Big-Batch Party Punches

Mix up one of these festive drinks at your next get-together! These big-batch beverages will keep you and your guests in high spirits.

Blackberry Mojito Punch

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Ingredients
3 cups blueberry-blackberry juice blend
2 (12-oz.) cans frozen mojito mix
2 (1-liter) bottles club soda, chilled
1 1/2 cups white rum
3 limes, sliced
1 (12-oz.) package frozen blueberries
Garnish: fresh mint sprigs

Preparation
Stir together blueberry-blackberry juice blend, mojito mix, chilled club soda, white rum, sliced limes, and frozen blackberries. Serve over ice. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs.

Related: Refreshing Fruit-Filled Cocktails

Southern Pineapple Punch

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Ingredients
1 (2-liter) bottle ginger ale, chilled
1 (12-oz.) container frozen pineapple-orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 cup mango nectar
1 Tbsp. finely grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 cups Southern Comfort (optional)
Crushed ice

Preparation
Stir together chilled ginger ale, pineapple-orange juice concentrate, mango nectar, ginger, and, if desired, Southern Comfort.

Related: Ultimate Party Cookbook

Raspberry Wine Zinger

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Ingredients
1 (750-milliliter) bottle dry white wine
2 (12-oz.) bottles raspberry lambic beer
1 (1-liter) bottle club soda, chilled
3/4 cup simple syrup
1 pt. raspberry sorbet
1 cup frozen raspberries

Preparation
Stir together wine, beer, chilled club soda, and simple syrup in a large punch bowl. Scoop raspberry sorbet into wine mixture. Add frozen raspberries.

Related: Fabulously Festive Party Trays

Honey-Green Tea Fizz

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Ingredients
8 regular-size ginger-flavored green tea bags
4 cups boiling water
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
1 (2-liter) bottle ginger ale, chilled
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Preparation
Steep tea bags in boiling water according to package directions. Stir in honey and sugar until dissolved; cool completely (about 2 hours). Combine tea, chilled ginger ale, and fresh lemon juice. Serve over ice.

Related: Specialty Southern Cocktails

Cranberry-Key Lime Punch

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Ingredients
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
5 to 6 cups chilled club soda
1/2 cup fresh Key lime juice
1 cup vodka (optional)
Garnishes: Key lime slices and fresh cranberries

Preparation
Combine 2 cups fresh cranberries, sugar, and water in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes or until cranberries being to pop. Pour mixture through a wire-mesh strainer into a large pitcher, discarding solids; cool completely (about 1 hour). Stir in chilled club soda, fresh Key lime juice, and, if desired, vodka. Serve over ice. Garnish with Key lime slices and fresh cranberries.

Related: Easy Entrees for Entertaining (But Will Still Impress!)

Bourbon Margarita Slushies

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Ingredients
1 (1-liter) bottle club soda
1 (12-oz.) can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup tequila
1 cup bourbon
3/4 cup orange liqueur
Lime slices

Preparation
Stir together bottle club soda, limeade concentrate, water, tequila, bourbon, and orange liqueur. Divide between 2 large zip-top plastic freezer bags; seal bags. Freeze 24 hours or up to 1 week. Serve in salt-rimmed glasses with lime slices.

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Tonight's Dorm Room Dinner - Sensational Shrimp Tacos

Brought to you by The Dorm Room Dinner.

Tonight, boys and girls, we have set out to answer an eternal question. What is a taco? 

Well, if you're a white boy from Boston like me, a taco is a lot of things. And more often than not, those things have nothing to do with ground beef, jarred salsa and pre-shredded cheese. Call me what you will, but I have thoroughly enjoyed a corn tortilla stuffed with lemon aioli, sauteed eggplant and spinach. It was delicious.

And yes, I have enjoyed tacos with carne asada and hot sauce. With chicken and salsa. They're good. Very good. I'm not trying to be unreasonable here. I'm just sayin' that traditional tacos aren't the only thing out there. There's a whole world out there.

So, what is a taco?

Playful. A taco should be playful. What you put on top should not be limited to salsa and lettuce. Bright flavors can really take your taco to new places. I like thinly shredded red cabbage mixed with a little oil and vinegar. I like pickled carrots. I like slices of fresh red bell pepper. I like grilled corn, sliced cucumber, avocado, fresh tomato salsa, cilantro, lemon juice, fresh chili peppers.

Meaty. Chill out vegetarians. There are plenty of ways to make a vegetarian taco meaty, and I don't mean withtempeh. For you meat lovers, a grilled flank steak always does the trick. Or some spicy shredded chicken. For the pescatarians out there, shrimp (see below) or seared tilapia fillets (cheap and great for tacos) will do just the trick. And for the true vegetarians, your options are numerous. Try sauteed eggplant, grilled portobello mushroom caps, sauteed potatoes (think home fries, seriously delicious in tacos), or chickpeas/other beans.

Saucy. If you put a mayonnaise-based "special sauce" at the base of your taco, it will be better. It's that simple. Try mixing with sriracha and lime juice. Or lemon zest and freshly ground black pepper. (You could use sour cream or creme fraiche here as well).

Fresh. I mean this in two ways. (1) Always use the freshest ingredients, especially because the flavor of each ingredient comes through so prominently in a taco. (2) They should have a (saucy) attitude.

There it is folks. The answer to the question you've always wanted to know, deep down in your heart. Where you take it from there is all up to you.

The other night, I made shrimp tacos using corn tortillas, sauteed shrimp, homemade mayonnaise, fresh tomato and avocado salsa with jalapenos, black beans with green onions and some fresh vegetables to throw on top. Recipe below.

Sensational Shrimp Tacos
Serves 2-3

For the mayonnaise:
-1 egg yolk
-1 cup neutral oil, like canola oil
-1 tablespoon lemon juice
-1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
-salt and pepper

For the salsa:
-3 large tomatoes, cored and diced
-1 ripe avocado, diced into cubes
-1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and white pith removed, finely chopped
-1/2 small red onion, minced
-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
-juice of half a lemon or lime
-1 tablespoon neutral oil
-hot sauce, optional

For the tacos:
-8-10 small corn tortillas
-25-30 cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
-1 can black beans, drained and washed
-4 scallions, sliced into medium pieces
-salt and pepper
-vegetables for topping, such as sliced cucumber, lettuce, spinach, avocado, cilantro, shredded red cabbage, carrot, etc.
-lemon or lime wedge, for serving

For the mayonnaise:
Place egg yolk in a large bowl. Whisking quickly, add the oil starting with just a few drops at a time. Still whisking, add in a slow steady stream, ensuring the mixture does not break. Mix in the lemon juice, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
(Note: Great Food52 video explaining how to make mayonnaise/aioli here.)

For the salsa:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, and adjust seasoning to your tastes.

For the tacos:
First, warm the shrimp on the grill or in a saute pan coated with oil. If warming in a saute pan, simply sear for a minute on each side until browned. Mix the shrimp with about half of the prepared mayonnaise.

Mix black beans and scallions with salt and pepper, adding a touch of oil as well if you want.

Warm tortillas by wrapping them in a damp towel, placing them in a large bowl or ramekin, and microwaving for 45 seconds. 

To serve, place the tortillas, bowls of the salsa, beans and extra mayonnaise, fresh vegetables, cilantro leaves, and lime or lemon wedges on a large platter. Serve to the table and allow everyone to make their own. Enjoy!

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Guide to finding the best American Barbecue

Pit masters spilled the secrets to sniffing out the best barbecue in America: pulled pork sandwiches, racks of ribs and plates of brisket. Hope you're hungry!

Quiz the big guys. When John Markus, executive producer of CBS's The Ultimate BBQ Showdown, is in search of barbecue, he doesn't ask just anyone. "I'll walk up to a guy who could stand to go on a diet," he says. "Even better if he has a toothpick in his mouth." And if nine out of 10 people suggest the same place, he'll go to the tenth. Most folks in Austin know Stubb's, but Markus likes lesser-known House Park Bar-B-Que (houseparkbbq.com) for brisket so tender, it explains their motto: "Need no teef to eat my beef."

Don't get saucy. "It's not that those thick, syrupy liquids aren't delicious," says Bob Kantor, who makes formidable food at Memphis Minnie's (memphisminnies.com) in San Francisco, of all places. It's just that barbecue is about the meat, so why obscure it with a blanket of sauce? "A beautiful woman is a beautiful woman, with or without minks and diamonds," he says. Respectable spots use just enough sauce to enhance the meat—and Kreuz Market in Lockhart, Texas (kreuzmarket.com), refuses to serve it at all.

Beware of new joints. Old places have a track record and possess the holy grail for 'cue hunters: a well-seasoned pit. Desiree Robinson of Cozy Corner in Memphis (cozycornerbbq.com) has been using the same cooker for more than 30 years. "If you take the grate out and lick it, it should taste like barbecue," she says.

Search for smoke. Without it, there's no barbecue. "Smoke flavor is integral to Southern barbecue, and you can't fake it," says Adam Perry Lang, author of BBQ 25 and co-creator with Jamie Oliver of Barbecoa, London's hot new barbecue spot. The tall stacks of oak beside Skylight Inn, in Ayden, North Carolina (252-746-4113), hint that their whole-hog barbecue has plenty of serious smoky flavor.

Chat up the man (or woman) behind the meat. Pit masters are traditionally gregarious. "You can only make barbecue with a hog that's 200 pounds when he's dancing," quips Ed Mitchell at The Pit in Raleigh, North Carolina (thepit-raleigh.com). Listen closely, because there's wisdom in his rant: "I like meat that has some marble—I'm a big guy, so I know that fat is flavor."

ORDER UP THE BEST!
Come home to a box of 'cue, straight from the source.

• Texas brisket from Snow's BBQ ($50 for a 4- to 5-lb. brisket, snowsbbq.com)
• Memphis ribs from Corky's ($82 for 2 slabs, corkysbbq.com)
• Burnt-ends combo from Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue ($70 for 2 pounds, jackstackbbq.com)
• Mutton from Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn ($6.50 for 1 lb., moonlite.com)

BBQ STYLE: A REGIONAL GUIDE
Gobbling pulled pork in Texas would be as incongruous as eating a slice of pizza in Shanghai. Get to know the regional specialties.

Texas: Brisket
Sliced salt-and-pepper rubbed brisket
Try It: Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor (louiemuellerbarbecue.com)
Or make ours: Get the recipe for Texas-Style Brisket »

Kansas City, Kansas: Burnt Ends
The crispy, fatty pieces from barbecue brisket, with molasses tomato-based sauce
Try It: Oklahoma Joe's Barbecue (oklahomajoesbbq.com)
Or make ours: Get the recipe for Baked Beans with Burnt Ends »

Kentucky: Mutton
Chopped sheep's meat, smothered in unctuous brown vinegar "dip" sauce
Try It: Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn in Owensboro (moonlite.com)

Memphis, Tennessee: Ribs
Pork ribs, both dry (caked in spices) and wet (slathered in tangy sauce)
Try It: Interstate Barbecue (interstatebarbecue.com)
Or make ours: Get the recipe for Memphis-Style Baby Back Ribs »

Eastern North Carolina: Whole Hog
Whole pigs, chopped, with thin, vinegary sauce
Try It: Wilber's Barbecue in Goldsboro (wilbersbarbecue.com)
Or make ours: Get the recipe for North Carolina-Style Pulled Pork Sandwiches »

Western North Carolina: Pork Shoulder
Pork shoulder, chopped, with ketchup-and-chile spiked vinegar sauce
Try It: Lexington Barbecue in Lexington (336-249-9814)

Read more »

Home-style Pizza: How to Make Your Own Dough (Cheap and Easy!)

Homemade Pizza Dough

If you have kids, chances are you often have pizza. Mine seemed to have been born loving it. Fortunately, they don't discriminate between takeout and homemade pizza, and so I can control what goes into it. Once you get the hang of making your own dough it's easy to mix up a batch when you get home from work and let it rise while you change and play with the kids and get ready for dinner – then you can roll or pat it out (kids love this part too), top it and cook it in a hot oven or on a preheated grill in minutes. (It also freezes well, so you can make a large batch and freeze balls of it to thaw as needed.) Pizza from scratch is cheaper, easier and better than takeout, and a great way to use up small quantities of leftover meats, cheese and veggies. And it's a great thing to teach kids that pizza comes from flour, yeast and water, cheese and tomatoes and fresh basil from the garden, rather than from the guy at the door with the insulated pizza bag.

If your family has varying tastes, you can let everyone make their own and all will be happy. If you're having a crowd over for a party – kids' or otherwise – it's a great way to feed a crowd. Just set out balls of dough and bowls of toppings and let everyone go to town. (Have them make them on a piece of parchment, and mark one corner to keep track of which belongs to whom.)

To make flavored pizza dough, add a generous pinch of chopped fresh or dried basil, rosemary or oregano, a clove of minced garlic, a few finely chopped olives or sun dried tomatoes (if they come packed in oil, use it in place of the olive oil) or 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper along with the flour. Flavored pizza dough makes great breadsticks – roll the risen dough into sticks as thin or fat as you like, sprinkle with coarse salt or grated Parmesan cheese and bake until golden.

Related: Craving potato chips? 12 healthier crunchy alternatives

To bake your pizza, roll it out thin on a parchment lined or cornmeal-dusted baking sheet (it will rise again in the oven), top it with your choice of toppings and bake in a preheated 450F oven until golden and bubbly.

Basic Pizza Dough

1 pkg. (or 2 tsp.) active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar or honey
2 1/2 – 3 cups flour – all purpose, whole wheat, or any combination of the two (I usually use about 2 3/4 cups)
1 tsp. salt
a drizzle (1 tsp. – 1 Tbsp.) olive or canola oil
In a large bowl, stir the yeast and sugar into a cup of warm water; set aside for 5 minutes, until it's foamy. (If it doesn't get foamy, either your water was too hot and killed the yeast or it was inactive to begin with – toss it and buy fresh yeast or try again!)

Related: Super-cool! The world's 10 most incredible restaurants

Add 2 1/2 cups of the flour, salt and oil and stir until the dough comes together. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 8 minutes, until it's smooth and elastic, adding a little more flour if the dough is too sticky.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat all over. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for half an hour to an hour, until doubled in bulk. If you want you can let it rise more slowly in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours. Makes enough for 2-3 large pizzas.

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Summer Berry Crisp

I love spending time in the kitchen, but summer heat and hectic schedules sometimes make me less than enthusiastic about slaving away in front of a hot stove. Luckily, there's a solution to my summer baking blues - this beautifully simple dessert. This elegant crisp creates the illusion of lots of time spent in the kitchen, and showcases the freshest of summer berries. The reality is about ten minutes prep time and 30 minutes in the oven, and you can use any combination of berries (fresh or frozen - be sure to thaw first) that you have on hand.

Fresh, in-season berries and the cool, clean flavor of coconut oil make this a light and reasonably healthy dessert that's perfect for summer. This 'crisp' contains some unusual spices (black pepper, anyone?) but, trust me, they're guaranteed to bring out the best in your berries. Did you know that cloves and black pepper can make a late-summer raspberry taste even sweeter? You don't have to take my word for it - try this simple desert and see for yourself!

Summer Berry Crisp

fills a 1 1/2 quart casserole

3 cups fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries and raspberries work well)

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup butter

3 Tablespoons coconut oil

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour

3/4 cup old-fashioned oats

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper*

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves*

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

*fresh ground works best, especially with the cloves

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a deep 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Place berries in dish, drizzle with lemon juice and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and spices. Cut butter into flour mixture with a fork and stir in coconut oil until well blended. Mixture may be lumpy. Add oatmeal and stir until just combined. Crumble mixture over fruit, taking care to cover evenly and all the way to the edges. Bake for 20 minutes covered, then uncover and bake for 10 minutes more, or until topping is lightly browned and slightly crispy. Serve hot or cold, with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or a drizzle of pouring cream.

A few notes: This recipe varies greatly depending on the fruit used. If you're using tart or slightly sour fruits, like raspberries or blackberries, you may wish to dust them with sugar before baking. For a crisp made of sweet fruits (i.e. strawberries, peaches or plums), you can reduce the sugar in the topping to 1/2 cup.

The thickness of the fruit filling also varies with the fruit used. If you're worried that your crisp will be too syrupy (this sometimes happens with blueberries), you can coat the fruit with a bit of cornstarch beforehand or bake it in a light syrup of cornstarch, lemon juice and sugar.

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9 Extraordinary Uses for Objects in the Kitchen

1. Hair dryer as salad drier
If you have rinsed and spun your salad, but the leaves are still wet, set your hair dryer on a cool setting and wave it gently over the leaves.

2. A teaspoon as a ginger peeler
When you find it impossible to peel ginger without losing some of the flesh, try this. If you're right-handed, hold the ginger in your left hand and, using a teaspoon, firmly scrape the edge of the spoon along the knob with your right. The papery skin will peel straight off.

3. Dental floss as slicer
Held taut, fine floss can slice layer cakes, soft breads, soft cheeses, butter and plenty of other soft foods more effectively than a sharp knife.

4. Plastic drink bottle as a funnel
Cut off the top third of the bottle and turn it upside down. Now you can easily funnel left - over sauces, gravies, kidney beans or even grease into containers for storage or disposal.

5. A coffee filter as a gravy strainer
Beef and poultry drippings from a roast make the most delicious, flavoursome base for gravy, but are often packed with grease. Save the flavour and lose the fat by straining the cooking juices through a paper coffee filter.

6. Scissors as herb chopper
Use clean household scissors to snip fresh herbs and spring onions into salads or mixing bowls. Scissors are also perfect for cutting steam vents in the crust of a pie before it goes in the oven.

7. Flowerpots as kitchen tool caddy
Store serving spoons, whisks, tongs and other kitchen tools in flowerpots on the benchtop. To make the pots more decorative, you could paint each one in a different pastel or bright color.

8. Wood rasp as lemon zester
A clean, fine metal rasp from a toolbox works perfectly as a zester for lemons, limes, oranges and other citrus fruit. Its tiny raised nubs scrape the fruit's skin to create perfect zest.

9. Shoehorn to remove corn kernels
A clean shoehorn has at least two uses in the kitchen: scrape the wide end along a cob to remove the kernels and use the narrow end to gently release baked goods such as cupcakes, small pies or muffins from their tin.

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User food review: Faux Healthy Fast Food - Arby’s Angus Deli Sandwich

Visit foodreview101.com for more food reviews and food news!

Arby's really isn't the first thing you think of when it comes to healthy fast food although they do have some healthy menu items when it comes to their roast beef sandwiches. The chain has recently introduced a new Angus Cool Deli Sandwich sandwich and an Angus Cool Deli Wrap which both look promising in the advertisements as well as on their web-site. The main question is if Arby's would be able to create a fresh and healthy sandwich that would live up to the advertisements that are promoting them as such, or if they would just be another item on the menu.

When you look at what they're advertising it's hard not to think that this sandwich would be pretty tasty right?, wrong. What we found out first hand was that the meat wasn't as nice as we'd hoped it would be and have come to expect from eating Arby's meat all these years. The fixing's that go into this sandwich are what sets it apart from some other fast food sandwiches these days because it's "Topped with crisp lettuce, tomato, red onion, Swiss cheese, mayonnaise, dressed in vinaigrette and popping with banana peppers and pickles." All of these ingredients combined together made a nice flavor combination, however the sandwich it-self was kind of large and had that effect of being too large to eat. This sandwich falls in the line of other fast food items such as Wendy's new Berry Salad or Shakes. If you're looking for a healthy fast food sandwich we suggest you make your own and take it to work or to keep going to Subway and ordering off their Under 500 Calorie Menu. Overall (2 out of 5).

The pros are that the fixing's in the sandwich are a nice touch.

The cons are that the meat isn't that great, the sandwich is plain big, and it's a fake healthy sandwich.

Nutritional Information:

• Calories 640
• Fat 35g
• Sodium 1760mg
• Carbs 47g
• Fiber 3g
• Sugar 4g
• Protein 37g

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Secret Ways Restaurants Use Music

Music most likely isn't the largest factor motivating where you choose to dine, but restaurant owners put a lot of thought into what they play in their eateries. And according to Nation's Restaurant News, if they aren't thinking about music, they should be.

In a recent post about music's role in restaurant design, author Mark Brandau details the different ways sound influences sales, how different times of the day call for their own soundtrack and how restaurants cater to certain clientele. Here are a few "notes" to keep in mind the next time you need to pick a restaurant:

It's someone's job to craft playlists. Eateries hire experts to build music playlists for different times of the day. Says the Senior Vice President of Quaker Steak & Lube, "Energetic, up-tempo songs encourage quick dining and faster table turns at peak periods." These paid-for playlists don't include commercials and need to be scored so there's enough variety to avoid repeating songs.

What you hear at lunch won't be what you hear at dinner. And what you hear after dinner will be something entirely different. If a restaurant's goal is to increase late-night traffic, music is crucial to creating the atmosphere.

Music builds brands. Nick Vojnovic, president of four-unit, fast-casual chain Little Greek, had been in the business 20 years before realizing how crucial music is to the restaurant experience after listening to an executive from The Cheesecake Factory speak about using music to strengthen brand identity.

Where have you heard that before? Restaurants may be using the same music providers. Ambiance Radio provides playlists for Little Greek, in Florida, and also Schlotzsky's and Union Square Café, in New York City. Vojnovic, who started his career at Chili's, revealed that years ago, instrumental tapes of background music were changed only once per quarter.

Music helps restaurants choose diners. Brandau explains that some restaurants prefer to pump up the volume, not to alienate certain groups of customers, but to stay true to their core guest. If college kids are a restaurant's prime demographic, the establishment may deliberately play music older crowds deem uninviting.

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Apricot Lamb Meatballs

• Print

I adore lamb but don't buy it very often because it can be expensive.  When I saw it for $3.98/lb. at our local grocery store on Saturday, I jumped at the chance to make one of Man Friend's and my favorite dishes -apricot lamb meatballs with couscous and tomato and cucumber salad.

I always start out by assembling the meatballs and couscous per the recipe below.

Apricot Lamb Meatballs

yields 12-14 2 inch meatballs

• 1 lb. ground lamb
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 2 t. cumin
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs
• 3/4 small onion, finely minced
• 6 dried apricots, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 T. chopped mint
• 2 cups couscous

meatball ingredients

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Add all ingredients except the mint and couscous  into a mixing bowl and mash together.

meatball ingredients in bowl

Add the mint and gently mash it into the lamb mixture.

meatball ingredients in bowl with mint

Form the lamb mixture into two inch wide meatballs and place them in a baking dish.

meatballs ready for oven

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking time.  The meatballs should be browned evenly when finished cooking.  If you're not sure that they're cooked, you can always slice into one to see if there is any pinkness in the middle.

cooked meatballs

While the meatballs cook, you can get started on the couscous.  Cook 2 cups dry couscous per the instructions on the package.  When you remove the couscous from heat, drizzle 1 T. olive oil into the water and couscous so it is absorbed as the couscous cooks.  When the couscous has absorbed all of the water and oil, fluff it lightly with a fork.

couscous

Along with couscous, my favorite thing to serve with the meatballs is a simple tomato, cucumber, and feta salad.  It adds a ton of color and freshness to the plate and really completes the meal.  See recipe below.

Tomato, Cucumber, and Feta Salad

• 5 medium size tomatoes, diced
• 1 whole English cucumber, chopped
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 3 T. olive oil
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 T. chopped mint

salad ingredients

Mix cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, and mint together in a bowl.  Toss with olive oil and lemon juice just before serving.

prepared salad

When everything is ready, pile your plate high!

assembled plate

This dish is such a special treat, and yet it is really quite simple to make.  I love how the sweetness from the apricots is nicely complimented by the cinnamon and the warm smokey flavor of the cumin in the meatballs.  I always mix everything together when I eat so that the couscous is infused with the citrus dressing from the salad.  It gives so much freshness and fragrance to the meal.  Plus, the mint and feta in both the salad and the meatballs nicely ties the two components together.  Enjoy!

If you enjoyed this post, please head over to www.flopoodle.com for more recipes!

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8 hidden food dangers and how to avoid them

By Hilary Meyer, Associate Food Editor, EatingWell Magazine

Some people think that rules are made to be broken. In certain circumstances, I can get behind that statement. But when it comes to food, if you take that attitude to heart, understand you could be risking your health. I'm paying closer attention to food safety these days in the wake of the recent salmonella outbreak that's been linked to ground turkey. To date, Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation has recalled 36 million pounds of ground turkey, which is no small number.

Whether we realize it or not, chances are we all have broken a few food-safety rules. It's easy to do, but also easy to avoid if you know about which hidden food dangers to watch out for and what you can do to protect yourself:

Danger: When there's a recall, you don't check your food
Avoid it: We often hear about food recalls on the news, but according to a survey conducted by Rutgers University during the fall of 2008, only about 60 percent of Americans search their homes for foods that have been recalled because of contamination. Whenever there's a food recall, check products stored at home to make sure they are safe. You should discard any food that's been recalled because it's associated with the outbreak of a foodborne illness. For more information on food recalls, visit www.recalls.gov.

Related: Signs and Symptoms of 5 Foodborne Bacteria You Want to Avoid

Danger: Your refrigerator isn't cold enough
Avoid it: Especially in the summer months, the temperature in your fridge can creep up. Use a "refrigerator thermometer" to make sure your food is stored at a safe temperature of 40°F or below. Keep in mind that products stored on the refrigerator door are subject to the most temperature fluctuations. Store highly perishable ingredients like meat toward the back of your refrigerator or in a meat drawer.

Danger: You defrost food on the counter
Avoid it: It's summer. It's warm. You think you can expedite the thawing of your frozen hamburger patties by leaving them on the counter for a little while. Right? Wrong! Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter for longer than 2 hours because, while the center of the food may remain frozen, the outer surface may enter the Danger Zone, the range of temperatures between 40° and 140°F, in which bacteria multiply rapidly. If you're short on time, use the microwave—or you can thaw meat and poultry in airtight packaging in cold water. Change the water every half hour (so it stays cold) and use the thawed food immediately.
Don't Miss: 4 "Bad" Cooking Habits You Should Break
10 Secrets to Healthier Cooking

Danger: You use the same cutting board for everything
Avoid it: Most people know that it's good practice to give their cutting board a wash after it comes in contact with raw meat or poultry, but it's a better idea to use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/fish and produce/cooked foods. That way, bacteria from uncooked meat, poultry and fish won't contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce.

Must-Read: 10 Food Rules You Should Follow

Danger: You assume your meat is cooked rather than using a thermometer to check
Avoid it: Using a calibrated instant-read thermometer is the only way to really know if that burger is cooked through. The USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures are as follows: beef, veal and lamb (steaks and roasts), pork and fish, 145°F; ground beef, 160°F; poultry, 165°F. In the EatingWell Test Kitchen we often recommend cooking meats like roasts and steaks to lower temperatures, closer to medium-rare, so that they retain their moisture. However, we recommend that those who are at high risk for developing foodborne illness—pregnant women and their unborn babies and newborns, young children, older adults, people with weakened immune systems or certain chronic illnesses—follow the USDA guidelines.
Test Your Food-Safety IQ: How Many Food Rules Do You Break? Take Our Quiz!

Danger: You give your hands a quick rinse before you cook
Avoid it: Sometimes we're pressed for time and we cut corners. One of these corners could easily be skimping on the soapy water you need to wash your hands properly. You can pick up a lot of bacteria out in the world, so it's important to always wash your hands before you eat or prepare food. You should also wash your hands after touching any uncooked meat, poultry, fish or eggs, as bacteria from these foods can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. Use soap and warm water and wash thoroughly—for at least 20 seconds.

Danger: You eat your leftovers cold
Avoid it: Watch out for that slice of cold pizza that's lurking in the fridge! The USDA recommends heating all cooked leftovers to 165°F to kill all potentially dangerous bacteria.

Danger: You eat foods that have been sitting out too long
Avoid it: Keep an eye on the buffet table at your next potluck. Meat, poultry, eggs and even sliced fresh fruits and vegetables that have been left out for more than 2 hours may enter the Danger Zone—the unsafe temperatures between 40° and 140°F, in which bacteria multiply rapidly. And in temperatures hotter than 90°F, food can become contaminated in half that time. Move perishable foods back to the refrigerator as soon as possible to avoid spoiling.

How concerned are you about food safety in light of the recent turkey recall?

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No-fail ways to grill 8 vegetables (plus 5 seasonings you haven’t tried)

By Hilary Meyer, Associate Food Editor, EatingWell Magazine

I love roasted vegetables, but it's way too hot to even think about turning on my oven. So in the summer, I leave some room for vegetables on the grill.

Grilling vegetables imparts a delicious smokiness that can't be replicated by any other cooking method. And if your grill is already fired up for your main dish, why not take care of the side at the same time?

Recipes to try: Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus & More Grilled Vegetable Recipes
Grilled Eggplant and Portobello Sandwich & More 30-Minute Grilling Recipes

EatingWell's Test Kitchen team pulled together a chart of the 8 easiest vegetables to grill and how to prepare them for perfect results every time. Just follow these simple steps:

Step 1 – Preheat your grill to medium-high. Prepare the vegetable of your choice from the chart below.

Step 2 – Brush the vegetable with 1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper – or with one of the flavor combinations below.

Step 3 – Grill the vegetables, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and tender (check the chart for approximate grilling times).

Don't Miss: Gas or Charcoal? Our 13 Best Grilling Tips
4 Secrets for Perfect BBQ Chicken

Want more flavor from your veggies? Slather on one of these combos before you grill:

Chile-Garlic & Soy: Toss vegetables with 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (or canola oil), 1 tablespoon each chile-garlic sauce and reduced-sodium soy sauce and 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper.

Chili-Lime: Toss vegetables with 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (or canola oil), 3/4 teaspoon each chili powder and ground cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt. After grilling, toss with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro and lime juice to taste.

Garlic-Thyme: Toss vegetables with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or canola oil), 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried), 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper. After grilling, toss with 2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds if desired.

Maple Butter: Toss the vegetables with 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Spicy Orange: Toss vegetables with 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (or canola oil), the zest of 1 orange, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper.

Recipes to Try: Blueberry-Bourbon Barbecue Sauce & More BBQ Sauces, Marinades and Rubs

What vegetables do you like best on the grill, and do you have a special way you like to prepare them?

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