Gather 'round, men, for the spicy food cook-off. You don't
want to miss this one; it could save your life.
Capsaicin, the chemical in hot peppers (particularly
cayenne and habenero) that makes them hot, literally stops prostate
cancer cells in their tracks. Really. They actually commit suicide (apoptosis), leading to an eighty percent
reduction in the size of the tumors compared with the mice spared from the hot stuff.
This is great news,
but not really a surprise that the cancer cells commit suicide when exposed to the capsaicin. After all, haven't there
been times you've wanted to kill yourself when eating those nuclear-hot buffalo wings or that seven-alarm chili? Makes
perfect sense to me.
It has happened to all of us at one time or another. You needed to buy fresh
cilantro (or as some call it, coriander) for one recipe, that called for a tablespoon or so, and now you have this
giant bunch of cilantro rotting in your fridge. How can you let such a special herb go to waste? Here are eight fun
things we do with our leftover cilantro.
1. Add to homemade ginger lime salad dressing -- just lime juice,
cider vinegar, ginger, olive oil, a splash of sesame oil and fresh cilantro, all to taste.
2. Blend into
hummus, either homemade or store-bought, with a bit of cumin. Voila -- instant clash of the ethnic flavors, but all in
good fun.
3. Slow cook eggplant, chick peas, garlic and onions in a can or two of diced tomatoes, with
cumin, coriander and cinnamon. Sprinkle on cilantro and crispy onions and garlic before serving.
If the media hasn't overdosed you with enough holiday spirit this year, maybe you'll get your
fill at a fast food restaurant.
Heinz has released a limited edition set of holiday
ketchup packets sure to set your holiday spirits soaring. Or at least to inspire some collectors. Or burger lovers.
Or Santa Claus. Someone will appreciate them, I am sure.
I hesitated to even
write this post up for Slashfood, as I am not sure that Cheetos qualify as food, but I digress . . .
Yep, there is
now a Cheetos lip balm. For those of you who can't get enough of that lip-smackin' orange cheesy taste, you can now
wear it on your lips 'round the clock. What's next, Doritos lip balm (with Cool Ranch flavor)? Can someone please tell
me what would posses someone to want to rub some of this on their lips?
Ah, memory lane. Remember those Tab Cola commercials? Tab, you're
beautiful to me.
Well, nostalgia, step aside and make room for the new and improved Tab
Cola, complete with a new recipe, boasting extra caffeine. The reinvented
cult classic comes in a retro extra-slim can to make it attractive to
young women.
What's next? Doublemint Gum with a little extra punch of green tea? Or
maybe they'll just sell it in a Mork and Mindy lunchbox.
Now I have seen it all. I have heard of growing your own 'shrooms, but apparently the hippies of
yesteryear have gone gourmet. Here is a shitake mushroom log that will
produce mushrooms for years, every eight to twelve weeks. The pros? How about delicious shitake mushrooms at your fingertips,
whenever you have the urge to throw them into pasta, decorate a pizza
with them or make some kind of amazing spring roll ala Ming Tsai.
The cons? If you have the slightly browned thumb as opposed to the green
thumb needed to care for this log, you won't end up with many mushrooms.
I also wonder if it would yield enough to really use them for cooking.
All in all, a pretty fun idea for the gourmet who has it all.
Back in July, I posted a small round-up
of my own on wheat-gluten free pizza doughs. If you're not up to trying
the non-wheat variety, you're sort-of missing out when it comes to
grilling. I've had better luck using gluten-free dough on my grill than
the standard pizza dough, as it shrinks less, retains more of that
grill smoky flavor, and has the perfect crunch.
Here's a little known fact for you. "Cavendish" is the name of the variety of banana you most often see on the shelves of your supermarket, but that wasn't always the case. Up until a fungus called "Panama disease" struck banana producing countries in the 1960's, the "Gros Michel" was the common variety. The disease wiped out almost all harvests of the Gros Michel variety, causing a scramble for a replacement, the Cavendish. Now a new Panama disease-like fungus is seriously threatening the Cavendish, possibly causing us to see another replacement in the future. Popular Science has a lengthy article up on the possible extinction of what Chiquita says is "quite possibly the world's perfect food."
As a Bostonian, I have certainly taken advantage of the multitudes of
amazing restaurants in my fine city and surrounding 'burbs. But with a
nine month old baby, my wife and I don't eat out like we used to, unless
it is take out at a local restaurant or sushi bar.
Occasionally, I like to drool at bostonchefs.com. Not only are the
restaurants and chefs listed, but the menus are all online along with
photos of the culinary creations. Tonight, I think I'll have some of the
Yellowfin Tuna Trio from No. 9 Park to start,
followed by the Grilled Lamb and Apricot Skewer from Casablanca. For
dessert, it will have to be the Chocolate Bliss for Two from Finale. I sure hope
my wife is free for dinner. If you haven't noticed, one of the perks of
eating out on the internet is that you can vicariously indulge in
different courses from different restaurants. Yum.
Incidentally, they have sites for many major cities. When my wife and I
traveled to Chicago a few years ago, we used the site to find
restaurants in the windy city, and we didn't have a bad meal the entire
trip.
What is it these days with wasabi-ing everything? I was in Trader Joes the other day, and there are bags of wasabi coated things I'd never thought of. Wasabi pretzels. Wasabi chips. Wasabi peas! Just when I thought it couldn't get stranger, here comes Hoops Donuts which has, among other strange flavors, wasabi donuts (though they are not listed on their website, as far as I can tell). Unfortunately they're only located in the Philippines right now. Wait a minute... they have coffee dipped donuts?! I'm making a Homer Simpson yummy sound right about now.
Don't you just love having your own garden? The tomatoes somehow taste
that much sweeter when they are grown with your own hand. And that's a
good thing, because if you have a good healthy garden this year like I
do, you'll be eating a lot of them.
Around our house, we have gotten creative with the tomatoes lately. We
really don't even feel like we are eating tomatoes every night because
we have prepared them so differently. Here is what we did tonight for
dinner.
As
I've said before, my wife and son both have food allergies that
force us to be creative with our meals. The grilled cheese assignment
was definitely one I had to think about for a while, as they're cow
dairy and wheat intolerant. Originally I thought I'd make a simple
Ezekiel bread grilled goat cheese, but no, I wanted more. Behold, the
wheat flour-free, cow dairy-free, Breakfast Cinnamon-Raisin Apple
Grilled Goat Cheese.
We know you've been waiting for it: How to turn a pineapple upside down
cake into a nearly guilt-free dessert and still have it taste good with
a few simple substitutions. Our Blond Brownie recipe was a hit, so now sink your teeth into this revamped cake recipe.
If you are allergic to eggs but love food, you've got a predicament. Baked
goods, custards, quiches, all rely on eggs to make them delicious.
Got a hankerin' for a sweet chocolate treat? Veganmania has a list of
egg substitutes that are good enough to eat. When we made brownies
using a banana and applesauce in place of eggs, even the non-alternative
eating crowd in my wife's family went back for seconds and thirds. Who
doesn't love a good brownie, even with no eggs?
We also tried pancakes with the suggestion of ground flax seeds simmered
in water and they were actually wonderful. The addition of sunflower seeds, fresh blueberries and flavorful
grade B maple syrup didn't hurt, either.
So you're looking to cut back on your caloric intake. First you stopped drinking sugary sodas, then went to diet sodas, but that wasn't good enough. So you replaced sodas with fruit juices, then fruit juices with water. Still not good enough for you? Enter Skinny Water, a "Super CitriMax" water that supposedly helps suppress
the body's appetite, increase metabolism, and block carbohydrate
absorption if drank 30-60 minutes before each meal. For those looking to put on some extra weight, I hear "Fat Water" will be available at convenience stores next year.
Gather 'round, men, for the spicy food cook-off. You don't
want to miss this one; it could save your life. 
It has happened to all of us at one time or another. You needed to buy fresh
cilantro (or as some call it, coriander) for one recipe, that called for a tablespoon or so, and now you have this
giant bunch of cilantro rotting in your fridge. How can you let such a special herb go to waste? Here are eight fun
things we do with our leftover cilantro. 
If the media hasn't overdosed you with enough holiday spirit this year, maybe you'll get your
fill at a fast food restaurant. 
I hesitated to even
write this post up for Slashfood, as I am not sure that Cheetos qualify as food, but I digress . . .
Ah, memory lane. Remember those Tab Cola commercials? Tab, you're
beautiful to me.
Well, nostalgia, step aside and make room for the new and improved 
Now I have seen it all. I have heard of growing your own 
Don't you just love having your own garden? The tomatoes somehow taste
that much sweeter when they are grown with your own hand. And that's a
good thing, because if you have a good healthy garden this year like I
do, you'll be eating a lot of them.
We know you've been waiting for it: How to turn a pineapple upside down
cake into a nearly guilt-free dessert and still have it taste good with
a few simple substitutions. Our 
If you are allergic to eggs but love food, you've got a predicament. Baked
goods, custards, quiches, all rely on eggs to make them delicious.
May is National BBQ Month and National Hamburger Month
Cupcakes, not for dessert (unless beef is your idea of a treat)
Because eating French Fries in the car is so tough
