Spirited Woman Blogger Team

The Dr. Oz Show - Be a "Smart" Savvy Diner

I just saw an interesting segment on The Dr. Oz Show – one of my new favorites. If you haven’t checked it out, I highly recommend the show as it is full of easy, quick tips for healthy living. I especially like the segments on food and the one that caught my attention recently was on “Restaurant Secrets” and how to be a savvier diner.

Most of us are already pretty savvy shoppers – in fact, I think part of being a Spirited Woman is having a natural curiosity about things and that extends to the dinner table. Most of us focus quite a bit on what we eat at home – we know where our food is sourced, we know how it’s prepared, and we know what’s in it because we’re in control. But when it comes to restaurants, it’s not so easy. That’s because there are a lot of tricks to the restaurant trade. Bon Appétit's Restaurant Editor Andrew Knowlton joined Dr. Oz and shared several great tips . . . here are my favorites:

1. Beware of the “Special”:  According to Knowlton, most restaurants create specials for one of two reasons:  either to use seasonal ingredients that they can not permanently add to the menu or to “move” ingredients that are on the verge of going bad. So how can you tell if a restaurant is doing the latter? One rule of thumb -- avoid any “kitchen sink” dishes (i.e., sauces, soups or stews that contains a wide variety of ingredients). According to Knowlton, chances are some ingredients will be fresh, while others are not. For example, if you had a choice between two specials --  pasta with chicken ragu or grilled chicken with white asparagus and porcini mushrooms -- which would you choose?  Knowlton says the safer bet is to avoid the “ragu” and go for the grill.  
2. Choose Local and Seasonal – Fish?: We all know fruit and veggies are seasonal, but Knowlton says fish and some meats are too. So although you may be tempted to try that “exotic imported” item on the menu, think twice. It’s better to pick something local and in-season for optimal flavor and freshness. For example, he says if you ever see Tiger Shrimp on the menu, run the other way.  According to Knowlton, Tiger Shrimp are imported from Asia and are often raised in small ponds that are quite dirty and in which they end up eating their own excrement (not terribly appealing). They also have very little flavor, so restaurants need to “doctor” them up with sauces, marinades and butters, which means more calories. 

The Real Deal

Have you ever met someone and been totally disappointed – but in a good way? Disappointed because they were nothing like you thought they’d be, but in a good way because they turned out even better?  That’s what happened last month when I finally met one of my cooking idols: Barbara Lynch. 

It was at a book-signing in a small gift shop here in Charlestown, MA and given the intimate setting, I imagined I’d hear lots of crazy stories about Barbara’s misspent youth and rise to culinary fame along with some not-so-politically-correct Q&A. Coming from South Boston (aka “Southie”) I expected she’d be tough – almost “salty” – punctuating her sentence with expletives and having the group rolling on the floor with funny and risqué stories about coming of age in a male-dominated profession containing characters like Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali. I thought she’d be brazen and kind of “in your face.” But, I was wrong.

Barbara Lynch is quiet and reserved – even a bit shy. When I walked into the shop, she was standing behind a counter stacked with copies of her new cookbook Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition (the first she’s ever written) and I immediately noticed she was smaller then I’d imagined – thinner and more delicate then she appears in pictures. Dressed all in black with her brown hair neatly pulled back in a ponytail, she held a direct, steady gaze (it was hard to tell if she was saying “stay away” or if it was just nerves). Then the event started and she was asked to read from her new cookbook, something she said felt very “foreign” to her, but she was willing to give it a go (guess it was nerves after all).

In a clear, slightly Boston-accented voice she began: “Sometimes I try to imagine how my life would have turned out if I hadn’t discovered cooking. It would have been easy for me not to. I was born in 1964 and my family lived in a four-room apartment in the Mary Ellen McCormack housing project. Like most families in Southie, ours was a big one. And, like most, we were poor, fiercely Irish, and extremely loyal. From what I saw, people hardly ever left the neighborhood. . .  If I ever had thoughts at all as to what I might be when I grew up, they were modest ones. I might have pictured myself running a bar or maybe opening a sub shop, in Southie. But having a restaurant of my own on Beacon Hill? No way . . . How could I, Barbara Lynch, one of seven kids begin raised by a single mother -- my dad died a month before I was born – ever hope for something like that?”

The Wonders of Whole Grain Pasta

Eating well gives a spectacular joy to life and contributes immensely to goodwill and happy companionship -- Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli

Let me sing the praises of whole grain pasta -- ahhhhh!

Much as I love traditional blintzes, bagels, potato latkes, macaroni and cheese, kugel  (read my The Knock You on Your Tush Kugel from October 1, 2009), -- all the dishes you're supposed to eat "sparingly" -- I've discovered a new type of pasta that's really super-delicious and also very good for you. I'm all for spirited women staying in tip-top shape, and I know, I know, I know  that I need to eat healthier; maybe you do, too.

So here's an absolutely terrific recipe (from www.BarillaUS.com ] you can try, to see if you develop a taste (pun intended) for natural whole grain pasta, which is made with 51 percent whole wheat. 

l box of whole grain penne
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1 cup yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 cups small zucchini, diced
2 cups yellow squash, diced
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
salt and black pepper to taste
4 fresh basil leaves, torn

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Using the side of a knife, gently press and peel the garlic and saute in skilled for 1 minute, until slightly brown.  Add onion and saute for 5 minutes, until translucent.  Add bell pepper, zucchini, yellow squash and asparagus, saute until heated but not completely cooked.  Add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, saute for 2 additional minutes.  Drain pasta and toss with the sauce and basil. 

Mangia, mangia! 

Linda Jay Geldens, www.LindaJayGeldens.com
Click here for more of Linda's posts.

Spread the Love Through Food on Valentine's Day - Part 2

Valentine’s Day is upon us (the card companies are not letting us forget!) so hopefully, you’ve already found that “special something” for your sweetheart. If not, check out my last post for some tasty dish ideas. I may be biased, but as I wrote earlier this week, I think the best way to a man’s or woman’s heart is through their stomach. But special foodie gifts can also be very personal, thoughtful and fun. As a Spirited Woman, I like to think Valentine’s Day should celebrate all types of love – from romantic to familial to friendship. So, if you’re like me and looking for some gift ideas for your girlfriends, your mom, your neighbor or anyone special in your life, I’ve got some great options:

Make It Personal (and Fun) - Who doesn’t love getting treats on Valentine’s Day – especially when they’re tasty and tailor-made.

1. M&Ms: You might think M&M’s sound kind of boring, but the personalized ones make a great gift. Choose from a variety of sayings like “U had me at hello” or “2gether 4ever” or create your own . . . then pick from a rainbow of colors and M&M’s does the rest! You can even add pictures like hearts or lips. $34.95 for three 7-ounce bags.  
2. Saint Cupcakes: Mmmm, cupcakes. You can buy them at the corner bakery or you can customize your own from Saint Cupcakes. Pick from eight cupcake flavors (e.g., chocolate, carrot, vanilla toffee), seven frostings (e.g., cream cheese, hot fudge, buttercream) and 13 sprinkle varieties. You can also add special occasion decorations spelling out "love you" or "just because".  Get a 6-pack for $17.50 or a 12-pack for $35. 
3. Bissinger’s Confectionista: Do you have a friend or relative who can’t live without her Jimmy Choo’s? Check out Bissinger’s “Confectionista” collection. It’s a mix of their handmade chocolates packaged in a box shaped like a shoe (adorable!). But whatever you choose --  truffles, bon bons, chocolate covered apricots, caramels and marshmallow hearts – you’ll find a fabulous treat as Bissinger’s uses natural ingredients like real raspberries, blackberries and blood orange.  $22 for the Confectionista. 

Spread the Love Through Food on Valentine's Day

Ah, Valentine’s Day is almost here -- the holiday of love.  And the holiday that can strike fear in the heart of many of a gift-giver. How do you find the perfect way to say “I love you” and show just how much you care?  I say, go with something tasty! 

Remember the old saying "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach?" Well, I think that's true for women too -- basically, for anyone on your valentine's list. Luckily, there are a ton of unique, delicious food-focused gifts out there from which to choose -- ranging from elaborate and expensive to simple and cheap. So, whether you celebrate romantic love . . . love of friends and family . . . or love of yourself, you've got options. In fact, there are so many great gift ideas that I’ve broken them into two posts . . .  this one focusing on romantic ideas and the next one focusing on friendly options . . . 

Love at First Bite - Who doesn't love chocolate?  Even a plain ole Hershey bar is a treat. But for Valentine's Day, kick it up a notch and go with something rich, exotic and downright sinful!
--MarieBelle's Croquette au Chocolat bars: the best of both worlds, these bars combine silky milk or dark chocolate with bits of buttery European cookies to add crunch and intrigue. Get an impressive box of four bars for $45. 
--Debauve & Gallais “Les Incroyables”: go over-the-top with chocolates from Debauve & Gallais -- the original chocolatiers to the King. Anything you order from them will be a show-stopper, but Les Incroyables -- nougat and carmelized Spanish almonds coated with bittersweet chocolate are to die for. $65 for a 10-piece tin; $255 for a 40-piece box. 

In Good Taste

If I didn’t love Ruth Reichl before, I sure as heck do now. For those who don’t know her, she is one of the most spirited women in the food industry -- working her way up from local restaurant critic to New York Times critic to celebrated author and, most recently, editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine. I’ve admired her for a long time, but lately she’s become a super-star in my book. And it’s not for something she’s done as much as it is for something she didn’t do. Let me explain a bit. 

By now you’ve probably read or heard about the closing of Gourmet magazine, where Reichl had been at the helm since 1999. Maybe you even got one of those sad little postcards, like I did  – “officially” informing you of the magazine’s closure and moving your subscription over to Bon Appétit, another Conde Nast publication. And maybe, like me, you were a little heart-broken by the whole thing. 

For over 70 years Gourmet had been the “grand dame” of culinary publications, helping put numerous chefs, trends, restaurants, and foods on the map. To be fair, the publication always had it critics. Some thought it was too difficult or stuffy – many recipes used hard-to-find ingredients and could be challenging. But since taking over, Reichl made it her mission to “update” the publication without losing its hard-core foodie soul. She accomplished this by bringing in fabulous writers and tackling key issues like sustainable eating and farming – making food more accessible on every level -- while continuing to provide the types of recipes and in-depth examinations of ingredients and techniques we’d come to love and expect.

As I looked at my last issue of the magazine – the November 2009 edition – it struck me that no one could be as heart-broken about this whole thing as Reichl. After all, this was her baby for the past 10 years. So I went online and started reading as much as I could about the closing and that’s when I fell in love with Ruth all over again. In every comment, every interview, every Tweet and every blog post, Reichl handled herself with grace, honesty, and integrity.  Something – in this age of Jon & Kate-style finger-pointing – you don’t see everyday.

A Foodie’s Gift Guide: Last-Minute Luxuries

I do this every holiday. I have the best intentions of getting all my shopping done early (this year I set December 1st as the goal), yet no matter how hard I try, I always end up in a last-minute crunch. Inevitably, there are one or two people on my list who I save until the bitter end – either because they are difficult to buy for or because I’ve just plain run out of ideas! If you’re like me, here are some ideas that may help you finish your list with a day or two to spare. In this post (my last in a series of three on foodie-inspired gifts), I found a variety of luxurious gift items – for men and women – that can be ordered online or be purchased at local merchants. So, let’s get shopping!

For the Sweet Tooth: Hotel Chocolat - I am in LOVE with Hotel Chocolat. The British company recently opened a store here in Boston (their only US location so far) and I can’t get enough. For anyone who likes chocolate and has a sense of culinary adventure, their bars, slabs, truffles, cocoa and other confections provide an endless supply of surprises – mixing white, dark, and milk chocolate with exotic spices, fruits, nuts, cookies and crisps. Try Liquid Chocolate with Aztec Chili for an amazing cup of hot cocoa . . . or Pink Champagne Truffles for something sophisticated. Better yet, go for the Truffle Tree – a huge chocolate tree studded with almonds, Florentines, caramelized crispies, cranberries and Gianduja truffles – a truly unforgettable gift. Prices from $15-$75. 

For the Gadget Guru: ThermoWorks & Kuhn Rikon - Everyone loves getting great tools for the kitchen – things that make cooking easier and more fun. Try ThermoWorks for a fantastic thermometer that reads temperatures in just 3 seconds. $96. Or Kuhn Rikon for the most amazing non-stick knives – from paring to bread knives that won’t rip or tear loaves. $10-$20. Then there’s the new Bodum “Bistro” toaster. Made of stainless steel with a heat-resistant rubber finish and a handy defrost button, these retro-funky toasters come in a variety of very cool colors (magenta, lime green, brown, black, etc.) – so they look as good as they work!  $80. 

A Foodie Gift Guide: Au Natural

It’s getting down to the wire – for gift-giving, that is!  We have one week left to find the perfect presents for those we know and love. And for folks who like things natural (i.e., organic, healthy) it can sometimes be especially challenging. But, as I mentioned in my last post, if you focus on “foodie-inspired” gifts, you’re sure to find something special for everyone on your list (even the most health-conscious!). To get you started, check out these options – almost all of which can be ordered online and delivered right to your door . . . happy shopping!

For the snacker . . .Just because the folks on your list like to eat well, doesn’t mean they don’t appreciate the occasional sweet or treat! Stuff their stocking with one of these items – or, buy them all and create a little gift basket! --Pamela’s Products Organic Cookies – These gluten-free wonders taste just like homemade and are very reasonably priced – you can get a “case” of 6 boxes for under ($20). --Askinosie Chocolate – Created by a former criminal defense attorney, this fantastic chocolate comes in dark, dark-milk and white and is made with just three ingredients: cocoa beans, organic cane sugar and cocoa butter. Although technically not organic, Askinosie prides himself on promoting Fair Trade practices and being able to track each and every bean back to its origin – something you can feel good about while you indulge!  --Justin’s Nut Butter – Made in Boulder, Colorado, these spreads come in great flavors like honey peanut, chocolate hazelnut and maple almond – perfect on toast, with fruit or as a topping on ice cream – they even come in “squeeze packs” top take on the go ($6-$10). 

For the vinophile . . . Organic and biodynamic wines are gaining more and more popularity – probably because they taste better and better!  Napa Valley, Oregon and Washington are all producing some great gift-worthy selections – and most are relatively easy to find (just ask your local wine merchant). --2006 Bonterra Mendocino County Zinfandel – A leader in the organic wine movement, Bonterra uses techniques such as composting, integrated pest management, and natural fertilizers to produce this mellow, boysenberry-scented red wine ($15).

A Yummy Christmas to All!

Could you hear the cheer when I shouted “Hooray!”  in my living room on Monday of this week?  I think maybe even the residents of San Luis Obispo, which is hundreds of miles south of here, may have heard me. The reason for my happiness was a gift of Christmas cheer, which was packed in a Santa-and-elves-decorated tin, sent from a longtime friend in Cincinnati. I had requested some of her famous rum balls as a holiday treat, and she graciously obliged.

Those rum balls have a magical effect. You should savor them slowly, but by the time you’ve enjoyed one, or two, or three, the world looks bright and new again. The “spirits” in this treat are enough to lift anyone’s spirits, right up to the sky.  You may even see Santa and his sleigh and reindeer going by!

Here’s a great, traditional, easy recipe for rum balls that will disappear in the proverbial twinkling of an eye:

Bacardi Rum Balls

One-fourth cup dark Bacardi rum
1-and-one-half cups vanilla wafer crumbs
One-fourth cup honey
2 cups ground walnut
Confectioner's Sugar

Combine all ingredients except sugar. Shape into one-inch balls.  Roll in sugar. Store in tightly covered container. Makes 30 rum balls.

I also have a fantastic recipe for Jamaica spiced black fruitcake. This recipe would win over even the most die hard fruitcake-hater.  Suffice to say that the ingredients include dates, figs, cherries, currants, raisins, citron, almonds, orange peel, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and………..THREE CUPS OF DARK JAMAICA RUM!  It’s on page 554 of the New York Times cookbook, edited by Craig Claiborne, published in 1961.  Anyone who wants the recipe, e-mail me and I’ll send it to you.

So…hooray for the holidays, and yum yum for rum!

Linda Jay Geldens, www.LindaJayGeldens.com
Click here for more of Linda's posts.

A Foodie’s “Holiday Bargain” Gift Guide

You know how people say “It’s the thought that counts” when it comes to gift-giving?  While I agree with this in theory, let’s be honest: it’s a lot more fun to get a thoughtful gift that’s cool verses one that’s just ho-hum!  So how do you find great gifts – when time and money is limited?  It’s easy if you think like a spirited foodie. Most people I know love to eat and/or drink, so if you focus on “foodie-inspired” gifts, you’re sure to find something that works for even the pickiest person on your list.

In fact, there are so many great options out there that I can’t fit them all into one post. So, I’m going to share some of the best ideas in three parts . . . first, starting with gifts on a budget (because great presents don’t have to cost a fortune) . . . then healthy & organic options (which are anything but boring)  . . . and lastly, purely decadent presents (rich in price, calories or both!).  So, let the shopping begin . . .

Truffles, Truffles Everywhere! - Any foodie would love to get a basket full of truffles under the tree, but the  real ones could bankrupt your Christmas account.  Enter truffle “blends” – truffles added to staples like salt, paste and honey – that let you add luxury to everyday meals for a fraction of the cost, making great gift for any food lover. - Casina Rossa Truffle & Salt ($25) – ground black truffles mixed with sea salt that you can sprinkle on steak, eggs or potatoes!  - Urbani Black Truffle Paste ($40) – paste provide a concentrated burst of truffle flavor when whisked into sauces, vinaigrettes or butter.  - Lunardi Truffle Honey ($19.50) – this sweet and earthy combo makes a great spread for toasts or cheeses. 

A Little Bit of Julia - There’s no question: Julia Child is hot.  In fact, even five years after her death, she’s more popular than many of today’s chefs – thanks in large part to this summer’s hit movie “Julie & Julia.”  So why not give the gift of Julia’s culinary inspiration to the folks on your list with a copy of one of her books, cookbooks or videos – all available at www.amazon.com.

- Mastering the Art of French Cooking ($19) or Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom: Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking ($10) – these books will keep giving for years to come with great recipes and tips!  Julie & Julia – get the DVD of this summer’s hit movie to keep your friends and family laughing (and eating) all year long!  Or how about Appetite for Life ($12) – this biography provides a truly enjoyable look at the real Julia Child  . . . from her childhood roots to her rise as one of America’s most influential cooks.