Have you heard about the Blue Poop Challenge Muffins? It’s a fun experiment designed to help you learn about your gut health while enjoying blue muffins.

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Nothing like a title with poop in it to draw in readers for a recipe, amiright? It’s only partly as gross as you think.

A couple weeks ago a friend asked if I had heard of the Blue Poop Challenge where you eat not just one blue muffin, but two and track when the dye comes out the other end in the form of, you guessed it, blue poop. It’s based on research examining gut health conducted by healthcare science company ZOE and researchers at King’s College London.

To be honest, I was immediately skeptical because ZOE asks you to sign up for their services upon completion of the muffin challenge. Anytime a healthcare company tries to sell you something is a huge red flag, especially when gut health research is still so very new.

What are the Blue Poop Challenge Muffins based on?

As mentioned above, the Blue Poop Challenge was derived from research done by a group of scientists who work with ZOE, published September 2021 in Gut. In this study, they used several different methods to track gut transit time of 863 healthy people. They concluded that not only is transit time a better measure of your gut microbiome that frequency and appearance, but that blue dye is a cheaper and easier option for measuring gut transit time that previously used methods.

By tracking their participants blue poo transit time and sequencing stool samples, they observed a correlation of the gut microbiome composition to transit time groups. Meaning, if you have a longer transit time, you tend to have a different gut microbiome composition than a shorter transit time.

Can Blue Poop Challenge Muffins really predict gut health?

It is important to point our that they are not making specific claims about health in this study, just correlations. After all, gut transit time it only one factor contributing to your over all “gut health”. However, a previous study by the same team published January 2021 in Nature Medicine did show a strong link between overall health, the foods you eat, transit time, and the presence of certain gut microbes. In other words, the faster the blue dye moves through your body, the more likely you are to have a healthy gut microbiome. But there isn’t enough scientific data yet to determine exactly what transit time is optimal for health.

Another short-fall of the Blue Poop Challenge? Eating two muffins one day only gives you a transit time for that particular day. Tomorrow may be different based on your diet, sleep, exercise, etc. So if you try the Blue Poop Challenge muffins, don’t stress about your results because there’s not enough data to say what it truly means – it’s more of a fun experiment.

The one intriguing thing about their program is that it effectively is crowdsourcing science which in beneficial in many ways, including getting a bigger picture of what is going on, which is what we need for their field to develop a bigger picture.

How long should the blue poop challenge take?

For the participants in their Nature Medicine study, gut transit time ranged from less than 12 hours to several days, but averaged around 29 hours.

Since I am completely enthralled by gut health and enjoy a fun little experiment, I set out to bake blue muffins for my coworkers, first ensuring that I had enough of the right blue food coloring.

Without divulging too much information, all 6 participants in my mini Blue Poop Muffin Challenge were around the average found in the published study.

What information does the Blue Poop Challenge provide?

After calculating our transit time on the ZOE website and answering some questions about our eating habits it paired us with one of the participants in their study whom had similar transit time and eating habits. By no way it is diagnostic but it goes on to tell you the good microbes that were common in your “gut twin”.

This is where the red flags come in because if you want to actually learn what microbes are in your microbiome you have to enroll in their program which will tell you what to eat based off the results. Since, as I mentioned above, there isn’t enough data I am not advocating for anyone to sign up. Maybe if you have bowel issues already and have not had success remedying it other ways, talk to your doctor about it.

BLUE POOP CHELLENGE MUFFINS

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Yield: 6 servings Prep Time: 25 Minutes Cooking Time: 25 Minutes 25 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour*
• 1 Tbsp (15g) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (120g) buttermilk
• 1 Tbsp lime zest
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp Wilton Royal blue food coloring
• 1/2 cup (100g) vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• Coarse sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 12-count muffin pan with non-stick spray, set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl mix the buttermilk, lime zest, vanilla extract, and blue food coloring. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the oil and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat until just incorporated. Alternate adding in the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, mixing just until combined. Gently fold in the fresh blueberries trying not to break them as you stir.
5. Fill your muffin pans about 3/4 of the way full and smooth the top as best as possible.
6. Top each muffin with coarse sugar.
7. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the muffin a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Notes

*Can be made gluten-free by substituting with a 1-to-1 gluten-free all purpose flour.

Source: Adapted from my Blueberry-Lime Streusel Muffins and Zoe.

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Air fryer vs convection oven – are they the same? Does one cook better than the other? I took it upon myself to test them side by side and here are my results.

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Air Fryers are Easy-Bake Ovens for adults.

There, I said it.

TL;DR – The short version of this post is that an air fryer a smaller convection oven with a trendy name.

Better yet, you probably already own an “air fryer” because “air frying” is not real, it doesn’t exist [1]. An Air Fryer is just a small convection oven which means it is baking, not frying [2, 3]. Many countertop toaster ovens are also convection ovens. Heck most new full sized oven models have a convection mode. Do you have either of those in your kitchen? If not, then maybe you have an argument to buy an air fryer. Better yet, you can buy a toaster oven with a convection mode which is way more useful (and often cheaper). I’ll get more into that later.

Why am I calling them Easy-Bake Ovens for adults? Let’s talk about how all these things work.

How does an Easy-Bake Oven work?

The original Easy-Bake Oven used twin 100-watt incandescent light bulbs to heat the oven. One above the food and he other below. You might scoff at this idea of using a light bulb to cook food, but inside that little device the temperatures reached more than 350F due to the heat give off by the bulbs [4]. But thanks to engineering, later models used only one bulb. And guess what that one bulb does? It creates a convection effect that cooks just as well as its two-bulb ancestor [5].

What is a Convection Oven?

Take your oven, but make it smaller and fit on your countertop. If you have a convection oven, you may have noticed the fan inside. This fan blows the heat emitted from the bottom (and sometimes top) element around and onto the food, in effect transferring more heat to the surface of the food, cooking faster, and therefore resulting in more crispiness than an ordinary oven (but obviously less than deep frying). The second key part is the rack, which allows the food to be spread in a single layer allowing for even air flow and cooking all around [6].

And if you’re like me and enjoy watching your food cook, there’s a nice window for you to gaze longing inside. Or for a normal person to check when it’s done without opening it and thus losing heat.

What is an Air Fryer?

As I mentioned earlier, an air fryer is a smaller, more portable convection oven. Instead of being a squat wide box like a toaster oven, most air fryers have a smaller footprint but are taller (think giant coffee machine) because the fan is above the heating element which in turn is above the removable bucket/basket – like a convection broiler [7]. Because it is smaller, the fan is closer to the food which enables it to cook more quickly than a convection oven [6].

Therefore, Easy-Bake ovens for kids are Air Fryers for adults.

Hooray you can cook food faster! In theory. Because it is smaller, you can only fit a fraction of the amount of food a confection oven can cook at the same time. So if you are cooking more than 1-2 servings, you will be cooking in batches and there goes your time efficiency argument. Even if you did pile the food in the bucket, you still have to shake the food around, and it will still take longer to cook than if it were in a single layer [6].

Air Fryer vs Convection Oven

But Erin, I want to cook fried food in a healthier way.

This is favorite reason for someone wanting an air fryer – to make fried things healthier. Except often times those same people rarely cook fried foods to begin with. Which mean you are actually incorporating less healthy food into your diet by owning an air fryer. But again , you could just use your convection oven. To prove it I borrowed a friends air fryer for a couple weeks and did some side-by-side testing. Because science.

First question – which preheats faster?

Short answer – almost exactly the same (4ish minutes).

And damn the air fryer is loud! It also set off our smoke alarm so we had to put it on top of our stove top and turn on the range hood.

Next I sought to compare various items that the people of Instagram told me where their favorite items to cook in an air fryer including (but not limited to): bacon, fries, salmon, dumplings, and reheated pizza. I couldn’t blind myself since I was cooking it, but I did blind Bob. Here are our results:

• Both bacon and breakfast sausage cooked faster in the air fryer by about 5 minutes, but unfortunately the bacon cooked much faster than expected. I followed the directions for cooking bacon in an air fryer and even with checking them at the short end of the expected time it was over cooked. And no I wasn’t using thin bacon, it was thick cut. Another reason why I like spying on my food in a window because I could have checked on its progress without opening it an releasing heat.
• Fries and hash browns also took a little longer in convection by about 5 minutes but otherwise similarly deliciously crispy/crunchy.
• Salmon again also took about 5 minutes longer in the convection but both Bob and I thought the salmon cooked in the air fryer was a bit dry.
• Dumplings were not great in either, but definitely worse in the air fryer. To be honest I wonder if the person who said dumplings meant to say egg rolls? I’ve never had a dumpling that was fried, usually it’s pan seared/steamed.
• Then a friend gave me some patacones, plantains, and potatoes to test out. The sweet plantains were great in the air fryer and might be the only thing I actually preferred. The patacones and potatoes were as dry as can be.
• Reheated pizza was the same as in convection oven.

Basically I feel like if the item isn’t inherently moist on it’s own, it’s going to be dried out in an air fryer. And the best things to cook in an air fryer are items that are normally fried (fries, egg rolls, hash browns, etc).

I don’t feel like that recap properly depicts my adventure, but since I didn’t record it, please watch Alton Brown testing an air fryer. It gave me joy that he had some of the exact same reactions I did, especially in the beginning.

But all that being said…

If an air fryer brings you joy, by all means “air fry” away.

I’ll still be over here loving my convection oven.

One year ago: Giant Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookie for One

Three years ago: Red Velvet Truffle Sugar Cookie Cups

Five years ago: Peppermint Shortbread

Seven years ago: Hot Chocolate Brownie Bites

Eight year ago: Pinto Bean Breakfast Patty Melts

Nine years ago: Chewy Molasses Cookies

Ten years ago: Andes Crème de Menthe Chocolate Cookies

This edamame guacamole tastes very similar to guacamole with all the same seasonings and mix-ins, but without using avocados. Plus the added bonus that it’s healthier for you.

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I love avocados. When I was in Belize I thought I would be able to get some local avocados. However, not only were they out of season (we went at the end of rainy season) but they are not as easy to acquire as they are in the US even when they are in season.

On top of that I recently learned they are an unsustainable fruit.

Unfortunately these deliciously creamy avocados have an enormous carbon footprint, require 320 litres of water each to grow and are often unaffordable for people indigenous to the areas in which they are grown. Additionally, these communities are running into additional problems including deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and water shortages – which means that they don’t even have enough water for hygiene.

While there really isn’t a great substitute for fresh sliced avocados or their derivatives commonly used in gluten-free and vegan baking (avocado oil and avocado butter), some restaurants are starting to offer alternatives to an avocado-based guacamole. It’s not substitute, but if seasoned right it could be an acceptable alternative given the circumstances.

So I decided to try it out for myself. All I really did was add guacamole seasoning, cilantro, tomato, red onion, and jalapeno to my edamame dip recipe. Then I brought it to a potluck to test it on others. The general consensus (and nearly empty bowl) was that it tasted pretty damn good. Not quite the same flavor or texture but still enjoyed by all. There was even an avocado-based guacamole on the side to compare!

One year ago: Buckeye Macaron Cake

Three years ago: Purple Sweet Potato Pie

Four years ago: Daytrip to Athens, Ohio

Five years ago: Salted Caramel Apple Cider Bliss

Six years ago: Peanut Butter Turtle Cookie Cups

Seven years ago: Breakfast Nachos with Greek Yogurt Hollandaise Sauce

Eight years ago: Pumpkin Baklava Bars

Nine years ago: Baked Purple Sweet Potato Doughnuts with Marshmallow Glaze

Ten years ago: Gluten-Free Cake Batter Pancakes

EDAMAME GUACAMOLE (NO AVOCADO)

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Yield: 8 servings Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 2 Minutes 2 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen, shelled edamame
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped tomato
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded (optional)

Directions

1. In a small saucepan add the edamame. Cover with 2-inches of water. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
2. Once cooled, place 3/4 of the edamame, garlic, cilantro, and yogurt in a food processor. Pulse 10 times or until coarsely ground. Add water, oil, lime juice, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne, and salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Add reserved edamame and pulse until just combined.
3. Transfer to a bowl, fold in the tomato, red onion, and jalapeno. Serve with chips, crackers or veggies.

Source: Adapted from Nutty Edamame Dip and Guacamole Seasoning.

Did you make this recipe? I want to see! Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

What makes honey crystallize and how can you de-crystallize it? Find out and then make this craveable whipped feta topped with honey and pistachios.

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Did you know that September is #NationalHoneyMonth? As such, I am taking the opportunity to make a #ScienceSundays post about honey crystallization and throwing in a recipe for whipped feta topped with a big ol’ blob of honey while I’m at it as well.

But first, the science…

How many of you when you go to grab the jar of honey in the pantry, will find it crystallized? Never fear, that’s not necessarily a bad thing!

Honey, as I am sure you can guess by it’s sweet nature, is composed mostly of sugars (primarily fructose followed by glucose and sucrose [1]) and has a low (15-18%) water content. In science that’s what is called a supersaturated solution and such solutions tend to crystallize easily. This is because the low water content in honey is not sufficient to keep all of the sugar dissolved and in solution. Maple syrup is also considered a supersaturated solution [2].

Raw honey (such as the Winter Park Honey pictured above) crystallizes quicker than refined honey due to the sugars sticking to particles like pollen in the honey. Therefore, refined and pasteurized honey takes much longer to crystallize, but lacks some of the health benefits of raw honey. In addition, storing honey in the refrigerator greatly accelerates the crystallization process. [3]

During crystallization, honey does not “go bad”. In fact, some people enjoy using crystallized honey on cereal or fruit (charcuterie board anyone?).  But if you are not in that camp, here are some tips for converting it from a solid back into a viscous liquid.

How to de-crystallize honey

The easiest method is to place the container in a window that will get the sun for several hours a day.  But since this could take a few days (and chances are you want to use it sooner than that), if your honey is in a plastic container, fill a temperature safe bowl or pot with enough hot tap water to cover the container 3/4 of the way. When the water cools, replace with more hot tap water.  In time, your honey will de-crystallize. [3]

I know that method still takes a bit of time but please do not microwave your honey! It might be a temporary fix but you will lose more water which means it will crystallize even faster next time.

As an aside (but it could be it’s own post), like olive oil there is a petition to the FDA to create a “standard of identity” for honey over concerns about adulterated and misbranded honey (such as those cut with corn syrup). The USDA attempted to help by creating a voluntary grading system but without any enforcement/regulation (again similar to olive oil) [4]. So if you’re looking to identify what kind of honey you have in your pantry, I found this list of 4 ways to verify the purity of honey.

Whipped Feta with Honey

Now that your honey is de-crystallized and ready to go, let’s pour it over some creamy whipped feta! Just combine equal parts feta and cream cheese with a little olive oil to achieve the consistency you desire. Also a great time to use any fun flavored olive oils you may have – I used lemon.

Once well blended, transfer to a serving plate/shallow bowl, carve a well in the center, and pour raw honey into it. Top with some chopped roasted nuts (pistachio), fresh herbs (lemon thyme from my garden), and serve with your favorite cracker, bread, or pita.

One year ago: Buckeye Milkshake

Three years ago: Gluten-Free White Chocolate Covered Strawberry Vanilla Wedding Cake

Five years ago: Grilled Chocolate Chip Cookies

Six years ago: White Chocolate Peanut Butter Milkshakes

Seven years ago: Bacon Wrapped Mac & Cheese Jalapeno Poppers

Nine years ago: Carrot Cake Batter Dip

Ten years ago: Strawberry Mojito

WHIPPED FETA WITH HONEY

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Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 oz. block of feta cheese, drained
• 2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil (I used lemon flavored)
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• Pistachios and thyme, or other favorite nuts/herbs
• Crackers, bread, or pita

Directions

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine cream cheese, feta, and olive oil. Pulse until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add more olive oil if needed to reach desired consistency.
2. Transfer to a shallow bowl or plate for serving, creating a shallow well in the center. Pour honey into well. Top with chopped pistachios and herbs, and serve immediately with crackers, bread, or pita.

Source: Adapted from Books n’ Cooks.

Did you make this recipe? I want to see! Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

References:

1. The Conversation
2. Winter Park Honey- The Chemistry of Honey
3. Winter Park Honey – How to Soften Honey
4. Forbes

Get kids excited about science with an acids, bases, and pH science kit for kids from Yellow Scope!

I was provided with complimentary kits from Yellow Scope but was not otherwise compensated. This content also contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

After bring stuck at home, how many new hobbies did you pick up and retain? For many people, baking and cooking became a popular thing to dabble in over the last year. Maybe you are now a master of sourdough bread, embraced your Italian side with homemade pasta, or baked enough to run your own bakery.

Hopefully, while you’ve been experimenting in the kitchen, you were able to convince your kids to join you instead of being sucked into their computers/phones/video games 24/7. But it can be a struggle to get them interested in baking or cooking because it doesn’t seem exciting to them.

I may not be a mom, but thankfully my nephews Luke and Griffin are always down for playing in the kitchen. So when I was asked to try out some science kits from Yellow Scope I knew they would be a hit. Their science kits were created to get kids interested in discovering the world around them through fun and interesting experiments that turn them into little scientists.

From the Foundation Chemistry kit which can teach kids about the chemical reactions that happen in baking to the Acids, Bases and pH kit that lets kids discover the different tastes of liquids used in everyday meals. The kits come with everything they need, including safety goggles, to perform a wide variety of experiments and get interested in an activity in the kitchen, instead of at a screen.

Acids, Bases, and pH

Unfortunately, those two nephews (I have 6 BTW, no nieces yet) live in California so we couldn’t ditch the screen entirely, because we had a Zoom science play date! I had both the Foundation Chemistry kit and the Acids, Bases and pH kit sent to them, but I only got the latter so that’s the one we did together virtually.

As I mentioned earlier, the kits contain almost everything they need, including goggles! The things not included are the various household items that will be tested. The kit suggests starting with window cleaner, vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, detergent, and water because it walks you through predicting if they are acids or bases and once performing the experiment you can compare your results with the kits predetermined results.

With the help of my brother, their father, we both gathered up various household items on our respective ends of the camera. Once reading about what makes an acid or a base and where they fall on the pH scale, we each made predictions as to where we thought eat item would fall on the pH scale. I was missing one of the household items so I tested out root beer instead!

With the addition of the purple cabbage “reagent” my nephews loved watching the colors change for each item, turning from plain white/clear to various shades or purple, pink, and blue (or stayed brown in the case of my root beer – neutral it is). We made sure to tilt of camera to share our results with each other too!

After comparing our results to the controls set out by the kit, we then went on to explore other items. THe kit offers various suggestions and we expanded upon that by pulling all kinds of things out of our refrigerators or random items around the house. Here’s how they turned out in our tests:

• Cherry juice – neutral
• Olive juice – a little basic
• Milk – neutral, slightly basic
• Seltzer water (fresh) – neutral
• Lime juice – acidic
• Sourdough starter – slightly acidic
• Hand sanitizer – neutral
• Bug spray – slightly basic
• Bleach – strong base
• Hot sauce- strong acid
• Vodka – neutral

The next experiment in the kit was not very Zoom-friendly as it involves making your own pH indicator with a red cabbage, but there is plenty of supplied red cabbage powder to perform other experiments!

What would you test with this Acids, Bases, and pH science kit for kids?

Be sure to check out their other kits including DNA & Traits and Paper Chromatography.

Three years ago: Strawberry Mojito Popsicles

Four years ago: Stuffed Blueberry Pie Oreo Cookies

Five years ago: Butterfinger Brownie Banana Bread

Seven years ago: Cheesy Taco Seasoned Hard Pretzels

Eight years ago: Raw Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bites

Nine years ago: Red Velvet Cake Batter Dip

Ten years ago: Chocolate Covered Sunflower Seed Cookies

You can’t have a picnic or backyard cookout without an easy pasta salad. Toss your favorite pasta shape with vegetables, cheese, and Italian dressing for the perfect summer side dish.

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Happy National DNA Day! To celebrate I made an easy pasta salad with rotini pasta because it looks DNA double helix. But before I get into the recipe, let’s talk a little science for #ScienceSundays!

What is National DNA Day?

National DNA Day celebrates the discovery of DNA’s double helix by James Watson and Francis Crick using X-ray crystallography created by Rosalind Franklin in 1953 and the completion of the Human Genome Project 50 years later in 2003 ted in 1989). The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of 27 institutes and centers that form the National Institutes of Health (NIH), encourages organizations to host events celebrating National DNA Day from January through May of each year, offering opportunities to learn about the latest advances in genomic research and explore what it may mean for our lives.

I may not be an organization, nor am I hosting an event, but as a classically trained geneticist, I figured it was a great topic to briefly cover and correlate to food in some way.

What is DNA?

DNA is like a recipe with instructions for our body to grow and function. Actually, an even better analogy is comparing DNA to the coding of a computer program but instead of a series of 0s and 1s, it’s made of nucleotides denoted by As, Ts, Gs, and Cs. It’s the language of DNA.

Despite how different humans many appear from one another, we actually are 99.9% identical genetically. A more startling fact is that only 1% of our total DNA actually contains sequences known as genes, which code for those instructions. The regions outside of that 1% regulate what/when/how/how much of that gene and its product is made.

Since DNA is more or less a code, it first must be translated in messenger RNA (or mRNA which is commonly heard term these days with the COVID-19 vaccines) which then is translated into proteins that have various functions.

How is genomics used?

The human genome project and advances in genomics have changed the way we do science. When the project first started in 1989, they were sequencing the entire genome by hand, but now its digital. Heck now you can spit into a tube and 6 weeks later you have results from places such as 23andMe (referral link).

With the help of genomics, we are also learning how life works and disease occurs. Those genes I mentioned? They can have slightly different sequences, or be damaged, which may cause disease, and sequencing can identify and possibly even diagnose rare diseases when classic medicine fails. Of course this work has raised ethical and social considerations which is why experts in these fields have been involved since the beginning.

Another benefit comes at a social level. This information shows that we are more alike than we are different, that we have a more diverse history than many people expected, breaks down the traditional notions of race but instead a beautiful continuum, and promotes conversations about race in a positive way with perspectives of similarities instead of differences.

What to learn more? Here are some great review videos on DNA and the Human Genome Project.

DNA-Shaped Easy Pasta Salad

So what does all that have to do with pasta salad? Mostly just the fact that the DNA double helix resembles the rotini pasta shape. However there is a Science of Macaroni Salad TED talk about how it can be used to explain how everything is made of molecules. But that goes even deeper than DNA.

This pasta salad, unlike understanding genetics, is quite simple and the perfect side to your favorite grilled summer meats like Traeger smoked pork chops. Just mix up cooked rotini (or your favorite pasta shape) with chopped broccoli, red bell pepper, salami, cheddar, olives, and Italian dressing. Of course since it’s more of an assembly rather than a recipe, you can easily change the various components based on your preferences. Want mozzarella instead of cheddar? By all means! I actually used gluten-free chickpea pasta from Barilla.

Three years ago: Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Five years ago: Root Beer Pancakes

Six years ago: DIY Anthopologie Inspired Confetti Tumblers

Seven years ago: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Chess Pie

Eight years ago: Chicken Mango Quesadillas

Nine years ago: Chicken & Spinach Alfredo Pizza

Ten years ago: Cake Batter Fruit Dip

EASY PASTA SALAD

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Yield: 10 servings Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 10 Minutes 10 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 lb. rotini pasta (I used Barilla chickpea)
• 1 large head of broccoli, florets trimmed and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 8 oz. cheddar cheese, cubed
• 5 oz. sliced salami, diced
• 2.25 oz. can sliced black olives, drained
• 16 oz. bottle Italian dressing
• Garlic, red pepper, salt and black pepper, to taste.

Directions

1. Cook pasta 2 minutes past al dente. Drain and let cool.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the broccoli, pepper, cheese, salami, and olives. Add cooled pasta and dressing and stir until evenly distributed. Season to taste.
3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

You can change out any ingredient you wish: pepperoni for salami, mozzarella for cheddar, tomatoes for peppers, different shaped pasta, etc.

Did you make this recipe? I want to see!
Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

You’ve chopped up your green onions and you’re left with the white nub of roots. Don’t toss it! You can regrow green onions by placing them in water.

This post isn’t science-y, but it is useful! Today I am going to show you how easy it is to regrow green onions.

Green onions are the easiest veggie scrap to regrow. After chopping all the greens you need for a recipe, just place the leftover white and roots in a glass (at least 1 inch worth), roots down, with about an inch of water. Depending on how much sun they get, in a few days to a week you’ll have fresh green onions.

I’ve done this for years and actually keep my freshly purchased green onions in water before I even use them. Which often results in a serious amount of green onion if I don’t use them quickly, but thankfully many recipes can use a little green onion garnish on top.

But after you’ve regrown them a couple times they tend to peter out and get really skinny. At that point I toss the leftover white nubs in my veggie scraps freezer bag to be made into homemade veggie broth later!

Or you can replant the bulb in soil. The advantage of bulbs is that if they aren’t harvested they will multiply and more will grow! Which means less you have to buy later – maybe never if you’re a good plant parent.

Using regular house plant soil and a pot with proper drainage, place green onions an inch into the soil, root side down. Then place it in an area that gets at least 6 hours of direct sunlight and in a few days you will see new growth. Just trim off what you need.

Want to try regrowing other scraps? Take a look at this post that includes how to regrow celery, ginger, lettuce, pineapple, potatoes. They could be fun experiments to do with kids too!

Two years ago: Matcha Rice Crispy Treats

Five years ago: Salted Caramel Double Chocolate Stout Cookies

Seven years ago: St. Patrick’s Day Recipe Roundup (2014)

Eight years ago: Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla Pie

Nine years ago: Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza

Ten years ago: Apple Harvest Oatmeal

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Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

Have you seen the new Pinkglow pink pineapple? Learn how it came to be and then enjoy it in all its glory in this sweet and pretty pink pineapple pie!

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Awhile back I won a Del Monte Pinkglow pink pineapple from The Baking Fairy and I am finally sharing what I made with it! I have to admit, after seeing that they normally cost $49 ($20 for the petit) I felt some serious pressure on the decision of what to make. But first let’s talk about this stunner of a pineapple and the bioengineering that made it possible.

You guessed it, today is #ScienceSundays and I’m going to touch upon GMOs! There is far more information than I can cover here so I am going to primarily stick to these pineapples.

The reason for the sticker shock? These pineapples take about 2 years to grow, which results in very limited quantities [1]. Heck before that, it took them 16 years to create it [2]! A lot of time went into these babies. They are actually shipped without the tops because the top is how they propagate more (although some speculate it’s so consumers can’t propagate them themselves).

But let’s get back to this color, which is due to carotenoids, specifically lycopene. This is a natural pigment that gives some produce its red color (ex: tomatoes, watermelon) – in this case it makes this product pink [1,3]. And these pineapples have been bioengineered to turn off the enzyme that usually converts lycopene into beta carotene, which is what gives a common pineapple its yellow color. By turning off the enzyme, lycopene remains intact and instead of yellow they are pink [3]!

Before you scoff at this bioengineers food product, you should know that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the Pinkglow pineapple, explaining that there are no safety or regulatory concerns because the new pineapple has simply been genetically engineered to produce lower levels of the enzymes already in conventional pineapple that convert the pink pigment lycopene to the yellow pigment beta carotene and thus is something we commonly and safely already consume [2,4]. 

In fact, it is the most powerful antioxidant that has been measured in food. While more studies need to be conducted, it has been implicated in playing a role in preventing cancer, heart disease, and macular degeneration. Fruits and vegetables that are high in lycopene include asparagus, cooked tomatoes, guavas, mangos, papayas, pink grapefruits, persimmons, red cabbages, sweet red peppers, and watermelons [5,6,7]. (The cubed up pink pineapple actually looks like watermelon, or raw tuna.)

As for other “GMO” or “bioengineered” foods products, did you know that this process began in the 1980s? Most GMO plants are used to make ingredients that are used in other food products, such as cornstarch from GMO corn and  sugar from GMO sugar beets. Unfortunately, despite the length of time this process has been utilized, there is still a lot of confusion about this techniques. For more information on the science behind it and how it is regulated for safety please check the FDA’s website [8]. I also really love the infographics they provided HERE which are also available in Spanish [9].

Returning to the pink pineapple, what makes them special goes beyond appearances. It also has a delicious and unique taste, with notes of candy pineapple aromatics and is less sour than a traditional pineapple [1], in fact it is down right sweet and juicy. So other than eating it, wake did I decide featured it best? A PIE!

This pink pineapple pie can most certainly be made with a traditional yellow pineapple, but man if it isn’t a stunner when made with a pink one! 

Three years ago: Ham, Egg & Cheese Pancake Sandwiches

Five years ago: Holiday Gift Ideas for Cooks & Foodies

Six years ago: Peanut Butter & Chocolate Saturday Roundup 2014

Eight years ago: Gingerbread Dip

Nine years ago: Apple Butter Chewy Cinnamon M&M Cookies

Ten years ago: Gnocchi with Goat Cheese and Spinach

PINK PINEAPPLE PIE

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Yield: 12 servings Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cooking Time: 45 Minutes 45 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

PIE CRUST

• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup cold shortening, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup buttermilk* (or 1/2 cup cold milk + 1 tsp white vinegar)
• 1 egg for brushing insides and on top

FILLING

• 5 cups fresh pineapple, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp butter

Directions

1. Make the crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and shortening and cut into the flour mixture with a knife or pastry cutter (or pulse in a food processor).
2. Add buttermilk, stirring (or pulsing) until a shaggy dough forms. Form two smooth flattened discs of dough, wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes or overnight.
3. Make the pie: Preheat oven to 375°F.
4. In a large bowl stir together pineapple, sugars, salt, and lemon juice, and stir to combine. Add cornstarch and stir until combined.
5. Roll one dough out on a floured surface and fit to a 10-inch pie plate. To avoid a soggy crust, beat an egg and brush on crust before adding the filling. Cut butter into small pieces and put on top of the filling.
6. Roll out second dough disc and cut into 1-2 inch strips. Arrange strips in a lattice on top of your filling and lay over and under one another carefully, then trim and flute the edges. Brush a little of the beaten egg over the pie dough.
7. Cover edges with foil or a pie shield and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and cook another 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
8. Let cool to room temperature before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Notes

*Or 1/2 cup cold milk + 1 tsp white vinegar

Did you make this recipe? I want to see!
Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

REFERENCES:

1. https://www.pinkglowpineapple.com/
2. https://blog.thenibble.com/2020/11/02/food-fun-new-pinkglow-pineapple-from-fresh-del-monte/
3. https://specialtyproduce.com/produce/Pinkglow_Pineapple_17105.php
4. https://www.fda.gov/food/cfsan-constituent-updates/fda-concludes-consultation-pink-flesh-pineapple
5. https://www.breastcancer.org/tips/nutrition/reduce_risk/foods/lycopene
6. https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/high-lycopene-foods.php
7. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/lycopene#food-sources
8. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-new-plant-varieties/understanding-new-plant-varieties
9. https://www.fda.gov/food/agricultural-biotechnology/gmo-crops-animal-food-and-beyond

Waiting for a vaccine for coronavirus? In the meantime we have chocolate stout pudding shots!

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It’s been awhile since I have done a Science Sundays post, but since I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial I enrolled in this week I decided to compile it all together here!

Yes, I volunteered to test out a experimental vaccine to protect against COVID-19. When I have told friends and family this bit of information it has been received with either praise and thanks or shock and fear. However, let it be known I am not doing this for the praise (or the money, I decided to sign up before remembering that’s part of it), nor should anyone be afraid for me. 

As a scientist by day, even though vaccines are not my specialty, I know a thing or two about them . But I am not here to go down that path, just accept it for now if you disagree (although I would love to chat), and let this post focus on how clinical trials work.

The vaccine trial for which I signed up is in Phase 3 of clinical trials, of which there are currently 9 other vaccines [1] to make it this far. It is record breaking to even think that we could have an approved vaccine in 2021 (fastest was 4 years for mumps [2]). But that’s not because they are skipping steps or lessening requirements, there have been a TON of people working on this as a result of increased funding opportunities and the virus being an easier target than others [3]. 

Fauci says speed on COVID-19 vaccine will not compromise safety

So what’s the process of a clinical trial? Once scientists have identified potential targets for vaccines and have proven their efficacy in pre-clinical studies, the next step is human trials.

In Phase 1 (currently 29), the vaccine is only given to a small group of people to determine if it is safe and to get some information on the immune response.

In Phase 2 (currently 18), the test group is in the hundreds, typically different groups of people to ensure it works in both, or different doses, and also collects more data on safety.

Then in Phase 3 (currently 9), the vaccine is given to thousands of people, in order to solidify its safety and identify any rare side effects, as well as examine its effectiveness. In this phase there is also a control group which is given a placebo, usually saline (salt water). [1,4]

In June, the FDA said that a vaccine for coronavirus would need to protest at least 50% of those vaccinated in order to be considered effective (for reference flu vaccines are usually 40-60%) [6]. At that time it could be approved for distribution. However, China and Russia have already approved trials without results from Phase 3 trials, which is obviously a risky thing to do [1,4]. 

I am enrolled in the BioNTech/Fosun Pharma/Pfizer Phase 3 clinical trial [4, 5]. Phases 1/2 tested two versions, both of which were shown to cause volunteers to produce antibodies and T cell responses that provided protection against the virus. One of the two had a lot fewer side effects, which is the one I may have received (after first going through an entire medical history, current medications, blood draw, urine test, nasal swab, reading all the things, being given opportunities to ask questions, etc). 

I say may because this is a 50/50 trial where half the participants receive placebo, and neither me nor the people who administered it know which I received. That way there is no recording bias when they examine the results from my bloodwork every time I come in for a check up, and thus recording accurate results that are not skewed my what the reported expected to see if they has known I was given the vaccine versus the placebo. Yay experimental design!

How long am I in this study? Potentially for the next 26 months. 

But how can I say we may have a vaccine in 2021 if the trial I am in is set for 26 months? By the end of the year/early 2021 one or more of the vaccines in Phase 3 trials right now will have 6 months or more of data from thousands of volunteers about it safety and effectiveness. At that point, decisions will be made to approve based on that data, assuming it offers at least 50% protection. But to ensure it protects long term and to check if there are any side effects that take longer to present the studies will continue for around 2 years. 

UPDATE 12/29/20: Due to EUA approval (52% protection after the first dose 95% after the second [7]) I was unblinded and found out I was in fact in the vaccine group! But I will remain in the study to continue their data collection for long term protection.

Will we need to be vaccinated every year like for the flu? Will we need a booster? Basically, how long does this vaccine protect us and what are the long term side effects, if any? If we don’t take the leap of faith to administer early, how many more people will die because they were not given the chance to be vaccinated? These are questions to weigh when considering the current situation. There are those in the population that would benefit from the vaccine more than others, and what are the pros and cons in administering it to that population a little early, assuming all data at that point is positive? 

Even then, once a vaccine has been approved we still have to think about distribution, which will likely come in waves due to the high demand with those at higher risk receiving it first [2]. Some companies have started preparing for manufacturing and distribution but it is a huge undertaking. 

So long story short, finding a vaccine target that works as a vaccine and doesn’t have adverse side effects and can be distributed to the population takes A LOT of work and time. 

In the meantime, I decided to come up with my own shot, chocolate stout pudding shots which are the antithesis of corona in my corona-virus sugar cookies. Light beer seasoned with lime? Meet dark stout beer mixed with chocolate. 

No seriously, when I was trying to decide upon a recipe to pair with this post, I knew it had to be a shot so I’ve had these giant syringes ready for the occasion. After sales of Corona beer plummeted simply due to the stigma of having a similar name to coronavirus, I decided I needed to pick a beer that represented the opposite, and then made pudding with it.

And then I found the Black is Beautiful oatmeal stout that Rhinegeist made (in collaboration with Weathered Souls Brewing Co. in TX) and knew it was meant to be, bringing in yet another serious issue of 2020. 

Two years ago: Chicken Enchilada Dip

Three years ago: Fall Leaves Butter Cookies

Six years ago: Swag Bars

Seven years ago: Crock Pot Balsamic Chicken

Eight years ago: Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Nine years ago: Beermosa

CHOCOLATE STOUT PUDDING SHOTS

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Yield: 8 servings Prep Time: 7 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 (3.9 oz.) pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1/2 cup cold milk
• 1-1/2 cup cold stout beer
• Large plastic syringes

Directions

1. Pour cold milk into a medium mixing bowl. Pour in pudding mix and whisk while slowly drizzling in the cold beer. Whisk 2 minutes or until thickened and smooth.
2. Suck up pudding into each syringe (alternatively spoon into serving bowls), cap, and place in fridge for 5 minutes or until set.

Did you make this recipe? I want to see!
Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

REFERENCES:

1. https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2020/sep/04/covid-vaccine-tracker-when-will-a-coronavirus-vaccine-be-ready
2. https://discoveries.childrenshospital.org/covid-19-vaccine/
3. https://www.statnews.com/2020/07/30/a-huge-experiment-how-the-world-made-so-much-progress-on-a-covid-19-vaccine-so-fast/
4. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/science/coronavirus-vaccine-tracker.html
5. https://www.aventivresearch.com/clinical_study/covid-19-vaccine/
6. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/06/30/coronavirus-vaccine-approval-fda/
7. https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4826

Due to shortages in bread, sourdough starters are trending all over the internet. But how does it work? Here’s the science paired with a sourdough recipe roundup!

So you have a sourdough starter, whether gifted by a friend or started fresh, and now you’ve mastered the art of either baking up a storm and feeding it every day, or have put it to rest in the fridge only baking and feeding once as week. But what exactly is going on in that frothy jar?

Sourdough starters are actually a technique that is centuries old developed for preserving and storing yeast for long periods of time [1], back when you couldn’t just go to the store and buy a packet (not unlike the current times with empty grocery shelves). That sour flavor was just a happy side effect of the process.

Where does the yeast come from if you don’t use a packet? There is wild, non-harmful yeast that exists in flour! Both wild and commercial bakers yeasts break down the complex starches of flour into sugar which it can then feed on during fermentation, giving off alcohol and carbon dioxide (what makes the bread rise) [2].

But that’s not the only microorganism working hard in your starter. In fact, Lactobacillus outnumbers the yeast and it also feeds on sugar to make lactic acids and acetic acid. It’s these two byproducts that actually give the sourdough its flavor [2].

These two microorganisms can grow very well together, tolerating each others alcohol and acid production, which would be undesireable to many other microorganisms [3]. But sometimes you can get invading species which usually present themselves as green or pink/orange streaks of color. Sorry to say but if you see that, throw it out!

Assuming your microorganisms remain living in harmony, it’s time to get baking! While most recipes will call for “fed” starters (discard, feed, and let sit at least overnight to 24 hours) there are many ways to reduce waste and turn that discard into something tasty too!

Honestly, you could make most things with unfed/discard starters. Fed will give you a more vigorous rise while unfed will require more time to rise. Usually I try to use fed for bread specific things like loaves and rolls and use unfed for things that don’t really need the yeast such as waffles and pancakes. Check out the list below for some of my recipes along with others from fellow bloggers!

Seven years ago: Review: Classic Snacks Made From Scratch

Eight years ago: Carrot Cake Waffles

Nine years ago: Chocolate Cookies ‘n’ Creme Cookies

BREAD, ROLLS, BUNS

• Cranberry Pumpkin Sourdough Bread
• Garlic Butter Sourdough Buns (can use discard)
• Rustic Sourdough Bread
• Sourdough Biscuits (discard)
• Sourdough Cheddar & Herb Biscuits (discard)
• Sourdough Demi Baguettes
• Sourdough English Muffins (pictured)
• Sourdough Focaccia
• Sourdough Popovers
• Sourdough Rolls

SNACKS

• Sausage Stuffed Sourdough Pretzel Bites (discard) (pictured)
• Sourdough Crackers (can use discard)

ENTREE

• Cecamariti Pasta (can use discard)
• Sourdough Focaccia Pizza
• Sourdough Pizza Crust (discard) (pictured)
  • Corn on the Hog Pizza
  • Feta, Spinach, Sun-Dried Tomato and Pine Nut Pizza
  • Sriracha-Jack Pizza

BREAKFAST

• Chocolate Chocolate Chip Sourdough Banana Bread
• Overnight Sourdough Pancakes (discard)
• Rosemary Sea Salt Sourdough Bagels
• Sourdough Banana Nut Bread (discard) (pictured)
• Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
• Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls (can use discard)
• Sourdough Pancakes (discard)
• Sourdough Pretzel Bagels
• Sourdough Waffles (can use discard)

DESSERT

• Sourdough Brownies (can use discard)
• Sourdough Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies (can use discard) (pictured)

REFERENCES:
[1] https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/sourdough.htm
[2] https://www.thekitchn.com/food-science-what-is-sourdough-47960
[3] https://modernistcuisine.com/2018/09/sourdough-science/