Category Archives: American food

“Spanish Macaroni”

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 This is one of my all-time favorite things to eat. I loved (and still do) the smell, the look, and especially the taste.

When I was younger, I thought that all Hispanic people, and the Spaniards in particular, ate this regularly (My mom always called this meal “Spanish macaroni“, so the name stuck for me. Later into my teens, I realized this was her version of Johnny Marzetti). I found out just recently that “Spanish mac” is actually an American (!) dish that originated in Columbus, Ohio at Marzetti’s, an Italian restaurant in 1896 (first served by Teresa Marzetti and named for her brother-in-law, Johnny Marzetti. Italian-American dish, perhaps?).

By the 1920s, the Marzetti meal became a Midwest sensation; its popularity spread to the other U.S. regions, becoming a national culinary treasure.

It can be prepared in various ways, using different kinds of meats, cheese, and peppers (However, I would strongly recommend using strictly elbow macaroni for maximum flavor). 

Here’s the basic recipe; remember, you can always add on something if you want:

1. Boil the elbow macaroni until done. Drain and put to the side. 

2. Chop or dice the onion and green pepper 

3. Then sauté the onion and green pepper in the cooking oil. Add the beef (or other meat). Cook until done. 

4. Now mix everything together with the diced tomatoes and spaghetti sauce. Heat until very hot. 

5. Spoon 1/3 of the mixture in a casserole dish; add a few slices of Cheddar (or other types of cheese) on top of this. 

6. Add another layer of the macaroni mixture on top of the first one. Now you can add or insert more cheese in this second layer, or you can simply leave it as is. 

7. Put in the last layer of mixture; add more cheese slices, or not (This is entirely up to you!).

8. You can either bake this at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes ( I usually do the former).

Classic Comfort: Soup and Sandwich

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Here are a few delicious combinations that you can mix and match for the perfect lunch duo!

Easy-to-make soups

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 cup of beef broth, vegetable broth, miso broth, roasted garlic chicken broth, or Italian-seasoned chicken broth.

½ cup of shredded pre-roasted chicken, diced tofu, or shredded pre-roasted beef

canned carrot coins, or seeded and diced tomatoes

A ½ cup of wild rice, orzo, white rice, ditalini pasta or linguine

Cook for 5 minutes or until heated through. Now while the soup’s heating up, fix up a healthy half-sandwich option to go with it.

Easy-to-make half-sandwiches

Choose one slice of either whole-wheat pita, whole-wheat English muffin, regular whole-wheat bread, health, or pumpernickel

Add 2 tsp of a spread, like garlic-flavored mustard, mango chutney, honey-Dijon mustard, sun-dried tomato pesto, or horseradish mustard

Now add three slices of Black Forest ham, shredded roast beef, grilled eggplant, grilled chicken breast, or shredded smoked turkey

Additional Info

According to a recent study, soup-eaters take in fewer calories than those that don’t eat soup.

For canned soup, reduce your salt intake by choosing low-or reduced-sodium versions.

Here’s the calorie count on seven classic soups, per cup serving size::

Vegetable-72 calories

Chicken noodle-114 calories

Minestrone-127 calories

Chicken rice-also 127 calories

Cream of mushroom-129 calories

Vegetable beef-153 calories

Split pea with ham-185 calories

A Few Food-Packaging Definitions

Low-sodium-Less than 140 mg of sodium per serving

Sugar-free-Less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving

Fat-free-Less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving

Light-Compared to the original product, one-third fewer calories or 50% less fat

Low-calorie-40 calories or less per serving

Low-fat-3 grams or less of fat per serving

Oh, Mighty Tomato Recipe Supplement: Spinach and Tomato Toss

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This is fuss-free and easy to make, only taking a total of 20 minutes (or less).

Did you know one of the ingredients, tomatoes, helps prevent sunburn? It’s because they contain lycopene, a compound that helps protect the skin from the damaging effects of UV light.

Ingredients

1 medium onion

1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 bags (6 oz. each) baby spinach

1 pint cherry tomatoes

 In a large skillet over medium heat, cool sliced onion and garlic in oil for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Increase heat to high; add baby spinach, cherry tomato halves and salt.

Cook 5 minutes more, or until spinach is tender and tomatoes are juicy, stirring frequently.

Serve salad warm or at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings

Oh, Mighty Tomato!

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    Tomato juice is the official state beverage of Ohio.

Arkansas’ official state vegetable is the vine ripe pink tomato (of South Arkansas).

  There are at least 10,000 varieties of tomatoes (from the small marble-sized cherry one to the Ponderosa, which can weigh over three pounds).

  The jelly-like substance around the seeds contains the highest concentration of vitamin C.

  The smallest tomato species are less than three-quarters of an inch in diameter. There are yellow and red varieties.

  Botanically, tomatoes are actually a fruit. This is because generally, a fruit is the edible part of the seed containing the seeds, while a vegetable is the edible stems, leaves, and plant roots. But in 1863 the Supreme Court ruled that tomatoes were to be considered vegetables.

    The tomato is the world’s most popular “fruit” (see the abovementioned); more than 60 million tons are produced each year. This is 16 million more tons than the banana, the second most popular. The third most popular are apples (36 million), then oranges (34 million), and watermelons (22 million).

  The early American colonists regarded the tomato as poison because it’s related to the deadly nightshade plant (but so is the potato!). Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson stood on the steps of the Salem, New Jersey courthouse in 1820 and ate a tomato-and then a few more-without any adverse effects, to the town’s amazement.
    Johnson’s daring feat got a lot of attention.
    (By 1842, farm journals were declaring the tomato as the “latest craze.”)

    The largest tomato ever grown (to date) was seven pounds, twelve ounces.

    If you suffer from a skin disease, a tomato a day may keep the doctor away. Tomatine, tomato’s principle alkaloid, heals certain fungous disorders (green tomatoes contain large amounts of this, but don’t eat them raw. Cook (including fried!) or pickle them first). 

Lycopene is the substance that gives tomatoes their rich red color. It’s also an antioxidant that reduces the risk for prostate cancer in men and helps reduce heart disease.

  One tomato plant can produce 15 tomatoes in a season.

  Eating tomatoes will give you healthy eyes and skin, as they contain vitamins A and C. They’re also a good source of fiber, potassium, iron, phosphorus, and vitamin B.

  The tomato can be grown in just about any climate (sandy, dry, moist, or salty) and in almost any soil.

  California is the world’s largest producer of processed tomatoes. (Ohio’s the second largest). The state’s peak tomato season is from July through September, but the season actually runs an entire six months, beginning in June and running through November.

  Tomatoes (and apples) have a natural ripening hormone called ethylene.

  Tomatoes first grew as wild, cherry-sized berries in the South American Andes, but the tomato as we know it today was developed in Mexico. It was known as tomatil.

Here’s a quick and easy recipe for:

Tomato-Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

Italian bread (4 oz.), sliced

1 clove garlic, peeled

One-half bag ready-cut salad greens (or a head of lettuce that can be easily shred)

2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered (you can also use regular-sized tomatoes, but you’ll have to do just a bit more chopping)

1 cucumber, quartered, cut into one-half pieces

Optional: One-fourth lb. sliced mushrooms

One-third cup prepared fat-free red wine vinaigrette

4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled

Heat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Arrange the bread slices on baking pan; toast for 8-10 minutes, turning once.

Rub each toasted slice with garlic clove; cut into 1″ croutons.

Place salad greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, and croutons in a large bowl.

Add vinaigrette and cheese; toss to coat.

Makes 4 servings

Did You Know That…..

Tomatoes will ripen faster if you put them in a small to medium-sized brown paper bag. Then close the top. The closed bag holds in ethylene, which acts as a natural ripening agent.