Genetic engineering, vegetables top food-related news

I've been seeing a lot of food-related news show up online and on television lately.

The most prominent of these is about a company in Massachusetts that has developed a genetically-engineered salmon. The FDA is considering whether it can be sold commercially and is evaluating any potential health risks.

I think this is an exciting step toward being more respectful of the environment. If we can genetically engineer fish, there are many other things on the horizon to make food production more environmentally-friendly.

The other big news today is that a study was released that showed that Americans don't eat enough vegetables.

No, really?

This is a bit of a no-brainer of a story. Vegetables are expensive, take longer to cook than a frozen pizza, and spoil much more quickly than your average frozen dinner. And this is something I'm struggling with. Living as a poor college student lends itself to hamburgers and pizza and fast food -- they are all cheap, quick and taste awesome. Especially in a week like this one, where I have class and work commitments until 9:30 every night with an hour break for dinner, sitting down and cooking a fancy dinner is next to impossible.

The one thing I did learn, though, is that many farmer's markets accept food stamps, which helps the cost portion of the formula. The disappointing part, as this story points out,  is that I'm not the only one who didn't know that was an option.

Two blogs you need to check out

I've been reading a lot of food blogs lately to try to get into the spirit of blogging. Most of them are useful and offer tips and tricks for cooking healthier, or cheaper, or better in general.

But, what I've realized is that I much prefer the ones that are funny.

This Is Why You're Fat is a great example of this. TIWYF offers a combination of delicious and gross recipes that utilize the most fattening, bad-for-you foods possible. Nearly every recipe includes bacon or deep frying --  or both.

Take Hamburzilla, for instance. This dish consists of two pizzas with two McDonald's Quarter Pounders and fries in between. Something about the absurdity of that is incredibly amusing. There are pages and pages of reader-submitted creations to peruse and the blog has even been turned into a book.


Fancy Fast Food is my newest (and perhaps favorite) blog discovery. The concept of the blog is simple: take items that can be purchased at fast food restaurants and make them look like fancy, delicious plates. Most of them combine ingredients that I don't think would taste all that great, but the photos are amazing.

Beef Strog 'n Off is a good example. The sauce of the fake stroganoff is made with a combination of milkshake and cottage cheese -- not tasty in any way, but it looks real.

My favorite food event

I spent the majority of my life living just more than an hour drive away from Walt Disney World.

It is something that I'm not sure I completely appreciated until I moved here to Ohio.

Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because we are a week away from the start of my favorite time of year: the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.

A poster from the French Pavilion during last year's Fest.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Food and Wine Fest, as it is commonly referred to, is the single most delicious and fun time you can visit the happiest place on Earth. 

The World Showcase portion of the Epcot park, which has pavilions representing 11 different countries, is transformed into a culinary trip around the world. Countries which are not normally part of the showcase have carts and stands featuring small plates and wines, allowing you to get a taste of many cultures without having to spend all that money on airfare. And for somewhere around $4 to $8 for each plate, you won't be too broke by the end.

Unless you want to be. There are a plethora of exclusive events that require extra fees beyond park admission to  take part in. The range from the simple cooking demos that will run about $10 extra, to extravagant parties and fine dining events that can cost as much as $450 per person. Needless to say, I've never taken part in those.

I've gone to the standard Fest every year for the past 3 or 4 years though, and each time I am thoroughly impressed with the quality of the food. This year will be the first year I will be legally allowed to partake in the wine part of Food and Wine Fest, so I am trying desperately to make it down there to have the full experience.

Victory number one!

I set out on Sunday to use some of the ingredients my roommate and I picked up at the farmer's market to make corned beef and cabbage, a dish that I absolutely love.

After hours of searching the Internet for a stand-out recipe, I ended up choosing this one.

It seems like, at least from my research, that there are hundreds of variations of the traditional Irish-American dish and that people have the tendency to adamantly support their favorite version.

Also during my research, I discovered that corned beef and cabbage really isn't an Irish food, but rather something that was invented in the 1800s by Irish immigrants. There's a pretty good (and short) history of the dish here.

One of my very favorite cooks, Alton Brown has a television show where he explains the science and theory behind cooking. There is an episode about corned beef that was really interesting to me. You can find  Part one and Part two at those links.

I'm not that great of a cook

But I love food.

I know that is a strange way to introduce myself, but I figure it is as good as any for a food blog.

As for the real introduction... My name is Ashley. I'm a graduate student at Ohio University in the tiny town of Athens, Ohio. I moved here from Orlando, Fla., where I spent my spare time wandering the Mall at Millenia and hitting the theme parks. Let me tell you, my new home is no city, and it certainly isn't a tourist destination.

What it lacks in excitement, Athens makes up in local foods. There aren't many restaurants, but the ones that are here have excellent reputations. There is a ton of local produce and organic meats and cheeses.

What does all of this mean? I'm taking up cooking as my new hobby. Gone are the days of eating frozen pizza and frequenting Wackadoos, the on-campus burger and beer place, and late-night trips to Jeriemiah's, a fantastic Italian Ice place that is walking distance from my former college newspaper office.

I'm going to try to take advantage of what's available here and try to hone my skills. And you, my friends, can join me on this trip through this blog. I will share my successes (and failures) as well as pass along some interesting tips and tricks from some of my favorite blogs.

Hopefully we'll all learn something.

And my apartment won't burn down.