Program Highlights for 11/17/07

November 16, 2007

When you sit down to a meal, do you ever wonder about how it made its way to your plate? In her new book, Moveable Feasts, Sarah Murray has compiled astonishing facts and vivid accounts of the many ways food transport has shaped more than our appetites. Murray toured the world in search of the "behind the flavor" stories about the voyages of food…..she joins Lempert with the detail.

We know stuffing, mashed potatoes and creamed spinach are the traditional side dishes loved by all, but this year, why not bring something more nutritious to the table? Chef Rozanne Gold, an award-winning chef and known for her simple "1-2-3" series of cookbooks, has created some recipes for some delicious holiday side dishes that will compliment any main course and help keep a few of those extra pounds off during this traditionally indulgent season. Gold joins Lempert with the details.

Wait! Before you grab those spices from the pantry to spice up your holiday meals, do the Spice Check Challenge. Celebrity Chef Michael Schulson, star of the Style Network's 'Pantry Raid' says using old spices can compromise the flavor in your dishes. He says the average spice in a household pantry is two years past its prime. Schulson joins Lempert with tips to make sure cooks are putting their best flavor forward.

We can all use some tips on how to make Thanksgiving less stressful. Lempert is joined by Liz Sgroi, Sr. Food Editor of Quick & Simple Magazine who offers tips and techniques for troubleshooting Thanksgiving snafus and disasters (i.e. lumps in the gravy, burnt pie crust, etc.) plus time-saving and convenience secrets to make Thanksgiving more hassle-free.

Tappening is a campaign to encourage and enlist the public to drink water only from the tap, and send a message to the bottled water industry. The Tappening creators, Eric Yaverbaum and Mark DiMassimo, are angry about the massive waste of fossil fuels and resulting pollution of the Earth caused by the bottled water industry. Eric Yaverbaum tells Lempert how the public should send a "message in a bottle," an empty water bottle, to the bottled water companies telling them how we feel about the issue. www.tappening.com

A few years ago, a UCLA orthopedic surgeon had a powerful idea: to bring physician-developed functional beverages based on proven clinical science to consumers. So he founded Santa Monica-based MD Drinks, Inc. and their very first Function Drink was born, Urban Detox (a popular remedy for nasty hangovers). Dr. Alex Hughes knew that the many natural, powerful supplements they used in the hospital everyday wth impressive results could be a huge health benefit to everyday consumers. Dr. Hughes talks with Lempert about the new additions to the line, all developed to make your life fun, productive and healthy as it can be one drink at a time! www.functiondrinks.com

According to a recent survey by Consumers Union, more than 89 percent of Americans want food from cloned animals to be labeled. Governor Schwarzenegger's recent veto of the California Cloned Food Labeling Act (SB 63) is being challenged by The Center for Food Safety and Consumers Union. Without labeling, consumers will not only be unable to choose whether or not to buy cloned food, but government food safety agencies will be unable to track any long-term impacts of cloned food on human health. Lempert is joined by Kevin Golden, attorney for Center for Food Safety. www.icta.org

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