A creative garnish

Thanks to The Kitchn blog from Apartment Therapy, my Thanksgiving table is going to have a little something extra on it this year: carrot flowers. These really simple to make veggies make the garnish part of the dish. I'm going to add it into my soup, but it could easily make it into any casserole, stuffing or salad. Click here for step-by-step directions that really mean just an extra two minutes to your normal carrot chopping routine.

The Spice is Right

As you get ready to make your pumpkin bread, pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin pie, it's probably best to check all the expiration dates on your spices. Three years is about all the potency will last (check out the chart from McCormick).

Most of the newer bottles have the dates on the packaging, but many of the older ones do not. A good tip is to go to McCormick's Web site, where they have a neat tool to help you check your spices based on a number printed on the bottom of the bottle. (That way you can toss the nutmeg from 1998...)

Happy baking!

Healthy recipe of the week

GRILLED FRUIT KABOBS
Makes 8 servings

Get outside and use the grill with this seasonal favorite — mixing and matching for the best of what's at the peak of pickability. (OK, so I just made up that word, but you get the point.)

Ingredients:
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
• 2 apples, cored and cut into 1" pieces
• 2 bananas, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
• 2 peaches, pitted and cut into 1" pieces
• 4 kiwi, peeled and sliced into 1" pieces
• 1 can pineapple chunks or one fresh pineapple, cut into chunks
• 16 strawberries, washed and hulled
• feel free to use other fruits, such as watermelon, grapes or plums

Directions:
1. Prepare grill.
2. In a small bowl, combine oil, sugar, lime juice, cinnamon and mint. Mix until sugar is dissolved.
3. If using soaked wooden skewers, thread alternating fruit pieces.
4. Brush kebabs with the sugar mixture then place on grill.
5. Grill kebabs for about 6-8 minutes, turning frequently until fruit starts to brown and is heated through.

Source: Public Health — Seattle & King County

Healthy recipe of the week

GRILLED CORN WITH LIME BUTTER
Makes 8 servings

It's the percent time of the year to get outside and get grillin'. (My favorite time of the year!)

Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 tbsp. butter, melted
• 1/4 tsp. grated lime rind
• 1 1/2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
• 8 ears shucked corn
• cooking spray

Directions:
1. Prepare grill or broiler.
2. Combine butter, rind, juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
3. Place corn on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Cook 10 minutes, turning frequently. Remove from heat and brush corn with butter mixture.

A not-so-sticky situation

Thanks to Daily Candy for letting me know about this new single-use, no-mess honey from Honibe. I am personally a huge fan of single-use products (I know, I know, the extra packaging is bad for the environment), it keeps things fresh longer, keeps you to a single serving and is great for on-the-go, which is the epitome of my life. I am really excited to buy this, and it's not really even very pricey at 20 servings for $11.99. I just wish the blueberry flavor came in this form...

"After searching the world (literally) for nonmessy, all-natural, pure honey to no avail, a young gent decided to make it himself. And the Honibe brand was born.

Each one is made of 100 percent pure dried honey without any additives or binding agents. You simply drop it in tea or coffee, stir, and enjoy the sweetness. If you like lemon in your libation, opt for the Honey Drop with lemon (of the pure variety, of course). Each one is individually packaged, so you can carry them without risking an explosion of goop in your bag."

Young broccoli

Broccolini can be more fun to cook with instead of broccoli, partly because it can be purchased in smaller amounts, and partly because it’s more tender and slightly sweeter. It is grown in the United States in California and Arizona — year round, which makes it a great vegetable for this time of year when greens surely aren’t at their peak.

Do you know what broccolini is? According to Wikipedia, “although often mistakenly identified as young broccoli, it is actually a natural hybrid of the cabbage family, a cross between broccoli and kai-lan (chinese broccoli or kale).” It's been on the market in the United States for about 12 years. The name is trademarked; two California growers produce broccolini, and one of them — SanBon Inc. — calls it Asparation, the original name given to it by the company that developed the plant: Sakata Seed of Yokohama, Japan. Europeans sometimes call it "tender stem.” The entire vegetable as sold, including the yellow flowers seen in the photograph below, may be eaten. The most common was to cook broccolini are sautéing, steaming, roasting, boiling or stir-frying. Nutritionally, it is high in vitamin C, but also contains vitamin A, calcium, folate and iron. RECIPE: Check out this recipe for Chicken Divan from The Washington Post that uses brocollini — it's perfect to bring us into spring (but too long for me to post here!)

Food for thought

What you eat is as important to staying healthy as working out. But eating healthy doesn't have to mean boring food, some of the healthiest foods are also the tastiest. Here's a quick substitute you can do immediately to make a big difference in the nutrition and flavor of your food: switch from butter to olive oil. Our olive oils of choice? Those from Tuscany.

Because of the climate, which is colder than other regions where olives are grown, the olives are picked early in the season from the tree, which gives the oil a slight green tint and a herby, earthy flavor. Buy a nice high-quality brand to put in pasta, on bread and vegetables, but by a more utility brand for cooking. No need to use the good stuff for stovetop cooking. Bueno appetito!