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Newsletter, April 3, 2002 Welcome to your next issue of "The Eclectic Cooking Newsletter". You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a subscription. If you wish to unsubscribe, simply write "unsubscribe" in the subject heading. Lydia Jensen, Editor: Lydiajj@get2netdk Lars Jensen, Webmaster/Publisher: Lars@Eclecticcooking.com For this week's edition, you may visit: www.eclecticcooking.com/CookingRecipes.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- => Cook book review, In the Hands of a Chef, by Jody Adams => Article; Dinner Ideas by Chef Richard Lipton => New Recipes of the Week => Hot Tip => Fruit/vegetable in focus => Joke/Story of the Week => Next week's Issue => How to Be Featured as our Guest Writer => Subscribe/Unsubscribe information -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cook book review In the Hands of a Chef by Jody Adams and Ken Rivard -- How do great chefs make their food taste better? Is it the ingredients they use? Their cooking techniques and equipment? That's part of the answer. But the real secret is that truly great chefs follow their instincts -- the kitchens in their heads. Now, in her first cookbook, Jody Adams, the award-winning chef/co-owner of Boston's Rialto, teaches you how to follow your own instincts and make the transition from passionate eater to passionate cook. By teaching the basics of artisanal cooking, or making good food from scratch, she gives cooks a solid foundation for cooking like a chef. She tells readers what to look for when buying ingredients, what equipment is essential, and how a dish should look and taste while being prepared. Above all, Jody encourages readers to trust their instincts and follow them to create a cooking style that feels right, using recipes as the building blocks for their own creations. Find the lowest price on the internet for this book (or any other) at SmartShop.com. http://www.smartshop.com/cgi-bin/main.cgi?ssa=9305 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Article Dinner Ideas by Chef Richard Lipton Do you still have an abundance of cakes, cookies and confections in the house now that Easter is over? What can you possibly do to make these treats disappear faster without gaining 100 pounds in the process? The answer is simple -- eat dinner first. Making sure dinner is on the table is the best bet any of us have of making, avoiding that sweets are the first thing eaten as soon as you walk in the door from work. Having a set plan and sticking to it (the hardest part of all) will keep you happier and healthier for the rest of the year. But how to plan? Again, the answer is simple -- forethought. Before leaving for work or play, take something out of the freezer and defrost it in the fridge. This can even be done the night before, depending on the size of the meal you are preparing. After the meal, ration out desserts moderately so as not to overstuff anyone and keep the remaining treats in the freezer to prevent spoilage. The key to not gaining weight is "everything in moderation." Overeat any one item and you will gain weight, not to mention the fact that eating one item overall is unhealthy. While cream sauces sounds fattening, eating just enough in moderation will not cause a significant weight gain. This leads us to the final tip of the week. Don't eat anything after 8 p.m. Most of us are relaxing on the couch by 8 p.m. (unless you are a chef, also) and not exerting ourselves. Eating right before bedtime makes what we eat almost immediately turn to fat, as we are not burning the calories we just ate. Enjoy these dinner suggestions, keep a healthier lifestyle and, hopefully, we will all be able to enjoy prosperity. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Recipes/article of the Week Article: Dinner Ideas By Chef Richard Lipton Recipes: Angel Hair and Red Cabbage Veal Scallopine Florentine Snickerdoodles Oatmeal Crispies For this week's edition, you may visit: www.eclecticcooking.com/CookingRecipes.htm This week's recipes: http://www.eclecticcooking.com/whatnew.htm You may also submit your recipes or articles directly on to our site here: http://eclecticcooking.community.everyone.net ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Health) Cooking Tip You can experience both positive and negative stress. The positive stress affects the creative side of your nature and keeps you going, whereas negative stress can give you headaches and reduce your concentration. You can avoid negative stress: Decide what is important to you. Develop a routine with which you are happy. Think about when you need to rest and relax. Learn to say "no". You may need practice, but it is OK to use the word. Let others help you when they offer or when you need help. Go for a walk. This will help you relax and reduce the stress. Do not skip meals. Take time to eat. Do not forget to breathe. Take some deep breaths to help you relax. Some Health and Nutrition links: http://eclectic-healthy-cooking.subportal.com/health/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fruit/vegetable in focus Okra - Abelmoschus esculentus/Hibiscus esculentus. The Okra is a small vegetable that originates from Africa. It is now grown almost everywhere in the tropics. Okra consists of a rather "slimy" substance which can be used to thicken soups and ragouts. The Okra can be eaten raw or cooked and goes very well with onions, tomatoes, pepper, curry, oregano and lemon. It is used often in Creole meals, where it is cut up in pieces and used in soups, omelets and casseroles. Okra can last 2-3 days in paper bags in a refrigerator or 7-10 days in a cool place. 1-2 days at room temperature. Should be available all year round. From www.online-cooking-recipes.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jokes and Stories - Ratio of an igloo's circumference to its diameter...... Eskimo Pi 1000 pounds of Chinese soup...........Won ton 1 millionth of a mouthwash............1 microscope Weight an evangelist carries with God...........1 billigram Time it takes to sail 220 yards at 1 nautical mile per hour....... Knot-furlong 365 days of drinking low-calorie beer because it's less filling...... 1 lite year 1000 aches................1 megahurtz Basic unit of laryngitis.............1 hoarsepower Half of the large intestine..........1 semicolon ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next Week's Edition, April 10, 2002 Article: Food Additives By Bob Guinn Recipes: Peking Pork Fillet Pork Fillets with Sage Bock Choy Salad Grilled Vegetables Caramel Soufflé ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please feel free to pass along/email this newsletter to family or a friend. They are also welcome to subscribe at: update@Eclecticcooking.com If you are interested in the Members' Privileges program and want to know more about this offer please go here: http://www.eclecticcooking.com/EclecticCookingMembersPrivileges.htm Thank you. Recipes and articles can be Emailed to Lydia Jensen, editor: Lydiajj@get2net.dk or posted on our site under "community". We accept only text emails. All other emails are automatically deleted! No attachments please! What do you think of our newsletter? Do you have any comments about the article, recipes, jokes, etc.? (For advertising please contact, Lars@eclecticcooking.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2002 Eclectic Cooking --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Newsletter, May 1, 2002 Welcome to your next issue of "The Eclectic Cooking Newsletter". You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a subscription. If you wish to unsubscribe, simply reply and write "unsubscribe" in the subject heading. Lydia Jensen, Editor: Lydiajj@get2netdk Lars Jensen, Webmaster/Publisher: Lars@Eclecticcooking.com For this week's edition, you may visit: www.eclecticcooking.com/CookingRecipes.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- => Article; A Natural Diet: What is it? Dr. Clifford A. Adams => New Recipes of the Week => Hot Tip => NEW: Coffee Corner! => Fruit/vegetable in focus => Joke/Story of the Week => Next week's Issue => How to Be Featured as our Guest Writer => Subscribe/Unsubscribe information ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note from the Editor: Like most of you, I have read many articles about food, nutrition and balanced diets. I was, therefore, very pleased when Dr. Adams contacted me and sent me the following article. Although it is a little longer than some of our other articles, I think you will find it very interesting. Hopefully, it will clear up some of your questions about a balanced diet. I hope this articles will give you ³food for thought.² Let us know your thoughts and any suggestions you may have about nutrition and what you think a natural diet is or should be. --------------------------------------------- A Natural Diet: What is it? Dr. Clifford A. Adams In our modern world we are continually bombarded with dietary advice as to what is good and what is not good. In recent years there has been considerable emphasis on "natural foods" and "organic foods", all of which are supposedly better for you than conventional foods, whatever that is. We are told to reduce consumption of red meat, eggs, fat and salt, to eat more white meat, fish, fruits and vegetables, to drink modest amounts of red wine, and to eat lots of carbohydrates in pastas and cereals. Drinking tea or coffee may be good or bad for you depending on the latest results of some nutritional study somewhere. All this dietary information overload provoked the questions: What is a natural diet ? How can we define a natural diet ? First, we can look back into our evolutionary history and follow the progress of our diet over time. We, as modern humans, belong to the genus Homo sapiens which first emerged about 90,000 years ago. For about 80,000 years humans obtained food from hunting and gathering in the wild. Only in the last 10,000 years of this period has agriculture become the dominant way of providing food. A period of 10,000 years represents about 500 generations, and in this relatively short period in evolutionary time, there will only be minor genetic differences between modern man and hunter-gatherers. Consequently, if we are what we eat, then we are also what our ancestor hunter-gatherers ate. Our digestive physiology is still attuned, not to the food on the supermarket shelves, but to those items on the hunter-gatherer menu. So what did they eat ? Before the agricultural age, human hunter-gatherers depended on wild animals, fruits, vegetables and nuts. Curiously enough, in contrast to modern diets the hunter-gatherers consumed very little cereal grains. It seems that the diet of hunter-gatherers was 16-25% plant foods and 75-84% animal foods. Nevertheless, it would have been a very diverse diet and contained a good range of macronutrients, micronutrients and of nutricines (bioactive food components). Life as a hunter-gather, however, was probably not too much fun and it would have been difficult to ensure that adequate supplies of food were available at all times. Also, the hunter-gatherer life style is not suited to support large settled populations. Nevertheless, a diverse diet was undoubtedly a valuable strategy in times of uncertain food supply. Some other ideas on a natural diet may come from comparing our digestive physiology with that of other animal species on this planet that still have a natural diet. For example, true carnivores, such as the cats, have a simpler digestive system than humans, because animal products generally do not require prolonged digestion times. At the other end of the scale, plant-eaters, such as cattle and horses, consume a large amount of cellulose which is not easy to digest but which they must use as an energy source. Vegetarian animals have evolved specially enlarged parts of the digestive tract to digest this cellulose by fermentation. This is the function of the rumen in cattle and the caecum and colon in horses. The human gut, however, does not fit neatly into either of these two extreme categories, which reflects our omnivorous or diverse food habit. Humans also have some important nutritional requirements. For example, the omega fatty acids are important constituents of nervous tissue. Plant foods are poor in omega fatty acids, but they are quite common in animal fats and fish oils. An adequate supply of these fatty acids is particularly critical in the first five years of human life when brain growth and development is completed. Proteins of animal origin, by and large, are more easily digested by humans than are proteins of plant origin. These observations are strong evidence for an evolutionary adaptation to a meat-based diet for humans. On the other hand, the inability of humans to synthesise vitamin C is also evidence for the necessity of foods of plant origin. Leaves and fruits of wild plants are rich in vitamin C compared to foods of animal origin and so humans have probably adapted to a diet where vitamin C is supplied from plant foods. The development of agriculture meant that food could now be obtained in greater quantities in a more dependable fashion. However, this also brought an increased dependency upon cereal grains as a major source of food. Paradoxically, an increased dependence on cereal grains generally involves a decrease in the nutritional quality of the diet, since the major cereal grains are low or lacking in essential vitamins and minerals and have low protein quality. Consequently, people who rely on a cereal such as rice or maize as a major food source often suffer various problems of malnutrition. The widespread and reliable availability of food now allows us Homo sapiens to choose our food items, but we still have not adapted genetically much beyond the hunter-gatherer stage. This suggests that increasing the consumption of animal products, fruits, vegetables and nuts relative to cereal grains is probably quite in line with the dietary pattern to which we humans are genetically adapted. Perhaps, a natural diet is a goodly mixture of everything from soup to nuts including plenty of meat, vegetables, fruit and wine. Fortunately, this is a diet which I find quite natural. Dr. Adams has also written a book: NUTRICINES Food Components in Health and Nutrition. You may order your books through www.nup.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This week's edition, May 3, 2002 Article: A Natural Diet: What is it? Dr. Clifford A. Adams Recipes: Onion Tart Snacks Lemon Chicken Spicy Corn Panna Cotta with Apricot Coullis For this week's edition, you may visit: www.eclecticcooking.com/CookingRecipes.htm This week's recipes: http://www.eclecticcooking.com/whatnew.htm You may also submit your recipes directly on to our site here: http://eclecticcooking.community.everyone.net ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hot Tip Keep a small book with all your dinner parties, barbecues, or other entertainment notes. Write the date, the occasion, the people who came and the menu. Next to the items on the menu, write the recipe, page number and the cookbook you used. That way you can keep track of any special recipes or particularly good recipes you used and if guests have any special likes or dislikes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Coffee Corner One of the popular forms of serving coffee is in the Stempel Coffee Maker (Pressed Coffee Maker). American ground coffee is ideal for this type of coffee maker as the coffee must be coarsely ground. Stempel coffee is a fairly strong coffee but very tasty. A couple of favorites are hazelnut or chocolate almond coffees. To make stempel coffee, you need the special coffee maker and follow the recipe below: 1 Tbsp coarsely ground coffee per cup (4 oz or 125 ml cups) Place the coarsely ground coffee in the stempel coffee pot. In a separate pot bring water to a boil and pour it over the ground coffee in the stempel coffee maker. Place the stempel or press into the stempel coffee maker, let the coffee draw its strength for about 4 minutes, then push the stempel or press down until it reaches the bottom of the coffee maker. Let the coffee rest for a minute to let the grounds settle, then serve. Stempel coffee is quite an impressive way to make coffee and will not only entertain your guests but impress them as well. Don't know what a Pressed Coffee Maker? http://www.eclecticcooking.com/CoffeeCorner.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Health and Nutrition links: http://eclectic-healthy-cooking.subportal.com/health/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fruit/vegetable in focus The Mango is thought to have originated from the mountainous regions of Burma and the Himalayas. It is also known as the tropical peach and is round or oval shaped. The skin can be green yellow or red and has a soft yellow-orange meat. The Mango can be used in a variety of ways such as in first courses, desserts, main courses or plain. Because of it's strong taste is should be used with chicken or pork to enhance the meats flavor. If Mango is to be used in recipes, it should be peeled and cut in cubes. In India, it is the basic ingredient for traditional Chutney. Can last one week in a cool place or 2-3 days at room temperature. Should be available all year round. From www.online-cooking-recipes.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Joke/Story of the Week Milk production AN AMERICAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when the cow drops dead. A FRENCH CORPORATION: You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows. Next week Japanese and German milk production. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next Week's Issue, May 8, 2002 Article: What is it and why is it so good? Recipes: Zucchini Soup Yogurt Marinated Chicken Warm Goat Cheese Flambèd Bananas ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please feel free to pass along/email this newsletter to family or a friend. They are also welcome to subscribe at: update@Eclecticcooking.com If you are interested in the Members' Privileges program and want to know more about this feature please go here: http://www.eclecticcooking.com/EclecticCookingMembersPrivileges.htm Thank you. Recipes and articles can be Emailed to Lydia Jensen, editor: Lydiajj@get2net.dk or posted on our site under "community". We accept only text emails. All other emails are automatically deleted! No attachments please! What do you think of our newsletter? Do you have any comments about the article, recipes, jokes, etc.? (For advertising please contact, Lars@eclecticcooking.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2002 Eclectic Cooking --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Newsletter, April 10, 2002 Welcome to your next issue of "The Eclectic Cooking Newsletter". You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a subscription. If you wish to unsubscribe, simply reply and write "unsubscribe" in the subject heading. Lydia Jensen, Editor: Lydiajj@get2netdk Lars Jensen, Webmaster/Publisher: Lars@Eclecticcooking.com For this week's edition, you may visit: www.eclecticcooking.com/CookingRecipes.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- => Article; What is a food additive? By Bob Guinn => New Recipes of the Week => Hot Tip => Fruit/vegetable in focus => Joke/Story of the Week => Next week's Issue => How to Be Featured as our Guest Writer => Subscribe/Unsubscribe information ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Article What is a food additive? Bob Guinn In its broadest sense, a food additive is any substance added to food. The legal definition includes any substance used in the production, processing, treatment, packaging, transportation or storage of food. If a substance is added to a food for a specific purpose in that food, it is referred to as a direct additive. For example, the low-calorie sweetener aspartame, which is used in beverages, puddings, yogurt, chewing gum and other foods, is considered a direct additive. Many direct additives are identified on the ingredient label of foods. Indirect food additives are those that become part of the food in trace amounts due to its packaging, storage or other handling. For instance, minute amounts of packaging substances may find their way into foods during storage. In the U.S. food packaging manufacturers must prove to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that all materials coming in contact with food are safe, before they are permitted for use in such a manner. (Other countries also have regulations and regulatory agencies which are too numerous to list here.) Additives perform a variety of useful functions in foods that are often taken for granted. Since most people no longer live on farms, additives help keep food wholesome and appealing while en route to markets sometimes thousands of miles away from where it is grown or manufactured. Additives also improve the nutritional value of certain foods and can make them more appealing by improving their taste, texture, consistency or color. Some additives could be eliminated if we were willing to grow our own food, harvest and grind it, spend many hours cooking and canning, or accept increased risks of food spoilage. But most people today have come to rely on the many technological, aesthetic and convenience benefits that additives provide in food. Additives are used in foods for five main reasons: to maintain product consistency, to improve or maintain nutritional value, to maintain palatability and wholesomeness, to provide leavening or control acidity/alkalinity, and to enhance flavor or impart desired color. Many substances added to food may seem foreign when listed on the ingredient label, but are actually quite familiar. For example, ascorbic acid is another name for Vitamin C; alphatocopherol is another name for Vitamin E; and beta-carotene is a source of Vitamin A. Although there are no easy synonyms for all additives, it is helpful to remember that all food is made up of chemicals. Carbon, hydrogen and other chemical elements provide the basic building blocks for everything in life. Bob Guinn is Beaufort County Clemson Extension home economics and community development agent. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Recipes/article of the Week Article: What is a food additive? Bob Guinn Recipes: Peking Pork Fillet Bock Choy Salad Pork Fillet with Sage Grilled Vegetables Caramel Souffle For this week's edition, you may visit: www.eclecticcooking.com/CookingRecipes.htm This week's recipes: http://www.eclecticcooking.com/whatnew.htm You may also submit your recipes directly on to our site here: http://eclecticcooking.community.everyone.net ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cooking Tip: Fish If you want to try something different when fish is on the menu, there are a number of easy ways to enhance the flavor or create something new. Many different herbs, both dry and fresh, go very well with fish. Dry herbs such as paprika, cayenne pepper, curry, and masala are good with fish. You can put the herbs directly on top of the fish or cook it with the sauce or with some of the other accompaniments. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some Health and Nutrition links: http://eclectic-healthy-cooking.subportal.com/health/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fruit/vegetable in focus Apricot - Prunus armeciaca The apricot originally cames from central Asia, where it can still be found growing in the wild. Now, they are mostly grown in Southern Europe and America. The light yellow or orange stone fruit has a juicy and lively taste. Apricots are eaten raw in fruit tarts, stewed fruit and other desserts. Apricots are also excellent for making marmalades. When served, Apricots are washed and cut in half which makes it easier to remove the stone in the center. Apricots can last 3-5 days in the refrigerator. At room temperature they last 1-2 days. The fruit is available from April to September. From www.online-cooking-recipes.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jokes and Stories - The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans. On the other hand, the French eat a lot of fat and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans The Japanese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans. The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans. Conclusion: Eat and drink what you like. It's speaking English that that is the problem. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next Week's Edition, April 17, 2002 Article: Olive Oil By Yael Zisling Recipes: Leg of Lamb with Olive Sauce Eggplant Salad Green Salad with Pomegranates and Fig Dressing Homemade Marzipan Stuffed Dates ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please feel free to pass along/email this newsletter to family or a friend. They are also welcome to subscribe at: update@Eclecticcooking.com If you are interested in the Members' Privileges program and want to know more about this offer please go here: http://www.eclecticcooking.com/EclecticCookingMembersPrivileges.htm Thank you. Recipes and articles can be Emailed to Lydia Jensen, editor: Lydiajj@get2net.dk or posted on our site under "community". We accept only text emails. All other emails are automatically deleted! No attachments please! What do you think of our newsletter? Do you have any comments about the article, recipes, jokes, etc.? (For advertising please contact, Lars@eclecticcooking.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2002 Eclectic Cooking --------------------------------------------------------------------------------