National Gingerbread Day

Oh joy! It's national ginger bread day! I love gingerbread. Here's a recipe from CNN.

National gingerbread day

While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.
It's not just for the holidays - June 5 is National Gingerbread Day.
Gingerbread actually refers to a number of sweet confections that include ginger, whether a moist loaf of bread or a crispy cookie.
Ginger is one of those versatile spices that lends well to lots of different cooking styles. It’s related to warm and sweet spices like tumeric and cardamom, and pairs well with molasses and cinnamon. The Germans have pretty much perfected their type of gingerbread cookie, called the Lebkuchen, but it tastes nothing like that sweet and spicy gingersnap your grandmother makes.

There’s also a debate over whether using dried ginger, fresh ginger or crystallized ginger is best. Each has different merits, ranging from ease of use to ginger flavor. Try each one and decide for yourself, just be careful when substituting them for each other!
Below is my favorite gingerbread cookie recipe. It’s from a co-worker’s great aunt of County Down, Northern Ireland, and calls for both ground ginger and crystallized ginger.

Auntie May’s Ginger Biscuits
Courtesy Richard Griffiths
6 ounces salted butter, softened to room temperature
8 ounces (1 cup) granulated sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups bread flour (you can also use all-purpose, but not self-rising)
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces crystallized ginger, chopped finely
Preheat oven to 190° Celsius, or 375° Fahrenheit. Mix together the soft butter, sugar, molasses and egg until smooth.
In a separate bowl, blend together the flour, baking soda, spices, salt and chopped ginger until even.
Stir the dry mixture into the liquid. Stir very well until it reaches a dry dough consistency.
Allow to rest in cool larder or refrigerator for an hour or two.
Prepare greased baking pans. You’ll need at least two to handle volume. (The recipe makes about 50 small biscuits.)
Roll the dough into one-inch balls. Coat in sugar and place them on the baking pans about 3 inches apart.
Bake for 9-12 minutes. Allow to cool on a tea towel and then put in sealed tin to keep biscuits crisp.

Who doesn't like venison?

From CNN:

Dear deer, you're delicious

A couple of weeks ago I invited a group of work friends over for a small dinner party. With an e-mail subject line of "Wild game night at the Branch ranch," I suppose I should not have been surprised by the barrage of questions that followed. After all, journalists tend to be an inquisitive bunch.
With a spicy blend of trepidation and curiosity, they responded to my invite one by one: "So you actually killed it?" "How are you cooking it exactly?" "Did you clean it yourself?" and "What part of it will we be eating?" I smiled to myself and crafted a response, reassuring them that they would enjoy a safe, nutritious, and hopefully delicious-to-them meal.

Along with some smoked pheasant my father recently shot in South Dakota, and the obligatory bottle (or three) of some Syrah and red California Zinfandel, I served one of my favorite venison meatball recipes.
The word venison is derived from the Latin venatus, defined as "to hunt", or "the chase". Humans have been eating venison for tens of thousands of years. In Native American folklore, in historical accounts from the earliest European settlers, and throughout the journals of the Lewis and Clark expedition and beyond, we find references to these animals. Deer were a staple in the diet of Native Americans and early European settlers. Whitetail and mule deer, in particular, were revered for their agility, their beauty and their flavor.
The United States Department of Agriculture defines venison as meat from deer, moose, elk, pronghorn, caribou and antelope. Within that broad description, these animals produce an even wider array of flavors, influenced by a number of factors including diet, regional habitat and exercise.
In addition to the questions showing a concern for personal safety, I was also asked "Does it taste gamey?" My answer: "Honestly, at this point, I have no idea."
A high percentage of the red meat consumed in my home is wild Georgia whitetail deer that I've harvested myself. To my palate, venison is what red meat is supposed to taste like. Yet, the flavor of an individual animal can be quite different. Many meals at my uncle’s hunting cabin in Wisconsin and friends’ dinner tables in Wyoming have shown me the truth of this.
Not surprisingly, a deer whose life is primarily spent eating in the corn fields of Iowa will have a different taste than a deer who has spent its life eating acorns in the southern woodlands of Georgia, or one who subsisted on the twigs and shoots from the forests of northern Wisconsin. What the deer eats becomes the deer meat.
No matter the diet and unique flavor of the animal, however, wild deer and, to a lesser extent, farm-raised ones are lean, athletic animals that have a significantly lower fat content than beef. They serve as an excellent source of protein. The iron levels in venison consistently rank among the highest of all meats. Wild deer are also completely free of the many hormones, antibiotics, steroids and other supplements present in commercial livestock.
In addition to the health benefits, venison is as versatile an ingredient as beef, and should be prepared using similar techniques. However, its leaner fat content requires a watchful eye and deft hand in the kitchen, as certain methods, without care, may result in the meat becoming too dry.
Venison is so lean, many chefs, and some wild game processors/butchers, add a small percentage of pork or beef fat to the ground meat to aid in holding the meat together during cooking and to prevent a too-dry result.
Like many mammals, the finest cut may be the loin or saddle cut. Also referred to as backstrap, this cut quickly seared over high heat and seasoned with nothing more than salt, pepper and rosemary, is positively mouth-watering.
When cooked properly, deer backstraps can be cut with a fork. Other recipes call for cube steaks for Milanesa, or ground meat for tacos, chili or a meat sauce to accompany pasta. Some of the tougher cuts, such as legs and shoulders, can be used as stew meat, roasted in a crock pot or ground into burgers.
The next time you're in the mood for a steak, or craving a burger, head to a specialty market or butcher shop and buy some venison instead of beef. Better yet, become acquainted with that neighbor or family member who hunts, and see if they'll share something from their freezer. They may also share their favorite recipe to get you started.
Venison’s popularity as a healthier, tastier alternative to beef continues to rise. Judging by the empty plates, the smiles and a complete lack of leftovers following the dinner party, the inquisitive, skeptical journalists seemed to agree.

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2012/03/01/venison-the-other-red-meat/?hpt=hp_bn8

Not too surprising

Americans eat too much salt. This is according to an article I read on CNN.
"Nine out of ten Americans eat too much salt each day."

I personally do not find this suprising at all. I believe that we confuse salt with added flavor.

"The CDC found that 10 types of foods accounted for more than 40% of the sodium people consumed. They are:
1) Breads and rolls
2) Deli lunch meats
3) Pizza
4) Poultry
5) Soups
6) Cheeseburgers and other sandwiches
7) Cheese
8) Pasta mixed dishes
9) Meat mixed dishes
10) Snack foods such as pretzels, potato chips and popcorn
Even though some of these foods are not high in sodium, eating multiple servings raises our salt levels.
On average, adults in the United States eat more than 3,300 milligrams of salt daily. And for many this is twice the amount experts suggest."

Seems like this list includes a lot of processed foods. Am I Shocked? No. I firmly believe the more unprocessed foods you eat the better.

What's wrong with butter?

So I was reading an article on CNN about Southern food. Here's the link:
http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2012/01/18/hugh-acheson-southern-food-beyond-the-butter/?hpt=hp_bn8

It's an interesting article, but the last quote by Ms. Paula Deen is what shocked me.
“What’s wrong with just butter and salt in grits?”

While I agree, there is nothing wrong with salt and butter in grits the question that was posed prior to her saying that is, “Do you think that Southern food has had a start and a finish or do you think it’s something that continues to evolve?”. I'm a little disappointed. Southern food has a deep, rich tradition and it's not all butter, fat, or frying things.
To me her non-answer, says it all. She is an ambassador for her community, people know her and recognize her. They look to her as a rolemodel. And the best you can come up with is what's wrong with butter and salt? Honestly. If your type 2 diabetes hasn't already answered that let me pose this from one of my favorite books to read (Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer), "Think before you eat, people: Food should be the life of you, not the death of you." Thanks Agnes you said it all. 

Something other than Turkey

Anyone interested in something other than turkey? I bet I know a few people. If you happen to be in a Turkey day rut and don't want to have The Bird on Thanksgiving. Consider this!



The Bacon Pig!

 The Bacon Pig!! Who is in?