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Minor League Baseball Team Honors Johnny Manziel With ‘Johnny Footlong’ Hot Dogs

June 30, 2014 0

Everywhere you look, the Buckeye State is overrun with Johnny Football fever. The Akron Rubberducks, a local Double-A affiliate of the Indians, introduced the “Johnny Footlong” to its ballpark menu on Friday — a massive hot dog topped with Texas Jack chili, shredded pepper jack cheese and Sriracha sauce.

“We’re always looking to incorporate the sporting trends of northeastern Ohio into our menu,” Brian Manning, the team’s Director of Food & Beverage, told Fox 8 in Cleveland. “This is a great way to mix the excitement in the region with a fun, delicious and quality product.”

Since Manziel was drafted by the Cleveland Browns, he has had a burger, a beer and now a hot dog named after him.

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Laurie David Dishes on Family Dinner

June 30, 2014 0

Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down for a quick interview with activist, author, and producer Laurie David to discuss her new documentary film Fed Up, which looks into our problematic sugar consumption. We also dove into her book The Family Cooks, and the importance of family dinners.

Enjoy!

To help families initiate their own dinner routines, Laurie and her Family Cooks coauthor Kirsten Uhrenholdt have launched a new campaign called Home-Cooked Sundays. Here’s an excerpt from their book on how to get started:

Inaugurating this ritual will radically simplify your cooking routine during the busy work or school week and guarantee you healthier, calmer, and happier meals. A Home-Cooked Sunday is your family’s day to shop, prep, cook, and enjoy a great sit-down dinner together-all the while getting your fridge ready for the week.

To get started, sit down in a comfortable chair with an inspirational cookbook (!) or a box of recipes and write out a plan for three dinners: one for tonight–maybe it’s just a simple soup made from all the leftover veggies in the fridge–and two easy dinners for midweek. Then write a shopping list for the recipes and the staples you will need for the whole week. Take the kids along!

Once you get home from shopping, put on comfortable shoes and your favorite music. Have your kids pitch in by giving them a task they can learn by heart (for the little ones, something like pulling broccoli apart and mixing the salad dressing-or, for the older ones, making a batch of tomato sauce). Invite good friends to take part. Pour yourself a glass of wine or a cup of tea and cook up a delicious start to your week.

Every Sunday…

Prep a few of these recipe staples so you’ll always have them on hand when needed:

• Peel three or four onions and one or two heads of garlic (don’t chop them yet–they’ll get funky) and store in airtight containers.

• Wash, peel, and slice plenty of carrots, celery, and peppers. Chop up a head or two of cabbage, cauliflower, or broccoli. Store them in separate glass jars or containers (adding water to the carrots) and place in the fridge–they’ll be easy to grab for snacks or to chop up for soups and salads.

• Wash and prep a large container of salad greens. Refrigerate in an airtight container.

• If you are a kale-loving family, wash, chop, and knead a couple of bunches so they are ready for salads, as toppings for soups, eggs, and beans, or as fillings for sandwiches and wraps. Refrigerate in an airtight container. (Use 1 teaspoon olive oil per bunch of kale; drizzle kale with olive oil and using both hands, knead the kale as you would dough until it is silky and tender, about 30 kneads. Use right away or store covered for up to four days in the fridge.)

• Mix a jar of your favorite salad dressing.

On the Sundays when you have a little more time…

• Simmer a pot of grains or beans.

• Make a big pot of soup or white bean chili.

• Toss a quinoa or chopped salad to last a few days.

• Simmer a batch of tomato sauce for the fridge and freezer.

• Roast up a bunch of vegetables–such as cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes–so you have a week’s head start on side dishes, fillings for sandwiches, salads, and soups.

Join The Family Cooks challenge and make every Sunday a Home-Cooked Sunday!

For more from Maria Rodale, visit www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com

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The 10 Commandments of Grocery Shopping

June 30, 2014 0

Given the fact that the employees at my local grocery store see me more than my own family does, it’s safe to say that I have quite a bit of experience pushing a full cart around.

While I generally enjoy the experience because a) I love finding and ch…

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The One Trick That Cuts Your Cooking Time In Half

June 30, 2014 0

It turns out you can cook that frozen seafood right now. Plus, four more clever ways to get dinner on the table faster.

By Lynn Andriani

Don’t Defrost the Fish

cod with lemon recipe

Waiting for frozen seafood to thaw can be a drag—which is why chef Jesse Cool of the Flea Street café in Menlo Park, California, skips that step. She sautés, broils and roasts fillets directly from frozen, just adding a few minutes to the usual cooking time. As the fish thaws, its juices infuse the pan sauce.

Get the recipe: Cod with Lemon, Olives and Capers

Toss Tacos Like Salad

shrimp taco salad recipe

DIY tacos are great. Filling 14 bowls of fixings and arranging them on the table, not so much. This throw-everything-in-a-bowl version is a major time-saver; think of it as moo shu pork, but Mexican. You mix all the taco fillings together on the table, place them on a serving platter and let everyone fill their own tortilla.

Get the recipe: Shrimp Tacos

Let Hot Water Do All the Work

noodle bowl recipe

A rich-tasting bowl of homemade noodle soup with vegetables is a dependable and healthy meal, but it isn’t usually the speediest dinner, which is why we were thrilled to learn this shortcut: All you need to do is place thin egg noodles, powdered vegetable bouillon, a pinch of sugar and some shredded or chopped carrot, scallion, bok choy, garlic and chili into a container. Pour boiling water over everything and let stand 10 to 15 minutes. The noodles and vegetables will become soft and tender, and the water will turn into a delicious savory broth.

Get the recipe: Noodle Bowl

Freeze Beef for Just a Moment

beef stir fry recipe

Whether you’re making fajitas, a stir-fry or some other dish that involves thin slices of beef, cutting the meat into a uniform size can be frustratingly time-consuming. The trick to getting the job done in a flash is to partially freeze the uncooked steak first. Place it in the freezer for 20 minutes, while preparing the rest of the ingredients; when you take it out, you should have no trouble slicing the beef into perfect, quick-cooking bite-size pieces.

Get the recipe: Stir-Fried Orange Beef with Sesame Seeds

Don’t Just Preheat the Oven

cast iron potatoes recipe

The recent popularity of cast-iron skillets makes sense for so many reasons: The pans are a great value, incredibly durable and, as time-pressed cooks know, excellent conductors of heat. But a cast-iron skillet can be even handier if you stick it in the oven to preheat while the oven warms up. It doesn’t matter if you’re cooking chicken or potatoes; adding the ingredient to an already-hot pan will not only shave your overall cooking time but will also give the food a nice browned edge.

Get the recipe: Cast Iron-Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary and Onion

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Dolcezza Brings Sundaes and To-Go Window to Logan Circle

June 30, 2014 0

Gone are all signs of the roach- and rodent-plagued Mid City Deli. The prime corner on 14th and P streets NW has been completely transformed as the sixth gelateria and cafe from Dolcezza. New to this location is a to-go window on 14th Street, where customers will be able to order from the sidewalk. The Logan Circle […]

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12 Cute, Kid-Friendly Dishes That Are Actually Easy

June 30, 2014 0

When it comes to getting kids excited about food that doesn’t involve shiny wrappers or fish-shaped crackers, I say bring on the cute. With four kids, ages 5 and under, I have only one rule in the kitchen: All ideas must be doable. (Do you hear me, Pin…