Raines Realm

If you find yourself with overwhelming amounts of candy this Halloween, you have a few options. You could always gorge on it and consume astounding amounts of sugar and fat, or you could do something more. You can sell it to a dentist. Some local dentist offices will buy your Halloween candy. They pay per weight and it seems the average is $1 per pound. You can search by zipcode for the nearest participating dentist here:  http://www.halloweencandybuyback.com/ You could send it to a soldier. Operation Gratitude will gladly take your candy and send it in care packages to soldiers oversees. Here's their link:  https://www.google.com/amp/s/opgrat.wordpress.com/2013/07/18/halloween-candy-for-the-troops/amp/ You could donate it to charity. Among others, Ronald McDonald House accepts unopened candy after Halloween. You can find the nearest location here:  http://www.rmhc.org/ There is no wrong decision regarding what you do with your Halloween candy, but it'...

"Candy!" is generally the first thing that springs to mind when thinking of Halloween, but a traditional Irish fortune-telling cake is more accurate. We all know that Halloween is the modern-day celebration of the ancient Celtic holiday of Samhaim (pronounced Sow-in). It was originally celebrated as the time of year when the veil between the living and the dead was at its thinnest. This led to all sorts of fortune-telling and divination methods in hopes of learning about the future. Thus enters the barmbrack. This simple fruit bread is the delicious ancestor of the questionable fruit cakes of today. The fun part about this bread though, has nothing to do with its taste or appearance, but what it has inside. Particular "charms" are wrapped in parchment paper, evenly distributed, and baked inside. Traditionally, the items include a coin, ring, thimble, button, and scrap of cloth. The cake is then divided and whatever charm you had in your piece was you...

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2017 may be the year of the rooster, but goat is predicted to dominate the dinner table. The U.S. is now catching up with the rest of the world when it come to this delicious protein staple. When I was in primary school, (many moons ago), we had a guest restaurant come in and cook for us. They made goat stew. There were a lot of kids that skipped lunch that day and out of those that ate it, there was only one who went back for seconds...yep, you guessed it, it was me. I've always enjoyed trying new foods and perhaps it was then that I realized I was a future "foodie". The goat stew was amazing. The meat was tender, the potatoes and vegetables adding just the right notes of flavor and texture. It was delicious! So, imagine how excited I am that it's finally trending for the new year. And why not? Many other countries already utilize this versatile, lean red meat. Its low in fat, cholesterol, and calories. Goat meat actually ha...

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, no matter where you go online you are bombarded with images of someone's plate. Is it narcissism or a positive trend? It seems that millennials love to be one of a kind, even though fifty percent of them identify as "foodies". In a world where individuality reigns supreme and with so many "trendy" diets to choose from, food choices are an easy place to assert one's own uniqueness. For many young people, especially those in their early 20s, buying a house or their dream car is not possible with the current market. More of these millennials are choosing to assert their adulthood, status, and education level by being very deliberate about their food luxuries. Nothing quite says "look how well I'm doing in life" like a snapshot of your caviar covered Maine lobster plastered on social media. Normal food has become boring, a thing of the past. Now it's all about the search for specialty cheeses, exotic frui...

Now there's a service that enables you to help save the world while enjoying amazing food for next to nothing!  BuffetGo let's you buy leftover buffet food for a mere fraction of the cost. And it gets even better, they donate 20 percent of the proceeds to the U.N. World Food Programme, the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger. You can learn more about that here:   http://m.wfp.org/ During a time when more than 240,000 food portions are wasted daily and 40 percent of food in the U.S. goes to landfills, this company is doing its part to provide a solution. BuffetGo was founded in Finland in 2014 and was just launched in the U.S. in September. Currently the service is available in 8 countries in the world. The app is not available in the United States yet, but don't worry, the website is fully functional: http://www.buffet-go.com/  Expect to see restaurant names such as the Hilton and Double Tree as well as a multitude of smaller businesses....

We've all heard the saying, "we eat with our eyes". Well, restaurants have started taking it to the next level. If you've noticed the dimly-lit, cozy atmosphere in restaurants replaced by bright, unflattering lights, you can blame social media. As the quest to be "Facebook famous" grows, more people are searching for that perfect dining photo. Restaurants have picked up on this and are attempting to cash in on the free advertising. This means brighter lighting for higher quality phone camera shots. Some restaurants are taking it a step further with food photography classes on a weekly basis. Specialized plates are being utilized that allow even the most amateur photographer to produce high quality images. With all of this focus on photography, expect your dishes to be dressed up a little fancier than usual. Extra garnish, elegant presentations, all of the bells and whistles to make them camera-ready. Some restaurants are tring to encourage thi...

It's no secret that Halloween is my favorite holiday. And, I may have been known to go all out for parties...fog machines, strobe lights, horror movies in the background, the whole nine! But, you can have the best atmosphere and if the food is lacking, it makes the whole thing a flop. So without further adieu, here's the recipes that will MAKE your party! Meat Skull Deli meat, barbeque sauce, plastic mold This is a simple set up that packs a punch. I bought a plastic skull form from the Dollar Tree to start. Then take your favorite deli meats and tear than into various sizes. It should be somewhat messy, so no need for perfection. Cover the skull in a layer of barbeque sauce and add a layer of the meat. More sauce, more meat. Continue until you're happy with your skull. Serve with cheese and crackers and you're off the a great start! Jello Shot Worms in Oreo Dirt Jello, Vodka, Oreos To make these, you need a pack of bendy straws. Cut them in half an...

It seems that every day we are bombarded by some guru or weight-loss program telling us how to measure, weigh, or divide our plates for perfect portion sizes. Honestly, it seems like a tedious task, unrealistic, and I'm not interested in rationing my food out for every meal. While I was re-organizing my kitchen, (clearing out the clutter), I came across our gorgeous China that was sadly, collecting dust. I decided to purge the rest and only use China. Not only do I feel special at every meal, but I have lost weight! The sizes of antique China dishes are considerably smaller than almost all modern dishware. Smaller portion sizes come naturally on these delicate little plates. And, they're so fun! I am a firm believer that meals should be enjoyed. China can transform any meal into an elegant event. Even if you're dining alone, I challenge you to break out the China, and cloth napkins if you have them, and sit at your table to eat. When we treat a meal as an ...

Chocolate cake? The kid in all of us is doing a happy dance right now and rightfully so. New studies suggest that adding chocolate cake to your breakfast routines can have a plethora of positive results. And, unlike other diet trends out there, you don't have to psych yourself up to indulge in chocolate. Scientists have conducted new studies that show eating cake occassionally for breakfast can have positive effects on your waistline. Groups that had cake as their morning meal were less likely to indulge throughout the day and saw an increase in weight loss. Eating dessert foods in the morning when your metabolism is at its highest is the best way to our those delicious calories to their best use. And chocolate has been proven to increase cognitive brain function and memory. I like to eat it because it tastes good, but hey, you can't argue with science. We should be seeing an increase of dessert menus and options at restaurants for breakfast in the coming ...

Few things affect our state of mind more than our sense of smell. We can get a whiff of something and be transported through time to our most significant memories. Recently, I was cleaning my fridge and found an orange that was, shall we say neglected. It was not technically bad, but it was beyond the realm of ripeness that I'm ok with. Thus began my simmer pot experience. I checked my pantry and next thing I knew, I had a pot of sliced orange, cloves, cinnamon, and a splash of vanilla simmering away. I felt like a mad scientist. The smell was amazing! Simmer pots really can not be much simpler. If you have a container for heating, your fave fall fruits and spices, and water, you're set! Popular ingredients are apples, oranges, cranberries, lemons, whole cloves, bay leaves, star anise, nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon, rosemary, and whole cloves, just to name a few. Mix and match however you like, even creating your own signature scent combination. Let your creativity...

Sardines? Those little bony fish in the can? Well, you can get   them fresh as well, but yes. 2017 is predicted to see a rise in sardines from gourmet options to homemade baby foods. And why not, they have the highest RNA content of any known food. They're free of mercury and PCBs and high in Vitamin E and omega-3s. These ocean-friendly delights have a creamy taste that pairs well with an abundance of flavor combinations.  Try them mixed with kale and pasta, with garlic and olive oil. Or mashed with mayo, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper for fun sandwiches. And, for a more elegant meal, spread some honey goat cheese on toasted circles, topped with a sardine and a sprinkle of parsley.  If you want to feed your family the trendiest things while giving them the best nutrition possible, start with sardines. Don't forget to subscribe so that you can stay up-to-date on all of the relevant news when it comes to food.

Though the evening was overcast, wet and dreary, I couldn’t help but feel optimistic as I saw the warm and inviting light of Accent on Wine in Summerville. As I walked up to the outdoor seating, I was compelled to experience the small town atmosphere while enjoying what I anticipated to be a very pleasurable meal. Nestled in the historic downtown Summerville on a quiet street, I perused what was an impressive, yet comprehensive menu. There were so many choices and all of them seemed so elegant and well thought-out, (not the montage of items thrown together that one encounters on a lot of menus in this day and age).  I ended up, after careful consideration, choosing the Monday beer flight and the duck and orange pâté. Both arrived very quickly and I was impressed by the attentiveness of the staff. The music was the perfect combination of optimistic, yet relaxing and set the perfect tone as I took in the culinary artwork that was displayed before me on a modest wooden platter. Such...

Tipping is a topic that can polarize a room almost as quickly as politics. There are those that feel that it’s the employer’s responsibility to pay a living wage and that the general public should not be held accountable for this shortcoming. Then there are also those that feel that you should not go out at all if you can’t afford to tip. Traditionally, we’ve all been told that the tip should be based on a percentage of the total bill. A different camp of thought is that it should be determined solely by the quality of the service. There was a time that tipping was viewed as a compliment to waitstaff for excellent service. Now, it’s expected and is a legitimate need for servers to make minimum wage. As someone who has had a range of occupations in the service industry, I can say that tipping is important. Personally, I think that some of the more modern restaurants, such as San Francisco’s Sous Bette Kitchen are on the right track. <a href="http://time.com/money/4046887/res...

Oregano is an often overlooked and underappreciated herb. Most of us are aware that it’s on pizza and that is the extent of our interest with it. The word oregano literally means “joy of the mountains”. Greek sheperds encouraged their sheep to graze on the wild oregano that grew on the hillsides because it caused the meat to become sweeter. It is traditionally used in the cuisine of Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Mexico, and the Caribbean. It is customarily used in poultry seasoning and turkey stuffings, as well as pizza. Oregano combines well with garlic, thyme, parsley, and olive oil. Its flavor is described as slightly bitter and pungent, lemony, with a hint of sweetness. Dried, it has a stronger taste. When preparing a dish, it is advised to add it in the last few minutes of cooking, as the process evaporates it’s volatile oils, causing it to lose its distinctive flavor. Medicinally, oregano can be used to treat the common cold, asthma, nasal congestion, and menstrual cramps...

A quaint, peaceful road leads into Burntshirt vineyards and ends in convenient parking right next to the rustic main building. As I walk up, I can see fields brimming with rows of grapes, an apple orchard in the distance. A cafe-style outdoor patio creates a welcoming environment. Inside, it is crisp and clean, with various merchandise lining the walls and there are two tasting stations. There are two different flights of wine offered or you can try both. I choose both with a feeling of optimism. The first three wines are unremarkable. The next three…decent. The Meritage is an exquisite red blend. It’s dry but not overly so and the notes of each wine in the blend create a symphony of taste. A beautiful wine. On to the floral and fruity wines, the Apple wine is excellent. It is not overpowering and could be paired with a multitude of fall dishes, the Riesling is a triumph as well. The Rosé is a beautiful marriage of berries, a fun drink for throughout the year. The two that really...

Depending on where you’re from, you have most likely spent your whole life setting a table with your flatware either facing up or facing down. But which is correct? Well, if you are dining American-style, you are probably accustomed to setting a table with the utensils face up. This is due to the American way of eating where you hold your fork tines up. This style of eating involves holding your fork in your left hand, knife in right, and cutting a bite-sized piece of food. You then put your knife down (on your plate, of course) and switch your fork to your right hand to eat. This is also known, for very good reasons, as the zig-zag style of eating. Now, if you are from England or any European countries, you may have noticed at some time or another, a table setting with flatware face down. There are a few reasons for this. The first and most obvious, is that the European-style of dining involves keeping your fork in your left hand, tines down, and then bringing your food directly t...