Are you anticipating a special beverage with the change of season…say, a certain latte?

The Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL, to fans) has arrived at coffee shops, engendering peals of delight among a gaggle of young ladies in our neighborhood.

But how do adults feel about fall beverages?

Seasonal coffees are the most anticipated beverage for them, too, according to a KRC Pulse Poll.

The results—in the photo—are from a nationwide survey conducted online by KRC Research in August 2015, among 507 American adults ages 18 and older.

Our vote: fall’s seasonal beers!

A grilled lemon half with roast chicken. Photo courtesy The Fillmore Room | NYC.

One thing we’ve been noticing at restaurants: grilled lemons. Instead of a plain lemon half to squeeze over food, the lemon comes nicely charred.

Why? In addition to eye appeal, the heat from grilling or pan-charring a sliced lemon helps soften the juice sacs. The result: more juice spritzing onto your food.

A grilled lemon also provides a bit of charred flavor. If you use a Meyer lemon, which is higher in sugar content, the cut surface will actually lightly caramelize. This makes its juice taste even sweeter.

Grilled lemons are particularly tasty alongside other grilled or roasted foods—chicken, salmon or other fish and seafood, and vegetables.

If you want a noticeable olive oil flavor on the lemon, use a strong olive oil; otherwise, go for a neutral oil like canola or grapeseed.

Ingredients

 
Preparation
1. HEAT a grill or frying pan over medium-high heat. Brush the cut sides of the lemon with oil and sprinkle with salt.

2. PLACE the lemons cut side down on the grill/in the frying pan. Cook until the lemons are heated through and charred on the cut side, about 3 minutes.

How easy is that?

The producer calls Schmacon “beef’s answer to bacon.”

It looks like bacon and smells bacon; it cooks like bacon–preferably in the oven for maximum crispness, although it can be cooked in a frying pan.

The result, crisp strips of Schmacon, tastes of beef instead of pork, but with the smoky, sweet spirit of bacon.

 
Meatier, lower in sodium, calories and fat, Schmacon is a much healthier alternative, and you get more meat and less fat. More benefits:

Crisp, delicious Schmacon. Use it wherever you’d use bacon. Photo courtesy Schmacon.

THREE YEARS IN DEVELOPMENT

This is not the first beef bacon on the market, but but it’s head and shoulders above the rest. Most other beef bacon is manufactured with the same technique as pork bacon, but that made no sense to CEO Howard Bender. He started from scratch, testing different cuts of beef, spice blends and cooking processes until, three years later, he was satisfied.

The result, Schmacon Smoked & Glazed Beef Slices, is an achievement, a delicious alternative for those who do not eat pork products, and a boon to those who’d like “healthier bacon.”

Why isn’t it called bacon? Today, the USDA limits the use of “bacon” to pork. “Turkey bacon” got grandfathered in.

TOP: Schmacon and eggs. BOTTOM: Look for this package at your grocer’s. Photos courtesy Schmacon.

Use it anywhere you’d use pork or turkey bacon, including to make:

 
WHERE TO GET SCHMACON

Over the last year, Schmacon has rolled out to restaurants and foodservice. It is now rolling out to retailer stores.

Look for a retailer near you. If you can’t find one, you can purchase a ten-pound package from the manufacturer. Extra Schmacon can be frozen; but we bet you’ll run through the bulk package pretty quickly.
 
Discover more at Schmacon.com.

Inspired by classic cold sesame noodles, delicate strands of carrots and cucumbers mingle together in crisp tangles of “pasta,” as vibrant as they are flavorful.

Instead of peanut sauce based on peanut butter, Hannah substitutes cashew butter for a different take on the nutty, lightly spiced sauce.

“Deceptively simple in composition,” says Hannah, “it doesn’t sound like anything particularly special on paper, but one taste and you’ll be hooked on the creamy cashew elixir. Lavish it over everything from salads to grilled tofu and beyond. Although you may end up with more than you need for this particular dish, trust me: It won’t be a struggle to polish off the excess in short order.”

Note that this recipe comes together very quickly but needs to be eaten as soon as it’s made. The recipe makes 2-3 main dish servings or 4-5 side servings.

Cut the carbs and add the protein: carrot “pasta” in cashew sauce. Photo courtesy Hannah Kaminsky.

RECIPE: CARROT CASHEW NOODLES

Ingredients For The Cashew Sauce

 
For The Carrot Pasta

1. PREPARE the sauce. This can be done up to 2 weeks in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container. Place the cashew butter in a medium bowl and slowly add the vegetable broth, stirring constantly to loosen and smooth out the thick paste. Add the remaining ingredients, whisk thoroughly until homogeneous and set aside.

2. MAKE the carrot and cucumber “noodles.” Toss them together with half of the sauce; for easier mixing, use your hands. Add more sauce as needed, toss in the scallions and move to a serving plate.

3. TOP with chopped cashews and serve.

September 23rd is National Great American Pot Pie Day, celebrating a favorite American comfort food. Pot pie (also spelled potpie) is a misappropriated name. Originally, “pot pie” referred to a crustless mixture of meat pie ingredients and noodles, stewed in a pot on the stovetop.

Over time, the term became used to designate a meat pie with conventional crusts, baked in the oven in a deep pie plate or casserole dish.

The pot pie baked potato recipe is below.
 
 
POT PIE HISTORY

Meat pies likely date back to the milling of flour in ancient times, but before the invention of pie plates, which came many centuries later.

Very thick crusts were used as baking vessels (but were not eaten, due to the high proportion of salt required to stiffen the crust).

Meat pies in large vessels made of crust were popular banquet fare during the Roman Empire, as anyone who has seen Fellini Satyricon can attest.

By the 16th century, the English gentry revived the ancient custom of meat pies. Venison was the meat of choice.

The recipe crossed the pond to America, where it became as American as…pot pie!

> Here’s a longer history of pot pie.

Beef pot pie with a star-embellished crust. Get out your cookie cutter to cut stars in the crust. Here’s the recipe (photo © Betty Crocker).

While most people immediately think of chicken pot pie, pot pies are made today from any type of meat, poultry, fish or seafood, as well as vegetarian varieties. If you have venison, by all means enjoy a historic venison pot pie.

Some of our favorite spins on pot pie:

Something new: pot pie in a baked potato (photo © Idaho Potato Commission).

For today’s special occasion, we’ve fused the pot pie with a baked potato. Or actually, blogger Carla Cardello of Chocolate Moosey did. She developed the recipe for the Idaho Potato Commission.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

1. PREHEAT the oven to 425°F. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet. Brush each with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and prick with the tines of a fork. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until they are fork tender. Meanwhile…

2. HEAT the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken. Cook for 4 minutes, then flip and cook until no longer pink in the middle, another 3-5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and keep warm.

3. ADD 1 tablespoon of butter to any meat drippings left in the skillet and melt. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5-8 minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Whisk in the milk and salt and bring back to a boil. Add the vegetable medley and cooked chicken. Cook another 1-2 minutes or until hot.

4. MELT the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a small skillet. Add the breadcrumbs and cook until brown, about 5-8 minutes. Stir in the parsley.

5. CUT each baked potato in half. Top with pot pie mixture and breadcrumbs. Serve immediately.
 
 
 

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