Superstar Kale Salad

By Linda Anusasananan
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

I love the farmers' market. Today I found three bunches of kale for $5.

Bunches of curly green, Red Russian, and laciniato kale beckoned with their freshness. Since I wanted to use the kale raw, I tasted the leaves and chose the most tender and mild: the dark green laciniato with long, narrow leaves and a pebbly texture.

Once shunned, kale is the new superstar of greens, noted for its high concentration of antioxidant vitamins A, C and K. Often used for soups and long-cooked preparations, people are discovering creative ways to use this healthy green.

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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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Couscous with Mint Pesto

By Jess Ziman

Pasta with pesto has always been one of my staple comfort foods but it can get a little repetitive when it’s your go-to meal.

To change it up, I like to substitute couscous for the pasta. Couscous is also a wheat grain but the texture and flavor are very different from pasta. While bland on its own, couscous absorbs flavors much better than pasta.

Couscous is also quicker cooking and requires no draining. You simply pour boiling water over the couscous, bring it to a simmer, turn off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes.

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Labor Day Checklist: Get Gift; Make Food

By Sandy Hu

I haven’t decided on my Labor Day menu yet, but I’m more stressed about getting my Labor Day gift.

I know – not even unions give gifts on Labor Day.

Our gift-giving tradition started with Disney’s Flight of the Bumblebee. While shopping at the mall one summer, Dave and I spotted the videotape on sale – just the one my younger son Chris had wanted but was unable to find!

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