Category: Food & Wine

Posted on

Portion Control & Nutritional Labels are Key to Diets

the truth about OUR Chicken Tetrazinni isn't really all that bad!Now, I have sat in enough test kitchens to say that I am not the person to squeeze the last calorie out of a recipe… because, taste & the experience of the food has always been my primary interest.

However, thanks to  this site  which allows you to evaluate your recipe… I find that our do-it-yourself special occasion meals are really not all that bad… if you watch the portions.

So let’s compare our latest dish to the best of the diet foods and see how we do?

Jenny Craig  has a few dishes that weigh in at 8.5oz. Let’s compare our cheesey dish to their Meatloaf. We have a lot more calories (392 vs. 300), more fat (13 g to 7g), the same cholesterol (45 mg). However, we have lower sodium (444 to 460 mg), more dietary fiber(5g to 3 g) and less sugar (5g to 8g) and the same protein (21 g).

So, although our  Chicken Tetrazinni  doesn’t qualify as a ‘diet food’… in fairness — it never really tried to be… we just wanted it to be as delicious as it could be and in the process we discovered… great tasting food is often good for you too!

Enjoy this our Chicken Tetrazinni without guilt! (recipe to follow soon)

Roger Freberg

Posted on

Cooking for Busy People & those on Jenny Craig

Chicken Tetrazinni
One of my early memories as a young married couple was the fun we had in preparing a week’s menu of dinner meals on the weekend. We would freeze each meal in a container — or two portions in one (very romantic). Then when needed, we would heat them up (in the oven in the old days) and in 30 minutes, we’d have a wonderful meal!

Today, we are doing the same thing for our weekend ‘events.’ We cook and enjoy our weekend meal then portion control the rest into individual containers. As the week progresses, we can visit the freezer (we have 3) and say,”What do we want tonight? Will it be  Paella? , Seafood gumbo? ,  Bobotie? , Lazagna? ,Chicken Tetrazinni? , Beef Stroganoff? or ?”

As an aside, we are fixing  Chicken Tetrazinni  this weekend in a more original format…. something I hope Luisa would be proud of having her name attached. It will be wonderful.

As they say in the film “Last Holiday”, “…you know how some people feel about pork fat.” However, a little always adds something special.  Jenny Craig  has a cookbook that allows you to ‘doll up’ their basic meals… however adding mushooms and Parmesan to their Chicken meal does not really make it “Chicken Tetrazinni”… although I have found worse recipes out there.

So to answer those who have written and asked, “Why spend so much effort and time for an event meal?”… I simply say that the meal will continue to be enjoyed for weeks to come in smaller portions!

Roger Freberg

Check out the calories in your favorite meal…. how many servings must your casserole be divided to be correctly portioned controled?  CLICK here  to check your favorite recipe!

Posted on

Cooking’s holy trinity….

Gumbo... one of life's epicurean wonders! 

What’s fun about cooking is lively discussions about what constitutes  the foundation of any style of food.

In French cuisine they refer to the ‘food holy trinity’ of carrots, onions and celery.

the other trinity
In New Olreans, the common combo is somethng slightly different: onions, bell pepper and celery…. and nowhere else is this so clearly evident than in the making of GUMBO… one of God’s greatest creations.
However, sometimes more is better… I would add garlic to the list. One can not really have too much garlic, if properly prepared.

I have noticed that many ‘short cut’ recipes remove one trinity or another… and that is to bad. Even simple “Tetrazinni” deserves some onion, carott and celery.

Food is such fun, isn’t it?

Roger Freberg

About 8 years ago, I posted my  Seafood gumbo recipe…  share it with someone you love.

Posted on

Armagnac is a most flavorful brandy!

Armagnac is the gift of the gods

Recently, I fell in love again with Armagnac! There is much written about its ‘virtues’ , one particularly amusing from the 14th century:

1313 Prior Vital Dufor, a Cardinal, claimed it had 40 virtues. A translation stated: “It makes disappear redness and burning of the eyes, and stops them from tearing; it cures hepatitis, sober consumption adhering. It cures gout, cankers and fistula by ingestion, restores the paralysed member by massage and heals wounds of the skin by application. It enlivens the spirit, partaken in moderation, recalls the past to memory, renders men joyous, preserves youth and retards senility. And when retained in the mouth, it loosens the tongue and emboldens the wit, if someone timid from time to time himself permits.”

Well… maybe this is a good example of hyperbola… however, I think Armagnac goes well with everything and adds a particularly nice wine flavor to foods in cooking! I loved what it did to my  Beef Stroganoff!

Roger Freberg

Armagnac’s official website

 

 

Posted on

Beef Stroganoff or Rogerov?

what is the true history of the wonderful recipe for Beef Stroganoff?Nearly everyone in America loves “Beef Stroganoff” and it has been my experience that opinions on how it is best prepared and presented are subject to debate.

Do you pour it over rice, potato strings or noodles? (Karen likes the potato variation she noticed while living in South Africa) Even those who use noodles do not agree on what kind is best.

What spices should it contain beyond simple salt and pepper? Do you add brandy or wine or both? Do you feel the sauce needs a dab of tomato paste or ketchup?

Fortunately, we found an expert whose authority is beyond question… Grand Duke Marcos Rogerov who writes that his recipe is the most tasty because he has stolen his ideas from everyone! He assures us that only the best ideas are included.  Here is his recipe!

aaaah... the kitchen is here!
So, raise your glass of Valpolicella or South Africa red and enjoy!

Roger Freberg