Marathon Weekend

The NY City Marathon's Fortieth Anniversary Medal - 2009

Our weekend guests have just left - they are on their way to the Empire State Building (with TBHITW) then on to La Guardia for their flight home.

It was an awesome weekend filled with family, food, fun, museums, the NY City Marathon, planes, trains and automobiles.

This Good Cook is going to take a nap now and will be back tomorrow with new recipes, tips, tricks and kitchen stories. For now, a little recap in pictures:

Allyson, Shane and Caitlyn trick or treating:

Scary stuff in our mailbox

Bones in the yard

A train ride:

A subway ride

Times Square

Marathon Runners!

Mark and Dee - our favorite marathoners ultimately raised over $15k for pediatric cancer research for the charity Fred's Team AND ran 26.2 miles...

Autumn GiveAway WINNER!!!!

DRUM ROLL...

Shane draws a slip of paper...

And the winner is.....

VODKA LOGIC @ her great blog VODKA LOGIC

Thanks all for playing - I'll have more giveaways during the Xmas season so keep checking back, reading and most of all COOKING!!

Vodka Logic - email me your address and I'll ship the Yogotherm right out. Congrats!!

thegoodcooknj@comcast.net

Last Day for Autumn Giveaway!!

Comment by today at midnight EST on Autumn Giveaway Post for a chance to win a Yogotherm from New England Cheesemaking, complete with enough enzymes to make 70 pounds of soft cheeses.

For complete post and official rules:

Autumn Giveaway Post

Check back Sunday for winner!!!

Specialty Food News Time - Oct. 2009

It's that time of month again... news from the food industry. I am greatly encouraged by the first three articles regarding the purchase of healthier foods, less processed, cleaner foods and locally grown products! Whoo-hoo America!

About 60% of consumers are willing to pay 10% more for food products that promise to be healthier, safer or produced to higher ethical standards, and 12% of consumers would pay more than 10% for such products, according to a report by Context Marketing. Full Story

There was a 64.7% increase in new products using the words "simple" or "simply" in the product or brand name from 2005 to 2008, according to Datamonitor. Companies that offer products with the fewest number of ingredients stand to garner gains in 2010, stated Lynn Dornblaser, trends analyst at Mintel. Mintel tracked decreases this year in the average number of ingredients in 19 product categories, including dairy products and processed meats, reported USA Today. Full Story

Some 32% of adults often or always purchase locally grown products or seek out and are willing to pay more for "green" products, according to The Harris Poll. However, just 2% seek out and buy green products if they have to pay significantly more for them and only 3% claim cost does not matter, reported Convenience Store News. Full Story

	For Immediate Release: News from the Specialty Food Trade
	Matthew Cox from Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods, Portland, Ore., has done what no American has done before - he has claimed the coveted Golden Spurtle trophy and won the title of World Porridge Making Champion at the 16th Annual '" Golden Spurtle " World Porridge Making Championships in Scotland. Full Release • Photo

Bond Laboratories, Inc. added Bill Reed Distributing LLC to its distribution network for Fusion Premium Beverages, opening distribution throughout Abilene, TX and the 12 surrounding counties. Full Story

Almost eight in 10 shoppers report looking for products on sale and comparing prices between brand name and store brands when buying groceries, according to The Checkout, a survey from Integer Group and M/A/R/C Research. About 37% of consumers believe name brands are more reliable and 39% believe name brands are better quality products. Approximately 84% think brand names are more expensive. Study participants stated that Kroger, Target and Walmart carry the best selection of private label brands and that they are most likely to buy Kraft and Coca-Cola brands over private label options. Full Story

	For Immediate Release: News from the Specialty Food Trade
	Under a new licensing agreement, Mellace Family Brands, a snack food producer based in Carlsbad, Calif., is partnering with Cinnabon to create a line of snacks combining Mama Mellace's kettle roasted nuts with Cinnabon's signature Makara Cinnamon. Full Release

Hardy Bottling Co. formed a contract with Apple Rush Co. Inc. to produce its Apple Rush cans for sales east of the Rocky Mountains and in the Southeast and Southwest U.S. Apple Rush produces organic 100% juice sparkling beverages and markets its products through nearly 40 distributors throughout the U.S. and in foreign markets, reported Memphis Business Journal. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Some 86% of consumers stopped doing business with an organization after a bad customer experience, up 27% from four years ago, according to the fourth annual Customer Experience Impact Report, a Harris Interactive study sponsored by RightNow. About 82% of consumers indicated they would tell others about a bad experience, up from 67% in 2006. Many consumers that had a bad experience shared their experience online by posting a negative customer review on the company's website (23%), Facebook (7%), or a blog (6%). Full Story

Don't forget - you still have 4 days left to leave a comment on Autumn Giveaway Post for a chance to win a Yogatherm and enough supplies to make 70 lbs. of your own cheese - right at home! Tell you blogging friends - must be a follower for a chance to win!!!

The Wedding and Sugar Cookie Cutouts

The Best Husband In The World and I attended a wedding this past Saturday. Thankfully, I was on the way to better health and could attend. Yeah modern medicine AKA antibiotics for a nasty sinus infection.

My nephew got married to a lovely young woman he had pursued for 8 years... she finally said yes! Making it doubly special was the fact that my dad officiated. It was very touching to see a grandfather performing the wedding ceremony for his grandson and namesake. Here is a picture of the happy couple and my dad.

It was truly a lovely wedding. The food, the flowers, the venue. But what really struck me was the character and maturity of the bride. You see she had planned an outdoor wedding ceremony. Mother Nature was not cooperating and minutes before the ceremony was about to take place, it poured. I mean really poured. No matter - the bridesmaids, flower girls, groom, best man and ushers all took their places (under umbrellas) and we cheered when the bride strode down the "aisle" in splendor under her own umbrella. The ceremony went off without a hitch and everyone high tailed it to the reception room.

You see she could have let the weather ruin her day. She CHOSE to be happy. She knew that a marriage isn't about the wedding day - but a lot of days adding up to a lifetime. They laughed, they said their vows, they kissed. They had an absolutely wonderful time and so did we.

My Mother-In-Law makes these sugar cookies every Christmas. She calls them Merry Makers and the family cannot get enough of them.

This week I'm baking and shopping and cooking in anticipation of TBHITW's brother and family's arrival on Thursday. You may remember our 10 year old nephew Shane just completed cancer treatment. Well, the whole gang is coming for a long NYC Marathon weekend. His mom and dad raised over $14k for pediatric cancer research and will be running the marathon on Sunday. We will all be in the city to cheer them on - racing for the cure and eating cookies!

Sugar Cookie Cutouts: (makes about 6 to 7 dozen depending on thickness)

3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

5 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Using a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat after each addition. Add vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to batter in 3 additions. Stir until well combined.

Refrigerate the dough at least one hour or over night.

Roll out on a floured board until about 1/4 inch thick. Using cookie cutters, cut into desired shapes. (I'm using bats and witches and pumpkins and ghost cutters) Transfer to ungreased cookie sheet.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake one tray at at time in the middle of the oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Cool on racks.

Frost with vanilla frosting dyed to your color preference. Decorate as desired.

A Cook's Notes: When my kids were littles and middles I let them do the decorating. The easiest way to do this is to buy canned frosting and dye about a 1/4 of each can a different color - place in small bowls, buy some sprinkles and sugar crystals, line the table with some newspaper and let them have fun.

Don't forget, Shane will be pulling the winning name from the pumpkin on Sunday, November 1st. If you haven't commented yet on the Autumn Giveaway Post, do it now!!

Car Shopping and Parmesan Crusted Artichoke Hearts with Lemon Aioli

So... you may remember I turned in my Saab convertible. The lease was up. I had my fling.

Like all flings, it was bound to end badly. One of us had to go. Since he was young and hot, I figured there was a better chance of him getting picked up on the lot than me.

So goodbye Saab. It was real. It was fun. It was real fun.

On to car shopping.

After looking at 14 million cars at approximately 1,271 car dealers I was ready to make a decision. My decision? I decided I hated car shopping.

Really. Hate. It.

It took hours of my life that I will never get back.

Now, don't get me wrong. Every sales person in every dealership was friendly. Knowledgeable. Polite. Well trained. IT IS THE PROCESS THAT KILLS ME.

Car dealers in my area no longer put new cars on the lot. They park them inside or in back or behind or below the actual dealership. This forces the wanna be car buyer to go INSIDE the dealership to see an actual car.

Once inside you have to give your name, date of birth, official ID, marriage license, and any identifying marks such as tattoos or birth marks to the receptionist. This is so the car dealership owners can track you down if you don't buy a car that day.

Then you wait for an associate, or selling specialist, or salesperson (to the uninitiated).

If you are deemed sane and somewhat harmless (it helps if you have buckets of cash with you).. you are then allowed into the inner sanctum to look at an actual automobile.

I've learned my lesson with cars. You may love them, you may hate them - but never, never get rid of the one you have... you'll end up having to go car shopping.

Parmesan Crusted Artichoke Hearts with Lemon Aioli Dipping Sauce: (makes about 1 1/2 dozen)

1 can artichoke hearts, drained, patted dry and cut in half

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

1 egg, beaten

oil for frying

Mix the parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and parsley together in a shallow pan. Season with salt and pepper.

Dredge artichoke halves in beaten egg, then coat with bread crumb / cheese mixture. Place on a rack and allow to "dry" for about 30 minutes or refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a frying pan. When very hot, add artichoke hearts and fry for about 2 minutes. Turn and fry other side. Drain on paper towels.

Lemon Aioli:

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 clove garlic, minced

Whisk together lemon zest, juice, mayonnaise and garlic and refrigerate until ready to use.

To serve:

Serve artichoke hearts warm with aioli on the side for dipping.

Happy Hour Friday - play along

I'm getting ready to go the doctor.

No, I don't think I have the dreaded Swine (H1N1) Flu - but I do believe I have a dreaded Sinus Infection - so off I go... hopefully for a full regimen of my favorite antibiotic - my twice a year sinus infection...

While I'm killing time until my appointment I've been reading blogs. I came across Otin from Wizard of Otin and he is sponsoring Happy Hour Friday. It's easy to play, just post what you are happy about:

Here goes:

I'm happy I don't have swine flu.

I'm happy I am going to see my entiret family tomorrow at a BIG wedding (see why I'm happy I don't have swine flu)

I'm happy that my dad is officiating at the wedding of his grandson and namesake.

I'm happy my puppy turned one yesterday (sorry I didn't bake you your favorite bones, I'll do that on Sunday ... just as soon as I feel better)

I'm happy that the TBHITW and the kidadults have not caught my cold...

I'm just happy.

If you want to play head on over to Otin's spot and use Mr. Linky...

Have a great weekend everyone.

HOLLY BEAR with me at 7 weeks on her way to her new home....

Holly Bear (yesterday) at 1 year old in the yard... on her way to magnificence..