by Reese Grey

I have been puzzled most of my adult life.  When cooking with what I typically label “hamburger meat,” I have never known what type to buy for different recipes AND I noted that most recipes simply call for “ground beef.”  As we all know, there are many more varied choices than just “ground beef.”

So I set out to unlock the mystery of what it is; and when do I cook with what type?  I found a taste test on this very subject had already taken place by Cook’s Country, so I tested their test.

Ground Chuck
It is cut from the shoulder and usually ranges from 15 to 20 percent fat.  Taste testers favor this meat for its “rich” flavor and “moist and tender” texture.  It is recommended as the best choice for burgers.

Ground Sirloin
Taste testers have praised ground sirloin as “tender and tasty.”  It is the best option for meatloaves and meat sauce (spaghetti) type dishes.  It is probably a bit too dry for burgers, even though it has good beef flavor.  It is cut from the mid-section of the animal near the hip and ranges in fat content from 7 to 10 percent.

Ground Round
Lean and tough, ground round comes from the upper leg and rump area of the cow.  Tasters rejected this selection as “gristly” and “typically lacking beef flavor.”  The fat content ranges from 10 to 20 percent.

Ground Beef
Any cut or combination of cuts can be labeled “ground beef,” so consistency is a problem.  Because ground beef can have as much as 30 percent fat, greasiness can be an issue.  Tasters noted it to be “mushy” with an overall “old boiled beef taste.”

There are a couple of other factors that need to be considered.  Cost, what you are willing to pay, and add-ins. For many recipes, what you are adding to the meat can make a BIG difference.  But generally, the basics of the taste test have been terrific in guiding when to buy what cuts and what to use them for.

I now have a basic guide and at least somewhat understand what these meats are…. Mission Accomplished.

Artificial Sweeteners

Dr. Jane Torrie, BS, DC

Sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners are all used to sweeten food and beverages.  Let me share my quest in what to use.

First, let’s look at the basics about table sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  One teaspoon of table sugar weighs 4 grams and has 16 calories.   According to the US Department of Agriculture, the average added sugar consumption per person per day is ½ pound, much of that in processed foods and sugared drinks in the form of high fructose corn syrup!  (Added sugar means sugar beyond what occurs naturally in food such as milk or fruit sugar.)  Because consuming too much sugar means too many calories and too many calories mean being overweight with the possibility of such chronic conditions as cancer, heart disease and diabetes, the American Heart Association (AHA) established guidelines on the amount of added sugar including HFCS we should eat.  For women, the AHA recommends no more than 6 teaspoons (24 grams or 100 calories) of added sugar per day.  Men are allowed 9 teaspoons (36 grams or 150 calories) per day.

Well, you may be thinking the answer to this problem is using artificial sweeteners to replace that excess sugar in our diets.  Think again!  Artificial sweeteners offer a sweet taste, no nutritional value and zero to very few calories.  That sounds fine so far but research at Purdue University links weight gain and decreased metabolism to the use of artificial sweeteners.  It seems that the sweet taste makes the body expect high calories and when that doesn’t happen, the metabolic system slows down and fat is stored.  Several common artificial sweeteners are also linked with side effects including headaches, allergic reactions and premature births in some studies.  Although there are persistent concerns among consumers about cancer, the FDA monitors artificial sweeteners and finds no evidence that they cause cancer in humans.

OK, what about stevia, it is a natural sweetener that is 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar.  Since it doesn’t provide calories, only sweetness, stevia likely has the same metabolic effect as artificial sweeteners, leading to increased weight.  However, researchers have not found evidence of side effects with stevia, as they have with artificial sweeteners.  It seems it may be safer but still have the effect of increasing weight gain.

So, what do we make of all of this information?  Moderation is the key.  We have to learn to savor the natural sweetness of foods.  When we can appreciate their natural sweetness, we are more likely to be able to follow these simple action steps:

1.    If you don’t already, read labels.
2.    Avoid foods which have high fructose corn syrup listed as an ingredient.
3.    Avoid the use of non-nutrient sweeteners, artificial or natural.
4.    Use sugar sparingly.  Follow the AHA guidelines for added sugar.
5.    Use stevia in moderation if a non-caloric sweetener is needed.

Just imagine, if we all stopped drinking calories in sugary drinks, the obesity epidemic in America would see a major reversal and we would all have better health.

When you’re carving your Halloween pumpkins, don’t throw away the seeds!

Toasted and salted, pumpkin seeds have a nutty flavor. They’re even better flavored with sweet and savory spices.

Ingredients

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds,
rinsed and dried
6 tablespoons white sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 250o. Spread seeds on a foil-lined baking sheet, sprayed with cooking spray, for easy clean up and non-stick. Toast for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until dry and toasted. Larger seeds may take longer.

2. In a large bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons of white sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and sprinkle the remaining sugar over them. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts, about 45 seconds. Pour seeds into the bowl with the spiced sugar and stir until coated. Sprinkle cinnamon on top and mix the seeds again for coating. Allow to cool before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Have more seeds than you know what to do with? Substitute pumpkin seeds for peanuts in your favorite peanut brittle recipe.

by Troy Hurst DC, DAAPM

Sugar and salt, if one isn’t making the news, the other one is. Consuming too much sugar will make you gain weight, considering its calorie count, that’s understandable.  Salt is a more complicated subject. It raises your blood pressure, but how it does this dastardly deed is a mystery to most of us. Salt plays a key role in your electrolyte balance. Too much salt can keep the volume of blood circulating in the body higher than it should be.

When that happens, the high blood volume puts pressure on blood vessel walls. To protect themselves, the blood vessels thicken and narrow. That means the heart has to work harder to push the blood through a smaller space and the harder the push the higher the blood pressure. There may be other factors working at the same time to raise the pressure, but doctors at Johns Hopkins and the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake believe salty diets are the main culprit.

Salt peaks the flavor of many foods, but Americans are going overboard on using it. They consume up to twice as much as they should, which could be the reason why nearly one-third of adult Americans have high blood pressure.

Avoiding the salt shaker can help reduce consumption. But processed foods contain 75 percent to 80 percent of the salt in your diet. You never see it and can’t identify it when you eat it. You should only have 150 to 200 mg of salt at a meal, so read packaged and canned food labels to see how much they contain. Choose fresh foods when possible. Processing always includes a lot of salt. A serving of potatoes au gratin from dry mix, for example may contain 50 times as much salt as one baked potato. Rinsing canned vegetables before cooking can help.

Dining out can be a problem. Some meals at chain restaurants contain two to five days worth of the daily recommended salt limit, so eating in is better than eating out.

by Matt Fairchild, Extreme Cuisine Catering

Whether a simple cake reception or a full service catered event, so many new and fun ideas for receptions are out there and the possibilites are limitless!  What to cater should be determined by several things:  budget, size of your wedding, time of day, and most importantly, what you want.  Remember, a good caterer works within your budget to provide you exactly (or as close as possible) what you want without sacrificing quality.

A nice option for afternoon receptions that is budget friendly is simple but beautiful fruits, vegetables and cheese displays. The addition of melons carved into swans or your names carved into watermelons can be used to highlight the presentation. The addition of mini-croissant sandwiches or a nice spinach dip with bruschetta can round the display nicely.

A noon wedding usually requires heavy hors d’oeuvres or a light lunch.  The afore mentioned reception menu plus stuffed mushrooms, chicken and beef flank steak skewers with dipping sauces, or delightfully filled filo cups.  These may be plated or served buffet-style.  If it is lunch you are serving, let your caterer know what you would like or ask for creative ideas and suggestions.

An evening wedding will warrant a dinner or very heavy appetizers for hungry guests and also serve as a balance if alcohol is served.  Dinners may be plated or buffet depending on where they are held and what facilities are available. Prime rib and steamship round beef carving stations are great additions here.

Let’s not forget about the brunch; a wonderful way for a morning wedding to be followed.  Usually served around ten or eleven in the morning, everything from scrumptious pastries, tasty pasta salads, to ham and turkey carving stations are found in brunches.  Coffee bars with plenty of flavors and condiments to accompany along with mimosas and wine.

Many other creative options are out there as well from mashed potato bars, dessert receptions, themes from around the world and whatever your imagination thinks up. Remember this is your wedding – your food!

by Sue Newhouse
This is the fourth in a series on local farms in and nearby Denton County

In my search of farmers, I’ve discovered that not all farmers grow food. Some, like Regina and Troy Dale of Bartonville, raise animals and plants for the fiber that can be made from their wool or material.

The Dales’ purchased the raw land some 15 years ago. When they saw the huge pecan tree near the front of the property, they fell instantly in love with the land. They have a round pen and adjacent pasture that is home to 9 gelded Huacaya and Suri alpacas, 7 angora goats and 2 Corriedale sheep.

Alpacas are a cousin to the llama. Huacaya alpacas are fluffy outside and crimpy near the base.  On the other hand, the Suri have a curly overcoat and smooth undercoat. The Suris’ outer hair is reminiscent of dreadlocks and is professionally sheared once a year.  Regina uses only that taken from the saddle area of the animal due to its superior quality. Once collected, she either processes it herself or sends it off to a mill for professional processing. She uses the resulting fiber for weaving and knitting.

The fiber sheared from the angora goats is called mohair.  The Dale’s shear them twice a year, resulting in approximately 3-4 pounds of useable mohair with a 2”-3” staple length from each shearing. It’s important, for alpacas, goats and sheep to be sheared in a timely manner to insure they’re kept cool in our hot Texas climates.

The two Corriedale sheep, appropriately named Bo (brown) and Peep (white) weigh about 200 lbs. each.

These animals are sheared only once each year, each providing about 6 lbs of wool.

Since good feed is essential to a good quality fiber, Troy cuts and bales his own acreage of coastal. This ensures they know how the fields are managed and what’s being fed to their animals.

The last fiber grown here is actually a plant – cotton. Did you know cotton comes in three natural colors – white, Mississippi Brown and Nandine Green? These plants are part of the hibiscus family and are grown here in containers from seed as an annual.  The plant flowers for 1 day and then closes and creates the seed, or the bol.

Left alone in nature, the cotton would carry the seed by air for dispersal, but we’ve intercepted that product as a fiber source.

Regina plans to sell her fibers next summer at the Bartonville Farmer’s Market.  To learn more about Regina and Troy and the products they offer, check out their website at www.howlingwolfherbs.com, or email them directly at hwh@pwhome.com

For more local farm info:
www.SlowFoodUSA.org
www.LocalHarvest.org
www.NaturallyGrown.org
www.EatGreenDFW.com

More importantly, if you know of great farm in your community, email me at suenewhouse@yahoo.com