Serves 4

2 pounds red potatoes
1 1/2 red onions- cut in half moons
2 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons    oregano
1 teaspoons    cumin
12 slices bacon
1 cup fresh mayonnaise
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup frozen peas
1 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

1)  Steam potatoes, toss with butter and spices, salt and pepper. Roast, uncovered, for 30 minutes. 

2) Toss onions with melted butter, grill onions on the grill. this is easy if you use stainless steel basket designed to grille fish. Or you can roast them in the oven with melted butter until starting to brown.  Stir occasionally. 

3) Cool potatoes and onions.  Crumble bacon and add bacon and the bacon grease to the salad.  Add mayonnaise to desired moistness.  Add lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper, peas.  Toss gently.

1 can black-eyed peas
1/2 onion- medium diced
1 teaspoon garlic
1/2 red bell pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 pound collards- sliced thin
1 whole Vidalia onion- cut in half moons
4 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
4 Tablespoons butter

1)  Heat butter in saucepan, sauté’ onions until caramelized.  Add red pepper and sauté’ until softened. Add garlic and sauté’ for 3 or 4 minutes.  Add seasonings and sauté’ until herbs smell aromatic, 2 or 3 minutes.  

2. For Greens: Bring 2 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven or large, deep sauté pan. Add salt and greens; stir until wilted. Cover and cook until greens are just tender, about 6 minutes; drain in colander.  Rinse with sprayer or under faucet with cold water, make sure all the greens are cool.  Let drain real well, until you cannot squeeze any more water out of the greens.

3)  Add butter to hot pan, sauté onion until softened.  Add black-eyed peas when they are ready, fold greens in, mixing well.  Adjust seasonings; salt and vinegar. 

I demonstrated this dish in cooking class one night and my students had taken one look at the recipe and said they would never make it, they said it had too many ingredients!. But after tasting it they agreed that this dish was REALLY worth the effort!!

serves 4   

1 cup quinoa
3 cups water
1 Granny Smith Apple – diced small
2Roma Tomatoes- diced small
1 small cucumber- deseeded and diced small
3 scallions- sliced thin, diagonally
2 Tablespoons spearmint, chopped
1/3 cup  basil- chiffonade
1/3 cup  sliced black olives
1/2 cup fresh mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 pound lump crab meat
1 small yellow tomato
salt and pepper to taste

1)  Toast quinoa on stovetop, in heavy skillet, shaking pan, until lightly browned. Transfer to a bowl, pour in boiling water, cover tightly and let sit for about an hour. Or you can simmer on low until liquid is completely absorbed. 

2)  Combine all ingredients with quinoa after if has cooled. Fold in crab and season to taste. cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

People often complain that they get sick of eggs every day for breakfast.  I personally cannot relate- I can eat eggs any time, any way!  Scrambled, poached, fried, in egg drop soup, on French toast, deviled, boiled..But an all time favorite of mine is the breakfast frittata. I make them in a spring form pan, make them very deep dished with plenty of veggies…and have breakfast already made for several days!   With a serving of fruit or coconut milk yogurt..they are a perfect breakfast!

Deep Dish Breakfast Frittata

Makes 8 slices

1/2 cup butter
2 whole potatoes- washed, grated
1 Vidalia or Spanish onion- diced
1 red bell pepper- matchstick cut
1 yellow pepper- matchstick cut
1/2 pound mushrooms- sliced
1 1/3 teaspoon thyme (or dill if you are using smoked salmon)
20 organic eggs
6 ounces rice mozzarella (optional)
10 slices bacon (optional or leave out if using smoked salmon on top of already baked Frittata)
salt and pepper to taste

1)  Sauté, mushrooms, onions, peppers and herbs until softened. place grated potatoes on top of other veggies AND DO NOT STIR!  turn to low, cover and let simmer 10 minutes. Season with herbs, salt and pepper.

2)  Prepare a spring form pan with foil just as if you were doing a cheesecake. Spread grated potatoes mixture in your buttered spring form pan.

3)  Add grated cheese, then pour eggs over it. Bake at 350° until eggs are done. Approximately 25 to 35 minutes, until eggs are just set in the middle.

I offer these on the Meal Delivery Service for my clients to have for breakfast.

Although the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no solid food for the first 4 to 6 months, I heartily disagree!  For the first year of life an infant should only be fed breast milk, then fruits, then veggies, then meat…

Mar. 19, 2013 — Consumption of foods high in carbohydrates immediately after birth programs individuals for lifelong increased weight gain and obesity, a University at Buffalo animal study has found, even if caloric intake is restricted in adulthood for a period of time.

The research on laboratory animals was published this month in the American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism; it was published online in December.

"This is the first time that we have shown in our rat model of obesity that there is a resistance to the reversal of this programming effect in adult life," explains Mulchand S. Patel, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and associate dean for research and biomedical education in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

The research has applications to the obesity epidemic in the U.S., particularly as it relates to infant nutrition, Patel explains.

"Many American baby foods and juices are high in carbohydrates, mainly simple sugars," he says. "Our hypothesis has been that the introduction of baby foods too early in life increases carbohydrate intake, thereby boosting insulin secretion and causing metabolic programming that in turn, predisposes the child to obesity later in life."

For more than 20 years, Patel and his UB colleagues have studied how the increased intake of carbohydrate-enriched calories just after birth can program individuals to overeat.

For their rat model of obesity, the UB researchers administered to newborn rat pups special milk formulas they developed that are either similar to rat milk in composition, (higher in fat-derived calories) or enriched with carbohydrate-derived calories.

"These pups who were fed a high-carbohydrate milk formula are getting a different kind of nourishment than they normally would," explains Patel, "which metabolically programs them to develop hyperinsulinemia, a precursor for obesity and type 2 diabetes."

At three weeks of age, the rat pups fed the high-carbohydrate (HC) formula were then weaned onto rat chow either with free access to food or with a moderate calorie restriction, so that their level of consumption would be the same as pups reared naturally.

"When food intake for the HC rats was controlled to a normal level, the pups grew at a normal rate, similar to that of pups fed by their mothers," Patel says. "But we wanted to know, did that period of moderate calorie restriction cause the animals to be truly reprogrammed? We knew that the proof would come once we allowed them to eat ad libitum, without any restrictions.

"We found that when the HC rat undergoes metabolic reprogramming for development of obesity in early postnatal life, and then is subjected to moderate caloric restriction, similar to when an individual goes on a diet, the programming is only suppressed, not erased," he says.

This is due to developmental plasticity, which extends from fetal development into the immediate postnatal period. According to Patel, previous research by others has revealed that during the immediate postnatal period, pancreatic islets and neurons continue to mature.

"That’s why an altered nutritional experience during this critical period can independently modify the way certain organs in the body develop, resulting in programming effects that manifest later in life," Patel says. "During this critical period, the hypothalamus, which regulates appetite, becomes programmed to drive the individual to eat more food. We found that a period of moderate caloric restriction later in life cannot reverse this programming effect."

Therefore, addressing the obesity epidemic in the U.S. requires true lifestyle change, including permanent caloric restriction.

"As long as you restrict intake, you can maintain normal body weight," he says.

To avoid metabolic reprogramming that predisposes a baby to obesity later in life, he says that parents should follow the American Academy of Pediatric guidelines, which state that solid foods should not be given before a baby is 4-6 months old.

Patel adds that this study involved only moderate caloric restriction; he and his colleagues would like to study whether or not more severe caloric restriction for a limited period can result in true metabolic reprogramming to normal metabolic phenotype.

Co-authors with Patel are Malathi Srinivasan, PhD, research assistant professor and Saleh Mahmood, PhD, post-doctoral associate, both in the UB Department of Biochemistry.

The work was supported by the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Fennel and Tangerine Salad

Serves 4

2 large fennel bulbs   
2 Tangerines
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 red bell pepper- cut in small matchsticks
4 each scallions- cut in thin diagonals
1/4 cup olive oil
4 T. lemon juice
2 T. Dijon mustard
salt and pepper

1)  Cut the fennel in small matchsticks. Toss the fennel, peppers, tangerines, and parsley in a large bowl.

2)  Whisk the oil, lemon juice, mustard, and and seasonings together in a small bowl. Toss the dressing with the fennel mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Here’s a bunch of ways you can make trellises for both vegetable gardens and flower beds, many are simple in design (and to make) while others are more detailed and fancy (with a bit of woodworking skill required). Quite a selection of materials used such as bamboo, wooden poles and sticks, lumber, wire mesh, etc. A couple of the projects below have been featured previously on Tipnut and moved here for better organization. Enjoy!

digginfood.com

With Wire Mesh: Shares a tip to install panels of welded wire mesh along fencing.

Wood A-Frame: With some plywood, hardware cloth, fasteners, basic tools, and a little time, you can fashion a hinged A-frame trellis to support peas, beans, tomatoes, or other vining plants.

vegetablegardener.com

marthastewart.com

Invisible Tip: Eyehooks screwed into siding or walls and networks of medium-gauge wire hold delicate vines. (Heavier climbers, such as roses, will need heavy-gauge wire.) Grid design examples included.

DIY Bamboo Project: Made with several canes of bamboo in different diameters and lashing cord.

finegardening.com

urbanfarmonline.com

Portable Design: Made with lumber and chicken wire. Free pdf tutorial download available.

Rustic Design: Simple project made from prunings or substitute 1-by-1 stakes from the nursery or lumberyard. The finished structure is 7 feet 4 1/2 inches tall and 3 feet wide.

sunset.com

gardengatemagazine.com

Topper Plans: Three different designs to choose from to top a classic design trellis, free pdf downloads.

For Roses: The instructions are for an eight-by-four-foot trellis with a three-quarter-inch thickness, the strips of wood are spaced three inches apart.

marthastewart.com

myhomeideas.com

Easy To Store: When the season ends, either untie and store the trellis or leave it in place year-round for visual interest.

Rustic Ti-pi Tutorial: Made with three to six poles, 1 1/2″ to 2 1/2″ in diameter and 4′ to 7′ long, copper or galvanized steel wire and grapevines or flexible willow branches.

sunset.com

thisoldhouse.com

With Lattice Fencing: Here’s how to turn lattice fencing and 2x4s into a three-panel focal point. Plan diagram included.

Bamboo & String Tee-Pee: Made to accommodate peas and cucumbers using scrap bamboo sticks tied together with cotton string.

deirdrepope.com

For MORE Trellises…Read Complete Article

One thing I didn’t know was that you can’t do raw pack for stewed tomatoes. Good thing I haven’t done it yet but I probably would have if I was worried about losing a whole lot of ripe tomatoes. Good info.

photo credit modernsurvivalblog.com

http://modernsurvivalblog.com/survival-kitchen/12-lifesaving-canning-rules/

This article shows studies that high carbs and dairy intake cause acne, but those dietary practices also lead to obesity, poor health, a compromised immune system, and malnutrition.

Feb. 20, 2013 — A study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has determined that there is increasing evidence of a connection between diet and acne, particularly from high glycemic load diets and dairy products, and that medical nutrition therapy (MNT) can play an important role in acne treatment.

17 million Americans suffer from acne, mostly during their adolescent and young adult years. Acne influences quality of life, including social withdrawal, anxiety, and depression, making treatment essential. Since the late 1800s, research has linked diet to this common disease, identifying chocolate, sugar, and fat as particular culprits, but beginning in the 1960s, studies disassociated diet from the development of acne.
"This change occurred largely because of the results of two important research studies that are repeatedly cited in the literature and popular culture as evidence to refute the association between diet and acne," says Jennifer Burris, MS, RD, of the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University. "More recently, dermatologists and registered dietitians have revisited the diet-acne relationship and become increasingly interested in the role of medical nutritional therapy in acne treatment."

Burris and colleagues, William Rietkerk, Department of Dermatology, New York Medical College, and Kathleen Woolf, of New York University’s Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, conducted a literature review to evaluate evidence for the diet-acne connection during three distinctive time periods: early history, the rise of the diet-acne myth, and recent research.

Culling information from studies between 1960 and 2012 that investigated diet and acne, investigators compiled data for a number of study characteristics, including reference, design, participants, intervention method, primary outcome, results and conclusions, covariate considerations, and limitations.

They concluded that a high glycemic index/glycemic load diet and frequent dairy consumption are the leading factors in establishing the link between diet and acne. They also note that although research results from studies conducted over the last 10 years do not demonstrate that diet causes acne, it may influence or aggravate it.
The study team recommends that dermatologists and registered dietitians work collaboratively to design and conduct quality research. "This research is necessary to fully elucidate preliminary results, determine the proposed underlying mechanisms linking diet and acne, and develop potential dietary interventions for acne treatment," says Burris. "The medical community should not dismiss the possibility of diet therapy as an adjunct treatment for acne. At this time, the best approach is to address each acne patient individually, carefully considering the possibility of dietary counseling."

Gotta try these!

[Photograph: Evan Sung]

From Serious Eats

3/4 cup bacon fat (from 1 1/2 to 2 pounds bacon), at room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup for rolling
1/4 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
1 large egg
1 cup sweet rice flour
½ cup Tapioca Flour
½ cup teff flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor, and pulse until a smooth, stiff dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Put the 1/4 cup sugar in a shallow bowl. Breaking off 1-tablespoon lumps, roll the dough into balls, drop into the sugar, roll to coat, and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are dark brown. Let cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.