Bananas the near perfect fruit!

Bananas are portal and versatile, they are available year-round they come in various sizes and can be as long as 12 inches or smallest 3 inches. They are one of the few fruits whose flavor gets better when they ripen off the plant. They are good in most all types of smoothies and various types of baked goods, and even claim their own dish Bananas Foster which I have yet to make. Bananas are a healthy choice unlike most of my eating habits they are low in fat, cholesterol free and contain vitamin C, potassium and fiber.

Around the world in 80 days a culinary journey.

At some point it occurred to me that I am in a completely different city. A different culture environment that is vastly more diversified then my previous living arrangements cuisine wise. I think it may be unwise for me not to take a little more of an advantage of it. I know at places like Disney World you can try almost every type of food there is. I don't see why Saint Louis has to be different or rather the same. The same food I have been eating everyday as an American my entire life. So I am thinking a trip around the world in 80 days type thing no we could make it a year may as well. This would be without the plane ticket or other such expense. I will be just traveling from plate to plate instead. A culinary trip around the world, no externship needed. Everything is all right here where I now live. So my next task is to create a running list of different restaurant with as much diversity as i can find. There is a restaurant in Brentwood just off the metro link stop that will be first. The rest will come as they do and be listed below. Oh Yelp!!!

Junk food bingeing

Every now and then ok a lot more then every now and then. I eat some of the unhealthiest foods at a really rapid pace. Well maybe I should say consume. We are talking whole 2 liters in half a day. Lots of pizza i mean lots of pizza. Entire bags of chips and as much sugar as Willy Wonka could hope for. I am well aware of how bad these habits are but still it doesn't change anything. I am also well aware of how convenient this junk food is especially being a college student even though. I am a culinary student. It seems to me that this is the case from age 35 on down. It also occurs to me that America in general could fix this problem with not a whole of trouble. Yet no one seems to be taking that action what so ever.

Avocados the superfood!

Avocados

Avocados are nothing short of a "superfood." They reduce bad cholesterol levels or Lower cholesterol your levels in your body. They can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. Mainly due to the first point. They are high in "healthy fats" or monounsaturated fats and are also typically high in vitamin E, an antioxidant vitamin most people need more of. They are packed with magnesium and potassium, two nutrients known to help reduce blood pressure. Avocado oil also might fight heart disease, cancer and signs of aging which can always be a plus. Avocados are a great source of fiber which can help push out stuff your body no longer needs and speeds up the digestion process at the same time. They can be substituded for almost all types of spreads. You can make yourself instantly more attractive. First mash up an avocado and smear it all over your face and head out to the mall it's like AXE for women, guys will crawl all over you. No need to wash it off. You can thank me later so go out, head to the mall and have fun see you there bye.

Strawberry Basil-Infused Watermelon Lemonade

Today I am making a healthy drink recipe. The original recipe excludes alcohol, you can see what I did below. The first time I made this was in a phase of culinary school. The recipe belonged to one of the chefs at the school. As it turns out the recipe and it's variations can be found thousands of times all over the internet. The video displays my method of making it and a pretty simple recipe of it below. The original also does not contain Strawberries that is my own addition and the overall drink is really tasty.

Strawberry Basil-Infused Watermelon Lemonade

Ingredients

You Will Need

    1 cup water
    3/4 cup sugar
    1 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
    8 cups cubed seeded watermelon
    1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

Preparation

    Combine 1 cup water and sugar in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Stir in basil; chill 1 hour. Strain sugar mixture through a sieve over a bowl, and discard basil.
    Place watermelon and prepared strawberries in a blender; process until smooth. Pour watermelon puree through a fine sieve into a large bowl, reserving liquid; discard solids. Combine watermelon liquid, sugar mixture, and juice in a pitcher; chill and enjoy.

Sunshine yellow lemons a health food.

Lemons are a member of the citrus family. They originated in Asia. They made their way through Europe and were brought to the new world by Christopher Columbus. Lemons vary in sizes and they contain acidic juice is extremely tart. Lemons once consumed are broken down not as an acid but as an alkaline. They are very healthy for you a slice of lemon can be added to a warm glass of water to add flavor. It is also a better option then soda or store bought juice. You can slice a lemon and freeze the slice to make them last longer if you are going to add them to your water. Lemons are low in calories and fat. They no cholesterol or sodium. They are excellent source of vitamin C. They contains certain flavonoids, which may help lower cholesterol and protect against inflammation.

Grapefruit the oversized acidic orange.

 Grapefruit, a citrus fruit goes in clusters like grapes giving it the name. White, pink and red varieties all have yellow skin but sometimes have a pinkish tint. The juicy fruit has a sweet/tart flavor mostly tart my sister went years without eating one because of this she hates it. I just put sugar on mine a lot of sugar granted but for me and my dad it was a breakfast food. Since they are available all year round. They are low in calories and fat. No cholesterol or sodium, They are high in vitamin C like oranges and kiwi. They are also an excellent source of vitamin A. They also contain the antioxidant lycopene like tomatoes do which may protect against certain types of cancers.

Blackberries the largest berry.

Blackberries are the largest of the wild berries. Generally the more the darker the color the sweeter the taste. The peak season being June through July and they are available from May – September as well. They're good in smoothies baked goods, salads, jams and compotes. They go well with allspice balsamic, vinegar, cinnamon, clove, lemon, lime, nutmeg, vanilla. Common foods it over with: apples, blueberries, peaches, pecans, raspberries, walnuts. Health wise they are low in fat and sodium. They contain no cholesterol. An excellent source of vitamin C and good source of fiber and potassium and their rich with antioxidants anthocyanin and ellagic acid, which may help prevent inflammation and certain cancers.

HOLY FRUIT!

When I was a kid growing I was always taught to eat my veggies. However most of the veggies I was taught to eat are not vegetables at all, most are fruits. They are disguised as vegetables by  
they way they are prepared, what they are prepared with and what we eat them with. I have learned to like almost all types of vegetables now days. I am not sure if I can credit this to my upbringing or just my innate nature. Below are some vegetables that are botanically speaking truly fruits. Some may surprise you as they do me. Keep in mind this is not a complete list but an ongoing one. Here is the list: 
Cucumber
Avocado,
Beans,
Peapods,
Corn kernels,
Pumpkin,
Squash,
Tomatoes
Bell Pepper.

How Much Hidden Sugar Is Their?

 It seems to me that my drinking of a 2 liter of coke cola, or a gallon of Gatorade or a gallon of tea of what ever else is not water can't be the least bit healthy. So how much is to much well if we take a look at live strong it says "Women should limit sugar intake to no more than 6 teaspoons per day, which provides about 100 calories. Men should limit sugar intake to no more than 9 teaspoons 150 Cal.,"http://www.livestrong.com/article/474832-recommended-grams-of-sugar-per-day/
So how many grams is that, well approximately one teaspoon of granulated white sugar is equal to about 4.2 grams. Also the average person consumes about 22 teaspoons per day. Way more then recommended. So where is all this coming from well one place we are going to take a look at is drinks. To see how much is hidden in various kinds of drinks. Don't worry I won't make you read a bunch more. I have a video to torture you with instead see link below.

http://tinyurl.com/lnlqzo7

Pineapple the tropical delight.

 Pineapple with its so very sweet flavor is another of my favorite fruits. Pineapple has a rough skin,
which is not edible so don't try it. Pineapple stems from Hawaii pun intended each 1 - 10 pounds interestingly enough pineapple is several small seedless fruits joined together if I can remember right they are little black seeds just under the skin. Pineapples are available all year round without a distinctive peak season. Pineapples are picked ripe as it is with most fruits except tomatoes which are all to commonly picked green and fried. The color of the shell isn't a good gauge of ripeness a pineapple may be ready to eat even when green. Choose a plump pineapple with a sweet aroma and fresh looking green leaves. Avoid pineapples that smell sour. Storing, it can be refrigerated, a whole pineapple can last up to 5 days, or slices or chunks medium dice or large dice up to 7 days. Chunks of it can also be frozen.
Pineapple can be cooked sautéed, stir fried, or grilled, and used in desserts. Pineapple makes for a good marinade because it contains bromelain, an enzyme that tenderizers meat by breaking it down. It is low in fat and sodium. Also There's no cholesterol. It's an Excellent source of vitamin C at 66% percent RDA per serving.

My first time trying Star Fruit

I had actually never tried starfruit before now. It's like $4.99 per one so I bought two. Well I bought one green one and a yellow one mainly because I didn't know how long they take to ripe or how they taste which by the way could have been way better. I knew that I would be using one in part of a smoothie recipe so it should be watered down with the taste of all the other fruits so that is good. I was not sure what to do with the other one so I decided to grab my camera. Which led to me getting some fairly decent pictures and that is good because the taste of this fruit is way over overrated.  

Cake Making Using the Bible- Scripture Cake

This recipe comes from my Grandmother variations of it can be found all over the internet. Two variations are here. They use a clever pairing of products from the bible almost all of these ingredients can be found in multiple places in the bible a little later I will add some.There is some additional information concerning fruitcakes. Storage,lifespan and Recipe tips are included below.

Scripture Cake

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups Flour (II Samuel 13:8)
1 Cup Butter (Psalms 55:21)
2 Cup Sugar (Jeremiah 6:20) or Isaiah 43:24
2 Cups Raisins (I Samuel 30:12)
2 Cups Figs (Judges 9:11) or (I Samuel 30:12)
2 Cups Almonds (Numbers 17:8)
2 Tablespoons Honey (Isaiah 7:15)
1 pinch Of Salt approximately 1/8 of teaspoon (James 3:12)
6 Whole Eggs (Isaiah 10:14)
1/2 cup milk (Exodus 3:8)
2 teaspoons Leaven (Leviticus 6:17) (baking powder)
Season to Taste with Spices (II Chronicles 9:1)

Mix all ingredients together to create this divine to cake. Bake in 325°F oven for about one hour and 15 minutes.

An interesting note about sugar it is all derived from cane sugar we get dark brown sugar from almost unprocessed cane sugar. We Get light brown sugar from semi processed cane sugar. White sugar also is derived from cane sugar but is completely processed in order to have its white color it is done with the bleaching process.

Some other seasonings that can be added are cinnamon nutmeg allspice vanilla mace or cloves.

Another method for a good fruitcake is as follows
Having all the ingredients at room temperature about 70°F and the oven preheated to 325 Fahrenheit and greased pans ready a size of 8.5 x 4 in half inch loaf pans. You can line the bottom and sides with wax or parchment paper for easier removal you may need 2 pans.

Measure
4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Mix 1/2 cup flour with:
1 cup chopped nuts preferably slivered almonds
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup thinly sliced candied Citron are candied orange or lemon peel
1/4 Cup Candied pineapple
1/4 Cup Candied Cherries
1/2 cup shredded sweetened dried coconut

Whisk Together the Remaining Flour with:
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat in a large bowl until creamy about 30 seconds:
three fourths of a cup, or 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

Gradually add, beating on high-speed, and until light and fluffy 5 to 7 minutes.
2 cup of sugar

Beat In One a Time
five large eggs

Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla

On low speed, gradually beat in flour – baking powder, mixture until thoroughly combined. Fold in floured nuts and fruits. Divide the batter between the pans and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about one hour. To cool and remove from the pan,

It Is Noted that most fruitcakes are made with the addition of an alcohol. When the cake is cool, you can puncture it a few times with a skewer. Very slowly pour over the top of it drop by drop up to 1 cup per 2 1/2 pounds heated but not boiling liquor such as Brandy, bourbon, rum, or wine. Allow the cake to absorb the liquid be aware however that liquid soaked fruitcakes as well as those wrapped in spirit soaked cloth's tend to crumble. However when they're well saturated with alcoholic liquors, which raise the spirits and keep down mold, and are buried in powdered sugar in tightly closed tins, they have been reported to be enjoyed as long as 25 years after baking although that seems a little extensive. Another Note You can also use dried apricots pears and dried dates if you don't care for the usual recipe ingredients.

On making Tea

Right now I'm sitting down with a hot cup of Teavana Tea writing this article/blog. After using the equivalent strength of Thor's hammer. I was able to pry off the top to the airtight metal containers that Teavana sold me for the low price 7.50 a tin I bought 2. I bought this tea well I don't really remember exactly when. It's been a really long time but what the heck it still smells good well at least one of them does. I remembered I had the tea a few weeks ago but realizing that I have none of the proper utensils or equipment to make loose leaf tea. As well as all of the other fruits and other things added to the tea. I have no  tea strainer, teapot or other tea making utensils. But I decided to Google how to make tea. Google auto fill wrote the Teavana part in for me surprisingly. It seems that this tea place has a little secret. That has been exposed on numerous blogs and other websites. The instructions that you are given on how to make your own tea that you have bought from their store differ from how the tea shop makes the in store samples. They use a ton more tea leaves and an immense amount of sugar German rock sugar to be more precise. This makes for a more tasty tea then you can make at home following there instructions. I have no clue what German rock sugar is. I've only been into their stores one time. I must have missed that when I bought the $130.00 tea. Needless to say after reading all of these articles on how they make there tea as well as other people. I decided to give it a shot anyway. Now I have watched tea making videos before believe it or not. I've seen the way Europeans make tea with milk and whatnot. But that kind of tea is not for me. So I decided to empty a few tea bags of regular cheap Walmart brand decaf tea. I removed the staples and the string and attempted to pour the tea into a different bag didn't quite work but oh well. I measured out 1.5 teaspoons of(insrt name of tea) and poured it into the now empty teabag clinching the bottom of the bag so as not to lose any. I tied the top and bottom with the original teabag string. Grabbed my mug my thermometer filled the mug with hot water. Popped it into the microwave that Cody would never allow me to use set it on three minutes took it out carefully measured the temperature of the boiling water and waited for it to drop to the appropriate temperature for the tea I was making appropriately labeled on the side of the Teavana tin. When it was just 2° higher than it should have been popped the homemade teabag in seeping it for five minutes. According to the directions for that specific tea. Once again I don't have any German rock sugar but plain white table sugar will have to do. Once it was cool enough to drink I realized it tasted pretty freaking good! I did all of this without some special tea maker machine, tea strainer, no hotplate or other B.S. thusly saving hundreds of dollars on tea and tea making supplies that I never plan to buy again that was first bought on just a whim. Thankfully because I just ran out of soda and gatorade. http://oi61.tinypic.com/2aetfcz.jpg


http://oi60.tinypic.com/2j295kl.jpg

Kiwifruit one of my Favorites in the fruit world!

Yeah that Green fruit I love, love, love kiwifruit. It is better bought in packs rather than individually it is way cheaper that way. It is extremely healthy for you being that it is only one fruit and contains so many nutrients it's not even funny for it's size it is power packed with loads of good stuff. Vitamin C content is really high like around 151%. It has a ton of Potassium as well it has more potassium then a banana but so do potatoes. They are Low in fat and sodium cause you know I have to watch my weight and blood pressure ha. They also have no cholesterol yey for the heart. Kiwi is rich in the Lutein and Zeaxanthin, which are antioxidants that may help prevent eye disease disclaimer disclaimer "may prevent". Kiwi's also contain magnesium,copper and folate. They also go great with berries, oranges, and work well in smoothies.  All photos by me Casey White

Networking and the internet version of the culinary industry.

Blogging well the idea of it is no where near new to me but the subject matter has changed. I have been following youtubers for years now about 6 or 7. I have used it as an invaluable resource to learn new techniques a matter of fact most everything that we have done in school someone has a variation of it if not the actual recipe itself. Below are some of the food bloggers I follow. If you follow any of them for long enough you will see they network together. Even if the other youtube vloggers don't have anything to do with food. This can strengthen any kind of consumer response and by this type of networking you can find new avenues of the business that we all are currently involved in just by being in culinary school. Below this you can view a video blog I did on the habanero pepper.  Entitled Eating habaneros hot pepper's why it's hot and what if it's to hot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq3Co99JyKM
While it's not that great of a video you will survive watching it once. Afterward you can view the other video blogs I follow here. So without any more delay here they are.

Sorted Food is a group of younger adults who live across the pond when I first subscribed to them they had almost no views proper networking along with putting out a crap ton of videos every week fixed that we are talking quality videos.        
SORTED Food
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfyehHM_eo4g5JUyWmms2LA

An Italian home cook who had 250 videos before I even subscribed she has been going strong ever since.
Laura in the Kitchen
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNbngWUqL2eqRw12yAwcICg

Byron is a product of the culinary school system as we are. He worked in one of chef Ramsey's restaurant's. And at least 1 country club. He had no views when he created his account like 2 years ago.
ByronTalbott
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD5WWnRed32y3xGwmrDhUiQ

Focused on the more healthy aspects of eating
Hungry Nation
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UChHcEXOe3miWp3x50xtIwFw

Focused on desserts and all that stuff that is not so healthy but the cool thing is that all his recipes only feature 1 pot
OnePotChefShow

http://www.youtube.com/user/OnePotChefShow?feature=watch

Artificial sweetener's and other artificial ingredient's.

Artificial sweetener like aspartame and other artificial ingredients like MSG have become more and more common and wide spread in all aspects of the service industries food. Many restaurants use MSG as a flavor enhancer. They also offer sugar free and diet sodas as a norm in hopes people will believe they are going to somehow lose more weight or that they are somehow more healthier than there sugary counterparts. There is a joke that goes something like this "She ate so many artificially sweetened desserts and drank so many artificially sweetened sodas she got artificial diabetes." While there might not be such a thing as artificial diabetes there is long list of other adverse side effects and negative health conditions that are possible. The complete list of the outcome of putting these types of things in your body is not yet known and may not be known for a long time. But because it is the cheaper option there are seemingly more and more every time I look there are practically no brands of gum I can buy that don't contain the artificial sweetener aspartame. I stay away from diet free sodas and artificially sweetened snacks and foods altogether. The amount of potato chips and other snack mixes that contain MSG far outweigh the more healthier options. Pringles and Doritos use to be my favorites Hot Frys as well. But not anymore I have had to give up a lot of common foods that I used to enjoy the fact remains that I don't wish to be someone else's experiment.

Wierd food combinations!

Here are some of the strangest recipe combinations I have ever heard of these are things I have heard of over the years.

Watermelon Chill

It’s exactly what it sounds like cubes or slices of watermelon introduced into a hot bowl of chili the mere thought of such a combination turns me completely off. Why ruin either one of the separate flavors? This is not like adding an ice cube to a cup of hot chocolate. This trade off of contrast in temperatures do not make up for the difference in flavors I couldn’t think of a worse combination oh wait yes I can.

Tuna and peanut butter sandwiches

Once again exactly what is sounds like but why ruin a fish’s life with some weird combination like this. It’s almost an insult to the fish and probably to you when I don’t eat it. I know it’s probably got all the protein you are going to need for a while as well as some other nutrients. But if it was meant to be then God would have invented Peanut butter fish that swim around or at least that taste like peanut butter.    

Some others from Facebook because I had to ask and yes this will get updated.

Popcorn and Milk (like cereal)

No it’s not, not even close. Have I mentioned I don't even like cereal and milk don’t screw up popcorn and milk people.

Peanut butter and Pickle sandwiches

I know this is a more common one mostly because of Elvis but no just no, no thank you!  

Pickles and chocolate syrup

Right along that line as the one above not happening!

The need for practice.

It has occurred to me that not everyone thinks they can cook and some people know they can’t. But as you will see the work that goes into creating an experience that will last, will always be totally worth the effort. For those of us that can cook a few things not limited to ketchup spaghetti, Ramen Noodles, and hot dogs in the microwave. May just mean they need a deeper understanding of what different cooking methods do to food so they can in turn not destroy the task at hand and of course learning many different flavor profiles can help to. The key is to jump in and always be working at it failure after failure may happen but if you seek to figure out why the buttermilk biscuits and gravy recipe you just made taste saltier then the ocean and like a half pound of baking soda. And how the chemistry behind cooking works more often than not it’s something very simple. The key is to practice, practice, practice as with anything else.

Jump in or dive in to as many different recipes and variations of recipes that you can. Immerse yourself in the many different facets of online media, websites, book’s, cooking shows that are out there. Try new things break out of you comfort zone. Burn the kitchen down ok not that one and make sure the roof is indeed not on fire no matter what the song says. Find a cooking buddy that can take the journey with you to include eating, cleaning and washing the dishes. And most important have fun.

How I tip and what determines good service.

Back when I was a child when I went out to eat with the rest of my family. I remember every waitress and waiter being so caring so attentive to our every need and with a smile at that no matter what we asked for. I don’t or haven’t seen that in a really long time. I go out to eat more often now days but it seems to me that I am more of a bother then a customer at least in most places. Like I am just another problem that they have to now deal with before they clock out and hang up there apron. Over the years among my many visits I have developed a system of what I would like my servers to do during my visits granted this isn’t going to become jump through the flaming hoops while I watch expectation. But there are some things I would like you to meet while I am a guest at your place of employment. So here it goes.

If you are working in the kind of place that sits their customer’s down whether it be a hostess or a waitress I don’t care. Keep in mind that there are places I might prefer to sit over others no matter if I am by myself or not. I will never pick the smoke filled drunk ridden bar area matter fact don’t put me anywhere near drunks or smokers. So you can forget asking me if I would like to sit at the bar.  Once I am seated and have figured out what types of beverages or other poisons your offer and select one and you bring it to me with no ice which is what I like this would count as visit number two or if the hostess sits me down it counts as one.

Once I have decided what to eat and you bring it to me and everything’s ok with it. It counts as another visit. If I have not decided what I want and I throw you a question like “What do you suggest?” you should definitely have a good answer if you don’t have a good answer like I threw you off your game. I have to ask myself should I be eating there in the first place. Now that I actually have my food and drink I expect no I would like you to come back 2 or 3 more times depending on how busy the place is just to see how I am doing all that stuff you think is your job you should be doing that now no not playing on your phone or talking to coworkers about nothing. Also don’t make it odd like someone told you. You had to do it and you did not want to like taking out the trash or washing dishes or picking up dog crap. Take me back to my before my teen years and make me think you actually give a crap or care at all.

If you want to chat me up that’s cool possible brownie points for you. But make sure I still have everything I need a straw, A-1  sauce, Ketchup, another drink  dessert whatever. You should do this a couple of more times as well this is before you bring me a check that being the last time. If you do all of this then you have likely done your job. Short of my visit being one disaster after another you can likely expect a pretty good tip if I get nothing like this meaning it is crap or way below par by anyone’s standards don’t expect one. If the service is exceedingly well I mean outstanding which I have gotten well not very often you can expect a 100% tip or more yes everything paid for and possibly more. If you have done just above poor service do not expect even 10% of the bill. If you may have missed a couple of things 15% and 20% if you flat out did your job not what I expect but what everyone else expects. Once again if you did everything and more in this article that can equate to 100% or more I don’t care what my bill is. It’s also likely that I will tell everyone else as well.