So, what exactly are Obama's options on Syria?
August 31, 2013

As more than one pundit has noted, President Barack Obama now has three choices in Syria: Bad, worse, and horrible. At least the evidence is steadily stacking up to suggest that is the case.

Last year, Obama made it clear that the United States would take action if Syria crossed "a red line" by using chemical weapons in its civil war. And there's evidence that it has.

What's not clear is what kind of action the United States will or should take.

Some of the players in that troubled country's civil war are more unsavory than others, but there appears to be no clear or reliable "good side" behind which the president might deploy U.S. military might at this moment.

Indeed, military, political, and diplomatic analysts widely agree that every potentially positive move on the table is freighted with negative side effects.

"I think there are no good options in Syria," says retired Army Gen. James "Spider" Marks, a CNN contributor. "There is an array of bad options and you have to take the least bad option that is out there."

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NFL to spend $765M to settle concussion lawsuits
August 31, 2013

The NFL agreed to pay more than three-quarters of a billion dollars to settle lawsuits from thousands of former players who developed dementia or other concussion-related brain disorders they say were caused by the very on-field violence that fueled the game's rise to popularity and profit.

The class-action settlement, unprecedented in sports, was announced Thursday after two months of court-ordered mediation and is subject to approval by a federal judge. It came exactly a week before the first game of the 2013 season, removing a major legal and financial threat hanging over the sport.

U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody in Philadelphia is expected to rule on the settlement in two to three months but said it ''holds the prospect of avoiding lengthy, expensive and uncertain litigation, and of enhancing the game of football.''

More than 4,500 former players, some of them suffering from depression or dementia, accused the NFL of concealing the long-term dangers of concussions and rushing injured players back onto the field, while glorifying and profiting from the bone-crushing hits that were often glorified in slow motion on NFL Films.

''Football has been my life and football has been kind to me,'' said former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett, one of at least 10 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame who filed suit since 2011. ''But when I signed up for this, I didn't know some of the repercussions. I did know I could get injured, but I didn't know about my head or the trauma or the things that could happen to me later on in life.''

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Steal This Recipe� Crisp Polenta a la Puttanesca | Mateo Restaurant Proven�al, Boulder
August 31, 2013

This recipe for Crisp Polenta a la Puttanesca, (including a secret blend for the perfect puttanesca sauce), was stolen with permission from Chef Matthew Jansen of Mateo Restaurant Proven�al in Boulder, Colorado. We suggest that if you're in Boulder, you treat yourself to the old style cooking and warm atmosphere of Mateo Restaurant Proven�al. And if you're not, give this recipe a try - it's vegetarian - if you leave out the pepperoncini - and gluten free!

About the chef: Matthew Jansen grew up in Boulder and went on to earn a degree in Journalism from the University of Colorado and participated as a member of the National Ski Team. In the early nineties during his tenure at Laudisio, CO, he earned his sommelier certificate from the Court of Master Sommeliers of London, England.

In 1996, Jansen left Boulder to experience a sample of the best restaurant operations across the country, and found a position as sommelier and captain at Valentino in Santa Monica, California. With one of the most extensive wine lists in the world and the country's top rated Italian cuisine, he was able to refine his skills and gain invaluable insight into the world of fine dining.

After a year in Santa Monica, he then went to San Francisco, where he found a position as general manager and sommelier with Next Century Restaurant Group. He went on to hold leading roles with the Group, including well-known local establishments such as Aqua, Aqua Bellagio, and Charles Nob Hill. Jansen then decided it was time to take the important step towards owning his own establishment. After returning to Boulder, he formed 75 LLC and conceived his original concept for Mateo, which opened in October of 2001.

Mateo Restaurant Proven�al
1837 Pearl Street
Boulder, Colorado 80302
303.443.7766

Crisp Polenta a la Puttanesca is served at Mateo Restaurant Proven�al for $17.
This recipe makes 4 restaurant servings.

This is a 2-part recipe:
Polenta
*Puttanesca Sauce

Polenta Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups vegetable stock (made in house at Mateo)
2 Tbsp butter (Mateo recommends unsalted Plugra European style butter)
1 Tbsp salt (Mateo recommends kosher salt)
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup grated parmesan (Mateo recommends Reggiano-Parmigiano)
1 1/2 cups polenta (Mateo recommends Anson Mills heirloom polenta)

*Puttanesca Sauce Ingredients:
1 1/4 lb whole peeled tomatoes (Mateo recommends in-season tomatoes or canned San Marzano)
3/4 cup shallots, minced
1/4 cup nicoise olives, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup green Sicilian olives, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup pepperoncini, chopped
2 Tbsp red chili flakes
1/4 cup capers (Mateo recommends small non-pareilles)
Salt

Plating Ingredients:
Extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Parmesan shavings (optional)

Polenta Steal This Recipe� Step-by-Step Instructions:
Bring vegetable stock, butter, salt and bay leaf to a boil.
Slowly whisk polenta into boiling stock, make sure the consistency is smooth.
Add parmesan.
Reduce to low heat and cook for 30 minutes.
Pour creamy polenta onto a sheet tray using a rubber spatula to smooth the surface (use a non-stick tray that will allow the polenta to remain approximately 3/4 inch thick).
Refrigerate polenta in sheet tray until completely cold and firm.
Cut polenta into 3/4 inch cubes and remove from tray with a spatula.
Depending on the desired crispness, flash fry at 400 degrees for 2 minutes or bake at 500 degrees for 8 minutes.
Tip: The polenta cubes have a tendency to stick together, so gently shake when frying or separate before baking.

*Puttanesca Sauce Steal This Recipe� Step-by-Step Instructions:
Sweat shallots in stock pot until soft and cooked through.
Combine remaining ingredients in stock pot and slowly simmer for 1 hour.
Cut tomatoes with the spatula while occasionally stirring the sauce.
Salt to taste, although oftentimes the olives, capers, and tomatoes contain the desired sodium level.

Plating Steal This Recipe� Step-by-Step Instructions:
Place a 4 oz ladle of Puttanesca Sauce at the base of a bowl.
Place 12 - 14 cubes of crisp polenta over the sauce.
Top off with a drizzle of olive oil and parmesan shavings.

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Superfood Soy?
August 31, 2013

SupermarketGuru recently talked about the various types of soy products. But the main question people are asking is, are soy foods healthy? Unfortunately that point in widely debated, but it seems if properly prepared and in moderation, soy can be excellent for good health.

Here are some various health benefits that have been linked to soy:

Soy products are protein and fiber-rich, as well as being a great source of omega-3 fats and disease-fighting isoflavones that promote heart health and reduce the risk of cancers of the prostate and breast. In addition, soy contains phytoestrogens which may counter natural estrogen's negative effects on women-such as formation of uterine fibroids-and lessen menopausal symptoms.

Antioxidants: Soy foods contain antioxidants - compounds that protect cells from damage caused by unstable oxygen molecules called free radicals.

Cholesterol: In 38 studies involving 730 people, the connection between soy consumption and low cholesterol levels was strong. Those with diets where half the protein was soy had 10 percent lower cholesterol than those not eating soy. Saponins and phytosterols in soy are thought to bind cholesterol in the gut, and help it pass through our GI tract.

Hot flashes: Menopausal symptoms are almost immediately responsive to isoflavones. Often, within weeks of beginning soy consumption, women experience a 25 percent drop in hot flashes. Isoflavones are also thought to be antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory and more!

Immunity: Soybean peptides (chains of amino acids) can boost the immune system, helping the body fight disease.

An adequate serving to reap the benefits of soy, is just a cup of soymilk or just two ounces (or half a serving) of tofu per day - that's not a lot! When consumed in larger amounts soy's consumption becomes controversial in its health benefits; soy falls into a category of foods known as goitrogens - vegetables, grains and foods that interfere with thyroid function. Speak with you physician or nutritionist to determine if soy foods, in moderation, are right for you.

For more about soy and decoding the different types, click here.

Do note that many processed and packaged foods do contain soy in small amounts in the form of soy protein isolate, soybean oil and more. Do not discount these towards your soy intake. Eating more whole soy foods and avoiding soy as an additive may be your best bet for good health - as you can better measure serving size.

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From Tom Parsons - Free Award Tickets Are A Thing Of The Past Get Ready For Sticker Shock
August 30, 2013

In recent years the airlines have been adding and raising fees and those fees don't just apply to paid tickets.

We are also seeing fees on award travel, so if you want to redeem miles or points for air travel, you should know that the world of "free" tickets are over.

This past spring we saw United raise the change fee on paid domestic tickets from $150 to $200 and other airlines matched. United also quietly raised the change fees on award tickets to the same amount in June. Surprisingly the other airlines have not matched, but they could in the future.

It still amazes me that you can have a free ticket and if you need to make a change, but want to keep that free ticket, it can cost you up to $200. There will be times when you have to cancel due to a health issue or a family emergency and the airlines will love you because you will have to pay $200.

We've recently seen roundtrip flights from Dallas to Fort Lauderdale starting at $199, but if you have an award ticket on United and you need to change it, it will cost you $200 to redeposit your miles. For $200 you can go to many short-haul destinations out of Texas. I've recently seen $138 roundtrip flights between Dallas and New Orleans, but if you cancel or change your flight it would cost more than your ticket value, so it's just a throwaway ticket.

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Chef Louie's Labor Day BBQ Tips
August 30, 2013

Keep different meats separated. Keep chicken on a separate dish from pork and burgers and dogs to avoid possible contamination.

Keep hot foods hot - 140 degrees, and cold foods cold - 40 degrees.

Clean your grill BEFORE you cook anything - just heating it up might not kill all bacteria.

Let meats come to room temperature before you grill. This keeps your favorite meats from burning to a cinder while the inside stays cold.

Let food cook! Constantly turning and poking cuts your chance of gaining a nice crust on the meat, and, it also keeps more juices in the meat.

Pre-heat, pre-heat and pre-heat!

Never fuel your fire with fat. Trim properly and never dump your leftover marinade on the meat on a hot grill. Fat burns, not grills!

Get your imagination in gear. I tried bread dough on the grill and the flavor of the resulting bread was fantastic. So much so that I now do it regularly!

Happy and safe Holidays to All!

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Fast Food Salads Are Anything But Healthy
August 30, 2013

You wouldn't be amiss in thinking that a restaurant's salad is a more nutritious and healthful option than their cheeseburger. But, in the case of fast food menus, that calculation doesn't always pan out.

In our latest Unreal Eats, we explored the calorie and nutrition profiles of fast food salads to see if it really is possible to eat healthfully at some of our country's most notoriously caloric restaurant chains.

We found that although fast food chains have put a big emphasis on developing "healthier" menus, the nutrition content of salads turn out to be approximately the same as their counterparts without the health halo. In fact, in terms of calories and fat content, salads rarely fare much better than the unhealthy sandwiches and burgers we associate with fast food restaurants.

And that mirrors a 2012 study, which found that although fast food menus grew between 1996 and 2010 to include 53 percent more dishes and snacks, the average number of calories in each item hadn't changed.

"Entree salads, which are increasing in number, can be bad, too. With fried chicken on top and regular dressing, they can have more calories than a burger," lead researcher Katherine Bauer, an assistant professor in the department of public health at Temple University, told HealthDay at the time of the study's release.

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Hospital Battling Amish Family's Decision to End Girl's Chemotherapy
August 30, 2013

An Ohio appeals court has sided with a hospital that wants to continue treating a 10-year-old Amish girl with chemotherapy after her parents decided to stop the treatment for her leukemia.

Sarah Hershberger had tumors on her neck, chest and kidneys when her parents initially agreed to chemotherapy at Akron Children's Hospital earlier this year. Her family says the side effects were terrible and they decided to treat her leukemia with natural remedies instead.

On Tuesday, an appeals court ruled a juvenile court judge must reconsider the decision that blocked the hospital's attempt to give an attorney, who's also a registered nurse, limited guardianship over Sarah and the power to make medical decisions for her.

Though the Amish typically shy away from modern technology, her father agreed to a phone interview with ABC News.

"We've seen how sick it makes her," Andy Hershberger said. "Our belief is the natural stuff will do just as much as that stuff if it's God's will."

With chemotherapy, Sarah's doctor's say she has an 85 percent chance of survival and without it, she could die within a year.

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Text a driver in New Jersey, and you could see your day in court
August 30, 2013

We've all heard the dictum: Don't text and drive. Now a New Jersey state appeals court has an addendum: Don't knowingly text a driver -- or you could be held liable if he causes a crash.

Kyle Best was behind the wheel of his pickup in September 2009 driving down a rural highway when Shannon Colonna sent him a text.

The two were teens at the time. He was 18; she was 17, and they were dating. They sent each other 62 texts that day, according to court documents.

In the opposing lane of traffic, David Kubert was cruising along on a big, blue touring motorcycle with his wife, Linda, along for the ride. They approached Best at exactly the wrong time.

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From Tom Kraeutler - Home Improvers to Stay Busy Into 2014
August 29, 2013

As the housing market continues its upswing, so does remodeling activity, and the trajectory is expected to continue into 2014. According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard's latest Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA), the general strengthening of the housing market over the past 18 months is translating into increased spending on home improvements.

It certainly makes sense. Recent homebuyers are traditionally the most active home improvers, and with growth in existing home sales, there's a lot more opportunity to spend on updating and personalizing their abodes. Consumer confidence is also heading back to pre-recession levels, making homeowners much more comfortable about investing in their homes and taking time to tackle long-postponed projects.

All of this is great news for remodeling contractors, too, who have been reporting improving market conditions over the past four quarters. The researchers behind LIRA expect the trend to continue into early 2014, when home remodeling spending could begin to moderate as financing costs start edging upward.

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