With asthma rates on the rise, here's how to manage symptoms

The rise in asthma rates has researchers a bit baffled. But while they focus on figuring out the reason, people with asthma have more practical concerns: preventing and controlling asthma attacks.

Data released Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show an increase in the number of Americans with asthma despite better air quality and a marked decline in smoking rates, as reported in the Los Angeles Times.

Doctors don't know how to prevent asthma because it's not clear what causes the disease — it may be caused partly by genetics and partly by exposure to irritants such as pollution and tobacco smoke. And there isn't a cure either.

But doctors know a lot about preventing asthma attacks — unpleasant, sometimes life-threatening bouts of coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing.

One of the first steps is to clean the house of common triggers, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

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Foods That Control Calories

New research shows that eating more of certain foods can control calories. The foods, which include cayenne pepper and puréed vegetables, are natural appetite suppressants. 

For the research, published in the journal Physiology & Behavior, scientists at Purdue studied the effect of just half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper on a group of 25 diners.

The effect was greater among diners who didn’t regularly consume spicy meals. Among that group, adding red pepper to the soup was associated with eating an average of 60 fewer calories at the next meal compared with when they ate plain soup. For both groups who ate red pepper in food, the spice also appeared to increase the metabolism and cause the body to burn an extra 10 calories on its own. Dieters can also get great results by adding pureed veggies to their dishes, according to a February report in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Adding the puree bulked up dishes and resulted in fewer calories.

Source: nytimes.com

5 Reasons you are losing your hair

Everyone loses hair. It happens during your morning shower, while you're blowing it dry, or when you give it a quick brush—and that's normal. ""On average, we lose fifty to a hundred hairs a day,"" says Francesca Fusco, MD, a New York City dermatologist who specializes in hair loss.

""That's just hair going through its cycles, and there will be a new one to replace it."" But hair loss may be a sign of a more serious medical condition that needs an evaluation by a dermatologist and possible treatment. Here are five causes of hair loss and how to deal with them.

1. Telogen effluvium

Telogen effluvium is a phenomenon that occurs after pregnancy, major surgery, drastic weight loss, or extreme stress, in which you shed large amounts of hair every day, usually when shampooing, styling, or brushing.

It can also be a side effect of certain medications, such as antidepressants, beta-blockers, and non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

During telogen effluvium, hair shifts faster than normal from its growing phase into the ""resting"" phase before moving quickly into the shedding, or telogen, phase.

- What are the symptoms?

Women with telogen effluvium typically notice hair loss 6 weeks to 3 months after a stressful event. At its peak, you may lose handfuls of hair.

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Floribbean Cuisine

Floribbean Cuisine has been influenced greatly by Latin Cuisine, as well as that of the islands of the Caribbean. It's a relatively new Cuisine that is exciting and full of bright flavors.

Thursday I attended the afternoon section of American Regional because I went to an awards ceremony for my 5 1/2 year old at her school in the morning. I may have been complaining about the newbies in my morning class. I had no idea how good I had it!! The afternoon class was such a mess. In the morning class, we are usually done a little early and then out of there with plenty of time to spare. This class went on and on and on. People were screaming at each other and complaining over completing the chores that we have to do in EVERY LAB. Get over it! Do the work! The longer you complain or point fingers, the longer it takes to get stuff done. Just DO IT! I had to just put my head down, focus on my own work, and let that be that.

We each had to pan sear a grouper filet during the class. Everyone used too high of heat and too much oil, myself included. One kid used SO much oil and so high of heat that his pan flashed right next to me and scared the bejeebus out of me. I know I've mentioned before how terrified I am of fire. Then he kept turning his heat on high with a pan on it with oil in it and WALKING AWAY...OVER AND OVER even after several of us called him on it. I guess if the fire didn't teach him a lesson, several of his classmates telling him isn't going to do it either.

Friday we had a second opportunity to try to pan sear the grouper again. I appreciated this opportunity to correct the mistakes we all made. Mine came out wonderfully!! (And deliciously!!!) I'm excited to try the marinade we used in class on fish at home for Marc.

Thursday I also made Conch Chowder. This was not a terribly difficult recipe, but I really enjoyed the flavors that developed. We were supposed to grind the conch on a medium die, but Chef said to just cut it really small by hand. I did, and it worked out very well.

Friday I made the hush puppies and prepared the marinade for the group's fish. Once I began preparing the marinade, I realized that the person who made the marinade for our group the day before (in the afternoon class), apparently can't read recipes well. They had added mayonnaise to the mix. I thought it looked a little odd when I first saw the fish coated in this thick white paste, but thought that surely, SURELY the appropriate ingredients were used. Right.

The hush puppies were...well, hush puppies! I thought they could have used a little more flavor, but overall they were alright. I would have added a second jalapeno the second time around, I think, as well as some extra salt. I kept speaking to them while they were frying, "Come on boy! Tuuuuurn over! You can do it! Goooood booooy!!!!" This was because when they are done they "roll over onto their bellies" as the recipe puts it.

I then fried up some tortillas to serve with our tropical fruit salsa. I love fruit salsa more and more every time I eat it. I think it is something that I may become more interested in experimenting with when I get the opportunity. I would love to have some amazing salsas in my repertoire.

Next week we are going to be making Cajun food! I've typed the recipes already and there are just SO MANY that I want to prepare!! It should be a great week!

Latin Cuisine- Week 4

We were in South America again this week. I prepared the Tomato and Onion Salad and the Crepes. I absolutely adore crepes. I know I have posted about them in the past, but the South American version is slightly different. By this I mean, it is topped with chopped pistachios and a delightful dulche de leche (caramel) sauce. How much better can it get than crepes drizzled with caramel with a cup of coffee at 9AM? Not much, I would venture to say.

The crepes were easy peasy to make, although it seemed that every time Chef was standing near me, I couldn't flip them to save my life without them just folding in half. The trick really IS to fully commit to the flip and give it a confident flick of the wrist. A half hearted flick= failed flip.

The caramel sauce, however, was a little more of a challenge for everyone in the class. Most caramel recipes call for you to dump the sugar in the pot and then add the liquid, apply heat, and LEAVE IT ALONE until it develops the color you are looking for and THEN stirring it. This recipe had you combine everything and then just simmer it for an hour. It was supposed to thicken. It never did. I added more sugar hoping that would help. It helped a LITTLE, but not much. It was a very thin caramel sauce, but it still tasted delicious, and made a wonderful accompaniment to the texas style cinnamon french toast with sauteed cinnamon apples I made a couple days later. Nom nom nom!!!



The Tomato and Onion salad was pretty straightforward. Soak the onions, drain the onions, combine everything together, and plate. I joked, "Can I substitute basil for the cilantro and mozzarella for the onions?" Of course not. Then it would be Italian, not Latin...but I would have enjoyed it more.

This next week has a VERY short recipe list so I suppose we shall see what that means. We are making Tamales, though! I'm definitely looking forward to trying that. I've been curious ever since I saw them being prepared on Arthur- although those were Chinese Tamales.

RECALL ALERT: Grape Tomatoes

A Florida tomato grower is voluntarily recalling its grape tomatoes after a sample tested positive for salmonella.
The Immokalee, Fla.-based company says the recalled product was packed on April 11 under the Cherry Berry lot code DW-H in clam shells or 20-pound cardboard containers. The tomatoes were distributed to California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia, as well as Canada.

The tomatoes also were used in deli salads made by Tracy-based Taylor Farms Pacific Inc., which also recalled products Monday. The salads were sold in plastic trays and at deli counters in Albertsons, Raley's, Safeway, Savemart, Sam's Club and Walmart stores across the West and some Midwestern states.

The affected states are Arizona, Oregon, California, Nevada, Washington, New Mexico, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah.

Customers are being asked to return the recalled products to the place of purchase for a refund.

Source: msnbc.com

Dulce de Leche Butterscotch Pudding

Mother's Day usually falls near my Mother's birthday....which was on the 16th. We always combined the two when she was still with us, so I always think of Mother's Day and her birthday in the same breath. Have I ever mentioned her name was May? And that she had a sister June? Naming kids after birth months was quite common back then . And then there was a third sister, named Francis. I always got a chuckle out of that. 

                                                                                               May Doherty Smith, circa 1930

(Don't you love this happy photo and her adorable crocheted top?!)

For Mother's Day, I was going to make Mother's 7-up pound cake (which nearly everyone has a recipe for anyway) until I remembered her butterscotch pudding. She made a lot of puddings for dessert but I especially loved her butterscotch pudding; unfortunately, she never wrote the recipe down. Often, I asked her to write down measurements as she cooked, but I must have missed this one. I've never tasted anything like it since. Mother also made a divine butterscotch pudding/sauce, which she layered over a baked meringue and topped it with a thin layer of whipped cream. Killer dessert, calorie-wise, but sheer heaven. And this butterscotch was a bit different than her pudding, thinner and more like a sauce, but not quite as thin or sticky as a sauce for ice cream. Which means I always keep my eyes open when I see butterscotch anything recipes, always hoping. I still haven't found any exact matches and neither has my sister. As I recall, that particular meringue dessert was one of my brother's favorites, too. (Of course Mother also made it with lemon curd, which must have been a treat for my lemon-obsessed sister Sharon, but I still dream of the butterscotch.)

Recently, I came across a couple butterscotch pudding recipes I thought I'd combine and try. The result doesn't taste exactly like Mother's, but it's a lovely pudding. (Back to the drawing board for those butterscotch meringues.) Anyway, I mixed recipes from Flour and The Perfect Finish. You probably all have a recipe for butterscotch pudding, but I've never tried one that adds dulce de leche. Which, BTW, I made in a new way. (See bench notes)  
You can't beat the teacup presentation for Mother's Day! 


Dulce de Leche Butterscotch Pudding

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
4 large egg yolks, room temperature
1/2 cup sifted cornstarch
2 cups half and half
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons dulce de leche (see bench notes)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
whipped cream for garnish


Method:
In a saucepan, whisk together the brown sugar, egg yolks and corn starch. This mixture will be very stiff.
In another saucepan, heat the half and half and milk until it just comes to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk this mixture slowly into the brown sugar mixture. Whisk in the dulce de leche. Return to the stove and place a candy thermometer in the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until slightly thickened. (Between 160º and 170º) Do not allow the mixture to boil or go over 180º or it will curdle. 
Remove from heat and divide among teacups or ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 2 hours.
Serve chilled puddings with whipped cream and dulce de leche.

Bench Note: 
I've made dulce de leche boiled in the can and also stovetop. But this time, I tried David Lebovitz's oven method and thought it the easiest, certainly less hands-on. The recipe follows.

Dulce de Leche 
Preheat the oven to 425° F.
Pour one can of sweetened condensed milk into a glass pie plate or shallow baking dish. Stir in a few flecks of sea salt.Set the pie plate within a larger pan, such as a roasting pan, and add hot water until it reaches halfway up the side of the pie plate.Cover the pie plate snugly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 to 1¼ hours. (Check a few times during baking and add more water to the roasting pan as necessary).
Once the Dulce de Leche is nicely browned and caramelized, remove from the oven and let cool. Once cool, whisk until smooth.Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Warm gently in a warm water bath or microwave oven before using.