Food For Thought

Chips Are More Than Common-Taters

Food columnist Bob Leo takes a look back at the colorful history of America's favoriter snack food.

I happened to read that 96 million tons of potato chips were consumed on Super Bowl Sunday. I thought just how many chips do we go through a year ? and how many potatoes does that take?  Well I found the answer differs pending on what side of the junk food war you side with. What I did learn though, is potato chips make up 35 percent of the “snack food” category in all the English speaking countries. That’s not to say only English speaking people eat chips. The Japanese take chips to a whole new culinary level. Many seafood flavors, including seaweed and sea urchin are added to their potato chips. In England and the British Isle countries chips are what we call fries, and crisps are what we call chips. You’d get chippies with your sandwich…

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Patch Facts

5 Things You Need To Know Today, Monday, February 11

Bits of knowledge to help make you the smartest person at the Donut Shop.

Here are 5 pieces of information designed to make your Monday feel a little bit less Monday-ish and to help make you the smartest person in your carpool. 1. Your 3-day Local Weather Forecast: 2. Reader Comment of the Day: "We had a huge town plow today on our cul-de-sac. He did a fabulous job. It is much appreciated when they take care to not bury the end of our driveways after so much time is spent getting them open! We usually have smaller, subcontracted plows coming through who don't really care. Thank you!" Reader Linda, commenting on the story, "Town Manager Asks Public To Be Patient With Plowing." 3. It's Happening Today: Hankering for a Big Mac? Take advantage of Dewing Dine Out at McDonald's. Dine Out for the Dewing/North Street …

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Food For Thought

Chinese Ribs Make For Tasty Snow Food

Just because you're snowed in doesn't mean you can't enjoy a delicious meal.

With the Blizzard of '13 on the way, I stopped in to visit my parents who live in Lynn, fairly close to the Atlantic Ocean. Anybody who has ever lived near the coast knows how powerful and devastating coastal surges can be. Therefore, Nor’easters are a little more worrisome near the beach as opposed to other land locked areas.  My Mom was on her way to the market so I volunteered to give her a lift. Keep in mind my Mom and Dad are in their seventies and well into their empty nest years.  As I bagged up her groceries I had to chuckle at her selections.  Two cases of water , two loaves of bread, a super jumbo pack of toilet tissue, a twelve pack of batteries, enough cold cuts to feed the NE Patriots offensive line and enough milk to keep …

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Food For Thought

Bob Leo Wants To Know, 'What's Going On With Chicken Wings?'

After a lengthy hiatus, the Tewksbury Patch food columnist returns.

Hello again my old friends. It's been awhile. I certainly appreciate the niceties and such that I have been receiving during my hiatus. Some family matters, as well as another project and of course the ever expanding Tewksbury Country Club have kept me sooooo busy.   I ran into editor extrordinaire Bill Gilman the other day and well here I am. It actually came at a good time because I have something important to say, " WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON WITH CHICKEN WINGS!".   Back in the 80's, chicken wings were a byproduct of the huge demand for chicken breasts. As science became more dissecting, the health benefits of this lean protein became immensely popular. Well in order to get a breast you gotta grow the rest of the parts too! Wings where …

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Tell It Like It Is! Blog On Tewksbury Patch

We know you have something to say, so join the conversation on Patch and share it!

About this time last year, Patch rolled out a new platform for members of the community to be heard. Now, we're making it even easier to get involved in Tewksbury Patch's Local Voices. How easy is it? At Patch, we're devoted to finding ways to make your life as ridiculously easy as possible. So we've changed the way blogging works to make it easier for you to start blogging right away. All you have to do to _get started is visit our blogging page_ and click "Post on Patch." From there, let your typing fingers run rampant (but coherently, please) and when you're done writing and have saved your work, hit submit! Why should I blog? Patch is more than a news site. It is a free place to post upcoming events. It's an online conversation about …

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Food For Thought

The Right Bubbly Can Make Your Valentine's Day

Columnist Bob Leo takes a look at some options when choosing a sparkling wine.

What is more romantic than a quiet night with your best girl ( or guy ) and a bottle of your favorite bubbly?   Right away you thought champagne, didn't you? Well all that sparkles isn't French. Certainly the Champagne region of France produces the most famous and some of the finest sparkling wines in the world. Many other countries produce very good sparklers. Espumantes from Portugal, Spanish cavas, pezsgo from Hungary, German sekt, and plethora of Italian wines are most definitely worthy of an intimate evening. Champagne is only one of many French sparkling wines and Italy produces asti, francacorta, trento, proscecco and the rarest of all sparkling wines, the ruby red brachetto.   Bubbles in wine are produced by carbon dioxides. CO2 …

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Food For Thought

A Delicious Super Bowl Party Menu

Our food columnist outdoes himself with a succulent selection of delights and shares a recipe for out-of-this-world wings.

Ok,I don't know about you but I've had it up to the proverbial HERE with all this Super Bowl hype! Brady vs. Manning , Bellicheck vs. Coughlin, yada yada yada.   Let the games begin!!!   I've got a nice venison roast (Thanks Stan Folta), I've got some jumbo homemade Italian sausages (Thanks Frank Cardilli) and I'm picking up my premium Perdue chicken wings on Saturday.   Meat, beer and football, what more could a guy ask for (watch yourself).   As a rule I generally keep my favorite recipes to myself and certainly I am bound by honor not to reveal any TCC secrets, but in light of the upcoming Patriots victory, I am about to break my own rule and let you in on a little trick I've been using for about 25 years or so. Rendering, rendering is …

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Food For Thought

Strange But True Tales From The Restaurant Vault

Food columnist Bob Leo shares some amusing anecdotes from the world of restaurant management.

They say that truth is stranger than fiction. Whoever they are couldn't be more right. A few nights ago some of my restaurant buddies threw a card game. Now these guys are all restaurant rats and between the six of us, we've amassed close to 150 years in the business. At one point or another most of us have worked with each other here or there. We seldom get together but when we do the stories flow faster than the beer. This one's a classic. My friend Smiley manages a busy seafood and roast beef restaurant on Rt. 1 in Saugus.  A few weeks ago a very attractive young woman came in and ordered a crab salad roll with fries and a large roast beef, plain with no bun. That's exactly what she got. As she was sitting at her table eating her …

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Feeling SAD? Try These Foods To Improve Your Mood

Columnist Bob Leo offers tips for battling Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Aren't scientists clever? Take Seasonal Affective Disorder for instance, SAD, cute. SAD unfortunately really does make one sad. People who live in the northern most regions of the world suffer from higher rates of depression, and a much higher rate of suicide. Lack of sunshine lowers vitamin D levels and serotonin production in just about everyone. That means the winter blues are really the winter blues.   So what can you do about it? Well there's always a trip to the Islands. Doesn't fit your budget? Well, then try this. Certain foods have the ability to elevate your mood and ease winter depression.   Wild caught salmon for example enhances the flow of dopamine to the brain. Dopamine produces an elated feeling commonly known as happiness…

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Food For Thought

How Chicken Soup Became The 'Jewish Penicillin'

Columnist Bob Leo takes a look at the beloved Chicken Soup.

Now that it seems like winter has finally arrived, couldn't you go for a nice steamy bowl of your favorite chicken soup? I love soup in the winter -- it's hearty, nutritious, and delicious. Chicken soup is my favorite.   I found at least 20 different countries with there own spin on chicken soup, some sweet, some sour, some creamy, some spicy, etc. etc.. The oldest recipe I came across dates back to the 12th century. It was said to have been created by a physician and Rabbi named Maimonide. He created it for it's health benefits and as a means to feed the poor and poverty stricken Israelites. No culture can do to a chicken what the Jewish folk do. Chickens are relatively easy to raise, don't require lots of land or feed and at Shabbat just…

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