Tagliatelle with Spinach, Mascarpone and Parmesan; Coffee and Cancer
Nothing like leftovers to create the need for a new recipe. Finding myself with a tub of mascarpone cheese leftcover from the bruschetta earlier in the week, I searched for a pasta recipe to use it up. I found this delicious, silky, comfort dish on Jamie Oliver’s website. I could probably eat this every day. Knowing Jamie Oliver’s reputation for encouraging healthy eating, Joe asked if this was a healthy recipe. Sure, if you consider mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, parmesan cheese and pasta healthy. I don’t know about the spinach though.
In the news… Coffee Consumption Could Lower Risk of Some Cancers
Really, is there anything not to love about coffee? Last year I reported on the effects of coffee on lowering the risk of strokes. New studies show that people drinking 4 or more cups of coffee a day have a lower risk of head and neck cancers. The more coffee a person consumed, the lower the risk. Scientists came to these conclusions after reviewing 9 previous studies. They can’t tell whether it’s the coffee itself that lowers the risk, or other lifestyle factors associated with these drinkers. Who cares? Make mine a double.
Bruschetta for Dinner; Hold Your Nose on the Froot Loops
Pity my poor family. Some families complain because they have to eat chicken every night for dinner – at least if you listen to women’s magazines. My family had to eat bruschetta for dinner two nights in a row this week. I was working on a piece about different bruschetta for party appetizers for my Entertaining site at About.com, and somebody had to eat them after they were assembled and photographed. This delicious dessert variation was inspired by Joe who conceptualized a pineapple and honey bruschetta. I put those ingredients on a base of mascarpone cheese and topped with chopped macadamia nuts. By the way, they were preceded by two different savory bruschetta. I’m not completely ignorant of my family’s proper nutrition. And nobody complained about being hungry.
In the News… Kellogg Recalls 28 Million Boxes of Cereal
There’s something stinky in Froot Loop land. People are reporting a funny smell coming from Froot Loops, Sugar Pops and Sugar Smacks (I’m an old school girl that likes the names I grew up with), and Apple Jacks. The smell is reported as waxy, metallic or soapy. It’s not believed to be truly harmful, except that about 5 people have been nauseated or vomited. You’ve got to wonder if these people were pregnant. You also have to give credit to Kellogg for responding so completely. However, all of that waste makes me sad. I wonder what will happen with all of the cereal, liners, and boxes. Because 20 people noticed a smell and 5 people felt ill, a decision appears to have been made for public relations reasons as opposed to public health. There’s got to be a better way.
Farewell to Middle School Bento Box; Healthier Diet May Lower Asthma Risk
I haven’t been nearly as diligent about preparing bento box lunches for the girls as I intended. I haven’t figured out a way to do them in five minutes or less, which is generally the amount of energy I have left after dinner. But today Annie was going to graduate from Middle School and she requested one last bento box for the year. I couldn’t refuse. This box repeated the “treasure box” recipe that you see on the left. It required cooking onion, carrots and green pepper, adding cooked rice (which I needed to cook for this lunch) and cooked chicken, which fortunately I had left over from a dinner earlier in the week. In the meantime you make small omelets and fill them with the chicken rice mixture, and wrap them up like a little package. The carrots were shredded and cooked with sesame oil and sesame seeds. The apple wedge was cut like a tulip, and a few pineapple chunks were tossed in to fill the space since bentos should be packed tightly.
This bento box took approximately an hour (including clean up time) for a lunch that must have been eaten in 10 minutes maximum. You can see why I don’t do this often. But it’s also apparent why Japanese mothers do. This is a much healthier lunch than Annie normally takes to school. It’s coincidental that I prepared this while watching the latest “Top Chef” episode where the contestants were challenged to make healthy school lunches on a budget. They should have tried a bento box.
In the News… A Healthier Diet May Lower A Child’s Risk of Asthma
I’ve spoken with many parents who wonder what has changed in our environment to create the increasing number of childhood health problems including allergies, autism, and asthma. Well, European researchers have studied date collected from 50,000 kids that may provide a clue to one of these problems – asthma. The research found a link to higher rates of asthma in countries with fast food. The thinking goes that there’s a lifestyle correlation here, not a problem with meat. Greater fast food consumption may mean lower fruit and vegetable consumption, leading to less protection from the antioxidants found in the produce, and less fish in diets reducing the intake of beneficial Omega 3 fatty acids. I guess we’ve found another argument for more bento box lunches.