Thanks for visiting Fun Fearless Foodie!
My philosophy about food and cooking is simple, it should taste good and reflect your personality. Experimenting with food and flavors has long been an escape for me from the day to day grind, I love the instant gratification cooking gives you. I view recipes as blueprints to guide you. If you let your senses be your guide and put fear by the wayside you can create something amazing. Don’t be afraid of deliciousness!
I was blessed with one of those life changing experiences that forces you to re-evaluate your life and made the decision to pursue what I love instead of working away at something that didn’t fulfill me. I followed my passion for food and cooking and made one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made—I applied to go to culinary school at The French Culinary Institute in New York City.
After completing the culinary arts program as a night student and graduating with honors in March 2011 I accepted a full-time position at the school working in the culinary programming department where I coordinate chef demonstrations, recreational classes, and events that connect students with the food community. I love what I do and am fortunate enough to learn new things every day.
I know that life is not always simple, but I do know that with strength, courage and a borderline obsessive passion for making something happen, you can do what you love. Life is too short not to.
Bon appetit!
Tara O’Keeffe
Great work, T! Good information.
Tara, or T I should say, I really like your website, who knew that you were such a foodie!
Has your chicken cheated on you?
Hi Tara,
I’ve got a great blog post idea that I think your reader’s will find extremely valuable in their quest to lose weight. Here’s the pitch:
In a society riddled with additives and preservatives in the foods we eat, consumers are desperately searching for a simpler, more honest diet with natural ingredients and whose health benefits are clear.
Fresh, natural chicken has always been thought of as a healthy, nutritious staple in our diets. A natural protein, low in fat and with traditionally perceived health benefits. So, what would consumers think if they knew that the chicken they were buying for their families actually contained massive amounts of additives, mechanically injected with sodium actually changing what’s inside of the chicken? Could you still call it chicken?
Enter “Franken-chicken.”
The “plumping” process which degrades the naturalness of chicken is inherently creepy and disturbing to many consumers aware of the fact that most poultry producers do in fact plump their chicken with saltwater, seaweed extract, carrageen and other decidedly unnatural additives.
At the very least “plumping” is bad for your health (since plumped chicken contains up to 700% more sodium than natural chicken!), bad for your budget (consumers pay upwards of $1.50 extra per package for plumped chicken) and at best works against the good consumers are trying to do for their family’s health, especially when most assume chicken is healthy.
Truly natural chicken should contain less than 70 mg of sodium per serving. Since “plumped” poultry may still be labeled as “All-Natural” or “100% Natural” it may be tough to spot the difference. How to be sure the chicken you’re prepping for the barbie isn’t “plumped?” Read the label: look for a sodium level of 70 mg or less per serving, steer clear of “salty” ingredients and keywords like carageenan, broth, enhanced, saltwater or “sodium solution”.
Foster Farms launched a comprehensive online resource – http://www.SayNoToPlumping.com – which aims to educate consumers on the high sodium content in foods that appear to be healthy, even when they may contribute to serious health issues. The Web site features two new feathery characters, Betsy and Martha, who discuss the health and cost implications of plumping, a practice long employed by some major national poultry brands. The site also includes plumping facts and figures, how to detect a plumper, links to health resources and an interactive “Plumpinator” calculator to help site visitors calculate how much money they waste on saltwater from plumped chicken each year.
Let me know if this is of interest to you. Additional information that I can provide includes visuals, nutrition label comparisons, nutritionist interviews and additional stats about how this is impacting consumer’s health and budgets.
Thanks!
Michael Kellner
Group Supervisor
Fineman PR
330 Townsend Street Suite 119
San Francisco, CA 94107
(W) 415-392-1000 ext 13
(C) 415-425-4773
Hi Michael,
That is some pretty interesting information, can you send me the additional info you listed so that i can review and work on a post?
Thanks!
Tara
Tara – This is the first time I’ve seen your blog and I am very impressed. You are an amazing person. I’m going to give Joe the receipe for the Penne Bolognese – it sounds wonderful.
Tara,
Please contact me although we did not get to speak at Erin’s wedding I would like to speak to you. Call Sheila she can give you my #. Liz
Tara,
Looks fabulous! Will have to try some your recipes.
KC