|
|
September 2000 Volume I, Number 1 |
Tell a friend.
|
| A Community Newsletter of Tasty Tips, Quips, Recipes, and Ruminations on Food and Cooking |
 |
|
Back-to-school lunchbox tips.
Impress your kids with homemade granola bars.
Corn chowder for supper: quick and healthy.
|
|
Back-to-School Lunchbox Tips
|
|
| Harried parents, students, and brown-baggers everywhere occasionally get a bad case of the Lunchbox Blues. Here are a few tips for easing the daily chore of packing a lunchbox. |
1. Assemble nonperishable components the night before, and make sure the lunchbox itself is clean and empty. (No overnight banana peels, please!)
2. At night, put two to three inches of water in a plastic water bottle and stick it in the freezer. In the morning, add water to fill the bottle. The ice will keep the lunchbox cool as it thaws, and you’ll have plenty of drinking water by lunchtime.
3. Pack soft fruit like grapes, orange slices, or melon chunks in rigid containers rather than plastic bags so they don’t get bruised and ugly.
4. Instead of buying expensive single-serving bags of pretzels, chips, and other salty snacks (a.k.a. junk food), buy large bags and scoop out servings as needed. Pack in recycled 8-ounce yogurt containers. This saves money and creates less trash.
Do you have other lunchbox tips to share? Send your ideas to lunchbox@digitalhearth.com .
|
Homemade Granola Bars
|
|
Call them power bars, sports bars, nutrition bars, or glorified candy bars, we all like to have one of these dense, chewy, good-for-you bars around for a quick snack.
|
4 cups granola (homemade or store-bought
1-1/2 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup mixed dried fruit, chopped (try a mixture of raisins, dried apricots, and dried cranberries)
1/2 cup peanuts, cashews, or shelled sunflower seeds
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 10-ounce package of marshmallows
Toss granola, Rice Krispies, dried fruit, and nuts or sunflower seeds together until well mixed. In a large saucepan over low heat, melt butter and add marshmallows, stirring with a wooden spoon until marshmallows are melted. Remove pan from burner and add granola mixture, stirring quickly to combine. Turn into a well-greased 9"x13" pan. Butter your fingers and press the mixture firmly into the pan. Cool in refrigerator until firm. Cut into bars and wrap individually in plastic. Makes about 24 bars, depending on how you cut them. Store in a cool place.
|
An Easy Supper: Corn Chowder
|
|
(Keep Those Cobs!)
Every September we enjoy the last locally-grown sweet corn of the year, and we savor every bite. You can intensify the corn taste in this simple chowder by simmering the cobs for a few minutes to make the stock. It takes about half an hour to make this chowder. Here’s how.
|
4 or 5 ears of fresh sweet corn
1 tablespoon butter or bacon grease
1 onion, chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 small zucchini or summer squash, chopped
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1-2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley for garnish
Shuck the corn. Working over a bowl to catch any juices, cut the kernels off the ears with a sharp knife, and set aside. Put the corncobs in a pot, add water to cover (about 4 cups), bring to a boil, and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a soup pot and add the onion, potatoes, carrot, and zucchini. Cook, stirring, until soft (about 10 minutes). Add the liquid from the simmering corncobs (NOW you can discard the cobs!) and the fresh corn kernels, and simmer for a few minutes. Add the milk, salt, cumin, and coriander, and stir well. Do not boil. Taste and adjust seasonings. Use parsley to garnish each serving. Serves 4.
|
|
