Food can help support breast cancer research
For years, the culinary industry has supported efforts to fund breast cancer research. As we head deeper into Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I thought I'd share with you some of the tasty and tasteful items that I've come across that support breast cancer research.
• Thinkthin Pink bars, available in white chocolate raspberry, peanut butter caramel, blueberry dark chocolate and lemon burst. Every all-natural bar contains 20 grams of protein and is sugar free and gluten free. The Thinkthin Pink bars retail for $1.69, with 15 cents from the sale of every bar sold going to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
• Drink Pink on Fridays this month at Carlucci, 1801 Butterfield Road, Downers Grove. Try a tart raspberry PinkTini, a Komen Cosmo (made with citrus vodka) or any of the other drinks on the pink drink and appetizer menu and 20 percent of the price benefits the Komen fund. (630) 512-0990.
• The folks at Niche Restaurant, 14 S. Third St., Geneva, will donate 20 percent from the sale of items on their pink wine list and dessert menu. I'd happily eat a slice of Pink Lemonade Cake for the Breast Cancer Fund. (630) 262-1000.
• Baker's Catalogue has a cupboard full of pink items, from cupcake sprinkles and tools (pictured) to a fashionable Emil Henry 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Depending on the item ordered, 10 to 20 percent goes to the Komen fund. Order at www.kingauthurflour.com.
Microwave magic: If you want a clean kitchen sponge, ditch the bleach and nuke it.
Recent testing by government food safety experts found that the microwave and dishwasher are the best bets for killing the harmful bacteria, yeast and molds that can inhabit kitchen sponges.
Experts tested common suggestions for cleaning sponges, including microwaving them, running them through the dishwasher, soaking them in a 10 percent bleach solution and soaking them in lemon juice.
To test the effectiveness of each method, they soaked sponges for 48 hours at room temperature in a mixture of raw ground beef and laboratory compounds that encourage the growth of pathogens.
Both microwaving the sponges for 1 minute on high and running them through a full dishwasher cycle (including drying) killed nearly 100 percent of the bacteria, mold and yeast.
Soaking in a bleach solution killed just 90 percent, and lemon juice only knocked out 70 percent, both well below what's considered effective.
Heed this warning: Only wet sponges should be microwaved; dry sponges can catch fire.
Creative cutouts: Williams-Sonoma is bringing a new dimension to Halloween cookies -- the third dimension.
The company's Haunted Halloween 3-D Cookie Cutters produce multi-piece cookies that, once baked and decorated, fit together to create cats, witches, pumpkins and haunted houses that stand up.
The set costs $24 and includes simple-to-follow instructions and a recipe. Look for it at Williams-Sonoma stores or online at www.williams-sonoma.com. If you end up hooked on the 3-D cookie thing, Williams-Sonoma has a similar set for Christmas and plans to release an Easter version next spring.
Hold the wheat: If you think you can't enjoy macaroni and cheese or crackers because of your wheat allergy, think again. Food manufacturers are turning to quinoa, rice and other grains to replace wheat in our favorite foods.
You can try some items in the Gluten Free & Fabulous line later this month at Sunset Foods.
At 6 p.m. Oct. 25, sample products at the Highland Park store, 1812 Green Bay Road. From 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 26, company representative will be at the Northbrook store, 1127 Church St., and from 3 to 5 p.m. in Libertyville, 1451 W. Peterson Road.