Onion Straws/Rings/Fingers/Shoelaces - whatever you want to call them

This post is dedicated to the moments in life when you just can't get enough fat and grease in your diet (to quote from Steel Magnolias). Today was my day for that :) I'm surprised there were any left to even take this picture - my roommate and I made these today and couldn't stop eating them. We'd put them in the oil, take them out, and put more in. When those were ready to come out there weren't any left from the batch before. You marinate the onions in buttermilk for at least an hour or two before you fry them up (as for me, I marinated them for two days - a little unnecessary, but oh so good). Here's the recipe:

PW’s Onion Straws
1 to 2 large onions
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 scant tablespoon salt
Lots of black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Canola Oil

Slice the onions very thin (you should be able to see the knife through the onion as you are slicing). Place in a baking dish and cover with buttermilk for at least one hour. Don't worry if they aren't completely submerged in it, but be sure they are coated. Next add flour to a bowl, add a scant of salt (which is just a little less than a tablespoon), then add your pepper - add a lot of pepper - don't restrain yourself. Next add the cayenne pepper - this is the ingredient that makes it taste so great - so don't be scared to add it - you won't even feel the burn with this amount. Heat oil to 375 degrees. Grab a handful of onions, throw into the flour mixture, tap to shake off excess, and PLUNGE into hot oil. Fry for a few minutes and remove as soon as golden brown. Repeat until onions are gone. Eat before your family sees them. Repeat with another onion, because they’ll be really mad they didn’t get any.

Trans Fats

I have been learning a few interesting things lately about trans fats and since I haven't had time in my busy life to put on my beaner baker apron I thought I would share with you a few of these things. I mean, why not - maybe one of you has been thinking a lot about trans fats wishing you could know more. Who knows.
To quote my Fitness for Life book (Concepts of Physical Fitness 14th Edition, Corbin&Corbin, Welk&Welk) there has been a change in labeling laws in 2006 which has "led to some additions to labels. Food manufacturers are now required to list trans fat content on the Nutrition Facts portion of food labels. This action was prompted by the clear scientific evidence that trans fats are more likely to cause atherosclerosis and heart disease than are other types of fat...The FDA estimates that, through greater awareness and changes in food products, the labeling regulations will help prevent 600 to 1,200 cases of coronary heart disease and 250 to 500 deaths each year." Fairly interesting I thought. I was surprised I didn't know this earlier. Did anybody else know that they began to label trans fats on food labels? Who knew!
Well, if you had me beat and already knew this, here is a fact that you may not know: if your food label says that there are zero grams trans fats per serving in your favorite bag of Gardetto's or spoonful of Crisco, it doesn't necessarily mean that there are NO trans fats in them. It means that there is less than one gram per tablespoon. Okay, so 1 gram is about the weight of a paper clip - less then one gram may not seem like a lot - but is it??? They are allowed to round up or down so there may be 1/2 a gram of trans fats in a serving still being able to say it is a trans fat free food. If you are not sure if your food item is TRULY free of trans fats then check out the label - another word for trans fats is hydrogenated fats. So that is the trick to knowing if your food item is truly trans fat free.
Here are examples of what this means. I took a bag of handy dandy Scooby-Doo baked graham cracker sticks and clicked away:

A food company can market a product saying it is trans fat free

Yet it still contains trans fats - the serving size was just adjusted so that the math added up to 0 grams in that serving. So watch your serving sizes - if you are eating way more than the recommended serving size - you are more than likely getting your unrecommended daily dose of trans fats.
If you really want to be sure your food is completely free of trans fats, check out this link http://www.lilorbits.com/unimatic/ where you can get your very own Unimatic Machine - now who doesn't need one of those. Just give Shaq a call and he'll have it shipped to your door in no time. What a nice guy! Just be sure to call the right number if you live in Minnesota - they might mistake you for being a part of the U.S.A.

Yema (pronounced yea-ma)

If any of you like sweetened condensed milk, this post is for you. Yema is one of my favorite candies from the Philippines. They would sell it on the streets and I could never resist buying some. It's fun to make with my neices and nephews who like to call it White Rabbit since it tastes similar to another Philippino candy. The recipe is very simple:
Yema Ingredients:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
sugar

On medium heat, pour milk into a large non-stick pan (add cooking spray before if it's not a non-stick pan). Stir constantly, as it will burn easily, until it reaches hard-ball stage. If you're not sure when that is, take a small glass of cold water and pour a small amount of the milk into the cup with a spoon. If the milk stays in a ball when dropped into the milk and feels like it has a shell around it, then remove from the heat. Immediately pour milk onto a non-stick surface (I use a baking sheet). Form into balls (use a spoon to do this as it will be hot) and roll in the sugar. You can eat them now or after being chilled for a bit. They are a great way to give the kids a sugar high too since they ate half the plate of sugar before I finished making the candy!

Molten Chocolate Cake

Molten Chocolate Cake is my favorite recipe. As a health educator, I've learned that it is important to enjoy your diet and that is why I include this recipe - how can I not enjoy CHOCOLATE. I tried to look for some good information about the health benefits to justify eating chocolate in this form but I was not very successful (obviously), but I did find some really interesting information on this website: http://www.allchocolate.com/health/nutrition/ and it spoke very highly of the antioxidants, minerals, and fats in dark chocolate and cocoa. So I guess I can't help you justify any kind of health benefit by eating these cakes, but I guarantee that you will have the benefit of happy tastebuds.

Ingredients:
4 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate (Baker’s brand)
½ cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 Tbsp. flour

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter 4 (3/4-cup) custard cups or soufflé dishes. Place on baking sheet. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on high 1 minute or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar until well blended. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks. Stir in flour. Divide batter between prepared custard cups. Bake 13 to 14 minutes or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 minute. Carefully run small knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto dessert dishes. Serve immediately. Can be topped with whipped cream or powered sugar, raspberries or candy canes. This cake forms a pudding in the middle.

I show this picture because I normally don't take the cakes out of the ramekins I bake them in. I like to serve them in the ramekins and pile a nice big blob of Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream on them. Too bad I don't have any today. Ramekins are fairly inexpensive to buy if you don't have any of your own. I got mine two-for-a-dollar at Target, I just wish I had bought more since I can't find them there anymore.

FACT

"The earliest reference to salt is in The Book of Job written about 300 B.C. At one time, it was the custom to rub salt on newborn babies as a symbol of purity and to ensure their good health. Salt was once so scarce that it was used as money. Caesar's soldiers received part of their pay in common salt. This part of their pay was known as their "salarium", and from this came today's word "salary". The expression "not worth his salt" meant that a man did not earn his wages." - Contemporary Nutrition 6th edition by Wardlaw & Smith, p. 293
Now wouldn't Ceasar's soldiers think we were crazy if they found out that in the future we would be dumping their income all over our roads, driveways and sidewalks in the winter to melt the snow!

Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower Seeds are great. They contain vitamins B-6, Thiamin and Folate. These vitamins each have important functions including releasing energy from carbohydrates, proteins and fat - giving you the energy you need from them, and decreases depression, meaning you are happier; helps your immunity, affects your nerve function - helping you think quicker and sleep better (something to keep in mind during finals or stressful situations), and if you are thinking about becoming pregnant or are pregnant they help with DNA synthesis decreasing the risk of your child being born with spina bifida and other neural tube defects (future fathers, it is also important for you to have enough of these vitamins to contribute to your babies health). Don't you agree - sunflowers seeds are an EASY way to be healthy!
Quick and easy ways to eat Sunflower Seeds are to grab a handful, put them in trail mix, or top your salad with them. I mixed almond butter with equal parts of honey and vinegar for the dressing - had I been grocery shopping lately it would have been great with cut apples or cranberries - but I guess you have to make do with what you have. Now it's your turn to help others out: how do you like to eat your sunflower seeds?

Grand Opening

Welcome to the grand opening of the one and only Beaner Baker blog!!!!! Why is it called that, do you ask? Well, many of you have nicknamed me Beaner (Serena => Rena => Rener => Beaner is the exact history) and I love to cook/bake/eat. Most of all, I love to share what I know with others - whether it's about nutrition, a recipe, or how to have fun cooking. I'm not an expert, but my hope is that you can gain at least a smile from having looked at this (and maybe be a little hungry)! Let me know what you think, if you have any requests, and most of all.....ENJOY!