Dining

With the holiday season fast approaching, CDPH Director and State Health Officer Dr. Ron Chapman today reminded consumers to take special, simple precautions to prevent illness that can be caused by food due to insufficient cooking, inadequate cooling and improper food handling practices.

“By following simple, easy-to-remember food safety tips, consumers can ensure that holiday feasts do not become a source of foodborne disease,” said Chapman.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths annually in the United States are related to foodborne diseases. ...
Full story

Chicken Chili with Black Beans and Corn
Makes 8 (1-cup) servings | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon McCormick® Paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick® Oregano Leaves
1 teaspoon McCormick® Ground Cumin
1 teaspoon McCormick® Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Crushed Red Pepper
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 ounces) great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced to ...
Full story

Ingredients
1 Auntie Anne's Apple Cinnamon Baking Kit
Flour (for dusting)
Nonstick Spray
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2cups whole or chopped pecans
1cup (2 sticks) melted butter
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Bundt pan
Preparation
Dough Preparation - You will not need the baking soda packet for this recipe. In a large bowl, dissolve contents of 1 yeast packet (from kit) in 1 1/4 cups lukewarm tap water. Let sit about 2 minutes. Add 1 dough mix and 1 apple cinnamon oat blend to yeast/water mixture (also from kit); combine until dough ball forms.
If using an electric mixer, follow Step 1 using a large mixing bowl. ...
Full story

Beware the black cat crossing your path – unless it’s a rich chocolate-frosted cookie decorated as a frightful feline.

Makes 3 dozen or 36 (1 cookie) servings. ...
Full story

A wickedly easy cupcake to decorate with your ghouls and goblins.

Makes 24 (1 cupcake) servings.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
1 package (18 1/4 ounces) chocolate cake mix
1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
24 chocolate ice cream cones
4 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted
24 chocolate wafer cookies
1 container (16 ounces) vanilla frosting
McCormick® Assorted Food Colors & Egg Dye
Assorted decorations, such as green gum drops, red candy-coated pieces and black string licorice
1. Prepare cake mix as directed on package, adding vanilla.

2. ...
Full story

Transform orange-colored (and flavored!) cake balls into edible monsters with sweet decorations like melted chocolate, black licorice and jelly beans. Create the mini vampire bats, spiders and ghosts or experiment with creatures of your own to match your costume.

Makes 4 dozen or 24 (2 cake pop) servings). ...
Full story

Ingredients

2 cups boiling water
4 Lipton Bavarian Wild Berry Pyramid Tea Bags
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup chopped strawberries
Preparation

Pour boiling water over tea bags; cover and brew 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and squeeze. Stir in sugar until dissolved; let cool slightly.
Combine tea with strawberries in medium bowl. Evenly pour into 8 (4-ounce) paper cups (or popsicle molds). Freeze until almost firm, about 1 hour. Insert wooden ice pop sticks into centers; freeze until firm. To serve, press firmly on bottom of paper cup to remove. ...
Full story

ingredients

1 9-inch store bought or homemade pie crust, pre-baked
1/4 pound bacon, chopped
1/2 pound oyster and shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 small leeks, cleaned, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
6 eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
8 ounces Roth Grand Cru Gruyere, grated
Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Sauté bacon in skillet. When fully cooked, remove bacon and reserve half the drippings in skillet. ...
Full story

Norwegian Salmon in Aluminum Foil


Ingredients

4 sheets aluminum foil (12 x 18 inches, slightly larger than yellow legal pad)
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 medium carrots, cut into thin strips
1 small leek, cut into thin slices
1 onion, cut into thin slices
1 head iceberg lettuce, cut into 8 wedges
1 1/2 pounds Norwegian Salmon fillet, boneless, skin removed, cut into 8 portions
1 tablespoon water for each package
4 tablespoons crème fraîche or sour cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. ...
Full story

Ingredients

3/4 pound smoked Norwegian Salmon
1/2 cup pearl barley, soaked in cold water overnight
4 1/2 cups water, divided
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup broccoli florets
1 carrot, cut into small cubes or strips
1/2 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into smallcubes or strips
1 cucumber, cut into large cubes
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
Preparation

Dice salmon into 1/2 x 1/2-inch cubes (or if already sliced, cut in strips) and set aside in refrigerator. ...
Full story

Story text.
Full story

“Dining” makes you think about going out for dinner, or special lunch. But dining is something we all do every day. The quality of that dining is important, for health, for pleasure, for your own creativity.

A good, imaginative, thoughtful cook can produce a better meal than most restaurants. Lately, while traveling, I had two delicious, unpretentious meals that elicited that “mmmm” factor. One was cooked by a friend in Cambridge, MA. Minnie, a college chum, took several approximately six-ounce salmon filets (wild Salmon), and coated them with a crunchy mixture of wheat germ, ground mustard seed, and other spices. The filets were then pan-seared, and finished in the oven. ...
Full story