Image credit: Mad Tomato

Making delicious food is a passion for Mad Tomato’s Executive Chef and owner, Vito Racanelli. When he talks about his dishes there is no mistaking that what you order at his restaurant was created with a Nonna’s care and discerning hands. And now that Racanelli has left his partnership at Onesto’s Pizza and Trattorria, an announcement that the chef made public on January 30, he has the time to focus all of his passion and excitement on the menu and new programs that were recently launched at Mad Tomato.

Community involvement is a common theme you’ll see with many restaurants like Mad Tomato who prescribe to the farm to table movement-and Mad Tomato is poised to take that idea one step further. Starting in February the restaurant is stepping up efforts to serve local charities (pun’s are awesome). During 2012 Mad Tomato is making a drive to raise $10,000 to benefit local charities, and as an extension of this effort they will be hosting special public dining events each month, during which 20% of the day’s dining bills will be donated to local charity partners and will be stepping up their private dining communal table efforts. The first public event is set for February 8 and benefits Caring for Kids, and with another public dining event set for March 29 to benefit Circus Flora.

There are some pretty exciting changes coming to the menu as well…every six weeks. Since breaking with Onesto, Racanelli has more time to dedicate to developing the culinary goals of Mad Tomato, and he explained that since he is actively involved with the kitchen and menu he knows that cooking the same thing for six weeks gets pretty boring-for everyone from cooks to diners. Their new menus will be printed every six weeks and will include a calendar for all upcoming charitable events.

And the restaurant’s dedication to locally sourced, simple ingredients and responsible environmental practices will continue to grow right along with all of the changes. In fact Racanelli said he is hoping to one day be able to make all of the charcuterie for the restaurant if the space were to open up.

Of the charitable efforts Racanelli stated, “Mad Tomato is dedicated to giving back to the community. I have always wanted to do something like this, something that directly helps those in need. I feel a responsibility to share my good fortune of doing what I love to support local non-profit organizations.”

Image credit: SimpleStories.typepad.com

It’s a new year and you’ve survived the 3,700 holiday events of the last few months with the pictures to prove it. So what do you do with all of those photos? Some of you will save them to the computer and that’s the last anyone will see of them. A few of you might share a few choice photos on Facebook or even create a photo book online.

If you’re like me, you’ll print them out and go elbow deep in acid-free paper, brads, and buttons to create a scrapbook. It’s an opportunity for me to share and tell the story behind photos of my friends and family, and a way to let my creative juices flow.

Most of the time I scrapbook along with my friends (it’s called a crop) so it’s also a chance for me to catch up with friends and see what kind of mini works of art they’re creating (Case in point: my friend Blupixy) .

Although I’ve been scrapbooking for close to 15 years – and have the piles of supplies in my basement to prove it – I’m always on the look out for faster and easier ways to capture those photos and memories. Scrapbooking takes time and we all know there is never enough time!

One of the best products I’ve seen for quick and easy scrapbooking is the Simple Stories line from Memory Works. If you’ve never scrapbooked before, or are a little overwhelmed when you see the rows and rows of products at the store, this is a great place to start! (For those of you who are already avid scrappers, these books are a great way to quickly capture that 200th trip to the zoo or park. ) Start with a binder (~$20-40) and photo sleeves (~$5-6 for 10) from We R Memory Keepers, and one of the many themed kits from Simple Stories (I recommend Life Documented or Year.o.graphy to start – ~$21) and you’re ready to go.  It’s literally as simple as cutting out the elements from the kit (they’re squares and rectangles) and sliding them and your pictures into the photo sleeves. Seriously. That’s it! You could have an entire scrapbook ready to share with your friends and family in no time at all.

You can add more elements by using the included stickers to title or embellish your page. Or you can fill in the included journaling cards and detail the photos’ events for future generations. If you’re feeling especially adventurous, some of the kits include undivided 12×12 (or 8.5 x11) page sleeves for you to create a full scrapbook page. You can be as fancy or as simple as you want or can be in the time you have.

Don’t let those photos collect cyberdust in the back of your hard drive this year. Quickly and easily create something you can be proud to show your friends and family this year and for years to come.

Image credit: www.glastonburyus.org

While watching one of the hundreds of fast-food commercials on TV, it dawned on me that the most colorful element of most of these foods seems to be the box!

Honestly, the combination of tan chicken fingers, pale brown burgers, beige French fries and white potatoes is about as dull and unappealing as the carbohydrate/preservative coma that eating these foods puts you in!

For me, eating is not only about taste and smell, but sight as well. A more colorful plate is more appetizing, and as studies show, significantly more nutritious!! And the best foods to get your “colors’ from naturally are fruits and vegetables.

The pigments responsible for plant color belong to a class of chemicals known as antioxidants, and plants make antioxidants to protect themselves from the sun’s ultraviolet light. (Ultraviolet light causes free radicals to form within plant cells which can begin to destroy parts of the plant). Antioxidants stop free radicals in their tracks, shielding cells from harm. And typically, an intensely colored plant has more of these protective chemicals than a paler one does.

According to ADA spokesperson Karen Ansel, “Adding a splash of colorful seasonal foods to your plate makes for more than just a festive meal. A rainbow of foods creates a palette of nutrients.”

Here’s how to decode what colorful produce means:

Green produce gives you all-day energy and may help promote healthy vision and reduce cancer risks. Fruits like avocado, apples, grapes, honeydew, kiwi and lime. And vegetables like artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, green beans, green peppers, and leafy greens such as spinach are great choices.

Orange and deep yellow fruits, such as apricot, cantaloupe, grapefruit, mango, papaya, peach, and pineapple. And vegetables like carrots, yellow pepper, yellow corn, and sweet potatoes, can detoxify your body and help generate power. They contain nutrients that promote healthy vision and immunity, and reduce the risk of some cancers.

Purple and blue options, including blackberries, blueberries, plums, and raisins, along with eggplant, purple cabbage, and purple-fleshed potatoes, can improve your circulation and may have antioxidant and anti-aging benefits while helping with memory, urinary tract health, and reduced cancer risks.

Red produce, like cherries, cranberries, pomegranate, red or pink grape fruit, red grapes, watermelon, beets, red onions, red peppers, red potatoes, rhubarb, and tomatoes are a great source of protein and can help vision and immunity – and may reduce cancer risks and maintain a healthy heart.

Even black foods, because of their intense “color”, have nutritional benefits. Black sesame seeds are rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, proteins and fatty acids. The acetic acid in black vinegar reduces hypertension, LDL cholesterol, and improves blood circulation; black soy is rich in proteins, fiber, and anthocyanins. And Vitamin B, Niacin, Vitamin E, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron and Zinc are found in much higher levels in black rice compared with white rice.

Eating is a multi-sensory experience, and what you see in front of you prepares you for what you are about to smell and taste! So, do yourself a favor and add some color to your plate. Doing so will add more years to your life!

For more info, check out www.eatright.org/nnm