These conveniences can be a great time saver when you’ve had a busy day at work and don’t want to face the task of putting a good meal on the table for the family and it seems to be a simple choice.

But when you consider the extra expense these take home meals add to the weekly food budget and tally it with the normally smaller food portions, and the unknown ingredients and food additives brought to the table, you’ll no doubt sharpen your pencil and red line these purchases as nothing more than the extravagances they always have been.

In the new economy and for the health of our planet, it may be time to reconsider the value of home cooking from scratch, using whole foods and unprocessed ingredients and locally grown fresh produce. Wise cooks have always known that when we have someone else do part or all of the cooking or food preparation, the sacrifice will be either in extra cost or diminished nutritional value; what is gained in time savings may not always outweigh these costs and might not turn out to be a good bargain when all things are considered.

The ideas for economy which we will offer here in the coming months are not to be considered hard and fast rules suitable for everyone’s schedule, but feel free to pick and choose those which fit your lifestyle; adapting as your days and free time permits. Some of us can devote part of our weekends to cooking meals for the freezer or to refrigerate for the upcoming week; others, without a work schedule, may be able to save the most on our food budgets by taking the time to cook from scratch daily, and by shopping often to take advantage of “Manager’s Specials” and sales at the supermarket.

Those of us who are dedicated to a lifetime of eating foods devoid of chemicals and harmful additives meant to preserve shelf life at the expense of nutrition will adopt the methods of, and relearn the skills and kitchen arts of our grandmothers and great grandmothers. We will learn, as they did, how to choose fresh foods and prepare these foods at home to make tasty, wholesome meals for the family in the most economical ways possible. In this capacity, we have an advantage over cooks of the past; the cook of today has, at her disposal, tools of convenience which can help make cooking from scratch rival the simplicity of preparation offered by many convenience foods. So, even when we are on a tight budget, the biggest savings in the kitchen may be the purchase of some of these tools. And remember, when purchasing kitchen tools, quality is not an option and cheap tools are not a bargain, since they will not stand the test of time and might not even do their job at all.

There are tools which are basic, such as a good quality chef’s knife and paring knife, and others which will help save money on food purchases directly.

The Stand Mixer

A stand mixer will aid in the preparation of home baked breads, fruit cakes, soufflés, muffins, pastas, pancakes, biscuits, scones, waffles, crackers, pastries and so many other bakery staples – all of these (and many more) prepared using a small amount of skill and a bag of flour!

Extra accessories may be purchased for the stand mixer to help prepare purees (such as tomato sauce, pie fillings, jams and jellies, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pies and vegetable soups) and don’t forget a meat grinder attachment so that tough roasts and economical meat cuts may be ground into the freshest hamburger possible. Meatloaf, meatballs, home-made sausages, pork patties, ground veal, turkey, fillings for stuffings (raviolis, cabbage leaves, peppers, empanadas, to name a few) can then be made at home with an hour of well-spent time. A meat grinder (or even a food processor) is also wonderful tool for transforming leftovers.

A grain mill is available for the stand mixer which can be an advantage if you enjoy baking from scratch and using whole, fresh grains. It may also be used to grind your own cereals (such as cream of rice or cream of wheat) or grind your own corn meal, corn flour or fresh whole wheat or rye flours. This is the one way you’ll know for sure what the ingredients are in that loaf of bread.

A pasta attachment can be obtained for some stand mixers to enable the making of pasta, lasagna and ravioli from scratch. There are rollers for cutting lasagna, angel hair, and fettuccine; or just leave the pasta in wide strips to make ravioli or manicotti for stuffing.

Pasta Makers

Free standing pasta machines are also available; some have rollers with crank handles and may be bought for under $50; still other, more elaborate machines for extruding pasta shapes by pressing dough through brass or plastic disks and these also work very well.

There is a small learning curve to making pasta at home, but the skill, once learned, will bring you the confidence of knowing that you have the ability to feed a large family with style and nutrition for just pennies!

Money Saving Tips

Here are some easily implemented tips for shaving dollars from the monthly grocery tab.

First, and foremost, keep it fun. Decide at the onset that you are embarking upon a new culinary adventure and that having a smaller budget in the kitchen is not a burden but an opportunity. This will be a new start, and when you emerge at the other side, you will have acquired valuable new skills and expertise which will be useful to your time spent in the kitchen and at the supermarket for a lifetime. Extra time spent in the kitchen will be time well spent when time is what you are rich in.

Not all of these steps may be practical in your own situation and so we encourage you to read through this list and adopt only those elements of the plan which you feel might be helpful. Some ways to save money at the checkout require extra preparation time in the kitchen; if time is what you are rich in, then these extra minutes spent in food preparation may prove to be a boon to your budget (and often a beneficial upgrade to your diet and nutrition). Otherwise, skip past the fresh groceries aisle; we trust you will still find a few tips here you can use to save on your next shopping trip.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Clean as you work; be considerate of the dishwasher (often yourself!) and try to use fewer dishes. Put dirty dishes in the dishwasher as you work, or wash up small items while waiting for the various stages in the cooking process to complete. Measure ingredients over the sink or a sheet of wax paper to avoid having to clean up the inevitable spills. Rinse and re-use the same measuring cups and bowls.

Save time by cooking several meals at once when you have an afternoon free. Prepare large meals on weekends and freeze or refrigerate well-labeled portions. Weekends are also a great time to prepare lunch box meals and snacks for the upcoming week, freezing in tightly wrapped individual serving sizes, ready to pack. Whenever possible, cook double batches and freeze half.

At The Supermarket

The first thing and most important thing to remember when shopping is: Convenience Costs. For every step of food preparation that you can do for yourself, you will usually save money, gain nutritional value, and benefit from improved freshness and flavor. When trimming the food budget is important, it helps to steer clear of the prepared foods sections (both frozen and fresh) and the deli. When purchasing items from these sections of the store, your grocery budget is being spent not only on food, but on food preparation and an extra profit margin for the store. You can easily prepare food at home and serve fresher, more flavorful and nutritious meals for a far better price than can be found pre-made at the supermarket.

Read the supermarket flyer before your shopping trip. Schedule trips to local supermarkets during sales and plan, whenever possible, to shape the general menu around foods which are in season.

Make a list of what’s on sale and for the meals you’re planning, but keep it flexible. Don’t feel as though it’s imperative to stick to the list. If you see a good buy that you didn’t expect when consulting the sales flyer, don’t hesitate to take advantage of the deal and adapt your menu. As in any plan, be flexible and allow for variability. If, while at the supermarket, you come upon Manager’s Specials, markdowns, or other unexpected opportunities to cut costs for items you can use but which are not on your list, feel free to modify your menu and your shopping list on the spot.

Purchase the local newspaper on those days when food sections are published (Sundays and Wednesdays in some areas). Clip coupons for items normally used and keep them handy at the store. Find local stores which allow for doubling and/or tripling of coupon values. If you use products which frequently offer rebates (such as disposable diapers), save boxtops, UPC codes, points and labels for those products and keep them filed away. The next time a rebate comes up, you’ll already have what you need!

Take advantage of seasonal values. Foods that are in season (many of which are locally grown) are often the best value.

Buy the foods you use most often in larger quantity. Some foods store well; others don’t. Let that be your guide. For example, potatoes, which can be purchased most economically in 50 pound bags can be stored for many months under the right conditions (a cool dark cellar). Onions, apples, and eggs can also be stored for longer periods of time. Rice, grains, white flour and dried beans can be kept indefinitely in a cool, dry environment in tightly sealed plastic storage bins. These easily stored goods are a much better value whenever they are purchased in bulk.

Plan to make more frequent trips to the local supermarket to pick up highly perishable items such as fresh fruit and vegetables, but limit yourself to the outer aisles (usually the meat, fruit, and vegetables are located there). When at the local supermarket, avoid the center aisles containing the processed foods whenever possible; you’ll save money and add nutrition to your diet whenever you choose fresh fruits and vegetables instead.

Frozen vegetables are the best value in 5 (or more) pound bags if you’ve got the freezer space. The added convenience of having the vegetables ready to prepare is usually not had at extra cost since freezing vegetables for transportation is a convenience for the packer (they absorb the extra cost in order to be able to ship in quantity over a wide area), so take advantage of this “Convenience Costs” rule breaker. If you have the time for the extra preparation required using fresh vegetables, they are always a good value and a great nutritional choice.

Don’t shop hungry. Shopping hungry leads to impulse buys and the purchase of foods which are generally not a good value. Don’t let your purchases be influenced by hunger, so eat a good meal before heading out to the supermarket. Shop early and shop often to take advantage of Manager’s Specials. Check out the dented and surplus can sections – avoid cans with sharp dents because corners may be a place where leakage can occur, but slight and rounded dents and corner pings can be a good deal. Use dented cans right away.

Be Your Own Butcher

Cut up your own chicken and turkey and you’ll often find that you’ll be paying just for the breast portions, while all the other parts are had (for free) for the equivalent price of the “boneless-skinless-breast” version at the supermarket or butcher shop. Even if you don’t particularly care for the rest of the chicken, since they are yours at little extra cost, it pays to use them to make a flavorful broth that will be the starter of the gravy to serve alongside the chicken breast dish you’ve planned.

Slice chicken or turkey cutlets from the breast portion, use them for breading or stuffing and keep the rest for soups or chicken salad or to stuff ravioli, pierogi or empanada. Use the sausage stuffing attachment of your meat grinder to make chicken or turkey sausages, or season it well with herbs and spices and make meatballs or patties.

Pork, beef and veal may be combined when making meatballs, meatloaf and meat fillings. If you are running short on meat for the number of people you are feeding, the budget may sometimes be stretched (depending upon the dish you’re making) by adding eggs, bread crumbs, crushed cracker crumbs, oatmeal (whole or ground in a processor), grated cheese, cooked rice, herbs, spinach, chopped onions, mushrooms, or peppers, or even TVP (texturized vegetable protein – a soy extender and meat substitute).

Learn Knife Skills

A butcher knows how to wield a knife, but you don’t need to be your own butcher to have a need for knife skills. The first rule of saving money in the kitchen is to buy the best knife that your money can afford. And the second rule is to spend time learning how to use it. The more comfortable you become in using a knife in the kitchen, the more food you’ll be able to prepare in less time, while saving on costs associated with ready-made and processed foods. In order to be proficient in preparing fresh produce and meats for different dishes, knife skills are a necessity.

Start with one 6-8 inch chef or Santuko knife, one 3-4 inch paring knife (ceramic works well as a paring knife). For cutting up meat you’ll need a longer slicing knife; for chicken, use an old knife to slice between joints in separating pieces. A filet knife will help make boning chicken and filleting fish easier but is not absolutely required. A sharpening steel will help keep an edge on these tools, so that you’ll always be working with the sharpest knife in the drawer.

To some extent, a food processor may be used to supplant knife skills, but a good cook will often prefer the use of a sharp knife, even if it takes a little longer to get the job done, just to avoid the extra dishes that require washing after the meal preparation is complete.

Be Your Own Food Processor

If you have the proper canning equipment and the time, put foods by. You’ll need a pressure cooker to can meats, broths, and low-acid vegetables, but a very large water pot can be used for making tomato sauces and salsas, jams and jellies, pickles, flavored vinegars and other gourmet treats with bushels of fresh local harvest.

As an alternative to home canned jellies, there are natural products available that make it possible to make your own jelly using fruit juice. Some specially marketed pectins don’t require processing in a boiling water bath because they are stored in the refrigerator or freezer. These products have their place when preparing small batches of jellies and provide an exceptionally fresh fruit taste. Pectins of all types may be found in the canning section of your local supermarket. (Of course, jelly may be made without any pectin, but that is a subject for another article!).

When shopping for canning jars, be aware than some canning jars (usually straight-sided) may also be used in the freezer. Canning jars are also good for storing dry items such as beans or even coffee and can be used with some vacuum attachments for sealing out air without canning.

This is an excellent way to store beans, coffee, grains and other items that need to avoid exposure to humidity in the environment.

We also use the smaller 1/2 pint straight sided freezer-type jelly jars for preparing individual puddings to take along on picnics and for baking small cakes to pack in a lunch.

One of the most valuable skills you can acquire for kitchen economy is how to bake. If you’ve had your share of fallen cakes and tough cookies, remember that in the past there were no alternative ready-mades easily available (Grandma didn’t often run out to buy a bag of cookies or box of brownies). This meant that Grandma would try and try again until she had reached her goal of edible perfection. And thus, the skill of baking was learned. The same holds true in baking as it does in the acquisition of all other culinary skills: Practice makes perfect.

Have patience with your failures and don’t be set back by them. Soon, and with practice, your baked creations will be a great improvement, and so much fresher and more nutritious than their store-bought counterparts. We will explore creative ways to re-purpose failures and discover what causes them in future issues of this section.

Be Your Own Bakery

Practice Makes Perfect! Here are a few Quick Tips for dealing with baking failures: Process dry or stale cookies in the food processor to make no-bake pie crusts or the bottom layer of bars.

For years, bakeries crumbled yesterday’s cakes and tossed them into today’s cake. Crumbled brownies, cakes and cookies make great ice cream and other dessert toppings, too (nobody will know those were cookies that didn’t turn out). Crumble a fallen cake and bake it at the bottom of a pudding, refrigerator cake or Apple Betty. Process day-old bread along with fresh herbs in the food processor to make stuffings for stuffed peppers, stuffed artichokes and cabbage leaves, Shakin’ and Bakin’ (shake and bake) breadings for cutlets and buttered toppings for casseroles and baked mac and cheese.

Did you prepare a cake but the right size pan wasn’t available, leaving you with too much batter? Add a little milk or buttermilk to thin it out and use it to make pancakes or waffles! Or pour it into foil or silicone cupcake liners or aluminum mini loaf pans to pack in a lunch or to wrap up for freezer storage.

Go Back

There were times, when fast food places were not on every corner, when it was common to pack a lunch, take along a thermos filled with steaming coffee, hot soup or pasta, or just pack up the kids and go on a picnic. Thermos’ have come a long way since those times, and now there are even versions which will cook your meal in a few hours (similar to using a slow cooker). This is a great energy saver, and is a convenient way to pack a lunch for a picnic (it will be ready in time if you pack it in the morning). It can even be used for cooking pasta. The long, slow, cooking tenderizes lean, tough cuts of meat and makes for wonderful soups with that long-cooked goodness.

Go back to your mother’s old recipe file (or to ours!). Many older, and authentic recipes which have been handed down from generation to generation were borne of the necessity to conserve tight financial resources in tough times. A good number of recipes from the Great Depression still survive as family favorites today. Numerous dishes with ethnic roots make frugal use of meats, substituting quality proteins such as eggs, grains and beans in order to stretch the meat budget. These long-time favorite recipes are big on flavor and easy on the pocketbook and thus have remained popular with cooks and their families over the years.

To stave off sudden fits of hunger before the days of fast food and pizza deliveries, Grandpa often kept a hearty soup or pot of beans simmering on the back burner of an old black stove. When the need arose, a handful of rice or a pot of pasta could be conjured up and the soup stirred in for a quick meal. Then came the era of canned soup. When canned soup was introduced to the market, it was a novel and economical way to put food on the table in record time. At only 10 cents a can when introduced, canned soup became an affordable staple found in every pantry, ready to dress-up casseroles, gravies and stews. At today’s price which sometimes approaches $3.00 and up, it will pay now, more than ever, to acquire the knack of the art of creating home made soup and broth.

Go Ahead

Grandma didn’t have a lot of gadgets and would have been amazed at all those new-fangled small kitchen appliances. But if you have these sitting in the attic, take them down and learn to use them for those quick lunches and snacks which tempt you to run out to the fast food joint or supermarket deli. If you’ve lost the manual and the recipes for these gizmos, have heart; many can be Googled and found with a few minutes of searching. Or, be brave and invent your own recipes (and share your inspirations with us at Cooks.com). These appliances can help bring the fun back into the preparation of a quick lunch or snack. It’s an easy way to incorporate leftovers and keep meal making fresh, using real ingredients without additives (and as an extra benefit, save gas and time by staying home).

Don’t hesitate to plan a meal around your food processor, blender, stand mixer or other time-saving appliance. Plan to process foods that can be simply rinsed out of the processor bowl first (without using soap) and line up the appliance for a second and third use, keeping the messier foods to process for last. For example, in a food processor with a slicing blade, slice vegetables first, then blend the ingredients for the sauce by removing the slicing disc and fitting in the chopping blade. Rinse out the bowl and process a batch of cookies or a one-bowl snack cake.

And, speaking of easy clean-up, make use of aluminum foil for lining baking pans to save on cleanup costs (use less hot water and soap). Aluminum foil packets make flavorful, moist fish and poultry dishes packed before baking with a few sprigs of fresh herbs and chopped vegetables as a side (cooked right in the same packet). Cleanup is a breeze – just eat right out of the packet and dispose when done. This is a streamlined solution for take-along lunches, picnics and barbeque cooking (cook right in the packet).

Parchment muffin liners can be purchased in larger quantities at restaurant supply stores for great savings and easy cleanup. Sometimes, a bargain will be had when disposable aluminum pans are purchased by the case. Some disposable foil pans may be reused if they can be easily washed, but discarded if scrubbing is required. Silicone bakeware makes for easy cleanup when baking. Single silicone cupcake cups make it easy to prepare one muffin at a time in the microwave (you can make up a batch and refrigerate them until ready to use).

Buy in Bulk

Whenever possible, buy foods which store well in bulk, or larger quantities. Find a wholesale food club or restaurant supply outlet in your area, and plan a monthly trip to save on staples which can be purchased and stored in bulk such as rice, potatoes, butter, onions, eggs, flour, dry beans and grains, pasta, beverages, cases of canned foods, etc. If you have a large freezer, frozen foods may also be purchased in 3-5 lb bags for great savings. (Be careful, however, in dividing them into smaller freezer bags for storage as this can become expensive and your savings will be lost). Pack frozen vegetables in a cooler (with ice, if possible) to keep them from thawing on the trip home.

The study, which followed about 1,900 early-stage breast cancer survivors for eight years, found that women who consumed an average of at least three to four alcoholic drinks in a week had a 34% higher risk of breast cancer recurrence. (One drink equals a 5-ounce glass of wine, a 12-ounce beer, or a 1.5-ounce shot of liquor.)

The increased risk was more pronounced among breast cancer survivors who had gone through menopause and those who were overweight or obese, the study found.

Wine was by far the most common drink among women in the study, followed by liquor and beer, but no one type of alcohol was found to be significantly more or less associated with the risk of recurrence.

In all, there were 349 breast cancer recurrences and 332 deaths during the follow-up period. Alcohol use was not linked to the risk of death from breast cancer, however.

“More research should be done, but there is a growing body of evidence which suggests that women previously diagnosed with breast cancer should speak with their doctor about possibly limiting their consumption of alcohol,” says the lead researcher on the study, Marilyn L. Kwan, PhD, a staff scientist at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland.

Previous research has suggested that alcohol consumption may increase the risk of developing breast cancer in the first place. Kwan’s research extends these findings to include the risk of recurrence among women who have already been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer, a population that numbers about 2.5 million in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society.

“Cutting back on alcohol represents a real step that a breast cancer survivor can take to reduce her risk of recurrence,” says Marisa Weiss, MD, the president and founder of the advocacy group Breastcancer.org. “You don’t have to give up alcohol, but use it more carefully and in moderation,” she says.

Limiting alcohol intake can improve the overall health of breast cancer survivors, according to Dr. Weiss, the author of the forthcoming book Living Beyond Breast Cancer. “Alcohol is liquid calories, and being overweight is a risk factor for breast cancer,” she says. “If you consume a lot of alcohol, you tend to be less physically active and/or smoke. So, for a number of reasons, that one step of cutting back on alcohol does have a number of health benefits.”

Exactly how alcohol consumption affects breast cancer risk is not fully understood, says Kwan, although estrogen, which fuels the growth of most types of breast cancer, is likely involved.

“It has been suggested that alcohol could increase the risk of breast cancer by increasing estrogen metabolism and circulating levels of estrogen, thus promoting growth of the tumor,” she says. “A similar mechanism might be responsible for increasing the risk of breast cancer recurrence.”

Drinking-related weight gain could also play a role, Kwan adds. “Obesity may…promote estrogen production and breast cell proliferation, in addition to the direct effect alcohol can have on estrogen metabolism and levels in the body,” she explains.

The study, which was funded by the National Cancer Institute, was presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, an annual meeting for oncologists, surgeons, and other breast cancer specialists. The symposium is co-hosted by the American Association for Cancer Research and the Cancer Therapy & Research Center at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Lead writer: Denise Mann

1/4 pound = 1 stick = 1/2 cup
1 pound = 4 sticks = 2 cups

* Some butter packaging is stamped with a “best used by” date, intended to tell how long the product will be at top eating quality. It can be kept at room temperature for short periods of time, but should be refrigerated to maintain peak flavor.

Did you know that California produces more butter than any other state in the U.S. and exported 555 million pounds in 2008? Look for the Real California Milk seal on packages of butter, which certifies it’s made exclusively with milk produced on California dairy farms.

Click here for the recipe, Gingerbread Cupcakes.Cupcakes are one of our favorite treats, and a popular baking trend that has inspired both pastry chefs and home bakers alike. Here is a perfect recipe featuring traditional flavors that everyone is sure to love.

Still, chefs hate picky eaters.
More than 60% said requests for substitutions are annoying. Some of their biggest pet peeves: when customers pretend to be allergic to an ingredient, and when vegetarians make up rules, like “a little chicken stock is OK.”

When eating out in other restaurants, chefs say they avoid pasta and chicken.
Why? These dishes are often the most overpriced (and least interesting) on the menu. Said one chef, “I won’t pay $24 for half a chicken breast.” Said another, “I want something I can’t make myself.”

Chefs have expensive taste.
The restaurant chefs most often cited as the best in the country was The French Laundry, in California’s Napa Valley. It ought to be — dinner there is $240 per person, before wine.

…and yet they like fast food.
Their favorite chain: Wendy’s. Culinary degrees aren’t necessarily the norm. Just half the chefs surveyed graduated from a cooking school. The rest got their training the old-fashioned way, by working their way up through the kitchen ranks.

Critics trump movie stars in the VIP pecking order.
A whopping 71% of chefs said they give special treatment to restaurant critics when they spot them; only 63% do the same for celebrities. Making out in the bathroom is old news. More than half of the chefs have found customers kissing — and much more — in the restaurant loo.

Roaches are more common than you think.
Yes, 75% of chefs said they’ve seen roaches in the kitchen. And yet, chefs swear their kitchens are clean. On a scale of 1 to 10, 85% of chefs ranked their kitchens an 8 or higher for cleanliness.

Only 13% of chefs have seen a cook do unsavory things to a customer’s food.
The most unbelievable tale: “Someone once ran a steak through a dishwasher after the diner sent it back twice. Ironically, the customer was happy with it then.”

Your bread basket might be recycled.
Three chefs admitted that uneaten bread from one basket goes right into another one.

Chefs work hard for low pay.
The chefs we surveyed work between 60 and 80 hours a week and almost all of them work holidays. Sixty-five percent reported making less than $75,000 a year. Waiters take home an average of $662 a week, often tax free.

“Vegetarian” is open to interpretation.
About 15% of chefs said their vegetarian dishes might not be completely vegetarian. Beware if you’re one of those super-picky vegan types: One chef reported seeing a cook pour lamb’s blood into a vegan’s primavera.

Paying for a last-minute reservation probably won’t work.
Only one chef said bribes will help you score a table when the restaurant is fully booked; he suggested “promising to buy a bottle of Dom Pérignon or Opus One.” A better bet: being buddies with the chef.

Menu “specials” are often experimental dishes.
Contrary to popular belief — that specials are just a chef’s way of using up old ingredients — most chefs said they use specials to try out new ideas or serve seasonal ingredients. Only five chefs admitted that they try to empty out the fridge with their nightly specials.

The appropriate tip is 20%…
That’s what chefs leave when they eat out, and it’s the amount they think is fair.

…unless the service is really poor.
An astounding 90% of chefs said it’s fair to penalize bad waiters with a smaller tip.

That rule about not ordering fish on Sunday might be worth following.
Several chefs warned, “We don’t get fresh deliveries on Sunday.”

Chefs hate working on New Year’s Eve more than any other holiday.
Valentine’s Day was a close second, but don’t take that to mean chefs aren’t romantic: 54% of those surveyed said they like it when couples get engaged in their restaurant.

They secretly want to be Alton or Giada.
Nearly 60% of chefs said they’d want their own cooking show.

Chefs cook when they’re sick.
It’s a long-standing tradition in the restaurant industry: Cooks report to duty unless they’re practically hospitalized. Half of those we surveyed said they come to work sick, and they stay there through injuries, too. Many chefs have cut themselves on the job, gone to get stitches and returned to work to finish out the night. Accidents definitely happen: Almost every chef we surveyed has been injured on the job in some way, and several chefs said they’re missing parts of their fingers.

The five-second rule actually applies.
A quarter of the chefs surveyed said they’d pick up food that dropped on the floor and cook it.

Your waiter is trying to influence your order.
Almost every chef surveyed (95%) said he or she urges servers to steer customers toward specific dishes on the menu each night.

Restaurants mark up wine by a lot more than you might expect.
Most chefs said that a bottle on their wine list costs 2½ times what the same one would cost in a wine store.

There’s a reason so many restaurants serve molten chocolate cake.
More than 75% of chefs said they take inspiration from other restaurant menus.

1. Make dinner do double-duty

You’re already in the kitchen preparing your family’s dinner, why not use that time to get a head-start on the next day’s brown bag lunches?Make a double batch of meals that taste just as good “the morning after”. My kids like leftover fried chicken and pizza slices. Even if you grabbed takeout, get enough for lunches. Pack the leftovers right into sandwich bags or food storage containers while cleaning up dinner, and shave a few minutes off lunch-making time in the morning.

2. Include lunches when meal planning

To do tip #1, you need to be more organized. This means including your kids’ lunches when planning your family dinners.

3. Let the kids participate

Lighten your load and teach your children some important life skills at the same time. Even small children can help prepare their lunches. If morning is too stressful, then make this an after-dinner activity – which brings us to…

4. Make advance preparations

Do whatever you can do ahead of time. For example, cook in batches on the weekend, or buy big bags of chips, cookies, dried fruit, whatever you buy in bulk, and spend an hour dividing it into individual portions for the week ahead.

5. DIY fast food

Commercial packed lunches are attractive but unhealthy. But who says you can’t make your own? Buy your own colorful and attractive lunch boxes, such as a bento-style lunchbox. Fill it up with a variety of healthy food. Think of mixing up foods with different textures and colors, and cut them up into small pieces so they’re easy and fast to eat. I just bought a Laptop Lunch system on eBay for $27.99 and it comes with a book of bento lunch ideas. I’m actually looking forward to packing it with food for my son!

6. Soup it Up

Soup makes a quick and healthy lunch. You can cook a large pot in the weekend and pack it in a thermos for a warm and satisfying lunch. Serve with whole wheat bread and some fresh fruit and you’ve got a complete meal. Other thermos ideas include leftover spaghetti, chili, macaroni and cheese, stew, or any kind of casserole. Just pour boiling water into the thermos and let it heat up before adding the food. Don’t forget to pack a plastic fork or spoon!

7. Sprinkle in some fun

Sneak a little surprise into your child’s lunchbox once in a while. It could be a little chocolate treat, stickers, or a sweet note from you. Getting something unexpected makes lunch fun. With planning and creativity, your children can have healthy, delicious lunches without too much work for you.

For meal planning help, go to Dine Without Whine. It makes meal planning a breeze, while helping you save time and money.

Then you’ll have time and energy for those school lunches.

Why bank cord blood?
Birth is a one-time opportunity to help society by donating your child’s cord blood to a public bank. Cord blood contains stem cells that can save lives. Patients requiring a stem cell transplant will receive cells from one of three sources: bone marrow, circulating blood, or umbilical cord blood. The first two exist in all healthy adults, but cord blood can only be harvested and stored at birth. The section on cord blood transplants explains that it is easier to match transplant patients with cord blood than with the two sources of adult blood. Hence, establishing public banks of cord blood from donors with diverse tissue types can save many lives.

Birth is also a one-time opportunity to help your own family by saving your child’s cord blood. Transplant patients recover better when they receive stem cells from a related donor, instead of an unrelated donor. In the future, if there are regenerative medicine advances which can repair the body with the patient’s own stem cells, then children whose parents saved their cord blood will have better access to those treatments.

There is virtually no reason not to save your child’s cord blood. The only cautionary remarks which can be made about cord blood banking is that the cord should not be clamped too soon after birth.

Why doesn’t everybody bank cord blood?
Because it costs money. Whereas a bone marrow registry is based upon a computer data base of potential donors, a cord blood bank is based upon a laboratory where staff process the cord blood, freeze it in liquid nitrogen, and monitor the freezers.

Only a limited number of institutions have the funding to maintain public banks which take donations for free. This web site has a page which explains the types of cord blood banks, and another which tells you how to find a public bank in the US to accept your donation.

For most parents, cord blood donation is not an option because the number of locations served by public banks is very limited. In that case, parents have to decide if they want to and can afford to pay a private bank to process the cord blood and preserve it for the family.

Fortunately, there are financial assistance programs to help families which have a case of medical need, where a family member is at risk of needing a stem cell transplant.

Cord Blood Transplants (CBT)
Advantages of Cord Blood Transplants versus
Bone Marrow Transplants (BMT) or Peripheral Blood Stem Cells (PBSC)

* Harvesting umbilical cord blood poses no risk to mother or child, whereas a bone marrow donor must undergo a surgical procedure.
* Stored cord blood is ready for use as soon as it is needed, whereas the process of contacting and testing donors listed in a registry takes weeks to months.
* For transplants, the primary advantage of cord blood stem cells over stem cells from adults is that they cause much less graft versus host disease (GvHD). In order to safely transplant adult stem cells, the patient and donor must match over at least 10 of 12 tissue types called Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA), or 83% HLA match. By comparison, medical outcomes are just as good with cord blood that has a 4 out of 6 or 67% HLA match. (Reference: V Rocha, et al, 2000; NEJM 342:1846)

Disadvantages of CBT versus BMT or PBSCT:

* The main disadvantage of cord blood transplants is that they take at least a week longer to “engraft”, which means repopulate the patient’s blood supply so that cell counts reach minimum acceptable levels. The longer engraftment time is a risk because it leaves the patient vulnerable to a fatal infection for a longer time.
* A typical cord blood collection only contains enough stem cells to transplant a large child or small adult. This web site has a page explaining the optimum transplant dose. At one time it was believed that cell dose limitations restricted the use of cord blood transplants to children. In recent years growing numbers of adults are also receiving cord blood transplants, either by growing the cells in a lab prior to transplant, or by transplanting more than one cord blood unit at a time. More information about these trials is available on the web page about Research on Cord Blood Transplants.

The web page on Odds of Use reviews the probability that an individual in the United States will have a stem cell transplant over the course of a lifetime.

More info: http://parentsguidecordblood.org/

Today, during the asparagus season every eatery in Germany, offers their regular menu and a “spargelkarte”, a special asparagus menu that may list as many as 45 variations of this first spring vegetable.

While asparagus may be Germany’s favorite veggie, in the US, we manage to eat our fair share of this healthy stalk. Folklore credits eating asparagus with everything from curing toothaches to being a reproductive tonic. A true food hero, modern science has found that asparagus is the second best whole food source of folic acid, a B vitamin that is associated with a decreased risk of neural tube birth defects and lowering risks of heart and liver disease.

According to the National Cancer Institute, asparagus contains a high amount of glutathione, one of the body’s most potent cancer fighters. Additionally, asparagus is high in rutin, which is valuable in strengthening the blood vessels. Asparagus is also a source of protein, vitamin A and C, calcium and iron.

Age to introduce: 8 to 10 months (cooked and pureed).

Teething toddler? Frozen, cooked asparagus spears make a soothing teether.

Toddler Treat Recipe: Creamy Asparagus Soup

Even some of the pickiest of toddlers will eat their veggies when they are in soup. This soup is a creamy puree, so it if you child’s “spoon” skills are not refined enough for soup, pour it in a cup and they can sip away. Always check the temperature of soup before serving it to small children.

Asparagus for Everyone

* At the market: Select bright green asparagus with closed, compact, firm tips.
* Storage at home: Keep fresh asparagus clean, cold and covered. Break off or cut the tough ends and wash in warm water several times. Refrigerate in a covered container or plastic storage bag. Use within 2 or 3 days.
* Cooking: Asparagus is best cooked quickly to preserve it bright green color and the healthy nutrients. Depending on the thickness, a pound can be steamed in 5-8 minutes. For salads or dipping, try blanching asparagus. Simply place stalks in boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Remove from boiling water and immerse in cold water.

Serving: Here are a few easy ideas to add asparagus in your meals:

1. Add one cup of cooked, pureed asparagus to your favorites creamy dip recipe. Serve blanched asparagus on your crudite platter with other veggies.
2. Try cooked, chopped asparagus in egg dishes. Perhaps as a filling for omelets, scrambled in eggs, or added to your favorite quiche recipe.
3. As a side dish, add cooked, diced asparagus to rice or couscous.
4. Chinese stir-fry is better with asparagus. It takes 3-5 minutes to stir-fry asparagus. Replace the broccoli in beef with broccoli with asparagus. Try a scallop, asparagus and bean sprout stir fry, or tofu, asparagus and carrot stir-fry.
5. Add blanched asparagus to any tossed salad. For a more formal salad, marinate blanched stalks in a vinaigrette dressing for 1-2 hours. Serve on a plate. Garnish with chopped chives and roasted red peppers.
6. Grilled asparagus is delicious. Select the larger stalks that are less likely fall into the coals. Even better, your kids can help out by skewering the stalks together to form “rafts”. Simply brush stalks/rafts with olive oil and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place straight in the grill for about 10 minutes, turning at least once.
7. Do you have a recipe for zucchini bread? Try replacing shredded asparagus for zucchini in the recipe!

Asparagus Fun Facts

* Do you prefer green or white? If you are like most Europeans, the answer is white. White asparagus is not a different variety. Its white color is achieved by growing the stalks under mounds of earth so the sun does not strike them to produce chlorophyll.
* Given the right conditions of sun and water, asparagus has been known to grow as much as one inch an hour!
* Make a masterpiece using asparagus spears as paintbrushes.

Garlic appears to be a miracle food. It contains the compound allicin which has anti-bacterial effects and helps reduce unhealthy fats and cholesterol. A range of research studies confirm these cholesterol reducing properties.

In addition, garlic is an excellent source of manganese, a very good source of vitamin B6 and vitamin C and a good source of selenium.

A study published in Preventive Medicine shows that garlic inhibits coronary artery calcification, a process that serves as a marker for plaque formation since the body lays down calcium in areas that have been damaged.

Garlic also contains an antioxidant that reduces blood clotting as well as other chemicals which help against cancer. Garlic is best eaten raw or baked whole in the oven. If frying garlic do not allow to go brown.

Calories in Garlic:
1 clove = 3 calories

Anti-Inflammatory, Antibacterial and Antiviral Activity

Garlic, like onions, contains compounds that inhibit lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase, (the enzymes that generate inflammatory prostaglandins and thromboxanes), thus markedly reducing inflammation. These anti-inflammatory compounds along with the vitamin C in garlic, especially fresh garlic, make it useful for helping to protect against severe attacks in some cases of asthma and may also help reduce the pain and inflammation of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

This is a variation on many Mediterranean conserves and preserves we make here at our farm. This is a dish not for the fainthearted!!!

Ingredients:

6 cups sugar
3 cups water
1+ Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon powdered mastic (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a pan and boil then simmer until thick. 20-30 mins.

Peel cloves of garlic keeping them solid. We grow all our garlic at our small organic farm here in Oregon.

The sizes of the cloves can vary but we try to use large sizes mixed with mediums.
You can use softneck or hardneck garlics but use one type for each batch.
We mix the varieties of garlic such as Lukak, Nootka Rose and Silver White for example.

Put the cloves in simmering mixture of sugar, water and lemon juice and let simmer until translucent but do not overcook. Maybe 30 minutes.

When done remove cloves with slotted spoon and put into 4 oz and/or 8 ox glass jars that have been heated in boiling water. Then pour in hot syrup and seal with lids that have been softened in hot water and put on jar rings and tighten. Put upside down for about 30 minutes to facilitate seal and then upright and store. This is the same process you would use for making jam in hot jar/lids and rings.

We serve these cold as a garnish with a variety of meats.

We have also serve them cold with syrup and a bit of sour cream sometimes sprinkled with chopped roasted hazelnuts. Sometimes we use homemade crème fraiche.

The extra syrup we also seal in hot jars and use as a substitute for sugar and we also use the syrup as a base for a garlic flavored vinegar using a good champagne vinegar. Mix to taste. You can then make your own salad dressing using the garlic vinegar as a starting point.

You can also use the garlic and syrup as a base for sweet garlic sauces. A creative cook with find many other uses for this condiment.