In choosing Arne Duncan as his nominee for U.S. secretary of education, President-elect Barack Obama signaled today that his administration intends to take what both men see as a pragmatic, nonideological approach to improving the nation’s schools.
For more of the article go HERE.
By 1801 a recipe for tomato ketchup was printed in an American cookbook, the Sugar House Book. James Mease published another recipe in 1812. In 1824 a ketchup recipe appeared in The Virginia Housewife, an influential 19th-century cookbook written by Mary Randolph, Thomas Jefferson's cousin.
As the century progressed, tomato ketchup began its ascent in popularity in the United States, influenced by the American enthusiasm for tomatoes. Tomato ketchup was sold locally by farmers. A man named Jonas Yerks (or Yerkes) is believed to have been the first man to make tomato ketchup a national phenomenon. By 1837 he had produced and distributed the condiment nationally. Shortly thereafter, other companies followed suit. F. & J. Heinz launched their tomato ketchup in 1876. Heinz tomato ketchup was advertised: "Blessed relief for Mother and the other women in the household!"
Americans have always had a love affair with the tomato. There are many people who can't do without a tomato at least once a day. You find them everywhere and made into just about anything. They are pretty, nutritious and a welcome addition to just about anything but ketchup, but according to Wikipedia:
Ketchup has been shown to provide significant health benefits but many argue that these benefits are offset by the food's salt and sugar content. Ketchup has been found to be a beneficial source of lycopene, an antioxidant which may help prevent some forms of cancer. This is particularly true of the organic brands of ketchup. In fact, organic brands were found to contain three times as much lycopene as non-organic brands. Ketchup, much like marinara sauce and other cooked tomato foods, yields higher levels of lycopene per serving because cooking makes lycopene in tomatoes more bio-available.
So why does something made with a ton of tomatoes continue to take it on the nose?
Perhaps because American ketchup has come to be associated with something socially unacceptable. Has ketchup become a silent struggle between the classes a little like bad table wine? I can remember a dozen lectures from my mother on table wine. She was bound and determined that I would drink the right wine. Some wines were acceptable, she would say, and some were not. It didn't matter what you liked; it only mattered what the right people were drinking. I never quite bought those right wines. I drink floor wine - a commonly used euphemism by my children for the gallon variety we park on the floor of the kitchen. I use wine for just about everything I do in the kitchen.
My mother drank Pinot Gresio which to me tastes like pino gasolino. It's really a matter of taste just like a lot of other things.
One problem with ketchup might be the sugar content. It's the third ingredient just after vinegar. Yet ketchup has no more sugar per tablespoon than store bought yogurt.
One of my favorite dishes I make is one packed with ketchup and called Piggie Pie. Men love this dish! The kids love it too, and I had no idea until I researched ketchup that the meal is filled with lycopene.
The recipe is: equal amounts of brown sugar, ketchup and fruit juice boiled as a barbecue sauce for pork.
Ketchup is a marvelous kitchen helper. Added to pot roast, stew, crock pots, meatloaf, barbecue sauces and marinades, ketchup helps break down meat and actually helps make a difficult cut of meat a whole lot easier to cook. As an ingredient in homemade salad dressing, ketchup is the one ingredient that will change a tasteless, overbearing mess into a palatable substance nearly every single time.
Ketchup is loved by children and can actually increase a child's desire to eat. So go ahead and dip, pour, glop and dab - ketchup is a part of Americana that isn't going to go away, and we should be grateful because ketchup is a many splendored thing!
Food continues to be singled out by fear-mongering tabloids and the mainstream media: Additives are evil, processed food is the devil’s home-brew, salt is everywhere, children are hyperactive, and Irish pork is poison. Let’s all boo!
For more of this article go HERE.
Eating cereal at breakfast time can help people manage their weight and eat more healthily throughout the rest of the day, according to a new study.
The consumption of cereals in the morning is associated with eating more fiber and carbohydrates and less fats, as well as greater physical activity among girls, said the research by researchers at The General Mills Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition in Minneapolis.
A really good article and well worth reading. For more of the story go HERE.
If you think kids are difficult, try this on. I received this as an email. Katy lives in a darling house with a big Siamese cat named Jasper.
One of the problems with "bringing up baby" is expectation. The question "What are your expectations for this child?" seem calculating, demanding and cold. Almost seems like a judge with a small hammer waiting to hit someone. The answer kindly wants to be put off indefinitely, and many times we just shove the nasty expectation question into the back of the closet as if we never really have to answer it.
Good Morning! As I sit here at 5:30 I want to report that we are still in an Advent theme. We are "waiting" for Christmas. We are slowly decorating the school as the Advent theme continues. This week we will hold regular classes all day. Today the weather will be warmer, so we will get outside as much as we can between classes.
I grew up in California. At that time, it was a very conservative state and also one of the richest. It had the best schools in the country developing a lot of the standards for good education. Food was so cheap, it was almost given away.
It's been a quiet week. Lots of kids are out sick, and I mean really sick. This terrible bug has gripped some of our kids by the neck and given them a good twist. Our beloved Phoebe has been out nearly two weeks on and off, and poor Ethan has had such a high fever. We figure about 15 children have had this in one form or another. It begins with a puniness, and then either gets the stomach or the head and there is a high fever day after day. Molly thinks it's a little like RSV because of the fever, and treatment doesn't seem to help.
Here's a blurb of interest from Recycle Bank: Did you know?
