Food Corps: Grow For It!

I first heard about Food Corps through a tweet from Mark Bittman back in the spring of 2010. Reading the article on Bittman's site from Paula Crossfield (of Civil Eats) I could tell Food Corps would develop into something amazing. Immediately I signed-up for their newsletter and started receiving information about the planning conference calls being held monthly. Unfortunately all the calls began at 5pm and I couldn't participate. I made sure to keep my eye out for and new information, hopeful to be a involved once the program was fully established. 

So what is Food Corps exactly? Paula Crossfield did a great job summarizing the program in the introductory article:
            [...] FoodCorps, an AmeriCorps program that would put service members to work     
            building school gardens and establishing farm-to-school relationships in towns across 
            the United States, specifically in places where people lack access to fresh produce. A 
            collaboration between the National Farm to School Network, Slow Food USA and other  
            groups, the FoodCorps program could begin as early as 2011. (source)


Finally the time has come! Momentum for the program has been non-stop since this past fall: Food Corps announced its host sites on November 30th, began circulating their recruitment video the first week in February and finally went live with their member application on February 8th! Application deadline is April 10, 2011 at 5:00pm EST. 


Check out the Recruitment Video:

Food Corps is going to be great! Get involved! Apply! Let's start a strong and true food revolution all across America! 

GROW FOR IT!

Chicken Parmesan for Two

Many moons ago my sister, an unconditional lover of chicken, came up with a song that goes like this: 

"I love chicken, I love parm! 

I love my brother his name is John, put 'em together and whattya got? 

Chicken parmesan! Toot! Toot!"

Chicken parmesan is a family favorite and something I enjoy cooking every once in a while. I cook mostly for just me, so only one portion. Chicken parm is delicious left over and a great meal to share with someone special- so this recipe is for two! It is fast, easy, and has a comforting and delicious result. Get in the kitchen and cook with a friend, a family member or a lover. Enjoy your dinner with a bottle of wine, or my favorite with saucy Italian- a tall glass of skim milk! Happy Eating! 

Tender, moist Chicken Parm

Chicken Parmesan for Two

Spray oil

1 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

1 tablespoon flour

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup bread crumbs (fresh preferred)

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 cup jarred tomato sauce, divided in half

Enough pasta for one or two people (depending on what you like)

3-4 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella cheese

1 tablespoon parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil and a little spray oil. 

Boil a big enough pot of water for the amount of pasta you desire (Tip: Always use cold water from the tap when preparing to boil, it has less bacteria, etc).

Rinse your chicken with water and dry with a paper towel. Cut in half width wise on a cutting board (you can also butterfly these pieces to make the chicken even thinner). Using a meat tenderizer (or a hammer- feel free to get creative) beat each piece of chicken on a cutting board placing a piece of plastic wrap between the chicken and the tenderizer. The meat will flatten out.

Set up your flour, egg, and bread crumbs in three plates or shallow bowls. Dredge the pieces of chicken in the flour, coat with the egg, then coat with the bread crumbs. Place the chicken on the prepared baking sheet. 

Using one half of the sauce, spoon as much as you like onto each piece of chicken. Top with the mozzarella, then the parmesan. (Some people, like my sister, enjoy their chicken without sauce and will maybe have sauce on the side to eat.)

Bake the chicken in the oven for 14-20 minutes (depending on how thick your cuts of meat are). The cheese should be just browned when it is done. 

While the chicken is in the oven, cook your pasta at the right time so it will be finished just before your chicken is ready to come out. Toss the pasta with the other half of tomato sauce. 

Serve the chicken atop the pasta. 

Enjoy!

RSS Obsessed: An Ode to Google Reader

I have recently become addicted to RSS feeds and reading blogs using Google Reader. My obsession began moments after reading the feature on LA Food Blogger Jo Stougaard in the LA Times where she mentions she reads 200+ blogs using Google Reader.

Before this I didn't read too many blogs or look at any sites daily. I would just click links in Twitter that sounded interesting to stay abreast of what was happening. My new style is to add the RSS feed to my Reader for every site I find and like. Google Reader will automatically update me when there is a new post and I can quickly read through all my favorite blogs and websites! 

One of the best things about Google Reader is if you have a Google account already, there is nothing new to create or sign up for and no additional site to sign-in to when you want to read all your blogs and feeds in one place. I can easily click "Reader" at the top of my Gmail screen when I want to check in for new feeds and browse over what was recently posted. The most set-up you need to do is building your reader feed by simply copying and pasting RSS feed and Blog links into the "Add A Subscription" bar. So quick and so easy!

Another great feature, you can search all the blogs and feeds in your reader making it so simple to find things you may have read a few days (or months!) ago or something you glanced at but didn't have time to finish reading. I love this feature because I am always half remembering things and sometimes have difficulty finding the source of my memories. Google Reader narrows down the search process to allow me to quickly find what I am looking for. This tool is extremely useful, especially if you find yourself doing research based in blogs. 

And of course, Google Reader is smart phone ready! You can download the Google Reader Application and get all the features of Google Reader on the go. This is something I'm quite fond of at lunchtime when I want to catch up on things I may have didn't have time to read during the morning. Easy to use and any updates you make on your phone will sync with your reader in-browser. 

So what are some of the things I read in my Google Reader?:

(All links are to RSS feeds-- add and enjoy!)

The Kitchn (found out about this blog from Kelsey Nixon)

A fun blog with a wide range of topics. My favorite thing is all the photos of kitchens they post!

Eater

One of the best sources for what's happening in the "Foodie" world. 

Good Food Jobs

Their blog profiles an individual who has a "Good" food job once a week in interview format. It is a great inspiration to me every Monday (now, Tuesday) morning. 

Marion Nestle's Food Politics

Dr. Nestle's blog is the best source what what is going on in the world of food politics and safety. 

Wasted Food by Jonathan Bloom

Jonathan Bloom's blog shares links about food waste, ways people are reducing their waste, and gets you thinking about what you do with your carrot peels. 

I encourage you to start using Google Reader and see if you like it as much as I do! Such a great way to stay in touch with all your favorite things. And if you do like it, odds are you will become as RSS obsessed as I am and look for that orange symbol on every website or blog you like. (I have even started tweeting and e-mailing sites who don't have an RSS feed asking them to post one!)

*       *       *

Do you already use Google Reader? Do you use a different RSS Feed reader? 

If so, please tell me about it!

What are your favorite RSS Feeds and Blogs to follow? (Leave links and information in comments)

Personal Culinary Epiphany: Homemade Brown Sugar (and some favorite cookie recipes!)

This tip may come as no surprise to some of you, but tonight I had a glorious revolution! 

After finally restocking my kitchen with sugar and flour last Wednesday I've had the urge to bake. I made some blueberry muffins last week but I hadn't baked good old chocolate chip cookies in longer than I remember. Tonight I decided I would bake some using my favorite cookie recipe: Toll House Cookies! 

As I was getting ready to head into the kitchen to whip up a batch I realized I didn't have brown sugar! This is a problem I often face and solve by running around the corner to the store to buy some. Tonight I got smart and finally came up with a solution! I said to myself, "well, brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses..." and the wheels turned. I have some blackstrap molasses for when I make Elie Krieger's Flu-Fighter Cookies and of course I have white sugar... *lightbulb!* mixing them with a little water will produce homemade brown sugar! 

Homemade Brown Sugar

A little less than 3/4 cup of granulated sugar

1 tablespoon of molasses (use less for lighter brown sugar, if you prefer)

Enough water to make the sugar "packed" (about 2 tablespoons)

Put sugar in a bowl, pour in molasses. Stir/Whisk together with fork until the sugar is mostly brown. Then add the water little by little until you get the desire of loosely 'packed' brown sugar. Voila! 

Yield: about 3/4 cup of brown sugar (the exact amount called for in the Toll House recipe) 

These are the cookies I always go to when I need to bake. The recipe is on the back of any bag of chocolate toll house morsels but it is written on my heart and I know all the measurements without looking. I always like to add a bit of cinnamon for spice and some rolled oats for texture. The result is the perfect, homey chocolate chip cookie. 

A moist, yet crunchy perfect cookie.

Never be without brown sugar again! Enjoy!

Kelsey Nixon Teaches the Essentials: Tips, Tools, Techniques, Pantry and More!

This past Tuesday I attended an excellent class taught by chef Kelsey Nixon sponsored by The Learning Annex.

Kelsey Nixon

Going into the class I wasn't sure what to expect. My fellow audience members and I were wondering "where's the kitchen?" when we entered the room at the Midtown Hitlon East. The description given by the Learning Annex didn't say there would be cooking, I think we just assumed Kelsey would be showing off some of her kitchen skills to help us learn them. 

Instead of cooking, we receive a very informative and fun presentation from Kelsey and great discussion with a room full of experienced home cooks. Kelsey gave a detailed background of her journey getting to where she is today. She has had great experiences from interning with Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, to working on her own cooking show in college: Kelsey's Kitchen, to earning a culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu Hollywood, working on Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade, to being a contestant on The Next Food Network Star (which is where I know her from best) and finally to being one of Cooking Channel's leading chefs with Kelsey's Essentials. 


Kelsey's presentation covered the essentials in terms of Tips, Tools, Techniques, Pantry, and how to stay organized and implement these into your routine. Some of the essentials are no-brainers that any practiced home cook will have learned, hence why they are essential. But others are very smart ideas that can make a big difference in the kitchen. Here are 6 Essential Lists from Kelsey. More information and comments from Kelsey have been given in italics.