Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 370

SF Giants promote top prospect Bryce Eldridge to Double-A

Bryce Eldridge’s insane first full season of pro ball is taking another step in the right direction.

Eldridge, the 19-year-old first baseman, is getting promoted to Double-A, this news organization confirmed. Roger Munter of ThereRGiants.com was the first to report the news.

The Giants selected Eldridge in the first round of the 2023 amateur draft and he has since become San Francisco’s No. 1 overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline.

Eldridge began the year at Low-A San Jose before graduating to the High-A Eugene Emeralds and now jumping to Double-A Richmond for the last couple weeks of their season. Starting next season with the Richmond Flying Squirrels would put Eldridge on track to make his big-league debut in 2025 — as long as he continues to produce from the plate like he has.

In 99 games this year across the two levels, Eldridge has hit 22 home runs while posting a batting average of .296 and an OPS of .923. The 6-foot-7 slugger performed even better with the Emeralds than he did in Low-A.

Eldridge played 48 games for Eugene, slashing .335/.442/.619 with 11 doubles, 12 home runs and 41 RBI. He went deep five times in his last six games and finished with a 1.060 OPS. Originally drafted as a possible two-way player, Eldridge has focused solely on playing first base and designated hitter this season.

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According to Baseball America, Eldridge’s wRC+ ranks third among 19-year-olds at that particular level since 2006. Eldridge was named the Northwest League Player of the Week in what is poised to be his last week in High-A ever.

The Flying Squirrels have 12 games remaining on their schedule and aren’t expected to make the postseason. Even if Eldridge won’t be able to prove much either way in such limited time, promoting him to Double-A is a strong reward for his success. At the Futures Game this summer, Eldridge said his goal was to reach Double-A by the end of the year.

Eldridge is just 19, but teenagers and young early-twenties prospects have been making an impact in MLB with more regularity. Jackson Holiday and Jackson Chouriho are 20, while Jackson Merrill is 21 and Paul Skenes is 22.

The Giants have been searching for a star for years. They might just have one in their farm system.

New Stanford hydrogel to reduce damage of California wildfires

Imagine this: Under an orange ash-filled sky, intensely hot wildfire flames engulf a freshly evacuated wooden farmhouse. The inferno swallows trees, bushes and wildlife, spreading quickly across the horizon.

Hours later, the house remains unscathed — just covered with patches of jelly-like foam.

A group of California researchers hope to make this scene the future of wildfire containment. Scientists at Stanford and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo have developed a long-lasting, water-enhancing gel that could be sprayed on critical structures — homes, bridges and roads — to prevent them from burning during wildfires.

The research, published earlier this month in Advanced Materials, comes as California and the Western United States see increasing wildfire risk due to rising temperatures and dry weather caused in part by climate change. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the state’s main firefighting agency, estimated that 834,766 acres have burned statewide so far this year. Much of this acreage comes from the over 5,500 wildland fires and almost 3,000 structure fires that have burned in the state this year, according to Cal Fire.

This year’s Park Fire — the state’s fourth largest wildfire — has burned more than 429,000 acres in Lassen National Forest and nearby counties since it started July 24. Cal Fire estimates that its crews have reached 92% containment, but not without flames destroying over 700 residential and commercial structures and damaging 54.

The researchers’ trials show that the new gel is more effective and lasts longer than its commercially available predecessors. In the lab’s experiments, the new gel lasted seven minutes under a blowtorch — a temperature much higher than most wildfires — while commercially available options lasted about 90 seconds.

Cal Fire currently uses Phos-Chek MVP-Fx and Phos-Chek 259-F, both long-term fire retardants approved by the U.S. Forest Service, said Chris Jurasek, division chief of tactical air operations at Cal Fire.

Researchers hope their new creation can enhance existing firefighting efforts.

Wildfire crews apply fire retardants on grassy areas to prevent fire from catching, Jurasek explained. On the other hand, fire suppressants — like water, foam and chemicals —- are used to put out fires that have already broken out.

Typical fire retardants contain water, salts and other chemical polymers. According to Jurasek, wildfire heat kicks off a chain of chemical reactions in the retardant that hold off the flames. He added that the retardant remains somewhat effective even when the water fully evaporates.

The researchers’ new gel adds an innovative layer of protection — silica particles. After water in the gel evaporates, these silica particles form a white, foam-like barrier that continues to protect the structures it is applied on, according to the research paper’s lead author, Changxin “Lyla” Dong, a second-year Ph.D. candidate at Stanford.

The lab came across the development while playing around with other versions of the gel intended for vegetation. The researchers “smushed” some of the gel on a piece of wood, exposed it to fire and were surprised when the gels puffed up into a foam, said Eric Appel, professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford, in a Stanford report.

“The real scenario for a commercial water-enhancing gel is when the wildfire approaches, you spray them on the house,” Dong explained. “When the wildfire crosses that structure, it can leave the house intact.”

Right now, Cal Fire mainly applies fire retardant to vegetation and not structures, Jurasek said. The difficulty of applying fire retardant to structures does not result from the material’s ineffectiveness, but rather the gutters, roofing and other aspects of buildings that make it challenging to apply fire retardant evenly. Also, “it’s hard to apply to every single structure that’s out there,” Jurasek said.

Dong said the lab redesigned the new gel to be viscous — or runny — enough to be sprayed through traditional fire retardant hoses.

The lab hopes to commercialize and broadcast the new gel in the coming years. The U.S. Forest Service has already approved components of the gel, which are largely nontoxic and can be made “in the kitchen with a kid,” Dong said.

“There is no trade secret in our formulation,” Dong said. “We would want this novel mechanism to be an inspiration that we can use simple ideas to change these kinds of bigger problems.”

Gray wolf population growing fast in California — up sixfold in the past five years

One hundred years ago, in the summer of 1924, a government hunter named Frank Koehler set 21 traps near the remote town of Litchfield, in Lassen County about 75 miles north of Lake Tahoe, to catch a coyote that had killed a local farmer’s turkeys.

When he returned a few days later, one of the traps was missing. Koehler tracked large paw prints for 5 miles in the rain, thinking he had a mountain lion. Revolver drawn, he headed into a rocky canyon and heard a growl. There, he saw the last known gray wolf in California, an aging, injured animal cornered between two boulders. He fired two shots, killing it.

Now a century later, the comeback of the gray wolf is gaining momentum.

“It’s a redemption story. It’s a renewal story. It’s inspiring,” said Amaroq Weiss, a senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit environmental group. “It has shown that California is wolf country.”

The first wolf returned to the state after an 87-year absence in 2011, when a young male walked across the border from Oregon. By 2015, the first new wolf pack had re-established, in Siskiyou County. By 2019, there were seven gray wolves in California. Now there are 44 — a sixfold increase over the past five years, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Wolves are now found in nine of California’s 58 counties, in seven packs from the Oregon border to the mountains around Lake Tahoe, and in the Southern Sierra near Bakersfield. State biologists estimate that California north of Interstate 80 could support between 371 and 497 wolves, based on populations around the Rocky Mountains and Great Lakes.

In 2021, one wandered across the state, his radio collar showing a 1,000-mile journey through San Benito, Monterey, San Luis Obispo and other counties before he was killed by a car near Interstate 5 in Kern County. If California follows the patterns of Washington and Oregon, there could be 100 or more wolves in the state in the next few years.

Environmentalists call the recovery a breathtaking success, similar to the comeback of other species once near extinction, like the California condor. They note that wolves once roamed across California and the American West, until ranchers and settlers in the 1800s and early 1900s shot, poisoned and trapped them.

But ranchers and rural political leaders are alarmed.

They note wolves can eat calves and other livestock, like sheep, harming their livelihoods.

“One of them killed a calf a quarter mile from our house,” said Rick Roberti, a fourth-generation cattle rancher in Plumas County. “It’s adding a lot of stress. Wolves chase the cattle. They stress them out. It gets frantic. They will run them for miles. The cattle stampede through fences.”

In other Western states with larger wolf populations, the issue has sparked fierce political battles and lawsuits.

In Wyoming, state laws allow property owners to shoot wolves on sight. They are hunted in Idaho and Montana, with hundreds killed every year. In Oregon and Washington, there are more protections, but wolves can be shot if they are attacking livestock.

California has the most far-reaching laws.

Wolves are protected under the state and federal Endangered Species Act in California. They can only be killed if they are threatening a human. Unlike with mountain lions, black bears or bobcats, property owners cannot get a depredation permit from the state to kill them to protect livestock.

“The wolf is going to spread throughout California,” Roberti said. “There’s nothing to stop it. They are going to move, and I think it’s going to be a crisis. We’re not set up for it.”

Wolf OR-85 in 2023. Biologists and environmental groups have been celebrating the slow and steady return of wolves, with the number of wolves in California having increased six-fold over the past five years. But ranchers and many rural leaders are alarmed. (Photo by CDFW)

“I can understand why people in urban areas think it’s a good thing,” he added. “They think it’s a sign of a healthy habitat. But there’s got to be a balance so it doesn’t get out of control.”

Environmental groups note that far more livestock die from diseases, injuries and other animals, like domestic dogs, than wolves. So far this year statewide, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, 16 calves have been confirmed to be killed by wolves, two potentially killed, and one lamb killed. Last year, 36 livestock were killed.

That’s a tiny fraction of the 670,000 beef cattle on 11,000 ranches in the state, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“Wolves killing cattle can impact individual livestock producers,” said Pamela Flick, California program director for Defenders of Wildlife, an environmental group. “But when you look at it in total, it’s a very, very small fraction of all the cattle out on our landscape in California.”

Ranchers say many wolf kills happen in remote areas and are never reported. They say cattle exposed to wolves don’t reproduce as well, and that wolves are the latest in a series of predators, including mountain lions, bobcats and bears, that California’s environmental laws have helped grow in number against the ranchers’ wishes.

A management plan published in 2016 by the state fish and wildlife department doesn’t set a limit for when wolf protections could be relaxed as their numbers increase. It does say that after there are four breeding pairs that produce healthy pups for two years in a row, the rules could change, and after eight breeding pairs, they could be further relaxed.

Steve Arnold, president of the California Cattlemen’s Association, said at a meeting of the state Board of Agriculture on Aug. 6 that as soon as those thresholds are reached, he plans to sue the state to force looser rules.

“We’re going to go after this for all we can,” he said.

Attacks on people by wolves are very rare. In the past 100 years, there have only been two documented cases of a person being killed by wolves in the wild — one a woman jogging in 2010 near Chignik Lake, Alaska, and the other, a male hiker who was killed in 2005 in Saskatchewan, Canada.

In 2021, state lawmakers approved spending $3 million to compensate ranchers for livestock lost to wolves, and to help them pay for strobe lights, fencing, guard dogs and other nonlethal wolf deterrents. That money ran out in March. In June, Gov. Gavin Newsom put $600,000 in the current budget to continue the program.

“We’re kind of at that point where we’re seeing the population accelerate,” said Dan Macon, an advisor at the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources office in Auburn. “It’s still rare to see one, but they are becoming more common.”

Adult gray wolf drinking from water guzzler in Lassen National Forest, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2018. Biologists and environmental groups have been celebrating the slow and steady return of wolves, with the number of wolves in California having increased six-fold over the past five years. But ranchers and many rural leaders are alarmed. (Photo by T. Rickman, USFS)

Clipboard: Camacho set for final collegiate cross country season at Azusa Pacific

After coming within a stride of breaking the Azusa Pacific University school record in the 800 meters last year in track and field, Sofia Camacho is very much motivated this fall in cross-country.

A former Hartnell College All-American in both sports, Camacho earned All-PacWest first-team honors last season in cross-country, finishing seventh at the conference finals.

Camacho comes into her senior season having run 21 minutes 28.2 seconds over 6k (3.72 miles), gaining NCAA Division II All-West Region honors for the Cougars.

Camacho tore up the track last spring at Azusa Pacific, running 2:07.80 in the 800, just off the school mark of 2:07.31 to qualify for the NCAA Division II nationals.

The former North Salinas High distance ace also earned all-time Top 10 marks in her first season at Azusa Pacific in the 1,500 (4:26.13) and 5,000 (17:00.63).

Camacho was a state champion in the 800 at Hartnell and a state runner-up in the 1,500 in 2023. She won five Coast Conference titles in track and earned All-American honors twice in cross country.

A teammate of Camacho’s on the men’s side in cross-country this fall will be Carmel alum Aiden Tarantino, who redshirted last season at Azusa Pacific.

Soledad’s Sanchez at CSUMB

Having logged over 4,600 minutes in his first three seasons, Alexis Sanchez will begin his senior season for the Cal State Monterey Bay men’s soccer team this fall.

The Soledad graduate was a second-team all-California Collegiate Athletic Association selection last fall for the Otters, logging a team-high 1,762 minutes.

The defender started all 20 matches for the Otters, scoring a goal and assisting on four. His lone goal was a game-winning shot against San Francisco State.

Sanchez played every minute of 15 matches in 2022 when he produced the ninth most minutes in school history with 1,602 – eclipsed last season.

The Midfielder of the Year in the old Mission Trail Athletic League in 2018 as a junior, Sanchez helped Soledad reach the Central Coast Section Open Division semifinals in 2019.

A teammate of Sanchez’s is former Monterey High standout Erik Cabrera, who started eight matches at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2022 before transferring to CSUMB.

Former Hartnell College pair running in Kansas

Daniel Pantoja and Daniel Correa will look to crack the top five this fall in cross-country for the University of St. Mary’s in Kansas.

The two incoming seniors were part of the program last fall that finished second in the nation at the NAIA cross-country finals.

Pantoja, who prepped at Greenfield, put together a solid track and field season last spring at St. Mary’s, winning the conference 3,000-meter steeplechase title (9:23.23).

A two-time all-conference selection in cross-country at Hartnell College, Pantoja also raced to a seventh-place finish in the 5,000 (17:17.19) at last spring’s conference finals for St. Mary’s.

Correa, a former King City High distance ace, helped St. Mary’s to a conference track and field team title after placing seventh in the 10,000 (32:59.18).

Huihui-Martinez cleared for final season

A season-ending injury kept Aaliyah Huihui-Martinez from seeing the volleyball court last fall for St. Michael’s College.

Cleared to resume her career, the Notre Dame High grad will return for her senior season as the team’s libero/defensive specialist.

In her first two seasons for St. Michael’s, which is based in Vermont, Huihui-Martinez compiled 258 digs, averaging 2.38 digs each set. She has also collected 60 assists and 27 service aces during her collegiate career.

Huihui-Martinez was a two-time member of The Herald’s All-County volleyball team at Notre Dame, recording 837 digs, 145 kills and 51 aces in 44 career matches.

A multi-sport athlete at Notre Dame, Huihui-Martinez’s mother played volleyball at the University of Hawaii.

Seaside’s Finest

Seaside’s Finest is holding fall basketball workouts for boys and girls Mondays and Wednesdays at Monterey Peninsula College. The program is designed to prepare athletes for the upcoming basketball season. Speed and strength workouts will also be offered. Contact Jason Hieb at (831) 915-5362 or http://seasidesfinest.leagueapps.com

Coaches needed

Marina is looking for a varsity boys volleyball coach and a varsity baseball coach. Go to www.edjoin.org/MPUSD.

Soledad is looking for a boys and girls wrestling coach. Contact athletic director Nick Twitchell at aztecathletics@soledad.k.12.ca

Officials needed

Peninsula Sports Incorporate is looking for high school and middle school officials for all sports this season. Varsity officials are paid $100 a game.

There is an immediate need for officials in the fall for football, flag football, volleyball, water polo and field hockey. Training is provided. Call Tom Emery at (831) 241-1101.

Sports officials

NorCal Sports Officials is looking for officials for the 2024 season and beyond. NCSO has been providing officials for youth and adult sports leagues and tournaments since 2014. NCSO currently has 17 youth and adult leagues on the Monterey Peninsula.

Training and some equipment/apparel provided. For more information contact Greg Omoto at: norcalsportsofficials@gmail.com or visit the website: www.norcalsportsofficials.com or call (831) 236-7187.

The best men’s cardigan sweaters to enhance your wardrobe

Which men’s cardigan sweater is best?

Cardigans are some of the most versatile sweaters in a man’s wardrobe. Capable of being worn year-round and in just about any social setting, cardigans reflect a person’s style and fashion sense. Additionally, they can complement just about any outfit when paired correctly. You can layer one with a sports jacket, wear it over a T-shirt or a dress shirt and even match it with the right suit.

Our top pick, Kallspin Men’s Cashmere Wool Blended Cardigan Sweater, comes in several colors and is great for any occasion.

What to know before you buy a men’s cardiganStyle

Cardigans come in several styles. There are heavy-knit or cable-knit cardigans, which are perfect for colder weather and can be worn over any shirt. Belted cardigans switch out buttons for a sash. Summer cardigans are thinner than other cardigans but work well in the warmer summer months and are great for layering.

Fabric

The kind of fabric a cardigan is made of often is dependent on the style of the cardigan. For example, cable-knit cardigans are constructed from thicker material, giving them their signature thick looks. On the other hand, lighter cardigans may be constructed with a polyester blend or even cashmere, giving them much thinner but softer feelings.

Season flexibility

Certain cardigans are made with specific seasons in mind. Thicker cardigans, such as shawl-collar cardigans, are great for the fall and winter months because of their heavier construction. The collar acts as another layer of protection against harsh winter winds. Lighter summer cardigans are incredibly thin, making them lovely for wearing even in the heat of the summer.

What to look for in a quality men’s cardiganTexture

The texture of a cardigan depends on the type of cardigan it is. Fabric always feels durable with quality cardigans, even in the lightest of summer cardigans. If you’re looking for a softer texture of cardigan, cashmere and polyester cardigans are softer than other thicker cardigans such as cable-knit ones.

Wardrobe

Although a cardigan looks good with just about any outfit, finding outfits that pair nicely with a cardigan will bring your wardrobe to the next level. Depending on the cardigan type, you can pair it with jeans or slacks, T-shirts or button-ups. Finding a cardigan that is right for you greatly depends on the kinds of outfits you enjoy wearing.

Extra features

Extra features are things like pockets, varying button styles and extra lining, usually around the neck. Some cardigans come with pockets, while others do not. Heavier cardigans tend to have larger buttons to match their cable-knit styles. Additionally, thicker cardigans occasionally come with lapels to add variety to their look.

How much you can expect to spend on a men’s cardigan

The average cardigan costs between $15-$30 and usually is made of thinner polyester or cotton. These cardigans often make great year-round sweaters because of how versatile they are in a person’s wardrobe. Midrange cardigans cost between $30-$50 and come in a wider variety of styles. Many thick winter cardigans fall in this price range. Finally, some cardigans cost well over $50. These cardigans are made of fine materials such as cashmere and tend to be attached to a luxury brand.

Men’s cardigan FAQWhat is the proper way to wear a cardigan?

A. Cardigans are known for their versatility. You can wear them open or closed. If closed, treat the cardigan as a sports coat, with all the buttons buttoned except for the lowest one.

How should a cardigan fit?

A. A well-fitting cardigan should be comfortably loose without sagging. This way, the sweater’s shape fits your natural body type and is not too big or too tight.

What is the best men’s cardigan to buy?Top men’s cardigan

Kallspin Men’s Cashmere Wool Blended Cardigan Sweater

What you need to know: This cashmere wool cardigan is perfect for any occasion, whether a formal dinner or a day at work.

What you’ll love: It is available in more than 10 colors, has two front pockets and is made from a soft cashmere blend.

What you should consider: Some users note that the sizing runs a bit large.

Top men’s cardigan for the money

Amazon Essentials Men’s Cotton Cardigan Sweater

What you need to know: The Amazon Essentials cardigan sweater is a great affordable option for anyone looking to start their cardigan collection.

What you’ll love: Both comfortable and versatile, this cardigan is perfect for everyday use.

What you should consider: Many users note this is a bare-bones cardigan — perfect for layering but not incredibly stylish.

Worth checking out

Goodthreads Men’s Soft Cotton Shawl Cardigan

What you need to know: This shawl cardigan is perfect for colder nights.

What you’ll love: It comes in more than a dozen colors and has a nice lapeled design.

What you should consider: Some users report the sizing is inconsistent.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

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Preps of the Week

Preps of the Week

Boys

Kavon Collins, Monterey football: Caught nine passes for 147 yards and four touchdowns in the Toreadores season opening win over Alisal.

Honorable mention: Ashton Rees, Carmel football; Ely Cisneros, Gonzales football; Jayden Durate, Alisal football; Dominic Chaidez, Palma football; Keon Ealey, Seaside football; Wells Lilly, Palma cross country; Chris Morris, Greenfield football; AJ Gomez, North County football; Hudson Rutherford, Carmel football; Enobong Wirth, Monterey football; Ben Garry, Pacific Grove football; Carson Tidwell, King City football; Brady Ramones, Trinity football.

Girls

Allison Guerra, Palma flag football: Threw for 528 yards and eight touchdowns in a 56-12 win over Rancho, and added 185 yards and three touchdowns in a victory over Pajaro Valley.

Honorable mention: Ansley Brosseau, Santa Catalina volleyball; Jenny Rivera, Salinas volleyball; Quinn Connolly, Santa Catalina water polo; Aleena Salas, Greenfield volleyball; Kate Graham, Carmel field hockey; Lexi Leleua, Monterey volleyball; Natalia Aguon, Palma flag football; Hollyn Hearne, King City volleyball; Riley Imamura, Carmel volleyball; Josie Hanson, Carmel flag football; Zola Ducker, Stevenson field hockey.

Preseason Top 5 field hockey rankings

Preseason Top 5 field hockey rankings

1. Hollister:

2. Carmel:

3. Stevenson:

4. Santa Catalina:

5. Monterey:

On the bubble: Salinas, Greenfield, York

Easy weeknight meals: Tomato, Peach and Tahini Sandwiches for summer

A perfect late-summer staple, this recipe comes from London-based, best-selling cookbook author Anna Jones and her forthcoming book, “Easy Wins” (Fourth Estate, $35).

“Putting peach in a sandwich might seem like a strange thing to do, but remember tomato is also a fruit,” she writes. “The tahini tempers the sweetness here.”

Jones says the inspiration came from chef Daisy Bennett — of London’s gourmet Gladwell’s Deli & Grocery.  One note of caution, though. “Your sandwich will only be as good as your peaches and tomatoes,” Jones says.

Tomato, Peach and Tahini Sandwich

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

1 ripe peach

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 green chile, sliced

1 teaspoon runny honey

2 ripe summer tomatoes, thickly sliced

“Easy Wins” by Anna Jones (Fourth Estate, $35)

Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

2 pieces of fresh bouncy focaccia

2 tablespoons tahini

1 bunch of arugula

Extra virgin olive oil

1/2 a bunch of basil, leaves picked

Optional: mozzarella, burrata or feta would all work well as additions

DIRECTIONS

Dress the peach: Cut the peach into eight slices and put into a bowl with apple cider vinegar, chile and honey.

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Season the tomatoes: Cut tomatoes into thick slices and put into a colander over a bowl with a good scattering of sea salt and a teaspoon of the liquid from the peach. Stir in the lemon zest.

Make the sandwich: If your bread is not super fresh, warm it in the oven or toaster in a hot, dry pan. Cut two pieces of focaccia in half horizontally to form two “sandwiches.” Spread one side of each focaccia with 1 tablespoon tahini and layer with half the arugula. Use a spoon to drizzle the other side with the juice from the tomato bowl, then some olive oil. Top the arugula with the peach, tomatoes and leaves from half a bunch of basil and sandwich together. Eat with a napkin.

— Anna Jones, “Easy Wins” (Fourth Estate, $35, out Sept. 17) 

3 new cookbooks tackle the busy weeknight conundrum

The end of summer usually means the start of a frantic fall, when work demands, busy school days and soccer practice all collide. Dealing with dinner via drive-through may seem like a good idea at the time — it’s fast, anyway. But we’ve got an even better idea. Three hot new books are on the horizon offering easy recipes and plenty of help for busy weeknights, whether you’re an adept home cook or a reluctant one — or 8 years old and still learning.

Mark Bittman, the long-time New York Times food writer and author of more than two dozen books, is expanding his “How to Cook Everything” efforts to the pint-size set with his upcoming “How to Cook Everything — Kids” (Harvest, $35), due out Oct. 15. It’s written especially for youngsters, ages 8 to 12, with recipes that teach them basic cooking techniques at the same time. We’re talking kid faves, such as Chicken Mark Nuggets — crunchy from corn flakes — and little chocolate lava cakes.

The recipe for these kid-approved chicken nuggets can be found in Mark Bittman’s upcoming “How to Cook Everything Kids” (Harvest, $35), due out Oct. 15. (Courtesy Ghazalle Badiozamani)

These chicken nugs are crispy, easy to prepare and “waayyyy better than what you get at a drive-up window,” Bittman writes. “If you double this recipe, you’ll have enough for a lot of hungry people, or make enough to freeze the leftovers in an airtight container to heat later in the microwave.”

And those Hot Lava Cakes will delight parents, as well as kids.

We’re smitten, too, with the newest from London-based Anna Jones, a veggie-centric cookbook that’s all about simplifying cooking strategies and showcasing veggies. “Easy Wins” (Fourth Estate, $35) publishes here on Sept. 17, but it’s already a best-seller in the UK, thanks to creative, flavor-packed recipes such as late-summer tomato, peach and tahini sandwiches and brown butter roasted potatoes with a lime-caper sauce.

This recipe for a tahini tomato peach sandwich comes from Anna Jones’s new cookbook, “Easy Wins.”  (Courtesy Matt Russell)

Meanwhile, cooking Substacker Caroline Chambers builds recipes for the reluctant home chef in her just-published “What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking” (Union Square & Co., $35).

Chambers didn’t start out as a culinary influencer, with a top-ranked Substack newsletter and hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, no less. Back in 2018, she was a former caterer and recipe developer with her first cookbook under her belt, “Just Married: A Cookbook for Newlyweds” (Chronicle Books), and an idea for a follow-up aimed at reluctant cooks.

Caroline Chambers, author of the new cookbook and Substack newsletter, both called “What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking,” shares recipes that are tasty and fast to cook. (Courtesy Breana Janay Smith)

But the publishing landscape was changing dramatically, she says, and by the time she pitched the second book, publishers were looking for authors with established social media audiences. So she shelved the book idea and turned to freelance recipe development — until the pandemic hit.

The sudden lull seemed like a perfect time to try again, but this time by building her own audience and brand. She pulled out her notes and launched a “What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking” Substack newsletter in late 2020 with easy meal ideas and recipes. It found a large subscription audience almost overnight, she says.

It wasn’t long before publishers who’d ignored her before were expressing interest in the very same cookbook she’d already pitched. The new book landed on store shelves on Aug. 13, and she’s out on tour now.

The book, which is available online, takes a very different approach to her newlywed volume. She’s had three sons since those days and realized that what seemed like an easy meal to whip up with one toddler in tow felt pretty different with two more underfoot — especially during the pandemic.

There’s no shame in not feeling like cooking even now, she says. “We’re tired. We’re mothers. We’re working people. There are great reasons we might not feel like cooking.”

The key is to have easy, complete, nutritious recipe ideas at the ready — preferably ones that take minimal time to cook and don’t dirty a whole lot of dishes in the process. The cookbook is organized by time — recipes that take 45, 30 or even just 15 minutes to cook, like her Grilled Lemon Harissa Chicken or Everything-Crusted Tuna with Snap Peas. And inspired by the pandemic grocery store experience, substitution suggestions abound — sunflower seeds instead of peanut butter, for example, or butternut squash for tomatoes.

“The core of the book,” Chambers says, “is all about making the recipe work for you and your family.”

And to do it on even the busiest nights of the week.

CDC sees link between overdoses, other mental health disorders

By Lia DeGroot, CQ-Roll Call

Treating and screening for non-substance-related mental health disorders could help drive down overdoses, a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

The study, published Thursday, found that of the 63,424 people who died from drug overdoses across 43 states and Washington, D.C. in 2022, 22 percent had a separate mental health disorder. Analyzing data from the CDC’s State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System, the researchers found that the most common disorders were depression, anxiety and bipolar.

The authors noted the rates of mental health disorders are likely underestimated.

Amanda Dinwiddie, a health scientist in the division of overdose prevention at the CDC and the lead author of the study, said in an interview Thursday she hopes public health professionals will use the information gleaned in the study to better screen for and treat mental health disorders.

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“They can build upon efforts to identify and treat patients who have substance use disorders and other mental health disorders by integrating screening and treatment, for example, by incorporating evidence-based mental health screening into non-fatal overdose encounters, like in emergency departments,” she said.

She said public health professionals can also amp up harm reduction services, like naloxone distribution to reverse opioid overdose. The FDA in 2023 approved the first over-the-counter naloxone products. They are now available in all 50 states.

Dinwiddie said a quarter of people with non-substance-related mental health disorders who died had encountered at least one opportunity for intervention, like during existing substance use treatment or during an emergency department visit.

“We included any emergency department or urgent care visit within a month of death,” she said. “It could be overdose related or non-overdose related, release from an institutional setting, like a prison or a jail, undergoing current treatment for substance use disorder, or they had a previous non-fatal overdose. Those are just touch points where intervention could have occurred.”

About 80 percent of the overdose deaths involved opioids, primarily illegally manufactured fentanyl, the data showed.

The study comes during Overdose Awareness Week and Saturday marks International Overdose Awareness Day. The White House’s top drug policy official Rahul Gupta this week called on Congress to reauthorize the Office of National Drug Control Policy during an interview with CQ Roll Call.

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