Month: December 2004

Ask MetaFilter | Community Weblog: “Pesto. Buy a ton of fresh basil, garlic, and pine nuts. Toss into a food processor with some olive oil and salt. Check Epicurious.com for specifics but it’s one of those recipies where exact amounts don’t matter. Mix up a big batch of it, split it into one cup portions, and freeze. When you need a quick meal, boil up some pasta, toss a cup of boiling water into the frozen pesto to thaw it and toss it with the hot pasta. Keep a block of fresh parmegian reggiano on hand for shredding.

Add a salad or just some baby carrots to the side and you have a quick meal with minimal clean-up.”

Focus on: Sausages:

Definition of Fresh Sausages

Fresh sausages are a coarse or finely comminuted meat food product prepared from one or more kinds of meat, or meat and meat byproducts. They may contain water not exceeding 3% of the total ingredients in the product. They are usually seasoned, frequently cured, and may contain binders and extenders. They must be kept refrigerated and thoroughly cooked before eating.

Content of Fresh Sausages

• Fresh Pork Sausages – May not contain pork byproducts and no more than 50% fat by weight.
• Fresh Beef Sausages – May not include beef byproducts and no more than 30% fat by weight.
• Breakfast Sausages – May contain meat and meat byproducts and no more than 50% fat by weight.
• Whole Hog Sausage – Meat from swine in such proportions as are normal to a single animal and no more than 50% fat by weight.
• Italian Sausage Products – Cured or uncured sausages containing at least 85% meat, or a combination of meat and fat, with the total fat content constituting not more than 35% of the finished product. It contains salt, pepper, fennel and/or anise and no more than 3% water. Optional ingredients permitted in Italian Sausages are spices (including paprika) and flavorings, red or green peppers, onions, garlic and parsley, sugar, dextrose and corn syrup.

International Chili Society: “The International Chili Society (ICS) is a non-profit organization that sanctions chili cookoffs with judging and cooking rules & regulations. These events are world wide and benefit charities or non-profit organizations. All winners of ICS sanctioned cookoffs qualify to compete for cash prizes and awards at the World’s Championship Chili Cookoff held each year in October. The ICS is the largest food contest, festival organization in the world.”

CNN.com – Dec 6, 2004: “People who put on a few extra pounds may be able to blame a lack of sleep for the added weight, according to two separate studies published Monday.

Losing sleep can raise levels of hormones linked with appetite and eating behavior, the researchers said.”