I think it was the other week that I heard on the television that people who consume a diet which largely consists of highly processed foods do not live as long as people who don't.  This makes sense in many ways.  When I was a child we only ever rarely ate processed food, unless you counted processed cheese slices.  I went many years considering cheese slices to be, well . . . "Cheese!"  Once a year my mother would buy a brick of Cracker Barrel cheese, for Christmas . . . as a treat.  Other than that our diet consisted basically of simple food, cooked simply, and from scratch.  Anything which might have been processed such as a frozen pot pie was a rarity and considered to be a treat. 

Food was pretty basic and seasonal for the most part. We had fresh carrots and turnips, potatoes, cabbage and tinned peas and beans  . . . and once in a blue moon tinned corn.  In the summer months we would have corn on the cob during corn season and we would fill up on that, and there was always plenty of sliced fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. 

Meat was also pretty simple. Once a year our parents would purchase a hind of beef and that was our red meat.  Chicken was a very occasional treat, and maybe pork chops every now and then. At Thanksgiving and Christmas we would have a turkey. New Years and Easter brought a ham.  Sundays we always had a roast of some kind . . .  pork, or beef for the most part.  The pork was always cooked the day before and served cold, sliced into very thin slices and there would be mustard on the table to have with it. Sometimes we had pork sausages, which we enjoyed with dollops of mayonnaise, something which I still enjoy to this day.  Occasionally we would have fish, but it was not battered fish, or fish fingers  . . . my mother would buy a block of Captain Highliners Frozen Fish and it would be cut into portions to feed the family.  In the summer we sometimes had tinned salmon served cold on a plate with perhaps some potato salad and coleslaw. Always homemade.  Mushrooms came in cans, and my mother made her own soups.

Dessert was a rare treat, served for special occasions, like birthdays or holidays meals.  On Fridays we always had hot dogs for supper, I know processed . . .  but they would be followed by a dish of ice cream and sometimes we were allowed to spoon jam over top of the ice cream.  

We were not allowed to fill up on things like cookies or cakes . . .  occasionally my mom would bake an apple pie or a lemon meringue or coconut cream.  Sometimes she would buy cake donuts which she would reheat in a paper bag in a low oven.  They were delicious, but again a rare treat. 

Everything was pretty basic. My father didn't like strange food, or exotic flavours.  He liked his food seasoned simply, with salt and with pepper.  The only time we ate out in restaurants was when we were moving house. 

 

We picked wild blueberries in the summer and strawberries, which my mother froze to make into pies and such in the winter or strawberry jam.  We hardly ever had store bought jam. We had bananas and apples to eat, but otherwise we had mostly tinned fruit.  Potato chips were a Saturday night treat, something to eat while Hockey Night in Canada was on.  We each got a tiny fruit nappy sized bowl with some chips in it.  At Christmas there would be treats like my mother's homemade War Cake and Date Squares, maybe some gumdrop cake, some homemade fudge, a bit of hard candy and barley sugar toys.  At Easter we got spoiled with chocolate rabbits and marshmallow eggs.  We didn't have soda pop or even cool-aid to drink really, except as an occasional rare treat. We had water and were allowed a glass of milk with our meals and a glass of juice with our breakfast and milk on our cereal. None of us were overweight, and I don't think we ever really felt deprived.   At least I didn't.

 

We in the Western world are really spoilt for choice when it comes to food.  I don't think many of us are what you would call starving and very few of us know what it is like to go well and truly hungry. If we want strawberries in December, we can get them.  We have access to some of the most exotic produce from around the world 365 days a year.  Eating seasonally is almost a thing of the past, and we are fatter than ever.  A lot of families rely on processed foods or takeaways.  With both parents working, time is of the essence and nobody really wants to spend hours in the kitchen cooking a meal after working hard all day. Most people just want to relax and quite rightly so.  But it's killing us. 

Some families rely on box meal plans like Hello Fresh or Gusto where all the pre-packed/planned recipes/ingredients are delivered to your home ready for you to cook up healthy meals quickly and tastily.  They are not a bad thing and for the most part pretty healthy, but they come at a premium price.  

I will be honest.  I don't know how family's manage these days.  Good, healthy food, is expensive and becoming more so all the time. It should really be the other way around.  Junk food should be expensive and healthy food should be affordable.

 

I've been really thinking a lot about how we can eat healthier in this house lately.  I am a diabetic and I need to watch my carb count and my sugars.  Sugar just doesn't come as something white and powdered that you sprinkle on your cereal and bake into your cakes.  It is hidden in just about everything, truth be told, and especially in processed foods.   They are high in salt, fats and sugars.  Low fat goodies are also not so good for you.  When they take the fat out of things, they put the flavour back in somehow . . .  and it usually comes in the form of sugars. 

I baked some really nice little muffins the other morning.  They were delicious and had no fat, refined sugars or even flour in them.  They were the exception to the rule.  I also baked a cake this weekend.  I got the recipe from Sugar Free Londoner for a low carb, sugar free, gluten free almond cake.  It looked really good, and as you can see from the photograph, even the one I baked looked really good . . . 

  

It cut like a cake . . .  as you can see . . .  but that is where any resemblance to a real cake ended.  It was blah.  Blah. Blah.  Seriously BLAH!  Even Todd, who is my biggest fan ever and thinks I walk on water when it comes to cooking, even he said it was blah.  I can't even begin to describe it.  The consistency was like a thick almond omelet. 

 

I tried dusting it with some sugar free icing sugar, and serving it with some sliced pears and  a dollop of yogurt . . .  there is no redeeming it in my opinion.  This was totally disappointing.  I was expecting cake. I did not get it.  I guess the lesson here is clear.  Cake is cake.  This is not cake, no matter how much you try to dress it up as a cake.    More's the pity.  And it used a crap load of ground almonds, which aren't cheap and 5 large eggs.  (No wonder it tasted like a stodgy almond omelet.) 

I think from now on if I want to eat a cake, I will bake and eat a proper cake.   No more monkeying around. No more playing around with impostors.  I am not ready to give up cake altogether. I like cake.  A cup of tea and a slice of cake is one of life's little pleasures. 

 Now I am wondering about bread.  I had clipped some recipes on keto type of breads and even went so far as to buy almond and coconut flours  . . .  but after this cake experience . . .  I am thinking that I am only going to get more of the same eggy omelet things, but in a different shape, something masquerading as bread, but not really bread at all. 

 

Oh, and further in my quest towards healthy eating I recently purchased some turkey sausages the other day.  HUGE disappointment.  They were pasty  and flavourless . . . we did not like them at all.  And they were in beef casings.  What's up with that?  Read the fine print people.  You are not always getting what you think you are getting.  So for now at least . . .  its back to the drawing board.  

Perhaps if we just eat plain and simple, REAL food with the occasional treat we would be a lot better off and healthier.  People who were living on rationing during WW2 and afterwards were some of the healthiest people ever, despite school dinners.  Just my two cents worth.  What do you think??  I really want to know.

 

 

Perfection salad . . .  my first memory of what I think is a most delicious salad comes from the early 1960's. My father and his friend Louis used to go hunting and fishing together.  

On one particular foray my mother took the three of us and we spent the weekend with Louis's wife Irene, while the men were off doing man-things.

 

Irene had been one of my mother's friends since her early working days as a secretary and I believe they had roomed together in Truro, Nova Scotia.  This whole weekend had almost a holiday feel to it . . .  at least to me it did. 

We did not often go anywhere as a family.  Mom was not a fan of the Great-Outdoors, so in the summer we might spend one day at the beach. That was it.

 

Getting to stay for a few days at someone else's home was a really big deal.  

I remember Irene and Louis had a huge vegetable garden and we were allowed to help them pick peas and beans and lettuces for supper on the first night.

 

There was also an element of danger involved as several bears had been seen in the area (which was quite remote) and so we were well aware of the need to keep a watchful eye out. On the first night I was sleeping in a small bedroom off to the side of the house.  

There was a box of Muffets cereal on the dresser and I remember being awakened by noise and what I felt was a bear trying to get in the open window to get at the Muffets.  

I screamed blue murder of course and refused to sleep there the remainder of our stay.  My mother's bed was very crowded after that! 

 

Another thing I remember, with much more clarity  . . .  is that Irene made Perfection Salad as a part of one of our meals, and it was delicious.  

So much so that it has stayed in the annals of my favourite food memories ever since.

 

It isn't perfect . . .  its a coleslaw of sorts and has a history that goes back to the beginnings of powdered gelatin way back when.  The original recipe was devised by a woman named Mrs. John E Cooke of New Castle, Pennsylvania.  

She entered her recipe in a contest sponsored by Charles Knox in 1905 (the major gelatin producer in the US at that time). Interestingly enough one of the judges was the Fanny Farmer of the Fanny Farmer Cooking School fame. (One of my all time favourite cookery books. I have worn out three copies in my lifetime.)

 

Mrs Cooke won third prize (a sewing machine) and people have been enjoying Perfection Salad ever since that time!

 

I have seen it created in many versions, most using boxed Jello (another American invention, fruity flavoured gelatin), normally lemon or lime, and they are good.  

My favourite version however is this one.  The made from scratch one, using all natural ingredients.

 

The gelatin mixture is fairly simple.  Its just some powdered gelatin softened in cold water and then mixed together with a bit of boiling water, sugar, fresh lemon juice and vinegar, along with some seasoning.

  

That gets chilled in the refrigerator until it thickens somewhat, about the time it takes you to chop all the vegetables  . . . .

 

I like to hand shred and chop my vegetables.  Its not that hard and I actually find it quite relaxing standing at the counter with my knife cutting the cabbage into thin shreds.  

I think if you were to grate it, it would be too fine and you want a bit of texture . . .

 

There are also celery and some red and green bell peppers.  I also chop these by hand and they are actually chopped quite fine.  Minced. Again, I fine this a very relaxing enterprise. 

 

Once I have the vegetables all done the gelatin has usually thickened enough so that I know that when I stir them into it they will be evenly distributed and not end up floating on the top. I also add some coarse black pepper.

  

You can either put the mixture into a mold to chill for several hours or into a square cake dish/casserole to chill. Either way is very nice.

 

I did some in a mold and some in a square dish.  I have to say I prefer the look of the squares rather than the mold.  

The mold had little raised bumps around the top and when I dipped the mold into hot water to unmold the salad they kind of melted so my presentation was not as perfect as I had expected.  It still tasted delicious.  

Tangy, with a touch of sweet and plenty of crunch.  Perfect served with a dollop of mayonnaise. YUM!!!  I love revisiting my happy food memories. 

 

Over here for the last few weeks a certain fast food place has been having their annual Tastes of America promotion. 

We popped in last week and ordered the Alabama Chicken sandwich with a smoky white BBQ sauce, bacon, cheese and onion crisps.  

There was also lettuce and the bun was supposed to be a cornbread style bun.

 

To say I was slightly disappointed is to say the least.  I will say no more.  

I came away thinking I could make a far better chicken burger at home and today (Saturday as I write this) I did just that.  

 

It wasn't quite a copycat.  I infused ours with Tex Mex Flavours  . . .  but it was still a chicken burger and it was mighty tasty if I don't say so myself. 

Chicken Burgers and Tex Mex are two of my favourite things. Why not combine the two!

 

I don't think a chicken burger is all that hard to get wrong.  Why is it so often it is done so very poorly??? 

I hate that when I eat out, more often than not, I am disappointed by food which fails to deliver what it promises.

 

I am probably eating in the wrong places. That's the truth of it and what it boils down to.

 I have a connoisseurs appetite and a pauper's budget, which is probably the whole problem in a nutshell.

 

I created a coriander lime mayo to spread on the buns, using chopped fresh coriander, garlic, and some lime juice and zest, with a tiny bit of salt.  

This got put into the refrigerator so that the flavours had some time to meld.  I also used a low fat mayo. 

 

I also marinated the chicken for a couple of hours.  

I pounded two boneless skinless chicken breasts until they were even in size, or as even as I could get them . . .

 

These were marinated in a mix of beaten egg, oregano, chili powder, hot sauce and a bit of salt.  

I used the Green Tabasco sauce for a real Tex Mex Jalapeno flavour . . .

 

While they were marinating I pulverized tortilla chips in the food processor until they were like fine bread crumbs.  

I actually used a mix of cool ranch and lightly salted, but you could use nacho cheese, or whatever tortilla chips you enjoy.

 

Just make sure that your crumbs are really fine . . .

  

Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and remove them from the marinade, allowing any excess to drip off, and discarding the marinade.  Pat the chicken into the tortilla crumbs and then brown them lightly on both sides.  

I finish them off in the oven to make sure they are cooked all the way through, adding some grated pepper Jack to the top so that it melts a bit before removing them.

  

I served them on toasted whole wheat buns that I spread with that delicious garlicky mayo, along with some shredded lettuce and raw red onion rings for a bit of zip!  Tasty tasty!

 

I was really, really pleased with how these turned out.  I was a tiny bit worried that the tortilla chips would be too crisp, but they were perfect.  I think the key is to really grind them small, almost to a powder.  We enjoyed them with some oven chips  and some leftover coleslaw vinaigrette! 

 

   

When the children were growing up, during the time we lived in New Brunswick, we often drove across the border into Houlton Maine where we would go shopping.  This was really exciting for me because they had a Wal Mart there and Wal Mart hadn't yet made its way into Canada. I have always loved grocery shopping in the US.

 

We would leave our home early in the morning and not get back home until the evening.  This meant that we also used to go to the Elmwood Diner in Houlton for a hearty lunch.  This diner was exactly what you would expect for a small town diner.  The walls were covered with their dining specials handwritten out on paper place-mats.  The place was always super busy and the food was always super good.  I don't think it is in operation any longer, sadly.

 

I used to get either fish and chips, or a roast turkey dinner.  Those are my two favourite things when dining out, and nobody does them better than diners do.

 

I decided to recreate that dining experience today for Todd.  He has been working really hard in the garden and I thought he would enjoy the treat. 

 

I don't know many people who wouldn't enjoy a club sandwich . . .  its like a double decker sandwich on 3 slices of mayo spread toasted bread . . .

 

with layers of sliced cooked turkey, sliced ripe tomatoes, cheese  . . .

 

lettuce, crisp streaky bacon, sliced ham and more cheese  . . . 

 

I even made some coleslaw to go with it, only today I made a vinaigrette coleslaw.  That way the leftovers could be kept easily in the refrigerator, and I thought there was enough mayo in the meal with just the sandwich.

 

A coleslaw vinaigrette makes a nice change every now and again.  I will confess I am not fond of the coleslaw over here in the UK.  Its too gloopy and overloaded with mayo.  They don't do it well in my opinion.  There is such a thing as TOO much of a good thing, and they way over do the dressing.

 

Speaking of overdoing it  . . .  boy can you tell we are senior citizens now . . .  one sandwich would have fed the two of us amply  . . .

 

Neither of us could get through a whole thing.  The most we managed was half a sandwich each and we never touched the pan fries.  (Not to worry, I have an idea for those for tomorrow, watch this space.)

  

In any case this little taste of home put a smile on my face today and pleased Todd to no end!

 

Something happens to you when you get older.  You just can't eat like you used to.  I can remember when it was nothing to polish off one of these and a piece of pie to boot!  Not anymore, that's for sure.  I leave that kind of eating to the younger generation these days!