The RAnts of RA

Salmon is so good for you and so yummy. Unfortunately, our days of eating Salmon are gone forever. The oceans have become so contaminated that all the fish are dying. I’m heartbroken.

We had bought some salmon prior to the Fukushima meltdown.  It was double-bagged and kept in the bottom of the freezer. We’ve used a little of  it every couple years to  wean ourselves off of this amazing food.  It’s been five years and it still looks good. I’m amazed. As I post this, we are preparing to smoke it for bagel sandwiches.

I used to work in Old Town Sacramento at Laszlo’s Gourmet Smoked Fish. I swear it was the best smoked fish I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating.  Since the business is no longer open, I see no reason not to publish the simple recipe:

Smoke Salmon Recipe
1 cup Soy Sauce
2 cups Apple Juice (or Apple Cider)
½ pound Brown Sugar
Garlic

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Banana’s are important to our diet.  They provide much needed potassium, prevent leg cramps, improve your mood and reduce PMS symptoms. I like to buy organic bananas because it just makes sense and everyone I have told about them, has had the same reaction.  [See other benefits of eating bananas.]

Chiquita bananas – We don’t buy Dole.

The organic bananas look the same but that is where the similarities end. Take the peal down and expose the soft luscious banana.  You can visibly see and feel the difference.  The skin is firmer, even when ripe. The taste is indescribable: it is what a banana should be.

Bananas: Organic vs. Conventional

You may be thinking that all those chemicals used to grow conventional bananas are no big deal because you peel the fruit. But the chemicals are not just on the outside of the banana – they leach into the soil that is used to grow the produce. So even if you peel your banana, it doesn’t prevent you from ingesting small amounts of those chemicals. Although you may feel better knowing most  experts  agree that the amount you ingest poses little threat to your health.

If you’re concerned about the nutritional value of your food, there are ongoing  studies  exploring the connection between pesticides and nutrients in foods; so far it looks like organic is healthier. Organic produce is also better for the planet since chemical pesticides make their way into the soil and run off into water sources.

Give organic bananas a try.  They are simply delicious and your body will thank you.

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I signed up for a trial membership of  The America’s Test Kitchen Cooking School.  I stayed about an hour and tried out two of the lesson plans.  Boy was I disappointed.

Oh, they have thought of everything.  There was more reading to do than I like.  I have to read stuff all day long and the videos work just fine for me.  Yes, I admit to being lazy. The lessons include:

* IQ Quizzes – These fun quizzes appear at the start of Technique Lessons and In-Depth Course sections and are designed to both gauge your current understanding of the topic and teach you some basics before diving into course material. Detailed feedback is supplied for each response and a summary of your results is supplied at the end.
* Concept Reviews – These are interactive quizzes that test how much information you’ve learned. Do you understand the key concepts that will ensure good results in the kitchen? You’ll receive detailed feedback as you answer each question and a score at the end.
* Core Technique Videos  – These videos, found in Technique Lessons and In-Depth Courses, are focused on a single important core technique and will help build cooking knowledge. You will learn techniques that apply to thousands of recipes, such as how to sauté chicken or how to make risotto, as well as more specialized techniques, such as how to tie a roast or how to blind-bake a pie shell. Watching these videos will prepare you for the recipe tutorials where you’ll be applying many of these core techniques. Most importantly, these videos review key concepts that will increase your understanding of course material.
* Recipe Tutorials – Recipe tutorials are where the cooking happens. After we introduce a recipe to you and list the required tools and ingredients, you’ll watch Bridget cook in an extensive step-by-step video tutorial and hopefully, cook along with her – that is if you’ve got an ipad or laptop and can bring her into your kitchen.
* Discussions – Class discussion is a key part of your learning experience. Clicking the discussions icon in the upper right-hand corner will allow you to start/or contribute to these at any point in a lesson. As a student and peer, your participation is key. You will add valuable insight by participating in discussions, enriching the learning that takes place, and allowing other students to learn from you. We encourage you to participate in class discussions often!

Instructors are available, but that’s extra.

The reason I didn’t stay a member?  I took the tutorial on Eggs.  They had the nerve to say that store bought eggs were just as good as farm fresh eggs.  Excuse me?  I raise farm fresh eggs and nothing could be further from the truth.  They also claim there is no nutritional difference.  Saying it does not make it so, you can see the difference.  I don’t care what they say.  Just crack an egg open.

They are being politically correct and not telling people the truth.  Most store bought eggs come from chickens who are eating GMO’s.  You can’t talk about food and not hit on this subject and pretend it doesn’t exist.  So, I cancelled my free membership, that I had to give a credit card number to get.  It’s so not worth it, when you can get good accurate information for free.

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