A Brief History of Chestnuts

Lately, I keeping stumbling across chestnuts. Of course, during the holidays Nat King Cole and Tony Bennett sing about them roasting on an open fire. According to The British Journal of Nutrition, chestnuts, along with pecans and walnuts, have the highest antioxidant content of the tree nuts. So in addition to being festive, they are good for you.

This week, a look at chestnuts.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "To the American People: Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. If we think on these things, there will be born in us a Savior and over us will shine a star sending its gleam of hope to the world." - Calvin Coolidge's Presidential message on December 25, 1927; American president, 1872-1933)

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A Brief History of Chestnuts

C'mon, get happy!

Happiness is not an inborn disposition bestowed upon the lucky, nor is it the province of naive Pollyannas too dopey to understand the dark twists of the human condition.

British Medical Journal researchers reported in 2008 that happiness is a contagious bug. Based on data collected from nearly 5,000 people over 20 years, the journal found that living within a mile of a happy friend boosts a person’s happiness odds by 25 percent. Near a spirited sibling? Add 14 percent.

This week, a look at how being happy pays off.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "A lovely thing about Christmas is that it's compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together." - Garrison Keillor (from Leaving Home, American author, 1942 - )

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Butter Holds the Secret to Cookies That Sing

We've talked about butter before. Differences among European and American butters can be pronounced. Professionals can taste many flavor undertones in butter, including grass, flowers, whey, old cream, malt, must and weed. Some flavor differences come from cows’ feed, while others are acquired during processing.

Overall, the European-style butters have more of a golden, warm, toasty flavor. This is from a compound called diacetyl that develops during fermentation. Standard American butter has a fresher flavor of milk and cream.

In baking, the flavor differences mostly disappear. Especially in cookies. Cookies….mmmm….

This week why it's all about the butter when you make cookies.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy." - George Carlin (US comedian and actor, 1937 - 2008)

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Butter Holds the Secret to Cookies That Sing

Compass

Thanksgiving is the peak travel weekend in the United States, with nearly 40 million Americans leaving home to visit relatives, heading home from college or simply going on vacation to relax. And how to they know they are traveling in the right direction? The compass, of course.

Other, more accurate, devices have been invented for determining north that do not depend on the Earth's magnetic field for operation. A gyrocompass or astrocompass can be used to find true north, while being unaffected by stray magnetic fields, nearby electrical power circuits or nearby masses of ferrous metals. A recent development is the electronic compass, or Fibre optic gyrocompass, which detects the magnetic directions without potentially fallible moving parts. This device frequently appears as an optional subsystem built into GPS receivers. However, magnetic compasses remain popular, especially in remote areas, as they are cheap, durable, and require no electrical power supply.

This week, a look at the compass.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "If only we'd stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time." - Edith Wharton (US novelist, 1862 - 1937)

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Compass

Talking Turkey

There are literally hundreds of ways to cook a turkey and each year new recipes and techniques are created based on trendy regional ingredients and creative cooking methods. Some are good, some are bad, and some are downright unsafe. All are designed to tantalize the senses and produce the perfect turkey - moist breast meat, tender legs and thighs, golden brown skin and memorable flavor. Believe it or not, cooking a turkey is not that difficult. Which turkey cooking method chosen is up to the cook, just make sure it is a safe method.

Pete Snyder runs the Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management and is a frequent contributor to FOODSAFE, a food safety listserv. By beginning with the science of the recipe, Dr. Snyder strives to have one set of science-based food safety rules for everyone, from retail food operations to the home. He took on turkeys a few years ago and showed how you can cook a bird right from the freezer and skip the messy thawing part.

This week, how to cook a turkey from the frozen state.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx (US comedian with and without the Marx Brothers, 1890 - 1977)

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Talking Turkey

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The Zing Starts Here

The Pilgrims learned all about cranberries from the Native Americans, who recognized the natural preservative power (benzoic acid) in the berries and often mixed them into pemmican (dried meat mixture) to extend its shelf life.

Cranberry sauce came into the picture via General Ulysses S. Grant who ordered it served to the troops during the seige of Petersburg in 1864. Cranberry sauce was first commercially canned in 1912 by the Cape Cod Cranberry Company which marketed the product as "Ocean Spray Cape Cod Cranberry Sauce." A merger with other growers evolved into the well-known Ocean Spray corporation now famous for their cranberry products.

Cranberries...love 'em or hate 'em, they are part of the holiday tradition. This week, a look at options for cranberries.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost." - Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr (professional tennis player, 1943 - 1993)

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The Zing Starts Here

Oil that grows on trees

They say money doesn’t grow on trees. Not directly, anyway. But what if a substitute for oil, which we all know is expensive, grew on trees? Scientists are literally going to produce plastic that grows on trees, starting from a one-stop process that derives raw material for fuels and plastic from plants rather than crude oil.

This week, a look at oil that grows on trees.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub." - Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, M.D. (Swiss-born psychiatrist and the author of the groundbreaking book On Death and Dying, 1926 - 2004)

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Oil That Grows on Trees