Dress-Up!

In honor of Halloween, let's play a little dress up game! It's highly educational and very relevant. Enjoy!

Also, read about this awesome fundraiser that my local salon hosted in honor of Obama (source for the above image, as well). Basically, ladies paid $75 for the teased and twisted "Reformer" hairstyle, and all the money went to the Democratic campaign. It's great when you walk away with something for your donation, although I'm not sure where you'd go with this 'do. Maybe to the shooting range?

Spell with Flickr!

(Plug for a certain politician whose name looks so damn good in these letters)

I just love this site I discovered, where you can spell anything out with images of letters found in cyperspace. I'm wracking my brain for a way this can relate to foodie...

1) You could print labels for holiday gifts (like bags of cookies or homemade mulling spaces)
2) Design the cover of a homemade recipe book (also a nice gift idea)
3) Make headers for recipe cards

They would make lovely party invitations too!

Other ideas?

(and on a political note: If you're feeling like you want to get involved in the next days' election work, here are some ideas from the president of my organization. Everyone can contribute something, whether it's $10 or a night of phone banking, it's our responsibility to make our voices heard!)

Comfort foods and silver skies

(Sunset from my living room, passing over Lady Liberty)

This morning when I woke up, a blanket of blue light had filtered into my bedroom and cast everything in a murky, hushed glow. Peering out my window, I saw the thick, downy cloud cover hanging just above the Statue of Liberty, threatening a damp chilly day. Somehow, the soft, ethereal morning light was a comfort, blanketing the noisy street with the impending rain. On days like these, I count the hours until I can be back at home, wrapped in a thick quilt, enjoying a steaming bowl of something savory.

(From my friend's rooftop in Prospect Heights, my old neighborhood)

For tonight, it might be polenta with freshly grated parmesan and delicately herbed mushrooms, a dish we devoured several times this fall. Or perhaps a kale and potato soup with melted gruyere cheese on top. Whatever I choose, it will be a complement to the weather, rather than a distraction from it, because sometimes, it's nice to get cozy underneath the clouds.

Rainy Day Polenta

Combine:
1 cup of corn meal, prepped per package instructions (makes 3 cups or so)
Pat of butter
Generous handful of freshly grated tart cheese (parmesan, asiago, manchego, percorino)
Salt and cracked pepper to taste

Place atop polenta:
Mushrooms sauteed with onions, garlic, EVOO, and fresh thyme sprigs
Salt and cracked pepper to taste

Served with a salad of raw, thinly sliced green and yellow squash in a simple vinaigrette, a nice textural contrast to the mushy goodness of the polenta.

TIP: My mom taught me this trick- use your hands to knead the dry cornmeal into the cold water before heating. This will enhance the creamy texture and help prevent clumps. Then boil and prepare as instructed.

Don't vote...

unless you care about your future.

Pumping Iron

I've been a bad poster. And a bad eater. But now I'm learning my lesson. I'd been really lethargic and not feeling like myself for months, only to learn that I've got an iron deficiency, or low serum ferritin, which I've been treating for the past several weeks with....FOOD (and supplements)!

From what I understand, anemia and low ferritin are not the same thing and do not always go hand in hand. Anemia means low iron counts in your blood, while low ferritin indicates low iron stores in your cells. Thus, if your blood iron levels are OK but your stores are low, your body has no reserves and can quickly suffer the effects. Low ferritin levels can happen quickly or can accumulate over years of eating not-quite-enough iron (like me, as a 16-year vegetarian). But this can be easily remedied with the introduction of more iron.

I've had to become an educated eater, carrying around a chart of iron-rich veggie options to the grocery store so I can beef up my ferritin count and generally feel better.

Food	Milligrams per serving	% DV*
Ready-to-eat cereal, 100% iron fortified, ¾ cup	18.0	100
Oatmeal, instant, fortified, prepared with water, 1 cup	10.0	60
Soybeans, mature, boiled, 1 cup	8.8	50
Lentils, boiled, 1 cup	6.6	35
Beans, kidney, mature, boiled, 1 cup	5.2	25
Beans, lima, large, mature, boiled, 1 cup	4.5	25
Beans, navy, mature, boiled, 1 cup	4.5	25
Ready-to-eat cereal, 25% iron fortified, ¾ cup	4.5	25
Beans, black, mature, boiled, 1 cup	3.6	20
Beans, pinto, mature, boiled, 1 cup	3.6	20
Molasses, blackstrap, 1 tablespoon	3.5	20
Tofu, raw, firm, ½ cup	3.4	20
Spinach, boiled, drained, ½ cup	3.2	20
Spinach, canned, drained solids ½ cup	2.5	10
Black-eyed peas (cowpeas), boiled, 1 cup	1.8	10
Spinach, frozen, chopped, boiled ½ cup	1.9	10
Grits, white, enriched, quick, prepared with water, 1 cup	1.5	8
Raisins, seedless, packed, ½ cup	1.5	8
Whole wheat bread, 1 slice	0.9	6
White bread, enriched, 1 slice	0.9	6

Things I've learned:

- You should only take iron supplements if you've been diagnosed with a deficiency; too much iron is far more common than not enough, and the effects are poisonous!

- Vegetarians need more iron than meat eaters because the type of iron from plants (non-heme) is harder to absorb than that from animal sources (heme iron). Veggies need 33 mg/day while non-veggies should get 18 mg/day.

- It takes a whole lot of spinach to add up to even a small portion of your requirement; instead, look to tofu, beans, lentils, seaweed, and enriched flours for the rich food sources. Supplements may be necessary too, if your doc says so.

- Chelated forms of iron supplements are much gentler (read: no upset stomach) than the ferrous forms

-Iron can still upset your tummy, so it's important to drink tons of water and eat lots of fresh fruit while you're taking supplements.

-Vitamin C greatly assists your absorption of iron, so it's best to take your supplement with C-rich foods, like OJ, lemon juice, tomatoes, or spinach.

-Molasses is the most delicious way to get a hefty dose: 2 tsp. = 20%, depending on the brand, and if you swish it around in a cup of cold milk, it's a delicious after-dinner treat!

I found a marked improvement in my energy level and my overall feeling of health within a week or two of beefing up my iron intake. Suddenly, I don't need 3 or 4 hour naps on the weekend (and exercise is a lot easier too). Maybe it's the placebo effect, but I think science has something here.