cooking magazine

one of my bday presents this year was a subscription to cook's illustrated.  i'm not exactly sure why they call it "illustrated,"though.  true, the graphics are illustrations not photos, but there are few! 

it's not so much new recipe ideas as actual info about cooking - differences between mushrooms and how to use them, basics of making a stew, where certain types of potatoes are found, etc.  all in all - a good read! 

thanks, sis!

llama llama red pajama

pretty sure we all have this one memorized by now.  in fact, if you have the pleasure of speaking to thing 1 on the phone, he will recite his favorite parts to you in rapid succession.  i do have to say, it's one of the better books "we" have picked as favorites. 

since it's become so familiar, the latest renditions might look something like this:

eat this, not that!

i checked out a couple of these books from the library - one for kids, and one for supermarkets. 

 

my overall impression:  pertinent info, interesting presentation, thought provoking.

 

3 things i learned: 

1.  the american heart association label on foods is something that companies pay to use.  yes, there are criteria, but the label's on crazy things like instant oatmeal - which has so much sugar it's not really that healthy, but has met a "standard" for something like saturated fat.
2. every bite contains a choice.  i found it odd that the "original sun chips" were on an EAT THIS page in one book, and on a NOT THAT page in another book.  the nutritional facts don't change.  recommended as a good choice for a corn chip, but a bad choice for a crunchy snack.  hmmm..... 
3. calorie counts might be wrong by as much as 10%!  items are packaged on the "heavy" side because the company can be penalized for having less in the package than stated.  (not that i'm a calorie counter...)

and, just for fun.  yep, something i didn't learn.  anything you make at home out of "real" ingredients is always better for you (and prolly just all around better, too) than something from a convenience package.  that tidbit was hit on 83,295 times in these books, so it's a good thing i already knew it.