Potted Meat Thrives for 71 Years -- During Both Boom and Bust

Article from Advertising Age, June 16, 2008.

How has a product whose pink color, strange consistency and enviable molecular stability -- which made it fodder for countless jokes and even a Monty Python-inspired musical -- remained relevant as a foodstuff people actually serve to their kids? It's not necessarily the economy, stupid -- a fact that has a lot to do with the role of branding during tough economic times, when, conventional wisdom has it, consumers retreat to less-costly items.

It's a trend explained by the concept of "inferior goods," an economics term that less describes the makeup of a product than its place in consumer-demand theory. They're basically goods or services for which demand increases as income decreases and vice versa. They're staples that are somewhat dispensable in good times but more desirable in bad ones. Commonly cited examples include ramen noodles, bus transit, lipstick (as the New York Times recently postulated) and, often, Spam.

Read the whole article here.

Blueberry Ginger Icebox Pie

hey, so it has been awhile.

Here is a recipe for a delicious, easy, summertime pie. Good for taking to a BBQ if you are invited to one, or good for just eating by yourself while watching TV in your sweltering apartment.



5 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
1 inch ginger, grated
juice of half a lemon
zest of half a lemon
1 10 in graham cracker crust*

+ In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups blueberries, ginger, lemon juice, zest and sugar to a boil.
+ Meanwhile, whisk together the water and cornstarch
+ After the blueberries come to boil, stir in the cornstarch and cook for 2 minutes
+ Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 2 cups of blueberries and the butter.
+ Pour into the pie crust and refrigerate for 6-8 hours
+ Eat.


*
you can buy a graham cracker crust, or just make it. they're real easy to make

3/4 cup crushed graham crackers
1/8 cup powdered sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter

mix it all together and press into a pie pan. bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes. let cool.

Deep-fried everything!

Check out this insane blog post about foods at state fairs. I think most of them must be in Texas, though only a couple say they are. The featured treats include:

1. Krispy Kreme Burger
2. Kool-Aid Dill Pickles (Koolickle)
3. Deep-Fried Drinks
4. Donkey Tails
5. Fried Cookie Dough
6. Cool Dog

Oh, the hankering.

Different fruit salads, cont'd

Roasted Red Pepper & Peach Salad

It's really, really worth the effort of roasting the peppers.

Ingredients:

2 green or red bell peppers
2 large, ripe peaches, skinned and stoned

Dressing:
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. lemon or pomegranate juice
some fresh mint or dill leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Grill peppers over flame. Place in a bag to sweat for two minutes. Peel skin off under cold water. Cut and seed peppers. Peel and cut peaches. Toss together with dressing. Serve!

Picnic hero

I can't find Suddenly Salad anywhere these days. Last summer I was able to find only the Italian flavor at the Sur-Save. Now there's nothing. What am I to do without it?! Nothing says summer like "suddenly salad"! Those succulent shells with their hidden treasure of seasoned mayo...and maybe even a fake piece of bacon! Well, here's what you do. You don't start a petition. You google it and steal from people who have already done the thinking.


Ingredients
2 cups uncooked shell pasta
4-5 peeled baby carrot, shredded or 1 large regular carrot
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
3/4 cup mayonnaise, more if desired (but NOT miracle whip)
1/2 (1 ounce) packet hidden valley ranch dressing mix
1/4 cup bacon bit (I use Hormel REAL bacon bits or pieces)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Directions

1. In large bowl, mix mayo, dressing mix, bacon bits, shredded carrots and onion powder. Chill while making the rest.
2. Cook pasta according to pkg. directions for pasta using the shortest alotted time. (Or cook al dente.).
3. Drain and cool.
4. Fold in pasta well. Fold in peas last, carefully.
5. Chill for several hours.
6. If needed, refresh salad with a tiny bit of mayo before serving.
7. and garnish top with more bacon bits/pieces.

carrot and pear curry salad

1 and 1/2 pound carrots
2 pears
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon curry powder
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

take a peeler and peel the carrots lengthwise so you end up with very thin carrot strips. slice the pear into very thin strips (the same as the carrots). you can use the skin of the pears if you want, or you can get rid of it. but the carrot and pear slices into a large bowl with the parsley.

in a blender, combine the white wine, curry, honey, salt and black pepper. slowly add the olive oil until it is all incorporated. you could probably just use a bowl and a whisk. a blender isn't necessary. pour the dressing on the carrots, pears, and parsley and serve right away.

mmmm!

Some unusual fruit salads

Easy but weird - - - - - - - -

Pink fruit salad

2 small cans of mandarin oranges, drained
1 16-oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
1 small jar maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup shredded coconut (optional)
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1 container of Cool Whip
1/3 cup of mayonnaise
1 large package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
Combine Cool Whip, mayonnaise, cream cheese, and sugar in a large bowl. Beat until thoroughly blended. Stir in other ingredients. Chill at least two hours before serving. Serve on a bed of lettuce with tea biscuits (or some other salty cookie). Or pack in tupperware for a summer picnic.


Delicious but complicated - - - - - -

Asian Pear and Avocado Salad with Garam Masala Syrup

For garam masala syrup
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1 (2-inch-long) piece cinnamon stick
2 (1- by 1/4-inch) pieces fresh ginger, smashed
2 teaspoons green or white cardamom pods, crushed
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed
10 whole black peppercorns, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

For salad

2 large avocados
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Asian pears (or another kind of firm pear, not the gushy kind)

Make syrup:
Bring all syrup ingredients to a boil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer until syrup is reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep, covered, 1 hour. Pour syrup through a sieve into a bowl, throw out the solids.

Prepare salad:
Thinly slice the avocado lengthwise. Toss slices with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Toss it with half of the syrup.

Core the pear and then thinly slice lengthwise. Toss pear slices with remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Toss it with the rest of the syrup

Drain pears and avocados, saving the syrup, and arrange the slices on plates. You can use the syrup as a dressing for a lettuce/spinach salad on the side.