Rachael Ray's Blog, page 59

Beauty Buzz Words, Part 1- Your guide to deciphering beauty’s favorite buzz words; from antioxidants to neutral eyes.

Ever get confused by the terms and words beauty experts seem to mention in every sentence? From hairdressers to makeup artists, beauty experts often use words and terms that only they really seem to understand. From ‘antioxidants’ to ‘neutral eyes,’ it can get confusing to know exactly what means what. This week, check out exactly what those confusing ingredients and scientific terminology actually mean.

Antioxidants

Essentially, antioxidants are the good guys. In the most simple of terms, they are good molecules found in certain foods (such as blueberries, salmon, and avocado), that help to fight against bacteria (the bad guys), which live in our bodies. They also help to plump and brighten skin, and keep us looking and feeling healthy.

Natural

While natural implies that a product is made from ingredients that come from nature (and doesn’t include chemicals), without a certification mark from a trusted company, you can’t be 100% sure that that is true. A label or mark that says “USDA ORGANIC” or “100% Organic,” means that the product is made from natural ingredients (i.e., ingredients that come from nature, such as plant extracts), and does not contain chemicals.

Omega-3/Good Fats

While it sounds contradictory, your body does need a certain amount of fat to stay healthy. That fat however, should come from eating foods that contain omega-3’s (the good fat), rather than soda, fast food, or candy. Foods such as avocado, smoked or fresh salmon, and almonds contain plenty of omega-3’s. Just like antioxidants, they help to keep your skin, hair, and nails healthy and shiny.

Parabens

Effectively, parabens are chemicals that are used to preserve ingredients, so that your cream or shampoo can last for six months and not turn sour.  Although many companies are using more natural alternatives, the jury remains undecided on whether parabens are harmful or not, as there are a lot of conflicting opinions.

Retin A

Most simply, retin A is the acid form of vitamin A. It’s also known as tretinoin and is used topically (which means on the skin), to treat acne, fine lines and wrinkles. Because it is basically vitamin A in its strongest form, it means that only a small amount should be used.

The Elvis (and 9 other lunch-friendly uses for hot dog buns)

When your 8-year-old son comes home from school and asks — for no apparent reason — if it’s OK to eat bacon and peanut butter together, there really is only one appropriate response.

And it involves Elvis and bananas.

I never did suss out how or why Parker was considering this peculiar culinary pairing, but I’m a big believer in exposing kids to as many foods and flavor combinations as possible.

And that often means unquestioningly seizing opportunities when they present themselves.

The next morning as I pondered packing Parker’s lunch, I noticed a partial bag of whole-wheat hot dog buns left over from the weekend grilling. And they were sitting right next to the bananas.

You see where I’m going with this, right? Elvis might have been more particular about his namesake sandwich, but I decided a hot dog bun was the perfect vehicle for peanut butter, banana and bacon.

Parker was dubious when he saw me packing it. But he raved about it when he got home from school.

Which got me thinking about other creative non-hot dog ways to use these buns. Because as we all know all too well, with kids novelty is half the battle. If it tastes good and looks funky, you probably have a winner.

Layer deli meats and cheeses in a stack, then roll them up cigar-style. Squirt some mayo or mustard into the bun, then pop in the meat-cheese roll and add a pickle spear.
Smear some whipped cream cheese (regular is too dense and will tear the bun) into the bun, then top with sliced fresh strawberries and a drizzle of honey (think strawberry cheesecake a la hot dog).
Toss a peeled (whole) banana in a skillet with some butter, cinnamon and brown sugar. Roll it around until it’s nicely browned, then pop it in a hot dog bun. Accompany with a cup of vanilla yogurt (spiked with the syrupy goodness the banana leaves behind in the pan) to dunk the whole thing in.
Spread peanut butter (or a nut butter alternative) in the bun, then top with thin slices of apple and some granola. A dollop of jam or a drizzle of honey ties it all together.
Toss chopped leftover cooked chicken with chopped romaine lettuce and a drizzle of Caesar dressing. Spoon the whole thing into the bun and top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Spoon some hummus into the hot dog bun, then top with a row of cherry tomatoes and some chopped cucumber. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Go Greek! Buy some stuffed grape leaves (sold near the hummus) and pop four or five of those in the hot dog bun. To get fancy, pair it with a cup of plain Greek yogurt and a lemon wedge, which can be spooned and squeezed over the fillings just before eating.
Got leftover cooked veggies from dinner? Whatever they are, spoon them into the bun. Top with some shredded cheddar cheese, then wrap the whole thing in foil. Pop it in a toaster oven for a few minutes, then pop the warmed sandwich into a tall thermos for a hot veggie melt.
Make it a caprese! Fill the hot dog bun with tiny balls of mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and some fresh basil. A sprinkle of salt and pepper and you’re good.

J.M. Hirsch is the national food editor for The Associated Press. He blogs about the trials and tribulations of his son’s lunches at LunchBoxBlues.com. His upcoming cookbook, Beating the Lunch Box Blues, will be the first to be released by Rachael’s new publishing venture, Rachael Ray Books. Hirsch’s previous books include High Flavor, Low Labor: Reinventing Weeknight Cooking and Venturesome Vegan Cooking. He lives in New Hampshire with his son, wife, and too many cats.

6 MONEY-SAVIN’ SUMMERTIME TIPS TO STOP STINKS ‘N STAINS

With the unofficial start of summer the living is getting easier but along with it comes some common ‘stuff that bugs us’ literally and figuratively….Here are a few simple, money ‘n time-saving, semi home-made tips and tricks to deal with these little annoyances!

Sneaker Odor: Read all About It!

Simply crumble up sheets from those newsapapers you were about to recycle.  They’ll act to absorb odors and moisture which can cause yucky smells, mold ‘n mildew!

Stink Bugs: Chill to a Kill

Smell rotting garbage and have none?  Well that might be because you have those ugly brownish shield shaped pests (say that five times fast) known as stink bugs.  Never squish them cause they’ll release that lovely defensive scent and it will linger on whatever you squish them with.  Simply turn a plastic bag inside out, collect ‘em and seal the bag.  Then put it in the freezer which will chill those buggers to death.

Sweat Stains: Take 2 and Call Me in the Morning!

Yellowing under your arm pits on your fave white tee is not a pretty sight (and btw it’s caused from the aluminum content in your antiperspirant which when it interacts with your sweat causes the discoloration!).  Here’s an easy RX.  Grab some aspirin! Dissolve 4-6 in warm water and let your tee soak in it overnight.  Then launder par usual and

Suntan Lotion:  Life’s a Bleach…Natural or Store-bought (for washable fabrics only)

As with any stain treat pronto! Begin by gently removing any residue with a plastic knife. Next soak in a 1:1:4 (vinegar to dish washing detergent to water) for 15 minutes. For really tough stains, pre-treat with lemon juice or hydrogen peroxide-natural bleaching agents or good ole bleach but ALWAYS test in an inconspicuous area so you don’t ruin your fave summer garb. Launder par usual.

TIP:  IF STAIN REMAINS AFTER YOU LAUNDER DO NOT PUT IN DRYER OR IT WILL SET STAIN AND BECOME A PERMANENT EMBELLISHMENT

Sand: Shake ‘n Bake

Love a day at the beach but clearly we’d like to leave the sand there and not in our car or home.  Just take along some baby powder, sprinkle it on your feetsies, hair and anywhere else it’s hanging out then wipe off with a clean towel.

Sangria: Got Milk?

Yum! A perfect refreshing summertime libation but alas miss your mouth and it can be a real stain in the …. J As with all stains treat pronto and blot away any excess.  Then blot with a clean cloth or sponge soaked in milk.  The enzymes help to lift the stain.  You can also use pour some white wine on the stain which will dilute it and/or sprinkle salt and leave on there for 15 minutes.  And, next time consider making or drinking white sangria so you don’t have to worry! 

2013 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge Kicks Off Saturday at Shelters Nationwide

Animal shelters compete for chance at $600,000 in prize grants for saving more animals

NEW YORK-The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is gearing up for tomorrow’s start of the 2013 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge, where a total of $600,000 in prize grants are up for grabs to help shelters save more homeless cats and dogs.

The 49 contestants will work to save more animals - during the months of June, July and August 2013 - than they did over the same three-month period in 2012. Last year’s competing shelters saved more than 56,000 cats and dogs during the contest, an increase of 14,376 over the same period in 2011.

“Starting at midnight tonight and continuing through the weekend, shelters in 30 states and territories across this country will kick off their run in the contest with major adoption events,” says Bert Troughton, vice president of Community Outreach at the ASPCA. “If you’re thinking about making a pet a part of your family, there is no better time than right now to head to your nearest contestant and help them be a part of this record-breaking year of saving lives.”

The 49 contestants in the 2013 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge are:

Greater Birmingham Humane Society in Birmingham, Ala.
Mobile County Animal Control in Mobile, Ala.
Western Arizona Humane Society in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
HALO Animal Rescue in Phoenix, Ariz.
Butte Humane Society in Chico, Calif.
Hesperia Animal Control and Services in Hesperia, Calif.
Moreno Valley Animal Shelter in Moreno Valley, Calif.
San Bernardino County Animal Care and Control in San Bernardino, Calif.
Yolo County Sheriff’s Office - Animal Services in Woodland, Calif.
Washington Animal Rescue League in Washington, D.C.
Humane Society of Pinellas in Clearwater, Fla.
Suncoast Humane Society in Englewood, Fla.
Jacksonville Humane Society in Jacksonville, Fla.
Pasco County Animal Services - FOAS, Inc. in Land O’ Lakes, Fla.
Osceola County Animal Services in St. Cloud, Fla.
Cherokee County Animal Shelter in Canton, Ga.
Humane Society for Greater Savannah in Savannah, Ga.
Canyon County Animal Shelter in Caldwell, Idaho
South Suburban Humane Society in Chicago Heights, Ill.
Macon County Animal Control and Care Center in Decatur, Ill.
Almost Home Humane Society in Lafayette, Ind.
Animal Rescue League of Iowa, Inc. in Des Moines, Iowa
Lawrence Humane Society in Lawrence, Kan.
Animal Rescue League of Boston in Boston, Mass.
Friends for the Dearborn Animal Shelter in Dearborn, Mich.
Capital Area Humane Society in Lansing, Mich.
Humane Society of Midland County in Midland, Mich.
Humane Society of South Mississippi in Gulfport, Miss.
Wayside Waifs in Kansas City, Mo.
The Animal Foundation in Las Vegas, Nev.
Eleventh Hour Rescue in Randolph, N.J.
Animal Service Center of the Mesilla Valley in Las Cruces, N.M.
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue in Asheville, N.C.
Toledo Area Humane Society in Maumee, Ohio
Western Pennsylvania Humane Society in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Providence Animal Rescue League in Providence, R.I.
Anderson County P.A.W.S. in Anderson, S.C.
Riverside County Department of Animal Services in Jurupa, S.C.
Unicoi County Animal Shelter in Erwin, Tenn.
Beaumont Animal Services in Beaumont, Texas
City of Corpus Christi Animal Care Services in Corpus Christi, Texas
Citizens for Animal Protection in Houston, Texas
Houston Humane Society in Houston, Texas
Texas Humane Heroes in Leander, Texas
Salt Lake County Animal Services in Salt Lake City, Utah
Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation in Sumerduck, Va.
Virginia Beach SPCA in Virginia Beach, Va.
Wisconsin Humane Society in Milwaukee, Wis.
Cheyenne Animal Shelter in Cheyenne. Wyo.

The ASPCA and Rachael Ray will award a $100,000 grand prize to the shelter contestant that achieves the greatest increase in lives saved during this three-month period. The contestant that does the best job of engaging its community members in helping to save more animals will win $25,000. Those organizations that do the best in their divisions will be eligible for between $10,000 and $25,000 in additional grants. In total, $600,000 in grant funding will be awarded for increases in animal lives saved, as well as a photo contest and general participation.

All her life, Rachael Ray has been an advocate for animals and a supporter of animal welfare groups. Her love for animals and for her pit bull, Isaboo, inspired her to create a pet food called Nutrish® to raise money for animals in need.  Ray donates 100 percent of her proceeds from the sale of Nutrish® to organizations like the ASPCA so they can implement programs like the $100K Challenge and support shelters and animal organizations around the country.

The ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge is a groundbreaking contest that challenges animal shelters across the country to come up with innovative ways to engage their communities and get more homeless cats and dogs into loving homes. For more information about the 2013 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge, please visit www.aspca.org/100K.

About the ASPCA®

Founded in 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is the first animal welfare organization in North America and serves as the nation’s leading voice for animals. More than two million supporters strong, the ASPCA’s mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. For more information, please visit www.ASPCA.org, and be sure to follow the ASPCA on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

About Rachael Ray

Rachael Ray is best known as the host of the hit syndicated Emmy Award winning daytime television show “Rachael Ray” produced by CBS Television Distribution in association with Harpo Productions, Scripps Networks and Watch Entertainment.   Rachael’s warmth, energy, and boundless curiosity also reach millions of fans through her popular Food Network shows, her lifestyle magazine Everyday with Rachael Ray, her bestselling cookbooks, her digital home base www.rachaelray.com, her signature line of cookware manufactured by Meyer, her meal transport products by RR Accessories and her pantry products by Colavita.  In 2007, Rachael launched the Yum-o! organization, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking and in 2008 she partnered with Ainsworth Pet Nutrition to create a line of pet food with all of her proceeds being donated to organizations that help animals in need. For more information, visit www.rachaelray.com.

About Rachael’s Rescue TM and Nutrish

In 2008, Rachael Ray partnered with pet nutrition experts from Ainsworth Pet Nutrition to develop a line of super premium food and treats for dogs called Rachael Ray Nutrish®. Rachael Ray Nutrish® is made with simple, natural ingredients and includes three full-feeding varieties featuring real meat as the first ingredient - Real Chicken and Veggies, Real Beef and Brown Rice, and Healthy Weight with Real Turkey. All of Ray’s proceeds from each sale of Rachael Ray Nutrish®, Just 6® food and treats for dogs and the Nutrish® Healthy Weight lines are donated to organizations that help animals in need through Rachael’s RescueTM. So, not only are Nutrish® products great for your dog, they’re great for countless other dogs as well.

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Grilling 101: What You Need

It occurs to me, looking back on all these grilling columns that I’ve been doing, that maybe I am jumping ahead too far. While I like cooking a rolled, boned lamb leg bound with coat hangers, maybe that’s not for everybody. Maybe some of who have never done any serious grilling, outside of some hotdogs and hamburgers on a gas grill now and then. It is my purpose in life to make sure that you grill well. For those unfortunate readers who are stuck using a gas grill, I’d deal with that terribel handicap next week; for now, I want to give you the most very basic, stripped down checklist of what you will need to cook well outdoors this summer. I’m sorry I haven’t done it before.

You will need:

A Weber-style bowl grill - any size, any make, any price. They haven’t invented one that isn’t great. Basically, this is a metal bowl with some holes in the bottom, two racks, and a lid. It’s a perfect tool, and the single most important part of grilling. I would strongly recommend investing in the Weber

Coal. The good news here is that you don’t need lump hardwood charcoal, or any other kind of premium fuel to make your fire. I use the classic Kingsford “blue bag” charcoal all the time. Lump is definitely better; the regular Kingsford has no small amount of coal dust in it, more than you may think. But it burns evenly, lasts a good long time, and imparts a nice smoky flavor. Down the road you may want to start using lump charcoal, or even straight-up hardwood. But start out with the blue bag.

A “chimney” style lighter. Here’s some more good news. You don’t need lighter fluid. It’s a disfiguring accident waiting to happen, and it doesn’t work that well anyway. Plus, it’s another thing to buy and have around and to get on your hands and clothes. The chimney is another one of those tools, like hammers and post-it notes, whose design literally can’t be improved upon. You put newspaper under it, coals inside it, light a match and wait 20 minutes. You now have burning coals.

Kosher salt. Everything that goes on your grill, with no exceptions, should have liberal amounts of kosher salt on it. You’ll just have to take my word on this. Table salt is no good; it melts and overseasons the food. Sea salt is too big and crunchy - and expensive. A big box of kosher salt costs less that $5, is available at every supermarket, and will likely last you the whole summer. It’s madness - madness! - not to get one.

A big cutting board with a grease groove. When you food is done, you need a place to cut it, and that place needs to contain and the hot juices that will come out of it, even when rested. A flat piece of wood or plastic, no matter how big, won’t help. But a big board with a groove around its edge will keep your counters from turning into an abbatoir floor.

A heavy spatula and a grill brush. I’m not a huge believer in tongs; I end up using a fork most of the time. A fork won’t help you with burgers, though, and what is the point of grilling if you never make hamburgers? The grill brush helps get off the biggest pieces of stuck-on crud, the kind that isn’t incinerated by the fire.

Good meat. Because otherwise, why bother?

That’s it. You don’t need tongs, a carving fork, an expensive knife, an apron, a basting brush, grapeseed oil, or any other expensive accessories. In fact, your experience will be a lot better without it. Anybody who tells you otherwise is just getting in your way.

A Piece Of Trudie Styler And Stings Life ‘In A Bottle’

Sting; former member of the Police and his wife Trudie Styler, producer and actor have another ‘message in a bottle’, only this time it takes on some very different notes. Yes, Sting and Trudie are bottling the good life with honey, olive oils and wines grown from their very own backyard in Tuscany. The line is called Il Palagio and is christened after the estate it is grown in, an estate that yields a bounty of olive groves, flora and vineyards , as well as inspiration for some of the greatest songs and movies of our time.

The line of honey is like a chiffon ombre of colors ranging from caramel to a water-colored yellow and the flavors allow them to show up in the context savory or sweet. The wines, as romantic in taste and mouth-feel as their name would suggest ‘When We Dance’, bringing together the conversation of raspberry and licorice. And, Olive Oil so pure, it can be applied in some very unexpected places. But where did this rocker and producers calling from food come from? Trudie Tyler opened up her the couples personal space to share what makes them tick.

EVO

Saira : What drew you to Tuscany? Is there something special about your home there that inspired you to create this line of organic products from within it?

Trudie: Sting and I have always loved Italy, especially Tuscany. When we found Il Palagio we knew that we wanted to be able to spend a lot of time there, it’s so peaceful and so beautiful. Just about everyone who has any land in Tuscany has olive trees and vines – with the climate and the fertility of the land it would be wasteful not to grow produce. We just stepped up and refined the production process somewhat to make more amazing olive oil and honey, and we use biodynamic farming methods in the vineyards which have given us spectacular results.

Saira : This isn’t the first time you are coming out in to the food world. With the book you co-wrote with Joe Sponzo, and your ready-to-go meals in the U.K you are already a veteran, how important is the concept of farm to table for you?

Trudie: Farm to table with no steps in between is the ideal scenario for me in terms of health-giving food. Knowing where your food comes from and being sure of it containing no artificial fertilizers or chemical pesticides is harder than it used to be since industrialized agriculture took over in the second half of the last century. But fresh food that’s grown first and foremost for flavour and nutritional value is what I like to eat, because it’s so much better for all of us than processed food. It’s a shame that what is in fact going back to basics can often seem a bit of a luxury these days. But really it’s just about eating real natural food.

Saira : At your home in Tuscany, Does your Chef, Joe Sponzo, incorporate any of these ingredients into your / his recipes?

Trudie: Absolutely, yes. Every day when we’re there we eat classic Tuscan recipes using produce from Il Palagio and other local ingredients.

Saira : What is your idea of the perfect meal?

Trudie: I love risotto with white truffle, or a simple spaghetti vongole. Maybe our own tiramasu for a treat afterwards.

Saira : When buying a good quality honey, what are some of the characteristics one should look for?

Trudie: Personally I like honey I know to be from one location, rather than a blend of lots of different honeys from different areas. There is a method of testing honey’s purity and nutritional value by dropping it into some water and watching for the hexagonal shapes that emerge, and seeing how firmly they stay in shape.

Honey

Saira : We heard a rumor that your olive is so pure that it doubles up as a fantastic facial cleanser. Is this true?

Trudie: I was asked once if I used our olive oil in any unusual way! Olive oil can be used as a cleanser, and is especially good for dry skin. You can use any good quality olive oil. Try it!

Saira : You have already done so much in life but no doubt there will be more. What’s next on the agenda for Trudie Styler?

Trudie: My film company Maven Pictures is very busy - ‘Girl Most Likely’ starring Kristen Wiig is due for release in the US in July, to be followed in the fall by ‘Filth’, based on Irvine Welsh’s cult novel, starring James McAvoy, and ‘Black Nativity’, based on the stage musical, starring Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett and Jennifer Hudson. I’m also returning to my acting roots more and more, and hope to be on stage in New York in the fall with The Seagull.

Saira Malhotra, is of British–Indian descent and is a chef, food writer and cooking instructor based in New York City. Raised in Hounslow, U.K, or rather ‘Little India’, where the air is aromatic with roasted spices, little did Saira know these moments would follow her from being a student in France and Italy to residing in NYC with her husband and kids and parlay themselves unexpectedly in to a culinary career. She is a graduate of the International Culinary Center in New York City. Come visit her at her food blog: www.passportpantry.com where she shares approachable and international recipes

S’more Bars Part Deux

I wrote a blog about a S’more Bar recipe almost two years ago which was delicious but a little fussy - it called to pre-bake a crust, there was some simmering, I had to go to the store for heavy cream. So while delicious, a few more dishes and extra steps than this blast from the past - part rice crispie treat, part s’more dessert decadence. While most of my recipes are a take on something I had while growing up, these s’more bars must have passed me by when I wasn’t looking, because I would have remembered sampling them at a bake sale or sleepover. Golden Grahams cereal tastes like the early 1980’s to me, and as an adult it continues to amaze me that something so sweet can be disguised as a breakfast cereal! Perfect for a crowd pleasing, quick and easy treat, however.

S’more Bars Part Deux

(click here for printable recipe)

Ingredients

1 bag (10.5 oz) miniature marshmallows (5½ cups), divided
1½ cups chocolate chips
5 tablespoons butter
¼ cup light corn syrup
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 box (13 oz) Golden Grahams cereal (8 cups)



Directions

Spray with non-stick cooking spray a 13×9-inch pan. Reserve 1 cup of the marshmallows. In a large saucepan, melt the chocolate chips, butter, corn syrup and remaining marshmallows over low heat. Stir until completely melted. Remove from heat; stir in salt and vanilla.
Pour cereal into saucepan. Stir until coated with the melted chocolate mixture. Stir in remaining 1 cup marshmallows.
With buttered back of spoon (or hands), quickly press mixture in pan. Cool at least 1 hour or until firm. Store covered at room temperature.

Don’t hide the veggies. Dress them!

I’m not a big believer in the “hidden produce” approach to getting kids to eat veggies. You know what I’m talking about — those clever recipes that spike brownies with bits of beet or lace pancakes with parsnip puree.

Aside from the gross out factor, I just think this sort of culinary dishonesty defeats the point.

It’s not that I’m above lying to my son (”Why yes! I’d love to discuss the nuances of Star Wars Legos for the 1,353rd time today!”). It’s that I don’t like the lesson these particular lies teach him about food.

That lesson, of course, is that healthy foods are something that are so unappealing by nature that they must be hidden in yummier, less healthy foods in order to be tolerated.

And I write this as the dad of a veggie-phobic 8-year-old boy.

When Parker was a toddler, he eagerly gobbled anything, veg or otherwise. The otherwise part never changed. He still will eat just about anything. Except veggies. Those he soured on about three years ago.

I rolled with it as best I could for as long as I coud, filling him instead with fruit. I even enlisted a roster of Food Network stars, including Rachael, to see if they could get him to embrace veggies again. Not so much.

Last summer, I decided I’d had enough. So I put Parker through a two-week veg boot camp during which he needed to eat two vegetables every lunch and every dinner. It was as pleasant as it sounds.

But it got him over the hump and today he — albeit begrudgingly and with some huffing and puffing — will eat mostly whatever vegetables I put in front of him.

He eats them not because they are hidden, and certainly not because he likes them. He eats them because he knows he is supposed to. Even if he doesn’t love them.

And the wonderful part? Sometimes he does love them. And even though those moments are few and far, they are the tiny building blocks for a lifetime of healthy eating habits.

Relatively speaking, dinner is easy. I’m there to enforce the veg rule. Lunch? Not so much. So I need to work a little harder to make the vegetables appealing.

So here are some of my (or rather, Parker’s) favorite (or at least more tolerable) lunch vegetable items:

Creamy corn salad — Cut the kernels from a raw ear of corn (Yes, raw! It’s delicious that way.) and toss with a chopped carrot and a blend of low-fat sour cream and non-fat plain Greek yogurt. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and a splash of hot sauce. The hot sauce won’t add any heat, but it heightens the other flavors. And while fresh corn is best, there’s no reason you can’t use canned or frozen.
Tzatziki — Traditional versions are a yogurt dip made with cucumber and garlic. But I make it as more of a salad. Season non-fat plain Greek yogurt with garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper and dill, then stir in a chopped cucumber. Aim for just enough yogurt sauce to coat the cucumber. The goal is a well-dressed salad, not a chip-worthy dip.
Bacon-roasted carrots — Seriously. If you’re making bacon — or even just sausage — for breakfast, don’t wipe out the skillet when you’re done. Instead, toss in some baby carrots and saute over medium heat in the tasty juices (and fat) left behind. Even cooked in bacon fat, these carrots still are a healthier choice. Pack them cold or warm in a thermos. And if you have leftover bacon or sausage, add that, too.
Spicy peanut veggies — Mix together peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar (anything but balsamic is fine), and a splash of hot sauce. You have instant spicy peanut sauce. Now nuke whatever veggies (leftover or fresh) you have and toss with the sauce. Pop it in a thermos and you’re done. Don’t want to do it hot? Pack the veggies (raw is fine) on their own and put the peanut sauce in a small container for dipping. Peanuts not an option? The sauce recipe works with sunflower seed butter, too.
Endive it! — Belgian endive looks like tiny torpedos. Trim off the bottoms, then separate the leaves, which resemble small, crunchy cups. These cups are perfect for scooping anything your little lunch monster likes — hummus, tabbouleh, yogurt dips, pesto, olive spread, whatever.
Roasted tomatoes — Sort of. Dump a carton of cherry tomatoes in a nonstick skillet over medium heat with a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir it now and then, maybe mash them with a fork, but mostly just walk away and ignore it. Pretty soon it will be a delicious fresh sauce. Pack it warm in a thermos and add some bread for dunking. Cheese would be nice, too. Fresh pizza!

J.M. Hirsch is the national food editor for The Associated Press. He blogs about the trials and tribulations of his son’s lunches at LunchBoxBlues.com. His upcoming cookbook, Beating the Lunch Box Blues, will be the first to be released by Rachael’s new publishing venture, Rachael Ray Books. Hirsch’s previous books include High Flavor, Low Labor: Reinventing Weeknight Cooking and Venturesome Vegan Cooking. He lives in New Hampshire with his son, wife, and too many cats.

Just for Kids! The Edible School Schoolyard Project

The Edible Schoolyard is a one-acre organic garden and kitchen classroom adjacent to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, a public school in Berkeley, California. The garden is a place for students to get hands-on experience in growing and cooking their own food, and firsthand knowledge of where food comes from. The garden has become an inspiration to teachers, students, and parents around the world, and I got to take a tour of it in May.

Now, Berkeley is already quite a green, leafy city, but the garden is something to behold. There is a wall of flowering bushes leading to a sculpted metal archway that guides visitors into the space.

Once inside, there is an enchanted-looking gazebo where participants can sit in a circle.

Further into the garden, there is a toolshed with wooden signs for each plant, along with gardening gloves, boots, rakes, shovels, and the like, each labeled with a colored piece of tape that tells kids exactly where they should be stored when they’re done being used. A small pond is paradise for the family of ducks that lives at the garden, and there is a hen house for happy chickens who feed on the delicious compost that comes from the kitchen area.

There is an indoor kitchen that holds plenty of the cookbooks, seasonings, and tools that I have in my kitchen at home. In addition, there is even a stone pizza oven, and an outdoor cooking area stocked with safe, kid-friendly kitchen tools for creating an easy and delicious meal. Now, what kid wouldn’t get excited about creating a garden-fresh pizza, served piping hot from an outdoor oven?

The Edible Schoolyard is a place where kids garden, cook, and learn everything related to growing food. It was begun by chef and sustainable food visionary Alice Waters, who started the now legendary Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley in 1971. As the story goes, Waters was challenged to help bring fresh, organic food to the urban school kids just minutes away from her upscale, world-renowned restaurant, and she took the challenge.

On my tour there were lots of teachers from around the state who wanted to bring a similar program to their own schools. There were also middle school students who were really excited about getting their own school gardens going. Once a year, there is a weeklong program held here to train teachers from around the world to set up edible gardens at their schools. It’s not necessarily an easy endeavor.

The garden in Berkeley is 17 years old, and every year a team of volunteers, board members, and employees helps to work out the kinks. But the payoff is well worth it, as the kids who have access to a garden are able to learn about healthy eating, the environment, science, history, geography, and many different aspects of science.

If you want to join one of the monthly visits to the garden, or participate in the yearly Edible Schoolyard Academy, check out the Edible Schoolyard Project for complete information.

What To Do When The Meat Is Going Bad

Lacking as I do any form of self-restraint or long-term planning, its been my lifetime practice to cook steaks the second I get them home from the store. (They’re lucky they get that far; the peanut butter has already been probed and violated by the time I get to the car.) But sometimes I get distracted, likely by other steaks, and I solve the problem by throwing the steaks into the freezer. I know that some microbial life can persist under freezing conditions, and that freezer burn can be ruinous, but for all practical purposes, I consider these steaks as being in suspended animation. So, if I can’t get to them for a couple of days, I put them in freezer.

But here’s the thing: if you take them out, and let them defrost, you have to eat them. Especially the ones that you waited a few days to put there. That was the whole reason you froze them, remember? Because they were going bad? I knew this rationally, and had planned to grill them for dinner Friday night. They defrosted completely, and were still a healthy pink, for the most part. (There was some slight graying, as sometimes happens as the surface of meat oxidizes, but not the greenish tint that bad meat gets.) Looking at the steak only tells you so much, though: it was its clean smell that reassured me. At least, it reassured me until driving rain came down and prevented me from cooking that night.

At this point, I figured I had two choices. I could cook the steaks indoors, or I could find a way to extend them to the following night. Cooking them indoors meant either filling the house with smoke, or cutting up these pretty little rib steaks into stir-fry meat or something equally lame. That certainly wasn’t going to happen, not on my watch. So I decided to go with the second option, and push the envelope on the steak’s edible lifetime.

You know, it’s funny. You’ve probably read a million words on steak in cookbooks and magazines, but I bet they had little to say on the subject of how long meat can be eaten before it has to be thrown out. It’s not that the authors don’t care - it’s exactly the kind of thing somebody like Rachael had to learn when she was growing up, as a working-class person - but they can’t put it in a book, because if they did, they would get sued sooner or later. That’s why pharmacists tell you not to operate heavy machinery on klonopin, which is totally doable by the way, and vets tell you not to give bones to puppies. Luckily, I am a penniless blogger, so I feel that I can give bad-meat advice with impunity. I chopped five heads of garlic very fine, and some rosemary, and some hot pepper flakes, and mixed them up with about a cup of EVOO. I put the oil and the steaks in a big Ziploc bag, forced out all the air, and left it in the refrigerator. The oil preserved the meat for that extra day, and while it did, if the truth be told, taste a tiny bit off, the potent flavors of the marinade, combined with the pungent taste of the charcoals upon which it was cooked, covered them. I added some freshness by hacking up some raw onion, dressing it in the board juices, and serving it atop the steak. I ate it, and it was delicious, and nothing went to waste, and I’m not dead yet! Even I do fall ill, is

Of course, if you do the same thing and do get sick, don’t blame Rachael or the site. I ate the steak by myself, and I can only answer for my own health.