Month: November 2009

Posted on

fatties and the chubbies who love them

0000aaaFATTIES

I remade the chart above in a monochromatic style as the original set by the CDC was not very clear. One can easily see the progression in increasing obesity rates in America. I haven’t been to Mississippi since ’84, I am sure I would be surprised! There are a lot of  Disney ‘Wall-E’ people out there!

Whether the increase in obesity was brought about by an aging population, changes in our diet or additives or by other environmental influences… the time to address this issue is now…. while you are still ambulatory ( while you still can walk). Here are a few suggestions to aid in making a better and lighter life for yourself:

1) follow a plan…

Initially, follow any plan to lose weight and stick to it ( I like Jenny Craig… someone once told me that it was ‘expensive’… but I will remind them that it is a lot less expensive than blood pressure, diabetic medications and the other foo that was given to me… now, I take nothing)

2) do it with a buddy.

According to the map above, the chances are that each of us have a few chubby friends… some of them may  like to lighten up. Ask them to join you in losing weight and you can do it together. Talking to someone who understands makes it easier.

3) the secret to a great program is to ‘stroll.’

No expensive gyms, heavy exercise or memberships are needed.  You also need not ‘power walk’ as that is not sustainable and boring. I like to walk to a coffee shop every afternoon for a break… and once after dinner… that’s all you need to do…. really!

4) don’t give up the culinary treasures you enjoy.

Just upgrade your culinary treats… but have them less often. Wouldn’t you enjoy your Thanksgiving meal more if you weren’t worried about how you’d feel or look afterward? Our larger meal is lunch and we have our finest on Saturday.

So, here are a few ideas to think about… that is if you want to live a happier, more active and satisfying life… but then, who wants that?

Roger

PS. I have been there,too.

Posted on

dark chocolate pie with meringue

home made filling and meringue make all the difference
home made filling and meringue make all the difference

Not long ago, I asked a friend what he would like for his birthday. He said a dark chocolate pie with a meringue topping. There are several little minefields in the culinary arts and meringue is one of them. Get some grease on your tools or in your bowl and your done! finished! nada!

Since he — like my daughter Karla — is a bit over the top on dark chocolate, we took that as a hint and started with an Oreo crust…. which is a bit of a departure. The more elegant recipes also add a bit of zing to their pies with berries layered between the pie filling and the meringue… and I like this alternative very much.  And since we make our own jams, it makes the pies even more special. I also like to use manufacturers cream ( a heavy whipping cream) rather than milk that appears in most recipes. No time to count calories, my friend!

My recipe here is only a minor variation from what you can find on the net… but I think we made it a bit better. 😉

1) Make your crust and bake it

2) make the filling:

a) beat 4 egg yolks and add 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cornstarch until well blended

b) gradually add 2 cups of manufacturers whipping cream to the mixture in a frying pan stirring constantly over medium heat.

c) gradually add 6 squares of chocolate ( I like 2 – bitter and 4 semisweet) until well blended

d) add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and pour into cooked pie pan*, cover with plastic and set aside.

3) Make your Meringue

a) In a small pan, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/3 cup water and 1 tablespoon sugar. The mixture will thicken after several minutes on the stove stirring constantly. Once thick, emove and allow to cool slightly.

b) Beat your 4 egg whites until frothy, add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar and 1/2 cup of sugar… beat until puffy. Add the cornstarch mixture with a blender at high speed until you can make peaks with the meringue.

4) Assembling your pie

a) heat and spread about 1/4 cup of your favorite berry jam on the bottom of the pie crust*

b) add a small amount 1/2 cup of berries… (I like blueberries) on top of your filling

a) starting at the edge of the pie, add your meringue

5) Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes but keeping checking as not to let the Meringue burn

Now, time to enjoy!

How about one little slice?
How about one little slice?

Roger

Posted on

it is baking season

"TURGOOSEN" --a chicken within a duck within a goose within a turkey
“TURGOOSEN” –a chicken within a duck within a goose within a turkey

For those who bake, you already know this, but we are in the throes of what is commercially referred to as ‘Baking Season.” Although commercial food product companies gear up and market this time of year, it is actually a proper reflection of what people do between September and January… we bake!

During this ‘season’, families are together more and people prepare those special occasion dishes that are reserved for only the best of times. A Thanksgiving Turkey, a Christmas Ham and a New Year’s Champagne brunch are so ingrained in some families that a lot of things will be dropped from the social calendar before any of these gatherings. I celebrate Japanese New Year with sushi, sashimi and other yummy things. I joke that sushi is my life… and homemade and fresh is best.

What I am starting to gather together are a few things I need for this season’s projects. Our daughters will be arriving in December and have requested a ‘Greek Night’… Dolmades, Tiropetes, Baklava, Honey Pie and Moussaka. Yes, there will be music and then we dance! Laura loves to bake her mushroom cookies and I will enjoy putting together this year’s Turgoosen! Jenny Craig will just have to be a little understanding.

Oh, I will be making and baking an assortment of other family favorites from  Corned Beef Pie ( the beef is ‘corning’ away as I write this) to General Washington’s great contribution to Western Civilization…. his incomparable ‘Egg Nog’. I also search and acquire cookbooks from times gone by and not always expensive ones… this time I found a 1908 cookbook by  Rumford (Clabber Girl).  You don’t have to buy an original ( I have one), but you can buy a nice copy that’ll work just nicely.

So, celebrate this season by making something wonderful for those you love!

Roger

Posted on

you’ve been invited to speak

welcome to our meeting!
welcome to our meeting!

My family has done a lot of  interesting things… Kristin has come back from a year in Iraq and everyone wants her unclassified stories, Laura has written another book and  a fun blog, and Karen has had one globe trotter of a year, herself. So it doesn’t surprise me that groups ask them to speak.

Many of the groups they talk about sound familiar: Rotary, Lions, Soroptimists, Kiwanis, Elks among many others…. however, a few invitations raise an eyebrow or two for being unfamiliar or unknown. Can’t helping it,  I do ask the proverbial question: “what do you know about this group?” ….. and I usually get the typical ‘oh, dad!’ answer.

Hard to stop being a dad.

Roger Freberg

Posted on

Pumpkin cake and cupecakes make halloween special

00PBC2009

All of these heavy cakes are tricky when it comes to baking and frankly… I often make them as cupcakes to insure they are fully baked… if this is your first time, try cupcakes first.

For those of you — like me — who love pumpkin, there is a wealth of wonderful recipes out there and I have tried … or at least studies many of them. They look delicious!

Here’s my version

00PBKoct2009
Being Halloween, Karla couldn’t help but put up pumpkins all dressed as foxes… including one with the FIREFOX logo…. did I say Karla loves foxes?

Karla's Pumpkins
Karla's Pumpkins

Hope you had a safe and happy Halloween!

Roger Freberg