Slaws make a great side dish -- or dessert

Think outside the cabbage. Try zucchini, bell peppers, daikon or even melon.

Crisp, cool slaw should be the official side dish of summer. Bright and refreshing, it's the dish to turn to as the weather turns hot. Made with just a few ingredients, slaws are straightforward and simple. And they're fast and easy to assemble -- no cooking required.

When you think slaw you might think cabbage, or maybe you've even gone so far as to try slaws made from broccoli or carrots. But there's a big wide world of slaw possibilities out there, particularly in the summer, when so much produce is at its prime.

And even though the options might sound endless, slaws are essentially simple things: Take a main ingredient cut into shreds, dress it lightly with something tangy, and finish it with the little touches that add color and crunch.

Start building your slaw by looking for a crisp central player -- a slaw is defined by its "crunch" factor. Summer is loaded with options, including squash, root vegetables, even fruit. Now cut them into shreds. The easiest way is to use a mandoline; they're widely available, and an inexpensive model should set you back only about $20. Or try a box grater, though the blade isn't as sharp and the shreds won't be as pretty. Or you can even go the longer route and slice everything by hand -- a sharp knife will take a bit more time and elbow grease, but it also allows you more room for creativity.

Now dress the slaw, but keep it light -- you don't want to weigh down your salad with a heavy mayonnaise-based dressing. Instead, use a vinegar- or citrus-based dressing, or even yogurt -- the bright tang will complement the slaw's components, highlighting the other flavors, not covering them up.

When you dress it can matter almost as much as what you dress it with. Many slaws can be made a few hours, up to a day, in advance, giving the flavors time to develop. Some slaws actually benefit from a little advance preparation; this gives the vegetables time to slightly "pickle" and allows the flavors to develop more fully -- try this with tougher vegetables and roots.

Other slaws work best assembled just before serving: If you're using fruit, you can shred it a few hours in advance, but you should dress it at the last minute to keep it from going soggy before serving.

So now that you know how slaws are built, what are you going to make?

Zucchini are great cooked, but they can be just as wonderful raw -- light and crisp with delicate flavor. Shred a couple (or more) pounds of zucchini. Dress it with a light sherry vinaigrette -- it's a bright vinegar with a lighter flavor that won't overpower the zucchini. Add some diced tomato; not only is the color vivid, but the soft tomato really emphasizes the crispness of the zucchini. And it's perfect served simply, with a sprinkling of toasted pine nuts and fresh-shaved Parmigiano.

Or try crisp peppers. Few vegetables can match the vivid shades of bell peppers, and they make a perfect slaw with their mild, almost sweet flavor. Use a more assertive dressing for this because the peppers are so sweet. The earthy cumin and smoky chipotle pepper deepen the flavors. Finish the slaw with bright sweet corn kernels and chopped cilantro for a decidedly Southwestern feel.

Because daikon is so bland, the choices of dressing and garnish are even more important. Combine the shredded radish with thinly sliced red onion and diced snow peas. Dress it with a rich but tangy sesame oil and rice vinegar dressing. Finish it with a sprinkling of black sesame seeds; the seeds' matte black finish is beautiful against the glossy white sheen of the dressed radish. Try tossing in some crunchy toasted peanuts, or even spicy wasabi peas.

It may sound a bit unusual at first, but the right fruit can make a wonderful slaw, particularly in the summer. Melons are a perfect example. When they're ripe, cantaloupes are rich and sweet and meltingly soft; slightly underripe, cantaloupes are more delicately flavored with firmer flesh -- perfect for slaw.

Base the dressing for this slaw on yogurt, a tangy and more refreshing alternative to mayonnaise, which would only flatten the flavor. Season the dressing with a dash of curry powder. It takes only a very small amount to emphasize the savory aspects of the flavor.

Or leave out the curry powder and throw in some fresh berries to make a colorful sweet slaw that's perfect as a dessert.

Slaw for dessert? It really must be summer.

A Drink Thats Could May Be Good For Blood Sugar

There are powerful little chemical compounds in tea -- called polysaccharides -- that may do your blood sugar a bit of good. And one of the best ways to get them? Black tea. Researchers recently discovered that the polysaccharides in black tea may be tops over those in green or oolong teas. Make mine black!



Power in the Polysaccharides

People in Japan and China have long touted black tea’s blood sugar benefits. And now, researchers are taking a look at the components of black tea that may play a role. When researchers extracted the polysaccharides in black tea and examined their effects on a cellular level, something interesting happened. The black tea polysaccharides exhibited blood sugar stabilizing properties -- even more so than the polysaccharides in both green and oolong teas. Researchers suspect there may be something unique about the chemical composition of black tea polysaccharides that boosts their blood sugar benefits. Check your diabetes risk with this quick questionnaire.

Take Charge of Your Sugar

Because the researchers were doing a cell study, it’s not clear if drinking brewed tea will have the same benefits. But researchers already know that black tea is bursting with health-promoting antioxidants. So there’s no reason to sit on the sidelines tapping your foot. Drink up!

Couple separated by border meet at Peace Arch

Since I lived in Washashington state for many years, I like to follow happenings up there. I lived within 40 or 50 miles from the canadian border and made many trips across this Peace Arch crossing. Anyway, this isn't related to food at all, but I found it to be an interesting article none the less. Maybe you will too.
-Kent

By LORNETT TURNBULL - THE SEATTLE TIMES


BLAINE - When the strain of separation becomes too much and they need to see and hold one another, David Williams and his wife, Janeane Ardiel, meet in a sort of no man's land here just feet from a concrete boundary marker separating Canada from the U.S.
Married for five months, the couple - he American, she Canadian - are stranded on either side of the border, unable to cross into the other's country.Williams, 45, who lives in Bellingham, can't travel into Canada because a 6-year-old DUI conviction makes him inadmissible.And his wife, also 45, was denied entry to the U.S. in July after border officers in Blaine noticed her almost-weekly trips and told her they believed her intent was to live in the U.S. not just visit."It is like being severed from my lifeline," Ardiel said.The couple have filed paperwork to get her legal status in the U.S., where they hope eventually to settle.

In the meantime, they have discovered a quiet place where they can meet a metal picnic table beneath a sprawling silver maple in the shadow of this beautiful park's looming white arch.Surrounded by shrubs and flowers that offer a little privacy, the site is a common meet-up spot for separated Canadians and Americans who may visit the park without officially leaving their respective countries.Len Saunders, the couple's immigration attorney, who first told them about the picnic table, said clients use it because it's the most neutral spot within the park, almost on top of the boundary line."It's a sort of no man's land," he said. "I'm sure there are cameras everywhere, but I've never seen an officer out there ... "Last week, Williams and Ardiel met here for the second time since her July 22 ban from the U.S.Williams, wearing jeans and a sweater, saw his wife far across the park when she was just yards from the Canadian inspection station and heading toward him.As she reached him and they hugged, Ardiel broke down in sobs.Though they speak every day, the distance has been tough on them both."I can tell her I love her 100 times on the phone," Williams said. "It's far different when I can do it looking into her eyes."

Contrary to popular belief, a foreigner who marries a U.S. citizen doesn't get automatic residency in the U.S. In fact, thousands of Americans are separated from spouses living in foreign countries.Those who enter the U.S. legally and are living here when they marry a U.S. citizen can remain here while the immigration service processes their green-card petitions.But those who are living abroad including in Canada usually must remain there during the processing, which can take six months or longer."Immigration law doesn't necessarily favor cross-border love," said Karol Brown, an immigration attorney in SeattleWith citizenships in different countries, Williams, a chef, and Ardiel, a 911 emergency operator, knew they wouldn't be able to live together right away.They had talked about which country they would live in and determined they wanted to have access to both.They knew that eventually they would begin the process to get Ardiel documents so she could live in the States.But with their finances pressed, petitioning for a green card was not a priority. And they assumed they'd be able to spend days together every week while they raised the money for the immigration paperwork and legal fees.Both previously divorced, the two first started talking three years ago when Ardiel's sister, visiting one of Williams' friends in Florida, told Williams she had the perfect woman for him.

They met for the first time in January 2007 when Ardiel flew down to Florida.By then, the two say, they were already in love.They met up every few months. When he flew to Bellingham and tried to drive into Vancouver, British Columbia, for the first time to visit her there, he was denied entry at the border, he said, because of a 2003 DUI conviction. The Canadians don't look kindly on past misdeeds.Almost all convictions any type of felony but also everything from reckless or negligent driving to misdemeanor drug possession, shoplifting or theft can make a person inadmissible to Canada, regardless of how long ago the offense occurred.In some cases, people can attempt to rehabilitate criminal records, but it's not a simple process.Williams said fixing his record with Canada is something he plans to do but later. For now, he has more pressing concerns.Last October, he left Florida a state where he lived since he was 13 and his job as a chef so he could be close to Ardiel.In Bellingham, despite 26 years in the kitchens of fine restaurants, he first earned a living working as a day laborer and washing dishes in restaurants before landing a position as a chef at Black Forest Steakhouse.He and Ardiel were married in Bellingham in April. "We'd talked about it for a long time," he said. "I've never met anyone like her, and I knew I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life." The proximity meant they could see each other every few days rather than the visits every few months when he was in Florida.

Ariel got to visit him in Bellingham every week. On one of those trips, she said, she asked a U.S. border officer what she needed to do to be able to continue to travel into the country. He explained the green-card and visa process for spouses, but "never once said that I could be barred," she said. When she tried to visit on July 22, she was pulled aside. Her car was searched. She said the contents of her purse were emptied onto the counter, and officers discovered a copy of her marriage certificate. U.S. immigration law treats everyone who attempts entry into the country as if they intend to remain here. That Ardiel had a husband in the U.S., combined with the frequency of her visits, raised a red flag with border officers. She was fingerprinted, photographed and told she could not try to enter again for six months. She called Williams, crying. It was as if the 40 miles separating them suddenly stretched across continents, they said. "We're thinking those were going to be six very long months," Williams said. "We began discussing what steps to take next."The first was to contact an immigration attorney and file the necessary paperwork for Ardiel to get U.S. residency.Saunders, the Blaine attorney, said that once he receives government confirmation for the documents he's filed on their behalf, he'll instruct Ardiel to take them to the border, along with evidence showing her ongoing commitment in Canada, including employment and residency.The idea is to show officers that she has no intention of leaving Canada until her visa is issued. Saunders said he was surprised to learn, when they first contacted him earlier this month, that Williams and Ardiel hadn't seen each other for nearly seven weeks. It was then that he told them about the picnic table near the boundary marker in the park.Williams remembers that first visit with his wife, with Saunders literally walking them through it. "He escorted me to the bench," Williams said. "And then he went across the border and escorted my wife over.
"He told us what areas we could go into and what areas we could not go. And for the first time in six weeks, I got to hold my wife and look into her eyes

Garfield Today

Tuesday

Happy Tuesday! We had a nice cooler day her on Monday. High of 75 for a change, instead of 95, and the nights are nice and cool, in the low 50"s. Fall is on the way! So , last night I was on the computer, (like pretty much always)', and I found a place to build your own website. for free! http://www.yola.com/ . So I am going to play around and see if it comes out OK. May take me a few weeks, I don't know. I learn as I go on all this blog and web stuff. And man, have I learned a ton. Anyway, I will keep you posted on how the website is coming. it's hosted through Yola, so I don't know. If I can make it look pretty good and semi-professional, then I will put it up. If not then I won't. I don't want a junky looking website.

Also ,I am working on trying to offer you something for free, whether it be a little recipe book , or something like that, but again, I am learning as I go, and this area will definately be a new learning area for me. But hopefully I will have something for you in the next few weeks.
I want to be able to show my appreciation for all your support!

Hey, ya'll have really good day, and again ,thanks for reading my blog.-Kent