Fancy That Fancy This: My Favorite Things

Ameena from Fancy That Fancy This shares her kitchen picks for T.A.D.’s Favorite Things Series

Ginsu Knives – My dad bought these for me during the peak of his Ubid.com obsession.  I’ve used these knives for everything from cutting bananas to frozen bagels and a decade later they are still as sharp as ever.  Just use them with care or you may also find yourself in the hospital getting stitches after slicing through your hand while attempting to cut an avocado.

Calphalon pots and pans – My mom bought me a set of these when I got married 100 years ago.  Despite the fact that I’ve violated the care manual by using metal utensils and little to no oil when cooking with these pots, nothing, and I mean nothing sticks to the bottom of these.  And you can put them in the dishwasher!

Rocket Blender by Bella Cucina – I “borrowed” this Magic Blender-clone from my mother-in-law nearly 9 months ago and I think it’s safe to say that it will never find its way back to her kitchen.  This little blender is fantastic for making milkshakes, popsicles, smoothies, and it can even grind flaxseed in seconds.  The best part is that the little plastic part of the blender flips upside down to turn into a drinking cup, thus eliminating the need to wash a separate glass!

A Kitchen “Helper” – My helper is the one thing in my kitchen that isn’t courtesy of my parents or in-laws.  Initially I had my doubts about her kitchen abilities but over time she’s proven herself quite nicely.  Need some dishes dried?  She’s your girl.  Want the floor swept?  She’ll pull out her mini-broom and take care of it.  My helper can also (almost) singlehandedly make a Godiva Chocolate Bar Cake and calzones from scratch.  While she can be high-maintenance at times (she requires sparkling water and lots of it) my 5-year-old is still my favorite thing in my kitchen.

Thanks, Ameena!  Are you a blogger who wants to share your favorite kitchen picks?  Let me know!

LAX – SLC – EWR

Hola! How was your 1st of September? I was on a plane for most of mine….

My first flight wasn’t until 1 pm so I started off the day pretty normally – with a walk and hearty breakfast bowl:

• 1/3 cup oat bran, 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 frozen banana
• Handful frozen sweetened cranberries
• 2 TB organic egg whites
• Stevia – one packet, plus a few drops Liquid Vanilla

LAX —> SLC was a fast and relaxed one; lots of empty seats with TV’s on the back of them!

I was really surprised that they had “Hung” on demand (for $2) – that’s not really appropriate airplane viewing (I know from past personal experience watching it on my laptop – can be very embarrassing)!!!

Sipped on a complimentary Fresca…

…while watching The Food Network, of course.

Quick plane change in Salt Lake City; I have such fond memories of this airport – Sundance in 2005 and going back and forth all summer of 2007 while shooting “White on Rice” …

…yet I could not for the life of me recollect what the food situation there was! Turns out it isn’t that grand, that’s probably why. I grabbed a ready-made sandwich from Wolfgang Puck in Terminal C -

Meh. The ciabatta wasn’t fresh. The best part was the remoulade sauce.

Also devoured a Coconut Macadamia Nut Butter Ball – forgot how yummy these Betty Lou’s goodies are.

SLC —> EWR was not as fancy (no personal TV’s) but there was WiFi available – no outlets for the computers though so I didn’t bother buying it.

A great article in the Delta magazine about New York:

Unfortunately, I won’t be in the city much this trip – just a few hours planned for later today.

By the time I landed it was 11:30 pm – late for my daddy who came to pick me up, but still early for me and my body! I ate a huge gala on the car ride back to Bergen County, so as not to totally confuse my appetite with a heavy meal. I wasn’t very hungry, anyways.

Snapped this apple photo earlier, when waiting at LAX. Here are some other snacks I had stashed in my bag -

Never wound up eating them. You’ll see those guys again, most likely, on the flight back to LAX next week.

Blogger meetup in a matter of hours – I need to get to bed (it’s 2 am here!!!)

Christy’s Corner – Sugar

Christy Meyers is a holistic nutritional counselor, actress, and The Actor’s Diet former co-blogger.  Here, she talks about a very sweet (but sticky) subject.

Ah, sugar.  Many of you regular readers know that I have a bit of a personal war with sugar.  It is one of the first things I look for when I am reading ingredient labels, and one of the first things I point out.  Let me give you a little background…

Diabetes is rampant in my family.  I watched my grandfather die from  complications of diabtetes – heart disease and kidney failure.  Many members of my family struggle with Type 2 diabetes (also called Adult onset which is caused by a combination of weight, diet, exercise, and genetics depending on the person) or are on their way.  And they all have something in common – they are trying to eat healthy but they crave sugar.

And guess what my main craving is? Yep, sugar.  I love sweets.  They are definitely my weakness – I have yet to meet a chocolate chip cookie that I didn’t want.  And I married a man who has the same tendencies.  If I don’t watch it, sugar could be a real problem for us.

According to the American Diabetes Association there are 17.9 million people diagnosed with diabetes, 5.7 undiagnosed, and 57 million pre-diabetic (which means that their blood sugars tested high enough that if they continue as they are, they will definitely develop diabetes and all the problems that come with it: heart disease, kidney problems, circulation disorders, blindness, etc, etc, etc).  What is even scarier is that more and more children are diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes every year.

And in addition to diabetes, sugar has been found to be a major contributing factor in obesity, ADHD, Adrenal fatigue, sleep disorders, and depression (to name a few).  Anyone who has cut out sugar for a month or more knows that they feel increased energy, better mental focus, more even moods, weight loss and better sleep.

Sugar is also hard on the body and organs to digest.  The body would like to keep an even level of blood glucose (blood sugar) at all times so that you feel energized, not too spacey and not too tired.  If you are ingesting a lot of sugar over the course of the day, then your body must release insulin (the hormone that lowers blood sugar) several times over the course of the day.  Imagine if you had to run up five lights of stairs several times an hour throughout the day. Eventually you would become tired and stop.  That is what happens to the body – over the course of a lifetime of high amounts of sugar, the body starts to get tired.  First it will stop being able to supply vitamins and minerals to areas of the body like the hair and skin – which is why people with high sugar or alcohol (which is liquid sugar) intakes often age faster. Next, the body will produce less and less insulin which will mean that blood glucose levels will go up and up.  And eventually it will no longer be able to produce insulin (Type 2 diabetes) and you will have to take shots in order to keep blood glucose levels where they should be.

So I started paying a lot of attention to what foods have sugar in them.  And they are everywhere – both in regular grocery stores and in the health food markets! Because sugar tastes good; and if you put it in your product, your product will taste good too.  Not to mention the fact that sugar is addictive – we know that because it has all the common side effects: have just a small taste and you will have a craving for more, even if you are full; and cutting sugar out of your diet will create detox symptoms (like headaches, irritability, sleepiness, etc).  If you have sugar in your product, people will want to eat lots of it and you will sell more.  And this is what really gets me mad – even knowing the risks of too much sugar consumption, most companies are still putting it in their products.  And I am not taking about desserts here – I am talking about soup, salad dressings, condiments, bread, crackers, places most people don’t think to look!

Now, this would be a good time to say that not all sugar is created equal.

A sugar is a carbohydrate and the body uses carbohydrates to fuel the muscles, organs and brain functions.  There are natural carbohydrates (sugars) that we get from our whole foods – grains, beans, vegetables and fruits all break down into carbohydrates in the body.  Grains, beans and vegetables are complex carbohydrates meaning that they have a plethora of vitamins, minerals, and fiber that slow the digestion of the food and allow it to be released slowly into the body.   Fruit is a simple carbohydrate (but still a whole food); it still has lots of vitamins, minerals, and fiber but has a higher sugar content so, depending on the fruit, has a greater effect on the blood sugar.

Then you have the natural sweeteners- these are sweeteners that (usually) are minimally processed and often retain vitamins and minerals from the plants they are made from.  Depending on the sweetener, they still have an affect on the blood sugar whether mild or intense.  These sweeteners are stevia, yacon, honey, agave, molasses, brown rice syrup, maple syrup, fruit juice.  Stevia and yacon do not raise blood sugar levels and have low to zero calories.  The others do have an affect on the bloods sugar in varying degrees.

And finally the highly processed white sugar which comes from the sugar cane plant and corn syrup.  There have been all kinds of articles and findings touting the dangers of corn syrup and it’s health affects.  It is a highly processed sweetener that has extreme affects on the blood sugar.  Recently, there has been some press saying that agave is worse than corn syrup.  According to all my research, this is not true.  Rather than republish it all here, I will list a couple of sites below where you can read until your hearts content.  There are a lot of products made from sugar cane and they have varying degrees of processing.  The common white sugar is highly processed, bleached and devoid of vitamins and minerals.  And because it is so heavily processed, it has a strong affect on the blood sugar levels.  On the other end of the spectrum is Sugarcane Juice – this is the juice you can buy that is pressed from the sugar cane.  It does retain many of the vitamins and minerals from the sugarcane plant but it is still hard on the blood sugar levels (as any juice would be).  Evaporated cane juice is questionable.  It is a loosely defined term, is processed in varying degrees (depending on the product), and often contains other forms of sugar.

Okay, so knowing all of this, what am I suggesting – that you cut out all sweet foods from your diet?  No.  I would be the last person who could say that with any real conviction because I love them so much myself.  And I am always super excited to blog about companies that make great tasting desserts with natural sweeteners.

I am saying to take a moment and examine where the sweet in your diet comes from.  Here are some simple steps that I practice myself and tell my clients:

1. Read the ingredient labels of the packaged products that you have in your kitchen and buy. Eliminate the products that include sugar (and are not desserts) as much as possible.  For instance, there is no need for sugar in your split pea soup.  As someone who likes desserts, I would rather get my sugar from a great piece of chocolate than from my jar of pickles.

2. Include complex carbohydrates and chew them well. We all crave the sweet taste.  If you increase that flavor in your diet but it comes from the whole food sources, then you will also be getting tons of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.  So you will look great, feel great and be satisfied naturally.

3. When you do have dessert, have a high quality one and see if you can find one that uses one of the natural sweeteners. At the very least this will give you some variety, and a few more vitamins and minerals.  There is nothing redeeming about white sugar, so why not use one that at least has some redeeming qualities.  See some of my favorite naturally sweetened products that taste great below.

It is also important to remember that too much sugar is simply too much sugar, no matter what form it comes in.  Sweeteners should be the supporting cast in your diet, not the lead actors.  Whether you are having white sugar, or agave all day long – it will still raise your blood sugar levels and it will still have detrimental effects on your health if you do it all the time.

The above recommendations will help lower the overall daily intake amount.  If you find that you need sugar for energy or entertainment then you may also need to look at making adjustments to your lifestyle so you won’t be so dependent on it.

Agave articles:

• Why I Use Agave Nectar: An Examination of Agave Facts and Fiction
• Agave – Lowest Natural Glycemic Index Sweetener

My favorite naturally sweetened products:

(Some of them I was introduced to through this blog!)

• Michelle’s Cookies – the chocolate chip are divine!
• Betty Lou’s products
• Vega Protein Powders – these are great ingredients for protein shakes but I also love to make milkshakes or puddings with them.  My favorite?  Chocolate, of course!
• Coconut Bliss Ice Cream – I am not a huge ice cream eater but when I do have it, I love this brand because it is creamy and rich
• Zevia – when I was in college, I used to love diet sodas.  Zevia is a great option for that every once in a while craving that I still get.

Ah-Mused

I had a Living Social Deal for 50% off $30 worth of food from Cafe Muse and decided to cash it in on Tuesday.

I’ve been to this vegetarian-friendly coffeehouse in Hollywood before, but never during the evening, when they have live entertainment.

Maybe one day I’ll come for open mic and play at that piano….

…but for now I’ll just eat there. We ordered breakfast AND lunch, since it was eleven o’ clock and brunch time!

A make-your-own breakfast burrito with cheddar, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions – came with sweet potato hash browns

And a vegan reuben – veggie turkey, Daiya cheese, thousand island dressing, and sauerkraut. I ordered sweet potato fries as the side.

Evenly split

BBQ sauce and ketchup for dipping

Plus hot sauce for the burrito…

…which was just okay – the cheddar wasn’t fully melted and the tortilla was burnt.

The Reuben was better, but not as mind-blowing as the one at Locali or Meet Market <—-which is closing

The hash browns needed seasoning and I could’ve used more crispness – but the sweet potato fries were perfect!

Overall, we found the food to be good but not great. Cafe Muse is a cute place to hang, though (free wifi too!) and has A LOT of sandwich options so I’ll be back for more BVSLA list research.

To fulfill the $30 Deal, Jennifer (the owner) let us order one to go. We got the “Chicken” Salad…

…and seven hours later, wound up splitting it for dinner.

I supplemented the side salad with baby spinach; the dressing was really yummy!

In fact, Abe and I both liked this sandwich the best.

For dessert, 3 big scoops of Pineapple Coconut

This flavor really can’t hold a candle to the other Coconut Bliss ones I sampled at the beach house over the weekend.

My entire day was pretty crazy with packing and tying up loose ends before heading to NJ, so I was grateful for Cafe Muse and the Living Social Deal to take care of my meals. Next time you hear from me I’ll be on the east coast – in 90 degree weather!!!

Abe – Espresso

(My better half tries out the Cuisinox Milano 6 Cup Espresso Coffeemaker, courtesy of CSN Stores.)

Abe here for my 3rd product review, and definitely the most challenging one so far. Making a good cup of espresso is like creating a perfect chemical reaction and anyone who remembers me from 10th grade knows that I’m terrible at chemistry. I actually exploded a test tube once. A couple weeks ago I made a regular cup of coffee in the espresso maker, as the directions suggest, just to clear out any of the metal shavings that might still be floating around. Today was my first attempt at a real espresso, and it started off pretty well. I got some beans at Intelligentsia that I carried home in my backpack <— which now smells delicious.

Step one, grind the beans. I know enough from coffee experts and common sense that freshly ground beans will yield a fresher tasting beverage.

Step two, use the limiter to reduce the amount of grounds in the espresso maker. I planned to use enough water and grounds for half of the expresso maker’s capacity.

Here’s the coffee grounds placed on top of the limiter. And the base below it is filled halfway with filtered water.

A closer look

Then you screw in the carafe to the base and set it over a medium flame.

After about 3 minutes there was a steaming sound, so I removed it and let it sit for half a minute.

One key direction from the instructions reads “Always allow the coffeemaker to cool down before opening it.” I forgot this step when I made my test batch a couple weeks ago and will certainly not be fooled again.

While the resulting espresso was not as disastrous as my chemistry experiments, it wasn’t a total success either. It tasted like a nice strong cup of coffee, but not as strong as espresso. And there was no crema on top, which was disappointing. I’m not sure that this type of coffeemaker is supposed to have crema, but I’ll do some more research so I can perfect my technique. My hope is to create something that looks and tastes more like an espresso that would be served at a restaurant, or at least like the results of the Nespresso machine that my cousins have. That yields a nice crema everytime, but is not very sustainable, since every cup necessitates a spent plastic pod that isn’t recyclable.

The coffee was still satisfying though, and gave me the caffeine jolt that I needed. Hopefully I’ll post a prettier picture once I do more research and figure out how to get that crema on top.

Espresso Experts – any advice for my husband?

Soup? Stew? Sorbet!

For my Uncle Robert’s birthday dinner last year, I made him a soup from this cookbook -

It was a delicious success, so I figured I’d try another one for 2010.

First, some cooking nourishment – I broke into the appetizers early:

This Rosemary flavor of 34 Degrees Crispbread is GOOD. Ditto on the Beanitos.

Munched on a few of each with some simple guacamole

Other appetizers included a box of Popcorn Shrimp I picked up at the grocery store (a free coupon courtesy of SeaPak), served with TJ’s Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

Baked according to package directions – took less than 12 minutes.

I ate about a dozen of these dipped babies – they were yummy, and so was the sauce. Everyone else who tried them liked them as well.

The main dish…well…it didn’t really turn out as planned. How can you go wrong with coconut milk, onion, garlic, potatoes, spinach, and curry? I did take some liberties with the recipe – subbing certain spices and ingredients – but I think the main problem was the addition of water, rather than broth or stock – so I wound up throwing in a lot of random spices to add depth of flavor. I won’t even bother telling you what since I wasn’t really happy with the result. Any advice for the future?

Also, I was expecting a stew rather than a thin soup so I added in the brown basmati rice I was planning to serve on the side to thicken it up.

It wasn’t horrible, just not really really good – the way you’d like a birthday dinner to be.

The Mediterranean Salad was a hit, though.

My portions – x2 on the salad

Truly Raw Gourmet time!!!

There were doubles of some flavors, so we each sampled a spoonful from seven jars.

The consistency was really different from when I had it straight from the ice cream machine on Saturday; much more icy/frozen/solid.

Everyone (including the teenagers) enjoyed the sorbets, but the ones which got raves were the creamier flavors – like the Chocolate (I liked how the jars got all frosty, just like a car window in the winter)

Chocolate Cappucino (that Kapomo stuff tasted just like coffee!)

and Strawberry Coconut

Ate seconds on those 3 flavors, making it a total of 10 heaping spoonfuls!

I gave the sorbets to Robert for his birthday – when he returns the dozen glass jars, Kippy will give him some more for free – I love recycling incentives!

It’s Monday?!?

Look whose head popped up on our morning walk!

Other funny sightings at breakfast:

That would be the cereal from the bottom of the Kashi Go Lean Crisp box – stuck together like a bar! Abe said it still tasted good, though.

I fixed my own bowl, without the “Kashi bar” – Fiber One, TJ’s Freeze Dried Blueberries, Unsweetened Almond Milk…

…and a big handful of this stuff:

Love the size/texture/taste of these – such a good combo:

Unfortunately, it held me over maybe 2.5 hours? Ate a smaller version of Saturday night’s salad, with some additional salami for protein.

Then got a head-start on cooking; our family returned this afternoon, and I’m making a special birthday dinner for my Uncle.

My go-to guacamole recipe – 3 avocados, juice of one huge lemon, 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper. Simple simple simple.

And an even easier Mediterranean Salad – heirloom cherry tomatoes and persian cucumbers, mixed with the zest/juice of another big lemon, 2 tablespoons EVOO, a handful of chopped fresh italian parsley, 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper…

…cut up a bag of these (in the TJ’s freezer section) and added (with all their oils) to the mix…

…with some fresh parsley, all incorporated -

Letting all those guys sit in the fridge for now while I enjoy the last moments of beach time with everyone!

Sunday Sunset

My lovely yesterday continued with a sweet, late afternoon snack. The same selections as Saturday night’s midnight munchies, except I swapped out the Mint Chip Coconut Milk for some real ice cream in a similar flavor.

It’s pink! And quite delicious, too.

So impressed with the consistency of the Coconut Bliss products – as creamy as the real thing!

The Sunday Times Travel Section had an article about New Orleans – Abe and I have been contemplating taking a trip there this winter. A sign, perhaps?

We’ve been to The Big Easy before, but that was over a decade ago. Also thinking about San Antonio, TX.

Anyone who’s been to, or is from either area who can help us decide?

Love the consistency of these pretzels.

New tootsie pop flavor! Apple – left my tongue green.

For dinner 3 hours later, Abe and I shared one of our Aunt’s gourmet meal delivery dinners.

Abe ate the vegetarian part, and I heated up half the chicken portion (which came with a sweet chickpea/raisin sauce). Also opened a side salad of romaine, cheese, and sunflower seeds:

It all got mixed together. I’ve been doing this lately – blame it on the Whole Foods salad/buffet bars, where I’m forced to put cold and hot food into one container.

The cheese got all melty and the lettuce wilted a little. What do I call this stuff?!?

Still hungry when I finished so I ding donged the remaining portion too.

Pretty stuffed after that, but in a really nice way. Wanted a nibble of dessert but knew it’d put me over the edge into Tummy Pain Lane so instead I had my Ginger Chew, a cup of tea, got a foot rub…

…and watched the sun set.

Lovely Day

It’s been a perfect Sunday so far!

Started off with a long walk to Abbot Kinney and back, which took about 2 hours. Our destination:

Intelligentsia, which makes the best coffee ever. Although I gave up caffeine almost 2 years ago, I remember their brews being mind-blowing, and Abe (who DOES have a daily cup of joe) still raves about this place. I’d never been to the Venice location before so I offered to go in and place his order to check it out.

Stunning inside!

Ana Henton of MASS Architecture and Design created this lovely, airy space – I adored the “bleachers” in the back…

…and also out front:

The whole Intelligentsia experience can seem a bit pretentious…

…the baristas (who all look like designers on Project Runway) are all nice, though, and they share their extensive coffee knowledge in a helpful – not snooty – manner. I got Abe his usual iced coffee, plus a Banana Wheatgerm Muffin (made by Cake Monkey) to go.

On the walk back we saw some interesting autos…

Including one with free lollipops!!!

It was noon when we finally broke into this bad boy.

I had my half crumbled on some lowfat Greek Yogurt, sweetened with a packet of NuStevia

Plus a few organic raisins

This bowl was awesome! Mostly thanks to that muffin, which was perfection.

The day continues with reading on the beach and a trip to Trader Joe’s! What could be better?

Hope you’re having an amazing Sunday too, wherever you are!

Midnight Munchies

Dinner last night was simple, quick, and early.

This giant salad had roasted beets from Whole Foods and some leftover steak that was in the fridge.

Dressing:

Crunch on the side:

Super seedy!

A handful of dried apricots for sweetness and chew.

Almost didn’t make it to “The People I’ve Slept With” last night! The Sunset Strip Music Festival blocked off a bunch of roads and I arrived in the middle of the Q&A.

Thank you to everyone who came to the screening and said hello at the Libertine after-party (sponsored by Audrey Magazine). I had fun meeting everyone!

We tried to get some dessert while we were out but everything had closed. Figured nothing would be better than the frozen dessert stash back at the beach house, anyway!

There were a bunch of new (to me) Coconut Bliss flavors to sample – plus one brand of Coconut Milk ice cream I’ve never tried before

A scoop of each, topped with TJ’s freeze dried Strawberries

Man, it was all good stuff – I much prefer these flavors to the one I currently have at home. Went back for seconds on everything!

Usually I end with something sweet, but last night I needed the salt!

Favorite post-celebratory midnight snack? I would’ve killed for a cupcake last night but that coconut ice cream was pretty satisfying!