MOTHER'S DAY MENU

Braised beef tips         Photo credit: Valerie Phillips

I always loved it when my kids attempted to make "breakfast in bed" for me on Mother's Day.  But our morning church meetings often made it a hectic event. 

Frankly, I'm more happy when my family makes dinner (and cleans up as well). After the typical Mormon three-hour "block" meetings, our family comes home ravenous, but I'm more in the mood for taking a nap than preparing a big dinner.

This is a very easy "Sunday Dinner Solution" meal that pre-teens or hubbies can make for Mom without much room for error. You just place most of the ingredients in the slow cooker (a.k.a. Crock-Pot) and let it cook for three to four hours on high, or six to eight hours on low. About 20 minutes before serving, start cooking the rice in the microwave. and thicken the sauce with cornstarch. The end result: savory chunks of flavorful, tender beef.

Rip open a bag of salad mix or heat some frozen veggies, and you're in business. 

Save money by using less-expensive beef stew meat instead of steak. Let the slow cooker work its tenderizing magic and no one will know the difference. But Mom will appreciate your being easy on the budget,

Braised Beef Tips on a Budget

2 pounds beef stew meat

1 red or green bell pepper, sliced

1-2 ribs celery, sliced

1 onion, chopped (or 1/4 cup dried onion flakes)

2 beef bouillon cubes

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 cups water

Several grinds of pepper

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups rice

6 cups water

Place beef, bell pepper, celery, onion, bouillon, soy sauce, 2 cups water and pepper in a slow-cooker. Cover with lid and set on high. Cook for 3-4 hours. About 20 minutes before serving, mix cornstarch with 1/2 cup water. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the beef mixture until smooth. Allow mixture to cook, uncovered, about 10-15 more minutes to thicken. 

Meanwhile, place rice and water in a large, microwaveable casserole bowl with lid. Cook, covered in a microwave on high for 4-5 minutes, or until water is boiling. Turn the microwave to low heat and continue cooking, covered, 10 more minutes, or until rice is fork-tender. Serve beef tips over rice.

Cinco De Mayo Food & Fun

Cinco de Mayo (5th of May) is a celebration that appears on more and more American calendars, because it's one more excuse to enjoy Mexican cuisine.

An easy Cinco de Mayo buffet. Set out a pot of chili and some toppings and let everyone make their own meal.
Photo by Valerie Phillips

Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexican Independence Day, which is actually on Sept. 16. 

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the 1862 victory of the Mexican Army over the French at the Battle of Puebla. At that time, political chaos and several wars had wiped out Mexico's national economy, and the country was unable to pay the heavy debts it owed to France, Spain and England. France decided to use the debt issue to take over Mexico and install Napoleon's relative, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, as ruler.

France  invaded the coast of Mexico and began to march toward Mexico City. The United States was involved in its own Civil War at the time and was unable to intervene. Led by Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin, the poorly equipped Mexican militia of about 4,500 managed to defeat the well-armed French army of 6,500. The victory was a glorious moment for Mexican patriotism, but it didn't last long. Napoleon sent 30,000 more troops, and a year later, the French took over Mexico City. Maximilian ruled the country for three years before Mexican forces again prevailed, and he was executed. Cinco de Mayo honors the bravery of Zaragoza's small, outnumbered militia. 

 In Mexico, the event is celebrated most vigorously in Puebla, where the battle took place. 

But it has become increasingly popular along the U.S.-Mexico border and in parts of the United States that have a high population of people with Mexican heritage. These days, the holiday is a celebration of Mexican culture, of food, music, beverages and customs.
For a quick-and-easy meal, do a buffet with chili, and let people make their own meal. 

Smoky Black Bean Chili  photo by Valerie Phillips

Here's my super-fast  Smoky Black Bean Chili recipe:



SMOKY BLACK-BEAN CHILI


Chipotle chiles are smoked jalapeno peppers. You can find them in the Mexican food aisle, in small 7-ounce size cans with adobo sauce. One pepper packs a lot of flavor. If you want more heat, add one or two more. Don’t let the rest of the can go to waste; freeze it and then shave off a bit every time you need to add a little kick to a dish. Be sure to drain and rinse your canned beans first. I tried skipping this step, and the soup was wayyyyy to salty.

3 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons onion flakes

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 14-ounce can vegetable broth or chicken broth

2 cups salsa

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, with 1 tablespoon of the sauce (or more if desired)

1 4-ounce can green chiles

2 teaspoons cumin

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, optional

Salt to taste

Grinds of freshly ground pepper to taste

Garnish: Sour cream, chopped tomatoes, cilantro, cheese, avocado

Pour 2 cans of the rinsed and drained beans into a blender with the onion flakes. Add broth or water and puree until slightly chunky. Pour into a large microwaveable bowl (about 2 1/2 quarts). Add the third can of beans to the bowl, along with the salsa, cumin, garlic and cilantro. Microwave on high for 10 minutes, until mixture is hot and bubbling. Add pepper or more cumin to taste. Makes 6 1-cup servings.

  

BIGGEST LOSER SIGHTING - A SLIM DENI HILL

So, in today's Deseret News, my column discussed this NBC's The Biggest Loser season, and how it seemed that many of the contestants were trying to get themselves sent home (http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700132303/Im-lost-with-the-Loser-contestants.html)  Since I've read several articles mentioning Deni Hill of Bountiful enjoys Zumba classes, I added that I hoped to someday bump into her in a Zumba class.

Deni Hill and daughter Sarah at the beginning of this seasons' Biggest Loser. 

Well this morning I'm dancing away in my Body Jam class at Skills Fitness in Centerville, and I realized that the woman next to me looked familiar.  I did a double take, and finally got the nerve to ask.  Yes, it was Deni Hill.  "I just wrote a column about you in today's Deseret News," I blurted out.

"Was that you? I read it, and I agree!" she said.

  She's not allowed to do interviews with the press without NBC's authorization, but I don't know if a chance meeting in an exercise class qualifies as an interview. The only "press" we're thinking of is "bench press."

And let me say that Deni looks fabulous! I wouldn't be surprised at all if she wins the at-home $100,000 prize at the weigh in, which is coming up very soon.

HEALTHIER FROZEN YOGURT

People are saying "yo" to frozen yogurt again, and shops are springing up all over the country.


Frozen yogurt, like Lean Cuisine and Jenny Craig, got its start in the 1980s when Americans embraced it as a low-fat alternative to ice cream. But like leg warmers and Jane Fonda workouts, the frozen yogurt fad waned over the years.

Now the creamy treat is riding the probiotics popularity wave, touting a hip, healthy vibe and, in many cases, self-service. The resurgence has prompted the 30-year-old TCBY (a.k.a. "The Country's Best Yogurt") to give itself a makeover. The Salt Lake City-based company says you can lose the guilt and gain some health benefits with its "Super Fro-Yo" frozen dessert announced this week. A serving is touted to contain: 

·   A minimum of three grams of fiber

·   A minimum of four grams of protein

·   A minimum of seven types of probiotics

·   A minimum of 20% daily value of vitamin D

·   A minimum of 20% daily value of calcium

·   A minimum of 20 billion live and active cultures per serving at manufacturing

It's about 120 calories per serving with one gram of fat. 

Probiotics is a nutrition buzzword, as the "live and active cultures" in yogurt are thought to  help digestion and boost the immune system. Yogurt gets its tart taste from lactic acid, a result of the microorganisms fermenting milk.

But not all products actually contain the live healthy microorganisms. Some frozen-yogurt makers use heat-treated yogurt, which kills the live and active cultures, or they may simply add in cultures to the mix along with acidifiers, and skip the fermentation step all together, according to the National Yogurt Association. The NYA offers a "Live & Active Cultures" seal to products containing at least 100 million living lactobacillus and streptococcus bacteria per gram. Consumers can look for the seal in signs or packaging when they stop in at their neighborhood yogurt shop.

Of course, all that goodness is probably mitigated if you bury it in crushed candy bars and fudge sauce.  

BIGGEST LOSER BETS

Hey, Biggest Loser fans! Who is going to win this season? I'm hoping this week's makeover is a good episode, because I'm getting bummed. More players are trying harder to get off the show than to stay on it.  

The latest case in point was last week’s exit of Rulon Gardner, former Olympian and the last Utahan of four who started out the season.  Without bothering to weigh in, he told everyone he was leaving for “personal reasons,” and then walked off the show. 

Gardner did not participate in a media exit interview as the other eliminated contestants have done. But he did issue a press release thanking the show and the trainers who helped him get his health back, and mentioned that he is considering a return to competitive wrestling.  

 Maybe I'm just disappointed that all the Utah contestants have left "the ranch," and the two Idaho Mormons are gone as well. I'll admit, I like having someone "local" to cheer for. 

But Rulon's defection was just one more in a string of contestants who, instead of begging to stay, asked to be voted off. Or who deliberately gained weight to fall below the “yellow line” and be sent packing.  Are the grueling workouts, the months of isolation at the ranch, the screaming trainers, just too much for people?  Are these folks well-off enough that the $250,000 grand prize doesn’t matter? Perhaps they feel that they are well on their way to regaining their health, and the prize money doesn't really matter.

Near the beginning of the season, identical twins Dan and Don suddenly gained nine pounds each. Although both brothers claimed they didn’t purposely try to gain, it sure seemed suspect when other contestants were posting double-digit losses, and the twins had hinted that they wanted to go home. 

A few weeks later,  Deni Hill of Bountiful, Utah, and Jess Wornum water-loaded, gained weight and got  voted off to save their "kids" from elimination. It was puzzling because neither Sarah Nitta or Arthur Wornum seemed in imminent danger, as long as they worked hard to lose weight. And really, the best way to “save” your partner is to stay on the ranch yourself and garner support from other players. But, it appears that it was a game-playing tactic on the part of Marci Crozier.
  

In an interview published in Reality TV magazine http://realitytvmagazine.sheknows.com/2011/02/24/the-biggest-loser-deni-hill-and-jesse-wornum-elimination-interview  Deni said Marci promised to protect daughter Sarah if Deni threw the weigh-in and went home. Marci also talked parent Jesse Wornum into gaining weight as well, telling him it was his duty to sacrifice himself to save his son,. But after Jesse went home, Arthur was left vulnerable, and was booted off the next week. Deni’s daughter,  Sarah, was eliminated the week after that.  So much for Marci’s “saving the kids.” Of course, she was more interested in saving her own daughter, Courtney.

At  week 12, Kaylee Kinikini (a Mormon from Idaho) decided her “journey” was over. She purposely gained weight in an effort to be sent home. But it backfired, and the choice ended up between another Utahan, Justin Pope and Courtney Crozier. Justin asked the group to vote him off to save Courtney, since she was young and still had a lot of weight to lose.  It seemed that someone was falling on the sword nearly every week to keep Courtney. When she was finally eliminated after losing just one pound in a week, Courtney seemed more relieved than sad, making one wonder if she appreciated the sacrifices made by her elders.

Then two weeks ago, the vote came down between Moses Kinikini (Kaylee’s dad) and Olivia. Moses asked to be voted off, after Olivia said she wouldn’t be able to have children if she didn’t lose more weight. At around 170 pounds, Olivia’s plea seemed a bit stretched. But at least she showed the desire to stay. 

Moses’ elimination meant one less vote to save daughter Kaylee when she fell below the yellow line last week.  But she had already tried to go home several weeks before, so it wasn’t a heartbreaking good-bye.

To  their credit, most of these players who went home have shed an impressive amount of weight after going home, so they didn’t give up on their fitness goals. Justin  Pope, respected by his peers as a leader, continues to “call out” people in his Logan hometown to get in shape. Deni has said she considers herself “The Biggest Winner,” for the show’s opportunity, and I hope sometime I bump into her in a local Zumba class.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of them win the $100,000 at-home prize.  

In the midst of greedy, ruthless reality shows, it can be refreshing to see people willing to sacrifice themselves for others instead of the win-at-any-cost mentality. As much as we like a villain to cheer against, I don't think I'd like to see a replay of  Tracy or  Vicki from past seasons. 

But many fans tune in to “The Biggest Loser” to get inspired by players’ determination to win their weight battles. It helps us go the extra mile on the treadmill or pass up a dessert to better our own health. It’s disillusioning to watch them throw in the towel, especially when thousands of other obese people audition every year for a chance to be on the show.  
So who do you think will win this season? I've thought that Irene was a strong competitor, just flying under everyone's radar. But now she weighs less than 150 pounds, so she can't really lose too much more, can she?  Ditto for Hannah and Olivia.  Plus as a 55-year-old grandma who is trying to lose weight, I didn't like their entitled attitude that the older players should sacrifice themselves.  My guess is either Jay or Austin. 

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Osama Death

My grandson, Anthony Balducci, was born the morning of 9/11.  I'm happy that when he celebrates his tenth birthday this fall, the mastermind of the terrorist attacks will be off the face of the earth.  But, I'm still concerned for his future, and for the rest of us, because there are still plenty of people out there ready to fill bin Laden's shoes, or sandals. I'm afraid that terrorism won't stop until people are more interested in building something instead of destroying it.

   Mimi’s Cafe is sweetening Mother’s Day with a complimentary Ghirardelli chocolate and caramel bar. The  treat will be offered to moms that dine at Mimi’s after 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 8, nationwide. A minimum $10 meal purchase is required. 

 As the most popular holiday to dine out, Mother’s Day will attract more than 75 million American adults to their favorite restaurants this year, according to the National Restaurant Association.