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Something to relish at Del Monte

I look at everything to see if they contain High Fructose Corn Syrup! CLICK on the link to see what Del Monte says about their ingredients.

Now, I really don’t know why Del Monte has a product that doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup while so many of their other products do, but let’s just say that this is a product I will use with ‘relish!’

In reading what some folks write about  HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP in defending this ingredient. sounds a lot like the ‘warnings’ one saw on other products that started off saying  “the surgeon general has determined…” Here’s what Del Monte has on their site:

“High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a sweetener made from corn and can be found in numerous foods and beverages on grocery store shelves in the United States.  High fructose corn syrup is composed of either 42 percent or 55 percent fructose, with the remaining sugars being primarily glucose and higher sugars. In terms of composition, high fructose corn syrup is nearly identical to table sugar.  The American Medical Association stated in June 2008 that “…high fructose syrup does not appear to contribute to obesity more than other caloric sweeteners…” And, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) concluded in December 2008 that “No persuasive evidence supports the claim that high fructose corn syrup is a unique contributor to obesity.”  The ADA also noted, “High fructose corn syrup … is nutritionally equivalent to sucrose. Both sweeteners contain the same number of calories (4 per gram) and consist of about equal parts of fructose and glucose. Once absorbed into the blood stream, the two sweeteners are indistinguishable.””

My wife wrote a blog  a few years back that shed some light on the phenomenon. Although data can sometimes be correlational and correlation does not equal causation,  I think this issue deserves a fair hearing and I for one will not buy anything knowingly that contains HFCS.

Maybe, Del Monte is putting a very small toe in the water to see how folks will react to having one of their minor brands live without HFCS … but to me it is a step in the right direction! What does HFCS really have to do with making a great relish??

I have been really shocked to see how many brands contain HFCS, everything from Margarita Mix (ouch!), to our Jenny Craig Chicken kits, to my Cherrios to many brands of Pickle Relish!

Check it out.

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Pecan Pie time!

CLICK on the picture for the recipe! Colonel Beauford really knew how to bake pies! (he kinda looks familiar)

Laura’s birthday is this month and I would really like to make her a Pecan Pie as it is her favorite… but she might have to satisfy herself with a “Birthday Pecan Torte” as we are both struggling removing the last pesky pounds…well, I have a lot  more peskiness than she has to remove.

Which reminds me of an old saying that ” a chef should only taste his work.” It means that a chef  – left to their own devices — will create something uniquely wonderful to their own tastes… and consequently be more likely to eat more of it… and we don’t want to have to use ‘apron extenders’ do we?

Yes, there is a lot of wonderful things in this pie… but you can diet another day!

The Recipe

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the ‘stone soup’ of gardening

the red is for peppers and the green is for tomatoes ... but first you must BUY them!

Okay, I don’t know what I really expected, but I kinda thought there might be some seeds in the container I bought… but NO… you go out and buy mature plants, high grade potting soil, time released fertilizer and water them every day…and then…. wahoo! Instant tomatoes! So, lets just say that the final price tag for this project is a bit higher than what it shows on the package!

So maybe I am not walking into this ‘fun’ project with the right attitude… but we’ll see how it goes. In the meantime, I am amused.

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a home should be comfortable

a real home makes you feel comfortable right when you walk in!

The above picture comes from one of the Harry Potter movies , it is a scene set in the Weasley’s very eccentric but warm and comfortable home. I  wrote a blog  about how a home should reflect the owners personality — a couple of years ago — and I warned of the evils of  ‘feng shui’  that takes all life from a home and turns it into just a house!

In watching the back story of the movie “UP!”, some of the creative staff were joking about studying old people’s homes for authenticity. This sounded pretty funny until I realized that I sounded pretty much like one of the old people being studied! After thinking about it for a while, I began to understand that there is a difference between how people set up their homes. Some people are always thinking about selling their home ( maybe less today than in prior years) and their home always looks sterile and ‘feng shui.’ Some homes are sloppy, disorganized and the victim of some sort of hording maniac; however, this is not what I am talking about. My favorite home to live in or visit tells me about who lives there …  and something about their lives: it contains family drawings, stories and messages which are hung proudly; coat hooks are everywhere to grab the stray jacket or visitor’s scarf and cap; the kitchen reflects someone who actually knows how to cook with everything within reach; and drapes pulled open to let in nature’s beauty.

Only someone from a large family understands the naturalness of mismatched chairs at the family dining table.

One doesn’t build a masterpiece of hospitality like the Weasley’s home overnight , one creates its warmth over the stretch of a lifetime as we add to it one beautiful piece at a time … as we age, we are just the same, we add experiences, knowledge and love to our lives.

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getting lost in a book

the latest in a series of opinion pieces... this one reflecting my love of books and building a humble library! CLICK on the above picture to visit abebooks.com

On the subjects of books, I am very found of reading the original works, especially period pieces that talk about the life and times as they were happening. Too often history is rewritten to fit current sensibilities and with no concern for the impressions of the time. It is important to read Shakespeare in the original Klingon after all.

I am also reminded of a story concerning ( I believe) Mark Twain. Mr. Twain was sitting in the back of a large lecture hall in which a professor was delivering a lecture concerning all of the hidden meanings and messages that Mark Twain left for us to find. Patiently he waited until the end and students began to ask questions, Mark Twain stood and said,” I  didn’t realize I said all that, sounds very interesting, I’ll have to go back and reread myself.”

In building your own library, you can gain a perspective on a subject and a culture that could all disappear with the flick of a computer switch. There have been times when I have pulled a book off my shelves in a discussion to demonstrate the perspective of the time, not just what someone said it was.

Here is my article

My favorite internet Used Book Store!

Read to your children tonight, books make everyone become closer.