Terrific Tuesday With A Recipe!

 

I picked up a random book at the library yesterday about food.  Real Food Has Curves by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. . .  how to get off processed food.  I didn't read it.  I just skimmed it and picked up this interesting tidbit inserted in the pages. (the following is a quote from the book)

• Around 1934, we devoted almost two and half hours a day to cooking at home.
• By the fifties, when modern appliances had taken root, we were down to one hour a day.
• By the mid nineties, with the advent of a battalion of frozen meals, we've shaved it to fifteen minutes.
• And today?  In 2010, it's projected that the average American will spend eight minutes a day preparing food at home- not per meal, but for all three, snacks included.

     To accomplish the Herculean task of cooking our food in eight minutes, we've turned to a lot of processed or packages food.  (To which have been genetically altered, and have compounds added to preserve stability and shelf life.  *that's me saying that )  Only 58% of our meals use at least one raw ingredient.  Milk on cereal counts.  Which means that 42% of foods cooked at home did not even include one raw ingredient.  Heat-it-up frozen foods, we bought $32 billion dollars worth so far in 2010.

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Apple Pie with Crumb Topping

5 c. apples, cored, peeled and thinly sliced 1/2 c. sugar 1 t. cinnamon 9-inch pie crust Gently toss apples with sugar and cinnamon; arrange in the pie crust. Sprinkle with topping; bake at 350 degrees until apples are tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Makes 8 servings. Crumb Topping: 1/2 c. sugar 1/4 c. brown sugar, packed 1/4 c. all-purpose flour 1/4 c. wheat germ 1/4 c. butter 1/4 c. flaked coconut Combine first 4 ingredients; cut in butter with forks or a pastry cutter until crumbly. Gently toss in coconut. Easy Sloppy Joe Pie 1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup) 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper 3 tablespoons ketchup 1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix 1 cup milk 2 eggs Additional ketchup, if desired Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef, salt, pepper, onion and bell pepper over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in 3 tablespoons ketchup. Spread in pie plate. In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk and eggs with wire whisk or fork until blended. Pour into pie plate. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Top each serving with additional ketchup. Easy Chocolate Coconut Pie 2 cups milk 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened 3 oz unsweetened baking chocolate 1 cup coconut 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 3 eggs, slightly beaten 1 cup frozen (thawed) whipped topping Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. In 3-quart saucepan, heat milk, butter and chocolate over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, just until chocolate is melted; remove from heat. In medium bowl, stir chocolate mixture and remaining ingredients except whipped topping with wire whisk or fork until smooth. Pour into pie plate. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until chilled. Garnish with whipped topping. Store in refrigerator.