Sleep tight...

Today's post is not about food or recipes, it's about an emergency of a different and more disgusting kind: bed bugs. They are AWFUL, and they have infested the home of a dear friend. So I feel compelled to do a little research and figure out if there are really ways to get an infested home bug-free again. There are a lot of sites out there that espouse all kinds of advice on how to rid your home of bed bugs, and wading through it fully could take hours and hours, but instead I'm trying to list as many things I can that seem practical, cheap, natural and DIY.

First, a few things about your rights. Depending on the state, you may not have to pay for extermination if you rent (if you choose that route). Your landlord may be liable for that one. But you may have to prove that they were there when you moved in, which could be tough. It's worth checking into though. While your landlord might be required to get rid of the bugs, you're required to make the landlord aware of the situation to begin with. So be sure you tell them right away if you discover an infestation--the faster you take action, the less time they have to really take over your space.

Now, what if you aren't sure if your problem is bed bugs? Here is a great inspection check list I found here:

Inspection Check List:

-Cracks and crevices in head and foot boards, attached side railings and supports
-Inspect mattresses top, sides and bottom. Check all buttons, seams and rips.
-Inspect electrical switch plates, pictures on walls, wall posters
-Inspect cracks in plaster or seams in wall paper.
-Inspect electrical appliances-radios, phones, televisions, ect., looking in hiding places.
-Inspect tack strips under wall-to-wall carpeting and behind baseboards
-Inspect secondhand beds, bedding, and furniture. The newer better-built mattresses do not offer as much shelter and protection for the bed bugs to hide.

Okay, so you've determined that the little parasites are indeed taking over your home. Do not lose hope! There are many ways to take action. But every way that I've read about requires vigilance and repetition to have success. Here are few things that may help you along the way.

Attacking from many sides:
-For killing bed bugs try contact killers such as Kleen Free; Steri-Fab; and mechanical killers like DE - these are not organic or natural, so I would be sure you feel comfortable with that and take precaution to keep any residue away from children and pets and your sleeping area.
-Be sure to wash all linens in HOT water and replace or clean and encase your mattress.
-Vacuums and steamers can help, as the bugs cannot take extreme heat or freezing temps (you can find PCO-recommended dry vapor steamers for around $50)
-Use storage for cloth and paper items and for disposal of exposed items (L, XL, XXL ziploc bags, contractor bags, mattress bags, cable ties, etc.)
-Isolate and protect the bed, using encasements may help
-Boric Acid powder is often spread around areas where bed bugs are suspected to find refuge. It should not be applied directly to the mattress, but in the immediate area to help control migrating bed bugs.
-Placing double-stick tape around the bed has been suggested on many sites, as the bugs can't crawl past it to get up the legs of the bed.
-Spraying diluted Tea Tree oil is an option, though some people believe it's too expensive and does not do enough good (I'd look into it further before using it)

And here's one more natural solution that I found on wikipedia:

"Another method that might be useful in controlling bedbugs is the use of neem oil. It can be sprayed on carpets, curtains and mattresses. Neem oil is made from the leaves and bark of the neem tree native to India. It has been used safely for thousands of years in India both as a natural, effective insect repellent and it is antibacterial. It has recently received US Food and Drug Administration approval for external use. It is also possible to incorporate neem oil into certain types of mattress. Such mattresses are currently being manufactured by a German company. Some may find the aroma of neem oil objectionable."

Now, what about your poor itching skin? For relief from bites, try the following:

-DON'T SCRATCH! That only exacerbates the problem, like a mosquito bite.
-Wash the area with warm, soapy water.
-Corticol lotion, Benadryl, Calomine, Hydrocortisone and other salves seem to help.
-Some people have recommended heating the affected area with hot water or a blow-dryer (at least 120 degrees), though there is debate as to why this helps.

The last thing I will say is: if they don't go away right away, don't be discouraged! Get your friends involved if you need reinforcement, and don't feel alone! Get out and eradicate those buggers.

Further reading:
http://bedbugger.com/
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bedbugs/DS00663
http://www.pestmall.com/bed-bugs.html
http://www.badbedbugs.com/bed-bug-treatment/

Christmas Dinner

Well, it's been a while since I last posted, and that's mostly due to my relocation to Los Angeles, CA right after the new year. Hello LA, you're great! I've been exploring the neighborhoods and foods the city has to offer, and there are some really exciting things. The Armenian grocery store is excellent, everything in Little Tokyo is delicious (and cute), and Yogurtland is a great late night treat.

I've got tons of photos to post about all of these things and more...but for now, here's some documentation of the christmas dinner I wrote about in the previous post, the Christmas Chipotle Chicken Rub.

First, the rub:





Then the veggies, sauteed with part of the rub and stuffed inside and around the bird:



The happy cook:



The almost finished product:

It was a great experiment, so spicy I was almost crying, and so flavorful that I could not wait to eat the leftovers.

Merry Christmas

The Emergency Food Hotline has been excited to receive some holiday themed calls the past few days! One caller had a question about thawing poultry, one about melting chocolate, another about meat temperatures, and the most challenging was a question about how long to slow-roast 20 lbs of pork shoulder. Now THAT is a lot of pork. We came to a few conclusions and hopefully everyone's dinners will turn out magnificently today. I'll provide details on all the questions and answers very soon.

Oh, and here is what I'm making today for my dinner:

Christmas Chipotle Chicken Rub
(with roasted vegetables)

3-4 canned chipotle peppers
1/3 c brown sugar (firmly packed)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp chile powder
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ onion, minced

3-4lb whole chicken
various wintry vegetables, quartered

Sauté the minced garlic and onion in a dash of olive oil until golden. Set aside to cool. Chop the chipotle peppers. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir into a paste with a wooden spoon. Work rub into chicken and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Quarter vegetables of your choosing (I have bell peppers, onion, sweet potato and yellow potato) and mix with a few chunks of butter and a bit of salt and pepper.

Roast veggies and chicken together in a large baking dish at 325˚ for about an hour to an hour and a half (or internal temp of bird is above 160˚). If chicken is getting too crisp on top but is uncooked in the center, cover with foil for 20 minutes and check again.

Happy Holidays!

Sprouts! (Thanksgiving edition)

Tonight I got a text message asking about brussel sprouts.

I think there was a time when I did not like sprouts of any kind. "Sprouting" doesn't sound very appetizing. Luckily, I became more adventurous at some point. I think it sprouts became more attractive to me when I tasted a great recipe from a little cooking school in Chicago that I worked at. I've adapted/changed the recipe over the years and I'll share it here as soon as I can find (all of my recipes are hiding somewhere in a mountain of boxes). I made it for Thanksgiving last year and it was an overwhelming hit. We ate the little guys cold right out of the refrigerator the next day like they were candy. For now I'll just say that the combination of maple syrup and mustard in a glaze is surprisingly addictive.


Pre-cooked sprouts, Milwaukee, Thanksgiving 2007.

But back to the problem at hand: what is the easiest way to cook the sprouts? Boiling, simmering or steaming are of course very simple. Steaming is great because you lose less nutrients into the water. Depending on the vegetable, you can lose up to over a third of the nutrients to water if you're boiling, as opposed to about 15% by steaming.

My favorite method for sprout cooking, though, is sautéing. I was going to wait until I could find the recipe to post it here, but what the heck. I'll just write what I can remember. Throw a pound or so of sprouts into a pan with olive oil, shallots, salt...maybe a handful of pecans. Sauté for 5 minutes or so, then add a bit of water and let them cook covered all steamy for another 6-7 minutes. This will get them tender enough while the initial saute will have them golden around the edges.

Next whip up a combination of REAL maple syrup and dijon mustard, (1/8 c syrup to 1/4 c mustard--this can change based on your tolerance of spicy or sweet), maybe add a bit of garlic powder or fresh ground black pepper to this, and pour over the sprouts once they're tender when forked. I like to let the glaze cook down a bit before taking them off the heat. The perfect vegetable side dish. I believe it could turn any anti-sprouter into a sprout-lover.

Oh ALSO! When you're washing the sprouts, a good thing to do is to let them soak a few minbutes. This allows water to get in between the leaves and clean out any dirt or bugs hidden within.

Quick Fruit Sauces

I can remember quite a few breakfasts with friends where someone was making pancakes and there was no syrup in the house. Who can plan for everything? Definitely not me. Pancakes without syrup is a tragedy, of course, but also an opportunity to experiment with extras just sitting in the refrigerator. I have two recent examples (with photos!) to cite.

1. Peach-Mango-Pineapple Sauce

We had some leftover pineapple, some peaches that were too mealy to eat by themselves, and an amazing mango. I tossed these into a saucepan with a couple of tablespoons sugar, maybe a 1/4 cup water, a couple of teaspoons balsamic vinegar, and a drizzle of vanilla. I let it cook down for a while, maybe ten minutes, adding a bit more sugar or vinegar if needed. And a dash of salt too--really brings out the sweetness nicely.


French Toast with Jonathan, South Bristol, Maine. September 6, 2008.

2. Apple-Raspberry Sauce

We were making pancakes. We had a few apples and a carton of raspberries, and some candied orange peel (that we sadly forgot to use!). I sliced the apples very thin and cooked them down in the same way as the more tropical version above, but this time with a bit more vanilla. I think vanilla really complements apples well.

I only added about two thirds of the raspberries at first, so that a handful could be thrown in toward the end. That way the texture of the berries is preserved for tasting pleasure when poured on the pancakes. I think this sauce would also be great with a bit of bourbon thrown in toward the end.


Pancakes with Alicia, Chicago. October 13, 2008.

Both of these sauces would make great preserves.

Boiling poultry

My friend Alicia called me recently, to ask about cooking chicken for a casserole she was making. She was about to boil it, but wasn't sure how long it should stay in or how to tell when it was done.

The easy answer is that it's done with the chicken is opaque all the way through, when you slice into a piece there's no pink or red visible. If it were a whole chicken, cooking time could be as much as 45 minutes or an hour, but a chicken breast or two could be as little as 10 or 15 minutes.

Another thing to keep in mind when cooking any meat or poultry in water is that too strong of a boil can make it tough. A boil that leans more toward a simmer is always better. Gentler is better!

Grilled Beef Kidneys (who knew?)

While visiting Los Angeles recently, I was sitting in the Tea Room of the Museum of Jurassic Technology when I received a call to the Emergency Food Hotline. I definitely haven’t received a call like this before –it concerned the grilling of beef kidneys, specifically what color they should be when they’re safe to eat. Kidneys in general are something I haven’t eaten or cooked, and the fact that they were beef was even more intriguing.

I had an idea about how long they should be grilled (depending on the thickness) and what color would equal safety, but I wanted to be sure. Since I wasn’t sitting in front of my computer, I called my mom, who is almost always near her computer, but of course she was busy. So she passed the phone to my sister, who followed my directions to get answers from a few internet food authorities. The overall response was 10-12 minutes total, firm to the touch, and still pink in the middle. If they’re overcooked, the kidneys will become very tough.

When I called the questioner back, the kidneys were already on the grill. I asked him to cut one open and let me know how much of the middle was pink—also what was the thickness? They weren’t more than a couple/few inches thick, so the center pinkness shouldn’t be more than a half or three quarters of an inch. It turned out that they were nearly finished. While I didn’t ask the caller what he was cooking them for or would be serving them with, I have done a bit of research to determine what the norm is. If the caller happens to see this post, I would love to hear what the outcome of the experiment was and how it tasted!


photos from August 2006
Meanwhile, my teatime at the Museum of Jurassic Technology (mjt.org) was wonderful, and since I do not have any photos of beef (or any other) kidneys, I will leave you with the two above photos of the lovely Tula Tea Room. If you live in Los Angeles and haven't been there, please, make it there soon.