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Toronto Star – January 4, 2006 Picks and pans By Ian Harvey For more information: * A primer on cookware technology --------------- The flavours of the year By Susan Sampson Recipes: * Grilled Cheddar & Fennel Sandwiches With Curry Mayo * Caramelized Banana Tarte Tatin * Grandmother's Ginger Jam Bread & Butter Pudding --------------- Here's a passport for cooks Susan Sampson reviews The Best Recipes in the World: More Than 1,000 International Recipes to Cook at Home by Mark Bittman. --------------- Seeking comfort in reds By Gordon Stimmell, Gord on Grapes Stimmell reviews wines to pair with barbecued back ribs, stews, pepper steak, and spicy Italian sausage. --------------- Say goodbye to sticky jars and hello to floral honeys --------------- Pumpkin: It's never really in or out of style By Jennifer Bain Recipe: * Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake With Buttermilk Icing

Boston Globe – January 4, 2006 Express grain Fast ways to eat well when you want to cook healthy By Alison Arnett, Globe Staff Recipes: * Winter vegetable casserole * Cauliflower dum * Vegetable stir fry --------------- These dishes are an antidote to holiday indulgences By Sheryl Julian and Julie Riven, Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent Recipes: * Spicy popcorn * Pilaf-style quinoa * Pilaf-style coarse bulgur --------------- Brown rice What it is, how to use it, and where to find it. Recipes: * Brown rice the long way * Pressure cooker brown rice * Bulgur salad on hearts of romaine * Jeweled brown rice salad * Fried (brown) rice --------------- Lhasa Cafe brings Tibet to Western Mass. By Jonathan Levitt, Globe Correspondent Recipe: * Tibetan-style spring rolls --------------- Rich and savory, sauerbraten is worth the wait By T. L. Lavelle, Globe Correspondent Recipe: * Sauerbrate * Red cabbage

I do believe that all animals should be respected, especially those used for food, but I would prefer that activists begin with the animals who have horrible lives before they are killed. At least lobsters live a normal life until the day they get caught in the trap. That's more than I can say for cows and chickens that spend an entire lifetime in pens where they can't move, who never know sunshine or grass under their feet. That's better than ducks who are force-fed excessively through tubes so they can become fois gras. In the case of Whole Foods perhaps they already sell only free-range meats and eggs, so maybe lobsters are the final frontier for them. Otherwise I would prefer they worry about the animals who have zero quality of life. Then after they are helped, move on to insects of the sea.

I have two favorite comfort foods that I never tasted growing up. One is the green curry chicken dish that my husband makes. It's delicious, and the creaminess from the coconut milk makes it very comforting. The other is souvlaki, partly because the tzatziki sauce is comforting but also because it brings back memories of Toronto, where I first discovered souvlaki.

Toronto Star – December 28, 2005 2005 Golden Whisk Awards By Jennifer Bain & Susan Sampson Recipes: * Hollywood SpagBol * Spiced Squash and Banana Soup * Potent Pesto * Smoky Eggplant Pilaf * Coffee Chili * Smashed Peas with Mint Butter * Tuna Kebabs with Wasabi Mayo * Falls Greens with Pumpkin Seeds & Asiago Cheese * Banoffee Pie * Toasted Breadcrumb Salsa --------------- Stimmell's picks: Best wines of '05 By Gordon Stimmell, Gord on Grapes --------------- Got some icewine kicking around? By Jennifer Bain Recipes: * Niagara Sunsplash * Connoisseur Cocktail * First Kiss --------------- Going with the flow By Susan Sampson --------------- Dropping in for some rare coffee beans? By Susan Sampson, Bites --------------- Celebrate safely with Champagne By Jennifer Bain --------------- Cooking need not be a mystery By Eva Sampson, Bookmark Review of The Classic Nancy Drew Cookbook: Clues to Good Cooking Recipe: * Velvet Mask Balls

Boston Globe – December 28, 2005 Chowing down with the hound Jim Leff, a founder of the food-obsessed website Chowhound, explores the culinary delights of Framingham and Worcester By Joe Yonan, Globe Staff --------------- Fizz the season with a celebratory bottle By Stephen Meuse, Globe Correspondent Includes six recommendations --------------- A world of elegant nibbles make a New Year's party sparkle Recipes: * Mushroom tart * Ecuadorean shrimp ceviche * Triple chocolate peanut butter torte * Smoky white bean spread on croutes --------------- SHORT ORDERS Baked to order Salt-roasted clams --------------- Confections for a sweet start to the new year By Lise Stern Recipe: * Gingerbread spice cake --------------- A talented young baker hopes to make a career in pastry arts By Heidi Rose Lamirande, Globe Correspondent --------------- Keep the bubbles in the bubbly By Stephen Meuse, Globe Correspondent Includes pros and cons of four stoppers

I totally agree! We never had this dish growing up, but for the last few years it has been a staple at every holiday meal. I think the ads convinced Mom to make it once, and my brother and newphew loved it so it became a permanent menu item. I did revise it last year by using frozen green beans and a homemade onion topping, and people ate it, but by the amount of leftovers it was clear that the family preferred the canned green bean/Durkee fried onion variation.

Boston Globe – December 21, 2005 Color outside the box Kitchen equipment is perking up By Alison Arnett, Globe Staff --------------- More than one fish egg in the sea By Joe Yonan, Globe Staff --------------- With pastries, they pass along Italian tradition By Emily Schwab, Globe Correspondent Recipe: * Cannoli with ricotta filling --------------- Her latkes are infused with flavors of India By Sena Desai Gopal, Globe Correspondent Recipe: * Eggplant latkes --------------- In the Market: Polenta What it is, how to use it, and where to buy it. Recipe: * Soft polenta --------------- A melt-in-your-mouth holiday treat Recipe: * Pecan butter balls --------------- He nurtures his staff, and family, with food Recipe: * Hanukkah cookies

Toronto Star – December 21, 2005 Nog test By Susan Sampson Eggnog ratings --------------- How to serve a slice of eggnog By Susan Sampson Recipe: * Eggnog Quickbread --------------- A few final holiday meal ideas By Jennifer Bain Recipes: * Dried Cranberry, Turkey & Green Bean Salad * Salt & Pepper-Crusted Prime Rib with Sage Gravy * Pork & Apple Tourtière * Cranberry Brie Muffins --------------- Blended family says `Merry Chrismukkah' By Susan Sampson --------------- Give latkes a new look By Susan Sampson Recipe: * Olive Latkes --------------- A lesson in Champagne By Gordon Stimmell, Gord on Grapes Stimmell reviews three affordable sparkling wines -- affordable substitutes for champagne. --------------- Making spirits bright By Jennifer Bain Recipes: * Pear Tree * Sapphire Spice Martini * Naughty or Nice Cocktail * Silver Bells Martini * French Clove Cocktail

Same here. I always go to the frozen food section last, so in the nearby chain grocery store that means heading right and going counterclockwise so I end up getting my frozen foods last. In my local natural foods store, I head left and go clockwise because their frozen foods are in the opposite place of the chain store. It's never annoyed me, and I never really thought about it before. No kidding! They put six items on a sign for an aisle that holds about thirty different things, and I'm supposed to guess how they group them. Well, I wouldn't put crushed tomatoes with dried pasta when diced tomatoes are with vegetables, but I would put olive and canola oil with cooking supplies instead of in the ethnic aisle, so obviously I don't have a clue how they think.

I used to live in Chicago where Persian food was a weekly meal for us and I really miss it. That review sounds like they may offer some of our favorite dishes. I can't wait to check it out.

Boston Globe – December 14, 2005 The bakers' dozen is 3,000 On one day each year, this family cranks out Christmas cookies By Jane Dornbusch, Globe Correspondent Recipe: * Christmas butter cookies --------------- Rachael Ray cooks up a storm By Joe Yonan, Globe Staff --------------- SHORT ORDERS: Occasions: A roast fit for the holidays Recipe: * Port-braised pork loin Apple of their eye In the Market: Pine nuts What they are, how to cook them, and where to buy them. Recipe: * Pine nut shortbread Taste Kitchen: Dark chocolate --------------- Treasure trove of recipes proves variety is the spice of life By T. Susan Chang, Globe Correspondent --------------- More than just drinks, they have tales to tell By Stephen Meuse, Globe Correspondent

Toronto Star – December 14, 2005 Foie gras love affair Top chef showcases Quebec-raised duck liver in ode to farmer By Cynthia David Recipes: * Foie Gras Terrine * Pan-Seared Foie Gras with Celery Root, Apple and Walnut Salad For more information, check out the Foie gras primer. --------------- Uyghur food finally arrives By Jennifer Bain For more information, check out the Uyghur contacts. --------------- Paradise for meat lovers Judy Gerstel reviews Carnaval in Richmond Hills. --------------- Getting creative with your rice Christian Cotroneo reviews lunch at the Rice Bar on Augusta Avenue. --------------- Nakeds just too skimpy By Gordon Stimmell, Gord on Grapes Stimmell reviews gift packages of wine. His recommendations range in price from $20 to $265. --------------- It's not a subtle beer By Jon Filson, Suck It Back --------------- Holiday bakers can chill out Susan Sampson comes to the rescue of people who want to bake some holiday goodies ahead of time by explaining what freezes well and what doesn't. She also offers links to websites with additional information.

Wow, that is a lot to deal with at once. It's great that you will be seeing a specialist to figure out what the next step will be. I have no idea what your doctors will recommend for treatment, but I have a friend whose child's ADD was managed with diet. White flour, sugar, and food sensitivities were really causing problems for her kid. Maybe this was a mild case of ADD as I am not really familiar with the disorder, but since you are working on his diet anyway I thought I'd mention it. If you do go with mediciation, perhaps with the ADD resolved he would be able to focus on tasks like cooking, shopping, and meal planning better. In the long run, that might make him more likely to try new foods even if his appetite is diminshed.

I just don't see it as being a black-and-white issue. Telemarketers require my active participation -- I choose to answer the phone, to not have caller ID, and even to have telephone service in my house to begin with. But the fact that I could refuse to buy their products did not comfort me when I had to answer the phone eight times a night only to find it was a sales call, or when an elderly friend became convinced that they needed to spend money they didn't have on products they didn't need. So yes, parents can choose to either raise their kids in a bubble or, if they don't, to say no to them a dozen times a day. But I would favor a situation where we work to make a parent's job easier rather than harder. As I have said before, I would like to see food companies self-regulate in a manner similar to alcohol companies. If corporations can agree that advertising Captain Morgan's on SpongeBob SquarePants is wrong, I see no reason why they can't make a similar effort when marketing food to small children.

Alcoholic ice pops could be an urban legend, but I think there are plenty of other instances where parents and kids might be fooled. For instance, fast-food restaurants don't have to advertise that their chicken is flavored with complex chemicals designed in a New Jersey laboratory to mimic natural flavors, they simply have to put in their nutritional information that the chicken contains "artifical flavoring." I think that the food industry is complex, and to say that all parents need is common sense is realistic only when they are armed with accurate information.

I have read that childen's natural suspicion of food comes from the days when we were hunters and gatherers, sort of nature's way of keeping kids from being curious about poison berries and such. I don't know how true that is. I'd add control to the list too. Kids have very little control over their lives -- parents determine what they can wear for clothing, what they can watch on TV, when they will go to bed, when they will wake up, etc. One thing a child can control is what goes into their mouths and quite often they will reject things that parents want them to eat just because they can.

True, which is why I don't think it has to be all or nothing. I believe there is a middle ground between regulating everything and regulating nothing. Just because I think it is a parent's responsibility to raise healthy children doesn't mean I want food manufactuers to add caffeine to Froot Loops and nicotine to animal crackers, or that I think the food flavoring industry should have no responsibility if they create fast food with addictive qualities. Corporations have a responsibility to their shareholders to make a profit because the shareholders have invested in them. But what about the investment that taxpayers make? Many food companies receive tax breaks, tax credits, and low- or no-cost financing for expansion and development -- courtesy of our tax dollars. Should these corporations be exempt of any responsibility for taxpayer investment? There are many things a parent can do to a child that doesn't concern me, but IMO health and well-being are not one of them because it can affect my family's bottom line in the form of increases in health insurance and taxes. That doesn't mean I want to police their child-rearing. All I want is a more level playing field -- arming kids and parents with the education on advertising and nutrition that they need to help them make good decisions in the face of billions of dollars of annual junk food advertising, and helping to protect very young children who don't have the ability to help themselves.

I agree. I'd even go a step further and say I'm only in favor of regulating ads to children under 8 who are unable to tell the difference between facts and ads. If they happen to see ads designed for kids over 8 that would fine with me, but for companies to make ads specifically targeting toddlers (and doing so with the help of the best child psychologists and other such experts) pushes the limits of ethics, IMO.

Agreed, but I think the argument could be made that exposing children to a variety of foods is the parents' job, not the schools. For kids paying for a school lunch, it is a choice. Parents could help kids choose a variety of foods in appropriate portions and put them in a brown paper bag each morning. Although I'm sure the Illinois proposal is far from perfect, I don't begrudge a state for trying to put together rules that will allow them to create a mix of relatively nutritious foods that kids will actually eat. As for making lunch a pleasure to eat, I'd start by giving kids more than 20 minutes to eat.

I didn't imply that all taxpayers in a community should have a vote in what sort of food rules local schools impose. I specified parents only. And I also realize that parents alone do not fund their children's school, which is why I wrote that "it is substantially those parent's tax dollars that fund the school." ← I'm still not sure I understand what you meant. What I was referring to were communities like where I live now. Everyone pays property taxes, but less than 20% of those homes have school-age children. In some states like Minnesota and Hawaii, the majority of school budgets come from state money, not local. So in some areas, the parents' tax dollars are a very small percentage of school funding. I do think letting parents decide the school lunch program is a good idea in theory. But in practice, I think it could be tricky. Because if parents are allowed to determine the lunch program, should they also be able to determine the math program and the science program? After all, no district forces a child to buy lunch at the school, but most force them to take math and science. However, I could see an elected school board possibly building on state guidelines to make a better lunch program. Excellent point. As for the rest of your post, kind of scary.

I'm not familiar with any school district that doesn't have to abide by state rules for school lunches. On one hand, I can see how leaving it up to individual districts would make sense, but I'm not sure how realistic it would be. And in many towns, the property taxes are paid by a lot of people who don't have children in the schools so I'm not sure how much it would have to be a vote from all taxpaying adults in a community. Also, I don't see how parental diet control is removed by states regulating school lunch programs. Unless kids have their lunch boxes searched when they enter school in the morning and have whole milk confiscated, parents have the right to feed their kids whatever they want to feed them for lunch. (Although I suppose an argument can be made for the kids receiving free school lunches who don't have the resources to bring their own lunch from home.) Me too, but the diets kids have as children often stay with them for a lifetime. So I can see feeding them everything as long as they exercise within reason. A diet filled with a lot of processed foods and junk food combined with lots of exercise might create a fully developed child, but that child might grow up to be like some people I know, who don't cook, are scared of organic foods, and wouldn't put a vegetable on their plates if their lives depended on it. But a mix of a healthy diet with treats and lots of fresh air and movement would, IMO, greatly benefit kids. (Which I think is the along the lines of what you were saying.)

From what I've read, a small coffee at Starbuck's contains about 250 mg caffeine, while home-brewed coffee is more like 110 and Dunkin' Donuts is around 140.

I agree junk food gives us pleasure, but I was asking about the benefit of advertising to small children. Since they have no money of their own (typically allowances are given to kids older than toddlers), it seems as though advertising junk food to them is mainly to get them to whine and cry to their parents for the products. And since we seem to expect parents to say no and make sure they have a healthy diet overall, it seems like it's just creating an additional battleground between parents and children that doesn't need to be there. No argument about PSB from me! But as far as paying for programming, I can certainly understand advertising junk food to older kids or using advertising to influence what kids want for toys, school supplies, etc. But targeting kids under 8 years old who are too young to differentiate between ads and facts with messages that junk food is good is a different issue for me. Again, I'm not suggesting banning such ads, just that we balance them out by helping to better educate kids and parents on the (potentially lifelong) effects of watching junk food advertising as well as actually eating massive amounts of the stuff.

I didn't drink much Coke in college because I couldn't afford it. Vending machines and the college snack bar were expensive, and any soda I had in my fridge was either store-brand soda or something my parents gave me. But I think college kids today have far more disposable income. One thing that hasn't seemed to change is that some college students are vocal activists: Whether they are right or wrong, I think it's good that they are aware of issues outside of their campus walls.