Hail the mighty Salmon

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

You may have to double or triple the recipe based on the amount of fish you’re making. The  brine should just cover the fish.  Soak the fish in the brine overnight. Smoke in your smoker for at least 6-8 hours. This is the bomb!

For bagel sandwiches, spread cream cheese on your favorite toasted bagel. We make ours from scratch. Top with capers, thinly sliced tomato and onion. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

If you were unaware of the damage being done in the Pacific Ocean, check out the links below.

I believe our government is lying to us about the radiation levels in not only the salmon, but other fish as well, and by the time the government warns us about it, the damage will be long done. I would rather take a “let’s wait and see” attitude. If after a few years we don’t see a huge increase in cancer rates, I will start eating salmon again.  But wait, aren’t we already seeing an uptick in cancer?

America’s Test Kitchen School Review

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.

...or how to make your cooking look repulsive....

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!

Recipe

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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McDonald’s: Food not fit to eat!

I wrote the following letter to McDonald’s Restaurants…

English: French fries currently sold at restau...

French fries currently sold at restaurant of McDonald’s Co.

I just finished reading: Food Babe Investigates: How Food Companies Exploit Americans with Ingredients Banned in Other Countries

Look closely at the ingredients in McDonald’s french fries at the link above. Do you see how the french fries in the U.K. version are basically just potatoes, vegetable oil, a little sugar and salt? How can McDonald’s make french fries with such an uncomplicated list of ingredients all over Europe, but not over here? Why do McDonald’s french fries in the U.S. have to have TBHQ, trans fat and a “anti-foaming” agents? Correct me if I’m wrong, but the last time I checked I didn’t think Americans liked foam with their fries either!

The anti-foaming agent “dimethylpolysiloxane” is a type of silicone used in caulks and sealants and as a filler for breast implants. It’s also the key ingredient in silly putty.

Thanks FDA for allowing companies to put silly putty in our french fries. Seriously this is out of control.

Thanks a lot. What are you trying to do to us? I am sick to death of being abused and taken advantage of by your company. I will no longer eat McDonald’s until you change your food policies… like what is IN THERE.

You should be shot for treason and crimes against humanity.

I don’t even think they read my email.  This is the response I get back from them.

Thank you for contacting McDonald’s. I appreciate this opportunity to share some information with you about our menu items.

We care about what you and your family eat. That’s why we take great pride in the quality of our food. Since our first restaurant was built, we have purchased quality ingredients from trusted, industry-leading brands. We also carefully monitor our products, distribution and storage procedures; and use state-of-the-art computerized preparation methods in our restaurants. Not only do we meet government standards, but in many cases, we exceed them with our own strict quality control.

Every day, in every one of our restaurants around the world, our family promises to serve a quality meal every time to your family…we call it our quality promise. We don’t think of quality as an extra ingredient that gets added on whenever it’s called for. It’s the main ingredient – an irreplaceable element in every recipe.

For further information on our top quality food items, please visit our web site at www.mcdonalds.com for food related inquires.

Again, thank you to taking the time to contact us and we look forward to serving you again soon under the Golden Arches.

Caroline
McDonald’s Customer Response Center
ref#:9684771

Please take the time to write McDonald’s a letter and tell them what you think of the crap they are putting in our food.  Unless they feel the heat, they aren’t going to act.

Additional Reading:

Food Babe Investigates: Is Subway Real Food?

How food companies exploit American’s with Ingredients banned in other countries

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