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Saturday, December 25, 2004

Cookbook Recommendations

I was at a dinner this evening where our gracious and illustrious host expertly used recipes from two very good cookbooks I want to bring to your attention. The first is called Saffron Shores, which is a collection of some of the best Jewish Mediterranean cuisine around. The other is called Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone, and the title does not constitute false advertising since even meat eaters can use the recipes and perhaps alter them somewhat in order to add meat to the repast. Be sure to check them out.

Dining Out And Weighing In

The Waddling Kitchen reveals the dilemma run into by people who want to dine out, but are on a diet:

The problem with restaurants for the person watching their weight is twofold. First, the portions are far too large. Yes, all portions - I'm not just talking about inhuman feed baggeries like The Cheesecake Factory here. Second, a lot of the food is a lot fattier and more caloric than one would expect, given what it looks like. For the average chubby eater who wants to eat something tasty and relatively restrained (that is, they refuse to be corraled by the designated 'low fat' options), restaurants are therefore terrifying obstacle courses. You don't believe me? Well, how about the Chicken Tarragon and Field Greens Sandwich at Au Bon Pain, a nationally growing chain of supposedly artisanal "bakeries". Sounds relatively healthy right - chicken breast, herbs, and greenery? And it should be. But in reality, as you'll see if you click here, the sandwich has an astounding 800 calories and 42 grams of fat. That, you should know, is 240 calories and 12 grams of fat more than a Big Mac, almost twice as many calories and more than twice the fat of a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, and even beats a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese. This is serious stuff.

A comprehensive solution is proposed, which you will want to check out.

So Easy, Anyone Can Do It

Stephen Bainbridge shows in quick and easy steps how to prepare stuffed lobster "the cheater's way." I'll have to see if there is any way to do it without the mayonnaise (yours truly has a lingering allergy to eggs and egg products), but it looks to be quite good.