Showing posts with label Great Comfort Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Great Comfort Food. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Going Bananas

My friend, Linda just sent me this email and I thought it had such wonderful needed information about the benefits of bananas. DD just left for the store to get milk and after reading this, I called her quick - to pick up some bananas.

A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas. He said the expression "going bananas" is from the effects of bananas on the brain. Read on:

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!

This is interesting.

After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.


Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.

But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit.
It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression:
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS:
Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia :
High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure:
This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.


Brain Power:
200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation:
High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers:
One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn:
Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness:
Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness

Mosquito bites:
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves:
Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.


Overweight
and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips.. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers:
The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control:
Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):
Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking &Tobacco Use:
Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress:
Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance.. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes:
According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts:
Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"


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Friday, February 20, 2009

Girls Cook: Comfort Food From Lylah's Kitchen


There's just something very right about women getting together to cook dinner! They used to do in way back when and last Thursday we did it in my kitchen.

Molly, BreAnna, and daughter Candace joined me in making some comfort food. Kids were running around, messes everywhere - but it didn't matter with the results of woman to woman connection over cookin'.

Related Posts:
1. Women Helping Women
2. Cooking in Lylah's Kitchen
3. Comfort Food
4. Gaining From an Older Woman

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Thursday, January 29, 2009

comfort food: creamy chicken potpie with rosemary crust

Mom was all about comfort food for her family of six and indeed one of Mom's comfort food growing up was her Chicken Potpie.

Lately, I've been wanting some comfort food. There's nothing like a woman being centered in her home AND having comfort food.

So, last night, I made comfort food. I knew upon seeing this recipe from Chef Amy Barnes of the Sweet Basil Gourmetware that it'd be on my dinner table real soon.

Indeed - lovely comfort food.

Comfort Ingredients:
4 Tbl. butter
1 onion diced
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon or paste [NOTE: I swear by Better than Bouillon paste -probably found at a Whole Foods]
1 cup water
3/4 cup half and half
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary [NOTE: I use fresh from my garden. It's so easy to grow, at least here in the desert.]
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 Tbl.sherry [NOTE: I used cooking sherry.]
2 carrots diced [NOTE: I used 3.]
3 stalks celery, diced
3 cups or about 1/2 pounds cooked diced chicken [NOTE: I used 3 large chicken breasts that I cooked verryyyyyyyyyy slowly in a frying pan with a touch of garlic salt.]

Piecrust
1 cup flour
1 Tbl. rosemary, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup Crisco [NOTE: Yes, I admit,I used Crisco and it's the first time in at least seven years.]
3 Tbl. ice-cold water


Start your crust prep by chopping your rosemary - really fine.
Then . . .
In a big bowl (for some reason I LOVE glass bowls) add your flour, salt and finely chopped rosemary.
Then add your Crisco . . .

And cut in the Crisco with a pastry blender (a fork will do fine) or with two knives (even better than a fork) until this mixture is fairly course,but uniform.

Sprinkle the cold water with a table spoon, a little at a time and work this into the dough making a nice firm ball. Put this aside and start on the comfort part.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and then melt your butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Dice your onions, dice your celery and dice your carrots. Melt your butter and then add your diced onion and cook this until soft. Whisk in the flour; cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes.

Next, add the chicken bouillon or paste (again, I LOVE the above mentioned paste), add your water, the half and half, your rosemary and the salt and pepper. Mix this up and then . . .

Stir in the sherry (I added an extra tablespoon -because I wanted to). Add your carrots, celery and the chicken that's been cooked and diced.
You'll note that my carrots weren't diced - just sliced. Diced is better. Simmer, covered until the vegetables are tender - about 8 minutes. I cooked it a bit longer, added about 1/2 cup of the broth from cooking the chicken breasts. I think doing this made everything moist and added a bit more flavor (to which darling daughter and husband and one 6 year old grand son could contest too!)

Now, return to your crust - On a lightly floured board roll the dough to a circle - about 1/8 inch thick. The recipe calls for a 1 quart size backing dish (round would be fun), but all I had available was a 1.5 square quart sized baking dish - so, that's what I used and it was just fine.

Fill your baking dish with your comfort ingredients and blanket the dish with your rolled out dough - sealing and crimping the edges.

Bake, uncovered for about 30 - 45 minutes until the gold brown. Makes 4 to 6 servings for hungry little boys and hungry big men. More yummy make ahead food here for you.

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Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Making Aebleskivers for Brunch

Ok, count down. Monday morning was our "last" breakfast together - at at least for awhile. I made the family favorite "memory food"- and Simon's absolute favorite - Ableskivers. We usually have Ableskivers for Christmas but this year it was Christmas in September. Yummmmm

Ableskivers are a danish "pancake" made in a cast iron skillet. You can usually find them at Ace Hardware - otherwise search online.

Here's the recipe: 4 eggs, separated 2 cups low-fat buttermilk 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted Powdered sugar A Jar of Apple Butter


Beat the 4 egg whites in a medium-sized bowl until stiff but not dry. Reserve.Combine 2 egg yolks (discard the other 2 egg yolks), buttermilk, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, vanilla extract, and melted butter in a bowl, and mix until smooth. Fold in the beaten egg whites.

Pour about 3/4 teaspoon butter into each round of an Aeblekiver pan and heat over medium-high heat on top of stove. Add a heaping tablespoon of the batter, or enough to fill each round about three-quarters full. Take a good sized tea spoon of the apple butter and put it in the batter.

When bubbly around the edges, turn each round upside down with a spoon or two forks. This is the tricky part - to try to get the ball turned over. It takes practice.

Continue cooking, turning until done, about 2 minutes. You’ll know it’s just about done because the ball will come away from the sides of the pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with sour cream and more apple butter.
I’ll warn you—it’s a bit messy to make, but absolutely worth it. We genernally serve eggs and bacon, fresh orange juice.

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