Unwind and chill

Summertime brings picnics, road trips, outdoor hikes, plenty of fun in the sun, and long car rides. When packing a cooler and food on your excursions, it is important to remember some key food safety tips. Food-borne illnesses run a high risk of occurrences throughout the summer months, as outdoor picnics, buffets, and barbeques can pose many hazards. Germs do multiply faster in the summer, as heat and humidity are the perfect conditions for increases.

Although it may be tempting to forego food preparation concerns when you’re on the road, it’s still wise to take care of the following food safety issues before they lead to a potential health danger:

1. When grocery shopping on warm days, try and go to the store and back in as little time as possible. This will prevent potential wilting of fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs turning bad, or other dairy or refrigerator items from turning rancid from the heat. 

2. Take a well-stocked cooler for trips lasting longer than 1 hour, as you will need cold sports drinks, water, or other beverages to stay hydrated. 

3. Choose plastic bottles over canned beverages while on the road, as these are less likely to explode from the heat! 

4. Don’t eat any leftovers that have been sitting in a car or outside for longer than 45 minutes. 

5. Place all food or leftovers in a cooler or mini fridge as soon as possible 

6. Mayonnaise is not a good pot-luck choice for outdoor picnics, as it can get bad very quickly. Dairy products also fall into this category, so pick your menu selections wisely. 

7. Keep all food preparation surfaces clean, germ-free, and wash your hands frequently 

8. To prevent bacteria from taking over your favorite dish, make sure that hot food is kept hot, and cold foods kept cold. Hot food should be served at 140 degrees F. or above, and cold foods at 40 degrees F. or below. 

9. It’s essential that meat is thawed appropriately and does not drip on other foods! This is an easy road to food contamination. 

10. Always serve food on clean plates, and use paper plates if needed for convenience and cleanliness. 

11. At a buffet or picnic, discard food that may have been left at room temperature for more than two hours. 

12. Secure clean drinking water at your picnic or barbeque site, and bring your own bottled water if necessary.

13. Use frozen gel packs and lots of ice to pack your cooler.

14. Separate raw meats and foods from fresh vegetables, fruits and other ready-to-eat items and prevent cross-contamination. 

15. Cover trash containers and garbage areas well to avoid flies and other insects from approaching food areas.

With these food safety tips in mind, you are sure to enjoy a safe and healthy summer. Check the weather for heat advisories, and as always, don’t forget the sunscreen!




Energy Drinks

Relaxation

Relaxing

Pizza, pasta and pepperoni, oh, my! If you’re like me and you love Italian food, but want more of a down-to-earth place with very reasonable prices, then have I got some secret spots to share with you.

Dino’s Pizzeria
7004 W Higgins Ave
Chicago, IL 60656
773-763-4077

Dino's has to be one of the best treasures on the Northwest side. Excellent food, friendly staff and a large dining area complete with a killer jukebox and an adjoining bar and beer garden. I highly recommend their Wednesday special which includes a large order of pasta with meatballs or sausage, soup and salad , all for the super low price of $6.99. You can also get a ‘buy one/get one’ deal on pizza. Mmmmmm, PIZZA!! You may also enjoy their football sized beef sandwiches hearty enough for the biggest jocks.

Amici Ristorante
7620 N Milwaukee Ave
Niles, IL 60714
847-967-0606

Many locals enjoy visiting this authentic and charming restaurant. The food is prepared fresh, with quality olive oil, real tomatoes, and a lot of homemade touches. The menu is extensive and includes everything from pasta, chicken, steak, seafood and great appetizers. They do catering and serve lunch and dinner. On a recent visit, my family and I (about 7 of us) all had a great meal. Everything we tried was excellent. We had the lasagne, angel hair, meatballs, stuffed eggplant parm and we were all very happy. The cream of tomato rice soup and the turtle dessert were also winners with this happy clan!

Joe’s Pizza
5747 W Higgins Ave
Chicago, IL 60630
773-685-2301

A very special place to me. Great food, warm and welcoming staff and always-reliable delivery service. The pizza and pasta are excellent and one of my fave foods around. They also have a great chicken parmesan dinner that comes with salad and side of pasta for under $10. The dining area is really cute and comfy with pix on the walls of everyone from old-time movie stars and the 3 Stooges (nyuk nyuk) to classic films and legendary icons

Mama Luna’s Pizza and Pasta
5109 W Fullerton Ave
Chicago, IL 60639
773-637-6553

After years of ordering in, I decided to check out the restaurant live and in person. Wow , was I in for a treat. We were greeted by a sweet lady (possibly Mama herself?) who knew we hadn't been there before so she went out of her way to make us feel like we were either famous or family! The dining room was lovely, and the food was wonderful. We tried the pizza and pasta and both kept us happy and talking for days. Go and visit Mama and you will not be disappointed.

Father & Son Pizza
2475 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
773-252-2620

This place is such a sentimental favorite of mine. My family used to take me here when I was just a baby, and I still love it to this day. I went here a couple weeks ago and had a great time. They have a five cheese and tomato gourmet pizza that was excellent. I also had the Italian salad which was big enough for two. The broasted chicken with potatoes is also very good.





Energy Drinks

Alcohol

Relaxing

Cajun cooking is a staple in Lewisville, Texas, though there are only two restaurants in the area. The first is Razzoo’s Cajun Cafe at 1990 S. Stemmons Freeway and the other one is Johnny G’s at 1425 Justin Road. Take it from me, nothing beats good Cajun cuisine.

Razzoo’s has been in town for several years and is a chain restaurant. Featured items include nice selection of Cajun classics like gumbo and blackened salmon. The walls are graced with fishing nets, and various items like old tires, and such; you will see something different every time you visit. The food is fresh and spicy and there is always enough to take some home, which is the Cajun tradition.  You don’t have to have fish, or crawfish, or even gator; many people order the chicken, which comes grilled, fried or blackened. All this won't cost you an arm and a leg either, two can eat here for around thirty dollars.

Johnny G’s is a new restaurant in Lewisville. It is a rather unique blend of Cajun and Italian cooking. The shrimp pasta is something special, as is the blackened fish. The ambience is different as well, the tables are wooden picnic style and some of the walls are covered with galvanized aluminum. There are pictures of New Orleans, and the bayou all over the walls. But the best thing about Johnny G’s is that Mama G, prepares an Italian Buffet every Wednesday night, with the best all you can eat pasta and sauces in town.

Razzoo’s Cajun Cafe
1990 S Stemmons Fwy, Lewisville, TX 75067
(972) 316-0326

Johnny G’s
1425 Justin Rd, Lewisville, TX 75077
(972) 317-7315

So, if you are in the mood for some real down home cooking that reminds you of New Orleans, check out these two establishments. You will not regret your decision.





Energy Drinks

Red Bull

Relaxation

Among all of the wonderful and memorable milestones your baby reaches, one of the most exciting is starting him on solid foods. Depending on what your pediatrician recommends, babies can start eating solids anywhere from 4 to 6 months of age, and rice cereal seems to be the top choice of first foods to introduce to your little one.

When my son turned 5 months old, I started feeding him rice cereal, followed by oatmeal, yellow veggies, green veggies, and then fruits. I waited the suggested five days in between introducing new foods to watch for allergic reactions but was always so excited and ready to see how he would like the next new flavor. He took to all of them, with the exception of strained peas, like a fish to water.

During this time, my best friend sent me a copy of the book, Super Baby Food, by Ruth Yaron and it quickly became my baby food bible. This book contains everything you need to know about feeding your baby and toddler. It includes suggestions as to what to feed your baby during each month of his first year, amounts, temperature, and much more to ensure your baby is receiving proper nourishment. This book also gave me an abundance of tips and ideas for making my son homemade baby food and quick meals and snacks that we could both enjoy.

Now, I am not the kitchen-wiz, Martha Stewart-esque type of mom, so at first I was a bit daunted by the thought of making baby food. I imagined myself covered head to toe in spinach and sweet potatoes while my steamer and blender worked overtime, but I was pleasantly surprised at how quick and easy it really was.

I had been feeding my son Nature's Own organic baby food at the time I got the book, and he was enjoying it immensely as both nutrition and a facial masque! So, I decided to continue using all of the flavors that Nature's Own carries and that I would make homemade baby food in flavors that didn't already come in jars. I set up my rice/veggie steamer and cooked asparagus, broccolli, cauliflower, bell peppers, zucchini, kale, edamame, beets, and pumpkin, pureed them in the blender and poured each into ice cube trays. After they had frozen, I would transfer the veggie cubes to freezer bags, and voila homemade goodness! And all this would take me less than 20 minutes for about two weeks worth of veggies.

Now that my son is a toddler and eating chunky foods, I continue to implement a lot of tips from Super Baby Food to ensure that he is getting the best nutrition possible. I still steam and puree some veggies when he is going through a "no green food" stage so that I can hide them in his quesadillas or pasta sauce, and I also like to add nutritious supplements to his foods. For example, in his morning bowl of oatmeal I will add fruit, and flaxseed meal which is an excellent source of Omega-3's and lignins. 

When I give him yogurt, I like to add extra fruit, mashed tofu for added protein, oat bran or wheat germ, and molasses which is high in calcium, iron, and potassium. I tend to stay away from pre-flavored yogurts since they have added sugar, and buy plain which is then sweetened by the fruit and molasses. Stonyfield Farms makes an organic yogurt for babies, Yo-Baby, which comes in fruit and vanilla flavors, so I will use that at times as well. For his veggies, rather than use butter, I like to add some olive oil and a dash of kelp powder which is a good source of iodine and promotes thyroid health.

We owe it to our children to give them the best start in life, and fueling their little bodies properly is essential. There are a plethora of wonderful books available that list healthy meal ideas, tips for making homemade baby food, and more. Super Baby Food happened to be my favorite and I recommend it without hesitation.


Energy Drinks

RedBull

Relaxing the real way

With the increasing numbers of hunger across the United States, every little bit counts when it comes to donations and collecting food for the hungry. You can contribute by organizing your own food dirve in you community, town, office, or school. The contributions to local food pantries help immensely, not only during the winter months. Many food pantries have ‘high’ and ‘low’ times of year where their food supplies are minimal and need your support! Take part in a good cause and organize a food drive; simplicity can lead to success, and here are eight steps to lead you towards a rewarding opportunity:

1. Contact your local food pantries, food banks and and shelters, to check and see where your contributions are best suited. Some pantries already organize large-scale food drives, and may be willing to sponsor your local one complete with advertising materials, incentives, and public relations rewards. This initial contact will also help identify what is most needed in your area, or in selecting a neighborhood. 

2. Create a theme. This will create a memorable design for your food drive, and will likely be rememberd most by everyone that you will pitch to. A theme will give your food drive an extra boost visually, and help to gather specific donors as well. 

3. Create a goal. Whether it’s one hundred cans of non-perishable items, or a dollar amount of food, make it clear to all participants what the goal is for your particular food drive. Oftentimes this is enough to get people interested and invoved, and will help generate easier donations.

4. Make a list of potential donors: this will include local grocery and food companies, corporations, and organizations that may be able to donate larger sums of donations or food. These may also help make your food drive more prominent in the local community. Individual donors will be your friends, family, and coworkers and you can draft a list of potentials to pitch to.

5. Do some market research: look for companies that will match your donations; sometimes corporate sponsors are willing to coordinate with you to match a certain amount of food or donations, and can help make your food drive a successful event!

6. Pick a date or structure: Decide if you will host an event for donations to be bought to a specific location, or if this will be an ongoing effort of collecting donations and then reporting the final numbers at a later date.

7. Create an e-mail bulletin. This will go out to all potential donors, local press, or even just your contacts list to generate interest. If your food drive is taking place at a specific location, include all details here. If it will be an ongoing effort, you will need to make it easy and clear as to where donations are to be taken, and what is acceptable. 

8. Acknowledge contributions creatively. Choose to thank each individual, donor, and sponsor in a unique way. Not only will this create a good network for future drives, but will also ensure that credit is given appropriately to all those who participate.

Organizing a successful food drive does involve some creative thinking, promotional skills, organization, and strategy. If you can get a large group of volunteers, friends, and coworkers involved, it can help to generate interest and donors for a very important cuase. Don’t wait until winter to organize a food drive! Most food banks and pantries will gladly accept donations year round, and can help you find many resources you may need in the process.



Energy Drinks

5 Hour Energy

Relaxing

I love to cook, and as a result, my kitchen cabinets and pantry are filled with all manner of cooking related gadgets, tools & implements, and various appliances. The appliance I find myself using most often is a Black & Decker Food Steamer, which performs its duties admirably for me about 5 times a week. This excellent food preparation device costs only approximately $30.00, depending upon where you might purchase it.

The Black & Decker Food Steamer is an electric steamer that can more than adequately steam large quantities of food - everything from rice to seafood to chicken to vegetables, and the results are always delicious, aromatic, and healthy.

But perhaps the simple description offered above has not yet intrigued you or brought you to the level of excitement I tend to feel whenever I prepare a new batch of food to be steamed. Perhaps you do not yet see the allure of this fine piece of kitchen equipment.

If more inspiration is needed, then imagine a bowl of steaming fresh cauliflower, a brilliant white, speckled with black pepper, and a pat of butter melting over the top. The enticing aroma of sweet basil greets you first, and then the taste, tender-crisp with the subtle flavor of sweet basil infused with the cauliflower.

Such delicious fare is possible thanks to the built-in flavor scenter on the Black & Decker Food Steamer. Beneath the large bowl of food is a small screened compartment where you can place any manner of herbs and spices. Fresh basil or rosemary, garlic or sage, the rising steam will capture the essence of the aromatic herbs and subsequently impart the flavor and aroma into the steamed food. For heavenly herb-scented delight, the flavor scenter is a masterful highlight.

The steamer itself is very easy to use, and an included guidebook lets you know approximate steaming times for a large variety of foods, along with suggestions for various herbs that can accompany and enhance the food. The steamer is very compact and lightweight, and set up is simple.

Fill the base to the required level with water, set the tray with the flavor scenter and then the bowl of food on top, cover with the lid and set the timer to the required time, and in a short while, your dinner or side dish will be ready to serve. An insert for steaming more than one food at a time is also included, which makes a great time-saver and solves the problem of my wife and I wanting two different side dishes. A timer and automatic shutoff allows you to relax or prepare other parts of your meal without needing to keep the food steamer under a watchful eye.

Imagine a dinner of hot, tender, plump jumbo shrimp, scented and flavored with garlic and thyme, then drizzled with olive oil, beautifully white-pink in color and delectably sweet in flavor. After greedily consuming a plate of steamed shrimp, there simply is no other alternative. One can only imagine what the marvelous food steamer can do for lobster tails drizzled with clarified butter!

Because I've become more health conscious, I've also become aware of the health benefits of using the steamer, which makes the food much more enjoyable as well. Using the steamer enables the food to retain all its vital nutrients, which can otherwise be lost in other cooking methods. And because the Black & Decker Food Steamer is adept at delivering perfect, rice, vegetables, and other foods every time, with mouth-watering fresh flavor, we are encouraged to use it often, thus ensuring we eat healthily quite often.

The included rice bowl can easily handle four cups of rice or other vegetable, and the main bowl of the food steamer is capable of holding about 2 1/2 quarts of food. My wife and I are constantly amazed at how wonderfully the food steamer performs, and how bright and fresh the food appears when done, not to mention a taste that you can fully savor.

Clean up is as simple as setup. All the parts fit easily into a dishwasher or can be washed by hand, and then stored compactly back on a shelf or in the cabinet. Purchased on a whim, I would not have thought that this Black & Decker Food Steamer would become such a main attraction at dinner nearly every night, but I am certainly thankful for its company and its skills.


Energy Drinks

Pressure Sensitive Labels