Cherry Splendor

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

I am in love with all things cherry…cherry juice, cherries on the stem, dried cherries, sweet or tart cherries. They are not only gorgeous but are delicious, power-packed globes that are good for you too.

Whichever variety of cherry you choose, there is evidence that by consuming more of the fruit you can of reduce your risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular, diabetes, obesity and some inflammatory disorders. Cherries are a good source of potassium, melatonin and the sweet ones contain a small amount of quercetin which is one of the most potent antioxidant out there. Cherries also provide vitamin C, carotenoids and anthocyanins.

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Are you Overcooking your Pork?

By Katie Barreira

On May 24, 2011, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released new food safety guidelines for cooking pork and a 15-degree amendment to the recommended internal temperature made it officially acceptable to enjoy perfectly pink pork. For those of us who had been surreptitiously enjoying medium-rare chops for years, it was a red-letter day. Finally, we could shout our message of tender, juicy, trichinosis-free pork from the rooftops!

But it’s been over a year now, and people still blanch at the slightest blush. So, here’s my plea -- the next time you’re cooking a whole muscle cut, like a chop, loin or roast (ground pork should still be cooked to 160 degrees), keep a meat thermometer handy and pull that pork off the heat when it reaches 145 degrees. The new white meat’s gone pink and it’s good.

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Chill Out with Mache and Cherry Salad

By Lori Powell

We are experiencing yet another heat wave and I’m not sure about you, but I am in no mood to cook today. That’s completely odd for me to say, but true! Usually I have to be stricken ill not to want to cook.

Along with people, not a lot of crops are happy in this heat. I’m not quite sure what happened to the cherry crop but they are amazing in the Northeast this year – super-dark and sweet. Also, they keep you cool if you eat them chilled.

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Berry Season

By Katie Barreira

Happy June! For me, the next couple of months are all about the berries. Sure, you can get them year-round, but these finger-staining gems are entirely different animals in peak season. Not only are in-season berries at the height of juicy sweetness, they’re also much cheaper, so eat up!

One challenge with seasonal berries is that they are so perfectly ripe that they need to be eaten within a day a two. If you find yourself with ready-to-eat berries that you’re not quite able to polish off, don’t fret, just freeze!

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