FDA, Food dyes & Hyperactivity

From The New York Times...WASHINGTON — After staunchly defending the safety of artificial food colorings, the federal government is for the first time publicly reassessing whether foods like Jell-O, Lucky Charms cereal and Minute Maid Lemonade should carry warnings that the bright artificial colorings in them worsen behavior problems like hyperactivity in some children. Read full article here.

Just what are all those food colorings anyway?

• Blue #1 (Brilliant Blue)
  

  An unpublished study suggested the possibility that Blue 1 caused kidney tumors in mice. What it's in: Baked goods, beverages, desert powders, candies, cereal, drugs, and other products.

• Blue #2 (Indigo Carmine)
  

  Causes a statistically significant incidence of tumors, particularly brain gliomas, in male rats. What it's in: Colored beverages, candies, pet food, & other food and drugs.

• Citrus Red #2
  

  It's toxic to rodents at modest levels and caused tumors of the urinary bladder and possibly other organs. What it's in: Skins of Florida oranges.

• Green #3 (Fast Green)
  

  Caused significant increases in bladder and testes tumors in male rats. What it's in: Drugs, personal care products, cosmetic products except in eye area, candies, beverages, ice cream, sorbet; ingested drugs, lipsticks, and externally applied cosmetics.

• Red #3 (Erythrosine)
  

  Recognized in 1990 by the FDA as a thyroid carcinogen in animals and is banned in cosmetics and externally applied drugs. What it's in: Sausage casings, oral medication, maraschino cherries, baked goods, candies.

• Red #40 (Allura Red)
  

  This is the most-widely used and consumed dye. It may accelerate the appearance of immune-system tumors in mice. It also causes hypersensitivity (allergy-like) reactions in some consumers and might trigger hyperactivity in children. What it's in: Beverages, bakery goods, dessert powders, candies, cereals, foods, drugs, and cosmetics.

• Yellow #5 (Tartrazine)
  

  Yellow 5 causes sometimes-severe hypersensitivity reactions and might trigger hyperactivity and other behavioral effects in children. What it's in: Pet foods, numerous bakery goods, beverages, dessert powders, candies, cereals, gelatin desserts, and many other foods, as well as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

• Yellow #6 (Sunset Yellow)
  

  Caused adrenal tumors in animals and occasionally causes severe hypersensitivity reactions. What it's in: Color bakery goods, cereals, beverages, dessert powders, candies, gelatin deserts, sausage, cosmetics and drugs.

For more information...
Freedom Food Network, Food Dyes: Toxic Situation
Food Dyes A Rainbow of Risks

Cake Balls or Pops

I am all to easy entertained! I was so very excited when I found this idea...

I stumbled on to Bakerella a few days ago where I was introduced to Cake-Pops/Balls/Cupcakes for the first time.
I could hardly contain myself!
Pathetic huh.
I knew I had to try them.

Instructions:

• Put 1 9x13 baked cake and about 1# icing together in a mixing bowl.

I made my own cake and icing, but you could purchase both.
You can choose any flavor your heart desires.

• Then mix.

• Your mixture will look like this after a few minutes.
• Chill the mixture for an hour to overnight.
  

• Next, roll into balls. Be forewarned, this step is a bit messy!
  

I used a medium sized cookie scoop.
I ended up with about 60 balls.

• Cover and freeze for several hours or overnight.
  
• Next dip in almond bark.

You have a couple of options at this last step...
1. Put sucker sticks on the frozen balls, then dip and decorate.
2. Dip the ball as is. Then 'pretty up' by drizzling icing on top or sprinkling with sprinkles/colored sugar

I made snowmen.
I can take no credit for the Snowman idea, I stole it from Bakerella.
Aren't they cute?
And not half bad for my first attempt :)

I've been having dreams of making:
Basketball Pops
Princess Heads
Beach Balls and Buckets
Smiley Faces
Rockets
Big Bucks
Coffee Mugs
Hot Cocoa Mugs with Stir Sticks and Marshmallows...

Oh the possibilities are endless!

This week...

my boys are gone. They went to Florida to a Bowl Game with my parents. It is really quiet around here!
I've been having fun with my girls and getting a lot of projects done.
Like this one.

I figured with the outdoor temps reading single digits in the heat of the day, my freezer food would be just fine outside.
.Much better.

And this one.
The boys have out grown their train days.
One of these day's I'll set it back up for the girls.
Until then, it's neatly packed in boxes.

And this one.

Sorry, there is no after picture.
I will not disclose what is left or where the missing toys went. You know, just in case my boys decide to read my blog while in Florida.

And this one.

I love a nice, organized game cupboard.
Who am I kidding, I love anything that is organized.

We received quite a few fun games for Christmas this year. I'll share more on those later. Because now, I must get started on more organizing :)

Black Bean Soup

My new favorite soup.

1 med onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1-3 T Cumin (I like cumin, recipes says 1, I put in 3)

2 T oil

3 - 16 oz cans black beans (I cook my own; soak overnight, drain, then cook in the crock pot or for a faster cooking method I simmer approx 1 hour in triple the water)

1 - 14.5 oz can chicken or vegetable broth (I use more like 24-32 oz, most likely because I normally use more beans)

1 - 16 oz jar salsa, spiciness of your choice

1 -2 cups frozen corn with liquid (my addition, I use the corn we freeze in the summer)

salt and pepper to taste

*In a large stock pot, sauté onion, garlic and cumin in oil until soft. Blend 1 can beans (in liquid) and 1/2 of the broth in a blender until pureed. Add blended beans to the sautéd onion mixture. Repeat with 2nd can of beans. Add to pot. Add remaining can whole beans and salsa to pot. Bring to a boil and boil on med/high heat for a few minutes. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir constantly to prevent scorching.

Serve with fresh cilantro, sour cream, and chips.

Meal Giving and a question or two

Have you ever received a meal from someone due to a birth, death or family tragedy? If you have, you know what a blessing it can be. We have received many tasty meals from family, friends and church members since the birth of Ashlynn. It has been great not to have to worry about what is for dinner.

But what if your on the other end, your the meal maker. Does it make you nervous? Do you make excuses so you don't have to? God may be asking you to use a gift He has given you to be a blessing to others. I love to bake and cook, but I still get nervous over what to make. As a Deaconess at Church, my job is to make meals for families with new babies. I have several 'go to' recipes I use as well as these guidelines when I am making a meal...

• Don't experiment with a new recipe, unless you totally trust the source. Instead have several recipes you feel comfortable with, that are yummy, and pick the one that suits the family you are taking the meal to.
  
• Ask about allergies/special diets. You wouldn't want to take a dish with breading if someone in the family had Celiac disease...make a meat dish for a vegetarian...take peanut butter cookies to a family who had a child with a peanut allergy.
  
• Ask if there is anything they really don't like or have received numerous dishes of...fish...pasta...hamburger casseroles...
  
• If you are really ambitious, ask what their favorite food/vegetable/salad/dessert is. And make it.
  
• If there are children in the family, ask about their preferences. The last thing a mom wants is to have a meal delivered only to have children who won't eat it.
• Make it fun. A friend recently brought us a meal with cool whip in a can. I don't know when the last time was I bought that stuff. My kids thought they were in heaven!
• Take a meal, not just a dish. I include a main dish, a vegetable or lettuce salad, side salad, dessert and maybe applesauce or something else kid friendly.
  
• Make everything in disposable dishes. (disposable baking pans, baggies, glad ware...) You can even take paper plates and plastic silverware if you'd like.
• Ask when the best time to deliver is. Arrive on time and don't overstay your welcome.

If I am making a meal for my sister/other family or a close friend, the last two guidelines aren't quite as important. Those people I see a lot, I am comfortable with them and if I show up when they are nursing or aren't home, they won't care if I walk on in. I also know I will be at their house again soon and can up my own dishes.

My questions for you are:
What kind of meals do you like to receive the best?
What are your 'go to' recipes?
What are your most kid friendly dishes?

Yesterday...

I wasn't here in blogger world,

because I was here, amongst the clutter...

with these two...

assisting them in making these 'flat-bread' treats...

and these...

3 loaves of ww bread, 2 1/2 dozen ww hamburger buns, and 2 dozen ww cinnamon rolls
using these...

my favorite bread pans!

You can get them here and here.
Happy baking!

Pineapple cutters

Have you ever seen one in the grocery store and wondered if it really worked?
I have been tempted for along time to buy one and try it.
I finally gave in, and guess what?
I love it!
Check this out...

Cut the top off.
Place cutter on top and begin to twist handle.

When you've reached the bottom, gently pull up.

Wa-la!

A beautifully cut pineapple.

Favorite Kitchen items Part II

The Bosch is one of my most used kitchen machines.

It kneads bread dough with ease. It blends, dices, slices
and whips egg whites to new heights. My son makes a
smoothie with the blender almost every morning.
We love this machine.

This little instant read thermometer is extremely
handy. It helps bake the perfect loaf of bread and
works great for checking the cooking temperature of
meat on the grill. It is another one of my
King Arthur favorites.














Rosettes are a tradition at our Christmas table. My
Grandmother, who is of Scandinavian background,
use to make 100's every winter. My Grandmother
is in her upper 80's now and I have taken over the job.
This isn't my Grandmothers set, her oldest daughter
inherits hers. I found mine on E-bay. It is called a
Rosette Iron. This winter I will do a step by step post
on how to make them. Below is a picture of a Rosette.




























My all time favorite rolling pin. It has 3 different
sets of disks to attach on the ends. The disks set
the rolling pin off of the counter. Each disk rolls the
dough a different thickness thus creating a perfectly
even rolled dough. Great for the perfectionist side of me :)














Cookie scoops! A great invention.

I also use them for muffin scoops, biscuits,
ice-cream, and melon balls.

Favorite Kitchen items Part I

I Love working in the kitchen. Over the years I have collected many kitchen items. Some have been keepers, others have been donated to Good Will. I am always on the lookout for new and fun things. Please do share if you have one!
Let's get started :)

My favorite bread pan. It makes a perfectly square slice of bread. The lid slides off and on and it bakes bread wonderfully. I found this at King Arthur Flour, a favorite catalog of mine.
I would love to visit their store in Vermont and attend one of their classes.


These fun little things are tortilla bakers. They make great taco salad bowls. They are fun to use for a ladies night or luncheon. I found them at a kitchen store in the mall.

This is a tomato knife. It cuts tomatoes with ease & perfection. I found it at our local Amish Country Store.
Sorry they don't have a website :)

I just finished making a big batch of fresh salsa with this handy little thing. I found it at Target *love that store* This is actually my third one. The first one was a Christmas gift, it was from Williams Sonoma. They make a great chopper/dicer, but the plastic hinges holding the lid on broke. So, next, I purchased one at the kitchen store at our mall. It was a great chopper as well, but the hinges on it broke too!
I decided to buy this one at Target. It was $10 cheaper than the other two. It works just as nice. We'll see how long it lasts. It whips up a batch of salsa super fast. I love it for onions, tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, and just about anything you want to dice.

More to come next week.... I know, I know, you can't wait ;)