Today I Cooked...

[Jeff]

I love mashed potatoes best of all with a bit of milk and margarine- lovely and fluffy and creamy!

My Grandma's secret for mashed potatoes is using milnot instead of milk. It ends up much creamier. The texture and the taste are divine.

[SiHart]

What's milnot? I've never heard of that.

[Jeff]

It's a brand over here, (according to their website they make 'filled milk', 'sweetened condensed milk', and 'evaporated milk') the product of theirs I think she uses is the 'sweetened condensed milk'. I believe she also said not to use as much of it as what would be called for with regular milk (i.e. if a recipe calls for one cup of milk, maybe use half a cup of sweetened condensed milk, or it will turn out too sweet.

Sweetened condensed milk usually comes in cans, and I would guess would be in the baking section at the grocers.

[Si Hunt]

We don't have grocers any more, as the supermarkets have destroyed them all, but I think Jeff means put a bit of Tip Top in there.

Si.

[Jeff]

I don't know what Tip Top is, but I did read that if you can't find sweetened condensed milk, you can make your own using evaporated milk and sugar by putting 1 cup of evaporated milk and 1 1/4 cup of sugar in a saucepan and heating and stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Then let cool.

[SiHart]

You can get condensed milk here, (in fact we have a tin in the cupboard, just in case I consider making cheesecake!) but it's not something I'd thought of putting in my mash.

[Si Hunt]

And suddenly we are adding sugar to potatoes! Amazing.

Si.

[Jeff]

It IS possible that she is using one of the the other Milnot products and that I am wrong. The original product was a version of something called 'filled milk' where the butterfat has been removed and vegetable oil infused.

I did find some recipes online that called for evaporated milk to be used to make the potatoes super creamy. I'll have to ask her or see if there is a recipe at home, and then get back here with more info.

[Si Hunt]

How good are tomatoes for you?

Tomatoes, which are actually a fruit and not a vegetable, are loaded with all kinds of health benefits for the body. They are in fact, a highly versatile health product and due to their equally versatile preparation options, there's really no reason to neglect the tomato as part of a healthy diet.


One of the most well known tomato eating benefit is its' Lycopene content. Lycopene is a vital anti-oxidant that helps in the fight against cancerous cell formation as well as other kinds of health complications and diseases.

Free radicals in the body can be flushed out with high levels of Lycopene, and the tomato is so amply loaded with this vital anti-oxidant that it actually derives its rich redness from the nutrient.

Lycopene is not a naturally produced element within the body and the human body requires sources of Lycopene in order to make use of this powerful anti-oxidant. While other fruits and vegetables do contain this necessary health ingredient, no other fruit or vegetable has the high concentration of Lycopene that the tomato takes pride in.

Studies involving the tomato have cropped up all over the world of medical science. There are more health benefits derived from eating a tomato than the scientific community is able to print, at least yet.

These studies have proven not only the benefits in preventing cancer, heart disease as well as high cholesterol are also in the tomato's sights.

This is really exciting information. The health benefits of tomatoes are becoming more and more documented every day as we learn new uses of this amazing fruit.

Cancers such as prostate cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, and cancers of the stomach, mouth, pharynx, and esophagus have all been proven to be staved off by high levels of Lycopene.

Researchers introduced Lycopene into pre-existing cancer cellcultures and the Lycopene prevented the continued growth of these cultures. This is pretty powerful evidence that the health benefits of eating a tomato are really quite phenomenal.

It takes as little as 540 milliliters of liquid tomato product to get the full benefits of Lycopene. This means that a daily glass of tomato juice has the potential to keep a person healthy for life.

Tomatoes are equally as nutritious fresh as they are in other variable forms. When tomato products are heat processed the bioavailablity of the Lycopene actually increases rather than the anticipated decrease.

Research is now slowly proving that there is a high likelihood that the consumption of tomatoes and tomato based products actually may prevent serum lipid oxidation and reduce the risk of macular degenerative disease.

Tomatoes are by far the healthiest of the fruits and vegetables with the power to ward off some of the worst known diseases to man.

SO -

- The healthiest fruit
- Beats off a whole range of different cancers
- Prevents muscular degeneration
- More healthy cooked than raw
- Half a glass of tomato juice a day keeps you healthy for life!

Si.

[Rob McCow]

Si Hunt there, speaking for the Tomato Marketing Board.

[Si Hunt]

It's only the start, Midge. I think we forget just how beneficial some foods are. You become blase. Oh, it's healthy innit? Good for you. Five a day etc. It's good to be reminded that you could lower your chance of COLON CANCER or dementia or getting cataracts by eating some of this stuff regularly. Those are real things that could make our lives hell in a few years.

Tomorrow, spinach!

si.

[Si Hunt]

Ok here's one you'll want to hear about:

Chocolate Is Not Your Average Sweet Treat

Despite its "sweet" reputation, chocolate has a low glycemic index — the measure of a food's impact on blood sugar levels.

This means that eating chocolate, unlike other candies or sweet foods, will not cause your blood sugar to spike and then crash. This up-down, yo-yo effect can wreak havoc on your mood and energy level, and even throw off your natural hunger cues, making you feel hungry when you really aren't.

Watching Your Blood Sugar

Chocolate's low glycemic index is not the only good news for people who must vigilantly watch their blood sugar. The antioxidants in dark chocolate and cocoa may aid the impaired circulation and unhealthy blood vessels that often precede the development of diabetes while also possibly improving cells' sensitivity to insulin and glucose.

Dark chocolate and cocoa are rich in flavanols, plant-based antioxidants that studies show may improve blood flow and keep vessels healthy. Other antioxidants you may have heard of include Vitamin C and Vitamin E.

When flavanol-rich chocolate was given to participants for 15 days, researchers saw lower blood sugar levels than before the treatment period. Of course the rules of moderation apply—diet and weight control for people at risk for diabetes is especially important. People with diabetes should consult their physician to determine an appropriate place for dark chocolate and cocoa in their diet.

Just don't go mad...

There's no getting around it — chocolate is high in fat and calories. But eaten in moderation, chocolate can easily fit into a healthy, balanced diet.

The most important factor to consider with chocolate, as with all foods, is to balance the amount of calories you consume with the amount you burn. New dietary guidelines stress the importance of portion control and exercise to maintain a healthy weight. The guidelines also allow for a minimum of about 200 discretionary calories a day (that number increases if you exercise regularly). An average chocolate bar has about 200 calories.

As far as treats go, chocolate is a good one. Dark chocolate and cocoa can provide many health benefits, particularly for your heart. Milk chocolate can provide calcium, which is good for your bones. And despite its saturated fat content, eating chocolate does not raise cholesterol levels. Studies show that even people who ate 10 ounces (about 6½ standard bars) a day did not have elevated cholesterol levels

"Chocolate in its original form is a plant," Miller said. "It's hard to go wrong eating plants."

So enjoy — in moderation. Just like everything else in your life.

[SiHart]

Well of course chocolate can fit in a balanced diet- anything can as long as you plan what you eat sensibly. That's the idea of a balanced diet. Talk about stating the obvious!

[Si Hunt]

Well yes, but I think the point is that the second bit was following on from the first, pointing out the health benefits of chocolate. The immediate repost to that is "What about the calories in chocolate?" to which the answer is that it can fit into a healthy diet.

I thought the bits about it not raising cholestrol or giving you an energy spike (like sweets) were very interesting.

Si.

[Rob McCow]

Studies show that even people who ate 10 ounces (about 6½ standard bars) a day did not have elevated cholesterol levels

6½ bars of chocolate?!! A DAY!?!!!

[Jeff]

Okay folks, so I called Grandma May last night, and she does not have a set recipe for her mashed potatoes, she just adds her butter and her milk/heavy cream/milnot(filled milk), or evaporated milk - whichever one she happens to be using- until it reaches the desired texture.

ME: Oh, I thought you used sweetened condensed milk, for some reason.

Grandma: No! Never use condensed milk, it will make it sweet!



So, OOOPS - sorry folks.. try evaporated milk or heavy cream instead of milk for creamy rich mashed potatoes, but NOT sweetened condensed milk. My bad.

Here is a recipe with evaporated milk that looks like it would turn out similar:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/carnation-mashed-potatoes/

[SiHart]

Thanks Jeff!

[Jeff]

Glad to be of service. If you make it, let me know how it turns out for you. I'm half tempted to get some potatoes at the store tonight and make some myself. In fact, I think I will!

Incidentally, Grandma said when she was growing up they lived on a farm, and her mom would take the pure cream right off the top of the fresh milk for her mashed potatoes and it was the richest potatoes she ever had.... I can't imagine that that cream or using heavy cream (which I would think would be very close to the same thing) would be very healthy though.. With the potatoes being carbs and the cream being pure fat, I would hazard a guess that it would be about as healthy as ice cream.

[SiHart]

It might not be tasty, but it sounds very tasty! That's a good pay off in my book.

[Rob McCow]

It might not be tasty, but it sounds very tasty!

I'm sorry, but that's the funniest typo I've read all week.

[SiHart]

I know what I meant and that's all that matters...

"It might be healthy" I was thinking, "but it sounds very tasty." Of course that wasn't what I typed. But it was what i was thinking I was typing.

[Jeff]

It's ok, we all know what you meant... Personally, I think I spend more time correcting my own posts than I do writing them.

[Jeff]

Midway through the day I remembered that making these mashed potatoes is no longer feasible as my wife has recently determined that she is lactose intolerant.

I guess I could get some lactaid and try boiling it down into evaporated milk...

[Rob McCow]

I busked a Fish Pie tonight. Looked at a few recipes online then took the elements I remembered from each of them. It went a little something like this:

Peel and boil spuds
Saucepan of milk, put fishy things in and heat
Put eggs in with spuds to hard boil (I'm sure there's a reason you shouldn't do this)
Put onions and garlic cloves in a big dish into the oven gas mark 4
Sieve out fish and save milk
Heat butter + flour, then tip the milk back in
Bit more flour, add some parsley
Spuds are done! Get them mashed with a bit of Elmlea Single Cream
Remove big dish with onions and garlic cloves, put the fish in
Peel hardboiled eggs, cut into quarters, stick on the top
Pour the parsley sauce with butter and milk over the fish
Cover the top with the mashed spuds
Put in oven gas mark 4 30 mins
Serve with boiled veggies, go 'Yum' and 'I'm full' a lot

It was nice!

[Nyder]

All that hard work & preparation....and I bet it was devoured within minutes!

Cor what a dish :-)