"quick" news and stories

Food poisioning usually means a few hours of gut-wrenching unpleasantness, but what if the consequences are more dire? A recent dealth in France has people wondering: Should the law step in?

When French teenager Benjamin Orset died from food poisoning in January, the cause was traced to a meal he'd eaten the day before his death at a Quick burger joint in Avignon, reports UPI. Now the manager of that restaurant faces not only accusations that hygiene standards were ignored, but charges of involuntary homicide.

Last Christmas, my mom decided that she wanted to make a batch of scones on Christmas morning. She looked through her cookbooks and scoured the internet, finally settling on a Cranberry-Orange scone recipe (I believe she got it off the internet, but I don't know the source). That morning, she quickly stirred up the batter in order to get it in the oven before the turkey needed to go in. When it came out, there was a line of people waiting for the scones, as they had filled the house with a hypnotically good smell.

This is the perfect recipe for a busy morning, because as long as you have buttermilk (you can also fake buttermilk by stirring a tablespoon of lemon juice into a cup of milk) on hand, all the other ingredients are fairly ordinary. You can even mix all the dry ingredients together the night before you want to bake them to hurry things along in the morning.

I love chicken soup, especially tasty, low fat versions full of tons of different vegetables. I make big batches and freeze it in one or two portion containers for easy use during the week. Originally I put it into Tupperware, but they were expensive and actually didn't last too long under my use. Or is it abuse? Then I switched to zip lock baggies, but you had to defrost them first, pour into a bowl or pot, then reheat the soup. Ever since the disposable, reusable plastic containers came out, I use them instead. They go to fridge, freezer, and back again. I can pop them in the microwave, and then into the dishwasher, and they go through multiple uses before wearing out.

Skinless, boneless, chicken thighs have become my poultry part of choice, and I keep several pounds in my freezer handy for quick dinners. I separate the individual thighs, remove excess fat (I freeze that separately for later use), and place them on a plastic covered baking tray in the freezer, so they freeze individually. Then I put them in large freezer zip lock baggies for storage. I slice them when they are fully or partially frozen, and if you are careful, they are actually easier to slice than when unfrozen, and you get uniform pieces which look good and cook more evenly.

Here's my relatively quick recipe for a very low fat, chicken vegetable soup. I use only dark meat for the most flavor (I loathe the flavorless chicken breast), and boneless for ease in preparation and consumption. I also use a combination of fresh and frozen produce, depending upon the season and what's available.

Much more attention gets paid to Rachael Ray and Paul Deen, but Ina Garten is another Food Network favorite that also has a new cookbook out. The Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over and Over Again is her compilation of recipes that are short, easy are perfect when you want something tasty but don't really want to cook something elaborate. It's the Hamptons take on the same old theme of quick-fix meals, with some menu suggestions and grocery shopping tops thrown in. As always, Ina pays special attention to getting the best ingredients you can, which would certainly improve the quality of any quick-fix meal, though it doesn't make them quite as easy on the budget as some.

The important thing to consider about this particular book is whether you like Ina Garten or not. Her demeanor carries from the screen onto each page so if you are rubbed the wrong way, as a number of people are, by her on-screen personality, you might not enjoy the book quite as much. But if you like her upscale-casual manner, very generous use of butter and cream and the ever-present consideration for others that Ina always has, you'll probably enjoy it, from the Easy Cheese Danishes to Avocado BLTs and Chicken Pot Pie.

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Quick and easy cooking sometimes gets bad-mouthed by those who prefer their dinners to be slow-cooked and as authentic as possible. I won't rehash the quick aspect of the book, but in this case, the fact that the recipes are easy is a major selling point. Vietnamese food is not nearly as well known as other Asian cuisines are and rather than launching into what might be a complex and expensive task of producing completely authentic Vietnamese at home, it's a good idea to at least familiarize yourself with some of the flavors and dishes that are popular.

Quick & Easy Vietnamese: 75 Everyday Recipes presents this unique cuisine in a very accessible way, much as its counterpart does with Thai food. The recipes are easy to read and most are accompanied by tempting photos, all of which will make you realize who Vietnamese food is popular even before you taste it. Many of the more exotic ingredients called for, such as lemongrass in the Lemongrass Shrimp, will probably be available at your local grocery or specialty market, but the book also has a list of mail-order resources in the back that should help you find anything that your grocer doesn't carry.

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