Food Safety bill passes!!

As mentioned yesterday the Food Safety bill (HR 2749) was up for a re vote in the house. After a second time around...it passed!!! Now its on its way to President Obamas desk. Hes a strong supporter so I know it will go all the way.

Im so excited for this. Our countries food safety system needs a serious overhaul and this is a huge leap into making it better.

Food Poisoning attorney Bill Marler puts it like this...

"The bill...will greatly strengthen the FDA’s power to regulate 80% of food economy. HR 2749 will give the FDA the power to order food recalls and set record-keeping standards for food facilities. It will mandate increased frequency of inspections and have the fees to pay for them. There will be stiffer criminal penalties and imports will have to meet the same standard as products produced in the US. What it certainly will do is reduce the enormous number of foodborne illness outbreaks, keep kids out of ICUs and off dialysis, and increase the overall safety of our food.

HR 2749 is the first meaningful food safety legislation in 50 years. It was time for the left to stop making perfect the enemy of good. It was time for the right to get out of the way of consumer protection in the name of industry protection. It was time for all of us to acknowledge that ensuring safety in a sprawling, global food system is not free, nor without pain. It was past time for every part of the food economy – regardless of size - to become part of the system, to share in the costs of the system, and to promote the safety of the system"

Couldnt have said it better myself :)

Farm Fresh to You

A few weeks ago I signed up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) fruit & veggie box through Farm Fresh to You. My first one just arrived and yummmmm...it looks amazing.

CSA's are great because you get super fresh, organic product delivered to your doorstep and at the same time you are supporting local farmers. You might be thinking..."well, isn't that expensive?" Actually, no its not. Im getting the small fruit and veggie box delivered every other week which is $23. That's only $11.50 per week im paying for a whole box full of awesome stuff. I definitely spend much more then that for sub par produce at the supermarket. Plus, most of the stuff at the grocery store can be from other countries and who knows how long ago it was harvested or how it was handled. At least with my CSA box I know where its from and that it was just picked fresh within the last day or so.

When I first opened the box..WOW! The smell was amazing. So fresh!

Here is what came in my box

Krimson Pears
Honeydew Melon
Summer Squash
Gypsy Peppers
Heirloom Tomatoes
Cucumber
Basil
Yellow Onions

Farm Fresh to You delivers all over Nor Cal and has a several different types of boxes to suit your needs. I picked the small box every other week because I was concerned that a larger box might be to much for 2 people. I can always change it later to something bigger if I find we are using it up quicker than anticipated.

If you want to see if they come to your neighborhood...check out their website. If they don't come to your area there are tons of other CSA's throughout the country.

Im going to cook my way through the box this week. I cant wait to try out some new recipes.

I also might look into meat which is local and raised without hormones or antibiotics. I hear you can buy a fraction of an animal and share the cost with people. Anyone do this?

Food Safety state of the union

As if you didn't know...our country has a serious food safety problem. To make it worse a recent bill (HR 2749) to improve the system was shot down on the house floor a few days ago. Only 6 votes short! Sad, very sad.

We are constantly seeing recalls and foodborn illness outbreaks splashed all over the news. People are getting sick and even dying from completely preventable issues. Its overwhelming! When will it stop? With working in retail food safety for 10 years I have seen more than my share of product recalls...from spinach to pet food to ground beef. No one product is safe. Its seriously insane and our system needs to get fixed. We can only do so much in preventing illness on the retail level. We need manufactures, growers and the REGULATORS to do their part as well.

When I saw the latest HR 2749 news on Marler Blog it made me sick. I cant believe congress did not pass it! Ugh! I know the Obama administration strongly supports the bill but still...as of now, we got nada. Its up for vote again today...keep your fingers crossed people. We need to win this one.

Here is some info on the bill from Marler Blog (BTW - if you don't follow this guy...you should. Hes an attorney who specializes in food poisoning outbreaks and litigation. Very smart dude)

"The Administration strongly supports House passage of H.R. 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. The legislation includes many of the recommendations of the President's Food Safety Working Group and focuses on key Administration goals by prioritizing prevention, strengthening surveillance and enforcement, and improving response and recovery.

This bill addresses longstanding challenges in the food safety system and provides the Federal Government with the appropriate tools to accomplish its core food safety goals. The bill also would complement efforts that the Administration has already undertaken administratively to improve food safety and would, among other things, require all food facilities that operate within the U.S. or import food into the U.S. to register annually with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The legislation enables the FDA to implement further preventative measures by issuing new food safety regulations and increasing site inspections and also provides additional authorities to the Federal Government, improving its ability to engage in surveillance and enforcement and respond to food safety emergencies quickly. In addition, the legislation provides the FDA with mandatory recall authority and grants the FDA a new dedicated source of funding to help conduct its vital work of protecting the food supply. The Administration looks forward to working with the Congress on this legislation"

I plan to pull more food safety stuff into the STK blog. I think its important to keep my readers up to date and educated on whats going on with the food we eat.

Chipotle chicken and rice

This is a pretty good one pot dinner and easy to make. It didn't knock our socks off though but it is a solid meal and makes enough for a family. Its more ho hum then WOW! If I made it again I might use chicken breasts rather than thighs and shred them into the rice in the end and also add some veggies to the mix to make it more balanced.

You can use leftovers for quesadillas the following day. Two meals in one...sweet!

Recipe from Everyday Food Magazine (July/Aug 2009 issue)
Serves 4
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 1 hr 20 min

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 skinless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, minced (if you want less spice use 1- 1.5)
2 large tomatoes, diced large
1 cup long-grain white rice
Lime wedges, for serving
Chopped cilantro leaves, for serving (optional)


In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown chicken on both sides, about 6 minutes total; transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot.

Add garlic, cumin, and chiles; cook until garlic is soft and fragrant, 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until tomatoes begin to break down and release their juices, 3 minutes. Stir in 1 cup water and return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook 25 minutes.

Remove several pieces of chicken and stir in rice, making sure it is completely submerged in liquid. Replace chicken, cover, and cook until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes more. Serve with lime wedges and cilantro if desired.

** Note - I thought it was pretty spicy with 2 chipotles (and I like spice). If you don't want it quite as zesty use a bit less.

Ive been away...sorry!!

I know, I know...I've been a bad blogger for the past few weeks. Sorry friends! I have good reason if it makes a difference. First my Pops came up to San Francisco for a visit (and to help us with some home improvements...Woohoo!) then we road tripped down to Orange Couny where I spent a week with the fam. Then we hit the road again for a leisurely 3 day drive back to SF.

First we stopped in Solvange which is a super cute town. Then spent another day in Carmel where we celebrated my Moms birthday. We just got back last night and now im recovering from my 2 week adventure. Phew! I have to admit...its good to be home and back in my bed.

In addition to my trip down south I have some heart breaking news. My beloved horse, Arvis had to be put to sleep on Thursday. Ive had him for 20 years! I know, we have all probably lost a pet at one time or another but he was more than that. We literally grew up together. I was 13 and he was 4. I spent my childhood and teen years at the barn with my buddy. He was a best friend and took care of me like I was his baby. Over the years we spent most of our time competing on the horse show circuit all over California. He was a true champion...hence the nickname, Marvelous Arvis. :)

I have to say...if it wasn't for horseback riding I definitely wouldn't be the person I am today. It taught me time management, organization, discipline and respect. We were a team for many years and i'll miss that so much. Even though he has been retired for a few years now he still lived on my parents ranch and was a huge part of our lives. Im going to miss him desperately. Im grateful to have had the chance to say goodbye before he went to horse heaven.

This is us in our heyday

The last pics I have of him a few days before he left us.

Im gonna miss you boy!

I have lots of blog updates coming...stay tuned.

STK Favorites: Kitchen tools

Last week I showed you a few of my favorite kitchen appliances. Now, I wanted to share two of my must have kitchen tools! Seriously...I cant live without these.

Messermeister take apart kitchen shears

I had never thought kitchen sears would really be something I would use much in the kitchen..until I actually bought a pair. Now, I wonder how I lived without them! I use these for so many things. From snipping herbs into small pieces (easier then getting out a cutting board and knife) to breaking down a whole chicken.

The reason I really like the Messermeister brand is because the scissor blades can be taken apart. This is great for food safety reasons because it allows for more complete cleaning. After you cut up raw chicken you don't want any of the meat or potential bacteria getting caught in the joint. Right? These pull apart really easily and can be thrown in the dishwasher.

Microplane grater/zester

The microplane is another awesome tool you must have in your kitchen stockpile. I use this puppy all the time. Its great for turning parmesan and other hard cheeses into piles of fluffy goodness and also for zesting citrus and grating spices.

If you want to add these to your kitchen they can be purchased directly from Amazon though my STK Favorites list!

Happy 4th! Whats cookin?

Happy 4th of July! Hopefully you all are doing something fun today.

Are you having a hard time deciding what to bring to your friends BBQ? Try Jalapeno bacon cheese burgers ! They are really good and will seriously impress your buddies.




Im bringing them to a friends house today. I know they will be a huge hit!

The un-BBQ'd rib

Over the past week or so I have been seeing droolworthy 4th of July recipes and menus plastered all over magazine covers and blogs. The one thing I noticed is that most of them seem to suggest that you actually need to BBQ something to have a great holiday. I beg to differ...

Don't get me wrong...I do love BBQ but sometimes its a hassle. Especially with ribs which is like my most favorite food ever and a popular thing to make for 4th of July gatherings. Many recipes like the one shown in this months Sunset Magazine by Tyler Florence show you how to do it but its soooo complicated...first, soak the wood chips then get briquettes ready then smoke ribs then, then, then...blah blah blah. Its just to much for my tiny brain to deal with.

I wish most recipes would not leave out the fact that you can do an awesome fall off the bone rib in your oven at home. You will get the same BBQ taste with about 10 less steps. I have been perfecting my sticky rib recipe for a while now. I think they are pretty dang good not to mention easy!

Recipe here

Try them out for the 4th... I promise no one will know you didn't even turn on the BBQ.