edible
Volume IV Issue I
March 2014
See Inside For...
Rachael Ray p4 Fast Food Crawl p8-9 Homemade PopTarts p25
Do It Yourself (DIY)
letter from the editors staff & contributing writers welcome! Dear Readers, Welcome to Edible’s first issue of the year! Edible is Horace Mann’s cooking and food publication. Our writers give you detailed insights on everything from restaurant reviews, special recipes, to personal takes on the latest cooking shows and trends. We decided to make our very first edition a do-it-yourself (DIY) edition! Home cooked meals are always the best, and we encourage you to be adventerous with your taste buds this season and try something new. Winter is undeniably one of the coziest times of the year. We hope you’ve been able to warm up to a good book with hot chocolate in hand. Keep eating and keep cooking!
Your editors, Sophie Dizengoff, Catherine Engelmann, Anushka Gupta, and Jenny Heon
Staff
Editors-in-Chief: Sophie Dizengoff Catherine Engelmann Anushka Gupta Jenny Heon Junior Editors: Sara Hirade Jillian Lowey Lindsay Zelson
Staff W riters: Karina Hooda (‘16) Chichi Ikwuazom (‘16) Sadie Lye (‘17) Cole Land (‘17) Grace Guo (‘16) Ada Chou (‘16) Noa Hankin (‘16) Allison Gelman (‘16) Nicole Velez (‘15) Lauren Hooda (‘16) Stephanie Ge (‘16)
Sarah Zeng (‘17) Karen Jiang (‘17) Joanna Kuang (‘17) Esther Fleischer (‘17) Hannah Fink (‘15) Spencer Solit (‘16) Ruby Wald (‘16) Melanie Totenberg (‘14)
Unless otherwise specified all photos are taken from flickr or by our writers.
Faculty Advisor: Adam Casdin
edible
Courtsey of Treat House
p7
culture Rachael Ray, p.4 Kids Cook Off, p.5 Cooking During the War, p.6 p17
reviews
Treat House, p. 7 Fast Food Crawl, p. 8-9 Eric Kayser, p. 10-11 Organic Restaurant Crawl, p. 12-13
health
Medicinal Spices, p.14 Health Inspection Grades, p.15-16 Courtsey of Spencer Solit and Ruby Wald
p24
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try this at home
Lemonade Stand, p.17 The Five Ingredient Fix, p.18 YouTube to a Healthier Diet, p.19 Cassey Ho’s Chunky Cinnamon Apple Muffins, p.20 Bethany Mota’s Pumpkin Cookies, p.20 Sinful Brownies, p.21-22 Chocolate Mousse, p.23 Magic Bars, p.24 Homemade Poptarts, p.25 Pumpkin Pie, p.26
table of contents
c u lture
Rachael Ray
cooking through media Karina Hooda (‘16)
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achael Domenica Ray, also known as Rachael Ray, has made quite an impact in the food and entertainment industries. As a celebrity chef, she not only has an iconic television show about food, but she also hosts a wildly successful morning talk show called “Rachael Ray” and has a magazine, Every Day With Rachael Ray. Rachael Ray is mostly known for her show “30 Minute Meals”; its goal is to tell viewers that it is easy and possible to make a simple and delicious meal in the time it would take to deliver take out. However, “30 Minute Meals” is not an ordinary cooking show with a chef who gives the recipe and demonstrates how to make a certain dish. Rachael Ray brings liveliness and character into the kitchen, which makes her show interesting to watch. Additionally, she is not strict about her recipes. Often during “30 Minute Meals,” she lists affordable ingredients that are easier to cook with as substitutes for the ones she uses. She does not believe in exact measurements either, but rather that measuring “takes away from the creative, hands-on process of cooking”; instead, she uses approximations such as “half a palmful.” Rachael has said in countless interviews that she is a ‘cook’ rather than a ‘chef,’ and this
distinction follows through her show. “30 Minute Meals” emphasizes casual, comforting flavors that meals should generally contain, as well as the improvisation that often comes with making a meal. She understands that nobody really has time to plan out ingredients days in advance to make certain foods, so she uses common ingredients like chicken broth, garlic, and herbs to enhance her dishes. For me, this is what sets her apart. Most other celebrity chefs teach you how to make sophisticated meals that nobody really has the time for— Rachael makes it easy by allowing you to improvise depending on your situation, to adjust it to your taste, and to experiment and be creative with the process without a strict recipe.
Rachael Ray has also published a few cookbooks based on the idea of “30 Minute Meals,” all aimed at making cooking less of a hassle and more of something to enjoy. Aside from being in the kitchen, Rachael hosts a daytime talk show called “Rachel Ray,” which has won two daytime Emmy awards. Her show was launched after many appearances on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and is currently extremely successful. While she does cook and talk about recipes for a bit on the show, there is much more to it. Since she is very outgoing and has a vibrant personality, Rachael frequently interviews various celebrities, talks about pop culture, and has fashion, DIY and backstage segments. http://www.flickr.com/photos/
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c u ltu re
Kids Cook Off
Guy Fieri and Rachel Ray Chichi Ikwuazom (‘16)
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uy Fieri and Rachael Ray are back at it on the cooking battlefield, but this time with the most talented young chefs in the country. A few weeks ago was the premiere of the Food Network Channel’s latest popular show, “Rachael vs. Guy: Kids Cook-off,” where the winner will have his or her very own web show on the Food Network. It will also be the start of the career for a very talented kid chef. In the first episode eight kids were introduced, and were divided into two teams. The contestants are from the ages of 11 to 13 years old and many of them started cooking when he or she was five years old. A number of these kids are the “headchefs” in their households and have received awards for their cooking.
One of the contestants, Haile, has become an advocate for healthy eating and food education for kids by joining the alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Youth Advisory board. This season of the show included many cooking challenges, either individually, or as a team. After each challenge, the contestants were scored out of a certain number of points, and whoever had the most points for that challenge would receive some sort of reward. The contestant with the highest overall score at the end, and who was thought of to have the most talent was the winner of the competition. The kids received many tips and constructive criticism from both Guy and Rachael in order to help them become better chefs. Many http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2013/09/rachael-vs-guy-kids-cook-off- of the dishes that winner/ the kids made in this season were very tasty DIY, “do it yourself ” recipes. The first recipe, made by Alessandra for the very first cookoff challenge, was a Blueberry and Shrimp Risotto served in an Asiago cheese bowl. To 5
make this bowl, shred Asiago cheese and put it in a greased man, let it harden, then take the cheese and put in on a round bowl the get the “bowl shape.” The next recipe, which was made by Cole, was a DIY coleslaw. This DIY coleslaw is made with cabbage, carrots, celery, mayonnaise, your favorite Italian dressing, and a pinch of sugar and pepper. The judges absolutely loved the Cole’s coleslaw. Another recipe that was made was “Broiled Peaches with Ricotta Cheese and a Crumble Topping.” The crumble recipe is very simple and consistis of lemon, oatmeal, crushed walnuts, sugar, raw honey, ground cinnamon, and some chilled butter. When the crumble is baked, it makes a delicious, crunchy sweet topping. Lastly, one of the contestants, named Jack, made a delicious breaded chicken cutlet, with his own DIY barbeque sauce. The ingredients for this barbeque sauce include ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. All of the ingredients are combined in a medium saucepan over mediumlow heat. Each of these recipes is delicious and flavorful. The kids definitely recommended trying them.
c u lture
Cooking During The War
world war II rationing Sadie Lye (‘17)
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n England during World War II, which lasted from 1939 to about 1945, everything was rationed. Pamela Lye, my grandmother grew up during the war, and she remembers, as a little girl, how little butter, meat, sugar, and flour there was and how the eggs were powdered. Her mother worked in the Admiralty cooking and baking for the officers of the Royal Navy. She worked there from before war times, through the war, and for a while after the war. Mrs. Lye told me about how her mother was always excited to get extra powdered eggs, because she could make a cake. Making a cake with a little bit of sugar, a small amount of flour, powdered eggs, and barely a stick of butter is no easy feat. Yet it was done. Sadly I could not find her
recipe, and when I asked why she had not kept it, Mrs. Lye responded with, “Why use that recipe, there is no reason to cook with those things anymore.” Surprisingly, during the war, food in England was relatively healthy, as everybody grew vegetables in their gardens and the parks were turned into farms. People owned chickens, and ate rabbit. My grandmother said, “We ate so much rabbit that now I don’t like it much. It reminds me of the war.” Food was limited, so people were more appreciative of it, and learnt to cook with what they had. After the war had finished, food was still in short supply. By that time, Pamela Lye was getting ready to get married, along with one of her cousins. Their relatives in Australia
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heard and sent them dried fruit for their wedding cakes. There were so few luxuries in England at this time, and this dried fruit was such a treat. Candy was very expensive. It is incredible to think, that today we could walk into any grocery store and buy any type of dried fruit or vegetable imaginable. Food was of such value during this time that when the milkman came in the morning, by the time Mrs. Lye’s mother would come home from working at the Admiralty, somebody would have stolen the milk. It is very interesting to see how a country and cuisine adapted to these food restrictions. Cookbooks were written, and recipes exchanged through every day conversation. It was not a one-person job, to transform the entire cuisine, and ultimately create an entirely new one—especially during a time when people had to make do with what they had, and use every ounce of the food available. When the rations ended, and food became more readily available, people started cooking as they had done before the War. Cuisine and cooking adapts to what foods are accessible and plentiful. It happened during the Second World War with rations and it’s happening now with the variety of ingredients available to us.
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Not Just Snap, Crackle, Pop Anymore treat house nyc Cole Land (‘17)
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reat House NYC is a baked goods store that specializes in, yes, Rice Krispy treats , and turns the traditional kid’s snack into a gourmet version for all ages. This new and inventive idea has rocked the Upper West Side and is situated on Amsterdam Avenue between 82nd and 83rd street. The idea of transforming Rice Krispies came when Chris and Jennifer Russell, the owners of two restaurants, had to make Rice Krispies treats for their children’s charitable school bake sale. As bakers, they decided to have some fun with it and created new flavors such as mint chocolate chip and M&M. After these treats
were a success, they started to think about how great it would be to have an entire bakery devoted to just Rice Krispies. Thus, Treat House came to be. Inspired by the school’s goodwill, Chris and Jennifer wanted to incorporate the idea of charity into their store. Because of their ties with food, they decided that for every $2.25 treat sold, 10¢ would be donated to The Food Bank for New York City, and for every $25 Treat House t-shirt sold, they would donate $1. The flavor of the icing on top of the Rice Krispy portion in each treat is related to something that the owners remember from their
childhood. Some original flavors include: Bubble Gum, S’mores, Salted Caramel, Birthday Cake, and Chocolate Pretzel. The treats themselves are visually appealing not just because they look delicious, but also because they are crafted with premiere craftsmanship from the creation of the idea to the treat its self. Treat House NYC truly elevates the idea of a Rice Krispy treat. The treats are also kosher, gluten free, and are made with raw cane sugar. This is store is certainly the “Baked by Melissa” of Rice Krispy treats will stay popular for a long time, serving delicious and imaginative treats.
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Fast Food Crawl testing out NYC’s hottest fast food joints Grace Guo (‘16), Ada Chou (‘16), Chichi Ikwuazom (‘16), Noa Hankin (‘16) Chipotle Chipotle is a Mexican style restaurant where they assemble your food right in front of you. You can choose from a variety of ingredients and can make various combinations with different types of beans, rices, meats, vegetables, and toppings such as salsa and guacamole. Although there are many sources of proteins and carbohydrates in the burritos or tacos, the secret to getting a larger portion is the “burrito bowl.” The classic burrito and a burrito bowl cost the same, but a study showed that you might get more than 50% more food in a burrito bowl than in a burrito. You can also ask for extra rice and a tortilla on the side for free. If you want more meat, ask for two different kinds of proteins and you will usually get more. If you want more bang for your buck, try a burrito bowl the next time you visit a nearby Chipotle.
Tom’s Restaurant Famous for being the facade of the diner from Seinfeld, Tom’s Restaurant represents diners from the 20th century, while still intertwining modern aspects. The inside of the restaurant has standard booths with a view of the kitchen expected from diners. The menu has classic orders, including heavenly milkshakes and typical burgers served with crispy fries. The milkshakes are served in malt cups giving a “blast from the past” feeling. The taste was filling and delectable. A full meal of these classics will cost no more than $20. The burger itself was simple and plain, however, the meat was juicy and mouth-watering 8
enough to give a delicious taste. This is a diner, not to be missed. Make sure to stop by when on the Upper West Side.
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Five Guys Located throughout the city, Five Guys is a well-known chain-restaurant that lives up to its reputation. With burgers ranging from $3.99 $7.49 depending on the amount of toppings, you can get a good, hearty meal for under $10. The inside of Five Guys has traces of a classic diner decor. With buckets of free peanuts and servers dressed in aprons, you feel as if you are in a movie. Five Guys’ main competition for most well-known affordable burger joint is Shake Shack. We noticed that Shake Shack seemed to have fresher ingredients and fewer calories in their burgers. Many people prefer one to the other, which one do you like better?
Shake Shack Shake Shack, with six locations in New York City, is one of the city’s most popular burger-joints. It serves anything from hamburgers and hot dogs to milkshakes and fries. This chain currently has more than 20 restaurants in the United States. The stores have fabulous burgers, crinkly fries, and amazing milkshakes. The outdoor setting, in the first Shake Shack located in Madison Square Park, makes eating the burgers even more enjoyable. Shake Shack’s most popular burger is the Shack Burger. At a price of $4.80/$7.35, the Shack Burger is a single or double cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, and the signature “Shack Sauce.” A regular hamburger is $3.80/$5.85 and a 9
cheeseburger is $4.30/$6.85. Shake Shack is always filled with many people because of its tasty food. Despite the long wait for the food, it is all worth it when you bite into that juicy hamburger or sip on a cold, tasty milkshake. It’s a restaurant that I would definitely recommend to others.
all photos courtesy of the authors
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Eric Kayser Allison Gelman (‘16)
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n Friday, October 11th, I was fortunate enough to get a sneak peak of the new Eric Kayser restaurant in Columbus Circle, and I couldn’t have been luckier. This is Kayser’s third restaurant to open in New York City in the last year, with his first being on the Upper East Side on 3rd Avenue and the second in the Flatiron District on Broadway. The success of his first two institutions has brought his team to search for many new locations all throughout the city. When my parents, our two family friends (one being the chef previously at Agata & Valentina, the Waldorf Astoria, the Four Seasons, and more) and I arrived around 7pm, the event was just beginning. The front of the restaurant, designed to be the bakery/take-out section, was still under construction, and the glass was being installed to the cases and paint was still being applied. The friendly hostess brought us to our table, and we sat down comfortably ready to eat. For drinks, the servers were offering one red and one white wine for the adults while I relished over a bottle of Belvoir Fruit Farms’ Elderflower Still, a sort of elderberry sparkling lemonade with the most intriguing scent of strong elderberry. I’m slightly embarrassed to say that this is one of the four bottles of the drink that I had that evening.
After our welcoming waitress brought us our drinks, we made the difficult decision of picking appetizers. Everything sounded absolutely lovely, but we finally made our selections. I ordered salmon rillettes—a mixture of smoked and poached avocado—for the table, my mother ordered the Crabe & Guacamole (shrimp, lump crab, avocado, tomato & lemon confit), my father ordered the Fig & Burrata Salad, and our friends chose fois gras and onion soup. Before our appetizers arrived, fresh bread rolled out of the oven and into our breadbaskets. The ovens were surrounded by glass, so we could actually witness the making of the delicious bread. The
first loaf we received was whole wheat French bread, and it was just absolutely perfect. There were no negatives to pick out; it was warm, just doughy enough, with a pleasantly crunchy outside. More and more breads began to pile into our basket, and I began to feel like I was drowning in the slices. One of my favorites happened to be a warm bread filled with dried figs. But they were all – baguettes, honey breads, and the rest - perfect to pair with my salmon rillettes once they quickly arrived. All of our appetizers were delicious and we couldn’t have been happier. For entrees our friend and I chose a Coq Au Vin, my mother picked a salmon with lentils, my
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re st au r ant re v i e ws father decided on beef bourignon, and our other friend picked a lobster pasta. The service was a bit slow at this point, but we have to remember that this was not a typical day at the restaurant – we were approximately the third table ever served at the place, so it was completely understandable for them to still have been working out the kinks. The newness of the place was exactly why we were invited to the event; we were to act as the guinea pigs, to try everything and give our opinions. Plus, anything will seem slow in comparison to the other locations’ swift services. Once our food finally arrived, we tried our best to eat as much as we could, but the plethora of breads had already filled us up quite solidly. All the “pot dishes” (all excluding the pasta of course) came in beautiful le Creuset pots. The chicken had a good taste with the delicious pearl onions, but
it was a bit dry. We told the server and they right away apologized profusely and sent us new chicken which was much better. Again, we were the first people ever to have this dish as customers, so it’s logical that it wasn’t perfect yet. My mother is a bit sensitive to salt, and the lentils surrounding her salmon were a bit salty, but the salmon itself was divine. The beef bourignon was great, as was the lobster pasta. Disregarding the few small kinks, the food was delicious. Even though we were absolutely stuffed, the servers insisted on bringing out dessert. Our polite server brought us out a selection of pastries, including an apricot and pistachio tart, a raspberry tart, a Japanese creamy cake (inspired by the chef ’s many locations in Tokyo), a chocolate éclair, and a mocha “dome.” All were delicious, especially the mocha “dome” which
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resembled the chocolate Louvre from Payard with a more cakelike center. With our desserts, we ordered cappuccinos made by the sparkling new and beautiful espresso machines. Overall, this meal was divine. We were sent home with baguettes and other pastries as a gift bag, and I’m so happy to enjoy more Kayser spread throughout my weekend. There were little issues, which of course will be worked out by the time the restaurant officially opens, on Monday, October 14th; I have faith that this location will be just as successful as the numerous others all over the world. Keep your eyes out for more of Eric Kayser’s restaurants to pop up around the city because according to one of the business partners, there are many more locations to come…
restaurant reviews
Organic Restaurants our recommendations for where to eat
Nicole Velez (‘15)
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any New Yorkers have been trying to become healthier, from exercising to changing their diets. New York City is home to millions of people who are constantly on the go. If they are in need of a boost to make it through the day there is a Starbucks on almost every corner in Manhattan. On their thirty-minute lunch breaks New Yorkers are grabbing salads or wraps. But why shouldn’t they take the next stop and let’s say… go completely organic? Organic. Sounds expensive, but is it really? In the recent decade the demand for natural and organic food has grown significantly. More and more organic restaurants are opening up through out Manhattan. Now what is the difference between natural food vs. organic
food? “Natural” food does not have a set nor regulated definition. “Organic” means the food or fiber bearing the label was made with a set of faming and production practices defined and regulated by the USDA. “Organic” on a product label or packaging means that the product was made without the use of toxic, persistent pesticides, antibiotics, GMOs or artificial growth hormone. Organic restaurants use only “organic” food products for their dishes. While I was exploring Manhattan for organic restaurants I found five that were 100% organic and relatively inexpensive. The restaurants also provided to-go menus and delivery options. Taking it a next step and eating organic food is not as hard, expensive or time consuming as it may seem!
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restaurant reviews
Nanoosh
Bareburger
Location: 2012 Broadway (68th & 69th) New York, NY 10023 What: An organic restaurant providing mainly Mediterranean dishes. Atmosphere: Indoor area along with an outdoor area that is candle lit at night. A relaxing place to sit down and enjoy a healthy meal after a long week. Price Rating: $$ Meal: Sirloin Steak Wrap with Mediterranean Salad($13.95) Tasted great, meat is cooked medium well. Wrap was very flavorful and filling. Dessert: Fat Witch Walnut Brownie ($4.95) Great dessert to finish off the meal. The walnut complemented the brownie very well. The dessert tasted moist but was not overly sweet. Must or Must Not: Must! Great and quick service. A to-go menu is provided as well.
Location: 1370 1st Avenue at 73rd Street, NY What: An organic restaurant that provides the burgers, fries and shakes that everyone loves! Atmosphere: A nice place to eat during any day of the week. Whether you are getting out from practice or just walking by on a Saturday morning, you can find a great meal here. Price Rating: $$ Meal: Big Blue Bacon Bareburger ($12.15) along with Mandarin Orange Bare soda ($2.95), which is made from organic evaporated cane juice. Burgers can be ordered with meats including elk, turkey, lamb and bison. The Bare soda was a much healthier and tastier option instead of regular soda. Dessert: Flourless and Gluten Free Chocolate Cake ($7.95) For all of those gluten free and non-gluten free New Yorkers, you’re all able to enjoy an amazing cake! A great organic treat! Must or Must Not: A must! A great place to stop.
Josie
Gustorganics
Location: 300 Amsterdam Avenue at 74th Street New York, New York 10023 What: From eco-friendly seafood to triple filtered water, the restaurant is completely organic. Atmosphere: A distinctive earth conscious style in every tier of the restaurant. A funky dining room filled with candle lit tables. Price Rating: $$$ Meal: Grilled Natural Chicken Breast Teriyaki ($18.75) The scrumptious meal has a great combination of flavorful meat and whole grain rice. The vegetables are steamed and complement the meat very well. Dessert: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Pie ($6.50) A light dessert to finish a great meal. Who doesn’t love ice cream? Must or Must Not: Must! Another relaxing location to start off your weekend.
Location: 519 Avenue of the Americas at 14th Street, New York, New York 10011 What: The first and only organic certified restaurant in New York City, as well as the worlds first certified restaurant using all organic ingredients. Atmosphere: With the owner being Argentinian, the restaurant has an amazing South American cuisine. A calm atmosphere that allows people to de-stress after a long week. Price Rating: $$$ Meal: Chicken Quesadillas ($17) A filling meal that has the South American taste that will have you coming back for more. The meat is juicy and delicious and is definitely a great dish. Dessert: Homemade Dulce de Leche Gelato ($9) A sweet Italian-style ice cream that you’ll love. Must or Must Not: Must go! The South American Cuisine gives people the chance to try more than just organic burgers and salads. 13
health
Medicinal Spices Lauren Hooda (‘16)
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pice - the very word conjures up visions of exotic tastes and flavors. Whether sprinkled on top or blended in, they improve the palatability of the meal. They are an inseparable part of every kitchen. Some spices are aromatic, others pungent. If the right amount is added, they complement the dish not disguise or obscure it. With every spoonful, you may taste specific flavors, spices upon spices, which have trickled down over families and cultures. However, spices do more than add a kick of flavor. They provide a variety of biological functions, and theircumulative effects can shield the body from various ailments. A spice is a dried fruit, seed, bark or root of a plant. Its therapeutic abilities derive from its plant nutrients. Turmeric, a crushed root, provides a yellow dye and flavor commonly used in Indian and
South-Asian cuisine. Often used as a rice colorant and curry ingredient, it has antioxidant properties. This helps prevent diseases such as cancer by reducing free radicals, molecules that cause damage to healthy body cells. It can strengthen the immune system, and repair scar tissues and stretch marks. Its anti-inflammatory properties bring relief to people with arthritis. Cinnamon isn’t just a mildly spicy and sweet flavor often added in baked goods - cookies, breads, pies. It has a positive effect on blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes, and can reduce stomach and joint muscle pain. Cinnamon improves memory and other cognitive functions, and is an excellent source of iron and calcium. Ginger is indigenous to southern China, from where it spread to the Spice Islands, Asia and West Africa. It’s overpowering taste and
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warming, aromatic scent is easily identifiable in many hot soups, beverages, fried foods, and even candies. Ginger is an anti-emetic, relieving gastrointestinal problems such as motion sickness, nausea and vomiting, as well as cold sweats and dizziness. When boiled in water or roasted, ginger treats coughing and itchy throats. As a society, we rely far too heavily on the pharmaceutical industry to restore health. Although often essential and effective, medicinal pills and syrups are packed with chemicals and drugs. It’s refreshing to be reminded that there are healthy, natural, and most importantly savory alternatives to ease symptoms. And, tons of medicine can be avoided, because the increased consumption of these spices can prevent the ailments in the first place from developing. http://www.flickr.com/photos/cubagallery/
health
How to Get an A Restaurant Graded Health Inspection Stephanie Ge (‘16)
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estaurant inspection grades are well-known by many people, and these scores are factors to be considered when deciding where to eat. These inspections are fairly new and have only recently become a subject of interest across the globe. Some countries have barely begun to use checks and systems for assuring sanitation, and only a few countries, such as the United States and Canada, create and publish restaurant ratings based on hygiene. Yet within the United States, only a fraction of cities in the United States have developed an official grading system for food facilities. The majority of cities in the United States do not have this system, and the graded health inspections are mostly concentrated and best known to the population in large cities across the United States such as Boston, Houston, Chicago, Kansas City, Dallas, and New York City. Not many people know how this grading inspection system works, how the system is beneficial to the people, or what the grade represents. Looking at New York City, the grading system is administered by New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH), where all food facilities get a scorecard representing how hygienic the facility is. The Health Department conducts unannounced inspections
of restaurants at least once a year. The inspections must be unannounced to confirm that restaurants are hygienic throughout the whole year, and not only clean right before an inspection to give the image of being hygienic. This way, the grading system can really be trusted. Inspectors check on five general factors: food handling, food temperature, personal hygiene, facility and equipment maintenance, and vermin control. There is a regulation that each restaurant must follow, and if a regulation is violated, each violation gets a certain number of points. After the inspection, the points are totaled and this number
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is the restaurant’s score. Lower scores mean fever violations to the regulations, which results in a better grade. The number of points given for a particular violation depends on the health risk it poses to the public. Violations fall into three categories: a public health hazard, a critical violation, and a general violation. Not properly sanitizing cooking utensils would be a general violation-a violation that receives 2 points. An example of a critical violation would be serving raw food, like a salad, without properly washing it first—here’s a violation that receives
health
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5 points. Failing to keep food at the right temperature would be a public health hazard violation--a violation that receives a minimum of 7 points. For a public health hazard violation, if the violation cannot be corrected before the inspection ends, the restaurant may be closed down by the Health Department until it is fixed. Inspectors assign additional points to reflect the extent of the violation. Two types of inspections result in a letter grade: initial inspections where the restaurant earns an A and re-inspections that result in an A, B, or C. Restaurants have two chances to earn an A in every inspection cycle (one inspection cycle per year). The initial inspection is the first time in a year that an inspector goes to a restaurant to inspect. If the restaurant does not earn an A in the initial inspection, it is given time to fix the problem, before the inspector returns within a month to re-inspect the restaurant. This re-
inspection can be given a grade of an A (0-13 points), a B (14-27 points), or a C (28+ points). If a restaurant gets a C three times, the facilities is required to be shut down. Data taken from the official New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene shows that as soon as this system was established, restaurants started to take better care of their facilities, resulting in an increase in the percentage of restaurants to receive the letter grade A in just 18 months, from 27% to 41%. Although these health systems have been spreading and becoming more well-known throughout the United States and the world, there are minor problems associated with it. Problems include finding a way to grade restaurants to provided accurate data that reflects an operation's food safety standards. Some restaurants may not have large hygiene issues regarding food, but have many minor mistakes--from 16
bent food and oil cans (violation of 2-5 points), using the wrong utensils for foods (2-5 points), or having stained cutting boards (2-5 points). Some of these violations are minute and insignificant compared to vermin violations, but are worth the same amount of points. Two restaurants could both get C’s, where one restaurant has vermin and critical hygiene issues while the other restaurant could just have many minimal issues that add up to a C. The letter grade generalizes the safety of the restaurant, but does not always accurately represent the restaurant 100 percent. Other problems include budget limitations that limit the health department’s abilities. As these systems continue to improve and people begin to realize how much it helps to understand just how many people fall ill to restaurant hygiene issues, health inspection systems will become widespread all over the world.
t r y t his at home
Lemonade Stand
Noa Hankin (‘16)
supplies - Sturdy Table - Poster and markers (Optional) - Large jugs - cup sugar - 1 cup water - 4-6 lemons - 3 cold water
http://www.simplyum.com/refreshing-lemonade-on-ahot-day/
time to serve
make the lemonade Prep time: 40 min Makes: 6 servings Directions: Heat sugar in a small saucepan until it is completely dissolved. While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer to extract the juice from the lemons. Add the lemon juice and the sugar water into a jug. Then add 3 cups of cold water. Refrigerate for a half an hour.
Once this is done, take your lemonade and set up your table in your local neighborhood. Use posters to attract the attention of passer-byes.
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t r y t h is at home
The Five Ingredient Fix Claire Robinson’s ginger pumpkin tart
Sarah Zeng (‘17)
Over Thanksgiving break, I decided to actually bake a Thanksgiving-related dessert myself. Since I am not an expert baker, I used a simple ginger pumpkin tart recipe, by Claire Robinson. Luckily, it only had five ingredients and did not seem too difficult to bake or time-consuming. The tart is composed a crushed ginger cookies and butter crust, and a filling, which is made out of a mix of pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, and a pinch of salt. Although the tart was relatively simple to bake, I thought that it was delicious. The ginger cookie crust complemented the pumpkin filling well because the crust tasted like crunchy cinnamon. Even the pumpkin filling had just the right level of sweetness – it was sweet enough to make the pie have flavor, but not so much that the pie would be sickening Instead of a crust of only of ginger cookies, I cooked my piecrust with ginger cookies made with almonds. I thought the flavor of the crust did not overwhelm the filling, which is the main part of the dessert. I found that the dessert’s recipe gave me extra filling and crust, so I made two pies. However, the crust needed about half a tablespoon more butter in order to keep it from collapsing during baking. I also noticed that making the crust thicker on the sides and on the bottom gave the tart more texture and prevented burning after a few bites.
Directions:
Ingredients:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put a 9-inch removable-bottom fluted tart pan on a baking sheet. Make the crust by combining the ginger cookie crumbs and melted butter in a large bowl, until well blended. Add the crumbs to the tart pan and evenly press over the bottom and up the sides with the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake until set and a bit darker in color, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, condensed milk, egg yolks and salt until well blended. Pour the filling into the cooled crust, return to the oven, and bake until set and beginning to brown on the top, about 30 minutes. Remove tart from the oven, cool to room temperature and then chill in the refrigerator, at least 1 hour or until ready to serve. To serve, carefully remove outer tart shell ring and slice. Eat and enjoy! NOTE: Any crushed gingersnap cookie will do; just be sure to use 2 1/2 cups crumbs for the crust.”
- 2 1/2 cups crushed thin Swedish ginger cookies, (about 55 to 60 cookies) - 6 tablespoons butter, melted - 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree, organic if possible - 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk - 2 large egg yolks - Pinch salt http://www.flickr.com/photos/madewithpink/5203174598/sizes/l/
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t r y t his at home
to a Healthier Diet Karen Jiang (‘17) and Joanna Kuang (‘17)
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ouTube might not seem like the first resource to turn to when you want to try a new recipe or find a better one for a dish you already love. However, YouTube is, in fact, teeming with many cooking channels, posted by people who love food just as much as you do. YouTube cooking provides many advantages, some of which include getting a visual demonstration that you can pause and follow along with, seeing other related recipes, and having your own personal instructor in your pocket whom you can quickly consult. We decided to pick two YouTube chefs and put their videos to the test. Cassey Ho, the creator Blogilates, is best known for her killer Pilates videos. But as part of advocating healthy lifestyles, she has also created a cooking series “Cheap Clean Eats” on her channel. She cooks up “guilty pleasure” foods like donuts, mac ‘n cheese, and ice cream sandwiches, but with her recipes, absolutely no guilt is involved. Cassey’s versions of these foods generally have half the calories, double the nutrients, and are extremely inexpensive to make. What’s not to love about pies, cheesecake, and pizza without worrying about the fat, sugar, and calories that typically come with them? After discovering the series, we decided to try some of them out. Her chunky cinnamon apple muffins came out of the oven with a delicious and rich scent – and they tasted just as good! The cinnamon and apple flavors in the muffins were perfect for fall and winter. So anytime you want to grab a snack, try these delicious—and not to mention super healthy—muffins. Another Youtuber, Bethany Mota, is a teenage girl who makes cooking videos, among others. Her hilarious personality and engaging videos make her a great choice to cook with. Since fall was coming and pumpkins were popping up everywhere, we decided
to learn how to bake her popular pumpkin cookies with caramel frosting. After watching the video once, in which she clearly demonstrates the baking process step-by-step, lists the ingredients, and adds her own dash of humor, we could hardly wait to get started. We copied down the list of ingredients and made a shopping trip to gather what we didn’t have on hand. Then we began making the dough with confidence, stopping her video every so often to inspect our work and compare it against hers. After we pulled our cookies out of the oven, we ate some hot and slathered others with homemade caramel frosting. The cookies were amazing and being homemade just made it taste better. They were also a huge hit at school when we brought them in; people were attacking us for cookies! We loved making these recipes with Cassey and Beth, and we encourage you to give them a try! Skip the confusing paper recipes. Some of the best recipes and cooking tutorials are waiting for you in the universe of Youtube. So go cook up some amazingly delicious goodies! Happy eating! http://www.flickr.com/photos/57649404@N02
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Cassey Ho’s Chunky Cinnamon Apple Muffins Ingredients:
Directions:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 egg whites 1/2 cup honey 1/4 cup safflower oil 3/4 cup milk of choice (almond, soy, rice, or cow) 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce 2 medium apple, peeled and well chopped 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl, blend together the flour, cinnamon, chopped apples and baking soda. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg whites, honey, oil, milk, and apple sauce. Pour the flour into the liquid and blend well. Spoon into lined muffin tins and place in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the muffins are cooked through (test with a cake tester). Cool on a cooling rack (the apples retain the heat for a while, so allow enough time for cooling).
Bethany Mota’s Pumpkin Cookies Directions:
Ingredients: Cookies 1 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 cup canned pumpkin 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon cloves 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ginger 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups all-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix. Stir in pumpkin (very important not to blend here!) In a medium bowl, combine the baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, salt and flour. Fold this into the pumpkin mixture. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with your hands. Bake for 10 minutes. While the cookies are baking, make your frosting! In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, cream, and brown sugar over medium heat. Let it just simmer slightly and turn off the heat. Add in vanilla. Once the mixture is completely cold, stir in confectioner’s sugar. Spread frosting over cooled cookies (be sure to cool completely or frosting will melt).
Frosting 3 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup heavy cream 1 cup confectioners’ sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
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t r y t his at home
Chocolate Mousse Esther Fleischer (‘17)
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped 3 eggs, separated 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dulcedelight/5568106167/in/photolist-9u2ZYt
Procedure: 1) Melt butter and chocolate together in a small saucepan. Right before the chocolate is completely melted, beat with a wooden spoon until smooth.
2) Transfer chocolate mixture to a bowl and beat in egg yolks with a whisk. Refrigerate.
3) Beat egg whites with half the sugar until they hold stiff peaks but are not dry. Set aside. Beat the cream with the remaining sugar and vanilla until it holds soft peaks.
4)Stir in a couples of spoonfuls of the whites into the chocolate mixture then fold in the remaining whites. Fold in the cream and refrigerate until chilled. Serve within a day or two of making. 21
t r y t h is at home
Sinful Brownies (with a twist) Hannah Fink (‘15) bakes up a storm and dishes her chocolately creations
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nvented in 2011 by Rosie of The Londoner blog, many of you know what we’ll call “Sinful Brownies.” The deliciously heavy brownies that grace the tables of bake sales and clubs fairs alike gained their name by their rich flavour and incredible texture. The format of this delectable treat is as follows; a layer of cookie dough at the bottom of the pan, followed by a layer of brownie mix, then oreo, then brownie mix to seal in the vanilla/chocolate cookie goodness. Best consumed immediately postoven, these brownies literally ooze warm melted chocolate. Recently after eating one of these delicacies, I thought to myself what if one wanted to add a certain taste or flavor to this basic format, but didn’t know how? After thinking long and hard, I drew up three different recipes that adapted but followed the basic outline of brownie mix encasing a certain sweet thing, followed by cookie dough. With the help of my professional taste tester, aka my mother, we tried all different formulas and concotions until we found the ones that were just right.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorinelise/6076904825/sizes/l/
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t r y t his at home
the nutty professor
sucrose overdose Ever since we were kids, we’ve all loved sweet things. I used to pour packets of Splenda into my smoothies, milk, anything. I would eat honey by the packets, loving the sugar as it hit my tongue. I would relish the s’mores my brother and I would make as we sat around the fireplace. That would always be delicious, marshmallows and chocolate. Why not make it in a more accessible, chocolatey warm way? For my second brownie recipe, I poured Ghirardelli’s Ultimate Fudge Brownie Mix over cookie dough, pushed in Mallomars, and then sealed them in with more brownie mix. Then, after covering the freshly baked brownies in an entire jar of Fluff, sprinkled white sugar granules to top off this chocolate marshmallow heartattackinapan.
Snickers, Almond Joy, Payday, Take 5, Mars Bar, Baby Ruth… what do all of these have in common? That’s right, you guessed it nuts. There’s just something about the flavour of nuts mixed with chocolate that gets people going. So why not build a delicious nutty brownie to satiate those cravings too? Using Ghirardelli’s Walnut Brownie Mix, I layered Reese’s chocolate chips in the middle on top of the layer of cookie dough. I then waited about 30 minutes, slathered the cooling sheet of heaven in peanut butter and Reese’s Peanut Butter and Chocolate Shell Topping, which hardened in minutes over the smooth peanut buttery goodness.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cupcakedesign/6425767465/in/photostream/
dulce de leche
Caramel. Enough said. Who doesn’t like caramel and chocolate? Almost every single chocolate candy bar has caramel or toffee layered inside of it. However, instead of just mixing caramel into the brownie mix, I took it one step further. Anyone who’s had fancy chocolate has eaten a chocolate covered in caramel and sea salt. Something about the sharp taste brings out the sweetness in the most surprising way. After coating the typical layer of cookie dough in Hershey’s Ultimate Fudge Supreme Brownie Mix, I placed a second layer of the brownie mix over Rollo’s, which melted quite nicely once it was done baking. After it finished, and the room smelled like caramel and burnt sugar, I covered the concoction in caramel sauce and sprinkled sea salt on top. This, my mother and I decided together as we ate my creations, was the best one of all. 23
t r y t h is at home
Magic Cookie Bars Spencer Solit (‘16) and Ruby Wald (‘16)
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agic cookie bars are an easy, fun, and mouth-watering DIY treat! Made using five ingredients: butter, coconut shavings, graham cracker crumbs, chocolate chips, and condensed milk, they’re perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth. These cookie bars take a little over half an hour to make in total (ten minutes of preparation and twenty five minutes in the oven), so they’re perfect for a last minute addition to the menu or a sudden craving. A quick tip: After taking the pan out of the oven, remember to let it cool, so that you can cut your dessert into small-neat-same-sized bars. If you cut what you have before it’s cool enough, your bars will fall apart, and you won’t be able to get them out of the pan. We almost ran into this problem while making the bars. If unsure sure the bars are ready to cut, poke into your dessert with a fork or toothpick. If it comes out clean then they are ready. We recommend that you put the pan in the refrigerator for ten to fifteen minuets to make sure the bars are cool. The bars smell and look so good while you’re making them; you will have to remind yourself to wait until Ingredients: 1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs Sweetened coconut flakes Condensed milk (about 14 oz) Semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 stick of butter
Courtsey of authors
Directions: Preheat overn to 375 degrees F. Unwrap the butter and place it in a pan. Put the pan in the oven, and let the heat melt the butter. Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs over the melted butter. Pat down the crumbs tightly. Drizzle the condensed milk back and fourth across the pan. Scatter enough coconut shavings to cover the condensed milk. Sprinkle the chocolate chips to your liking. Put the pan in the oven and bake the cookie bars for 20-25 minutes. Cut them into even squares and enjoy! 24
Courtsey of authors
t r y t his at home
Homemade PopTarts! Melanie Totenberg (‘14)
Ingredients:
Pie Crust: - 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, plus additional for rolling and shaping - 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt - 2 teaspoons sugar - 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes - 4 tablespoons cold water Filling: 12 tablespoons strawberry preserves (preferably organic homemade) or filling of your choice
Courtsey of author
TO MAKE PIE CRUST Whisk 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour, coarse salt, and sugar in large bowl. Add butter. Using fingertips or back of fork, blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water by tablespoonfuls,
tossing until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball. Divide in half; shape each half into disk. Wrap in plastic. Chill at least 1 hour.
TO ASSEMBLE Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough on floured surface to about 13x11 inches. Trim to 12x10-inch rectangle, then cut into eight 5x3-inch rectangles. Arrange 4 rectangles, spaced apart, on each sheet.
Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons preserves in row down center of each rectangle. Top preserves with second dough rectangle. Using fingertips, gently press all edges of each tart to seal; press all edges with tines of fork to double-seal. Using toothpick, poke a few holes in center of top dough rectangle. Cover; freeze tarts on sheets at least 2 hours and up to 1 week. 25
t r y t h is at home
Pumpkin Pie Recipe Stephanie Ge (‘16)
Ingredients:
Directions:
3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 2 large eggs 1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin 1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell Whipped cream (optional)
Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell Bake in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.
Prep: 15 mins Cooking: 55 mins Level: Easy Cooling: 120 mins Yields: 8 servings
http://www.flickr.com/photos/preppybyday/5076305261/sizes/l/
http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/18470/libbys-famous-pumpkin-pie/detail.aspx
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edible