple carbs.

For learning about cooking I have to second whoever (Atticus?) said Cook's Illustrated is em's favorite magazine. They explain the science, taste-test basic products, test higher-end utensils and appliances, and the recipes are great.

tm

Edited to add that those who managed to get shop and home ec in middle school probably didn't do music or art. I had two electives in middle school, so I got cooking but not sewing, three semesters of choir, one of art, a couple of band, but no shop classes. And I really wanted one of those lucite toothbrush holders, dammit.

[dc_chef]

Originally posted by Bad_Rich_Chic
Hmm, fair enough. He is sort of my better half.

BR(or bigger, at least)C

One would hope.

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally posted by tmdiva
We've also been trying to get more and better protein--grass-fed organic beef, pork, chicken and lamb, wild salmon. I feel lots better, am very gradually losing weight, and I break out less.

I heard on Market Place, so it's only 17-23 percent off base, that cattle prices have been steadily rising over the last year or so, as more and more people are adding protein to their diets. I asked a cattle rancher she'd seen a rise in prices, and she said that they're definitely making more money off cattle lately.

[ThurgreedMarshall]

Originally posted by tmdiva
They're voluntarily switching out those bad ingredients? Would someone please let me know when they do that for Skippy peanut butter and Nabisco crackers? We're suffering from withdrawal here in the Diva/Companion household since giving up trans fats. It's just heartbreaking when Magnus looks up at me with those saucer blue eyes and says, "We need to get some Wheat Thins at the store."

We've also been cutting back on the simple carbs--well, the starches anyway, if not the straight sugars. Damned if I'm going to give up my premium ice cream--but that's not so bad because the carbs are balanced by lots of fat and some protein (I did, however, cut back to one scoop--about the size of a "serving"--per sitting). No more white rice (risotto as an occasional treat), potatoes, pasta, or white bread.

We've also been trying to get more and better protein--grass-fed organic beef, pork, chicken and lamb, wild salmon. I feel lots better, am very gradually losing weight, and I break out less.

You're nuts. Eat some good stuff and some bad stuff and exercise. I should write a book, except it would only be that long.

TM

[baltassoc]

Originally posted by Bad_Rich_Chic
And it can be really hard to justify taking 1 1/2 hours to make a proper dinner for one's family when one's alternatives include (i) making reservations, (ii) Chinese takeout/pizza, (iii) frozen dinners ("Healthy Choice!"), (iv) McDonalds.

Any commentary?

I will share with the group the GREATEST RECIPE OF ALL TIME, at least as measured by taste/time ratio.

Black Bean Soup
2 - 15oz (or so) cans of black beans
1 - can of chicken broth (vegetable or beef work okay)
1/2 cup salsa - pick your favorite
1 Tbls. chile powder (more or less - adjust to taste)
3-4 Tbls. fresh cilantro OR 1-2 tsp. dried cilantro
Shredded chedder cheese
Sour cream (low-fat is okay, but not no-fat)

Empty the two cans of beans into a medium pot, and mush slightly with a spoon or potato masher. Add the broth, the salsa, the chile powder, and, if using dried cilantro, the cilantro. Bring to a boil. Take it off the heat and serve. If using fresh cilantro, add it after taking the soup off the boil.

Serve in a large bowl, sprinkle the cheese over the soup and add a dollop of sour cream.

This will be at least as good as any of the above mentioned options and takes about four minutes to make if you have a halfway decent stove and an electric can opener. Plus, all the ingrediants are relatively indestructable, so can be kept around for an emergency meal (even the sour cream will last several weeks - speaking of the sour cream, I can't caution enough not to use non-fat - it separates into whatever unnatural chemicals it's made of).

[Bad_Rich_Chic]

Originally posted by tmdiva
Edited to add that those who managed to get shop and home ec in middle school probably didn't do music or art. I had two electives in middle school, so I got cooking but not sewing, three semesters of choir, one of art, a couple of band, but no shop classes. And I really wanted one of those lucite toothbrush holders, dammit.

No - though I think Home Ec and Shop were both one-semester classes. I had both orchestra and choir every semester. And art for one year. (Theater was all extracurricular.) I didn't take any languages until HS, though - the price of two music classes a day.

edited to add: one semester each of shop and Home Econ were required, as was one semester of "health" class, where they told us not to smoke, not to get knocked up and not to be bulimic. One year of art and one year of music was mandatory, too, in some form or other.

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally posted by tmdiva
They're voluntarily switching out those bad ingredients? Would someone please let me know when they do that for Skippy peanut butter and Nabisco crackers? We're suffering from withdrawal here in the Diva/Companion household since giving up trans fats. It's just heartbreaking when Magnus looks up at me with those saucer blue eyes and says, "We need to get some Wheat Thins at the store."

We've also been cutting back on the simple carbs--well, the starches anyway, if not the straight sugars. Damned if I'm going to give up my premium ice cream--but that's not so bad because the carbs are balanced by lots of fat and some protein (I did, however, cut back to one scoop--about the size of a "serving"--per sitting). No more white rice (risotto as an occasional treat), potatoes, pasta, or white bread.

We've also been trying to get more and better protein--grass-fed organic beef, pork, chicken and lamb, wild salmon. I feel lots better, am very gradually losing weight, and I break out less.

The other day I made Rice Krispie treats for the first time in years (surplus marshmallows from a family reunion campout), and was amazed at how sluggish and blah I felt after eating them. There's a small amount of butter, but otherwise they're straight simple carbs.

I started eating real peanut butter a few months back and now I like it more than Jif/Skippy, etc. Try it. It takes a little getting used to and costs a bit more, but once you get to like it, Jif/Skippy seem gross/almost candy-like.

Salmons might be the wierdest fish available. It tastes fantastic raw and great smoked, but utterly awful cooked. I've tried every method of cooking salmon and found the only tolerable one to be poaching, but that's a pain in the ass...

S(so now I just eat close to a qaurter pound of it smoked every night, which is probably great for my skin and heart, but probably not good for my kidneys or blood pressure...)D

[evenodds]

Originally posted by taxwonk
If you are really a beginner at the cooking game, or if you are a decent cook who wants to know more about the science and technique of cooking, I recomend you buy "I'm Just Here for the Food," by Alton Brown.

I second this recommendation.

Also, check out his show on the Food Network. Whatever you cook, you can learn interesting tricks and techniques.

I find a lot of recipes from cooking light. It's not as scientific or elegant as cook's illustrated, but it provides wonderful recipes from many different cuisines (african, carribean, thai, indian, etc.). We rarely use the recipes without making major modifications to turn them from normal recipes into vegetarian recipes.

[Did you just call me Coltrane?]

Originally posted by ThurgreedMarshall
You're nuts. Eat some good stuff and some bad stuff and exercise. I should write a book, except it would only be that long.

TM

Yup, it's as simple as that. Or a little more precisely: Eat fruits. Eat vegetables. Don't eat shit out of a bag. Don't completely stuff yourself. Eat only one burrito as big as your head per week.

As far as exercising: hold off on the free weights if you're overweight. Lose the fat first with cardio stuff. Then tone up after.

On another note, does anyone know of any family-friendly (small children) dog breeds that also are security oriented (German Shephard)?

[greatwhitenorthchick]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
Salmons

(sorry, I know it's a typo). Just made me laugh and wanted to see it all on its own.

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally posted by baltassoc
I will share with the group the GREATEST RECIPE OF ALL TIME, at least as measured by taste/time ratio.

Black Bean Soup
2 - 15oz (or so) cans of black beans
1 - can of chicken broth (vegetable or beef work okay)
1/2 cup salsa - pick your favorite
1 Tbls. chile powder (more or less - adjust to taste)
3-4 Tbls. fresh cilantro OR 1-2 tsp. dried cilantro
Shredded chedder cheese
Sour cream (low-fat is okay, but not no-fat)

Empty the two cans of beans into a medium pot, and mush slightly with a spoon or potato masher. Add the broth, the salsa, the chile powder, and, if using dried cilantro, the cilantro. Bring to a boil. Take it off the heat and serve. If using fresh cilantro, add it after taking the soup off the boil.

Serve in a large bowl, sprinkle the cheese over the soup and add a dollop of sour cream.

Niiiice. Black beans might be the world's greatest underrated food. Next to really fresh and not-too-salty gazpacho, there's no soup better.

[Oliver_Wendell_Ramone]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
Salmons might be the wierdest fish available. It tastes fantastic raw and great smoked, but utterly awful cooked. I've tried every method of cooking salmon and found the only tolerable one to be poaching, but that's a pain in the ass...

I can't believe I'm getting into this conversation, but here goes. You're probably just overcooking it. Good salmon should be cooked medium rare. The center should be pretty damn close to sashimi. Thick filets work best.

I live in the NW. I cook a lot of salmon, and I do a pretty good job of it. If you like smoked salmon and sake, you'll like salmon cooked right.

[Bad_Rich_Chic]

Originally posted by Did you just call me Coltrane?
As far as exercising: hold off on the free weights if you're overweight. Lose the fat first with cardio stuff. Then tone up after.

But cardio improvement doesn't increase the rate at which you burn calories at rest - additional muscle bulk does that.

BR(mind, big muscles don't keep you from keeling over from a coronary)C

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally posted by greatwhitenorthchick
(sorry, I know it's a typo). Just made me laugh and wanted to see it all on its own.

Kind of like when you see a bunch of deers running through your yard.

[leagleaze]

Originally posted by Bad_Rich_Chic
No - though I think Home Ec and Shop were both one-semester classes. I had both orchestra and choir every semester. And art for one year. (Theater was all extracurricular.) I didn't take any languages until HS, though - the price of two music classes a day.

When I was in Junior high we just rotated through this whole series of things. Each one was several weeks and some we had twice, 7th and 8th grade. Lets see now.

Cooking and Sewing compromised home ec. The guys trying to cook was really very funny, they had no clue. We made biscuits which has to be about the easiest thing in the world to make, and most of them couldn't do it. For sewing we had to make a pillow the first year and then the second year we made marionettes(sp). I still have mine, it was a lion. We also had to write a play.

We also had shop, where I made a picture frame (the sort that holds 3 pictures) and a pencil holder. Gave the frame to my sister and still have the pencil holder.

We had computers in 8th grade. Remember those big old clunky apple IIes? Remember that lemonade game? Great fun.

I was in band and choir too, but it wasn't after school in Junior high. It didn't become an after school thing until high school.