Dr. Oz's Healthy Habits

A few weeks back I heard Dr. Oz (Oprah’s favorite doctor) on a radio program and he was asked what his 3 top tips were for living a healthy lifestyle. Here are his answers…(along with my interpretation).

1. Eat Right…(cook a healthy homemade meal)
2. Walking…(shake your stuff to your favorite tunes while you cook…add a 15 minute walk after you eat just to be on the safe side)
3. Look After Your Heart…(already accomplished with tips 1 and 2)

In a world where living a healthy lifestyle seems overly complicated, it's nice to remind ourselves to start with the basics and then take it from there.

Cook-On!

New Country Grilled Vegetables – Cooking Up the Radio Dial (Part 6).

Dish: Grilled Vegetables
Station: 95.3 FM
Music Genre: New Country

Grilled vegetables always make for a tasty side dish. Except they’re not much fun to cook on the barbecue when the temperature outside is beginning to dip below freezing. That’s when you improvise and do the grilling in your oven or on an indoor grill.

That’s what I did this week as I stepped back into the kitchen cooking along to the tunes playing on my radio. The stop this week on my radio dial was New Country 95.3 FM…Yee-haw. Listening to this music made me think of how I would write this recipe in new country terms. Hold on folks cause you’re in for rootin’ tootin’ good cooking time.

New Country Grilled Vegetables
Fire up the Chevy and take the back road on over to the local grocer.

Round up some bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms and red onions. Head back to your humble abode on the Chattahoochiee.

While you’re listening to “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” chop the veggies into equal sized pieces and toss them into a large bowl.

Tap your boots to that new country sound, drizzle the veggies with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Pleasantly surprise your man or woman by adding a good sprinkle of Italian seasoning to the vegetable mixture. Give it a mix.

Spread the veggies out on a roasting pan or indoor grill like their ready to do a line dance.
Broil in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or grill on an indoor grill until vegetables are downright tender. Serve and enjoy as the sun goes down.


I had a good ole time cooking to that new country sound but I can only give the experience three song notes out of five because my Chevy broke down, my sweetheart lost her way home and a tear fell in my beer and spoiled the whole thing. Oh well…Cook-On Partners!

The Cook-a-Palooza Experience Cookbook Launch Celebration

Its been two years of cooking and writing and another eight months pulling it all together and now I’m proud and excited to say The Cook-a-Palooza Experience cookbook is ready to be launched into the world. If you like what I’ve cooked up on this blog then the book should fit your style. Of course there is the chance that what I’ve posted hasn’t been to your liking and that’s o.k…I’ll just have to keep cooking until I find something that tweaks your palette.

The book launch celebration is taking place on Sunday November 30th from 2pm to 5:30pm at 2020 Lakeside Ristorante and Bar in Burlington, Ontario Canada. If you would like to attend please send an e-mail to brent@cookapalooza.com.

We’ll be having some light bites, including a few sample recipes from the book. Oh Yeah...we'll also have lots of books.

Thanks to everyone who reads this blog and I hope to see you there!
Cook-On!

Perfect Harmony Lemon Tea For Lenny Kravitz

Is it just me or does Lenny Kravitz always get a throat infection when he comes to the Toronto area. I heard on the radio he was supposed to play somewhere just south of Toronto but cancelled his show because he had a little tingle in his throat. It's certainly not the first time this has happened and it's a shame because his fans miss out. Now don't get me wrong, I like Lenny. I love his music and I've been to one of his concerts....puts on a great show. He just needs to look after that throat of his when he comes to Canada.

My solution is he should keep this Perfect Harmony Lemon Tea by his side at all times. This is my go-to drink when I'm feeling under the weather and I'm sure it would do wonders for Lenny's bothersome throat. Lenny and his fans can thank me later.

Perfect Harmony Lemon Tea

Place a tea bag in a regular-sized mug. Add 1 tbsp liquid honey and a pinch or two of cayenne pepper. Fill mug with hot water. Stir. Remove tea bag. Squeeze the juice from a 1/2-inch thick slice of lemon into the tea. Stir and enjoy the soothing effects.

Makes 1 serving

P.S My wife has been doing most of the meal prep this week so I've been on a bit of a cooking hiatus. I'll step into the kitchen again soon and be back Cooking Up The Radio Dial next week. Cook-On!

Make Your Kitchen Feel like a Starbucks

If all coffee tasted and cost the same where would you rather spend 20 minutes to enjoy your morning brew? Establishments like Starbucks with comfortable couches, pleasant music and a warm atmosphere or coffee shops with plain walls and cold plastic chairs and tables?

Now think about your kitchen. Do you want to spend time cooking in a kitchen that’s cluttered and cold or one with warm and inviting surroundings? Organization, a few pictures, some paint…and of course music can go a long way towards making your kitchen feel more like a Starbucks rather than a plain coffee shop. These simple touch-ups are a sure way to boost the value of your residence but the real payoff is having surroundings that inspire you to step into the kitchen more often so you can cook your way to good health.

I Microwaved an Acorn Squash and I'll Do It Again...Cooking Up The Radio Dial (Part 5)

Dish: Microwaved Acorn Squash
Station: 94.1 FM CBC Radio2
Genre: Canadian Music


Today I discovered a radio station I would have never listened to if I wasn’t on this radio cooking journey and I learned a cooking method that surprised me with its tasty results. Here are my two pleasant discoveries!


Let’s start with the cooking. When you think about cooking an acorn squash, what’s the first cooking method that comes to mind? For me it’s cooking it in the oven for an hour. I’ve always prepared it that way. However last night this conventional cooking method wasn’t going to work because I had about 15 minutes to prepare it. So I thought what would happen if cooked it in microwave! I referred to my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook that outlines cooking methods for just about everything and sure enough good ole Betty had included how to microwave a squash. I sprinkled each half with brown sugar and cinnamon, seasoned it with salt and pepper and microwaved it for ten minutes (details below). It turned out to be absolutely fantastic! The only drawback to this cooking method is the microwave can only accommodate a squash or two. But if that’s all you need to cook, I highly suggest using this technique. Give it a try and see what you think.

As for the cooking experience, my stop this week on the radio dial was a government owned radio station, CBC radio2 or 94.1 FM. I have never listened to this station because I have this preconception that anything government run means boring and not very good. It turned out to be anything but boring and the music was excellent. The first tune that filled my kitchen was a cover of Britney Spears “Oops...I Did It Again” performed by folk singer Richard Thompson. Just so you all know, I’m neither a Britney Spears fan or into folk music. However this cover was so good and so much fun I instantly fell in love with it. Seriously, check out the video I attached below. Other notable songs were “When I Get Out” by Danny Michel , my favorite Bedoiun Soundclash tune “St. Andrews” and Two Hours Traffic’s incredible song “Jezebel”. It really was a mind blowing cooking experience…five song notes out of five for sure. Not bad for a dish cooked in the microwave and a musical atmosphere provided by a government owned radio station…who’d of thought eh! Cook-on!


Microwaved Acorn Squash

Instruments
1 Acorn Squash
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 pinches ground cinnamon
salt and pepper

Lyrics
Pierce whole squash in several places to allow steam to escape

Place on a paper towel and microwave for 4 to 6 minutes or until squash is hot and rind is firm but easy to cut. Let cool slightly

Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Sprinkle each half with equal amounts of brown sugar and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper.

Arrange halves, cut side down on a large plate. Cover with a microwave safe cover or dish and cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until squash is tender when pierced with a knife.

Beat the Cooking Blues with M.U.S.I.C

Here's my Monday rhyme about how to create an incredible cooking experience!

"M" is for the melodies that inspire and set the cooking mood.

"U" is for utilizing cupboard space and cooking utensils to make it easier to find and prep your food.

"S" is for setting surroundings that will make your kitchen feel like a personal retreat.

"I" is for using ingredients that’ll help you stay fit and feel great about what you eat.

"C" is for culinary skills that you can learn in a flash so you can save time and cook with stylish panache.

Cook-on!