A nutritious, delicious plate of falafel,
hummus and tabbouleh. Photo by J. Java
| Fotolia.

As with Indian and Japanese cuisines and other international foods, the presence of falafel has expanded in America. Fifty years ago, if your city had a significant Middle Eastern population, you might be able to find a casual fast food restaurant and get a falafel-in-pita sandwich or a combination plate of falafel, hummus, babaganoush and tabbouleh.

Today, Trader Joe’s sells ready-to-heat-and-eat falafel (and the pita to go with it), and Falafel Republic sells falafel in supermarkets nationwide.

Even the traditional “falafel stand” has expanded to a falafel bar, offering a dozen or more self-serve accompaniments: pickled vegetables, salads, olives, sauces and more.

Protein-rich, fiber-rich falafel with lots of veggies: What could be better tasting, better for you and fun!

That’s why this week’s Top Pick is also our Tip Of The Day: Make falafel and set up your own falafel bar. In addition to a special family meal, it’s fun party fare.

We’ve got four pages of information, recipes and serving suggestions.

What do you do when you’re finished with the newspaper?

Hopefully, you recycle it.

But before it hits the recycling bin, consider these uses:

Luscious lemon meringue pie. Photo courtesy McCormick.

Schwann Food Company, maker of Mrs. Smith’s Pies, surveyed Americans on their three favorite pies. The results:

1. Apple Pie
2. Pumpkin Pie
3. Chocolate Cream Pie
4. Cherry Pie
5. Pecan Pie
6. Lemon Meringue Pie
7. Blueberry Pie
8. Key Lime Pie
9. Peach Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie Recipes

Actually, it’s likely an English mis-translation from the French nappe pliée, meaning neatly folded linen napkins. The phrase was first recorded in 1780 in Pasley’s Private Sea Journals: “Their Persons Clean and in apple-pie order on Sundays.” The Oxford English Dictionary’s entry comes from Sir Walter Scott in 1813.

August 14th is National Creamsicle Day.

Many foods—from yogurt thousands of years ago, to cream cheese, fudge, ganache, ice cream soda, and Toll House Cookies in the late 19th/early 20th century—were invented as the result of happy accidents. The Popsicle®, the first of the “sicle” ice cream novelties, was no different.

> The Creamsicle Ice Cream Cake recipe is below.

> Check out these Creamsicle recipes, from Creamsicle cheesecake to Creamsicle fudge.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF THE POPSICLE & THE CREAMSICLE

In 1905, 11-year-old Frank Epperson mixed together a fruit drink (believed to be orange-flavored) from powder and water and inadvertently left it on the porch.

It was an unseasonably cold night in the San Francisco suburbs, and when Frank found his drink the next morning, it was frozen. He eased it out of the glass and, holding it by the stirrer, ate it.

While Frank may have enjoyed his frozen fruit drink over the years, the public story doesn’t continue until 1923. A 29-year-old husband and father working in the real estate industry, Frank made what he called Epsicles for a fireman’s ball.

They were a sensation, and Frank obtained a patent for “a handled, frozen confection or ice lollipop.’” His kids called the treat a Popsicle (photo #4), after their Pop.

So Frank created Popsicle Corporation and collaborated with the Loew Movie Company for the nationwide marketing and sales of the product in movie theaters.

By 1928, Epperson had earned royalties on more than 60 million Popsicles.* But his happy days ended with the Great Depression. In 1929, flat broke, Frank had to liquidate his assets and sold the patent to, and his rights in, the Popsicle Corporation.

Following three more corporate sales over the years, Popsicle® and Creamsicle® are now part of Unilever’s Good Humor Division.

While the record isn’t clear, Frank may also have invented the twin Popsicle, with two sticks so it could be shared by two children.

Over the years, the Popsicle Corporation continued to create frozen treats on a stick: the Fudgsicle (a chocolate-flavored pop with a texture somewhat similar to ice cream), the Creamsicle (vanilla ice cream and orange sherbet) and the Dreamsicle (a Creamsicle filled with ice milk instead of ice cream).
 
 
NATIONAL CREAMSICLE DAY

August 14th is National Creamsicle Day*. You don’t need to buy a Creamsicle to celebrate: Have a scoop of vanilla ice cream with one of orange sherbet.

You can also make vanilla cupcakes with orange frosting or top vanilla ice cream with orange liqueur.

Or, enjoy this recipe for Creamsicle Ice Cream Cake:
 
 
RECIPE: CREAMSICLE® ICE CREAM CAKE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. SOFTEN the ice cream at room temperature until it is just spreadable.

[2] A Creamsicle ice cream cake with a layer of orange marmalade. Here’s the recipe from Life Love Sugar (photo © Life Love Sugar).

[3] Another approach to Creamsicle ice cream cake, using ladyfingers. Here’s the recipe (photo © Cook’s Country).

[4] The invention that started it all: the Popsicle® (photo © Unilever).

3. COVER the cake layer with orange marmalade. Place in the freezer until the marmalade hardens slightly. Then cover it with vanilla ice cream, using a spatula. If not using the marmalade, simply top the cake with the ice cream.

4. Place the middle layer atop the bottom layer, then top the middle layer with the top layer.

5. Cover in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to slice and serve. Garnish sliced pieces with a sprinkle of fresh orange zest.

Thank you, Frank Epperson.
 
Variation: Creamsicle Pie & More

Using a graham cracker pie crust, you can make an ice cream pie instead of an ice cream cake.

There are other ways to celebrate: Creamsicle-flavored cakes, cookies, cupcakes, cocktails, fudge, and Martinis. Here are more Creamsicle-inspired recipes. (While the word “Creamsicle” has become generic, like Kleenex, the trademark is the property of Unilever.)
_________________

*There seems to be no National Popsicle Day or National Fudgsicle Day, but National Grape Popsicle Day is May 27th, National Cherry Popsicle Day is August 26th and National Blueberry Popsicle Day is September 2nd.

What’s in bottled water besides water? You
have a right to know.

While tap water must meet municipal standards for purity, bottled waters don’t have to disclose anything about water quality.

We simply don’t know what’s in bottled water. Even if it tastes good, it could harbor major pollutants.

An analysis of 10 major brands of bottled water conducted by the University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory showed that they variously contained the following:

“In conjunction with this testing program, EWG* conducted a survey of 228 brands of bottled water, compiling information from websites, labels and other marketing materials. We found that fewer than half describe the water source (i.e., municipal or natural) or provide any information on whether or how the water is treated. In the absence of complete disclosure on the label, consumers are left in the dark, making it difficult for shoppers to know if they are getting what they expect….”

*The Environmental Working Group, a not-for-profit group dedicated to protecting public health and the environment.

Of the ten top-selling U.S. brands of bottled water, Pure Life Purified Water (Nestle) earned a grade of B from the EWG for information disclosure. Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water (Nestle) earned a grade of C. The others—including big brands from Coca-Cola, Nestle and Pepsico—earned D grades, and one received an F. Here are the results for all 173 brands reviewed.

Filtered tap water received the best grade (an A) from EWG. If you change your filter regularly, EWG says, your tap water is purer than bottled water.

What You Can Do About It
The FDA maintains a double standard: Tap water suppliers (e.g. municipalities) must provide information† to consumers on contaminants, filtration techniques and source water. But bottled water companies do not.

†CHECK OUT YOUR MUNICIPAL WATER: Cities with the best and worst tap water.

Let your elected representatives know that bottled water should conform to the same right-to-know standards as tap water. Here’s the contact information for U.S. Senators and Congressmen/Congresswomen.

Tell them you want easy consumer access to:

 
Until then, experts recommend filtered tap water. Tap water also saves money and the environment.

When you do need to choose bottled water, look for brands that tell you what’s in the water (how pure it is), where it comes from and which advanced treatment technologies are used (such as reverse osmosis and micro-filtration).