Jane Heller

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

  • About
    • Bio
    • FAQ
  • Publications
    • Books
      • Romantic Comedies
      • Caregiving
      • Baseball
      • TV Tie-In
    • Articles
  • Blogs
    • Mainly Jane
    • Confessions of a She-Fan
  • Media
    • Videos
    • Audio
    • Press
    • Press Materials/Three Blonde Mice
  • Speaking
  • Contact

Never Mind About That Steak I Wanted Tonight

April 24, 2012

Not with a mad cow in California.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. authorities reported the first U.S. case of mad cow disease in six years on Tuesday and quickly assured consumers and global importers that meat from the California dairy cow did not enter the food chain.
John Clifford, the USDA’s chief veterinary officer, said the case was “atypical” and that there was “no cause for alarm” from the animal. Cows can contract the disease spontaneously in rare cases and that it cannot be transmitted unless the brain or spinal tissue is consumed by humans or another animal, according to scientists.
Mad cow, or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, is believed to cause the deadly brain disease variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob in humans who eat infected parts from animals with the disease. The first mad cow case in the United States was in late 2003 and caused the nation’s beef exports to drop by nearly $3 billion the following year.
There is no evidence that humans can catch it from drinking the milk of an infected cow. However, fears of a potential backlash among consumers and big importers of U.S. beef caused Chicago live cattle futures to drop sharply.
The USDA has begun notifying authorities at the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) as well as U.S. trading partners, but the finding should not affect the nation’s beef exports, Clifford said. The USDA is still tracing the exact life of the infected animal.
The carcass of the cow, which the USDA said was infected by an “atypical” form of the disease, is under quarantine and would be destroyed. The cow, which was found at a rendering plant that processes diseased or sick animals into non-edible products for use in things like soap or glue, was not believed to have contracted the disease by eating contaminated feed, the USDA said.

I was already turned off to eating beef and drinking dairy before reading the article, but that last part – about the poor cow being re-purposed into soap and glue – made me gag.

It’s veggies from here on out…or until I get a craving for this again.

 

Filed Under: Food, Mainly Jane, News stories Tagged With: mad cow disease, milk, steak

My New Food Fave: Quinoa!

February 3, 2011

(courtesy: edenfoods.com)

Don’t get me wrong. A meal of steak and mashed potatoes with a hot fudge sundae for dessert is my idea of heaven, but I’ve totally gotten into grains lately. I’d been reading about how healthy they are – from barley and buckwheat groats to, yes, quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) – and decided to dive in and see for myself.

What an adventure I’m having with my new foods! Michael and I made a chicken and barley casserole a couple of weeks ago. We tried kasha varnishkes (buckwheat groats with bow tie noodles) the other night. And tonight was a side dish of quinoa (the pretty red kind) with onions and mushrooms that had been sauteed in olive oil. Delicious. I’m a convert.

What I like best about quinoa is its nutty, earthy flavor. It doesn’t hurt that it’s also really simple to cook; just throw a cup of the stuff into a saucepan with two cups of water or broth, boil, cover, simmer for 15 minutes and fluff with a fork. You can even serve it cold, sprinkled into a salad. Or add it to soups. I know, I know. I’m late to the party and foodies have been eating grains for years. But allow me a moment to squawk about my discovery.

Having said all that, I’d still rather have this, as I mentioned.

Filed Under: Food, Mainly Jane Tagged With: barley, buckwheat groats, grains, hot fudge sundae, kasha varnishkes, quinoa, steak

Search

Archives

Food and recipes

  • Epicurious
  • Food Network
  • Seriously Simple

Hollywood

  • Company Town
  • Deadline Hollywood
  • The Bold and the Beautiful
  • The Envelope
  • The Film Geek Confidential
  • The Vulture Pages
  • The Wrap

My California Writing Buddies

  • Ciji Ware
  • Deborah Hutchison
  • Gayle Lynds
  • Jenna McCarthy
  • Laurie Burrows Grad
  • Margo Candela
  • Melodie Johnson Howe
  • Starshine Roshell

My New Connecticut Writing Buddies

  • Lauren Lipton
  • Marie Bostwick

News, politics, pop culture

  • The Daily Beast
  • The Huffington Post

Writing and publishing

  • eBookNewser
  • GalleyCat
  • Gawker
  • Publishers Lunch
  • Publishers Weekly

Follow Me!

  • Jane Heller on Goodreads
  • Jane Heller on Pinterest
  • Jane Heller on Facebook
  • Jane Heller on Twitter

Get in touch!

I’d love to hear from you! Contact me!

About Jane Heller

Jane Heller is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her fourteen breezy, witty novels of romantic comedy and suspense are now entertaining millions of readers around the world, along with her two books of nonfiction.

Copyright © 2021 Jane Heller