Swiss Chard with Onions and Currants

Swiss chard is a fiber-packed, antioxidant-rich green, that is so versatile you can create many recipes with this flavorful vegetable. I have upped my intake of fruits and vegetables, so here is great way to get 100% of your daily vitamin A and C. There are many variations to this recipe, so be creative. Swiss chard is great raw or cooked. This recipe is for cooked swiss chard, but you could also use collards, kale, sorrel or spinach instead.

Swiss Chard with Onions and Currants

2 bunches of swiss chard (about 2 pounds)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 slices bacon (diced and optional)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled, thinly sliced lengthwise
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 cup dried currants
1/2 tsp. salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper

Trim tough ends from chard stems. Removes leaves from stems. Rinse and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Rinse leaves, tear or cut into large pieces.

In a 12-inch nonstick skilled over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add bacon (if using)and cook until lightly browned, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes, cook, stirring frequently, until onion softens, about 3 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high and stir in 1/2 cup water, chard stems, currants and 1/2 tsp salt, bring to boil, reduce heat slightly and simmer, covered, until stems soften about 10 minutes.

Add chard leaves, remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, and pepper to skillet. Partially cover skillet, cook, stirring occasionally, until chard is tender, about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cupt water if chard becomes too dry. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Bacon is optional. It is also good with dried cranberries or dried cherries. Enjoy.

See You At The Market

I am passionate about food, and one of my favorite activities, at home or abroad, is visiting the local farmers' market. Cities like Portland, Boulder and Austin are well known for markets that attract both locals and visitors. In many cities around the globe the local market is the meeting place for friends and families, a social as well as shopping experience.

In 2003, the Kapiolani Community College (KCC)Farmers' Market was founded, and has been introducing thousands of locals and visitors to some of Hawaii's best local produce and products ever since. The islands continue to promote farm-to-table cuisine under the leadership of co-founder Dean Okimoto.

My next trip to Oahu will include a trip to this market, located at the Kapiolani Community College on Saturdays. 7,000-10,000 visitors frequent the market on any given week. Although it's still a small market by big city standards (60 vendors), it is unique. Some of the products you might find at this market include papaya, mangoes, lychee and lilikoi, and they're some of the best in the worlds because of the climate and soil of Hawaii. Many of the vendors sell prepared foods, including barbequed fresh abalone for at $5 for two pieces. Other vendors sell fried green tomatoes, pesto pizza with fresh vine-ripened tomatoes, a cheese omelet with fresh tatsoi and Hamakua mushrooms, taro poke, and fresh roasted corn with different toppings. Next time you're in Oahu, take a break from the beach and go to the market for lunch. It's a great way to mingle with locals and taste the local fare. If you're in a condo or timeshare, stock up on some local fruit and produce to eat during your stay.

The farm-to-table movement has really taken off in Hawaii, and in Oahu alone there are a dozen or so local markets every week. Well known local chefs like Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong's involvement has really moved things along. Some of the well known restaurants where local seafood and agricultural products are featured include Roy, Alan Wong's, DK Kodama's, Hiroshi's, the Sheraton Waikiki, 12th Avenue Grill, Indigo, Kaiwa, and Kakaako Kitchen.

Next time you're in Oahu, on a Saturday, put the KCC farmers' market on your to do list. You may just get hooked like I did, and want to visit one in every city you visit, domestic or foreign.

Mark your calendars. On May 10, Hagen Dazs will be handing out free ice cream cones from 4-8pm. Check their website for the nearest location. Thanks, Lynda, for giving me a heads up on this.

Cooking With Puff Pastry

Remember the days of Julia Child? I was a faithful watcher of her show, and always enjoyed learning a new cooking technique. One item that she taught her TV audience was how to make puff pastry. In her time, there was no frozen puff pastry in the freezer of your local supermarket. You made the dough, adding in bits of butter in each layer. It was a tedious process, and frankly was not as good as what you can purchase today. I like the Pepperidge Farm brand. Actually it's the only one I've ever used. It has become one of my favorite food items to experiment with. A few weeks ago I had my neighbor over for dinner and decided to experiment with a puff pastry dessert.

I always like a good piece of apple pie with a slice of cheddar cheese. I first started eating this at a little diner in Berkley in the early 1960's, and I haven't seen it on any menu lately. So I decided to create something like this in the form of a turnover. Here's what I came up with, and it was delicious, especially warm right out of the oven.

Apple and Cheddar Turnovers With Cranberries

Makes 8 turnovers

2 tart cooking apples (pippin or granny smith) peeled, halved, cored, and cut in 1/2 inch chunks
1 1/2 loosely packed coarsely grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
1/4c. dried cranberries
pinch of salt

2 sheets of frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg, beaten, with 1 tsp. water to blend (for glaze and glue)

Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl. Can be made several hours ahead. Cover and chill

Take a sheet of thawed puff pastry (takes about 45 minutes to defrost), sprinkle with a little flour, and roll out to repair the crackers in the puff pastry. Divide the sheet into four equal squares.

Spoon earlier prepared filling equally in the center of each square. Brush the edges of the puff pastry with the egg mixture, then fold pastry over into a triangle, and press edges to seal. Make sure each triangle is completely sealed. Make all 8 turnovers in this fashion, place on a cookie sheet, use knife to cut 2 slits for steam to escape in each turnover. Brush top of each turnover with the egg glaze, cook for 20-25 minutes at 350degrees, or until pastry is golden brown. Cook for 10 minutes, and serve warm. Absolutely delicious!!

My Love Affair With Peeps

It's Easter season, and I just couldn't let this month pass without talking about my favorite junk food candy, Peeps. But before I get into that, here's a little background on my sixty year love affair with marshmallows.

When I was a kid, my sister and I looked forward to the nights my parents went out for the evening. As soon as they left we'd get the mix master out, crack about 4 eggwhites into a bowl, beat until stiff, then add sugar to taste. Then we'd eat the whole bowl, just like that. I know it's hard to believe, but we just loved beaten egg whites and sugar. At camp, betweeen the ages of 10-13, everyone knew I waited for the nightly marshmallow roasts. When I got a little older, lemon meringue pie became my favorite. I just loved the meringue. Further on in life, I learned how to cook meringue cookies. Yum. I still go to Champagne occasionally to get one.

When I go to See's, it's not the chocolate I'm after. It's those impossible to resist scotch kisses (marshmallow covered with carmel, wrapped in paper with the twisted ends). When we moved into our Del Mar house many years ago, a friend of mine brought me a huge glass bowl filled with scotch kisses. What a challenge it was to not eat them all right away.

I discovered Peeps about 20 years ago, and have bought them every Easter season since. Originally there was only one kind, the yellow chick that came in a 5 pack. Things have changed over the years. They come in 5 packs, 10 packs, bunnies, chicks, dogs, etc, and many different colors. I still go for the original, yellow. (I know, they all taste the same). They even make a sugar free Peep, but it doesn't measure up. If I'm going to eat them, I want the original.

Rationing Peeps is my problem. I will buy a 10 pack, decide to take it home and eat one row later that evening, the other row the following day. Hardly ever does the package get home unopened. There's just something about them. They're calling me. I open the pack, intent on taking just one, and before you know it the whole row of 5 is gone. It's hopeless. I thought I might make it through this Easter season without a single Peep, but no, I failed. I bought a 10 pack of peeps, put them in the freezer (thought if I didn't see them all the time they'd last longer), but unfortunately I remembered them in the middle of the afternoon and proceeded to eat the entire package. So much for self control.

I don't even want to go into my love affair with marshmallows. Use your imagination. Marshmellow creme, plain or toasted marshmallows, it doesn't matter. It's just that mixture of sugar (or corn syrup) and water that gets me every time. I know that gourmet marshmallows are the latest trend, but fortunately I haven't tasted them yet. I'm going to hold off as long as I can.

Sixty Seventh Visit to Taft

Why am I so happy? Friday was my last trip to Taft in Ron's gas guzzling, premium gas only, 11 year old car. It's not that I don't like his car, I just don't like the mileage and the repair costs. It's beautiful to look at, but with gas prices what they are, a new Camry will be just fine for me. I'm excited about picking my new Camry in a few days. A new car always makes you feel good.

We're into double digits, that is, there are less than 99 days left until Ron returns home. (actually 92 days). Another reason to be happy. It's all very exciting to think about, there are also issues we both have to think about.

One thing Ron has learned in his pre release class is that the readjustment to living together is often more difficult than the time a couple has spent apart. I know how I have changed, but I won't know how Ron has changed until he is home. I have become more independent for sure. I have become more confident in my abilitity to handle finances. This was something I knew nothing about, but now feel confident to handle. I also have become used to having things my own way. How that will work when Ron comes home remains to be seen. If I don't feel like dinner, I don't make it. If I want to leave clothes out instead of hanging them up, I can do that. I think there will be a lot of compromise necessary on both sides. I only see Ron at visitation once a week, so it is hard to gauge how he has really changed. I know for sure he is less impulsive and finds it easier wait. He was always someone that needed answers "now" and he has learned patience. We'll see how this all comes together when we are finally together. We have never had a stormy relationship, so I think this will just be another adjustment. We will both have to compromise. I said as I left him on Friday after he asked me if he thought he was back to his old self. I said, "Yes, but with a few improvements. You can't go through all this and not learn something."

Did I tell you that Taft is finally getting a coffee machine in the visiting room? Just in time for me to never get to try it out. They've been talking about a coffee machine for 18 months, and just a few weeks ago they put in a plumbing line. I thought you just plugged in a coffee machine. I don't know what they're actually getting, but I have 13 more visits to Taft, and my guess is the coffee machine will not be up and running by the time I stop visiting. That is just how slow things move!

I think about how it will be for Ron leaving Taft after 18 months of not receiving a phone call, not driving a car, not going to a restaurant, not dealing with strangers in everyday life, not seeing friends and family on a regular basis, not wearing street clothes, not using the internet, and basically not making any decisions. Life will definitely take some getting used to. I just can't imagine what it's like for men who have been incarcerated for years. A pre release class cannot properly prepare them for the real world. I think of my friend Carole and her husband Michael who will hopefully be released next year after more than 24 years in prison. He was in his early 20's when he entered prison. How will he react to the outside world? I know Carole and Michael have spent a lot of time thinking about this. I hope that things go well for them.

I often think of that old phrase that goes something like this: "I felt sorry for the man with no shoes until I saw the man with no feet." Every time I start to get down, this saying pops into my head. I think how difficult reentry will be for Ron, then I think about Michael and all the others who have so much more to deal with. We will get through the next stage, just as we have all the other stages of this process, with a positive attitude, and a little help from our friends (and family).

Understanding Teens

A few weeks ago I was at my water aerobics class at the Y when a friend of mine said she was looking for a book to help her understand her teenage granddaughter. It just struck me funny, teenagers being one of the great enigmas of all time. I thought to myself, "Is there such a book?" and before I knew it I had clicked on Amazon.com and was looking for books on understanding teens.

There are thousands of books in print on the topic. Of course there are, they're so damn difficult to understand. I ran across one web site entitled "50 best parenting books for families with teens." Wow, that's a lot of "best" books. Many books have titles similar to "A parents guide to surviving the teen year." The word "survive" appears in a lot of the titles. That indicates to me that getting through the teen age years is considered survival of the fittest. It's like a battle, and parents are trying to win the war.

With hormones raging, emotions out of balance, depression, addiction, peer pressure and bullying it's no wonder the shelves are filled with self help books. I remember both my own teenage years (yes, it was a very long time ago but I still remember) and the teen years of my three sons. I was an easy teenager. I was always a pleaser, so challenging parental authority was not something I did. The worst thing I did was smoke. That's pretty tame by today's standards. The teenage years of my sons, now that's another story. None of them were ever arrested, addicted to drugs or alcohol or kicked out of school. All of them finished college and became productive members of society. From what I see and hear today, that's quite an accomplishment.

I have always thought the key to keeping peace in a home with teenagers is to make sure communication is open and honest. Also, rules and structure, although kids say they don't like it, really do. They need boundaries. I always wanted my kids to bring their kids to our house. That way I would know who they were hanging out with. I also thought it was important to have dinner together as much as possible, and make sure the kids didn't spend too much alone time in their room. Any change in friends or grades is always a red flag. You've got to be involved and a little bit nosey.

Teenagers have been a mystery forever, and I don't see anything that will change this fact. We'll just have to use our common sense, keep our antenna up for any major changes in behavior, and pray to get through the teen years with everyone alive and talking to each other. Difficult, but not impossible.

Just Plain Oatmeal

I was out with my neice Alison a few weeks ago, and we were talking about the fact that all the fast food restaurants have started to serve healthier foods, especially at breakfast. Oatmeal was the topic of conversation. I love oatmeal, always have it in the house, but honestly don't make it more than 6-10 times a year. Not that it's hard, it's just that I'm lazy. You have to take a pot out, boil water, and cook for a few minutes. It is a really good breakfast choice, especially if you don't gunk it up with lots of butter, cream and high calorie toppings. I remember when I was a child, my father would often make us oatmeal for breakfast. It was delicious.

So why don't I like the oatmeal served at Starbucks, Jamba Juice and McDonald's? If it was just plain oatmeal it would be fine, but they have taken it, added brown sugar, dried fruit, nuts and cream. They have turned something that is low in fat, high in fiber and lacking in sugar, into something that can be laden with fat and sugar. Everything doesn't have to taste like an ice cream sundae. Can't oatmeal just taste like oatmeal? The fast food restaurants really want to offer us healthy choices, but I guess they feel no one will buy them if they're not sweet and creamy. The option is that we, as consumers, don't have to add the dried fruits and cream, but let's be honest, if it's there, we're probably going to add it.

Another healthy choice that I have tried from Subway is an eggwhite omelette wrapped in tortilla. I don't know what the calorie count is, but it has no sugar, no fat, some fiber from the tortilla and a little cheese. Egg whites have almost no calories. Now that's what I call a healthy breakfast at a fast food restaurant. By the way, did you know that Subway is now the largest fast food chain, surpassing McDonald's in the number of locations. I think the fact that they have really delivered on their promise of offering healthy food has helped catapult them to the top. Soup, baked chips and apples are just some of the sides they offer, and since you can have your sandwich made any way you want, you can control things like cheese and mayonnaise. Just look what Jared, their spokesperson did, eating Subway.

Fast food restaurants are on the right track, but can't they just keep it simple? Just give us the plain oatmeal. Just give us a plain apple. Don't give us dipping sauces for the apple. Our pallet is so conditioned to large quantities of salt and sugar that we sometimes think natural food tastes bland. It's all just a matter of what we're used to. Let's just try plain oatmeal.

Who Is Banksy?

It was recently reported that graffiti art that showed up on the wall of Bull Taco in Oceanside might be the work of the anonymous British graffiti artist and political activist, Banksy. I must confess ignorance. I had not heard of him until this story broke. Naturally my curiosity got the best of me and I spent some time learning all about Banksy. Now you will too.

Banksy is an anonymous graffiti artist, among other things. Most of his work is satirical and political in nature. His work was born out of the Bristol underground scene which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. He began his work in the 80's, during the aerosol boom.

He is also a film maker, his first film debuting at the Sundance Festival in 2010, called Exit Through the Gift Shop. Those of you who are Netflick junkies can check it out.

His art has always been labelled as vandalism, yet his work has sold for huge figures at auction. In 2007 one of his works sold for 288,000 pounds at a British auction. His works have appeared on buildings throughout Great Britain and the U.S. He did a series of works in New Orleans in 2008, mostly on buildings derelict since the hurricane disaster.

Another famous painting of his depicted a hooded member of the Ku Klux Klan hanging from a noose. It was quickly covered with black spray paint and later removed all together. In December 2009, Banksy marked the end of the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference by painting four murals on global warming. One included "I don't believe in global warming" which was submerged in water.

I doubt if the small painting done on the wall of Bull Taco Restaurant in Oceanside is really the work of Banksy, just because he seems to choose more politically controversial arenas. However, I'm glad it's there and that the media picked up on it. It gave me a chance to learn about an interesting artist I might never have known.

Earth Day, 2011

Earth Day was created by congress more than 20 years ago, and each year communities find more ways to celebrate our beautiful planet. I remember Earth Day last year, and how many large corporations were trying to promote themselves by promoting Earth Day. They'd give you a free bag, or a free light bulb, or a free coffee, if you stopped into their store on Earth Day. It's good for them and it was good for the consumer.

This year I have thought more about I have changed over the past year, and if I am reducting my footprint on the earth. I came up with a few changes I have made, and although they are small changes, I feel I am moving in the right direction. Here are some of the changes I have made.

1. I ALWAYS carry canvas bags with me, and I never go into a store without one in hand. No more plastic bags (or paper) for me.
2. I USUALLY take my own coffee mug to the Y or to a coffee shop. I started doing this several years ago with a weight management group that met for coffee every week. We all decided to bring our own containers. I started doing the same thing at the Y, when they posted a "Go Green" sign, saying the Encinitas Y was using 180,000 paper cups a month.
3. I reduced my water bill by about 30%. Yes, a very rainy winter helped, but I have cut my watering to 2X per week. I'll stick with that unless my grass starts to die.
4. I reduced my SDGE by significantly. I have turned down the water heater when I'm out of town, I have unplugged electrical equipment that is not being used, and I turn out lights wherever possible. It does make a big difference.
5. I have started drinking tap water (filtered), adding my own flavors to make it taste better. I'm not much of a water drinker, but I try to drink it because I think it's good for me, but I want to get away from using store bought plastic bottles. They're not only expensive, but they're wasteful. Many bottles are recyclable, but many still end up in land fills. I have yet to do a story on the water industry, but I must do one soon.

These are a few concrete changes I have made over the past year. I have a long way to go. I will continue to try to find ways to cut down on the use of energy. I am in the process of getting a new car, and as much as I would love an electric car, it just doesn't work for me. (yet). When they have a longer range or more charging stations, I'll be on board. For right now, I'll have to do with a car with good mileage.

There are so many organizations committed to improving the environment, I couldn't begin to list them all. I will mention just a few, and if you have interest you can check them out and see what their mission is.

The canopy project, green schools, athletes for the earth, and arts for the earth, are just a few of the many organizations involved in Earth Day. If you do nothing else, just stop and think on Earth Day of one change you can make to help save our planet. I'm already thinking of what I can do in the coming year that will make my footprint even less.

Be sure to stop by Starbucks on April 22 with your reusable mug for a free coffee!!

Sixty Sixth Visit to Taft

Things are moving right along. This past week Ron continued with his pre release class. It is getting him to think about the past and the future, something he's done a lot of in the past 16 months. He has to make a plan for the future and show the instructor what he plans to do and how he plans to do it. Ron has always been a planner, so this is something he's already given a great deal of thought to. I guess reviewing his ideas in his mind, and on paper, is a good thing.

Ron also went on a field trip. He and several other soon to be released Taft inmates, went to the DMV to get a copy of their driving records. I still can't figure this one out. How could his driving record have changed in the past 16 months? He hasn't driven! Anyway, he needs to get his driving record to show to the halfway house, otherwise he is not allowed to drive. He had to pay $10.96 for his day at the DMV. $5 was paid to the DMV for the report, and $5.96 was paid to Taft for gas to get to the DMV.

I've been having trouble sleeping lately, and I think it's because I'm excited about Ron coming home. I will wake up at 4:30am and never get back to sleep. I find myself thinking about our first day together again. I also think about the fact that we both have changed during this time, and how that will effect our relationship. I don't know.

We had a wonderful visit as we always do. Ron has started telling me stories about some of the people he has met at Taft and some of the experiences he has had. I keep telling him he should write a book. He says no, but he may want to start writing on this blog from time to time. He's got so many fascinating things that he will soon be able to share. I'm looking forward to that, as he definitely has not told me everything.

One interesting thing that came up in our Friday conversation was the anger that we both seem to be feeling as the end of his confinement nears. His anger is different than mine. He feels angry about the time that has been wasted and he finds he doesn't have the patience with people that he had before. My anger more about the system. I try not to focus on comparing Ron's case to other similar cases, but you can't help it. The justice system is just not equally just or injust for everyone. I've always known it, but when you have a loved one incarcered you can't help but compare cases and sentences. It angers me and I have to find a way to move on from this.

On Wednesday it will be 98 days until Ron's release, so my final countdown begins. Time is moving quickly, and for that I am grateful. I hope that years from now I will look back on this experience and realize that in the total picture of our life together, this has been just a small setback, and one that preceded our best years together.

Studio Diner Has It All

I love Guy Fieri's show on the Food Network, Diners Drive-Ins and Dives. Lucky for us he has come to San Diego and has selected several diners in the area to showcase on the program. I recently had lunch with a group of six friends who love to eat out, where we sampled a variety of menu items at Studio Diner.

The diner is located just off the 805 and Balboa Ave. All kinds of people frequent the diner, which is open 24/7. Lots of military guys from Miramar Airstation nearby love the place. It has a movie studio theme, from the sleek trailer look of the building itself, to movie equipment as part of the decor.

What I liked most about the diner was the warm, friendly feel of the waitstaff and customers. Good and plentiful food is really what people go to the Studio Diner for.

Reuben sandwiches, monte cristo sandwiches, tuna melts, spaghetti and chile,lobster pot pies, crab cakes, and salads, soups and every breakfast item you could possible imagine fill the menu. I wish I could have eaten more, but what I ate was delicious. Home made mushroom and brie soup loaded with mushrooms, and a monte cristo sandwich that was deep fried to perfection and served with raspberry jam were more than I could possibly finish. The whole experience was great fun, and I'll definitely be back to try one of their humungeous omelettes, crispy hash brown and toast. So many great places to eat, so little time. I

The Last Food Expo Blog

I look for trends in food and new products that are being used in food preparation. One very new trend is the use of seaweed. It can be used as a snack or turned into noodles for pasta. It's also popping up in bath products. Many companies are involved in the production of these products
Gold Mine is a company that makes both kelp noodles and sea weed salad. I know it sounds unappetizing, but the kelp noodles are delicious, a little slimy and the color is not all that appealing, but they're great. They are basically NO calories, and come in fettuccine and angel hair cuts. If you dry the noodles (they're packed in a plastic bag with water), then heat them and pour sauce over them, you have a delicious pasta dish for almost no calories. The seaweed salad is delicious. Thin cut dark green seaweed is mixed with sesame seeds, sesame oil and vinegar, for a fabulous salad. Seaweed is also sold as a snack, dark, thin sheets of seaweed are dried. Some are flavored with sesame oil or wasabe. Very tasty for a salty snack. I also tried a seaweed blend that you add to bath water for a relaxing soak. I loved it, although it leaves the tub very dirty!!

A company called Wild Wood sells sprouted tofu, regular and baked. In addition, they make soy yogurt and Pasta Slim, a soy product that makes spinach fettuccine and angel hair, all out of soy.

Labne cheese was one of my favorite products. It's a Middle Eastern cheese, carried at Whole Foods and international markets. Labne is a sour cream like cheese, very tart, which when served with pita is absolutely delicious. If you eat at Sammy's Restaurant you may have had it. It's served there with yummy flatbread. Yanni grilling cheese is another product from the refrigerated section that I just loved.

The best cinnamon bread I've had in years came from Ozery Bakery. You've got to try this. They also make morning rounds, small discs in flavors like cranberry orange, museli and apple cinnamon. These are similar to Orowheat thins, but better. The bread is available at Whole Foods.

Kikkoman panko bread crumbs were another new product. They were sampling them by making french toast covered with panko bread crumbs and grilled. The bread crumbs give the french toast an added dimension that I really liked.

Watermelon kernels, toasted and salted are another new product I enjoyed tasting.

My final product to tell you about is the herbs and spices sold by Dorot. Dorot is a company with farms in Israel which produce all of their product. Garlic, cilantro, ginger, basil, chopped chili, and parsley are all produced in Israel, portioned into small ice cube like trays, and frozen. When you want to use ginger, you just take a small portion, frozen, out of the freezer for your use. I think this is one of the best products to come along in years. How often have you bought basil for a recipe, used a few leaves, and thrown the rest away? If you're like me, you've done that plenty of times. With the Dorot products there is no waste. This is available at Trader Joe's, Gelsons and Whole Foods.

I didn't even touch on the huge natural food pet section, and won't, except to say that pumpkin is in. I brought Captain, my mom's dog, several samples of pumpkin pudding for dogs. She loved it. So what's next in food for humans and non humans? We'll find out next year at the natural food show in Anaheim.

Do You Know Camu-Camu?

You know me, always looking for something new, something healthy and something good tasting. Camu-camu, the new superfruit from the Amazon rainforest is just that. Right now it is found in a variety of health products, but sometime soon you will see it in the supermarket. The reason it is not sold as a fruit is it very tart, and needs to be mixed with a sweetner, much like the acai berry. Another product from the Amazon that Americans will soon be adding to their diet. The information below was taken from www.thenibble.com.






What’s the next superfruit? It’s camu-camu—but you can call it camu, for short.

Camu is the grape-size fruit of a small, shrub-like tree that grows in the swampy basins and flood plains of the Amazon rainforest. As ethnobiologists comb the world for fruits, vegetables, flowers and fauna that may have medical benefits, they’ve discovered that camu contains massive amounts of ascorbic acid—vitamin C.

Forget orange juice: No other fruit comes close to having as much vitamin C. It can comprise up to 2% of the weight of the fruit, or about 500,000 ppm. The next closest fruit, from the acerola shrub, contains 16,000-72,000 ppm. And the much larger-size oranges? Just 500-4000 ppm.

Camu also contains a host of minerals and amino acids that aid in vitamin C absorption. The flavor is between that of a sour berry and a tart citrus fruit. It is balanced by adding a little sweetener— just as with açaí. Because of the tartness, it is not eaten by the indigenous tribes on whose land it grows.

The fruit is picked by tribesmen (and boys) and delivered to area plants where it is flash frozen to preserve it and to help maintain its potency. Then, it travels elsewhere to be turned into juice and powder for health supplements. Açaí travels the same path.

Per ethnobiologist Mark Plotkin in his book Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice: An Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in the Amazon Rain Forest, camu is not just another superfruit to intrigue knowledgeable folks of the first-world. It can also help to preserve the South American rainforest.

While the rainforest is being cut down to provide a living for the locals—to raise cattle and crops—a forest stand (a natural grove in the forest) of camu-camu is worth twice the amount to be gained from razing the forest and replacing it with cattle. Dr. Plotkin believes that the growing interest in camu holds economic promise for the local economy.

Dr. James Duke, former chief botanist for the USDA and an expert New World tropical botanist, has studied the fruit and lists a number of possible benefits in his section of the U.S. Agricultural Research Service website. He compared hundreds of fruits and herbs for their effectiveness against various health conditions (also see his website, GreenPharmacy.com).

Consumption of camu-camu for its high concentration of vitamin C is highly effective with asthma, atherosclerosis, cataracts, colds, depression, edema, gingivitis, glaucoma, hepatitis, infertility, migraines, osteoarthritis and Parkinson’s Disease. (For treatment of conditions, consult with your healthcare provider.)

Now that you know camu-camu, you can see if it’s how you prefer to consume your vitamin C. You can buy camu powder online from Navitas Naturals, which also has camu recipes—Camu Berry Lemonade, Strawberry Pomegranate Margarita (based on ginger tea, not tequila) and more.

Sixty Fifth Visit to Taft

During my Friday drive home from Taft I was hit with about 20 miles of a driving snowstorm. In the 15 months I have been visiting Taft, this was a first. The weather was beautiful when I left Taft and beautiful when I approached Valencia, but in between it was crazy. I'm not used to driving in the snow and I was driving my mom's car, so I took it very slow. Just a little added excitement to my Friday.

Our visit on Friday was great. Ron has been working hard to lose a few pounds, and I saw him in the yard before he entered the visiting room, and could clearly see a difference. He's down another 3 pounds, and it sure looks good. I hope he can keep going. What with umpiring, walking, and watching what he eats, I'm sure he will. He also had a haircut and a shave and really looked great. What a handsome guy!

With only 15 more visits to Taft I can see the end. I am very excited, as is Ron. He is in a pre release class right now which is more interesting than he thought it would be. It forces him to think about where he's been, why, and where he's going and how he will get there. Inmates are required to write an essay covering these, and many other topics, including long and short term goals, who will offer emotional support, and job opportunities. He is very detail oriented, and has so many ideas and I hope options for work when he gets home, each of which he has thought about in detail. I'm optimist about his success.

One new inmate showed up a few weeks ago. He had been incarcerated for a while, violated his probation, and returned to Taft for a short time. Ron was talking to him because he was in the San Diego halfway house that Ron will go to for a few days, and Ron was picking his brain. He felt so much better after he spoke with this man, because he had heard nightmares about some of the halfway houses. After all, most of the men are either addicts or former addicts or state parolees. They could be child molesters or violent offenders. Knowing he won't be there long was a great relief to Ron. The most interesting observation this man imparted to Ron was how fast the pace of life seemed to him when he was first released. Everything is s-l-o-w at Taft, there's really no reason to hurry. Much of their spare time is spent walking and talking, so what's the hurry? Even with the slow pace of life in San Diego, getting back home will be an adjustment, and Ron will feel the faster pace of life.

So here we are with just 15 weeks to go. I have a list a mile long of things I want to do before Ron gets home, and I will start today. My first job is to get our barbeque fixed, so that when Ron gets home I can cook him a great burger or steak, two of his favorite things. I can't wait until he's home and we can share our first barbequed steak together. It won't be long now.

More Food News From Food Expo

The most beautiful booth at the food show was Republic of Tea. They're a big company, and they put a lot of money into their booth. They had a Feng Shui designer help them, to make sure everything was just right. It was stunning, with candles and color everywhere, lovely glass pots of dozens of different tea blends sitting on the lit votives, and friendly employees ready to pour you a sample. It was a feel good booth, and I sampled several tea blends because the booth was so beautiful, even though I'm not a great lover of tea.

Not much has changed in the cold drink section. Kumbacha is still popular, although it's something I can't drink. Fresh ginger ale, by Bruce Cost, was absolutely delicious. It is very carbonated, very gingery, and even has small pieces of ginger in the drink. Extremely refreshing. Bruce Cost also has a pomegranete drink and a jasmine tea drink.

Another trend in cold drinks is to combine fruit and vegetable flavors in a cold fruit drink. This is nothing like V-8. My favorite was a cucumber cranberry drink. You could taste both flavors and I loved it. They also had a beet orange drink, good but not great. The company is not in full distribution yet, but look for fruit/vegetable combinations in the future. They're good.

Aloe drinks, pomegranete drinks, probiotic drinks, green tea drinks, coconut water, and kefir were all found in abundance. I said to my son, "How can there be so many drink companies? There's so much competition." His answer was that many of the companies will be out of business by next year.

Of course coffee and tea are always big, flavored coffees and chai coffee and tea are very popular again this year. Natural sodas are making a comeback. For many years the public has wanted nothing but diet drinks, but the tide seems to be turning. Many companies are making natural sodas sweetened with real sugar, honey or agave. People seem to be turning away from artifical sweeteners, especially in the natural foods section of the market.

What else was at the food show? Plenty. I will write one more blog which will be a potpourri of many other food products that I sampled and loved. You will be surprised at what manufacturers can come up with.

Apple Pancake a la Dinah's

One of my fondest memories of Los Angeles and food is Dinah's. Dinah's is a fried chicken/apple pancake restaurant near Centinela and Sepulveda. It's an institution. The apple pancake was something I grew up with and still long for. Unfortunately, Dinah's is no longer what it once was, and our local Cafe 101 in Encinitas is now my favorite apple pancake. It's something most of us don't think of making at home. It sounds like it would be a hassle, but in reality it's easy to make and a great family treat for a Sunday breakfast.

Oven German Apple Pancake

2 T. butter
2 T. brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cooking apple, fuji, pippin or granny smith, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
3 eggs
dash of salt
1/2c. all purpose flour
1/2c. non fat milk
juice from 1 lemon+zest
2 tsp. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in a heavy cast iron skillet over high heat. Add brown sugar and cinnamon, stirring. Add apple slices and cook until the apples start to soften. Turn off heat and arrange apples in a single layer on the bottom of the pan.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine beaten eggs, salt, flour and milk. Pour mixture over apples, spreading evenly. Bake in hot oven until pancake puffs up and is brown, about 15 minutes. Invert onto large plate, sprinkle with lemon juice and powdered sugar. Makes one 12-inch pancake, 2 good servings.

Spring Travel Deals

There are many travel deals out there all year long, and here are a few exciting ideas I found for the coming months.

The first ever Divino Tuscany festival takes place from June 2-5. (www.divinotuscany.com). The festival will celebrate winemaking in the region. The four-day extravaganza in Florence shows off Tuscany's top vintners paired with fabulous cusine and world class entertainment.

Longtime oenophiles and those looking to sophicate their palates will enjoy seminars by the likes of James Suckling, former European Bureau Chief of Wine Spectator, tutored tastings at the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, and hosted dinners at the private Palazzi of Tuscany's leading wine families. The topper is a traditional Tuscan pig roast with Sting and his beautiful wife at their private villa. You'd think this would be super expensive, but it's only $2,299 per person, without air fare. Not cheap, but how often do you get the opportuntiy to dine with a rock star and a supermodel? It sounds like a wonderfly decadant weekend to me.

Closer to home, the Four Seasons Austin is slashing rates and offering crazy discounts and freebies on the 25th of every month through December in honor of the resort's 25th birthday and the brand's 50th anniversary. Rooms can be snagged for only $89 on April 25 (the original cost of rooms when the hotel opened in 1986), save 60% on 50 minute massages, priced at $50, on October 25, sip 50-cent cocktails, and so on. Every month is a different special deal. Check out www.fourseasons.com/austin for more details.

How about a weekend at a New York City spa? Two top New York City hotel spas are offering the antidote to the gluttony you usually associate with a weekend in the big apple, by offering juice cleanse packages, which are incredibly popular with New Yorkers. At th Surrey Spa (www.thesurrey.com), guests can book a three-day Organic Avenue (www.organicavenue.com) juice cleanse, paired with two 60-minute detoxifying spa treatments, one private yoga class, and luxe accomodations. The Mandarin Oriental New York (www.mandarinoriental.com) is kicking off the Ultimate 24Hour Detox Spa Package. A Himalayan Salt Sea and Chakra Therapy treatment, and a healthy bento box dinner to prepare you for a day of juice cleansing, using the BluePrint Cleanse juices (www.blueprintcleanse.com). This is a pretty price, at $1,630 per night. Would I pay that amount of money to drink juice and starve? I don't think so.

Hungry Girl Is Now On The Food Network

Several months ago my friend Linda introduced me to the Hungry Girl blog. It gave its readers food tips, diet tips, and product tips. She told me about it because they featured Evol Burritos on the blog, and she thought I might want to know. Evol is my son Phil's food company. I can't say burrito company any more because they make other products, like their just released bowls, four varieties of deliciousness, that are available at Whole Foods right now, and in April they will be nationwide.

Hungry Girl is now a weekly show on the Food Network. It is on Saturday afternoon, not exactly prime time, but I caught an episode last week and had to get pencil and paper to write down the many tips and recipes host Lisa gave the audience. I loved the show, and as soon as it was over, I made one of her recipes. What I made was kale chips. It just so happened I had a bunch of kale in the house, and it was so easy to make, so delicious to eat, and so healthy, I couldn't believe it.

Kale Chips

Kale, with stalks removed, broken into chip size pieces and patted dry
Olive oil spray
Salt

Place kale on a cookie sheet. Spray with olive oil spray to moisten, then sprinkle with kosher salt. Cook at 425 degrees for about 5 minutes. What you have is a crispy, crunchy, salty, low calorie snack. I don't know if it saves well or not, but it sure is good just out of the oven.

Another thing Lisa does that I found helpful is she goes through the supermarket and swaps a high calorie food for a low calorie food. She gives you so many tips you're taking notes throughout the entire show. I'm sure all the recipes are on the food network web site, but I don't know if her tips are there too. She had many recipes in the 30 minute show, but here's one more that I tried and can recommend.

Brownie Muffins

1 box of devils food cake mix
1 15 ounce can of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

Mix ingredients together, use a small scooper to put mixture in foil lined muffin tins. Cook 20 minutes at 400 degrees. You'll have a wonderful tasting brownie muffin at about 175 calories, without all the fat of a regular muffin or cake. Lisa says she uses pumpkin in baking to replace oil, eggs and butter. Delicious.

This show is definitely one of my new favorites. If you're into cooking, watching your weight, and eating healthy, check out Hungry Girl on the Food Network. Stay Hungry!

Sixty Fourth Visit to Taft

Spring is here. The weather in Taft today was about 80 degrees, warm enough for us to sit outside on the patio without sweating. A few more weeks of perfect weather and we'll be back in the air conditioned visitors room. We had a great visit on Friday. Brian arrived first. He and Ron always have stuff to discuss, so I give them an hour to talk alone. I came next, around 9am, and David showed up at 9:30. David got his braces off a few days ago, so we admired his beautiful smile and were happy to see him for the first time in 18 months without hardware in his mouth. He had braces when he was a child, never wore the retainers, and 25 years later decided to go through orthodonture again. This time he swears he'll wear the retainers.

By 10:45am Brian and David were both gone, and Ron and I had several hours to talk. I found Ron distracted and mentioned that to him, but he said no he was not, he was just thinking about coming home. He seems to have things on his mind, much of it related to life and business when he returns, and spends much of his time thinking. That's a good thing, but there's only so much consideration you can give to these issues. Other than his preoccupation with the future, he looks great (lost 7 pounds since he's been walking more and umpiring) and always has a smile on his face. Everyone I meet at Taft comments on his great sense of humor, how his jokes keep them all in stitches, and how he seems to have an opinion on everything. I think about the first few times I went to see Ron at Taft. He was quiet, almost withdrawn, and certainly not telling any jokes. It took him quite a while to relax and realize what was appropriate and what was not. He's been a great joke teller all his life, but he wasn't sure whether his brand of humor was acceptable at Taft. Evidently it is.

Ron introduced me to a friend of his from San Diego. I knew this man understood Ron well by the way he talked about him. They are great friends. In fact, the guy enjoys Ron's company and the company of the rest of the Jewish community at Taft so much that he attends the daily Torah readings. He also attends the Friday night services and the Monday night Jewish movies. I guess you could say he's become an honorary Jew. I think that's great. He's actually a practicing Mormon.

Here's a perfect example of how things work at Taft. A few months ago they got new flat screen televisions for all the TV rooms. There were 5 televisions to put in 3 rooms, so they put 2 in one room, 2 in another and 1 in the third. The people who watch TV in the room that only got 1 new TV were mad, wrote letters to the authorities, and as a result all the TV's were removed. That's how they solved the problem. Go figure.

I asked Ron if he had seen a program that I like, Harry's Law, on TV. He said, no, Swamp People is on at the same time, and he's not in charge of what they watch. The men at Taft want to watch Swamp People, so Harry's Law will have to wait until this summer when he can watch it at home in reruns.

Ron is one step closer to coming home, as he starts a six week class called "Pre release." Here they will teach him how to make a bank deposit, budget money, write a check,etc. Remember, many of these men have less than a high school education and many have been incarcerated for years, and in some cases decades. Our friend Michael was in his early 20's when he was incarcerated, and when he is released it will have been 24+ years of institutional living. He has never had a computer, a fax, a cell phone and never gone to Costo. I can't imagine how difficult his adjustment will be. I'll talk about that another time, but I just mentioned the pre release class, because that's a concrete stepping stone to actual release.

Still no change in Ron's coming home date. I am just figuring on July 27 and will be pleasantly surprised if he comes home early. As Ron always says, "Hope for the best but expect the worst."

Why Are We All Low In Vitamin D?

I recently had my "Welcome to Medicare" free physical. Ron reminded me of this just weeks before my 66th birthday. You have one year to get your free physical. I'm one of those people who pretty much only goes to the doctor when all else fails. I figured this was a good opportunity to have blood work done and see how my healthy diet is really affecting my body.

My results were great. Everything was within normal range EXCEPT for vitamin D. Me, the California girl that spends lots of time outdoors playing golf, walking, swimming and gardening. How could I be low in vitamin D? After a conference with the doctor, I still can't figure it out. I did some research, and here's what I learned about vitamin D.


The problem of low vitamin D is a big one, because low levels have been linked to increased risk of the following conditions and diseases: osteoporosis, colon cancer, autoimmune diseases, such as MS and rheumatoid arthritis, muscle weakness and falls in elderly people, respiratory and other infections, and heart disease. A study at UC Davis noted that 94% of Chinese adults between 50-70 years of age were vitamin D deficient.

Eating more vitamin D-rich foods is a good idea, but vitamin D isn't found in too many places. The only natural source of vitamin D is fatty fish, such as wild caught salmon. Fortified foods such a cereals, orange juice and dairy will help you get additional vitamin D from your food. Government guidelines suggest it is safe to take up to 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day, but talk to your doctor before take this or any supplement.

Experts say the best way to get your daily dose of vitamin D is 20 minutes of direct exposure to the sun daily. I get that, and much more, so why am I still low? Some say it's all the sunscreen we slather on our bodies, but again, that's not the case with me. I just use sunscreen on my face.

My unprofessional opinion is that as we age, our bodies do not absorb vitamin D as well as when we were young. Also, it wasn't until recently that blood panels even tested for vitamin D, so were our grandparents low in vitamin D? There's no way to know.

For now, I'm taking a 2000 IU supplement, in addition to spending 30-60 minutes in full sunlight every day. If that doesn't do it, I give up. And what about skin cancer from being in the sun too much? You're damned if you and damned if you don't.