Quite simply, take a teaspoon of extra-virgin olive every day to improve your health. It’s easy, the research is there and it tastes great.

As Americans, we take o

Bottoms up!

ur fair share of “shots” that sure as hell aren’t healthy for us. These, at least, won’t have you reaching for the Sunglasses and Advil.

There are several different types and brands of extra-virgin oil on the market it can maddening. I suggest starting out purchasing an inexpensive bottle and working from there. Just because you’re dropping top dollar, doesn’t make it the best.

When I was in Des Moine, Iowa, I was lucky enough to tour a very cool spice, herb, oil and vinegar shop aptly named-All Spice.Aside from One of the coolest parts of the store is that, you can taste the product before you buy. So, no need to invest 7 or 8 bucks without knowing you enjoy it first! They sell online, but I’m sure there is a shop like this in your town too; they’re popping up all over! www.allspiceonline.com

Here’s some info from about.com on the benefits of olive oil.

http://italianfood.about.com/od/aboutingredients/a/aa011107.htm

To life!

By Jack Kaskey

Justin Cariker grabs a 7-foot-tall Palmer pigweed at his farm, bending the wrist-thick stem to reveal how it has overwhelmed the cotton plant beneath it. This is no ordinary weed: Over time it has developed resistance to Monsanto’s (MON) best-selling herbicide, Roundup. Hundreds of such “superweeds” are rising defiantly across this corner of the Mississippi Delta. “We’re not winning the battle,” Cariker, owner of Maud Farms in Dundee, Miss., says as he looks at weeds that tower over his infested cotton field like spindly green scarecrows.

Cariker’s superweeds represent a growing problem for Monsanto, whose $11 billion of annual sales are anchored in crops genetically engineered to tolerate Roundup, the world’s best-selling weedkiller. The use of Roundup Ready seeds has transformed farming in the 15 years since their debut, allowing growers to easily dispatch hundreds of types of weeds with a single herbicide while leaving crops unscathed. “When the Roundup system first came out, to a farmer this was the best thing that ever happened,” says Cariker, who used the labor-saving technology to double his planted acreage, to 5,000. “Farmers thought we had died and gone to heaven.”

Full story…http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/attack-of-the-superweed-09082011_page_2.html

Read full story…http://www.forbes.com/sites/dorothypomerantz/2011/09/12/are-shows-like-spongebob-squarepants-hurting-kids/

By William Neuman

The federal government will ban the sale of ground beef tainted with six toxic strains of E. coli bacteria that are increasingly showing up as the cause of severe illness from food. Officials have been under pressure from food safety advocates and some elected officials to do more to keep the potentially deadly bacteria out of meat, but the beef industry said the move was not needed and could force the price of ground beef to rise.

Do you tell your employees everything that’s going on? Or only what you think they need to know? I have grappled with this question since I started managing a business.

Early on, I leaned toward limiting the information as I didn’t want people worrying about something that wasn’t their job and becoming distracted and unproductive. The problem was that when challenges came up I felt pretty much alone on them — and the staff was left guessing what was happening. Predictably, the lack of information fueled rumors and damaged morale.

Click on the link for the full story from The New York Times http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/08/how-much-information-do-you-share-with-employees/?ref=business

BY TERENCE CHEA  SAN FRANCISCO — Food enthusiasts have been enrolling in culinary school in growing numbers, lured by dreams of working as gourmet chefs or opening their own restaurants.

For many graduates, however, those dreams have turned into financial nightmares, as they struggle to pay off hefty student loans and find work in a cutthroat industry known for its long hours and low pay. Now, some former students are suing for-profit cooking schools to get their money back, saying they were misled by recruiters about the value of culinary education and their job prospects after graduation.

“They just oversold it and pushed it. They made misleading statements to lure you in,” said Emily Journey, 26, a plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against San Francisco’s California Culinary Academy, part of Career Education Corp.’s chain of 16 Le Cordon Bleu cooking schools.

Click below for the full story…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/06/culinary-school-grads-ripped-off_n_950107.html

Unless you live in a place like San Diego where the weather is sunny and you hardly experience rain and snow, (I know, that would suck right) you are happy to see consistent sunshine.

Well, here is a recipe that is sure to keep you happy as you lay back and bask in the sweet sunshine…

Mojito-Very simple, but sure to keep you cool and happy all summer long!

2 ounces Bacardi Superior Rum (feel free to sub out your favorite flavor)
20 mint leaves
4 Lime Wedges (about half a lime)
2 Tablespoons Simple Syrup
Plenty of Ice
Club Soda
1 straw cut in half

Squeeze lime juice into a cocktail shaker and drop in the limes also.
Add the rum, mint leaves, simple syrup and about a half cup of ice.
Cover and shake like your life depended on it. Pour into a glass and
top with more ice and stir. Sip with a short straw, lay back, be proud
of yourself and dream about making another!

The short straw is so you can can enjoy the beautiful smell of the
mint along with the cool refreshing taste of the mojito. The more you
shake, the more the mint will shred, so shake like it was the last
Mojito you will ever have! Even though we both know it won’t be.

Ingredients

Beans:

· 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

· 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

· 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

· 1 can kidney or black beans,(about 15 ounces) rinsed and drained

· 1 to 2 canned jalapeno, roughly chopped

· 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

· 1/4 cup water or chicken broth, low-sodium canned

Toppings:

· 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

· 1 Onion, julienne

· 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, about 8 ounces

· 2 teaspoons minced chipotle peppers en adobo

· 1/4 cup prepared salsa

· 4 ounces shredded Montery jack cheese, about 1 cup

· 4 (10-inch) flour tortillas

· Optional garnishes: sour cream, cilantro sprigs, salsa

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

To make the beans: Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat, add the cumin and coriander, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beans, jalapeno, and water and bring to a simmer. Using a potato masher or a large fork to smash the beans into a rough paste. Season with salt and transfer to a bowl.

Heat a small fry pan over medium heat. Cook onions until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Cool. In a small bowl, combine chicken with the chipotle and onions.

Toast the tortillas directly over a medium gas burner, turning occasionally until slightly blistered on each side. (If you have an electric burner, do this in a dry cast iron skillet.) Place the tortillas on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the beans on half of the tortilla, top with the chicken, salsa, and cheese. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the filling, to make a half moon shape. Lay another sheet of foil over the top of the quesadillas.

Bake until the cheese melts and the filling hot, about 12 minutes. Serve whole or sliced into wedges, with optional garnishes.

Method for 10-inch tortillas:

4 (10-inch) tortillas

4 tablespoons vegetable oil, like soy, peanut, or corn

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil. When hot, lay a tortilla in the pan. Layer the filling ingredients on one half of the tortilla. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the filling, forming a taco shape. Remove to a prepared baking sheet and continue this process with the remaining tortillas. Bake at 350 degrees F until the cheese is melted and the filling is hot.

Quesadilla for one:

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil. When hot, lay a tortilla in the pan. Layer the filling ingredients on one half of the tortilla. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the filling, forming a taco shape. Transfer the skillet to the oven, and cook until the cheese is melted and the filling is hot.