food-borne illness and the shutdown

things you need to know today: “the government shutdown has caused staff reductions at two important federal health agencies, increasing the risk of serious harm to American consumers from food-borne illnesses.”

read more in the new york times

cold noodles with pluout, eggplant and tofu

yes, i agree. this recipe sounds very weird.

but just as martha says, it is sweet and tangy (and hot, i guess, if you put the chilis in) and delicious. i really liked it, and i bet it will be even better tomorrow for lunch.

the only problem i had was that it was hard to mix all the ingredients together. i think next time i’d dress the noodles and then dress everything else. i’d make a little pile of noodles in my bowl, and then put a scoopful of the rest.

substitutions i made, based on necessity, not a plan, just so you know they work if you have to, as well:

lemon for lime
udon for soba
regular basil for thai
canola oil for sunflower

recipe from the new york times

best chocolate chip cookie recipe

have you ever tried the new york times’ epic chocolate chip cookie recipe? it has a bit of a cult following, and you can now count me as a member!

it’s really the texture that does it for me, and the hint of salt. oh my.

they are a bit of a process, yes. (you need cake flour, and the dough has to chill for at least 24 hours, and you should really use a kitchen scale to measure out the ingredients) but it is so worth it.

next time you have a long weekend or a rainy day or just a hankering for the best chocolate chip cookie around, give it a try.

sandwich monday

in case you missed it, sandwich monday is one of my favorite npr columns.

and this one is particularly funny.

pumpkin-flavored everything

really interesting article from the ny times about how everything is pumpkin-flavored these days, and the marketing efforts behind it all. (may need a subscription to read…)

study on organics

just wanted to make sure you saw this very convincing argument against the reports a couple weeks ago that said eating organics is no healthier than eating conventional vegetables. in fact, bittman calls it a “flawed study.”

school lunches from around the world

you have got to check out these pictures. so fascinating on so many levels.

bittman on the USDA

i wonder how much of this country’s devastating and growing obesity problem can be directly connected to the fact that our government food regulators are completely controlled by special interests.

a really interesting perspective from mr. bittman.

jenny craig in france

french women worry about getting fat, too — really interesting article from the new york times about jenny craig expanding to france, how they’ve had to change their food offerings, and the differences in eating and dieting cultures in france and the US.

coconut-lime-ginger-oat muffins

i have had these muffins bookmarked for a long time, because i liked how unusual they sounded.

but unfortunately, i made them for a potluck brunch, and i wasn’t thrilled. the flavor wasn’t as punchy as i wanted and the texture was weird. maybe because of the coconut milk? or did i over-bake them? i don’t know. they were kind of dense and dry.. but at the same time, they had big air bubbles in them.

unbookmark. sorry.