New Dreams, When the Old Ones Don't Fit

"Whatever it is you want to do, if you can do it, do it now."

As I get older, I am reminded these are words to live by.  As Ringo so eloquently put it, tomorrow never knows.

This week, a reminder not to put off to tomorrow what is important to do today.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me." - Hunter S. Thompson (US journalist and author, 1939 - 2005)

New Dreams, When the Old Ones Don't Fit

Getting The Blues

The world over, the myths surrounding blue cheeses' origins have a similar ring.  A careless shepherd forgets his fresh cheese sandwich in a cave.  Or a distracted cheesemaker leaves in a hurry to meet his lover, neglecting an uncovered vat for too long.  All come back to find their folly transformed into something surprising and delicious, so doe sit matter how it happened?

This week a handy primer on what are widely considered the classic four blue cheeses.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "

Getting the Blues

7 Deadly Sins of Business Meetings

The majority of people dread meetings. Meetings tend to be boring, always go on too long, and in the end, sometimes not much is accomplished. 

You can fight meeting malaise!  Send those boring non-functional hours packing and get the group moving in the right direction.

This week, seven deadly sins of business meetings and how to avoid them.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy." - Guillaume Apollinaire (French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist, and art critic, 1880 - 1918)

7 Deadly Sins of Business Meetings

Tomato Helps Cut the Risk of a Stroke.docx

A new study shows that men who had the highest levels of lycopene – an antioxidant found in tomatoes – had fewer strokes than men who had the lowest level of lycopene in their blood. Overall, the risk of strokes was reduced by 55%.

This week, a look at lycopene.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it." - Pablo Picasso (Spanish Cubist painter, 1881 - 1973)

Tomato Helps Cut the Risk of a Stroke

Buttermilk

Many home cooks keep buttermilk on hand for pancakes, ranch dressing or corn bread. They might know that it makes more tender cakes (because it softens the gluten in flour), loftier biscuits (its acid boosts leaveners like baking soda and baking powder) and thicker dressings (lactic acid in buttermilk gently curdles proteins into a smooth mass). 

But what few cooks know is that commercial buttermilk isn’t really buttermilk. It is made from regular low-fat or skim milk, usually low-grade rejects from cheese and butter companies. The milk is inoculated with cultures to make it acidic, and thickened with additives like locust bean gum and carrageenan. The result is a flattened facsimile of the real thing, as a ring tone is to a song. 

This week. a look a buttermilk.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible." - Arthur C. Clarke (British science fiction author, inventor and futurist,1917 -  2008)

Buttermilk

The humble oreo cookie.  In 1912, Nabisco had the revolutionary new idea for a cookie: two chocolate disks with a creme filling in between. The first Oreo cookie looked very similar to the Oreo cookie of today, with only a slight difference in the design on the chocolate disks. 

Great disputes have arisen as to the best way to eat them: dunking them in milk or twisting off one side and eating the middle first.  However you eat them, Oreos have become part of twentieth century culture.

This week, a look at the many flavors of O-R-E-O.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "I can't complain, but sometimes I still do." - Joe Walsh (American musician, songwriter and record producer, 1947 - )

Oreo

Regional American BBQ Sauces

We've talked about barbecue before. Barbecue sauce is a flavoring condiment ranging from watery to very thick consistency. As the name implies, it was created as an accompaniment to barbecued foods. While it can be applied to any food, it usually tops meat after cooking or during barbecuing, grilling, or baking. Traditionally it has been a favored sauce for pork or beef ribs and chicken.

But why stop there? Isn't everything better with barbecue sauce? Well, maybe not maple bacon donuts, but you get the general idea.

This week, a look at regional American BBQ sauces.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Imagination is more important than knowledge..." - Albert Einstein (US (German-born) theoretical physicist, 1879 - 1955)

Regional American Barbecue Sauces