Be a chicken

Sometimes I'm amazed at how far we've come from food. The other day, at my Friends of the Library volunteer gig, I made chicken salad sandwiches. People raved. I mean RAVED. I got compliments all day, requests for the recipe, etc. etc. What did I do? Some...

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Hey, cuz!

Delighted today at the Friends of the Library Book Sale to meet up with my Portuguese compadre ("coom-PAHDUH") Carlton Perry (compadre in Portuguese refers, technically, to the godfather of your child, but it also signifies a very good friend, a calabash cousin of...

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Book ’em, Wanda

What does a food writer with hundreds of cookbooks do at a books sale? Buy more cookbooks, of course. Which I did even before the Friends of the Library book sale opened Friday night at the Friends of the Library booksale at McKinley High School (I'm on the board so...

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A feline digression

A reader asks that I tell a bit more about my cats (baby cat pictured elsewhere in this Web site). If you are not cat crazed, skip this one. There's hardly a culinary word in here. Reader mentions that a bit of tuna in water will send most cats into raptures but have...

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Sticker shock; thin doesn’t mean skinny!

I love flatbreads and also have a tendency to think that a thinner bread is a lower calorie option. Imagine my shock when, munching an Indian paratha filled with peanut butter and banana for breakfast, I checked the calorie count on the package. (The parathas, which I...

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The difference between savoring and stuffing

Since I had bariatric surgery five years ago and lost 100 pounds, I've often been asked how I eat for a living and maintain my weight loss. Well, the truth is, I have gained a few pounds in the last year, proving the truth of my best answer: Strict portion control (if...

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Weight loss and tool faves

Eat to lose Weight-loss wisecracks that work Don’t eat anything white (unless it’s a raw fruit or vegetable). Don’t eat anything served in styrofoam. Don’t eat anything you can swallow without chewing. Don’t eat anything with a crust. Don’t eat anything that melts....

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Quick fixes

Oh, my God, my husband’s bringing home the boys! (Make THEM bring the beer, meanwhile....) Always keep a couple of pounds of edamame in the freezer. With some shoyu, hoisin, chili sauce, garlic, Hawaiian salt, you can make stir-fry the boiled soybeans for a lightning...

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Food for Thought

Welina! Welcome to Our Island Plate, where you'll find my daily (or nearly daily) blog about my recipe testing adventures and projects. Go to Talk to Me to e-mail your comments, questions, suggestions, recipes or requests.

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