One thing that most everyone looks forward to during the holidays is the food. Family gatherings usually have their own traditional spread of food, which varies wildly depending on the family and the function. For whatever reason, most of my family’s functions seem to revolve around ham-on-bun (or a similar “on bun” type main dish). There isn’t anything particularly wrong with this, though it isn’t terribly exciting either.

When we celebrate the holidays with James’ extended family, however, the food is a bit more exotic with a Mediterranean flair. We both look forward to the hummus, which in Detroit is as close to authentic as one can get without a passport. This year’s delight was hushweh (or hashweh, depending on your source), which is a Lebanese Lamb Dish. It is basically a stuffing with pine nuts, though sometimes made with rice.

And with the hummus and pitas? The best thing I ate this week!

As 2009 draws to a close, many foodies (expert or not) are starting to make predictions for the top food trends in 2010. While there is no definitive source on such matters, plenty of people are willing and able to speculate on what’s going to be big in food in the next year.

Some of the big trends of 2009 included “recession vegetarianism” and food shortage scares (that never actually happened). “Recession vegetarianism” was the general term used as people scaled down their meat intake in the face of a recession in attempts to reduce food costs as prices steadily increased. While this trend did not have roots in a moral or environmental cause, it was nice to see people reducing their meat consumption and turn to alternative proteins like beans and lentils.

For the big food shortage scares, most of the predictions seemed to fall on deaf ears. Early in the year, farmers sounded the alarm that avocados would be scarce. It retrospect, it appears the farmers may have been wrapped up in the recession hysteria and exaggerated what was a smaller crop than usual. Same goes for pumpkins, as it was reported that the autumn staple would be hard to find, yet no one reported consumers fighting over the last orange gourd at Halloween or grandmothers wrestling for the last can of pumpkin puree before Thanksgiving (see also: The Great Canned Pumpkin Shortage of 2009: A Lame Marketing Strategy?).

What can we look forward to in 2010? Well, Foodchannel.com has a list of Top 10 Food Trends for 2010, including mainstreaming sustainability, food with benefits (such as orange juice with added calcium), experimentation and willingness to try new things, and the rise of individuality in food.  Their list of 10 are all fairly generic, and to some extend are already occurring. Not quite a forecast, it is more a review of the shift in food that has started to occur in America and where it might go next.

In general, it appears people have had enough of “recession” food and instead want to focus on food good for the body and the planet. Words like sustainability, organic, and “green” are continuing to dominate food reports and trends. Consumers are starting to look for merchants and products that are fair trade or independent, placing less of an emphasis on cost. People are also placing a higher value on health and healthy food, even though it is often more expensive that prepackaged foods.

Building on this trend were movies and  memoirs about food and food consciousness, which will continue to be popular in 2010. Food and pop culture are starting to merge in new and interesting ways, and it will be exciting to see where this leads the average consumer. 2010 might be a key year for the development of food as a pop culture item, which will hopefully bring home cooking into the limelight (and not just as “recession” cooking).

As for what 2010 will bring for this site and the Bitter/Sweet blog, you will just have to wait and see what happens!

Some things just belong together, like peanut butter and chocolate. These muffins might cross into dessert territory, but could also stand in during brunch. Next time, I might throw in a little more peanut butter. The original recipe called for chopped peanuts, but chocolate chips sounded so much better.

If you do not have whole milk, use fat free or 1% less two tablespoons. Add 2 tablespoons melted butter (in addition to the butter in this recipe).

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Muffins
adapted from Real Simple

2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup chocolate chips, divided

Preheat oven to 350F and coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray. 

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the peanut butter and combine with a pastry cutter or 2 forks until it has reached a coarse, crumbly texture. Stir in the milk, egg, and butter. Fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chip.

Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full with batter. Evenly sprinkle remaining chocolate chips over each. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate chips on top of muffins will remain in tact but will be very soft when removed from the oven. Be careful when removing from muffin tin and allow to cool completely before storing.

In the midst of bad news, here is a heart-warming story from CNN. In Washington DC, organizations are helping the hungry with empty bowls. Local potters, art studios, and students create large clay bowls that are sold at a charity dinner for $20 each. Local restaurants donate food and each patron is served a soup supper. All of the proceeds go to help feed the homeless.

The event is hosted by So Others May Eat, an interfaith community organization that has been helping the homeless and hungry in Washington DC for 40 years. Their goal is to obtain 500 clay bowls for the event to help feed the over 9,000 homeless individuals in the nation’s capital. The group also provides housing, mental health assistance, elder care services and employment training.

In this tough economy, nonprofit organizations have seen a decrease in donations but an increase in those in need. Many of those who would normally donate are now in the position of needing assistance themselves. This article from CNN Money is slightly dated (February 2009) but illustrates the point, reporting that charities experienced drop in donations in the face of a recession just as the need increased.

The good news is that charities also saw an increase in volunteerism. When people were unable to give money, they donated their time and energy. While volunteers cannot necessarily replace donation dollars, organizations like the American Red Cross depend on community volunteers from all walks of life to assist with their services.

For those who have funds available, CNN Money provides a guide to assist with donating. In this economy, people want to know that their charity dollars are going to the right place. With all of the organizations out there, it can be difficult to determine how to create the biggest impact (even with a small donation). Here are some tips:

• Don’t get pulled in by slick advertising. Research organizations on charitynavigator.org before writing a check.
• Select only one or two charities and donate regularly. This demonstrates that you are a return donor and the charity will not focus efforts on obtaining future donations.
• Let them know if you are giving a one-time gift. On average, charities will spend $50 per person to solicit future donations. By removing yourself from their mailing list, you are saving time and money.

Consider the following statistic: in any given year, about 70% of Americans give to charity. A majority of those individuals donate approximately 3% of their income (unless they are unemployed). A majority of Americans are giving back, will you join them?

Sometimes, I eat something really great and want to talk about it, but it isn’t a recipe or interesting tidbit to share. Even the most banal meal can be extraordinary under the circumstances, like when James makes dinner and hands me a simple bowl of pasta and a glass of wine after a long day and it tastes better than any pasta ever has before.

What was the best thing I ate this week? While shopping at new store that specializes in flavored olive oils and balsamic vinegars, I purchased a bottle of peach balsamic vinegar with the intentions of sprinkling it over salads and fruit. One of the owners mentioned that she loved it drizzled over vanilla ice cream. I was intrigued (James was confused…vinegar over ice cream?).

Well, I watch enough of the Food Network to know that it was a fabulous idea. On the way home, I picked up some all-natural vanilla ice cream and couldn’t wait to try it. In a bowl, I started with a couple small scoops of ice cream. Then, using a spoon, drizzled the peach vinegar over top and added a sprinkle of sea salt.

It was delicious. The best thing I ate this week.