I’ve talked on this blog, from time to time, of my fondness for fresh produce. I volunteer at my local farmers’ market. And I make use of what little sun I have on my deck for a potted garden of tomatoes, herbs, and new this year, peppers (their success is yet to be seen).

My interest in gardening is new – only within the past six or seven years – and has grown progressively. And my interest in vegetables, well let’s just say that still shocks my parents after all these years. I was that picky of an eater as a child.

For Father’s Day weekend, my dad, sister and I took a little road trip down to Washington D.C. to do some museum hopping. With the immense heat, we had committed to air conditioned activities only, until my sister decided that we couldn’t leave town without stopping by the White House. Since this wasn’t my first trip, I was less than excited (not much changes on the outside), until I spotted the White House Garden.

From the sidewalk, it appeared smaller than I would have expected (even though it is actually about 1,100 square feet). Last year, the garden produced over 1,000 pounds of food, feeding not only the Obamas, but dinner guests and local homeless shelters as well. This year, the size of the garden has been increased. And in the garden you will find everything from broccoli and rhubarb to tomatillos and Japanese eggplant.

Even though I had stood at the White House fence before, and gazed at the South Lawn (playing spot the Secret Service men), seeing the new garden was extremely exciting. After all, the White House hasn’t housed a garden since Eleanor Roosevelt’s Victory Garden during World War II.

In fact, the whole thing got me motivated to consider a plot in my community garden next year – something I had written off this year as too time consuming. (They have a lot more sun then I’ve got in my yard!)

But I’m not the only one. According to the Christian Science Monitor, W. Atlee Burpee & Co (a seed company) saw a 30% jump in vegetable seed sales in 2009 over the previous year. That’s pretty impressive.

And I haven’t even gotten into the real purpose of the garden, which is to encourage more consumption of fresh foods. What started out as a personal mission for her family, has become Michelle Obama’s platform – demanding healthier options and fresh food for our country’s children. This mission is winning favor with parents, and food manufacturers have responded with plans to cut sodium, sugar and more.

I managed to get a picture of the garden, before the Secret Service began to shoo us away. Others in the crowd were certain this meant the presidential motorcade was coming through, or that President Obama was coming out onto the lawn. But, since it was late in the day, I’m certain that it that the high alert was to allow the First Lady, and her girls, a chance to water their garden undisturbed.

This weekend, while browsing through a department store home sale with a friend, we came upon a rack of on-sale specialty electrics – or what we quickly dubbed, “dust-collectors.”

You know what I’m talking about – the circus animal waffle iron, the mini donut maker, the cupcake maker! (Seriously…why wouldn’t you just use mini-cupcake tins??)

It got me thinking about some of the lesser used items in my own kitchen – the crème brulee torch, the deep fryer, and the Belgian waffle iron. I spent the evening trying to imagine ways to make use of these things beyond the obvious – ok, well, a few minutes at least – and I wasn’t coming up with much.

Then, I spotted a post from last week’s Tasting Table on the very subject (seriously, if you are not signed up for this newsletter, you should be!). My waffle iron being the most perplexing of the bunch, I was thrilled to find their recommendation for waffleizer.com, a blog dedicated to finding 30 new uses for a waffle iron, other than waffles.

Are there 30 uses, you ask? Try it as a panini press or a pizza oven, bake up cookies, muffins and pretzels, or even “fry” up some yummy hash browns. Waffleizer ventures into the sweet and savory – some closer than others to the waffle comfort zone.

Yet another reminder of how a little creativity in the kitchen, or the product development lab, can garner a whole new world of food and flavors!

In yesterday’s Washington Post food section, I spotted an article revealing that vanilla works just as well in savory dishes, as in an ice cream cone.

Well…with respect to the Washington Post, we’ve known this one for years.

Ask anyone in our labs, and they’ll tell you that their secret ingredient in a pot of chili, is always vanilla. Try it in a pot of spaghetti sauce too.

At past Roadshows, we’ve shown vanilla paired with tomato, curry, peppercorn, and brown gravy – just to name a few.

Vanilla can modify the heat of many peppery products, while enhancing the flavor of the particular pepper. It can off-set the earthy and “weed-like” character of many herbs to allow a more palatable experience. It can also be used to create a divergent sensation, whereas vanilla stands out at a different time during the eating experience than the item with which it is paired.

Curious about vanilla’s savory side? I’ve pulled a few recipes from our archives to share with you. Enjoy!

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Spinach Salad with Cranberry Vanilla Vinaigrette

Fresh Baby Spinach – Washed    -  6 oz.

Cranberry Juice  -  1 cup

Fresh Cranberries -  ½  cup

Crumbled Blue Cheese  - ½ cup

Olive Oil  -  ¼ cup

Toasted Pine Nuts -   ¼ cup

Sugar   -  ¼ cup

Orange Juice  -   ¼ cup

White Balsamic Vinegar  -   3 Tbsp

Vanilla Extract  -  2 tsp

Shallots finely minced  -  ¼ tsp

Garlic finely minced  -  ¼ tsp

Salt   -  1 tsp

Pepper   -   1/8 tsp

Raspberries – fresh (optional) -   2 oz

Combine fresh cranberries, sugar, cranberry juice and orange juice and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and steep for ten minutes. Strain the cranberries and save the cranberries and the liquid.

Mix together the spinach, blue cheese and pine nuts. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together the vinegar, shallots, garlic, vanilla, salt, pepper and the cranberry liquid. Whisk in the oil. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.

Dress the salad and toss with the raspberries and poached cranberries.

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Sautéed Pork Medallions with a Wild Mushroom Sherry Vanilla Sauce

Pork Tenderloin cut into medallions -   8

Oil   -   ¼ cup

Flour    -   ¼ cup

Salt   -  To season

Pepper   -   To season

Sauce:

Veal or Chicken Stock   -  2 cups

Sherry Wine   -  ½ cup

Mixed Wild Mushrooms  -   1 ½ cups

Heavy Cream   -   ¼ cup

Vanilla Extract   -   2 tsp

Carrots – minced   -   1 Tbsp

Celery – minced  -  1 Tbsp

Butter   -   2 Tbsp

Sugar    -   1 Tbsp

Shallots – minced   -    ½ tsp

Garlic – minced  -   ½ tsp

Bay leaf    -   1 leaf

Salt  -   To taste

Pepper  -  To taste

Melt half the butter in a large sauté pan. Lightly sauté the shallots, garlic, carrots and celery. Add the sherry and cook reducing the liquid by half.

Add the remaining ingredients except the cream and butter and cook for 20 minutes. 

Add the cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the butter and adjust the seasonings.

Flatten the pork medallions and dust with the seasoned flour. Sauté in oil. Hold in a warming oven until ready to serve.

Suggested serving: Serve with soft polenta with roasted red peppers. The pork and sauce go well with spaetzle as well.

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Pan Seared Steak with a Vanilla Peppercorn Sauce

Strip Steaks  -  2 lbs

Salt -   To season

Pepper  -  To season

Sauce:

Beef Stock   -   2 cups

Red Wine  -  ½ cup

Heavy Cream   -  ¼ cup

Cooking Oil  -  ¼ cup

Vanilla Extract  - 1 Tbsp

Green Peppercorns  -   1 Tbsp

Butter  -  1 Tbsp

Shallots – minced  -   ½ tsp

Garlic – minced   -   ¼  tsp

Parsley – chopped  -   ½ tsp

Salt   -    To Taste

Fresh Ground Pepper   -   To Taste

Season the steak with salt and pepper and sear in oil until both sides are lightly brown. Remove steak and finish in a warming oven until desired doneness is achieved.

Remove the excess oil from the pan and sauté the shallots and garlic for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, simmer and reduce the volume by half.

Add the stock, peppercorns and vanilla. Let reduce on medium high heat for 8 – 10 minutes.

Slowly add the heavy cream and simmer until the consistency of the sauce has become slightly thicker.

Finish the sauce by slowly adding the butter and adjust the seasoning with salt & pepper.

Serve over the steak.

This past weekend I was in a wedding…in fact, I was the Best Maid (aka, a female Best Man). Since the groom and I had known each other since birth, it made perfect sense to me, him, and his wife. But others were unsure – it didn’t fit the mold.

The wedding was in “the city” – across the river from the safe New Jersey suburb everyone knew. Guests were nervous.

The reception was held not in a cookie cutter hall, but in a dance studio along a cobblestone street. And, in lieu of assigned seats, we mingled the entire evening throughout a variety of rooms (with ample seating, of course). Free to roam, guests were skeptical. “It will never work,” they said, “it’s going to be a disaster!”

But, it was beautiful. Just as the bride and groom knew it would. Their sense of adventure was just what their wedding needed. Everyone had a fabulous time. Cynicism gave way to acceptance. And acceptance quickly grew into enjoyment, as friends and relatives met each other for the first time, and danced the night away.

Just like life experiences, trying new foods can be a tricky endeavor, and may often require a bit of a push. A vegetable you’ve never heard of, a combination that sounds ridiculous, a preparation that seems foreign. Too often, we decide to play it safe, and just order the chicken fingers. (Nothing against chicken fingers – they tend to be one of my own personal favorites.)

On the menu, language helps. A dish that sounds so amazing, you just can’t resist. And in the grocery store, special promotions and sales are what get customers to say, “oh, what the heck, for a dollar I’ll give it a go.”

But as product developers, we cannot assume that words and discounts are enough. We also have to ease consumers into flavors they never heard of. While launching an exotic flavor for a niche product – something targeted to a specific ethnic group, or even healthy foods niche – can work out well, doing the same on a mainstream launch can prove less profitable. When flavors are still unknown, it is best to blend them with familiar flavors to help introduce the audience to the concept. While the wedding was different than the norm, there were still many elements that were traditional, which kept guests at ease.

There are excellent examples of products, past and present, that have pushed the envelope, while keeping it familiar. A few that come to mind are: the classic Kiwi-Strawberry Snapple, the new Eclipse Breeze gum with cardamom, and the still-catching-on Vosges Mo’s Bacon Chocolate Bar. All delicious. All fun. All adventurous.

Just this past Friday, I read a great article in Nation’s Restaurant News on innovative flavors in foodservice soft-serve. Among the flavors mentioned, olive oil intrigued me most, especially since it had proven as the best selling for one restauranteur.

So, on Saturday night, when our waiter mentioned olive oil as one of the home-made gelatos available at Philadelphia’s Pizzeria Stella, I was sold.

While the other ladies in our group opted for chocolate or hazelnut (which were amazing themselves), myself and one other brave friend ordered the olive oil. We each received one perfect scoop swimming in a small sea of yellow-green oil. The taste was creamy, sweet, fatty and fruity, and reminded me of (solid) spreadable olive oil I have sampled in the past.

What struck me most, though, was that it seemed the perfect base for more…. like an alternative to vanilla, but a bit less complex.

Almost the entire table sampled our olive oil gelato, and I saw some mixed faces and reactions. From the “well, it tastes just like olive oil,” to “no, I don’t like that at all,” and the “wow, that’s not as bad as I thought.” (I’m pretty sure that last one was a compliment.)

Despite the reaction from our friends, although most of them liked it or were ambivalent, myself and my adventurous ordering buddy were pleased.

Recently, a study was released by Princeton University showing that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) causes more weight gain than table sugar. There has been A LOT of backlash from the food industry questioning their methods. Frankly, I am not here to take a side – I am not a scientist, nor do I play one on TV.

But, in all the aftermath, there was at least one voice I agreed with. Elizabeth Abbott, author of Sugar: A Bittersweet History” stated, “The debate about which one is better for you is a false debate, because neither of them is good for you.” And followed with, “By having cane sugar, you’re not doing yourself a great big favor. Not so much sugar is what we should be striving for.”

Huzzah! It was as if someone finally addressed the elephant in the room. I’m not saying let’s outlaw sugar. Pu-leeze…the chocolate drawer in my desk gives evidence of the contrary. But, instead of all the debate over which sweetener is better or worse for you, let’s address the fact that too much of a good thing – any good thing – is just too much, whether is be sugar, salt, lettuce, or even water.

We are all free to indulge once in a while. Even Jamie Oliver, host of ABC’s Food Revolution, promotes moderation, with a bit of indulgence thrown in. In other words, bake your cake and eat it too – but stick with one slice. And maybe start with some grilled chicken and veggies first.

Sure, it’s easy to get carried away when there are so many choices available. But we’ve got an entire lifetime to sample all those choices – we need not do it at once. And besides – the healthier you are, the longer you live, the more sugary treats you eventually get to try!

We’ve been reading a lot lately about stores cutting back on national brands to make room for more private label goods. And perhaps the greatest impact will be that made by Wal-Mart. When one manufacturer generates a significant portion of your annual sales, it becomes a bit worrisome, to say the least.

But is this a long-term trend, or a short-term reaction to our current economic situation? The current private label boom can be directly attributed to the economy. Food prices went up…personal finances went down. We all looked at our own carts and said, “Well, maybe we’ll try the store brand this week.” I know I did.

There are stores dedicated to private label brands – Loblaw’s No Frills, Trader Joe’s and Aldi. But the idea of entire sections in traditional markets, converting to private label, may be a bit much for consumers to handle.

There are just some loyalties that consumers are not willing to give up. You know what brands you cannot live without. Personally, I make no exceptions when it comes to my favorite peanut butter. If a store is out of stock, I’ll go to another. And at our Innovation Roadshow®, keynote presenter Doug Palmer of A&P noted a store brand laundry detergent that beat the brand-name leader in blind tests, but couldn’t keep up in sales.

Our favorite brands aren’t going away. They’re in for the long haul. But it will take some time and recovery to win back customers that have strayed in favor of lower prices. In the meantime, some U.S. manufacturers are looking to fuel growth with emerging overseas markets.

But that doesn’t mean an end to private label either – far from it. Private label brands have won over unbelieving consumers with quality and price. Moving forward, competition between the two will be intense, as national brands fight for space on the shelf.

To say it’s been snowy around here lately would be, well, an understatement. Hit by two blizzards in five days, the Philadelphia area has been immobile.

Before cabin fever sets in, most of us deal with this imprisonment with food. After all, we have to get all that shoveling energy from somewhere, right? And eat we did – hearty meals like turkey chili, turkey meatloaf, sausage & peppers, and from-scratch pancakes.

But the morsels that we were most looking forward to were two little impulse items I grabbed while stocking up for the Snowpocalypse – Burger King’s frozen fries in King Krinks™ and King Wedgez™, from ConAgra (launched Fall 2009).

Housed in this oversized wedge-shaped cardboard container is a single serving of microwaveable French fries. The instructions are easy – Shake, Vent, Zap, Tap, Rip. First, shake the container to equally distribute the fries, then vent by opening on each side of the package where indicated.

Microwave for three minutes, then rip off the top. Presto – they’re ready to eat! Burger King branded fries fresh from the microwave, in a handy dandy FRYPOD®.

The verdict? Pretty tasty! Both versions were well seasoned, if not a bit overly so (but frankly, on French fries, that’s not necessarily a bad thing!). The Wedgez were definitely the spicier of the two. Both tasted great on their own, and with ketchup. They had a nice texture – crunchy on the outside, but soft on the inside, similar to an oven fry.

But, there were a few drawbacks in the process. The recommended three minute cooking time appeared to be way too long. For the Wedgez, this meant fries stuck to the interior packaging. And for both, the desirable texture quickly turned chewy and hard.

And how about the price? I found them on sale for $0.77 each, a bargain compared to the drive-thru (I believe non-sale price varies from $1.20 – $1.77, depending on the store). Maybe not comparable to the cost savings on a family-sized bag of oven fries, but worth it for the novelty, or for kids who are not allowed to use the oven.

So, would hubby and I buy them again? Certainly! (Of course, we’d reduce the cooking time a bit.) Maybe next time we’ll try the unseasoned Kolossalz™ too!

When I was a little girl, my grandfather would take me to visit his older sister – Aunt Lillian. I was very young when my aunt died, and I don’t remember a lot about her. What I do remember, is that I always felt very close to her. I also remember that she was short, she liked to wear house-dresses, and she was always in the kitchen. But what I remember most, were the Chocolate No-Bake Cookies that she would always make for me. I still remember the red tin that she would place in front of me – and I would get so excited!

Eventually, she gave me the recipe, and my grandfather and I made them once – successfully. Shortly after, my Aunt Lillian passed away, and the recipe, somehow, was lost forever.

For years, I would ask my grandfather if he had the recipe, but he’d insist that he gave it to my mom. And Mom would insist that my grandfather still had it. Friends and family members would make recipe suggestions – but they weren’t quite right.

A few weeks ago, I brought the cookies up at dinner – yet again, in what seemed like a futile attempt. But this time, a light seemed to flash on in my grandfather’s head – and he directed my grandmother to a small box in the corner of a kitchen cabinet (where, by the way, he apparently hides his secret recipes for pitzels and wedding soup!). And there it was – on a thin piece of yellowed notepaper, transcribed from memory, in my Aunt Lillian’s handwriting.

Now, I am told that my aunt was a tremendous cook and baker – and by no means were these cookies the greatest thing in her repertoire. But, to me they were. And when I smelled the combination of cocoa, peanut butter, oats and coconut on the stove, it didn’t matter. That first bite brought me back 25 years – to my favorite flavor in the entire world.

I always find it amazing how smells and flavors can unlock memories from long ago. This year, for Christmas, I’m sharing these “cookies” with my friends and family. And as a little holiday gift to our blog readers, I’ve included it below – exactly as Aunt Lillian wrote it.

Enjoy – and Happy Holidays!

Aunt Lillian’s No-Bake Chocolate Cookies

Put into a pan…

¼ lb butter

½ cup milk

½ cup cocoa

2 cups sugar

Stir over low heat until butter is melted and comes to a boil. (Note from Erin: This may seem like it takes forever, but they will not thicken otherwise!) Remove from heat and add…

2 tablespoons peanut butter

3 cups oatmeal (Old fashion)

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup coconut flakes

Stir until everything is mixed well and oatmeal is all coated – drop heaping teaspoon on reynolds wrap or waxed paper. Let stand until dry.

When we drove to the local T.G.I.Friday’s yesterday for lunch, the last thing we were expecting was to try an exclusive new menu item – but that’s exactly what happened.

If you’re not in the food industry, this may not be very exciting. But for me, a self-proclaimed food nerd, it was the highlight of my day!

Our local Bensalem, PA location is the only one testing the new pizzas thus far. Offered in four varieties – Margherita, Pepperoni, Rustic Italian Sausage, and Tuscan Veggie – the restaurant started serving them on Monday.

The ingredients are fresh – fresh cheese, fresh veggies – and the sauce and dough are both made in-house. They’re smaller than a traditional pie, and oval, with a gourmet pizza look. We ordered the sausage, and shared it as an appetizer between the four of us.

At a price point of $8.99 for the margherita, $10.49 for pepperoni and sausage, and $11.99 for the veggie – it’s a little steep. Certainly more expensive than a pizzeria pie, and smaller to boot. But cheaper than a sampler platter. Great as an appetizer – although each one is suggested as an entrée.

A new oven was brought in to accommodate the pies (which required a little kitchen revamp) – our server (who was fabulous, by the way) compared it to a conveyer oven you would find at a Quiznos.

Our thoughts – the dough was fabulous, as was the cheese, but the sauce could use a little something. (Each pie is served with red pepper and oregano shakers.) Call it spice or flavor – it was a tad too sweet.

If it works though, the pizzas would be a great addition to the Friday’s menu. (They’ve even got little pizza boxes to accommodate to-go orders).