Ugh...fruit flies

Incredibly sweet and juicy fruits and vegetables is one reason I love summer. However, the fruit flies that sometimes arrive with my ripening fruit drive me mad! This year, though, I have stopped those fruit flies in their tracks. All you need, once you see fruit flies, is to set out a glass with balsamic vinegar in the bottom. Then form a cone with paper to place inside. The fruit flies will smell the balsamic and head down the cone. They are quite cleaver enough to know how to come back out. Your family can watch them fly around and in a couple of days they will all be collected and dead. Good-bye fruit flies, hello peaches, plums and melon! ItsGood2Know!

Is it or Isn't it Organic?

Fish protein in apples to increase shelf-life? Yuck!

I wrote about this last year, but thought it was important to share again! Once I read about fish in my apples, I knew I needed to be better educated on produce identification. Here it is simplified:

Look at the Product Look Up Code (PLU) on the produce sticker.

4 digit numbers are NOT organic.

A 9 in front of the numbers means it IS organic.

A 8 in front of the numbers means genetically modified. Be careful what you eat!

If you cannot make the switch to organic for everything, at least be aware of which foods have the largest amount of pesticides. For example, peaches, strawberries, bell peppers and celery. Then you can make better decisions about what you eat. Now that is Good2Know!

Simple Dessert a Kid Can Make...ItsGood2Know

Ummm...ice cream! I have pictures eating these Ice Cream Pies from my 17th birthday. I think I made 3 different ones and they were each yummy. On holiday weekends or all summer, ice cream pies are a tasty treat. I made one today with my 9 year old son who has become a real ace in the kitchen. All you need is 1.5 containers of your favorite flavor ice cream, a pre-made graham cracker crust pie shell and your favorite toppings.

Let the ice cream sit on your counter to soften. Take the plastic off the shell and carefully plop the ice cream into the shell using the softest parts first. If you wish, add some chocolate syrup or caramel along the way. With a spatula, gently form the ice cream to fit into the shell mounding towards the center. Once done, you might be a bit sticky, add the syrups or sprinkles as you wish. Cover with the plastic top and return to the freezer for a minimum of 2 hours. Enjoy!

Delicious from Baltimore, MD

In January, our family headed to Baltimore for Cousin Joey's Bar Mitzvah. We had a wonderful time celebrating and touring. We came back with 2 great bits of 'food lover' information that are Good2Know! The first is a cookbook you will want to own and the other a restaurant to visit when you head to Maryland.

While at Cousin Jeff's house, we began talking about cooking and he shared with us a great new cookbook he had found. It is called Cooking Jewish 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family by Judy Bart Kancigor. Now, you certainly need not be Jewish to enjoy these wonderful dishes including black & white cookies, chocolate chip cake with mocha frosting and applesauce muffins. Can you tell I have a sweet tooth? The recipes are delicious, but the stories about each one and the member of the family who contributed it make you feel like you know them personally and may even inspire you to collect a few recipes and stories of your own. A neat book to read even if you do not cook.
Cooking Jewish 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family

Poulet, or chicken in French, is a wonderful restaurant and take-out place in Lutherville, Maryland. Chef-owner, Jonathan Soudry, has created a great spot with wonderful chicken dishes, savory & sweet crepes and a wide variety of sides & breads. The desserts are also not to be missed including the 18 flavors of homemade ice cream. Now, you may be thinking this sounds nice, but why blog about it. Well, our beautiful 5 yr. old daughter has life-threatening allergies to peanuts and tree nuts and so does the daughter of Chef Soudry. In this case, this means, each and every dish at Poulet including the ice cream (we tasted all 18) were safe for her to eat! An incredible experience and worth the plane fare for every nut allergy sufferer! You can find them at Poulet Catering
 

Yummy and Good2Know!