They Are Not All Going To Be Winners

Looking back at this week, I made some pretty great dinners. Monday was a baked chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto and mozzarella with steamed broccoli – a great meal. Tuesday was a chicken soft tacos, fresh guacamole and a barbecued corn salsa – fun, fresh and healthy.
Then…there was Wednesday. Scallops and shrimp with stir-fried vegetables – a disaster! The shrimp were good, but the scallops were mushy and the stir-fry sauce on the vegetables overpowered the whole dish.

Key Learning: They are not all going to be winners – don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Cooking is still one of the most relaxing, enjoyable things I do and I don’t want to lose that.

Hey France: Who Are You Calling Fat?

I wanted to share the article below because, as a lover of food, I have always been jealous of the French who have a history of great cuisine and have enjoyed it for centuries without gaining weight. While American’s have been dealing with an obesity epidemic, the French have enjoyed the world’s best bread, wines, cheeses and other delights without a problem…until now. Ironically, the weight shift that France is now facing is caused by fast food.

The Week: “Why the French are (finally) getting fat”
http://news.yahoo.com/why-french-finally-getting-fat-073000765.html

Side note: I always thought that American fast food was the reason that the French people did not like Americans. Thank about it – take something as sacred to French culture as the croissant and turn it into the Croissan’wich (from Burger King).

Celebrate National Run Day!

Today is National Rum Day! Before you ask, no I didn’t invent the holiday…despite the fact that I do enjoy a good rum drink from time to time. Personally, my favorite way to enjoy it is with Coca-Cola (the classic Rum & Coke) or with Coca-Cola and lime (the Cuba Libre). Here is how I first heard the story of the Cuba Libre when I toured the Bacardi factory in Puerto Rico a few years ago:

“The world's second most popular drink was born in a collision between the United States and Spain. It happened during the Spanish-American War at the turn of the century when Teddy Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and Americans in large numbers arrived in Cuba. One afternoon, a group of off-duty soldiers from the U.S. Signal Corps were gathered in a bar in Old Havana. Fausto Rodriguez, a young messenger, later recalled that Captain Russell came in and ordered Bacardi (Gold) rum and Coca-Cola on ice with a wedge of lime. The captain drank the concoction with such pleasure that it sparked the interest of the soldiers around him. They had the bartender prepare a round of the captain's drink for them. The Bacardi rum and Coke was an instant hit. As it does to this day, the drink united the crowd in a spirit of fun and good fellowship. When they ordered another round, one soldier suggested that they toast ¡Por Cuba Libre! in celebration of the newly freed Cuba. The captain raised his glass and sang out the battle cry that had inspired Cuba's victorious soldiers in the War of Independence.”[2] (From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba_Libre)

Please join me in raising a glass to one of my favorite spirits!

Who’s Top Dog? A Federal Court Will Decide

There is nothing more American than a hot dog…and a lawsuit. Leading hot dog manufacturers Sara Lee (Ball Park franks) and Kraft Foods (Oscar Mayer) are involved in a serious legal battle over how far each company is allowed to go in advertising claims over the superiority of their respective dogs. In a great twist to this story, the case will be heard in Chicago – a city that knows a thing or two about a good hot dog.

This story makes me hungry for justice…and a Chicago Dog.

Check out the full AP article on the case here: http://news.yahoo.com/legal-beef-sara-lee-kraft-escalate-wiener-war-070859318.html

Is The NYC Hot Dog Carts Being Pushed Out?

Say it isn’t so! I love a ‘dirty water dog’ as much as anyone in Manhattan. According to this report from CBS2 in New York, that’s exactly what’s happening – hot dog carts losing their spots to more high-end food carts and trucks.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/newyorkcbs2-15751042/is-the-hot-dog-becoming-an-endangered-snack-26247730.html 

I've Got A Beef with Taco Bell

I think deep down, we all knew this announcement was just a matter of time.  --  Oh, Taco Bell.  I still love you!

Taco Bell is Using False Advertising When it Calls Its Food 'Beef,' According to Lawsuit
By Philip Caulfield (taken from The New York Daily News)

Where's the beef? Not at Taco Bell, apparently.

A law firm is claiming that the fast food chain is using false advertising when it says its Mexican delicacies are filled with "ground beef" or "seasoned ground beef."

In fact, the lawsuit claims, the "taco meat filling" used by Taco Bell contains is only about 35% beef, with binders, extenders, preservatives, additives and other agents making up the other 65%.

The class-action lawsuit was filed Friday in federal court in California by the Montgomery, Ala., law firm Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles on behalf of a California woman, Amanda Obney.

Obney isn't looking for money, though.

She wants the court to order Taco Bell to be honest with customers about what is in its tacos, chalupas and other dishes.

"We are asking that they stop saying that they are selling beef," the law firm said.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture's website, "ground beef" or "chopped beef" consists of chopped fresh or frozen beef with or without seasoning, should not contain more than 30% fat and should not contain water, phosphates, binders or extenders.

The lawsuit's claim that Taco Bell's "seasoned beef" contains the forbidden additives is backed up by the restaurant's ingredients list on its website, which says the "seasoned beef" in a Beefy Crunch Burrito contains water, sodium phosphates, soy lecithin, modified corn starch, and anti-caking and anti-dusting agents, among others ingredients.

Taco Bell president and chief concept officer Greg Creed said in a statement that the company uses 100% USDA-inspected beef and simmers it in a blend of seasonings to give it the "signature Taco Bell taste and texture."

"We are proud of the quality of our beef and identify all the seasoning and spice ingredients on our website," the statement said. "Unfortunately, the lawyers in this case elected to sue first and ask questions later -- and got their 'facts' absolutely wrong. We plan to take legal action for the false statements being made about our food."

pcaulfield@nydailynews.com, with News Wire Services
Origional Article: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/01/25/2011-01-25_taco_bell_is_using_false_advertising_when_it_calls_its_food_beef_according_to_la.html