A Worthless NUT!

College football is now here folks! It really doesn't matter if you are a Falcon, Eagle, Bulldog, Lion, or any other kind of animal, it is college football time. Growing up in Ohio, I can remember every fall when football season started there was a favorite treat served at every Saturday game party. Peanut Butter Buckeyes. Yes, I have heard all the stories about how a buckeye is a worthless nut, but, a peanut butter buckeye is different. All the right flavors to bring back memories of fall in Ohio. Soon, even fall in Ohio will be a memory. But Peanut Butter Buckeyes will remain a constant rich chocolate peanut buttery treat! Here is my recipe for the favorite, not so worthless, buckeye.

Peanut Butter Buckeyes
Yield: 5 dozen

Ingredients

1 c butter
1 pk 16oz powdered sugar
1 12oz crunchy peanut butter
1 block (4oz) paraffin
1 pk 12oz semi-sweet chocolate chocolate

Instructions

Combine butter, sugar and peanut butter in a medium bowl; blend till
smooth. Roll into 1 inch balls. chill. Place paraffin and chocolate
chips into top of a double boiler and melt over hot (not Boiling)
water. Coat balls by dropping one at a time. Place on waxed paper to
cool.

What is your favorite Buckeye story? Post it for others to enjoy.

It's Just Not Natural!

Ben & Jerry's to drop 'All Natural' from labels.

Mon Sep 27, 6:03 pm ET

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. – Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's is dropping the phrase "all natural" from all labels after a request from a health advocacy group.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest and the company confirmed the move Monday.

The CSPI told the company last month it should not use "all natural" if products contain alkalized cocoa, corn syrup, hydrogenated oil or other ingredients that are not natural.

Ben & Jerry's, a unit of consumer products giant Unilever, said it's not changing any recipes. It's just removing the label from all products, whether they are among the majority that contain at least one of the ingredients CSPI listed or not.

The Food & Drug Administration has no formal definition for "natural." But it won't object to term as long as products do not contain added color, artificial flavors or synthetic substances.

The CSPI, based in Washington, said the government should define the term.

"The Food and Drug Administration could do consumers and food manufacturers a great service by actually defining when the word 'natural' can and cannot be used to characterize a given ingredient," CSPI Executive Director Michael F. Jacobson said in a statement.

Ben & Jerry's spokesman Sean Greenwood said the change would happen gradually across Ben & Jerry's product line.

The ingredients will be the same ones Ben & Jerry's has always used, but the company no longer wants to battle over the definition of "all natural," which has different meanings to different people, Greenwood said.

"Ben & Jerry's has always been a company that tried to source as responsibly as possible, label our products accordingly and let it all out there for people to see," he said. "But this takes away any misconceptions for people."

Consumer Activists Want Modified Salmon to Be Labeled

Opponents of genetically modified salmon, as well as consumer activists and environmentalists, told a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel Tuesday that it would be irresponsible not to require labels on the fish if it is approved for humans to eat.
The American public has the right to know what it is consuming, the speakers said.

What do you think? Should the consumer be told about genetically modified salmon and other foods? Post your thoughts!

Fire Up the Slow Cooker!

FINGER LICKIN’ CHICKEN

6—8 chicken legs or thighs
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 can (16 oz) Italian seasoned tomatoes
1 can (4 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
½ cup half & half, optional

Rinse the chicken parts and pat dry. In a skillet, melt butter and brown chicken quickly on both sides. Place chicken in slow cooker. Stir together remaining ingredients except the half & half and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours or on high heat for 4 to 5 hours. Just before serving, stir in the half & half. Serve over steamed rice.

Italian Ham & Bean Soup

”SLOW COOKER SERIES”

ITALIAN HAM & BEAN SOUP

1 cup dried pinto beans, rinsed, drained and picked over
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ pound smoked ham, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium celery rib, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups of chicken broth
3 cups of water
¼ cup tomato paste
1 can (8oz) diced tomatoes or Italian seasoned stewed, drained
½ cup bow-tie or shell pasta
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Soak the beans in a large bowl with enough water to cover them by 2 inches. Let stand overnight, drain any remaining water after overnight soaking.

In a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the ham, onion, and celery and cook until lightly browned. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, stirring to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Transfer to a 3 ½ quart slow cooker. Add the drained beans, water, tomato paste, and tomatoes. Cover and slow cook until beans are tender, 7 to 8 hours on Low or 4 to 5 hours on High.

Stir in the pasta and pepper. Turn heat to high and cook until the pasta is tender, about 30 to 60 minutes. Serve with crusty bread.

Do you have a favorite slow cooker recipe? Post it here and share with others.

Fall is coming...time to get out the nutmeg!

In a few days we will have the coming of fall. Yep, a chill in the air and frost on its way. Well, for some. With the changes in the season, nutmeg and mace are the spices of the fall. These two unique spices are from plants that produce the nutmeg fruit. Mace is the lacy covering or aril that surrounds the seed. The nutmeg lies within the shell of the seed. Mace and nutmeg are native to the Moluccas, but are also cultivated in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and the West Indies. The fruit ripens six to nine months after flowering, and is usually gathered with in falls to the ground. The outer husk is stripped off and the mace is removed, pressed flat and dried on mats. This process may take as little as two to four hours, during which time the mace retains its scarlet color. Once the mace has been removed, the seeds are dried on trays for four to six weeks until the nutmegs rattle in their outer shell. They are cracked open and the nutmegs removed, then graded according to size and quality. The sizes are graded by size as 80's or 100's and so on, according to the number in the pound. There are many uses for both of the unique spices. Southeast Asia, China and India, both spices are used sparingly. In India they are found mostly in Moghul dishes. The Arabs have long added nutmeg to mutton and lamb, but the Europeans have used nutmeg and mace most extensively in both sweet and savory dishes. The Italians enjoy nutmeg with mixed vegetable dishes, and veal. Nutmeg is widely used in honey cakes, rich fruit cake, fruit desserts, and fruit punch. Other uses of nutmeg is an ingredient in some soaps and shampoos. I personally like it as an ingredient in pumpkin bread or as a topping on a hot buttered rum drink. Fall is coming so enjoy the spice of the season. If you have a favorite use for nutmeg or mace, post it for others to enjoy.

WHAT A PEACH!

Pound Cake

When I think of fresh peaches I think of a rich, moist pound cake. In Ohio, this time of year, the peaches are coming on and they are some of the best. Nothing goes better than to make a traditional pound cake and top it with fresh Ohio peaches. Here is an easy pound cake recipe.

Flour 4 cups
Baking Powder 1 teaspoon
Salt ½ teaspoon
Unsalted butter 1 pound
Granulated sugar 3 cups
Eggs 8 lightly beaten
Pure vanilla extract 2 teaspoons
Heavy cream ½ cup

Stir the dry ingredients. Position the rack in the oven to the middle of the oven. Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter two 9X5-inch loaf pans and line them with buttered parchment paper. Now sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl.

Making the batter. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed and beat together the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy and lightened in color. This should take about 2 minutes. Add the eggs two at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. On low speed, add half of the flour mixture and m ix until incorporated. Mix in the cream until blended. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix just until a smooth batter forms. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake the cakes. Bake until the top of each cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. About 1 hour. Briefly cool in the pans on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans to cool completely. Dust the top of one cake with powdered sugar and slice to serve. Reserve the second cake for another time. Or if you are like our household, this just might be tomorrow’s treat. Post your favorite late summer recipe and share with others.

Eat Bran...Live Longer!

Diabetics: Eat Bran and Live Longer!

Women with type 2 diabetes might want to consider including more bran in their diet. A new study reveals those who do so have a lower risk of premature death. People with diabetes are two to three times more likely to die prematurely and develop heart disease compared to the general population. In type 2 diabetes, the body can't use insulin efficiently to break down blood sugar. Bran is found in whole grains and is rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Previous research suggests high intakes of whole grains may protect against systemic inflammation and dysfunction of the cells that line the blood vessels. The study, the Nurses' Health Study including 121,700 female nurses, suggest that a potential benefit of whole grain, and particularly bran, is beneficial in the reducing of death and cardiovascular risk in diabetic patients.
This information is from the Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, May 2010.

Let's Go Nuts!

Want to lower your cholesterol? New research shows that it may be as simple as consuming more nuts. Nuts are a whole food that have been consumed by humans throughout history and increasing the consumption of nuts as a part an otherwise prudent diet can favorably affect blood lipid levels. This can also have the potential to lower coronary heart disease risk. About 2.4 ounces of nuts a day can reduce the total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood. In most cases the HDL (good) cholesterol shows increases. The good property of nuts is the omega-3's. They thin the blood, helping it to flow more freely and prevent clots from forming and adhering to the vessel walls. Omega 3's also act as an anti-inflammatory preventing blood vessels from becoming inflamed and reducing blood flow. Walnuts are one of the many beneficial nuts that can be consumed that are high in arginine, an essential amino acid. Arginine helps to keep the inside of the blood vessels smooth while it also promotes the flexibility of the vessels increasing blood flow. The top nut and seed sources of arginine in descending order include: watermelon seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, hazelnuts, and pistachios. Want better heart health...go nuts!