This past week I was invited to a party sponsored by Whole Foods… As we all left the party we were all given gift bags with samples of a new food products… The most confusing thing in the bag was something called Organic Mashups (Mashups are describe as squeezable fruit) from Revolution Foods.

I was pretty excited when I first was the saw it… Figuring it was grape juice I jumped right in… The problem was I couldn’t get the top off, and it turned out not to be grape juice…

After a few minutes of trying to open the container, I had to convince myself I wasn’t the only one of earth who couldn’t get the thing open, so I asked around. I found others equally confused…

For a test I sent it to school with my kid… It returned unopened… He told me he wasn’t able to open, nor was the teacher he asked for help…

So now I’m looking for food packaging you could open, or is this the only one?

Let us know in the comments section.

Last year it was all about pomegranates. You couldn’t and still can’t go into a grocery store without seeing row after row of new products containing pomegranate juice.

This year it seems from the folks I’ve spoken with, cheese is the new pomegranate juice.

Consider the following anecdotal evidence…


I spoke with numerous checkers over the past few weeks from three different grocery chains who reported cheese flying off the shelves… And keep in mind checkers are pretty numb to what passes by them… It takes a lot to catch their eye…

The launch of Culture magazine… A magazine devote to cheese…

Several of the major food makers are expecting huge jumps in the sales of mac and cheese this year…

Cheese shops I spoke with tell me there has been no drop in cheese sales, higher end cheeses are selling still selling well and there has been a big increase in folks asking about American Artisan Cheeses.

Then there’s the predicted trend of a return to comfort foods… Which includes mac & cheese as well as cheese burgers.

We would love to hear your thoughts on the trend, or if you have a favorite cheese use the comments section to promote it…

And if you just find you can’t get enough cheese stories, I found this video by Jeffrey Roberts, author of The Atlas of American Artisan Cheese…

Well I am back on the road, and cannot tell you how much I miss
Marin County! During the 40 day stay home the boys and I did quit a bite of sight seeing around Marin and the Bay Area! Out in West Marin well Bolinas to be exact Curtis Jr fell in love with this road side organic vegetable stand it is open 24/7. 24 hours a day 7 days a week! The produce varies from season to season; last week there were the most wonderful Spanish, kale, and lettuces, butter, green leaf, red ruffled leaf, plus Bibb lettuce. There was Swiss chard, green, white, and stripped. One could also find kohlrabi (are you wondering what this vegetable is?) Keep coming back to Recipes for Living you will learn about the kohlrabi and other bulb type vegetables. Speaking of bulb or should I say round vegetable the little stand had the most outstanding potatoes I have had! These potatoes were ugly but o-so tasty! I made mashed, baked and boil spuds and the kids loved them all!

As the saying goes the show must go on! Or to make a living I must go on the road! This morning it is 20 degrees in my Hometown of Conyers Georgia, making it hard to get out of bed when I woke at 5 a.m.! However now around 8 a.m. the sun is shinning bright and the temperature is up to about 30! How I wish I were in Novato on my way to Indian Valley to play golf or off to hike up Mt Burdell! Instead yours truly will be out and about around the East Atlanta Metro area and off to South Georgia searching for foods that scream fresh. One Farm I will be visiting is Hound River; you may have read about them in the New York Times. Hound River Farms is said to raise some of the tastiest lamb in the country! I’ll let you know after I have a taste!

Here is a recipe I have been having fun with lately, feel free to change the ingredient to suit your taste, you can use red onion, or broccoli add celery or pear how about cheese? When I get it right although it taste good now, this will be the recipe I demo in Louisville Kentucky April 20, 2009

Pasta and Produce Salad
1 pound cooked pasta (cork screw)
1 bunch Spanish (washed and torn into bite size)
1 sweet onion diced
1 carrot peeled and diced
1 fugi apple cored and diced
1 / 2 cup raisins
1 / 2 cup toasted nuts

Dressing
1/ 3 cup vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil!
1 orange
1 / 2 fresh berries
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Method
In large salad blown combine first 7 ingredients set aside
To another bowel combine dressing ingredient blend well
Add to pasta toss and serve
I f you want to see pictures of the Organic stand in Bolinas go to www.screamingfresh.com and to get a head start on the lamb visit http://www.houndriverfarm.com/ Peace

I find the three biggest influences over my selection of a wine are the picture on the label, the price and the little I can remember reading in various wine magazines. But over the weekend I found one sage piece of advice I’m pretty sure will hold up for all of us… It comes from Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, well known well reviewers.

“When it comes to less expensive wines, we’d avoid wines where cute animals seem to be the main point of the wine.”

No mincing words there…

Title: Tee Mamou-Iota Mardi Gras Folklife Festival
Location: Iota, Louisiana
Link out: Click here
Description: Throughout the day, Cajun and Zydeco bands play on the main stage featuring the only raised dance floor in the area. Another stage features the area\’s finest young musicians playing Cajun music. The festival also offers the most delicious Cajun foods and a variety of Cajun crafts.

The highlight of the day is the arrival of the Tee Mamou Courir de Mardi Gras riding through town in the Mardi Gras wagon. The brightly colored costumes are topped off with screen masks and capuchons which hide each persons identity. The courir will then gather on the main stage along with the capitaine, Todd Fruge, to sing their traditional European chant in French that is dated back 400+ years. Once the song is completed, the Mardi Gras descend onto the street like a colorful wave, dancing with any available ladies and begging for loose change.
Start Time: 8:30
Date: 2009-02-05
End Time: 17:00

I’ve been asked the question a hundred times…. If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Pizza with mushrooms and onions…

But then again what are the food we should be eating?

Back in the summer the New York Times ran a story called, “the 11 best food you aren’t eating.”

The piece is back by popular demand…

The story is brilliant for its simplicity…

The writer lists the 11 best, and why….

Enough said…

The top five include

Beets
Cabbage
Swiss chard
Cinnamon
Pomegranate juice

If you would like the complete list, click here…

And if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Let us know in the comments below

Title: South Beach Wine & Food Festival
Location: South Beach, Florida
Link out: Click here
Description: The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival is a national, star-studded, four-day destination event showcasing the talents of the world\’s most renowned wine and spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities.
Start Date: 2009-02-19
End Date: 2009-02-22

thanks to: www.appolo.com

The NY Times has published their list of healthy food for under a $1.
Maybe life is suddenly cheaper in New York, or prices are dropping an an unheard of rate, but I had a hard time matching their list dollar for dollar.

Either way it’s a great list.
Here are just a few items they mention…

Kale
Eggs
Spinach
Pumpkins seeds

It’s a top 20 list you can find by clicking here…

Depression style dining appears to be all the rage. Yesterday I pointed out the Safeway by my office now offers what I call the recession special every Friday (see post above).

Now an Austin, Texas website posted what they’re calling, “depression-friendly dining out” tips.

Here’s some of their advice:
Skip the entree, look for “family style” dining, fill up on chips & salsa, and livin’ la vida la buffet… You get the picture…

Take a minute and click over… The article is called Cheapskating - it’s worth a minute of your time.

If you have an recession style dining tips, feel free to leave them in the comments section.

When we get enough, I’ll put together a best of list.