NOTES FROM A FOOD BLOGGER

I have decided I need a page of just NOTES. I keep marking things down in my Trello to-do list item “BLOG,” but I’m never finding convenient place to get those out to everyone.

—Crumbling bacon: First Note. If you need crumbled bacon for a recipe? BAKE IT. Getting bacon uniformly crisp enough to crumble without burning it in a skillet is a bit of a trick, and doing it in the microwave to that degree of done-ness will get you tough bacon. Toss it on a cookie sheet and stick it in the oven. I do it at high heat - probably 425 or so - and just keep an eye on it, every five or ten minutes. 

—Food Scales: Note #2. If you are trying to stay healthy or lose weight, I am telling you, you NEED to invest in food scales. We Americans just EAT TOO MUCH. We eat way too much of the processed stuff on our grocery store shelves, too, but our main problem with this obesity epidemic is that we just EAT TOO MUCH.  Take a look at the size of the portions the restaurant serves you, the next time you eat out, if you don’t believe me. They’re craaaaaazy. Divide it in half before you start to eat! 

    Food scales help you be more mindful of your food. I’m terrible about just eating chips or nuts and not paying a bit of attention to what or how much I’m eating. Weigh it out! Especially helpful for those healthy-but-high-calorie foods like cheese and nuts. 

—And my beloved air-popped popcorn popper: last Note for tonight. 

    This makes the healthiest snacks EVER. Popcorn is a whole grain, which is super-important for us celiacs and anyone who’s trying to go gluten free, and there are lots of things to put on popcorn that have no calories. Spray butter is tops! I break my no-processed-food-rules for spray butter. 

    Try Parmesan or rosemary on it.