Chopped Halloween Addition!

Happy Halloween.

Hulu has a video of the Halloween themed Chopped episode.

Yay Ted Allen!

America's favorite foods, state by state

Deadspin has a list called the Great American Menu organizing food by state/region and ranked...albeit somewhat offensively. I tried hard to find an example that was funny and lacked a swear word.

A little upset the Rochester garbage plate didn't appear OR Buffalo chicken wings. NYC seriously skews New York food culture.

Illustrations by Jim Cooke.

Link

NY Times "Fat and Thin Find Common Ground"

Interesting article recently on the NY times 

Binge Eating Disorder was added to the last Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and has raised many questions on what it means to have an eating disorder.

“Low self esteem is extremely common in both, as is body dissatisfaction. They are both very much environmentally driven. Both place excessive emphasis on appearance and body size. In the same way, many of the same psychological underpinnings play into both.”

"Many treatment methodologies are also similar within the two groups, like eating regular meals, not skipping meals and learning to listen to one’s body for cues of hunger or fullness."


(link)

Boffoli Photography

One of my favorite photo series. Ever. It combines my love of food and mini things. If you visit his "About the Artist" tab one of the characters moves!

Entrancing Candy Making

Cranberry Harvesting!

I want to see this in person so bad!

Chia Seed Meatloaf

After doing a presentation on Chia seeds it's time to cook with them. 

Chia seeds are a good source of fiber, Omega-3's, and surprisingly calcium. For 1 ounce there are 11 grams fiber, 9 grams fat (only 1 of which is saturated), and 18% of the calcium in the day. Ounce for ounce chia seeds have more protein and fiber than quinoa.

Chia seeds are considered an "ancient grain" like quinoa. Lately it's been pegged as a super food because Dr. Oz said it was. Outside of Dr. Oz's support chia seeds are pretty cool! They have a 9 to 1 ratio for water...rice is 2 to 1. If you cook rice regularly that's pretty insane to think about. This means they absorb a lot of water. The seeds themselves become very jelly when added to liquids.

You can add chia seeds to almost anything. Most internet sites say to add it to smoothies, juice, yogurt, and to sprinkle it on top of anything.

The only warning I would have is if you're new to chia sees and want to try them add them slowly. As one ounce has about half the fiber recommended in a day you may have some, uh, intestinal discomfort. Additionally folks with diverticulitis may want to avoid chia as well. I checked several sites with mixed opinions from experts so I imagine it's a trial by error for such individuals. 

The recipe: Chia Seed Meatloaf

Way more interesting than a smoothie!

Just mix all the ingredients together and bake for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. I personally like making "mini" loaves so you can freeze them. Since I'm one person and admitting to eating 1 pound of turkey in a short period outside of thanksgiving freaks me out. 

So much chia!

This was my first time making meatloaf and it was really good! I thought adding tons of chia seeds would change the texture/composition of the meatloaf but it didn't. If anything the meatloaf was lighter than meatloaf I've had in the past.

The sauce consisted of the above and regular ketchup. Surprisingly good. The shot glass is brown sugar.

Nutrient Analysis (no sauce): Calories-356, Fat-11.5g, Saturated fat-3.25g, Fiber-12g, Protein-28g, Cholesterol 84mg.

(Used http://nutritiondata.self.com/)

Modified from: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=2390899

Sushi Conveyor Belt

I apologize for the increase in videos in comparison to my actually doing something. Recently went to a mall with a conveyor belt sushi line. My father was not willing to try it however. For a steak and potatoes kind of man I can't blame him. Cynical-C blog never ceases to entertain me.

"Shrinking Women"

Beautiful and powerful. 

TomTato plant. Adorable name for hand crafted mutant.

"Just a sec I'm just gunna check my TomTato plant real quick.

Link

P.S. Coming soon...chia seed experiment.

Women Biggest Fast Food Buyers in Australia.

An Australian  agency discovered through a survey higher income women are some of the biggest consumers of fast food in the country. I wonder how this would relate to the U.S.

If that doesn't interest you on the same page was a quiz where you get to guess the calories of classic Fast Food Items.

Butter. It's What's for Dinner

Don't remember the source to this butter advertisement. Does anyone know if it real or fake? It's just so funny I can't tell if it's a modern joke or a vintage "woops" moment.

For more vintage food ads check them out here.

Foodiggity always posts the coolest things.

Annie Murphy Paul "What We Learn Before We're Born"

Fascinating.

Most Epic Food Timeline

My wonderful Mom sent me a link to a Food Timeline. It's very extensive ranging from water to test tube burgers. Oh and Kool-Aid Pickles.

Food Flags

Sydney International Food Festival created National flags made from food commonly associated with the country.

Why is the U.S. always associated with hot dogs! :-( 

Vietnam

It just occurred to my future travels can revolve around food festivals. Yippee!

Cornell

Photos of Cornell I've ha a chance to take between classes. The campus is beautiful!

This chipmunk let me get so close!

 Chicken Tikka Misala from Diamonds. 

Campus flat bread. With local cheese curds melted on the bread.

Subsidies

An incredible article about what farming and farm subsidies are about these days.

Farmers are not rich. Many struggle to get by. But you wouldn't think that with the billions that goes into subsidies for farming. These subsidies go the the bigger agribusiness farms that control the market and already turn a profit...without the government money. But honest folks that grow "specialty" crops (broccoli, onions...anything besides corn, wheat, and other major staples) rarely get the support they need.

Food inspired by artists

Tasty artwork