THE NIBBLE BLOG: Products, Recipes & Trends In Specialty Foods


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TIP OF THE DAY: Make Flower Ice Cubes

May 1, 2014 at 8:23 am · Filed under Beverages, Entertaining, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day

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Put edible flowers in your ice cubes. Photo
courtesy Chandon USA.		  

For Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, spring and summer entertaining, parties, showers and Valentine’s Day: Make your drinks stand out with flower ice cubes.

It couldn’t be easier: Just place edible blossoms in an ice cube tray, fill and freeze.

To get the flowers perfectly centered in the cube, wait until the ice is halfway frozen and then place them in the center (we use a tweezers).

You can also use blueberries, raspberries, mint leaves, etc. Use the floral ice cubes in cocktails or soft drinks—even ice water.
 
 
PICK THE RIGHT FLOWERS

Not all flowers are edible; many will upset your stomach (or worse). But there are quite a few to choose from. Here’s a list of edible flowers.

Flowers have been eaten since before Egyptian times. Here’s more about edible flowers.

Want to grow your own? Sure, but be sure to grow the flowers with no chemical pesticides. More about growing edible flowers.

 

  

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TRENDS: What’s New In Barbecue

May 1, 2014 at 8:01 am · Filed under Cooking & Baking, Food Holidays

Spell it barbecue, barbeque or the short form BBQ, May first is the start of the May-September peak outdoor cooking season. Not surprisingly, it’s National Barbecue Month.

According to the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA), nearly 14 million grills and smokers were shipped in 2013. This year’s industry expo, held in March, displayed more innovative grills, smokers and outdoor living products to tempt gung-ho grillers.

Here are the 2014 barbecue trends:

  • Wood pellets are on the rise. Made from compressed sawdust, wood pellets are heating up grills and smokers across the country. An all-natural product, wood pellets produce a strong, slow-burning source of heat that gives a unique smoky flavor to foods. This year, new wood pellet grills and smokers are making it easier to cook outdoors no matter what time of year. Wood pellets grills and smokers use a variety of pellet forms to create different smoky tastes, all with a simple and easy cleanup process.
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    Grilled flank steak quesadillas. Photo courtesy Kingsford Charcoal. Here’s the recipe.
     

  • Grills and smokers are more portable. Whether for tailgating, campsites or cooking on the beach, manufacturers have made it easier to take the party anywhere. The new, lightweight grills and smokers are easily collapsible and portable, with all-terrain features that make it simple to cook and smoke foods on-the-go.
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    Grill your pizza. Here’s the recipe. Photo
    courtesy Grilling.com.    		  
  • Outdoor ovens. Innovations in outdoor gas and wood-fired ovens make it easier to cook anything you can make on the inside. Use your outdoor oven for baked desserts, pizza and roasted (as opposed to grilled) vegetables. Outdoor ovens also provide an extra cooking space during the holidays and other special occasions.
  • Organized accessories. When entertaining outdoors, it’s important to have everything you need right at your fingertips. New innovations such as countertops with drawer storage and drink coolers make it easy to party outside. With full sinks, refrigerators and lighting, you can be equipped outdoors with all the amenities of your indoor kitchen.

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    THINGS TO BARBECUE

    Beyond proteins and veggies, have you grilled bread, desserts, pizza and quesadillas?

    Get yourself a barbecue recipe book, like The Barbecue! Bible, which has more than 500 recipes.

    Or, check out blogs like 100 Things To Barbecue.
     

      

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    EARTH DAY: What You Can Do About The Water Bottle Crisis

    April 22, 2014 at 8:02 am · Filed under Beverages, Earth Day & Environment

    Every year 68 billion plastic water bottles are consumed in the U.S. The majority of them end up in landfill. Divided among the population, this means a per capita consumption of some 30.8 gallons of bottled water.

    According to the International Bottled Water Association, the U.S. bottled water per capita was up 5.3% in 2012, the last year for which statistics are available.

    The data comes with enormous consequences:

  • Too few plastic bottles make their way to the recycling bin: just 1 in 4.
  • The environmental footprint of plastic bottle is calculated in millions of oil barrels.
  • There is a direct human impact: making plastic requires chemicals that known to be hazardous to health. Not every water bottle is BPA-free.

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    Plus:

  • Tap water, the easy and cheaper solution, is actually a safer option than spring water or mineral water, even when bottles are BPA-free.
  • Municipal water is regulated and tested frequently. There are no government controls on bottled mineral and spring waters. (Source)

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    HOW CAN YOU HELP? DRINK FROM THE TAP

    You can add a water purifier device to the tap or install one under the sink.

    There are also whole-house filters.

    If you don’t want to install a filter, Aquasana makes a variety of counter-top models with small footprint.

    Water bottle or household filter: Celebrate Earth Day by picking one up.

    Here’s a water filter guide from the Environmental Working Group.


    [1] Plastic waters are ubiquitous in the landfill: 75% of them are not recycled (photo © Steve Johnson | Pexels).


    [2] Get yourself a reusable water bottle and carry it in your bag, backpack, briefcase, etc (photo © Julia Sakelli | Pexels).
     

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