The potatoes baking takes the longest amount of time, so if you use a different starch, like minute rice or frozen fries that you just microwave, you could get this on the table in 20 minutes. The balsamic is tangy yet umami, and pairs perfectly with pork. And I am always a fan of meat & potatoes, with enough vegetables to balance everything out. 

Step 1: Drain the tuna water. Put it in a bowl with the relish and mayo and mix well.

Step 2: Spread over the bread and enjoy! One can makes about 2 decent sized sandwiches. You could add toppings like sliced cheese, lettuce, or tomato too.

I don’t think I could count the times I’ve had tuna sandwiches throughout my childhood and school career, but this is definitely in the top three recipes for how to make it delicious!

Step 1: Melt the chocolate. You should probably use a double boiler, but I didn’t bother I just microwaved in 30 second bursts.

Step 2: Add the coffee liquor and coffee to the melted chocolate.

Step 3: Add the vanilla, and stir in the eggs.

Step 4: Mix in the butter and flour, a little at a time, until it has a thick but liquid consistency.

Step 5: Spray an oven-safe pan and lay the marshmallows on the bottom. Pour the batter over them. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out of the center clean.

These were cakey and had such an amazing chocolatey taste with just that hint of coffee. I put some chocolate cherry ice cream over them while hot. O.M.G.

So we are already 3/4 of the way through January. As we all tackle the new year with our various resolutions to lose half our body weight, workout 20 hours a day, sleep twice as much while being four times as productive, cut out everything but lettuce and carrots from our diet, or never drive a car, throw out a recyclable thing, buy from a chain, or fart ever again, I’ve decided not to decide. Never a huge proponent of ‘resolutions’, mostly for the fact that they rarely stick, I will simply continue with my year-round practice of setting goals and working towards them. Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and long-term. If you’re interested, you can see some fun figures on resolutions at Statistic Brain and get some suggestions to make goals you really will stick to at Psychology Today.

Photo from Mahfooz’ Exposition blog on WordPress

Since the name & style change for this blog only happened two months ago, I’ve already reached some personal goals, and have several more set for this year. I have increased readership by about 10-fold, my blog joined a cool network of amazing world-wide food bloggers called The Daily Meal (which you should totally check out!), formatted and outlined an e-cookbook, created and begun contributing to a Twitter & Facebook presence (@BudgetEpicurean –Tweet or follow me!- and the Facebook group Culinary Content), and automated and increased postings to three times per week (which may change depending on my course load this semester…). That’s pretty exciting for two month’s time. In the upcoming year, I have several personal and blog-related goals:

1. Continue to keep up with 3x weekly postings with varied and high quality information and recipes
2. Experiment with different types of food, ethnic foods, recipe substitutions, ‘health-ifying’ things, etc.
3. Finish writing the bulk of the recipes for the e-cookbook as well as finishing the index by the end of March

On a personal note:

1. Go to the gym a minimum of 3x per week, whether to run, yoga, or strength train. Failing that, yoga or weights at home
2. Try to fit at least one more serving of veggies in per day than usual
3. Drink a minimum of 1 32 oz bottle of water per day (I’m terrible at remembering to drink water. Some days I get home at 7 and realize the only liquid I’ve had all day is a cup of coffee and the milk in my cereal that morning. It doesn’t help that I work in a lab where food/drinks aren’t allowed)
4. Sock away 5% to savings and 5% to an investment account each month no matter what
5. Get involved with a charity & volunteer at least one hour once a month
6. Make time for at least 1 hour a week for myself, and 1 hour per day of distraction-less couple time

You’ll notice that most of those goals involve something specific. Rather than “workout more” I tell myself I must work out three times per week. If I make three days in a row, great for me. If I go Monday and then forget until Friday, guess what I’m doing over the weekend? Also “drink more water” is hard to follow through on. Filling one 32 oz bottle in the morning and making sure it’s empty by the time I go to bed is manageable. 

As the name of this post implies, I’ve been thinking that the name for this blog is the Budget Epicurean. As such I shall be occasionally posting about things other than food, mainly frugality and budgeting. Stay tuned for my next post, which will be all about how to create and stick to a budget!

Step 3: In a large bowl, mix the dough ingredients. If too stiff, add more water or olive oil. If too wet or sticky, add extra flour. Sprinkle some flour on a flat surface and roll the dough out. Use your hands to shape it into a circle.

Step 4: Spread the sauce over the dough, leaving about 1 inch around the edges for crust. Layer on the toppings.

Step 5: Cover it all in cheese. You can substitute vegan cheese or just leave it off for a vegan pie.

Step 6: Bake on a pizza pan or cookie sheet at 350 for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.

Let it cool on a rack if you can wait that long!

Development of food allergies 

If you’ve been paying attention at all the past decade or so, you will have noticed an increase in food allergies. From peanuts to milk, it seems everything edible is able to kill someone somewhere. Or at least make them very unhappy. Allergies to anything is an immune response to a foreign thing your body wants to get rid of. In the case of food allergies, some chemical or ingredient in what you eat can cause anything from mild stomach upset to severe anaphalactic shock and airway closure. 

It is estimated by the NIH that 20% of children under the age of 5 suffer from food allergies, and 25% of adults have one or more. Sometimes you can ‘grow out of’ allergies, but you can also develop new allergies as an adult. There are also allergies which are exercise-induced, or cross-reacting allergies. Mayo Clinic’s website has this handy table:

Food allergies are also on the rise, making the public more aware. We probably all know at least one friend or family member who is lactose-intolerant, can’t eat eggs, or will swell up like a balloon if you give them Pad Thai. (Because of the peanut sauce.)

This comic is from the talented Tyler at Forbidden Ferret, a daily educational webcomic.

How do you become allergic?

Allergy development is a two-step process. The first time you are exposed to an allergen, your immune system recognizes the invader and produces antibodies which specifically bind to that one molecule. These antibodies then circulate in your blood and body for a long time. If you are exposed to the same antigen (food) again, those antibodies recognize it, bind to it, and signal your body to attack by releasing things like histamines. Those cause swelling, inflammation, redness, itchiness, etc. 

Image from a document titled Specific Resistance Immunity.

Ironically, allergies tend to happen with a food that is eaten often. For example, Japan has a higher incidence of rice allergy than the US. If someone you are with eats a food and begins to have trouble breathing, breaks out in hives or a rash, faints, or begins vomiting, you should seek medical help immediately. For a full background of allergies, causes, symptoms, and how you should react to an allergy in someone, see the NIH booklet. 

In infants and children, the most common food allergies are:

• Eggs
• Milk
• Soy
• Peanuts or tree nuts
• Wheat

While in adults, the most common food allergies are:

• Shellfish (shrimp, crab, oyster, lobster, crayfish)
• Peanuts and tree nuts
• Fish, such as salmon

Children tend to outgrow egg, milk and wheat allergies. Peanut allergies tend to be for life, and allergies developed as an adult tend to stick around as well. Food allergies are also not the same as a food intolerance. As I mentioned lactose intolerance earlier, it is important to note that the immune system is not involved, there are no antibodies made to milk. You body simply cannot digest the lactose in milk, thus meaning you are intolerant, not allergic. Other common intolerances are MSG, gluten, and sulfates.

What can I do?

For pregnant women, it is recommended that you breast-feed newborns for at least the first four months. There are many, many health benefits to this practice, plus it is far more economical than formula. Not to mention the bonding time. There is no conclusive evidence yet that the mother avoiding common allergenic foods will prevent the child from developing allergies. So go ahead and have your cereal with milk, toast with peanut butter, and an omelet. 

One way to identify what you are allergic to is to keep a food diary of how you feel after eating different types of foods. This could identify triggers. Then you can try an elimination diet, where any foods which caused an allergic reaction are eliminated one by one so you can see if that causes your reactions to stop. You should always consult your healthcare provider before altering your diet significantly. To test reactions to specific foods, you can request a skin prick test. Your health care provider will prick your skin with a needle and place a small amount of food extract under your skin. If you have swelling and redness, this is a positive reaction, meaning your immune system responded. A blood test is a bit more extreme, where the actual levels of IgE antibodies to a specific food are measured in your bloodstream. 

The easiest way to avoid allergic reactions if you already know you’re allergic is to keep your living area clean. If you are allergic to peanuts, even the dust, keep peanuts out of your kitchen, wash surfaces and vacuum regularly. You can also obtain a medical warning bracelet from your doctor, as well as an epinephrine pen. Commonly called “Eip Pens”, using these is the best immediate way to counter-act anaphylaxis. It will flood your system with epinephrine, which calm down the histamines and hopefully allow you to continue breathing. 

Where can I learn more?

The next Food Allergy Awareness Week is May 11-17, 2014. The Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) group has all kinds of fun activities and information. They also have lots of great resources about how to deal with allergies in children, in public places like camp and restaurants, allergy statistics, how to read food labels, and more.

MedLinePlus has a link to the NIH overview PDF, as well as links to various clinical trials that have been done for different allergies, management help, and specific resources for each type of food allergy.

Of course we always have WebMD for various symptoms, treatment, and related diseases. 

Everyone knows how hard it is sometimes to get kids to eat their vegetables. Heck, it’s hard to get adults to eat their vegetables! But my mom knew all the tricks and I remember several vegetable side dishes that we all actually enjoyed as kids. Candied carrots was always one of my favorites. Not only to carrots already have a naturally sweet-ish taste, but then you add butter and brown sugar, and it’s almost like dessert with dinner! Not exactly the healthiest thing in the world, but at least it will get some vitamin A and beta-carotene into your diet.

Ingredients:
3 large whole carrots, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick?)

 Step 1: Slice all the carrots (peel if you want, sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. Always wash them first though) and place in a saucepot.
Step 2: Add the butter and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer, and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes, until the carrots are soft when poked with a fork.

That’s really all there is to it! They are soft and sweet and a perfect side dish for just about anything. If you have a favorite side dish from your childhood, or a way to cook vegetables such that kids and family members don’t complain, feel free to comment and share!