It’s Spring, and it’s the season for one of my favorite vegetables -- asparagus! Although it is available year-round, spring is the best season for this nutritious vegetable. Crops are harvested from late February to June, with April being the prime month and high season for asparagus.

Whether it’s from the grocery store or a local farmer’s market, I am always looking for the best deal on fresh fruits and vegetables. We all live for convenience especially when it comes to food and our health, but just like the myth that healthy eating is expensive, many people believe that buying in-season fruits and vegetables is just too much hassle even though the good reasons to do so abound!

Food always tastes better when it’s fresh, but purchasing seasonal veggies gets you more than just great taste. It’s also a great time to save some cash. When certain foods are in season, the relative abundance of these crops usually makes it less expensive.

Fresh asparagus will be bright green with no signs of shriveling. The tender tips may have a purplish cast, but they should be firm and tight, never mushy. The cut end will be thick and fibrous—the plant’s reaction to the injury of cutting. This end is broken off before cooking, but if the shoots are fresh, you may lose only an inch.

Asparagus is a nutritional giant containing more folic acid than any other vegetable. It is also a source of fiber, potassium, vitamins A and C and glutathione, a phytochemical with antioxidant and anticarcinogenic properties.

I like to cook asparagus the day I buy it, but you can place asparagus in a produce bag in your vegetable drawer; however, it’s more likely to get bruised, broken, or left too long. To keep asparagus in prime condition, trim the cut ends, stand them in a glass of water, cover with plastic, and refrigerate (glass and all) for up to two days.

One of the beauties of these elegant spears is their versatility. Roasted, steamed, boiled, grilled, even raw – asparagus can be prepared and eaten in a multitude of ways. First, thoroughly wash the asparagus. You don't want to soak it; just hold the stalks upside down under cold water and shake them a bit to release any sand that might be caught in the tips. Then hold both ends of each spear and bend; the tough, fibrous base should snap right off. (This step is unnecessary in thinner spears, which are completely edible.) Then, pick one of many easy ways to prepare this delicate spring treat.

A little olive oil and salt are all that are needed to season asparagus, but it is often served with a sauce. The classic sauce to serve with asparagus is hollandaise sauce which has a rich creamy texture and a lovely tang to it that complements the flavor of the asparagus, but any number of sauces and flavors could accompany it. Asparagus is also perfect as a vegetable in pasta dishes, soups, and salads. Check out our recipe for Chilled Orzo & Asparagus Salad here: https://bit.ly/2FZ4vaw if you’re looking for a new way to prepare this Spring superstar!

The list of foods that are considered breakfast foods is long and delicious: eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, shredded or cubed potatoes, grits, cold cereals, hot cereals, biscuits...all tasty on their own but often prepared in many ways. A line in the best-selling book and critically acclaimed movie “The Help” written by Kathryn Stockett always stuck with me and certainly describes many breakfast foods perfectly. It’s when one of the main characters tells a child, “That's all a grit is, a vehicle. For whatever it is you rather be eating.” To me, this is the perfect way to think of many so-called breakfast foods because maybe one of the best things about these foods is their versatility. 

While grits, eggs, and potatoes are perfectly fine with a little butter, salt, and pepper, they are spectacular as a “vehicle” for other flavors and textures. As a matter of fact, as I was eating breakfast out the other day, thinking about how good our Bellisari’s Blue Cheese, Honey, and Shallot Spread would be on hash browns, I decided to write this week’s blog about breakfast foods. Pairing crispy potatoes with cheese is a no-brainer, but when you add in the subtle sweetness of this spread, it's a match made in culinary heaven. I’m imagining a reinvention of the classic cheesy potato brunch casserole with our spread to give it that yummy sweet and tangy flavor.  

Toast might be the ultimate blank pallet. For example, something as simple as avocado toast has become a “thing.” Imagine your avocado toast elevated by adding a smear of just about any of our sauces or spreads. You’d have a healthy, easy breakfast that tastes like you just ate at a 5-star restaurant. 

Visit https://bellisaris.com/pages/breakfast-recipes to see some of the ways we’ve already combined some of our favorite breakfast foods with our Bellisari’s sauces and spreads. Since many of the breakfast foods on their own are very mild in flavor, it’s easy to add a gourmet boost in any number of combinations. We’d love to hear about any clever and delicious ways you’ve incorporated Bellisari’s into your breakfast menu!

If we made brackets for what foods would be served the most during any Final Four viewing party, what would we find in your winner’s circle? I always want to serve something festive, but some of the time-honored traditional offerings aren’t all that exciting anymore. Not only are many of the standards looking and tasting a little tired, but after eating many of the deep-fried, fatty, carb-laden classics like hot wings, loaded potato skins, and cheese dip, you will quite likely look and feel a little sluggish and tired yourself!

This year invite the gang over for a reimagined March Madness viewing party by serving these recipes inspired by classic hors d’ oeuvres with a Bellisari’s twist:

Deviled eggs are always a favorite, and these are unexpected and deliciously different. These high-protein finger foods are still creamy and decadent but are lighter than most deviled egg recipes as these do not include mayonnaise as an ingredient. Our Saigon Street Sauce is a mustard-based pepper sauce that blends wonderfully and gives a flavor boost to this old-fashioned appetizer.         

Finally, what’s a party spread without a fabulous dip?! (It’s not as tasty as our party, for one thing!) Balsamic Garlic Bacon Dip has bacon and cheese – two of America’s favorite party foods! This dip has cream cheese, half-and-half, and bacon, so I can’t claim it’s a light version of anything. I can claim, however, that this dip and a slice of crusty French bread are perfect for celebrating your team’s great victory or for helping soothe the defeated feeling a busted bracket can bring on. This dip is whatever you need it to be. 😉 

Enjoy March Madness!

The first of April, aka April Fool's Day, is coming up in a few weeks, so I thought I should get this blog post published with enough time for you to plan and gather the ingredients for the fun, food-based Fool’s Day pranks I’m about to share. These pranks will have your family laughing AND licking their lips. 

There are two philosophies when it comes to food pranks – one is more mean-spirited than the other in my opinion. For instance, we all know that prankster who would get a huge kick out of watching someone bite into a mayonnaise-filled donut or an onion masquerading as a candy apple. I am more inclined to go with a funny take on foods that look like something they aren’t but still taste good. 

I thought I’d make it easy for you this year and give you a whole meal plan that is sure to get all ages giggling and saying, “yum!” at the same time. 

Here’s the plan: Start by telling your family that because it’s April Fool’s Day, you’ll be eating dessert as the first course. The “dessert” in this scenario is actually a meat loaf made to look like a cake.  

- Simply make your favorite meatloaf recipe, using about 2 lbs. of ground meat. Divide the raw mixture between two 8-inch round cake pans, patting to cover pans evenly and make level.

- Bake meat loaves until juices run clear when meat is pierced with a fork, or meat loaves register 170F on a meat thermometer. This should take about 20–25 minutes. Remove pans from the oven; cover loosely with foil and let stand for 10 minutes. 

Decorating the Meat Loaf 

You’ll need 3 1⁄2 cups hot mashed potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and a jar of Bellisari’s Calabrian Pepper & Sweet Tomato Fennel Spread. 

- Pour off juices from pans. Invert 1 meat loaf onto a flat serving plate.

- Spread Bellisari’s Calabrian Pepper & Sweet Tomato Fennel Spread over the meat loaf just as you would put a layer of jam or icing between layers of a cake. 

- Invert second meat loaf onto the spread layer.

- Spread 2 1/2 cups mashed potatoes over top and sides of meat loaf just as you would frost a cake. Spoon remaining potatoes into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe swirls around top edges of cake. Pipe stars around bottom of cake.

- Place cherry tomatoes, stem-ends down, in a ring around top of meat loaf "cake" to resemble cherries. Cut meat loaf into wedges; serve immediately.

Now that you’ve had "dessert," it’s time for the main course!

Everyone loves spaghetti and meatballs, right? But when is spaghetti not really spaghetti? When it’s frosting pushed through a pastry bag to form strands (you could also use a zip-top plastic bag with a corner snipped off), then covered with fresh strawberry sauce subbing for marinara. And the meatballs? They’re chocolate no-bake cookies rolled into mounds. Mangia!

Use your creativity! Fill glasses with Jello and stick a straw in to make it look like a drink, make “bread” out of pound cake, make vegetables out of taffy and Starburst candies – you get the idea.

This April Fool’s Day make it fun for you and whoever you’re feeding with these whimsical surprises. They’re simple to make, delicious to eat, and the perfect pranks for the 1st of April.

 

 

 

When you look out the window and still see vestiges of our last snowfall in the shady parts of your yard, it doesn’t exactly scream “SPRING!” Nevertheless, the days are getting longer, the spring plants are poking their leaves above the surface, and while you might not feel it yet, spring is just around the corner. Do you have any “spring cleaning” routines or traditions in your home? For me, my favorite thing to clean out and refresh in the spring is my pantry. Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you to get rid of all your junk food and replace it with kelp and rice cakes. (Well, not in this post anyway. 😉) The kind of pantry cleaning I’m writing about today involves those spices, mixes, sauces, and other ingredients which lose quality and flavor over time.

We all have that tin of cream of tartar or other rarely-used spice that we’ve moved from every apartment and house we’ve ever lived in, right? It’s probably time to toss a lot of those; although there are a few things that when stored properly really can last almost forever. Salt, sugar, rice, dried beans, corn starch, honey, and canned goods are among the pantry items with extremely long shelf lives. Moisture is the enemy of these things, so if they’re kept dry, they’re perfectly good for almost ever.

Unfortunately, other pantry items can not only lose their best quality, but they can also actually spoil. A good rule of thumb is to toss items past the expiration dates. You’ve probably already noticed there are two different types of date stamps: use by and best before. These mean:

Use by -- The use by date is placed on foods that must be eaten within a certain time for health and safety reasons.

Best before -- Best before dates are used to refer to the quality of a food item. That means they may lose some quality after the best before date has passed, such as nutritional content, color, or texture loss.  

Pay special attention to spices, oils, nuts, seeds, and grains—items that go rancid over time, but typically do not have expiration dates. The best way to determine if these items are still good is to perform a good old-fashion sniff test.

Most dry spices stay fresh for six months to a year. The easiest way to know if your spices are past their prime is to smell them. If they have lost their strength or they don't let off a strong odor, it is safe to toss them. When replacing your spices, purchase the smallest container or bag of dry spices available at the market to reduce waste.

Unsaturated oils like olive, canola, grapeseed, vegetable and peanut are perishable and turn rancid over time. When oil is bad your nose will know. It will smell a bit like crayons. Just smell, and if you question it, toss it.

The oils in nuts, seeds, and grains can also go rancid. Take time to taste and smell your supply. Heat, light, and oxygen are the enemies of these foods. If you want a longer shelf life for expensive nuts and seeds, store them in your fridge or freezer.

Products like sauces, jams, nut butters, or even mustard can be prone to mold growth, whether you keep them in the pantry or the fridge. If there is any mold or type of growth sitting on the top of the product (or in the top of the lid), throw it away. Even if the growth seems to be only on the top, the mold may have spread throughout the rest of the product.

Once you have sorted out the products you no longer need and thrown away any out-of-date goods, it’s time to clean. Because your pantry stores food, regular cleaning is important. Wipe down the shelves to remove any dust and dirt, as well as any food crumbs that might attract creepy crawlies! You can use a natural cleaner to get rid of smells and to remove anything sticky on the shelves.

Now that the pantry shelves are clean and dry, it’s time to add everything back in. As you add items back into the pantry, rotate them so that the oldest products (those with the shortest best before dates) are at the front. That way you’ll use them first and reduce the amount of waste. Don’t forget to restock with Bellisari’s spreads and sauces so you’ll have convenient gourmet flavors readily available.

Keep your pantry looking clean and organized by grouping like items. If you organize the foods by food group, it makes it easy to find ingredients, and it makes it easier to keep track of what you have on hand. This can save you money, because you’ll be less likely to buy duplicates of things you already have, and saving money is good in every season. Happy spring cleaning!