[1] Add mozzarella balls to your salad or to fruit skewers (photo © Belgioioso).

[2] Yogurt parfait (photo © Fruits From Chile).

[3] Smoothies (photo © Sun Basket).

[4] Toast and ricotta with nuts, blueberries and a drop of EVOO. You can substitute raisins, dried cranberries, seeds, etc. (photo © Union Square Cafe).

[5] Salad with crumbled feta (those are burgundy carrots—photo © Molinari’s Restaurant | Facebook).

[6] Broccoli with bacon, toasted almonds and shaved parmesan. Here’s the recipe from McCormick.

June is National Dairy Month.

We love dairy products, and consume more than our fair share of milk, cheese and yogurt. But few people we know do the same.

Here’s some advice from Jean Ragalie-Carr RDN, LDN, FAND, president of the National Dairy Council and chair of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation.
 
 
WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE 3 DAIRY SERVINGS EACH DAY

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends three daily servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy foods for everyone age 9 and up (two and a half servings for children aged 4-8, two servings for children aged 2-3).

There’s a good reason for these recommendations. Eating three daily servings of low-fat or fat-free milk, cheese or yogurt can help us meet our needs for essential nutrients.

 
Three daily servings of dairy also contribute three of the four under-consumed nutrients in American diets: calcium, vitamin D and potassium.

The fourth nutrient is fiber, which can be found in foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. Coincidentally, each of these fiber foods pairs well with dairy.
 
 
HOW YOU BENEFIT

Three daily servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy foods, as part of a healthy eating pattern, is linked to bone health, especially in children and adolescents.

Adults benefit from reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

Despite the benefits, unfortunately, most Americans are consuming just shy of two servings every day.

It’s easy to add that third serving. Dairy products are portable, accessible and affordable; and as you can see from the photos, delicious!
 
 
WAYS TO GET YOUR 3 DAILY DAIRY SERVINGS

You know that it’s easy to grab a yogurt, cottage cheese or other cheese, or a glass of milk (even chocolate milk).

Alas, regular cream cheese, cream and butter are not part of the dairy food group. They are high in saturated fat and have little or no calcium.

Instead, try these:

 
 
WHAT IF YOU’RE LACTOSE INTOLERANT?

Lactose Free & High In Calcium

 
For Vegans

In addition to the vegan foods above, look for soymilk that has about 300 mg of calcium per serving. Not all soymilk is a good source of calcium, so check the label.

June 15th is National Lobster Day.

Oh how we love lobster. Every time our mother broiled lobster tails, we sighed and told her, “We could eat every day.” Her response: “I wish I could afford to make them for you every day.”

Yes, lobster is pricey, although some years, if the catch is abundant, the prices go down.

Believe it or not, when Europeans first came to America they wouldn’t eat lobster for free.
 

THE HISTORY OF LOBSTER

Lobsters roamed the Atlantic Coast many millennia before the Algonquin natives arrived about 8,000 years ago.

The native Algonquins on the coast depended on lobster as a source of protein. After a storm, hundreds of lobsters would wash up onto the shore.

If they quickly gathered and cooked them before they had the chance to spoil*, the people had a nutritious meal.

But the Pilgrims who arrived in [what is now] Massachusetts in 1620 turned their nose up at the abundance of lobsters, calling them the “cockroaches of the sea.” They used them as fertilizer, livestock feed and fish bait. As the colony grew, they were later fed them to prisoners and slaves.

Lobster was known as poor man’s food because the fact that people who could buy or grow food made it easy for people with no money or crops to eat.

As you may recall, during the first few years in Massachusetts, food for the Pilgrims was scarce. Many died of hunger. The living would have eaten lobster almost constantly, and the smell of thousands of dead lobsters rotting on the beach could have understandably made them see lobster as a wretched food.

Lobster was a subsistence food, something only to be eaten out of desperation.

Prisoners complained that constant meals of lobster constituted “cruel and unusual punishment” [source].

Today, lobster is one of the most common last-meal requests among Death Row inmates. How times change.

Lobster Becomes Popular

However, in the 1860’s, with the advent of canned food that was transported by train, lobster became one of the most popular canned products on the market.

By the 1880s, it was so in demand that restaurants and markets were able to mark up the prices significantly. It became a pricey food.

By World War II, lobster was considered such a delicacy that what was once a poor man’s food became rich man’s food [source].
 
 
FAVORITE LOBSTER RECIPES

 
Plus

 
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*When a lobster dies, its stomach enzymes seep out into its body, which makes the meat go bad quickly. This is why lobsters are cooked alive. A dead lobster has begun to rot, and it can make you sick [source]. Once the lobster is dead, harmful bacteria can rapidly multiply and release toxins that may not be destroyed by cooking [source].

[1] Caught, banded and ready to cook (photo © Lobster From Maine).

[2] Lobster rolls (photo © CB Crabcakes).

[3] Lobster Cobb Salad. Here’s the recipe from Skinnytaste (photo © Skinnytaste).

[4] Lobster bisque. Here’s the recipe (photo © Mackenzie Ltd).

[1] Homemade potato chips with blue cheese sauce (photos #1 and #2 © Idaho Potato).

[2] Idaho russet potatoes.

[3] Gorgonzola, one of the world’s favorite blue cheeses (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

[4] Top the blue cheese sauce with crumbled bacon (photo © Edwards Virginia Smokehouse).

[5] The final garnish: fresh parsley (photo © Iva Villi | Free Images).

We love homemade potato chips.

We only make them for special occasions, because they’re so irresistible that we have no restraint.

For Father’s Day, we’re going fancy, with a sauce of blue cheese and bacon. You can pour the sauce over the chips, like nachos, or serve it on the side.

You may wish to make a double batch! If there are any leftovers, simply store plain potato chips in an airtight container.

The recipe was created by Chef Julie Reid, Former Vice President of Culinary Development for Ruby Tuesday’s in Maryville, Tennessee; and provided to us by Idaho Potato, a repository of great potato recipes.
 
 
RECIPE: HOMEMADE POTATO CHIPS WITH BLUE CHEESE DIP & BACON

We used a mandoline to slice the potatoes. Instead of buying crumbled blue cheese, we crumbled our own from good-quality gorgonzola.

Ingredients For 4 Appetizer Servings

 
For The Blue Cheese Sauce

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the potato chips: Soak the potato slices in ice water for 30 minutes. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels.

2. HEAT the oil to 350°F in a deep fryer. Fry the potatoe slices until golden brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the potato chips on paper towels; lightly sprinkle with sea salt.

3. COOL to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Once completely cooled, the chips may be stored, airtight, at room temperature for up to 2 days. But they will be best served immediately.

4a. MAKE the blue cheese sauce. Combine the oil, flour, salt and pepper in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is blonde in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk, stirring well to prevent lumps. Stir constantly until the mixture comes to boil, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

4b. In a small bowl, use fork to mash the blue cheese crumbles into a paste. Whisk it into the sauce, stirring to combine. Reserve, covering to keep warm. (Or, the sauce may be made up to 2 days in advance in the fridge. Reheat over low heat, stirring, before serving. Do not microwave.)

5. TO PLATE: Mound 1-1/2 ounces potato chips on individual plates. Ladle 2 ounces of warm blue cheese sauce over the chips. Top with 1 tablespoon each of Gorgonzola and bacon. Place on the bottom shelf of a melter or broiler to soften the cheese crumbles until they begin to bubble, being careful not to burn the chips.

6. REMOVE from broiler, top with with 1/4 teaspoon parsley and Serve immediately. You can also make a single large portions as a shareable appetizer or party snack.

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*White pepper is called for so that white sauces don’t have black pepper specks. We don’t use enough white pepper to justify having it (before it dries out), so we just use black pepper. We have no problem with the specks.