Celebrating the Wonders of Watermelon
My favorite summertime fruit is watermelon and with the recent heat wave, I have plenty in my fridge. Between breakfast, lunch and dinner, I think I have eaten the equivalent of one and a half large watermelons by myself. The heat may be at a low now, but the watermelon piled in my fridge is still at an all-time high. My taste buds have bored of eating diced watermelon so I thought I would challenge myself to come up with some more creative ways to eat watermelon.
As it goes with summer eating, I would rather drink my meals than eat them during hot weather. I thought a smoothie featuring watermelon would be perfect.
Creamy Watermelon Smoothie
3 1/2 cups seeded watermelon
1/4 of an avocado or banana
2 Tablespoons honey (or to taste)
2 Tablespoons Chia seeds
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Add all ingredients in the blender until smooth, pour in a chilled glass and enjoy.
The benefit of this recipe is that it is high in protein and low in sugar. The cinnamon provides a high number of antioxidants, while the chia seeds provide fiber and energy. The best part is that it is light, refreshing and tastes great. It helps get my mornings off to a great start.
Lunch however is a different story; I still had a large amount of watermelon to eat so what better lunch than a salad – a watermelon salad?
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Cake Decorating Tips for Home Bakers
So, you're thinking about decorating a cake. Maybe you've done it before, maybe you haven't. But either way, you're no expert. Sound about, right? Great! You've come to the right place. We've put together this simple guide that focuses on six specific tips to decorating a cake for the beginning home baker.
Since this is a beginner's guide, we won't even bother discussing fondant icing, as it is beyond the scope of a beginner cake decorator, and instead focus on buttercream.
Note:
These general techniques are the same for other whipped frostings as well.
Tools you'll need:
Rotating cake turntable
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Not absolutely essential, but will make your task significantly easier.
Serrated cake or bread knife -
For leveling and splitting layers.
Offset palette knife
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For applying frosting without dragging your fingers through it.
Pastry bag with tips -
You can use ziploc bags, but this doesn't works as well.
Cake smoother/scraper -
For smoothing frosting and making decorative markings and patterns.
Freeze Your Cakes -
First thing's first, since making and decorating a cake can be quite a bit of work, it's not a bad idea to split the job into stages. For example, bake it on a Monday and freeze it, then take it out and decorate it on Friday.
Baking cakes in advance and freezing them also makes frosting them easier. Frozen cakes don't crumble as much when you frost them, and it makes it much easier to apply your crumb coat.
Likewise, leveling your cakes is easier with frozen cakes. Cakes will stay fresh in the freezer for up to a week. Indeed, you can also make buttercream in advance and store it in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to a week.
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Juicing Tips for You and Your Family
Here are easy and simple tips to reduce waste, get more nutrients, and save time and money. Whether you’re a juicing or smoothie beginner or a long-timer, we guarantee that you’ll find some surprising and all helpful!
Juice or Smoothie:
Juice separates the juice from the pulp whereas a smoothie includes everything. The pulp is full of nutrients so it stands to reason that smoothies contain more nutrients. This oft-argued point is not necessarily true, because the high-powered machine that makes a smoothie adds heat and oxygen which actually destroys some nutrients. So the difference in nutritional richness between a smoothie and a juice is not worth arguing. They are both worlds better than anything bottled or canned!
The important differences involve calories and fiber. One of the myths of juicing is that when pulp is removed, there goes all the fiber. The truth is some fiber is lost, but not all. Much soluble fiber remains in fresh juice while most insoluble fiber is removed. The pulp is additional calories so juice is preferred for weight loss. But those with digestive issues will find more help in the fiber-rich smoothie. Also, one of the most powerful cholesterol-lowering compounds is insoluble fiber so a smoothie would be our choice for lowering cholesterol.
A quick note about the machines that make juices and smoothies. You can use a cheap kitchen blender to make juice but the soupy grit will need to be strained thru a coffee filter which takes time. It’s just not powerful enough to turn a whole fruit or vegetable – skin, seeds, and all – into a smooth drink. A more expensive machine is required. However, your cheap blender is very useful for adding avocado or banana to your juice – foods that clog most juice machines.
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Food is Actually Medicine for Inflammation
You may have heard through the grapevine that food is actually medicine. A healthy diet is essential for protecting the body and eating foods in season can mean even more nutritional benefits. The food we eat is our body’s best defense mechanism and preventive measure when inflammation persists.
What is inflammation?
Inflammation is actually a completely normal and necessary immune response. When the body identifies a foreign invader, the immune system goes to work by sending more white blood cells to the affected area. This process often involves inflammation. Acute inflammation is short-term and is triggered by the body’s recognition of something foreign, an infection, virus, chemical or even plant pollen. Chronic means that the inflammation is sustained for a longer period of time.
Prolonged stress and health conditions, such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, depression, and Alzheimer’s have been linked to chronic inflammation.
How does it affect your health?
Consistent inflammation can cause damage to healthy body tissues and thus increasing the risk of health issues. Chronic inflammation can affect the body in different ways and carries its own set of symptoms, such as body pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, gastrointestinal issues or weight gain.
What makes a food “anti-inflammatory?”
Some medications can help reduce chronic inflammation; however, we continue to learn that food may actually be the best medicine. I must also note that we are still learning! More research is needed when it comes the effect food can have on inflammation, but researchers believe that food makes a big impact, both positive and negative.
Antioxidants, polyphenols, phytonutrients, and healthy fats (such as Omega-3 fatty acids) are just a few nutrients that we know can combat chronic inflammation. Antioxidants are nutrients that protect body cells from damage-causing molecules called free radicals. Cells that have been hit with free radicals become weak making them more susceptible to disease.
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Take Your Summer Party Outdoors
Warm weather and perfect nights means it’s time to take your dinner party outside. Whether in the backyard, out on the deck or at the neighborhood park, a few simple tips will ensure an easy summer soiree.
Limit your cooking:
I know we’re a cooking school, but my biggest tip for a perfect summer party is to keep the cooking to a minimum. Make the main course a meat and veg event that can be thrown on a hot grill all at once. Or opt for cold cut sandwiches. I like something with a crunchy twist like spicy Banh-Mis or a giant Muffuletta. They are easy to assemble and can be made in advance.
Keep your appetizers cool, raw and refreshing:
Make starters that can be arranged and assembled rather than cooked. Charcuterie, assorted cheeses, fruit, veggies and a mix of dips will satisfy all tastes and account for most allergies.
Stock that outdoor bar:
Fill punch bowls or beverage dispensers with a few batched cocktail options and let guests help themselves. Stock lots of glasses, ice and garnishes along with a chalice of ice for beer and wine.
Keep everyone hydrated:
Fill your biggest dispenser with water and set smaller pitchers on tables. Throw some herbs or citrus fruit in for visual appeal and to encourage people to keep drinking.
Use real dishes:
No matter how casual your food, using china, napkins and real cutlery will instantly elevate an outdoor event from a “BBQ” to a “PARTY!” So pull out all those mismatched plates and Grandma’s dishes that your mom just gave you, along with random glasses and assorted service ware and go for elegant eclectic in your party decor. Mother Nature and your actual mother will both thank you.
Scent the scene:
As chefs we think about smells a lot and nothing is better than the scents of summer. Those smells are different for everyone, but for me the smell of summer is rosemary and lavender from my garden. I light candles, and tie up bunches of rosemary and lavender to lay on the tables, but when I’ve got the grill going, I just throw a handful of each on the grill to fill the whole yard with their savory smell.
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Eating the Mediterranean Way
Of all the places on my list to travel, Greece has always been at the top. I recently had the pleasure of checking this one off the list. The most common post trip question has been, what was your favorite part? The answer is obvious – the food! No longer a well-kept secret, the Mediterranean way of eating is one of the healthiest in the world, and there’s years of research to support that claim. I was eager to experience the food culture first hand.
The Mediterranean diet is not one that comes with a lot of rules, regulations or eliminations. There are no specific calorie recommendations, points or suggested serving sizes. Yes, there are resources available online that can provide this type of structure, if needed (there’s even a Mediterranean Diet food pyramid).
At its core, the Mediterranean diet is a lifestyle. The best way to shift to this lifestyle is to focus attention on foods to eat more of (instead of worrying about what not to eat) and your food-related habits. There is no “one size fits all” Mediterranean diet. Greeks eat differently than Italians, but there are common food threads tying together the food cultures of the countries that border the Mediterranean Sea, like Greece, Italy, Crete, and Spain.
Eat More Colorful Vegetables. The more colors you can put on your plate, the more healthful that plate will be. When we build a meal, often the protein is the first thing we think of. Start with the vegetables first and then move onto the protein. The salad pictured below was one of my favorite dishes from a hidden gem called Sainis Taverna on the island of Ios.
Grab fresh fruits and veggies from a local farmer’s market. In Greece, I had fresh and delicious tomatoes at just about every meal. They were typically mixed with cucumbers, onions, and kalamata olives with a block feta cheese and olive oil on top. I bought beautiful cherries from a few different markets. Some of the best I’ve ever had. Buy locally grown food as much as possible. If it doesn’t take long to travel to you, it will taste better and be better for you.
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