Homing in on the label, the quirky-looking product turned out to be chocolate-covered baguette slices, made from baguettes left over at the day’s end.

Traditional tips for leftover baguette include bread crumbs, bread pudding, bread salad, bruschetta, croutons, crostini, fondue dippers and garlic toast. But we like the sweet treatment of chocolate-covered bread.

It’s easy to make for home snacking (delicious with coffee and tea), to bring to work or as gifts.

CHOCOLATE COVERED BREAD

Ingredients

Preparation

1. SLICE leftover baguette into 1/4″ wide pieces and toast lightly. You can use a toaster oven or conventional oven. Let the toasted slices cool to room temperature.

2. MELT chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler. Dip one side of the baguette slices and coat thoroughly. Let dry, coated side up, on wax paper. Then dip second side.

3. SPRINKLE before the chocolate dries with your choice of one or more garnishes: coarse sea salt, chopped nuts, dried fruit (blueberries, cherries, cranberries, raisins or other favorite) or seeds (sesame or pumpkin seeds).

4. ENJOY within a day or two; keep in an airtight storage container.
Find more of our favorite chocolate treats.

But don’t serve Fido a cup of Earl Grey or Green Jasmine: Caffeine isn’t good for dogs. California Tea House consulted with numerous veterinarians and researched herbal treatments for canines in order to develop a perfect blend for canines. It happens to be the (human) tea company’s most popular product!

Named after the company’s favorite canine, Machu’s Blend tea for dogs is a once-a-day herbal tea that:

WHAT’S IN THE DOG TEA?

Machu’s Blend tea for dogs combines chamomile, calendula (marigold), fennel seed, ginger root and skullcap (a member of the mint family).

Brew a half teaspoon in a cup of water, steep for 1-2 minutes and allow the tea to completely cool (you can add ice). Then, you and Fido are ready to curl up on the sofa with a good book or your favorite DVD: perhaps a Beverly Hills Chihuahua marathon?

Get your Machu’s Blend—and plenty of blends for humans—at CaliforniaTeaHouse.com.
  

Don’t bring a serving dish to the table:
Spoon out portions into—or directly bake
them in—ramekins. Photo courtesy Blake’s
All Natural.

Unfortunately, we live in a “supersize me” culture. When we pay to eat out, we want our money’s worth: We’re pleased by huge portions and comment negatively on smaller ones. Research shows that, although people are more aware of the higher calorie intake of large portions, they tend to feel justified eating the amount that’s put in front of them.

But when you cook at home, your advantage is the ability to control the amount of food they prepare as well as the portion size.

With that, our tip of the day is: Make it mini.

One way to ensure smaller portions is to buy smaller muffin tins for cheesecake, cupcakes, muffins, potato and pasta dishes, starchy sides and other carb-laden treats.

Steer away from bringing a serving dish or pot to the table. Pre-fill parchment cups, ramekins or other small dishes with individual portions and bring them to the table, where everybody gets one. To avoid seconds, pack any extras from the recipes into portion-control cups and stick them into the freezer.

This recipe is by Matthew Kadey for PaperChef.com.

MINI MAC & CHEESE CUPS

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COOK the macaroni according to the package instructions, until al dente.

2. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F.

3. DRAIN the pasta, return it to the pot and stir in the Cheddar cheese and ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese.

4. LIGHTY beat the eggs and stir in the milk and yogurt.

5. ADD the egg mixture to the pasta mixture along with the sun-dried tomatoes, chives, cayenne, nutmeg, mustard, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

6. DIVIDE the mixture among 12 parchment cups (this recipe used PaperChef Tulip Cups).

7. HEAT the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.

8. STIR in the bread crumbs and cook until browned, stirring regularly.

9. STIR the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese into the toasted bread crumbs, sprinkle over the pasta mixture and bake until set, about 15 minutes.

10. COOL for 5 minutes before unmolding.

Ingredients

This recipe yields 12 appetizer-size servings.

Use ramekins to control portion sizes. Photo courtesy PotatoGoodness.com.

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F and spray 12 small ramekins with nonstick cooking spray.

2. PLACE potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl; cover and microwave on HIGH for 6 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile…

3. MELT butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute more. Slowly stir in half and half, cooking until mixture is smooth.

4. ADD cheeses, a little at a time; then stir in remaining ingredients.

5. SPOON into prepared ramekins and bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.
 
Do you have a favorite portion control tip? Please share!

Grilled branzino with heirloom tomatoes and
kumquat compote at Paggi House in Austin,
Texas. Photo courtesy Nations Restaurant
News. Read the full article.

 
The fastest-growing fish entrée on restaurant menus is not catfish or tilapia, but a lesser-known fish.

Swimming onto menus nationwide, branzino, a silvery denizen of the Mediterranean Sea and a member of the bass family, currently appears on just 1% of all menus. But it is the fastest-growing fish or seafood, showing up on 28% more menus since 2008—maybe even more if you combine all the different names by which it is known.

Branzino/European seabass was one of the first varieties of fish, after salmon, to be farmed commercially in Europe. It was historically cultured in coastal lagoons and tidal reservoirs. Mass-production techniques developed in the late 1960s took production inland.

Today, branzino is the most important commercial fish widely cultured in the Mediterranean. Greece, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Croatia, and Egypt are major branzino farming countries.*

HOW DOES BRANZINO TASTE?

Branzino has a very mild flavor, with sweeter flesh than most white fish. It’s very easy to eat whole off the bone, or to fillet at home.

A popular preparation is to roast branzino whole, stuffed with lemon and herbs. You can roast the whole fish at a high heat, stuffed with fresh lemon and parsley or thyme; then cook it briefly under the broiler to crisp the skin.† Or, try these recipes:

Branzino fresh from the farm. Photo courtesy Aquanor-USA.com.

 
You can substitute branzino in any recipe the calls for striped bass or red snapper.

 
Find more of our favorite fish and seafood recipes.
 
*Source: Wikipedia.
 
†Rinse fish, pat dry and place on a lightly oiled baking pan. Brush fish inside and out with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stuff cavity of each fish with 2-3 lemon slices and a few parsley sprigs. Bake, uncovered, at 400°F for 4 minutes; turn and cook 4 more minutes. Turn on broiler and cook fish 3 to 5 minutes or until skin blisters and fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove fish from oven, and transfer to serving plates.
  

When they’re in season, load up on delicious,
low-calorie asparagus. Photo of grilled
asparagus with romesco sauce* courtesy
California Asparagus Commission.

Many recent studies indicate that certain nutrients can positively affect the brain—specifically in areas related to cognitive processing. They promote stronger blood flow which leads to mental sharpness, and reduce the risks of heart disease and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Several studies led by Fernando Gómez-Pinilla, Ph.D, a leading neuroscientist at UCLA, show that the super fats your brain needs most are omega-3 fatty acids. Your brain converts them into DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which enhances neuronal communication and promotes neuronal growth.

In other words, the right nutrients can help our health, aging process and more efficient brain-body functioning.

To boost your brain power, eat these foods recommended by Michael Gonzalez-Wallace, the author of Super Body, Super Brain and the website SuperBodySuperBrain.com.

Salmon and succotash. Photo courtesy McCormick.com. Here’s the recipe.

 
“Life is about choices,” says Gomez-Wallace. “Selecting the right nutrients can play a key role in your health.”

It’s easy to include several of these brain foods in your daily meal and snacking plan. Just keep a list with you to remind you of why, for example, an apple a day instead of a pear keeps the doctor away.

 
*Romesco sauce (salsa romesco) is a nut and red pepper-based sauce that originated in Catalonia, Spain. It is typically made from roasted or raw almonds, pine nuts, and/or hazelnuts, roasted garlic, olive oil, bitxo chiles and/or nyora peppers (a small, round, variety of red bell pepper). Other common ingredients can include roasted tomatoes, red wine vinegar and onions. It is a popular sauce with seafood (with fennel or mint leaves added) and anything from poultry and lamb to vegetables.