Puberty Before Age 10 – A New ‘Normal’? – NYTimes.com

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Here is a really interesting article that I read in the NY Times discussing the potential causes of early puberty in girls:  Puberty Before Age 10 – A New ‘Normal’? – NYTimes.com

Although doctors and scientists do not have a definitive answer as to why so many girls with no signs of medical disorder are on the puberty fast-track, the article talks about some contributing factors: “[g]irls who are overweight are more likely to enter puberty early than thinner girls, and the ties between obesity and puberty start at a very young age”; “animal studies show that the exposure to some environmental chemicals can cause bodies to mature early”; “[o]ne concern, among parents and researchers, is the effect of simultaneous exposures to many estrogen-mimics, including the compound BPA”; “[f]amily stress can disrupt puberty timing”.

Although we don’t have a definitive answer as to the causes, I find this all very disturbing.  No doubt, modernity brings many benefits and conveniences, but also many stresses, uncertainties, and trap doors.  Being a recent cancer survivor, I already over-analyze most foods that I’m about to eat (although an occasional french fry somehow makes it past the gates).  I think as consumers we have more power than we think over our food choices.  If you don’t believe that, then realize that companies spend tons of money and time trying to figure out what we the consumers want to buy.  But, of course, there are some who don’t have access to fresh food.  In this regard, I feel so lucky that I can shop at my local farmer’s market.  Just something to think about.

Le Creuset’s new color – Marseille Blue (swoon!)

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Le Creuset has a new color out called “Marseille Blue” that is absolutely beautiful.  It’s a wonderfully bright blue addition to the other Le Creuset colors, which are also great, but it’s nice to add a little something new.  Looking at this blue color makes me feel like I should be cooking with it in some rustic French kitchen.   I have a few Le Creuset pieces and for some reason, albeit irrational, sometimes I feel like my food tastes better when I cook with my Le Creuset items.  I’ll have to save my pennies for some Marseille Blue!

Marseille Blue | Williams-Sonoma.

David Chang | City Arts & Lectures

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I am smitten with David Chang.  Perhaps its because he is irreverent (maybe that is why he and Anthony Bourdain seem to be BFFs).  Perhaps because I love ramen and it appears he enjoys it, too.  Perhaps because the previous issue of Lucky Peach included his recipes for kimchi.  Any one of those reasons is reason enough, I think.  Unfortunately, however, I don’t live near  San Francisco, or NYC, to hear him chat about foods that I love.  But if you do live in the Bay Area, you should check him out on July 17, 2012, at the Herbst Theatre.  Sad face.

David Chang | City Arts & Lectures.

Okay, I cheated – cupcakes from a box!

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I must have been feeling tired, weak, and hungry when I bought this packaged chocolate muffin mix.  The mix came from CostPlus World Market.  I just love looking at their selection of food items.  I went into the store because I heard a rumor that they sold devon and clotted cream.  I had to verify the rumors, no doubt.  Anyhow, I came out with this box of muffin mix and no cream.  It’s a long story of why I left the cream behind, but it is there, patiently waiting for me to come back for it.

I topped these cupcakes off with a peanut butter-butter cream frosting.  How can you go wrong with peanut butter frosting?  The peanut butter made the frosting even creamier and I added crunchy peanut butter for some nice texture.  And, I was also trying to get rid of a bag of choco chips in my pantry so I threw some of those into the batter as well as on top of the cupcake for good measure.

Fun with the Mandolin

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I had wanted a mandolin for many years and then I FINALLY got one.  It was a terribly exciting day.  I’ve still got a backlog of dill so I made more tzatziki.  The pile of cucumbers that my mandolin left makes me want to just dive right into it.  There is no substitute for fresh cucumber.

 

Chana Dal with Basmati Rice and Onion

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I tend to buy many things in bulk.  The obvious upside to this is that I have lots of whatever item I just bought (20 lbs of brown rice – yes, please!).  The downside is just the same, however.  In my effort to clean out my pantry, I decided to clear out some neglected chana dal and basmati rice.  This recipe sounds simple in flavor, and it is, but that doesn’t make it any less appetizing.

Ingredients:

2 cups of chana dal, dried

1 cup of basmati

1 yellow or red onion, chopped

1 teaspoon of coriander

2 teaspoons of cumin

2 teaspoons of salt

3 cloves of garlic, minced

3 cups of water

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Assembly:

Take your dried chana dal, give it a wash, and soak in 2 and 1/2 cups of water for 4 hours.   This step is crucial or else you’ll be cooking the dal for hours and you’ll be left starving by the time you’re done.  I also recommend soaking the basmatic rice for that long as well.

Fast forward 4 hours – drain your chana dal and rice and set aside.

Take your chopped onion, garlic, and saute with olive oil over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes until the onions become slightly brown.  To the onions, add the chana dal, rice, cumin, coriander, salt, and water.  Bring it to a bubble and turn down the heat to just above a simmer.  Cover for 20-25 minutes and stir occasionally until rice is fully cooked.

Voila, you’re done.

Herb Roasted Chicken

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This recipe made my entire house smell like a field of thyme and rosemary.  It was absolutely wonderful.  I threw some thickly cut pieces of carrot and sweet potato on the sides of the chicken about 30 minutes into cooking the chicken.  The vegetables came out caramelized and had a slightly crunchy exterior, and most importantly, they were rolling around in the drippings of the chicken.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (4 lbs approximately)

1 tablespoon of thyme, minced

2 tablespoons of parsley, minced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 lemon

1 teaspoon of pepper and some extra to sprinkle inside the chicken

Any good roasting vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, fennel, and/or onions

Olive oil (the amount is not exact – keep reading below)

Assembly:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

First prepare an herb paste to coat the chicken.  Take your minced thyme, parsley, and garlic, and add enough olive oil to make a paste, which should be about 1/4 of a cup of oil.  Add 1 teaspoon of pepper to your paste.  I do not add salt, but you are certainly welcome to add some (would recommend 1 teaspoon if you’re going to go this route).

Give the chicken a bath and clean out the interior.  Pat dry and season the cavity with a good pinch of salt and pepper.  Slice the lemon and stuff it inside the cavity.

Next, get your fingers under the skin on the breast side and back side of the chicken, getting it ready to be able to schmear your paste under the skin.  Then, go for it, schmear it under the skin and all over the exterior.

Set the chicken, post-schmear, into a well-oiled baking dish (at least 9 inches x 13 inches) and then pop it in the oven.  I generally cover the bird at first with foil.

While your chicken is baking, get your veggies ready.  Peel and cut them into thick chunks.  Remember, they’re going to be in the oven alongside your tasty chicken for at least 30 minutes, so don’t make the chunks too small.

After 30 minutes of the chicken baking, throw the veggies into the same dish as the chicken to let them roast.  Then 10 minutes later, take off the foil to let the chicken brown beautifully.  The total baking time should be approximately 1 hour and 10 to 15 minutes.  If you have a thermometer, stick it in the thick part of the thigh and wait until the temperature reads 165 degrees.

Once it’s come to the right temperature, take it out and cover for about 10 minutes.  Then, feast.

But wait!  Don’t throw away that lovely carcass once you’re done!  Make some chicken broth!

Spring Cleaning

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What is in there exactly?

I hate cleaning, but the time has come to getting sundry items out of my food pantry.  I generally do a pretty good job of getting things out of my pantry.   But, not unlike the Bermuda Triangle, there are some areas of the pantry where things go in, but never come out.  I’m now on a quest to change that.  In the coming weeks, there might be some interesting things coming out of my kitchen… Oatmeal + salad dressing = ???

I Left My Heart in San Francisco

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It is amazing how many exciting things there are to do, see, and eat in a city that is 7 x 7 miles.  Undoubtedly, there are just too many places to ramble in San Francisco.  On this trip, we made our latest attempt to narrow it down to just a few places.  But, we will back…

We ducked into Cafe Prague in the financial district for a quick drink. 

Traveling makes one very thirsty, no doubt.  We chose a nice Czech lager called Staropramen that had a slightly sweet aftertaste.  A perfect prelude to dinner.

Dinner was spectacular.  I have been waiting a long time to try Greek food at Kokkari in the financial district and we finally did it. I was tempted to order all of their appetizers in lieu of a main dish, but I opted not to go that route.  That will be for the next trip there.

It was difficult, but we narrowed it down to saghanaki (pan-fried Kefalotiri cheese deliciousness) and the kalamari that was stuffed with feta for our mezethes.

Saghanaki

Kalamari

After the cheese was grilled, we gave the lemon a healthy squeeze over the cheese.  We then quickly reached for the bread!

For our main courses we dined on the lemon-oregano chicken roasted with winter root vegetables and the souvlaki (spiced lamb skewer) with tzatziki on the side.  A few words about roasted items:I love them.  The caramelized outside of the veggies was perfect and gave the root veggies an extra layer of flavor.  I also love how the restaurant wrapped the lemon half in cheese cloth so when the lemon is squeezed all you get is the juice.

And no night is complete without a night cap at Mr. Bing’s.