Bacon cupcakes, bacon potato chips, bacon melon balls, candied bacon, bacon lattes—these were just some of the treats enjoyed by participants in last year’s iAdventure festival in New York City.

On Sunday, June 23rd, iAdventure.com Bacon Bash II will take place at Bowlmor Times Square. Join the party to sample bacon-inspired libations and treats and bring home some baco-licious souvenirs. Your bacon cravings will be satisfied by Bare Burger, House of ‘Que, Baconery, Bacon Bites and others with bacon preparations from the sweet to the savory!

Tickets are $35 for 1 draft beer and à la carte food; $45 for 5 Bacon Tastes and 1 draft beer, and $85 for two tickets with 10 Bacon Tastes and 2 draft beers!

You must be 21+ to attend. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit iAdventure.com.

Until then, check out our:

Candied bacon and bacon lattes from iAdventure.com Bacon Bash I.

Add beer to your homemade barbecue sauce. Photo by EasyBuy4U | IST.

Spell it barbecue, barbeque or BBQ: May is National Barbecue Month.

Here’s a delicious homemade beer barbecue sauce from Samuel Adams. You don’t have to be a beer drinker to enjoy it: The malt and hops provide a subtle lift in flavor and complexity that everyone can appreciate.

BEER BARBECUE SAUCE RECIPE

Ingredients

Preparation

1. HEAT all ingredients in a large sauce pan; stir and cover.

2. REDUCE by half and simmer over low heat for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

3. STRAIN and serve with your favorite grilled meat or poultry.
 
BEER VARIATIONS

You don’t have to use lager; any beer you have on hand will work well, although a more mild wheat beer will have a different impact on the sauce than a hoppy IPA.

Personally, we’re in the IPA camp. If you barbecue a lot, try different types of beer in the sauce. You may find that what you like to cook with differs from what you like to drink.

Add a bottle to the sauce, then drink the rest with your barbecue. Scattered in front pf the beer are the barley and hops used to make it. Photo courtesy Samuel Adams.

The type of cream is up to you. Photo ©
Jacek Kadaj | Fotolia.

Today is National Strawberries And Cream Day, a classic English dessert. The ingredients are as simple as can be. And if you use just a dab of cream, whipped cream or fat-free sour cream, it’s also so healthful that it’s recommended by the Mayo Clinic (third recipe below).

One cup of strawberries has just 55 calories, 0g fat or cholesterol, 3g dietary fiber and 7g natural fruit sugar. Strawberries are a very good source of dietary fiber, manganese and vitamin C, and are a good source of folate and potassium.

CLASSIC STRAWBERRIES & CREAM RECIPE

Ingredients

 
*Our personal favorite is sour cream with a bit of brown sugar.

1. HULL, wash, dry and halve the strawberries.

2. SPRINKLE with a bit of superfine or table sugar, or noncaloric sweetener, unless the berries are perfectly sweet and need no additional help.

3. TOP with cream. Serve.

VARIATIONS

Add a special touch to half and half or heavy cream. Before pouring it over the strawberries, add some rosewater, orange flower water, essence of jasmine or liqueur to your cream. Alternatively, you can infuse lavender in the cream two hours or overnight, and strain out the lavender before using the cream.

Here are some flavored whipped cream recipes: bourbon, five spice, lavender, salted caramel and more.

STRAWBERRIES & CREAM U.K. RECIPE

In the U.K., the strawberries are allowed to marinate. Try this recipe:

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. MIX water and 1/2 of the sugar.

Strawberry fields forever. Photo by Rachael Wong | Pics4Learning.com.

3. PLACE the strawberries into the bowl of sugar water. Soak for 5 minutes. Drain.

4. LAYER strawberries with cream in individual cups.

Here’s a guilt-free recipe from the Mayo Clinic:
 

MAYO CLINIC STRAWBERRIES & CREAM RECIPE

Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. WHISK together the sour cream, brown sugar and liqueur in a small bowl.

2. COMBINE the halved strawberries and sour cream mixture in a large bowl. Stir gently to mix. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour.

3. SCOOP the strawberries into 6 colorful bowls or chilled sherbet glasses. Garnish with whole strawberries and serve immediately.

STRAWBERRY TRIVIA

Don’t wash raw poultry, meat or seafood. Photo courtesy Chicken.org.au.

Recently we received a pitch for a line of food cleaning sprays that purport to eliminate harmful bacteria. “Outdoor cooking leads to more trips to the hospital because of the improper handling of meats and veggies while grilling,” it advised. “Many of us take meat out of the packaging and put it right on the grill without doing anything but seasoning it. This can lead to salmonella poisoning, food poisoning and much more if you are not properly handling your beef, chicken and fish.”

The company went on to promote its “all-natural, organic, earth and consumer green, meat and fish cleaner to ensure that your meal is clean and free of anything that can make you sick.”

We decided to drill down on this claim, and came across this information from the USDA Food Inspection and Safety Service. Their recommendation: don’t wash or rinse the proteins.

Not only is there no scientific evidence to support grandma’s practice of washing the raw proteins; The U.S. Department of Agriculture cautions against it due to potential cross contamination.

WASHING FISH, MEAT & POULTRY

Washing raw fish, seafood, poultry, beef, pork, lamb or veal before cooking it is not recommended, says the USDA. The bacteria in the juices can be spread to other foods, utensils and surfaces. This potential cross-contamination is the opposite of making your meat or poultry safe.

Why? Some of the bacteria are so tightly attached to the flesh that you could not remove them no matter how many times you washed the food. Other types of bacteria can be easily washed off and splashed onto the surfaces of your kitchen: counter, faucet, utensils and so forth.

Failure to clean these contaminated areas and items can lead to foodborne illness. Cooking (baking, broiling, boiling or grilling) to the proper temperature kills all the bacteria, so washing food is not necessary.

Using a food thermometer is the only sure way of knowing if your food has reached a high enough temperature to destroy foodborne bacteria. Cook all raw beef and veal steaks, roasts, and chops to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F (or higher) as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming.

SOAKING MEAT & POULTRY

What about soaking poultry in salt water (brining)? The USDA advises that this is a personal preference and serves no purpose for food safety. If you choose to soak poultry, preventing cross-contamination when soaking and removing the poultry from the water is essential. Meat or poultry should be kept in the refrigerator while soaking.

What about washing or soaking pork products?

Some people soak country ham, bacon, or salt pork because they think it reduces the sodium or salt enough to allow these products to be eaten on a sodium-restricted diet.

However, says the USDA, very little salt is removed by washing, rinsing or soaking a meat product and the practice is not recommended.

WASHING EGGS

Do not wash eggs before storing them. Washing is a routine part of commercial egg processing and the eggs do not need to be washed again.

Don’t rinse pork products, either. Photo courtesy RipeNRawOrganics.com.au.

WASHING PRODUCE

Before eating or preparing fresh fruits and vegetables, wash the produce under cold running tap water to remove any lingering dirt and pesticides. This reduces bacteria that may be present. If there is a firm surface, such as on apples or potatoes, the surface can be scrubbed with a brush.

Do not wash fruits and vegetables with detergent or soap. You could ingest residues from soap or detergent absorbed on the produce.

When preparing fruits and vegetables, cut away any damaged or bruised areas because bacteria that cause illness can thrive in those places. Immediately refrigerate any fresh-cut items such as salad or fruit for best quality and food safety.

HOW TO AVOID CROSS CONTAMINATION

“As easy as pie” refers to eating the pie, not
baking it. Photo courtesy Harry and David.

As a follow up to last month’s list of 12 popular food phrases (idoms*), food phrases we have five more, courtesy of Dictionary.com.

1. Apples And Oranges

Apples and oranges refers to two incommensurable items, i.e. a comparison of things that cannot be compared. Though they are both fruits, apples and oranges are separated by color, taste, juiciness, uses and so forth.

The idiom first appeared as apples and oysters in John Ray’s 1670 “Handbook Of Proverbs.” Equivalent terms exist in many languages, from “grandmothers and toads” in Serbian to “love and the eye of an axe” in Argentine Spanish.
 

*An idiom is an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements, such as “kick the bucket” or “hang one’s head.’”

2. As Easy As Pie

It’s not so easy to make a pie, but anyone can eat one. “As easy as pie” is an idiom used to describe a task or experience as pleasurable and simple—like the act of consuming a pie, not the more difficult task of baking one.

According to Wikipedia, the phrase was used in 1910 by Zane Grey in “The Young Forester” and in 1913 “The Saturday Evening Post.” It is probably a development of the phrase “like eating pie,” first recorded in “Sporting Life” in 1886. The phrase is often interchanged with “piece of cake,” which shares the same connotation.

3. Cup Of Tea

Popularized in British Edwardian slang, “cup of tea” originally referred to something pleasant or agreeable. The negative usage, as in “not my cup of tea,” arose during World War II as a more polite way to say that you didn’t like something.

“You don’t say someone gives you a pain in the neck,” explained journalist Alister Cooke in his 1944 Letter from America. “You just remark, he’s not my cup of tea.’”

4. In A Nutshell

“In a nutshell” refers to a short description, or a story told in no more words than can physically fit in the shell of a nut.

The ancient Roman encyclopaedist Pliny the Elder claimed that a copy of Homer’s “The Iliad” existed that was small enough to fit inside a walnut shell. Almost 2,000 years later, in the early 1700s, the Bishop of Avranches in France tested Pliny’s theory by writing out the epic in tiny handwriting on a walnut-sized piece of paper.

Lo and behold, it fit!

5. Walking on Eggshells

This phrase means taking great care not to upset someone. It is thought to have originated in politics: Diplomats were described as having the remarkable ability to tread so lightly around difficult situations, as though they were walking on eggshells.

It’s true: “The Iliad” does fit in a nutshell! Photo by J. Eltovski | Morguefile.

In a nutshell, we hope you go bananas for food idioms. Whether or not they’re your cup of tea, these terms are easy as pie to use and they’ll make you the big cheese of any conversation!

So go ahead and spill the beans—it’s just like apples and oranges.

Grilled shrimp with a green salad. Photo
courtesy Haru Restaurant | New York City.

Shrimp salad loaded with mayonnaise: not good for you. Grilled shrimp with a vinaigrette-dressed salad or the grilled shrimp salad recipe below: A better idea. Other low-calorie shrimp dishes include ceviche; the classic shrimp cocktail or its update, the shrimp Martini (recipe below); or a lightly-dressed shrimp Caesar salad. Think Eat This, Not That.

Americans eat four pounds of shrimp a year—and it might be much higher if the tasty little swimmers were more affordable!

Shrimp may be small in size, but they’re huge in taste and health appeal. This little crustacean ranks as the #1 selling seafood in America. High in protein, low in carbohydrates and an abundant source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, shrimp are a good-for-you food. We obtained these shrimp health notes from SeaPak, a producer of frozen shrimp products.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF SHRIMP

Nutrition. A four-ounce serving of shrimp provides a whopping 23.7 grams of protein, which is 47% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA); nearly 40% of the RDA of vitamin D; and nearly 30% of the RDA of vitamin B12. Shrimp is also very high in tryptophan, an essential amino acid, and selenium, which induces the repair process in damaged cells and inhibits the proliferation of cancer cells.

Omega-3s. Studies show that shrimp and other seafoods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids can improve cardio-vascular health and lower the incidence of heart disease and stroke. The American Heart Association recommends that people include these protective oils in their diets by eating at least two servings of seafood per week.

Cholesterol-Friendly. Shrimp doesn’t deserve its old bad rap for high cholesterol. A study at Rockefeller University Hospital, co-sponsored by the Harvard School of Public Health, confirmed in 1996 that the cholesterol content of shrimp should not be a concern. The research results revealed that a shrimp diet raises levels of HDL, or “good” cholesterol, and decreases levels of LDL, or “bad” cholesterol (lowering LDL in the bloodstream significantly reduces susceptibility to heart disease).

Ingredients For 4 Servings

This recipe is served in oversized Martini glasses (about 10 ounces), but you can substitute another dish or goblet.

 
For The Salsa

 
Garnishes

A shrimp cocktail has a cocktail sauce garnish. But fill the same glass with anything else, and you’ve got a Shrimp Martini. This photo shows diced avocado substituting for the diced bell peppers in the recipe. Photo courtesy California Raisins.

1. POACH shrimp in 2 quarts salted water until cooked through (3 minutes). Remove and chill in ice water.

2. MIX all salsa ingredients; season with salt and pepper.

3. DIVIDE salsa evenly among the glasses. Arrange 4 shrimp per glass. Garnish each with olive and lime slice. Place 1 glass on each plate and serve with a ramekin of cocktail sauce.
 
Source: Ocean Garden Products, Inc. and Chef Lou Imbesi, Catelli Ristorante, Voorhees, NJ, via EatShrimp.com.

GRILLED SHRIMP SALAD RECIPE

Ingredients For 2 Servings

 
Preparation

1. CUT the peppers in thin slices, grill shrimp 4 to 5 minutes.

2. MIX with remaining ingredients in a stainless bowl. Season with salt.

3. DIVIDE into two portions; garnish with onion slice and serve.

Source: Ocean Garden Products and Chef Marino Tavares, Ferreira Café Restaurant, Montreal, Quebec, via EatShrimp.com.

Linguine and clam sauce with asparagus.
Photo courtesy Dole.com.

Before asparagus season ends, get your fill by adding it to your favorite dishes. Here’s an example of how easy it is, courtesy of Dole, which adds its fresh asparagus to the classic pasta dish, linguine with clam sauce.

Consider using whole wheat linguine for fiber and flavor. If asparagus season has passed, add green beans or snow peas.

This recipe makes 4 servings; prep time 10 minutes; cook time 25 minutes.

RECIPE: LINGUINE & CLAM SAUCE WITH ASPARAGUS

Ingredients

Preparation

1. BRING a large pot of water to a boil. Cook linguine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Meanwhile…

2. HEAT the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes until mushrooms begin to brown.

3. ADD the asparagus, carrots and two tablespoons of water. Toss to combine and cover skillet. Cook 4 minutes longer.

4. ADD the tomatoes and the clam juice. Cook uncovered 1 minute longer. If the pasta is not yet cooked, remove vegetables and clams from heat and cook pasta until it is al dente.

Use whole grain linguine for added fiber and flavor. Photo courtesy Pennsylvania Macaroni Company.

5. DRAIN pasta and add to the vegetable mixture along with the reserved clams. Raise heat to high and cook 2-3 minutes longer until pasta is thoroughly coated and most of the liquid is absorbed. Plate and serve.

LINGUINE vs. SPAGHETTI vs. FETTUCCINE

Do you know the difference between popular pasta cuts and shapes? Discover the different types of pasta in our delectable Pasta Glossary.

Limited-edition Lime Wheat Thins. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

“Taste the bold lime flavor,” beckons the entire back side of the new, limited edition Wheat Thins.

Fans of Wheat Thins, those crunchy little cracker squares from Nabisco, might note that lime and salt are also flavors of that popular drink, the Margarita. In fact, we received two boxes of Wheat Thins from the manufacturer, along with two Margarita glasses (we enjoyed them with a beer, instead).

Wheat Thins are one of the few foods we enjoyed in grade school that are still on our grocery list. We like them instead of chips with a beer, with soups and salads (use them instead of croutons), and as a better-for-you snack, with or without a nonfat yogurt dip.

Wheat Thins are made with whole grain flour. Each serving of 14 crackers (30g) equals 20g of whole grains. That really helps toward the 48g RDA recommended by the USDA (more about whole grains).

Nutritionists recommend that we consume at least 3 servings of whole grains daily. It’s fun when Wheat Thins is one of those servings.

According to a 2012 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who read the nutritional information on food labels are generally thinner than those who don’t read labels.

Not only do they understand what a portion size is; some foods appear to be much healthier than they really are, with much more salt and sugar than you’d like. Dr. Wendy Bazilian, nutritionist and author of The SuperFoodsRx Diet: Lose Weight with the Power of SuperNutrients, shared some tips on understanding nutrition labels.

1. Look for real ingredients—words you recognize. Avoid artificial dyes, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils (trans fats) and MSG.

2. If you have food allergies, look at the bottom of the ingredient list. The eight most common allergens—milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and/or wheat—are required to be highlighted in a separate line, such as, “Contains milk and soy.”

Read those labels for portion size as well as salt, sugar and fat grams.

The servings per container line indicates how many servings there are in the entire package. Many portion sizes are much smaller than are logical; you may note that the serving size is half a cookie or energy bar; for beverages, it can be half of a 16-ounce bottle or a 12-oounce can.

So if the serving size is half a cookie and you eat two cookies, you’ll be eating four times the calories, fat, protein, carbs and other nutrients. Do the math before diving in. As to what to do with the other half of a can of soda, especially when you’re on the go and can’t pour half in a glass for someone else…the choices seem to be to consume the extra calories or toss the other half.

This barbecue sauce has 11g sugar in two
level tablespoons. If you slather it on, you
might as well eat the sugar bowl! Photo by
Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

4. Take a close look at energy bars. “Energy” doesn’t mean “healthy.” Look for real, not artificial, ingredients on the list; aim for 2 grams (or more) fiber and look for sugar of 10 grams or less. And check that portion size: Is the bar one serving or two?

5. Choose better-for-you frozen meals. Many prepared meals are packed with fat, sodium and sugar. Look for real ingredients: whole grains, whole foods,* lean proteins, vegetables and fruits. Keep the calories under to 400-600 per servings and aim for 450 mg or less sodium per serving, 600 mg as an absolute maximum. Dr. Bazilian, by the way, is a consultant to CedarLane Frozen Foods, an all-natural line that is modest in calories and low in sodium.

Dr. Bazilian advises to add something fresh and whole on the side when you enjoy a frozen meal—some baby carrots or cherry tomatoes as a starter, a green salad, an apple or grapes for dessert.

*Whole foods are unprocessed and unrefined food products, or those that are processed and refined as little as possible. They typically do not contain added ingredients such as sugar, salt, fat, food dyes, artificial ingredients, fillers, etc. Examples include whole grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, unprocessed meats, fish, unprocessed dairy and eggs.

May 18 is World Whiskey Day. If you’re not normally a whiskey drinker, why not take a vacation from the tequila and vodka and sip a glass of:

A shot of Irish whiskey with a wee wedge of lime. Photo courtesy Jameson.
.

Australia, England, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland and Thailand, all strong markets for whiskey, now produce their own. Regardless of the variety or country of origin, a general rule of thumb is that all straight whiskeys must be aged at least two years in wood, generally oak. Each nation has its own rules and regulations about what constitutes a true whiskey.

Whiskey sales have skyrocketed in the past year, in both the U.S. and abroad. In the U.S., bourbon and Tennessee whiskey led the growth. American whiskies also accounted for 70% of the total U.S. spirits exports for 2012.

See all the different types of whiskey in our Whiskey Glossary.

If you don’t want to drink a glass, use whiskey in a recipe. It adds dimension to sauces for meats and in desserts like cake, ice cream and mousse. You can even make a whiskey vinaigrette: Add a tablespoon to any recipe.

WHISKEY VS. WHISKY

Canadians spell “whisky” without the “e,” as do the Scots and most other countries except Ireland and the U.S.

Scholars can’t determine why the “e” was dropped by the Scots many centuries ago. One theory is that the Irish made whiskey first and pronounced it with a broad “e.” When the Scots began to make it, they dropped the “e” to differentiate their product.

A 1968 directive of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms specifies “whisky” as the official U.S. spelling, but allows the alternative spelling, “whiskey,” which most U.S. producers prefer.

An Old Fashioned is based on the earliest
known American cocktail. Photo courtesy
Maker’s Mark.

OLD FASHIONED COCKTAIL RECIPE

Here’s an easy way to enjoy World Whiskey Day: with a classic Old Fashioned cocktail. The recipe is courtesy Maker’s Mark.

The first documented use of the word “cocktail” dates to 1806; it combined liquor of any kind with sugar, water and bitters. As cocktail styles evolved, this early recipe became known as the Old-Fashioned. Later, it evolved into a particular drink made with American whiskey.

Ingredients

1. MUDDLE 1 orange slice, 1 maraschino cherry and the sugar in a rocks glass.

2. FILL the glass 3/4 full of ice. Add bourbon and splash of club soda.

3. GARNISH with additional orange slice and maraschino cherry.
 
A BRIEF HISTORY OF WHISKEY

Distillation was discovered in the late eighth century by an Arab scholar known as the Father of Modern Chemistry, Abu Masa Jabir ibn Hayyam (?-803 C.E.). He wondered what would happen if he put wine into an al-ambiq, a round vessel like a tea pot with a tall spout on the top, and boiled it.

The vapors rose through the spout, were collected and condensed, creating the world’s first distilled alcohol. In fact, since the al-ambiq was often used to boil powdered antimony into a liquid called al-kohl (used to make the cosmetic kohl), the liquid became known as alcohol and the al-ambiq became the alembic still, which remains in use today.

The distillate was originally used as medicine, and remained a secret process, ultimately shared with the monks in Spain for medicinal purposes. Some orders created their own special distillations, such as Benedictine and Chartreuse liqueurs.

As for our word whiskey: The Scotch uisce and the Gaelic uisge, pronounced ISH-ka, became usky and then whisky in English.

Here’s more on the history of whiskey.
 
MORE ABOUT WHISKEY