Over The Fence

Everyone should get a bone scan, and Rainbow Light, makers of organic nutritional supplements, have made it easy to get a heads up on the state of your superstructure. They are visiting locations all over the USA with their mobile scanner; it looks like a foot massager, but instead of giving your tootsies a soothing soak, it sends an ultra sound through your ankle bones. The reading will inform you whether or not a full scale bone scan is necessary.

Visit the Bone I.Q. website to find the interactive map, plus all kinds of information on keeping bones healthy and yourself happy.

Thank you Rainbow Light!

I love trying new things (especially free new things). Also, when it comes to cooking, I would like to expand my repertoire beyond spaghetti. So when these Chef Salts landed on my desk (actually my editor’s desk) I jumped at the chance to experiment with them.

We got it in two different “flavors”, although it comes in six. The first was 7 Salt, which is comprised of sea salt from Maine and Bali, volcanic salt from Hawaii and India, pink salt from Pakistan, smoked salt from Wales, cracked Tellicherry and green peppercorns, and a speck of sugar. It is recommended for steaks, poached salmon, baked potatoes, and popcorn.

The second salt was Tuscan Herb. It has: garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, marjoram, fennel, cracked Tellicherry and green peppercorns, and a hint of sugar (again with the sugar!). It is recommended for grilled seafood, tossing with pasta, or chasing a wild boar through the underbrush.

I got so overeager about the salts that I decided to try them in almost all of their stated uses (with the exception of chasing a wild boar through the underbrush – that’s just not my thing.)

First up – Popcorn. I cooked the popcorn in olive oil on the stove, with a few cloves of garlic, as recommended by the website. Then I sprinkled on the 7 Salt. It was surprisingly sweet, like Kettle corn. I usually hate Kettle corn, but I actually really enjoyed this stuff, and I think it was because it was more complex than just salt and sugar. I would definitely eat this again.

Next – Steak and Baked Potato with 7 Salt. I coated the steak with the salt before grilling, and gave it a sprinkling again after the grill. This was the only seasoning the steak got that night, and it was great. It didn’t need any additional sauce or marinade, and it tasted just like an expensive steakhouse steak.

The Baked Potato was less thrilling. It was an interesting flavor, but nothing to write home about. In fact, when I went to eat the next potato (they were small), I reached for the regular salt. Oh well, nothing’s perfect. (Actually, that’s a lie. One thing was absolutely perfect. Keep reading to find out what)

Tuscan Herb time – First was grilled salmon. It worked well on the salmon, although I think it might have been better on halibut or tuna, something without as much flavor as salmon. Salmon is also a fish that needs a lot of salt, but with the Tuscan Herb that meant overkill on the other flavors. I would definitely try it again, though.

And now, the life-changing, ah-mazing, call-your-mom-right-now-because-this-is-so-good-application of the Tuscan Herb….

PASTA!!! I kid you not, this literally made me not want to have pasta again without this seasoning. It was salty, crunchy, flavorful – just all around surprising and and it made me feel like I was eating a $35 pasta dish, instead of a $0.35 one. My roomate added some of the seasoning to her pasta sauce, and said it also dramatically improved the flavor of the sauce. But I didn’t care, I was too busy slurping up my buttered noodles. When was the last time a bowl of buttered noodles felt like a treat? For me, it usually symbolizes a failure in creativity. But from now on, I will add my Tuscan Herb and eat my pasta with glee.

On December 13th, President Obama signed into law a school lunch bill that any fan of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution (or just good, fresh food) will be proud of. The White House blog has released a comparison chart showing examples of meals before and after the bill. As one who ate these school lunches not that long ago, I can tell you these kids are lucky. Chicken patties, beef tacos and mushy spaghetti were never favorites around the lunch room. In fact, my high school had a special lunch line, where for $2 more we could get better meals (spicy chicken fingers, Papa John’s pizza…better, not healthier). In none of these situations were our nutritional needs being served, and I can attest to the fact that from first through eighth grade, I always chose the chocolate milk over the plain. If given a chance, what kid wouldn’t? So kudos to the school lunch bill, if anyone deserves fresh, healthy meals, it’s the eight-year-olds who have to sit through long division.

So around this time of year, I start feeling the effects of not having fresh herbs and vegetables at my disposal every night. It’s also the time of year for buying lots and lots of presents. Luckily, I found the solution for both problems while trolling the web – Egglings! These cute herb growers look like they would add a touch of spring, even when it’s below freezing outside. Just imagine showing up with one of these as a hostess gift! Much better than wine.

The company makes other variations on this same idea, including the Nyokki, which grows grass

the taterpot, which has the cutest little facial expressions

and the Petit Coco, for the more sophisticated herb grower

It’s always fun finding new products, especially ones that will make great gifts.

Bill’s comments below prompt me to report on my experience with the squash ‘Kumi Kumi’. I found it great for stuffing—I used rice, tomato sauce (homegrown and homemade, of course), spices, sausage, and I don’t remember what else. Not only does ‘Kumi Kumi’ have great flavor to compliment the stuffing, but its hard shell made the perfect bowl for it. But it is very hard to cut open—much easier when I got my rubber mallet into the act. Then I steamed the cut-open Kumi about 20 minutes, mashed the squash in the shell, stuffed it, and baked it until hot through. It’s been quite a hit. It also seems to get more orange as it sits awhile after harvest.

I’m also experimenting to see if the hard shell helps it maintain eating quality after freezes. I left mine on the porch during temps down in the teens and it’s holding up!