Coffee has long been controversial due to high levels of acidity, and, of course, because of the caffeine. The acidity can be harmful for some people with digestive problems, while caffeine is essentially an “upper” that can cause heart palpitations for some people when they drink large amounts. Some studies in fact show that drinking large amounts of java (some studies say more than five cups a day) can increase the risk of stroke, heart attacks, and other cardiac problems.

That said, other studies do show that it can help to prevent a large range of diseases and health problems. Studies have shown that it helps to prevent everything from Alzheimer’s Disease to some forms of cancer, as well as diabetes and Parkinson’s Disease.  Some studies looked at decaf while others looked at caffeinated coffee; some studies involved ingesting large amounts of java….so it’s hard to draw any conclusive results from many of the studies.

I have to wonder if the effects of caffeine vary widely from person to person given that some people are up all night with tremors after only a cup, while other people drink it black, practically by the gallon, with no ill effects.

So, coffee…health food or foe? Is it, like many things, good in moderation?  I hope so!

Though I couldn’t find a statement from the WHO (World Health Organization), several sources state that the WHO promotes the use of onions to treat lack of appetite and prevent atherosclerosis (a condition that occurs when fatty material builds in the arteries, sometimes completely blocking them).  Onions and onion extracts are also used in some parts of the world to treat coughs and colds, asthma, and bronchitis.  They appear to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol, they may inhibit tumor growth and bone loss, and they can control blood glucose levels.  If that’s not enough, they can help with sinus problems (helping to drain mucus from sinus cavities), and some people use them topically for antifungal/antibacterial treatments.  Wow – now that’s a superfood!

Eating cinnamon can actually help to control your blood sugar levels.  This study also showed that it can also help control levels of triglycerides, LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol) and total cholesterol.  I love cinnamon, so how to incorporate more into your diet?  A friend once suggested I sprinkle it in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches -it sounded strange, but it was great (I’m now allergic to peanuts, but it’s equally great with sunflower seed butter, which I now eat) – almost anything that you would eat with peanut butter is great with cinnamon.  Cinnamon is also a great addition to french toast batter, just sprinkle a little in with your milk and eggs.  Try sprinkling it on fall/winter veggies like squashes, sweet potatoes and pumpkins - it’s a great pairing whether you are roasting, pureeing, sauteeing or incorporating the veggies into a soup.  Cinnamon is a great addition to baked goods, too.  I recently made some raspberry-oat muffins that included cinnamon and it added a wonderful depth of flavor to my muffins!  It’s great in other baked goods, too - add it to brownies for Mexican brownies, or hot chocolate for Mexican hot chocolate.  (You can heat the milk on the stove with a cinnamon stick in it for great flavor).   You can even sprinkle some in with the ground coffee in your coffee maker to brew cinnamon flavored coffee!

Check back in the next few weeks as I talk about onions, coffee, and other foods!

I was so glad I did.  First of all, the story was read by Cassandra Campbell who did a wonderful job of reading the story with appropriate emotion, but without exaggerating voices and emotions as some audio book readers are wont to do.  There was something calming and rhythmic about the way that she read the cooking scenes in particular – her descriptions of chopping, slicing, and dicing were downright calming on my commute.

Moreover, the book itself has a perfect balance that many foodie memoirs lack.  Flinn found the right balance of sharing details of her personal life without giving too much intimate information, while still making this a true foodie book. 

After getting laid off from a successful job in London, Flinn decided to pursue her dream of going to Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris.  She had always dreamed of going to Paris and of attending culinary school, and the way in which she pursued it is truly inspiring.  Her path is not always an easy one – not every recipe is successful, but it makes it all the more rewarding when she does master a tecnnique, a sauce, or a dough.  She has a charming way of telling a story, and I was delighted to discover her blog and website while working on this entry – she is equally candid online and her posts remind me why I respect her as a foodie and writer.  Best of all, it seems like there are more Flinn books in the works!

I still enjoy a good cup of coffee…for me, it’s more comforting than drinking tea, despite the fact that I get jitters if I drink too much of it.  But, I also get pickier about coffee as I get older.  Too many places serve up really bitter coffee that tastes of burnt beans, while other places serve up watery brown liquid.  So when I find a coffee or espresso-based drink that I love, I’m really hooked.

Such is the case with Soufflés in Newburyport.  They’re located in downtown Newburyport and, while small, they use their space well to display the kitchen essentials and gadets, cookbooks, and other kitchen supplies that they sell.  They also sell some wonderful coffee drinks to go at the registers.  I’m sure they’re all good, but I’m so addicted to the iced mochaccinos there that I have yet to try anything else, though I’m sure I will expand my espresso horizons and try their hot drinks come winter.  They also offer several baked goods by the register including cookies, bars, and biscotti that are typically very good, and taste fresh (many are made by local bakeries).

Souffles’ iced mochaccino is a perfectly balanced blend of chocolate, espresso and milk so that the result is creamy, slightly sweet, with a pleasant espresso flavor.  They only come in one size but  you can order it with one or two shots of espresso.  Even with low-fat milk (they don’t usually offer skim) the result is rich and creamy – the perfect way to start a weekend day!

Not surprisingly, L.A. and New York were two of the first cities to see the rise of street vendors on wheels – many of whom update their locations via Twitter, blog posts, text messages, and/or websites.  People scurry to the locations of the popular ones in droves.  L.A. is famed for Kogi BBQ which marries Korean food with Mexican (think a burrito with Korean filling) while N.Y. has such inventive ones as the Treats Truck and the Dessert Truck which serve up gourmet desserts on the street.  (The Dessert Truck was even featured on an episode of Bobby Flay’s Throwndown on the Food Network).

My near and dear city of Boston is sadly lacking in these types of mobile street vendors for the most part, but I’m heading to Seattle later this month and I’m excited to try at least one of their well-known street vendors.  The first vendor in Seattle that I heard about was Skillet Street Food, known for serving up gourmet, bistro-style food using local ingredients.  They serve up breakfast and lunch and they seem to be famous for their bacon jam (featured in burgers and other items).   And, you’ve got to check out the site of Maximus/Minimus because they have the most unique wheels – they’ll make you squeal!  And, the food sounds good, too – mostly pork and veggie sandwiches.  The sandwiches are available with Maximus Sauce or Minimus Sauce – Maximus is spicy and Minimus is sweet and tangy.  And, finally, Marination creates unique Korean-Hawaiian inspired dishes such as Kimchi Quesadillas, spicy meat dishes and even some Spam-based meals (think I’ll skip those…but the menu’s definitely intriguing).  Serious Eats has a great list of street food carts in the U.S. and Canada that use Twitter if you’re looking for more!

I love this concept – gourmet food for the masses – affordable, quick, and at a corner near you soon!

The Chamberlain family spent many years living in France and returns to America around the start of World War II.  The book accounts the family’s transition from France to America as the French-born and trained Clementine accompanies them.

From some perspectives the book is amusing and enlightening as it allows the reader to compare and contrast many points: France and America today, France and America during World War II, America during World War II and today, food trends then and now, and American lifestyle then and now.  Clementine arrived in America speaking only French, and knowing only French culture, so her naivetes to American culture are amusing.  However, at points, the Chamberlains nearly refer to her as property, which is not amusing.

At many points, the book is a dry account of high society life in Marblehead in the 1940s and nearly half of the book is actually a list of arcane French recipes.  They’re worth a scan, but there was little there that I could envision making today.  In addition, much of the terminology in the recipes is out of date.

Clementine is a likeable figure in the story, and the book would be interesting to a food historian, but is probably a bit dry for the average reader.  Reichl’s introduction is as entertaining as her writing always is, though.  Not a read for everyone, but good for some!

My recent gadget obsession has been around the Switchit Spatulas.  They are simply fantastic!  (I may begin to sound like an infomercial here…)  If you don’t have one and haven’t seen one, the Switchit is ingenious.  It has two useable ends – a narrow spatula on one end and a wider spatula on the other.  They come in a range of bright, modern colors, they are heat resistant up to 650 degrees, and they are incredibly sturdy.  You can use them for anything you’d use a traditional spatula for, the only difference is that once you use one of these, you’ll never want your old spatula back!  I have two, an all-purpose one with wide and medium ends, and a great one with two narrow-ish ends.  They’re great for everything from mixing to cooking to coaxing that last stubborn bit of peanut butter out of the jar.

The Switchit is made by a company called Chef’n, and finding their website for this blog was dangerous work because now I see that they make all kinds of great gadgets and tools – Switchit spatulas for flipping burgers and pancakes, ice cream scoops with ice breaking edges, and a nifty tool to slice and remove grapefruit sections.  I don’t have one of those…excuse me, please, while I go locate my credit card…

Then we tried Angelina’s, with several locations in MA (we tried the Salisbury location for take-out).  Intrigued by something called the double-decker, I went ahead and ordered it without a question.  I was impressed when my husband brought it home and I discovered it was essentially a pizza within a pizza!  The lower crust is wrapped around the upper crust at the edges so that it all holds together beautifully.  You may think it’s just two pieces of pizza on top of one another, but there’s something about the layers of flavor and the thickness of it, all baked together – it’s like pizza lasagne – repeated layers of tasty ingredients.  Of course, eating one piece of a double-decker is like eating two standard pieces, so I filled up more quickly, but I think that at about $16 for a one-topping double-decker this also makes it a great value since it’s the equivalent of two large pizzas in one.

The traditional one-layer pizza at Angelina’s is also great.  We went with eggplant and feta.  The eggplant is lightly breaded for a bit of crunch.  Their sauce is tasty, the cheese is good…it’s comfort food at its best.  We’ll be trying the Angelina’s subs and other offerings soon, so stay tuned!

The crispy portion of the snack is like a really horrible generic cracker – think of a Saltine minus the salt.  It’s a very thin, crispy, tasteless wafer surrounding a bad, jammy filling.  The flavor is supposed to be Mixed Berry, but aside from a reddish-purplish color there’s nothing that screams “berries!” about these.  They turn to a kind of mushy paste in your mouth.    There are two crisps to a package, and the enitre package is only 10o calories, but they’re still a waste of calories.  I’ve never liked Pop Tarts, but these make Pop Tarts seem like a real treat.  I hope the hosts hadn’t tried the Fruit Crisps before sharing them - otherwise, I have to wonder what their guests did to deserve such treatment!