Jean, Eggs and Ham

Poll party: yucca vs. potato fries?

What's better: yucca fries or potato (French) fries???

For all those out there like, what's yucca? It's in the potato family, sometimes called cassava, a starchy sort of tuber that grows in tropical countries. Looks like this -->

It's hugely popular in Dominican, Caribbean and some African cuisine ground up into flour and cooked into breads, cookies and other goods, and is also cut and fried just like French fries.  You can find them in restaurants all over Paterson and Passaic, and in lots of ethnic grocery stores, including the Farmer's Market in Paterson. Try making the fries tonight -- check this way easy and tasty recipe here.

Chew and swallow gone awry in Wayne

Ever had your food "go down the wrong pipe"? A scary feeling most of us rarely experience, because waaay before we remember, as babies, we learned the mechanics of eating -- i.e. how to chew and swallow. The mechanics that a ) bring us great pleasure and satisfaction from food, and b) keep us well-fed, healthy and alive.

Imagine living in a near permanent state of food going down the wrong pipe. My coworker Suzanne wrote an article today about the Swallowing Center at St. Joseph's Wayne Hospital  where hundreds of patients who have swallowing problems seek treatment.  Some cannot swallow liquids, some need a feeding tube, and many have problems getting their food down to the stomach, not the lungs. Most of their swallowing problems stem from diseases like Alzheimer's and cerebral plasy, conditions like acid reflux or head injuries.

It's a very interesting read and will definitely make you appreciate your lunch a lot more.

Food price watch: Clifton and Lodi

A quick check of recent milk and bread prices, selected at random from Passaic County and area stores:

• A gallon of milk, on average: $3.89/gallon at ShopRite in Lodi, $3.99 at Stop & Shop in Clifton,$3.84 at ACME in Clifton.
• A loaf of wheat bread: about $3 at ShopRite in Lodi and about $3.50 at ACME.
• Chicken, skinless: about $3.50/lb. at ShopRite, $2.90/pound at ACME

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, we'll be paying 3 to 4 percent more in food costs this year because of rising energy costs and increasing demand/less production worldwide. How much are you paying for these basics and where?

Easter brunch hotness

Anyone feast on an Easter brunch or dinner? My roommate and I hosted yesterday, and guests brought lots of fun stuff. We had cinnamon oatmeal, bagels and cream cheese, vegetable frittata with queso fresco, cornbead, a cheese potato bake, awesome cheeses, fruit salad, sausage, mimosas and probably something else I'm forgetting because I'm still too full to function. Oh yah, yogurt and granola parfaits. Soooo good. Tell me what you made and inspire me!

Oatmeal, bagels, fruit salad and bread...

The cheese potatoes...

The veggie frittata...

And we're classy. Instead of offering a sugar dish, we just busted out the whole bag.

Tip o' the week: dental floss to slice cheese, cakes

Dental floss is best known for sliding last night's dinner from the crevices between the teeth. But it does quite a job in preparing dinner, too. Try this tip o' the week: use floss to slice cream cheese, butter, banana bread, Jell-O, pate and other soft foods. Why? You'll use one less knife, make more exact cuts, and dazzle your friends. It's a kid-friendly technique, too.

Simply cut a string of unwaxed, unminted floss about 10 inches long and hold one end tightly in your right hand, the other tightly in your left. Keeping the string taught, position center of the floss over your block of cream cheese, butter, cheese, etc. and push down with the floss through the block, cutting off a slice. Ta da!

Recall alert: Cantaloupes

If you bought any cantaloupe recently, bring it back to the store. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an alert on any any cantaloupe produced from Agropecuaria Montelibano in Honduras because it may be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria.

To date, the FDA has received reports of 50 illnesses in 16 states linked to the consumption of cantaloupes, including New Jersey and New York. Symptoms of Salmonella infection include nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. Individuals who have recently eaten cantaloupe and experienced any of these symptoms should contact their health care professional.

They should also check with the place of purchase to determine if the fruit came from this specific grower and packer. If so, consumers should throw away the cantaloupes. For more information, call 888-INFO-FDA.

Good Friday at Corrado's = chaos and tons of treats

It's Good Friday and Corrado's in Clifton is a zoo. Cars were jammed all over the lot so I parked in the lot across the street, then fought my way through the crowds inside. But it was totally worth it -- I saw the most most bizarre stuff in there today...

I spotted an entire lamb...an Italian tradition in the meat case...(eew or cool???)

here's a close-up...wonder how those teeth taste?

There were (far more pleasant looking) Easter pies...

Like this one...

An amazing rice cake maker at a new Magic Pop stand set up for the day. These soft, very tender rice cakes popped out fresh and warm...

 

and you could try them with fresh hummus and a few other dips...

And of course, being no-meat Good Friday for Christians, customers packed the fish area. I enjoyed this carp, it was huge, about three feet long!

Anyone else make an excursion to C-do's today?? My cashier told me it was even more of a zoo yesterday. Whew!

Best Bets: Fish and bunny breakfast in Clifton

BENEFIT DINNER: A fish and chips dinner will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Masonic Temple in Clifton, a fundraiser for Tall Cedars of Lebanon, sponsors of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Tickets cost $12 and $6 for children under 12. For more information, call 973-779-4296.

BUNNY BREAKFAST: Join the Easter Bunny for breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Saturday 22 at The Hot Grill, 669 Lexington Ave., Clifton. The event is free and is sponsored by the Clifton Recreation Department. For more information, call 973-470-5956.

Quick cook: Banana and Coconut Faux Cream

As I've mentioned before, I'm an ice cream hound and now that it's spring, I'm psyched for the stuff. I know I'm not alone! So I flipped when I got wind of this banana "ice cream" that's basically made only with bananas. It's a zillion times healthier for you and a zillion times simpler to make than real ice cream.

I tracked down a reputable recipe and I'm trying it this weekend -- though I plan to replace the heavy cream with some Greek yogurt or skim evaoprated milk, and the cream of coconut with about 1/2 cup shredded coconut. I bet you could replace the banana with plantains. And I bet it's great with maple syrup and a bit of chocolate. That may ruin the low-cal factor, but whatevs. You should try it, too!!

Banana and Coconut Faux Cream

• 2 firm-ripe medium bananas
• 1/2 cup well-stirred canned cream of coconut
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Cut bananas into 1/2-inch-thick slices and arrange in one layer in a shallow baking pan. Freeze bananas 15 minutes, or until firm. In a blender or food processor purée bananas with remaining ingredients until smooth. Freeze mixture in an ice-cream maker.

-The above recipe is from Gourmet magazine/Epicurious.com c. 1995. Used by permission of Epicurious.com.

Trish Yodice works at Clifton High, loves Italian food

A celeb works at Clifton High! Sort of. Trice Yodice, the former traffic correspondent on "WNBC" Channel 4, quit a few weeks ago and now works as a school counselor. Yodice, who uses her married name "Kramer" now, grew up in Totowa and now lives in Bloomfield.

And her favorite food? Italian! Read more about her here.