Study: Americans cook the fastest in the world

Sad, but true. According to a recent study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Americans only spend 30 minutes cooking dinner, the lowest amount of time compared to other countries. Turks spent the most time cooking at 74 minutes per meal.

Despite the fact that one-third of Americans are obese, the United States also doesn't spend much time eating their meal (1 hour and 14 minutes), the third lowest time in the world. (see a pdf visual)

I'm all for easy home-cooked meals, but I wonder if Americans aren't enjoy the whole process -- cooking, eating, tasting.

Simple summer squash

Squash is another one of those vegetables that I hadn't truly explored until adulthood. Like a good man, squash has many good qualities: variety, beauty, and ease.

To create a simple side, skin the squash. Make sure to take off all of the outer layer; leaving the skin on sometimes turns bitter (in my opinion). Slice and butter up the pan (this is one of the rare occasions when I absolutely vote for butter over olive oil). Throw in the slices and saute for a few minutes. Sprinkle on freshly ground pepper and kosher salt, and serve. Delicious!

Mint lemonade time

I think May constitutes lemonade weather. Here's my take on the traditional drink. It's simple to make and requires just a few ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 6 tea bags (I used Lyons tea, which was the tea Kevin drank in Ireland)
• 3 or 4 lemons
• Bunch of fresh mint
• Sugar

Instructions:

1. Boil water in a pot.
2. While the water is doing its thing, slice up the lemons and throw them into a heat-resistant container. I once used a plastic drip dispenser and the plastic disintegrated into nothingness. It was bad news.
3. Add the mint bunch and tea bags.
4. Once boiled, add the water to the container full of all the ingredients and stir.
5. After 7 minutes, remove the tea bags carefully (it'll still hot) and most of the lemons and mint, leaving a few in for decoration. Once at room temperature, cover and refrigerate.
6. When you're ready to serve, add ice and sugar (both optional). It's best not to add sugar until the end so that it doesn't settle to the bottom. Enjoy! It's much better than the store-bought kind.

All-day apple butter

Despite the name, this apple butter doesn't have butter in it. It's a jam preserve that can go with breakfast or desserts. It's especially great to make during the fall when you have more apples than you know what to do with.

Ingredients

• 5lbs. apples - enough to fill the crock pot two-thirds full(I used a mix of green, pink lady, and macintosh)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/ tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. groung nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• pinch of salt

Instructions

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!

When I was in college, my roommates thought I was crazy because I would pour leftover grease fat into a glass jar or metal can and freeze it until trash day. They thought the fat jar was so gross, except that I refused to clog up the drains. I was right! ScienceDaily posted an article about how pouring fat down the drain can cause overflow sewers. More fat jars, people!

In other news, I wanted to share some favorite links for more responsible cooking/housekeeping. I keep a box in the closet for clothes donations and electronics (batteries, lightbulbs, cords, printer toner) that I periodically drop off at hardware stores, grocery markets, or local schools. You can search for any nearby drop-off stations by typing in your zip code and the item you want to recycle at Earth911.com.

But the recycling doesn't stop there. Did you know, you can't recycle the caps of water bottles but you can recycle aluminum foil? Real Simple (one of my favorite magazines) has a good online guide about how to recycle unconventional items, such as carpeting, nail clippers, and even crayons.

Hallelujah! Google recipes is here

Hallelujah! Google Recipes is here. Just like Google Videos and Photos, the search engine selects the most popular/recent recipes based on your searched term. It pulls from sites, including foodnetwork.com, food.com, epicurious.com, and my favorite, allrecipes.com. But the best part is that you can sort by the ingredients you have, time period that you want to commit, and by calories---all without leaving the page. I know I sound like an ad for Google, but there is a reason why people keep using it; it's great.

Currently reading: Cooking with Nora

I just took out another cookbook from the library, Cooking with Nora: Seasonal Menus from Restaurant Nora. Nora Pouillon is the owner-chef of two DC restaurants, including one that is Michelle Obama's favorite (President Obama surprised her with a dinner there for her 46th birthday). What's unique is that Nora has been in the business of responsible cooking, serving organic everything (food, beer, even the cotton on the tables and the waiters). I was lucky enough to have eaten there (thanks to a generous gift certificate). It was as delicious as promised.

Nora suggests the following tips for home cooking:

Beet and feta salad

Beets are another one of those things that I didn't try until a couple years ago. I'm glad I did. Here's a recipe for a tasty, easy salad:

Ingredients:

• Lettuce (I like arugula or spinach because the beets are sweet)
• Beets
• Feta cheese
• Walnuts (optional)

1. Boil the beets for about 15 minutes. I've actually never timed it because I wait until the water boils and stick a fork in a beet until it's squishy.

The dirty dozen: when to buy organic

I dream of the day when I'll be able to afford all organic food. Until I become a millionaire and own my own farm, or at least, afford to buy all my groceries at Whole Foods (i.e., Whole Paycheck), here's a list of the foods that you should aim to buy organic. It's known as the "dirty dozen," 12 fruits and vegetables that are the most at risk for contamination of pesticides. If you have to pick and choose which groceries you spend the extra money on, these are it, according to Organic.org:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Pears
• Grapes (Imported)
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Potatoes

Extreme couponers: savvy or scary?

I'm in both awe and fear of extreme couponers. I worry I am two cents short of becoming this:

This is a new show on TLC all about extreme couponing. I think it's my new addiction---the show, not the extreme couponing.

Getting rid of food: Garbage disposal vs. trash

The other night, I was cleaning up after dinner and realized that I splitting up the food scraps between the trash bin and the garbage disposal. I asked myself, "Self, what's better for the environment?" Obviously, the best choice is to compost peels and cores in a compost heap, but unfortunately my current status as an apartment complex tenant isn't conductive to the compost piles similar to those like my grandfather used to keep.

Here's what Shift Your Habit has to say on the matter:

Believe it or not, it’s actually better to throw food away and have it be taken to a landfill than to turn it into puree via the kitchen sink.

Pushing food scraps into the garbage disposal does not make them disappear. It only adds to the solid waste that enters the wastewater treatment facility. This sludge not only requires additional chemicals for treatment, but when strained-out must ultimately be transported to a landfill anyway.

Unfortunately, not all sewage arrives safely at the treatment plant. Some pipes break, sending raw sewage spilling into streets, rivers, or beach areas and wreaking havoc on aquatic environments and human health and comfort.

Currently reading: Double Delicious

I'm currently reading Double Delicious: Good, Simple Food for Busy, Complicated Lives by Jessica Seinfeld. I know, I know. It's you choice in whether you believe she pulled a Mark Zuckerberg, stealing the idea of her first New York Times bestseller for extolling the virtues of purees. However, it is a well-known secret ingredient to get kids (or in my case, a boyfriend) to eat veggies.

My review of the book: it was worth what I paid (i.e., a free borrowed loan from the library). There are some helpful tidbits:

• Use a cast-iron skillet. You won't need as much oil to cook your food, and you get the added bonus of more iron in your diet. (When I was running cross country many moons ago, I was iron-deficient. My doctor also told me to use cast-iron skillets or woks.)
• Store your oils in a dark, cool cabinet---not on your stove. Exposure to oxygen, heat, and light can make them rancid.
• Use purees. Start with non-green vegetables (cauliflower, butternut squash, sweet potato, carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash) because you'll notice the taste less when you mix with other foods.

I will certainly try to add more veggie purees to my meals. More to come...

Gadgets for the tiny kitchen

For much of my adult life, I've been cursed with tiny kitchens, including one in Boston that was a closet converted into a gallery kitchen. Right now, I have a 8'x7' kitchen in DC; that's enough for a dishwasher, fridge, sink, and some storage and counter space. It's not much, but it's ours (or at least rented).

To conserve space or simply make our lives easier, here are some of the things that help:

My dream kitchen

I discovered this site, Houzz, when I was helping my sister model her new home. Houzz is basically the Flickr for home pictures, where you can save all your ideas and share them with your contractors, vendors, or friends. Here's my "idea book."

Here are a few pictures from my dream kitchen. (I can't take credit for these pictures, they came from Houzz.)

eclectic kitchen design

How to make brussels sprouts taste, gasp, good!

It's quite possibly the most feared and loathed vegetable by children everywhere---brussels sprouts. Is it weird that I actually like brussels sprouts? I didn't actually have my first one until I was in my mid-twenties (I think I'm past that age bracket now - yikes) and was amazed at how pretty and tasty they were.

Proponents in the brussels sprouts camp (i.e., Whole Foods) claim the following:

• They lower cholesterol
• They protect your DNA (don't ask me to explain the science behind this)
• They help protect you against cancer
• They can detox your body

It's almost too easy, but making brussels sprouts taste good is just that. If you are buying from the stem, pull the buds off gently. Most of the time, you'll see them off the stem and prewashed. That's fine too. Cut them in half removing the first layer. Throw them on a pan with a little olive oil. Then add tiny chunks of chorizo (that's the secret ingredient). Add sugar (it's tastier with raw sugar cane) and a couple teaspoons of soy sauce (low sodium if you have it). Saute on the pan for several minutes and out comes magic.

Thanks to Whitney who taught me this recipe originally with green beans instead of brussels sprouts!

Deciphering the hippy lingo

When I shop for food, it's always nice to see words, such as "fresh," "local," or "organic" on the package, but how fresh, local, and organic is it really? I have to admit, I really didn't really know until I read up. A Clean Life in a brochure that I picked up a farmers' market describe the terms as the following:

Fresh - only a few days since it was caught or harvested

Local - food that is sold within 1-200 miles

Seasonal - produce that is the freshest and tastiest

Sustainable - in food terms, that means a balanced cycle that supports farmers, customers, and environment

Organic - grown without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides

Certified naturally grown - grown with the same standards as organic but with small farmers particularly in mind

Grass-fed, cage free, hormone free, antibiotic free - it is what it sounds like

A Clean Life goes on to say that if each American could eat just one meal per week made from local, organically grown produce, the U.S. could conserve 1 million barrels of oil each week. That, eh, you know, food for thought.

You can find way more info at freshfarmmarkets.org, including recipes and farmers' markets in the Greater DC area.

CSA sign-up time

It's Feb. 1. While I'm still clinging to my new year's resolutions, I did finally cross off an item on my to-do---renew my community supported agriculture (CSA).

I first used CSA when I moved to DC (about a year and a half ago). Since I wasn't commuting anymore (with extra time on my hands) and knew virtually no one in the area, I decided cooking would be my hobby.





If you're new to CSA, you can find a local share on LocalHarvest.org. I use Norman's Farm, which features fruits and veggies from multiple farms. For an average of $14 a week, I get more than enough of my fruit/vegetable food group. I do have to supplement it with eggs, dairy, and meats from the regular supermarket. Although the season can start out slow with limited choices, it definitely pays for itself throughout the year. The only downside is that I have to drive to the pick-up site. If you are sans car and prefer delivery, you can also try HarvestDelivered.com, which I've also considered. It's a little bit more expensive since you are also paying for the delivery fees.


The best part of taking part in CSA is that it forces me to eat the good stuff more and explore new recipes for veggies I've never heard of before, like this:

It's called a turban squash. I had no idea how to carve it or cook it so it was a fall decoration last year.

More strangely beautiful vegetables to come in May!

Currently reading: Good Housekeeping Budget Dinners

I'm currently reading Good Housekeeping Budget Dinners: Quick and Easy Everyday Recipes (thanks to a friend's Christmas present). The book has eight core strategies to eating on a budget:

1. Cook it slow and easy.
   I love my slow cooker and can't say enough about it. A slow cooker can cost as little as $30 and basically turns cheap cuts of meat into magic.
   
2. One dish, many meals.
   Think a roasted chicken turned into chicken mac and cheese or chicken pot pie for the following dinner.
   

Brunch for two

I'm finally getting my act together and sharing some of my favorite cheap meals (and misadventures in cooking) on this blog. Way back when, I had my friend over for Sunday brunch and I made a leek, potato, and feta tart. I'm not a vegetarian, but I like to try and stay vegetarian at least until dinner time. There's no good (or noble) reason except that meat is expensive so I save it for dinner.

This tart is super easy to make, pretty flavorful, and a good make-ahead meal; all you have to do is pre-make it earlier in the morning or night before and pop it in the oven when your guest arrives.

Leek, Potato, Feta Tart
[based on Real Simple recipe]
Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 2 leeks (white and light green parts cut into quarters)
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1 red bliss potato (thinly sliced)
• 2 or 3 artichoke hearts (jarred)
  
• 1 store-bought 9-inch pie crust (not store brand; normally I'm all for generic but for about 50cents more, the pie crust will keep together)

How to cut leeks: Get rid of the dark green parts (even though it's pretty, it's no good). The best part is the white and light green parts. Cut into half moons and throw them in running water. Because there's so many layers, dirt gets stuck between. Let them sit in water for a while to get the grime out, and repeat the wash.
Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Meal planners

Half the battle of home cooking, I'm convinced, is food shopping.

To ease this part of the process, I wanted to share the Real Simple Weekly Grocery List. I just started using this simple one-page shopping list. This tool breaks it down by day and by grocery aisle (dried foods, poultry, etc.) to make your supermarket trip a little smoother (and faster). The other great thing is by having a full list before your shopping trip, you can take a look at your meals for the week and make sure you are fully "utilizing your resources," for instance, selecting recipes to use a full block of cheese before it goes bad by the end of the week.

I also read about another group meal planner called MealTrain.com, which allows users to coordinate dinner ideas and delivery times. I haven't used it yet, but it sounds like a great idea for potlucks, when friends have babies, or on a more depressing note, extended illness or for Shiva. The free online software is compatible with Facebook and e-mail invites so that viewers can manage and view one group calendar with the ability to comment.

These things combine my love of food and planning.