Did you know that American families throw away about 25% of the food and beverages they buy annually? In fact the estimated cost of food and beverages thrown out by the average American family each year is around $1,300 to $2,200.

Try these ideas:

1. Using leftovers for lunches or snacks.

2. Keeping a soup container in the freezer.

3. Pot luck nights.

4. Have a buffet night.

When freezing leftovers, I like to do three things:

1. Freeze leftover vegetables in 1 container.

2. Freeze leftover meats in another container.

3. Freeze vegetable, meat and pasta juice in another container.

With these three containers of food, I can make a variety of foods:

Casseroles

Sauces

Stew

Soups

Mini meatloaf

Beef and noodles

Vegetable soup

Hash

Fried Rice

Quesadillas

Sandwiches

Pot Pies

Omelets

Make sure that you don’t leave food sitting out longer than two hours.

Get it into the fridge quickly to keep bacteria from multiplying.

The temperature of your fridge should be set below 40 degrees so food will stay safe.

When it’s time to reheat the leftovers, bring them back to their original temperature.

Food experts say you should eat the leftovers within three to four days.

Ideas for leftovers from recipes in this cookbook:

Pasta – Tuna Pasta Salad, Spaghetti Sandwich, Scrambled Eggs and Noodles, Hamburger Casserole, Beef Stroganoff, Spaghetti, Vegetable Chow Main, or Chicken Noodle Soup.

Bread – Rueben Sandwich, Bum’s Casserole, Pate Spread, Center Fired Meat, Cornbread Pie, Potted Meat Poppers, Spam- Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich, French Onion Soup, Banana Sandwich or Grilled Cheese

Cheese – Rueben Sandwich, Blue Cheese Salad Dressing, Penne Pasta with Tomatoes and Spinach, Couscous Salad, Mac and Cheese, Spam Mac and Cheese, Panzanella Salad, Potted Cheese Spread, Holiday Cheese Ball, Cornbread Pie, or Fried Polenta

Pizza – Frittata, Omelet, Quiche, Breakfast Pizza

Rice – Rice with Currants, Cold Rice Salad, Spam and Rice, Fried Rice, Vegetable Fried Rice, Baked Rice Pudding, Spam Sushi, Sushi Wrap, Broccoli and Rice Casserole, Cheese-Onion-Rice Bake, Coconut Rice, Cucumber Sushi, Risotto Cakes, Beans and Rice, Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

Eggs – Egg Salad, Spaghetti Pie, Easter Egg Bread, Banana Bread, Center Fired Meat, Pate Spread, Deviled Eggs with Potted Meat, Fried Rice, Second Story Breakfast Chicken Fried Spam

Chicken – Chili Verde, Chicken and Onion Kabobs, Warm Chicken and Cabbage Salad, Chicken and Broccoli, Mexican Chicken Salad, Chicken with Tomatoes and Garlic, Fried Rice, Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup, Chicken and Dumplings, Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken Egg Rolls

Beef – Beef and Bean Burrito, Ramen Taco, Beef Stew, Beef Stroganoff, Hamburger Casserole, Irish Mac Sloppy Joes, Goulash, Nacho Cheese Soup, Old Man’s Chili or Oklahoma Green Stew

Pork – Carnitas, Baked Pork Chops, Mexican Pork, Gyoza, Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Bananas – Banana Bread, Banana Smoothie, Banana Sandwich, Fruit Sandwich, Grilled Peanut Margarine and Banana Sandwich, Peanut Margarine and Banana Wrap, Banana Custard Pudding

Tortilla Chips – Tortilla Soup, Mexican Eggs

Vegetables – Chicken Pot Pie Casserole, Macaroni Salad, Zucchini and Potato Frittata, Roasted Vegetable Slices on Bread, Meat and Taters Frittata, Cowpoke Salad, Couscous Salad

Potatoes – Twice Baked Potato, Potato Salad, Potato Gnocchi, Potato Galette, Home Fries, Roasted Potato Wedges, Crispy Potato Skins, Home Made Potato Chips, Zucchini and Potato Frittata, Sweet Potato Chips, Vegetable Rosti, Spanish Omelets, Potato Patties, Potted Meat Soup, Kale and Sweet Potato Salad, Frau Weis Potato Salad

Turkey – Turkey Sandwich, Turkey-Bacon and Swiss Rolls, Crescent Cabbage and Turkey Bundles, Meatloaf, Meatloaf Sandwich, Turkey Sliders with Honey Dijon Mayonnaise, Turkey Casserole, Six Layer Dinner, Sloppy Joes, Meatloaf Muffins, Nacho Cheese Soup

Flavor is what defines whatever you cook on the grill. The longer you marinate your meat, the more flavorful it will be. Keep in mind that chicken is ideally marinated for a minimum of 20 minutes and a maximum of 12 hours, beef, pork and lamb for a minimum of 3 hours and a maximum of 24 hours while fish and other seafood will be most flavorful if marinated for a minimum of 10 minutes and a maximum of 20 minutes only.

So whether you’re in the mood for just a classic steak or something more festive, here are 8 quick and easy meat marinades for grilling:

Classic Steak

Perfect for grilled beef, pork or chicken.

What you need:

• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsps. brown sugar
• 2 tsps. balsamic vinegar
• Ground black pepper to taste

Sweet and Spicy

Best for grilled chicken and pork and can be used as a glaze as well.

What you need:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 cup hot sauce
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsps. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. or more brown sugar

Classic Grilled Seafood

Use for any kind of fish. Works great for shrimp, too.

What you need:

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Rind of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsps. lemon juice
• 2 tbsps. chopped parsley
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• Salt to taste

Mexican Style

Great for grilled beef or chicken.

What you need:

• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1 tbsp. onion powder
• 1 tbsp. paprika
• 2 tsps. oregano
• 2 tsps. sugar
• 1 1/2 tsps. salt
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• Chili powder to taste

Italian Style

Ideal for chicken, pork, fish and shrimp.

What you need:

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsps. mustard
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. mixed dried herbs
• Salt and pepper to taste

Korean Style

Perfect for beef, chicken or any kind of seafood.

What you need:

• 8 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 red apple, grated
• 1 brown onion, finely sliced
• 3 tbsps. soy sauce
• 2 tbsps. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. sesame oil

Japanese Style

Can be used for beef, chicken and seafood.

What you need:

• 3/4 cup mirin
• 1/4 cup soy sauce

Greek Style

Best for grilled chicken, lamb and seafood.

What you need:

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp. oregano leaves
• 2 tsps. thyme leaves

These recipes are for 1-1 1/2 kg. of meat. Enjoy these simple yet deliciously flavorful marinades for your meat the next time you grill!

A pot of hot oil that you dip meat into sounds downright barbaric but it can also be heart healthy. Broth and hot oil fondues are much less decadent than their siblings, cheese and chocolate fondue but they’re just as tasty. If a little care is taken when selecting ingredients and overeating is avoided, then both broth and hot oil fondues can become a healthy meal.

Fondue Bourguignonne (also known as hot oil fondue) consists of diners who cook their own food on long forks in a pot filled with hot oil. The oil is heated in a fondue pot to about 325 degrees and guests spike cubes of meat and place them directly into the hot oil. While waiting a minute or two for the meat to cook and also to enjoy some wine and their company (the best part of fondue) the cube is removed from the oil and ready to be dunked into a variety of dipping sauces.

In order to make hot oil fondue healthier you need to start with the oil. Peanut oil is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and it’s also high in monounsaturated fat. This means that just like olive oil, peanut oil will improve the ratio of “good cholesterol” to “bad cholesterol”. Next you will need to use lean cuts of meat. Beef tenderloin, pork tenderloin and loin of lamb are good but chicken or turkey breast are your best bets. And keep the portions small. The general guideline is that the portion should be about the size of your palm of your hand.

Dipping sauces can also be made healthier with ingredient substitutions. Try using low sodium soy sauce or fat free sour cream. Take a small dip and don’t drown your food in the sauce. Just say no to the béarnaise or hollandaise sauce.

Broth fondues are similar to hot oil fondue except they are cooked in broth instead of oil. The benefit of cooking in broth is that it takes on the flavors of the ingredients dunked in it and you can eat it. Often broth fondue (or Shabu Shabu) is followed by a course of noodle or rice soup that is made with the leftover broth.

Start your broth fondue with low sodium chicken or beef broth. Like hot oil fondue you should use lean cuts of meat, small portions and limit the use of dipping sauces. Broth fondues add vegetables to the mix. Try adding mushrooms, green onions, carrots and celery to the broth. Loading up on vegetables will not only fill you but they’re healthy for you.

When running low on ingredients, add the remainder to the fondue pot along with some noodles or rice. Let simmer for a few minutes and serve this wonderfully flavored soup as an after dinner treat to your guests.

Chocolate fondue is delicious but fattening. Cheese fondue is not something you should eat every day. When dieting you should probably skip them both and stick to broth and hot oil fondues. If some care is taken while gathering ingredients, fondue can become a healthy meal.

MONGOLIAN HOT POT (TA PIN LO)

Mongolian recipe

First make the stock:

1 1/2 quarts water (or more)

3 tablespoons Chinese wine or sake

1 stalk leek, chopped

5 slices ginger, sliced paper-thin

2 teaspoons salt

Dash of pepper

Mix all ingredients and bring to boil in the pot. Chicken or beef stock may be substituted for the water

(at least 6 cups). While mixture simmers, bring to the table about 1/2 pound each of the following meats and seafood, cleaned and sliced into bite-size pieces:

Shrimp

Oysters

Fillets of fish

Chicken livers

Chicken fillets

Beef

Pork or lamb

Beef liver

For vegetables and condiments, include:

1/2 head cabbage, quartered

1/2 pound spinach or Chinese lettuce

A small dipping bowl each of Chinese wine,soy sauce, sesame seed paste,peanut butter,

fermented bean curd, chopped leek

4 ounces transparent noodles

1 pound Chinese noodles, cooked

Each guest helps themselves to the foods they wants and drops them in the stock, cooking until color changes. Then they eats them with their own choice of condiments. Noodles are cooked last, and the remaining broth is served as a last-course soup.

TA PIN LO SAUCE

To prepare this Mongolian brew, you will have to start several weeks in advance, since some of the ingredients are fermented at least that long.

1 teaspoon green leek paste (kao choy)

Few drops red pepper oil

1 tablespoon red bean paste (nam yue)

1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley

1 teaspoon finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon ground sesame seeds

½ teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon soy sauce (light type)

Few drops each of Chinese wine, rice vinegar, oyster sauce, sesame oil

To make the kao choy, finely chop 1/2 pound small green leeks and grind almost to a paste. Mix with 4 cloves garlic, ground, and 3 tablespoons salt.Seal tightly in a jar and ferment at room temperature for about a month.

Red pepper oil is an infusion of hot chili peppers in peanut (or other vegetable) oil. Use twice as much oil as

peppers, simmer for 1/2 hour, and strain, discarding pulp. Store in bottle until needed. Flavoring some oil with Tabasco will produce a reasonable approximation of the hotness desired in this recipe.

The nam yue is made by mashing up some boiled red beans with salt and enough water to make a thick paste. Sesame seed paste, peanut butter, and sugar sometimes are added, too, depending upon the salty or sweet taste desired. Nam yue may be purchased in jars, ready to eat.

Mix these and all the other ingredients and spoon out into individual dipping sauce bowls to eaters of Mongolian hot pot.

It is believed that the custom of dining in began in the monasteries, was adopted by the early universities, and later spread to military units when the officer’s mess was established. British officers of the 19th century were drawn from the aristocracy, and while they considered themselves gentlemen, they were not necessarily men of means; third and fourth sons had little chance of inheriting title and lands under primogeniture. While the pooling of resources may have been out of economic necessity, the regimental officer’s mess maintained the social stratification of English society and ensured that the traditions of gentlemanly conduct were maintained and inculcated to junior officers. The primary elements are a rigidly formal setting, espirit de corps and the camaraderie of peers, a fine dinner, traditional toasts to the head of state and military services, martial music and the attendance of honored guests or speakers. Today, although the purpose of a dinner may be to observe an appointment, promotion, retirement, or some auspicious occasion, a central theme of such events is a ceremonial focus upon the history of the host organization.

While the tradition of having a piper at high table may have it’s origins in the clan system in Scotland & Ireland, the formal dinners and dining in ceremonies as we know them today are directly attributable to the traditions of the officers mess in the British Army and Royal Navy. Originally fife & drums or trumpeters were employed to sound the calls; as Highland regiments were organized, pipers were employed not only for this purpose, but to celebrate great battles and victories in the history of the regiment and to memorialize their dead, quite in keeping with the Celtic bardic tradition. It should be borne in mind that originally Army pipers were outfitted and paid not by the Exchequer but exclusively by the officer’s mess; without their patronage, modern Highland regiments wouldn’t have ever had pipers, and without the Army to maintain and build upon this tradition the great Highland bagpipe would be about as familiar to most people today as the zampogna.

When a piper is requested to pipe the calls and the music at a formal dinner, you might be engaged to perform throughout dinner; to provide a limited performance such as pipe in the head table, pipe the lament and/or pipe in the port; or to simply pipe in the head table and depart. While there are many different traditions associated with formal dining, the following are some of the customs associated with piping a formal dinner. You may be requested to perform some, all, or some variant of any of them on occasion.

Dress

Such affairs are invariably formal, requiring black tie, occasionally white tie, or full parade regalia. Miniature decorations and medals are worn. If flying a pipe banner, ensure that the drone cords and/or ribbons are to the left of the banner; i.e., not over the regimental crest. If there is more than one piper, the banner is traditionally flown by the ranking piper present, who will lead the detachment, formed up in order of rank or seniority.

Seating

The seating arrangement at the head table is always based on rank, seniority and status. The host sits in the middle, the next senior person (or guest of honor) to his/her right, the next senior person to his/her left and so on, until all are seated. The senior-ranking member of the mess is the head (or “President”) of the mess dinner and sits in the center. The President of the Mess may appoint a second (“Mr. Vice”), usually the junior officer of the mess, who will be in charge of planning, and who usually occupies the seat farthest from the host, sometimes on the far right, sometimes at another table. Officers take precedence over civilians. If a guest speaker has no rank or status, he/she is positioned as close to the center (right of the host) as possible without offending rank precedence. Chaplains are usually included at the head table, usually at the far left of the President.

Warning Calls

15 minute and 5 minute warning calls are usually sounded to alert the guests that dinner is about to be served, and may be provided by a piper. When piping warning calls a short up-tempo tune is required but no specific title may be prescribed. In some regiments it would be the Officers Call (e.g., “All the Blue Bonnets Are O’er The Border”). A naval tradition is to ring “six bells” (19:00) on a ship’s bell for the 15-minute warning (if dining at 7:15 PM, of course). Dinner may be signaled by a brief pipe tune (“Brose and Butter” is a traditional one), followed by the host or master of ceremonies announcing, “Dinner is served!”

March-in

The guests (except the head table) will proceed into the dining room and remain standing behind their chairs; the closer to top table, the higher the rank or seniority. You may be requested to pipe in the guests. The head table forms up in order of seating, led by the host and the principal guest. When cued, lead the people of the head table into the dining room playing an appropriate tune; “Roast Beef of Old England”, “A Man’s A Man for all That”, “Prince of Denmark’s March”, or the regimental march. If space permits, parade counter clockwise around the room. This is particularly important when flying a drone banner. The regimental crest on the obverse of the banner is always displayed first. When everyone is in place, continue to march, and finish playing at the halt near the dining-room entrance. At a signal from the host, stop playing and remain at attention until grace has been said. If you are not to provide the music during dinner, march from the room after grace is said.

Posting the Colors

An honor guard may post and retire the colors; as a piper you may be requested to pipe them in and out. As the American and Canadian national anthems cannot be properly played on the pipes, other appropriate patriotic tunes must be selected. If you march in with the color guard, make sure that you’re well rehearsed in their drill first; they march in close order with wheeling movements to change direction. Of course, if not playing stand at attention with pipes down for the National Anthem(s). If you’re flying a drone banner, watch the color guard and drop your bass drone from horizontal when they dip the colors.

The Lament

In some military and veterans organizations it is customary to remember comrades killed in action, sometimes with an empty place setting, sometimes with a small table before the head table. You may be requested to play a lament in their memory. “Flowers of the Forest” is traditional, but other laments may work equally as well if the host has expressed no preference.

Piping in the Beef

In some traditions, the main course (traditionally beef) is ceremoniously piped in to the head table (or “Mr. Vice”), which will sample it and formally announce it fit for consumption. “Roast Beef of Old England” or “A Man’s a Man For All That” may be used if not played previously to pipe in the head table. You may pipe the beef out as well.

Piping in the Haggis

If haggis is served (such as a Burn’s Dinner), pipe the haggis to the head table to “A Man’s a Man For All That”. Stand at attention for the recital of Burn’s “Address to a Haggis”, and participate in the toast to his “immortal memory”. Pipe the haggis out to “Neil Gow’s Farewell to Whisky”.

Main Course Music

Wait until all at the head table has been served before beginning to play suitable selections intermittently throughout the main course. A piobaireachd is often considered customary. If parading around the room, it is customary to start “widdershins”; counterclockwise. If flying a pipe banner, it may be appropriate to countermarch as well, in order to display the unit crest on the obverse side. Prior to the port wine being served, the host/delegate will signal you to stop playing.

Piping in the Port

An old custom is the piping in of the port wine for the Loyal Toast. After dessert and coffee are served, tables are cleared except for the table decorations and wine glasses. No special music is required, but it should be short and appropriate. On cue, lead the wine stewards into the dining room, positioning yourself at a predetermined spot, and continue to play until the wine is about to be sampled and declared potable by the host. Sometimes the piper will play as the port is passed down the tables as the guests charge their glasses. Remain at attention until the Loyal Toast is drunk and then march from the room, unless required to stay for the Toast to the Corps.

Loyal Toast

If a Commonwealth dinner (or if UK guests are present), you may be requested to play “God Save the Queen” before the Loyal Toast. The person proposing the toast will ask everyone to stand and join him in a toast to the Queen. The member will then raise his/her wineglass shoulder high and say: “The Queen”. The assembly will respond: “The Queen”.

If an American dinner, the host may propose a toast to the Commander-in-Chief. Mr. Vice seconds this by rising and addressing the company, saying, “Gentlemen, the Commander-in-Chief of the United States”. Each member and guest then stands, repeats in unison the toast (e.g., “The Commander-in-Chief of the United States”), sips the drink, and remains standing. The band then plays the National Anthem. If piping, play “America the Beautiful” or “God Bless America”. At the conclusion of the music, members and guests are again seated.

Toast to the Corps

You may be requested to play the regimental march prior to a Toast to the Corps. Unfortunately, the only American regimental marches that “fit” well on the pipes are the “Marine Corps Hymn” and “Semper Paratus”.

Paying the Piper

At the conclusion of your performance, the host may offer you (or the lead piper) a quaich containing a dram (about 3.5 ml) of whisky. Stand to the left of the host. Taking the quaich in both hands, hold it shoulder high and face the head table. It is traditional for the piper to toast the head table (Sláinte! “to your health” in Gaelic; phonetically Slanjer or Slanja), turn to the company and offer a formal toast. Following the toast, you’re expected to drink the whisky in one draught, toast the company (Sláinte!), and flip the cup over and kiss the bottom. Following the ceremony, take your leave of the head table and march from the room. Unless you’re Gaelic is very good, you’re probably best off offering your formal toast in English.

The traditional Pipe Major’s toast of the Liverpool Scottish might be adapted to a range of events;

Gaelic

Slainte mhor, Slainte Banrighinn

Slainte agus buaidh gu brath

le Gillean Forbasach.

Phonetic

Slanjervaw, slanjer banreen

Slanjer aggus booey goo bra

la gillian forbusach

English

Good health, health to the Queen

Health and success for ever

to the Forbes lads

Conclusion

At the conclusion of the dinner, you may be requested to play the National Anthem. As neither “The Star Spangled Banner” nor “Oh Canada” can be played successfully on the limited tonal range of the pipes, play “America the Beautiful” or “Maple Leaf Forever” instead. Of course, if not playing stand at attention with pipes down for the National Anthem(s). If you’re flying a drone banner, watch the color guard and drop your bass drone from horizontal when they dip the colors.

Duty Tunes of the 48th Highlanders of Canada

Officers Mess Call (15 minutes)

“Bannock & Barley Meal”

Meal Call (5 minutes)

“Caller Herrin'”

Pipe in Guests

“Lt. Col. Robertson”

Pipe in Head Table

“Highland Laddie”

Lament

“Flowers of the Forest”

First Set (Main Course)

Ends with “Highland Laddie”

Second Set (Dessert)

Ends with “Lt. Col. Robertson”

Pipe Major’s Toast:

Host:

A Mhàidseir na pìoba, òlamaid deoch-slàinte!

(Pipe Major, let us drink a toast)

Pipe Major’s reply:

A h-uile latha a chì ‘s nach fhaic, an dà fhicheadamh ‘s a h-ochd gu bràth! Slàinte don Bhànrigh! Slàinte Mhòr! Slàinte!

(Every day that I see you, or that I don’t see you, the 48th forever! Health to the Queen! Great good health! Health!)

One of the most successful concepts of all time is Outback Steakhouse. Who would have guessed that Outback founders Chris Sullivan and Robert Basham and Senior Vice President Tim Gannon’s philosophy of ”No rules, just right” would become so successful? When it opened in 1988, beef was not everyone’s favorite dish. Now there are more than 880 Outbacks. Chris Sullivan says, ”Our restaurants serve the freshest food possible, using our imported Parmesan cheese, grated fresh daily, and our imported virgin olive oil. Our fresh midwestern grain-fed beef is the highest-quality choice beef available, and we serve only fresh, never frozen, chicken and fish. Almost everything is made fresh daily.

We like to describe our menu as ‘full flavored.’ In 1993, the Outback concept was growing so well that they decided to diversify into Italian food and purchased a 50 percent interest in Carraba’s Italian Grill. In 1995, Outback purchased the sole rights to develop the Carraba’s concept, which features a casual dinner in a warm festive atmosphere with a variety of fresh handmade Italian dishes cooked to order in the exhibition kitchen. Continued growth of all concepts came, in large part, from Outback’s mission statement: We believe that if we take care of Our People, then the institution of Outback will take care of itself.

We believe that people are driven to be a part of something they can be proud of, is fun, values them, and that they can call their own. We believe in the sanctity of the individual, the value of diversity, and in treating people with kindness, respect, and understanding. We believe that caring for people individually results in their emotional involvement in Outback. We believe in working as a team: having shared goals and a common purpose, serving one another, and supporting their Outbackers. We believe the most important function of the organization is to enable Partners and Managers to effectively run their restaurants and to support their Outbackers. Our purpose is to prepare Outbackers to exercise good judgment and live our principles and beliefs.

This preparation will result in a company of restaurants that endures, prospers, and increases shareholder’s value. Outback has five principles for success: hospitality, sharing, quality, fun, and courage. Hospitality is defined as giving for the sake of giving, rather than for the sake of gaining. Given these ingredients, it is not surprising that Outback continues to grow and acquire other concepts. In 1999, it purchased Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse, an upscale contemporary steakhouse concept designed to be an ongoing celebration of the best in food, wine, and the company of friends and family. In addition to the finest prime beef and steaks, it sells more than 100 wines by the glass. In 2000, Outback opened the first Lee Roy Selmon’s restaurant, featuring soul-satisfying Southern comfort cooking.

The next year it acquired Bonefish Grill, a very popular fresh seafood concept with a stylish decor and great ambiance. Ever on a roll, Outback has opened several Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurants inspired by the Jimmy Buffett song. What next? you ask. How about Paul Lee’s China Kitchen? Outback has amassed an awesome collection of great restaurant concepts, and it all started with a ”G’day mates, and have a Bonzer day!” approach to the business.

Nigerian cooking relies on starchy root vegetables such as yams and cassava. Nigerians also use lots of green vegetables, such as bitterleaf (similar to collard greens), okra, spinach, and other African plants. Plants are not the only things Nigerians turn to. They do like meat dishes using goat, fish or chicken.

The people of northern Nigeria love spicy-hot meat kabobs. In southern Nigeria, the people love many kinds of seafood stews with shrimp, fish, lobster, crab, rice, and vegetables. In the central part of Nigeria, the people love to have stewed meats served with mashed yams or cassava.

Egusi Nigerian Stew

In Nigeria, edible melon seeds go by the name of “egusi,” and with this popular Nigerian stew, the melon seeds are finely ground to give this dish a unique color and flavor. In place of melons seeds, pumpkin seeds work very well with this stew recipe. And the shrimp can be replaced or added along with any smoked fish or crab. In place of the chicken, smoked oysters right out of a can, or beef can be used.

Red palm oil gives this stew a distinctive African cooking taste. It can be found on the internet, in international grocery stores, or Latino markets in particular. Do not try to substitute for the red palm oil. This oil is worth the effort to look for.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1 3-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces

Salt to taste

1/3 cup red palm oil

2 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cut in half, seeds squeezed out, and grated through the largest holes of a grater.

1 small onion, chopped

2 habanero chile peppers, stemmed and halved

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2/4 cup water

1 1/4 pounds fresh shrimp, heads and shells removed

1 pound fresh spinach, with stems, chopped

Directions:

Put the pumpkin seeds in a food processor and blend for about 20 seconds until in a powdery form. Reserve.

Salt the chicken, then in a large casserole frying pan, heat the red palm oil over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Brown the chicken pieces on both sides, for about 6 minutes in all.

Place the tomatoes, onion, and habanero pepper in the food processor, and blend for about30 seconds, or until very smooth. Reduce the heat to low, and cover partially. Cook, turning occasionally, until the chicken can be easily pulled off the bone with a fork, or about 1 1/2 hours.

Add the water and shrimp and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add the spinach and the reserved ground seeds and continue simmering for about 10 minutes more, Serve immediately. This Egusi African Stew recipe makes 6 servings.

One of the big differences between the James Bond books and the films are that while 007 is hardly seen to eat in the film series – he is well known for drinking however – the books often feature exquisitely described meals that are a highlight of Ian Fleming’s writing.

However, Bond isn’t an out and out snob, and while he does enjoy good food served in fancy restaurants, his favourite meal by far is scrambled eggs on toast with bacon. This he can eat morning, noon and night and Fleming went as far as featuring a recipe for scrambled eggs in his short story, 007 in New York.

Bond also finds fine dining sometimes rather pretentious and Fleming claims that when in England he exists on a diet of grilled sole, oeufs cocotte and cold roast beef with potato salad; Bond himself claims to prefer the ordinary plain food of the country when abroad.

Bond’s favourite meal of the day is breakfast, which we know because Ian Fleming told us. It was also Fleming’s own favourite meal time – his view that we all yearned for simple, childish foods and breakfast provided exactly that.

While Bond sometimes does order scrambled eggs for breakfast in the books, his routine while in London is rather simpler; he drinks two cups of coffee from De Bry in New Oxford Street (sadly it no longer exists) brewed in a glass Chemex coffee maker while reading the Times.

He is then served an egg that has been boiled for exactly three and a third minutes by May, his elderly Scottish maid, which is served in a dark blue egg cup embellished with a gold ring round the top. The egg comes from French Marans hens and is supplied by a friend of May. Following the egg, he has toast and butter served with Tiptree’s Little Scarlet strawberry jam, Norwegian Heather Honey from Fortnum and Mason and Cooper’s Vintage Oxford marmalade – all is served on blue Minton china.

However, when abroad his breakfast can vary. In New York he phones room service is order orange juice, three lightly scrambled eggs with bacon, toast and marmalade along with a double espresso with cream, which hardly varies from his home breakfast. But while on assignment in Istanbul he orders a much different breakfast; yoghurt and green figs with Turkish coffee.

Where we do see evidence of James Bond loving the “plain food of the country” when he lunches on ham sandwiches with plenty of mustard (in an English pub) or bread and sausage (while tailing Goldfinger through France), he also eats very well; one of the most memorable descriptions of a meal occurs when he dines with M at his club, Blades.

After vodka from Riga, Bond orders Champagne to go with his asparagus and hollandaise sauce, lamb cutlets with buttered peas and new potatoes, and a slice of pineapple for dessert. This episode features in Moonraker, written shortly after rationing had ended in the UK and while it may not appear to be particularly exotic to modern readers, the books provided wish fulfilment for the reader of the day.

If you’re in Europe at the moment, you’ve probably already heard lots of about the recent horse scandal that has came to light over the last month. Tesco, Morrisions, Ikea and even Sedexo, a food servicing company that runs cafeterias for students in schools, have been found to be selling beef products that aren’t as beefy as the packaging might suggest. Significant traces of horse meat was found in beef products; in some cases, there was more horse than beef. Since the revelations, there’s been an outcry over food standards and regulations. The fact that a crisis like this happened in the first place does not surprise me at all. When you consider the lack of regulation and oversight, it’s quiet easy to include a crisis like this as almost inevitable.

Most people don’t understand how complex the supply chains are in our economy. If you were asked how your food got onto your plate, I think that you’d finish your answer with ‘from the supermarket’. Ultimately, we don’t have a clue what goes on behind the supermarkets. Where does the meat come from? Who transports the products? What region? What country? I wouldn’t be able to confidently answer any of these questions. This worries me. This worries me a lot. We need to start asking the questions that we’ve ignored for so long. Who exactly is monitoring the supply and distribution chains? I expect the answer to that will be nobody.

If there is no official body that is monitoring the supply chain, all the way from the farm to the supermarket, then how on earth can we even say that what we’re eating is totally safe for consumption? Horse burgers have probably been sold as beef burgers and we’ve only just noticed when this has probably been going on for years. If it’s that easy to sell horse as beef, then what is to say that there aren’t dangerous substances in the food we’re eating right now. Furthermore, do we understand the long-term effects of eating the things we’re eating?

As a result of the exposure of these supermarkets, we’ve seen a complete drop in consumer confidence. We put lots of trust in the supermarkets by using them to purchase almost all of the things that we rely on. This scandal has destroyed that trust and we’ve now started seeing a huge plunge in the purchases of cheaper meat products. The challenge for the supermarkets is to prove that they’re in control and can certify the quality and contents of all it’s products. While they try and send that message to the consumers, these same supermarkets are pleading to the authorities that they had absolutely no idea about what was going on. These are supermarkets are among the richest corporations in the world; they hire industry-leading analysts and observers. They are claiming they knew nothing about the horse? If they couldn’t find such a shocking issue such as this one, then how on earth can the consumer regain their confidence?

The short answer to all these questions is no. The problem in this crisis is the lack of understanding. Nobody seems to have a clear and concise picture of how our food is being sourced. Our society is becoming more complex and more advanced, however I feel that within this complexity – we are losing track of lots of really important things. A little bit of horse in our burgers is certainly won’t be the worst of issues that come to light. I predict that similar labeling issues will become apparent over the next few months/years and we’ll start to become more to grips with the severity of the situation.

One of the best things about camping is enjoying a delicious meal fresh out a campfire. While it’s easy to just eat ramen noodles or fry up some eggs for yourself, it’s a different story when you have to feed a group of people, like friends and family.

You can opt to make stews – they’re super easy to make and can feed a large group. Here are some easy campfire stews for everyone to enjoy!

Easy Beef And Veggie Campfire Stew

What you need:

• 1/2 kg. ground beef
• 1 can condensed alphabet soup
• 1/2 small onion
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup orzo pasta
• 1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Place a large pot over hot campfire coals. Coat with cooking spray and cook onion and mushrooms until tender. Add ground beef to the pot and cook until browned, about 8-10 mins. Drain the grease then add the alphabet soup, water, mixed vegetables, tomato sauce, orzo pasta, basil, oregano and garlic powder. Season with salt and ground black pepper.

Cover and bring to a boil. Remove cover and let simmer until orzo pasta is cooked through, about 30 mins. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Colorado Style Chicken Campfire Stew

What you need:

• 1 package Colorado Campfire Chicken Stew
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup flour
• 4 tablespoons butter
• Freshly ground pepper

Melt the butter in a large pot over campfire. Saute onion until tender. Add the flour to the pot and stir continuously until it forms a paste, about 30 secs. Add the broth and bring to a simmer, stir until the soup has thickened.

Stir in the contents of the Colorado Campfire Chicken Stew package, along with cooked shredded chicken breast. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cover and allow to cook for 30-40 mins.

Remove from heat. Best served warm with rice or biscuits.

Stews are a great way to feed a big group of campers. It’s easy to make and very filling as a meal. The best thing about it is that it tastes even better when re-heated the next day! So at your next camping trip, try any of these easy campfire stews ideal for the whole family!