McDonald's Insists On Advertising to Children

"McDonald’s “appears hell bent on preventing communities from securing health protections against your abusive practices. Will McDonald’s stop aggressively interfering in public health policy and opposing democratic efforts to create a healthier food environment, free of junk food marketing, for our children and future generations?”

"McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner defended the company’s right to “advertise freely.” He added that McDonald’s will “continue to advertise to our customers responsibly about our menu and about lifestyle choices and leave the personal responsibility up to them.” Skinner claimed that the fast food company takes “responsible advertising very seriously.”

“Advertising is at the heart of McDonald’s business model, with annual expenditures reaching $2 billion,” the letter stated, and pointed out that the company’s “marketing practices set the standard for competitors across industries.”

Read More From Original Article:

http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/05/mcdonalds-stands-ground-advertising-children-shareholders-meeting/

Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Basil-Garlic Butter Sauce

Gnocchi:

2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite sizes

2 cups all purpose white flour

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

8 ounces full cream ricotta cheese

1 egg

Salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F. Put butternut on a greased sheet pan. Season with salt and black pepper. Roast for 25 minutes or until butternut is soft. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Mash until smooth. Add egg, parmesan, and ricotta cheese. Mix well to combine. Season with salt and black pepper. Sift flour in. Add more flour if needed to form a soft dough (dough should not be sticky) Turn dough onto a floured surface. Divide dough into 4 pieces and roll into 1/2-inch thick sticks. Cut each stick into 1-inch pieces and place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until ready to use.

Butter Sauce:

2 tablespoons lemon zest

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon good quality maple syrup

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Handful fresh basil, finely chopped

Salt and Pepper

Heat oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, and cook until softened. Add lemon zest, maple syrup and basil (leave some basil aside for garnish) a further two minutes to combine. Season with salt and black pepper. Set aside and keep warm.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Boil gnocchi until they float to the top (about 2 minutes). Drain.

Return sauce to a medium heat. Add drained gnocchi and toss well to coat and brown (about 5 minutes). Place into a large serving bowl.  Garnish with extra grated parmesan cheese and basil on top.

Serve as a meal for 4 people with salad greens and fresh bread of choice or as a side dish for 6 people with grilled meat and vegetables. 

   

Skim Milk Makes You Fat?!

"You probably spend all of one second deciding what kind of milk to put in your coffee. What's to debate? If you want to keep the pounds off and avoid heart disease, choose skim. This is gospel, after all: It's recommended by the USDA and has so permeated our thinking that you can't even find reduced-fat (2%) milk at places like Subway—and forget about whole."

"Let's start with the question of what's fattening. Whole milk contains more calories and, obviously, more fat. A cup has 146 calories and almost 8 grams of fat, reduced-fat (2%) has 122 calories and almost 5 grams of fat, low-fat (1%) has 103 calories and 2.5 grams of fat, and nonfat (skim) has 83 calories and virtually no fat."

"But surely low-fat milk is better for your heart? We are often told to watch our consumption of dairy because it raises our bad cholesterol, the kind known as LDL. But LDL comes in at least four varieties, and only the smallest and densest of them are linked with heart disease. Dairy fat, it turns out, affects only the large, fluffy kind of LDL—the benign kind."

Read More From Original Article:

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/is-skim-milk-making-you-fat-2479492/

Chocolate Espresso Self-Saucing Cakes

Cakes:

1 cup all purpose flour or all purpose GF flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon good quality cocoa

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon strong espresso coffee, cold

5 tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup milk

1/3 powdered/icing sugar

1 egg, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 4 small ramekins. 

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa. Whisk butter, milk, espresso, egg, and sugar to combine. Pour into flour mixture and stir until smooth. Spoon into ramekins and put on a baking sheet.

Sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa

3/4 cup boiling water

Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Pour chocolate sauce mixture over cake batter. Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked thoroughly.

Serve immediately with lot's of fresh whipped cream and/or ice cream.