Kinney, who died on May 2 at age 96 in Arizona, was a Maine native who originally dreamed of becoming a history teacher but decided during the Great Depression that the job market in education wasn’t bright enough. Instead, after a stint in the New Deal’s National Youth Administration, he noticed lobstermen throwing away crabs that crawled into their traps. He got the idea of canning the meat instead, and started a company to do it. In the late 1950s, Kinney eventually became an executive at Gorton’s Seafood Co., where he helped popularize the idea — apparently first conceived by Birdseye in 1953 — of carving up slabs of frozen cod, flounder and other fish into bite-sized sticks that could be breaded and pre-cooked for quick reheating.

According to seafood historian Mark Kurlansky, Gorton’s capitalized on Kinney’s creation by marketing it as a labor-saving breakthrough. As a period ad proclaimed: “Thanks to fish sticks, the average American homemaker no longer considers serving fish a drudgery. Instead, she regards it as a pleasure … easy to prepare, thrifty to serve, and delicious to eat.”

Indeed, fish sticks quickly became a phenomenon. A 1954 New York Times article on fish sticks described them as “the newest best-seller in supermarkets” and went on to point out: “Mothers report youngsters gobble the sticks like candy — or almost. … Their crisp surface and the fact that they may be eaten with one’s fingers attracts children.” One downside, the Times sniffed, was that “processing robs the fish of its identity and cloaks it in what apparently is an appetizing anonymity.”

Here’s a vintage 1982 Gorton’s commercial:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Photo: Superbass via Wikipedia

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A recent study by NPD Group shows that visits to commercial food establishments — both restaurants and “snack” establishments such as coffee shops — by customers 65 and older have grown nearly 8 percent over the past five years, despite rough economic times, while visits by those 55 to 64 have risen slightly. Meanwhile, restaurant traffic from customers between the ages of 18 and 47 has dropped 12 percent. (Visits by younger boomers, ages 48 to 54, have dropped by about 6 percent.)

Bonnie Riggs, NPD’s restaurant industry analyst, told the New York Times that the findings contradict longstanding assumptions that boomers would spend less on dining as they got older. “The Boomers happen to be very different than their predecessors,” Riggs explained. “They act younger. They eat younger. They want to live forever.”

But that doesn’t mean that boomers are willing to eat the same sort of food or go to the same restaurants as teens and twenty-somethings. As the Wall Street Journal reported in 2012, chains such as McDonald’s and Chipotle, which target mainly younger diners, have been disappointing investors.

Meanwhile, one of the chains with the strongest growth has been Panera Bread Co., whose restaurants feature both a more varied menu filled with fresh-tasting, vegetable-laden fare and homey, comfortable dining rooms, complete with cushioned booths that are easier on aging tailbones. Panera founder and chief executive Ronald Shaich — at 58, a boomer himself — told the Journal that his restaurant chain is “the prototypical baby boomer concept.” Not coincidentally, 41 percent of Panera’s customers are age 50 or older, compared with the 30 percent that casual dining establishments typically draw.

Restaurants are seeking to cater to older diners in other ways, too. In Baltimore, for example, some local establishments are providing loaner pairs of reading glasses to boomers who, having forgotten their own glasses, are having difficulty reading the menu.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Photo: Werner Kunz via Flickr

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The House and Senate Agriculture Committees have laid the groundwork this week for reducing the size of the federal food stamp program, approving farm bills that would shrink the food aid and alter the way people qualify for it.

For sheer versatility, oatmeal is hard to beat. Besides serving as a hearty breakfast cereal, oatmeal can be added to meat loaf or baked in cookies, cakes, bread, muffins and scones. Oatmeal can also be ground in a blender to create oat flour that can be used as a coating for fish or chicken.

Oatmeal is credited with numerous health benefits. Regularly consuming oatmeal lowers cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of heart disease. Oatmeal also enhances the immune system’s response to infection, stabilizes blood sugar and lowers the risk for type 2 diabetes. Particularly for postmenopausal women, oatmeal lowers the risk of breast cancer. Oatmeal is also tolerated by individuals who cannot tolerate wheat because of celiac disease. And for the calorie conscious, oatmeal is a bargain: one cup of cooked oatmeal contains 159 calories.

Also see: The New American Diet

For convenience’ sake, you may want to use instant oatmeal. If you have the time, however, consider preparing steel-cut oats, which are whole-grain oat kernels that have been cut rather than rolled. If you soak steel-cut oatmeal, you can reduce the cooking time, usually to about 30 minutes. If you make a large batch, you can divide the oatmeal into one- to two-person servings that can be reheated in the microwave for use on busy mornings.

Cooked oatmeal can be stored in a loaf pan and refrigerated. Once set, the oatmeal can be sliced and fried on a hot griddle. The fried oatmeal tastes a bit like popcorn and is particularly good with jam, syrup or brown sugar.

My favorite recipe is Buttermilk Pancakes with Oatmeal. Besides being hearty, the pancakes are crunchy and have a wonderful, nutty flavor. Whenever I have guests with hearty appetites (like teenage boys), I make this recipe.

Buttermilk Pancakes with Oatmeal

2 cups Bisquick

1 cup instant rolled oatmeal

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups buttermilk (add more if mixture is too thick)

1 egg (or egg substitute)

1 tablespoon oil

In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients thoroughly by hand but do not overmix. If the batter is too thick, add more buttermilk. If the batter is too thin, add more oatmeal. Pour the batter (about 1/3 cup for each pancake) on a hot, oiled griddle. Flip the pancakes when their tops are bubbling.

For a variation on this recipe, reduce the buttermilk to one cup and instead of adding the oatmeal to the batter, sprinkle the oatmeal on the bubbling pancakes while cooking. Once flipped, the pancakes will brown with a crispy, oatmeal topping.

Bon appétit!

P.S. Do you have an oatmeal recipe to share?

Photo:  TheCulinaryGeek on Flickr

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That would be the trademarked, legally protected name of the yummy chocolate-nut confection invented in 1954 by Kern’s Kitchen of Louisville, Ky., and traditionally enjoyed at Kentucky Derby parties.

Over the years Kern’s has filed lawsuits against many who have illegally used the name of their signature pie. This year it’s  against another Kentucky restaurant — Claudia Sanders Dinner House, the Shelbyville restaurant founded by the wife of Kentucky Fried Chicken creator Colonel Harland Sanders — the Associated Press reported.

Kern’s Kitchen is seeking an order stopping Sanders from using the term “Derby Pie” and is asking for more than $335,000 in damages, according to reports.

Kern’s Kitchen hasn’t hesitated to go to court to protect its Derby Pie trademark. The restaurant has sued to protect the copyright more than 25 times over the years, and the company’s attorney said he sends out at least one or two letters a week asking people and companies to honor the trademark.

In past decades Kern’s has sued Bon Appétit magazine and a Frankfort, Ky., restaurant called Rick’s White Light Diner. Bon Appétit won a legal victory when a judge in 1987 found the name to be generic, but the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that decision, the Associated Press noted.

In 1982 the Washington Post published a similar recipe for the pie, though avoided legal problems by calling it Not Derby Pie. The recipe was reprinted in the newspaper’s new cookbook, out this month, and it’s easy to make if you’re planning your own Derby party.

Not Derby Pie

(Adapted from The Washington Post Cookbook: Readers’ Favorite Recipes, edited by Bonnie S. Benwick)

• 1 8- or 9-inch unbaked piecrust
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup walnuts, coarsely ground
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Whipped cream for garnish, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have an 8- or 9-inch pie plate at hand.
2. Place the unbaked pie shell in the pie plate. Sprinkle the bottom of the pie shell evenly with chocolate chips.
3. Whisk together the eggs, sugar and flour in a mixing bowl. Gradually mix in the melted butter, then add the nuts and vanilla. Carefully pour the mixture over the chocolate chips, in a circular motion so it does not disturb the chips. Bake for 1 hour, until the filling is set.
4. Serve slightly warm, with whipped cream if desired.

Photo: Kentucky chocolate-walnut pie/wikipedia.commons.org

To that end, I actually remembered the word for “money,” or dinero.  And Spanish for “cheap” (barato) and “cheapskate” (tacano) seem easy enough to master. But the Spanish translation for one of my other must-learn words, “Crock-Pot” or “slow cooker,” has me stumped. Would it be lento vasija, or perhaps paulatino cazuela? Maybe a Spanish speaking tacano can kindly help me out?

Related:  Use Your Slow Cooker and Save Year Round

In celebration of Cinco de Mayo (even I know that’s Spanish for the “fifth of May,” a day celebrating freedom and democracy, as well as Mexican heritage and pride), I’m breaking out my Crock-Pot — or would that be my caprichoso cacerola? — and whipping up a batch of this simple, delicious, barato recipe for dinner.

Margarita-style Crockpot Chicken

• 3 pounds chicken parts (whatever you prefer – I like to use leg/thigh quarters with the skin on)
• 1 can (15 ounce) black beans
• 1 can (15 ounce) kernel corn or whole hominy (I prefer the hominy)
• 1 cup rice
• 4 spring onions – chopped, tops and all
• 3 cloves garlic — minced
• 1 packet (1.25 ounce) dry taco seasoning mix
• 1 can (4 ounce) diced green chiles
• 2 cups chicken broth/stock (or bullion)
• 3/4 cup lime or lemon juice (fresh is best — and save the rinds!)
• 2 ounces tequila (optional)
• Sour cream, sliced black olives and fresh cilantro (all optional)

Coat the inside of the crockpot with spray oil to make cleanup easier.  Mix beans and corn/hominy (including liquid from cans) with the rice, onions, garlic, and three-quarters of the taco seasoning mix.  Place mixture in Crock-Pot.  Put chicken pieces on top. Add chicken broth, then pour lime/lemon juice and tequila (optional) over the chicken, and sprinkle with remaining taco seasonings. Scatter the green chiles over the top of everything.

If you use fresh limes/lemons, I like to take the spent, quartered rinds and place them on top as well; they infuse additional flavor and can even be nibbled on as a condiment with the dish. Cover and cook on low for approximately 6 hours, until rice is fully cooked and the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender. Serve in shallow bowls and top with sour cream, sliced black olives and chopped fresh cilantro if desired. I like to serve with warm flour or corn tortillas on the side.  (Serves 4)

Feliz Cinco de Mayo! Wait, I think that my high school Spanish is coming back to me now.

Photo courtesy of RTist MrB via Flickr Creative Commons.

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You can’t really eat everything you want after 6—can you?

Well, you can’t eat [nonstop] from 6 to midnight, that’s for sure. But you can eat pretty much everything you want for dinner. What I’ve found, and I’ve been doing this for 6 years, is that you sort of naturally moderate the size of your dinner because you’re learning moderation, in a way, and you’re learning restraint.

What do you think is the key to why this plan works?

The key really is delayed gratification, giving yourself the opportunity to eat really, really well during the day, but in a disciplined, mindful manner, and then letting it go at night. It’s not magic, but it’s kind of the best of both worlds.

And you tend to encourage a lot of flexibility in how to approach VB6—as you do with your recipes. Why not be more firm about how people should approach the diet? 

You know, I’m not here to be God or anybody’s mother, I’m just here to say if you eat a largely plant-based diet and are pretty strict about it before 6 you’re probably going to see improved health and weight loss.

If you have to have milk in your coffee in the morning or say you’ve gotta have a sandwich for lunch — these are minor things.

When did you decide you wanted to write a book and share your part-time veganism with the world?

After five years I started to think, “This really works.” Because enough of my friends had tried it and they’d call and say, “Hey I can do this. This is working.” And I’d hear from strangers, too. I’d been doing it long enough that I actually believed in it — it’s not just a quirky little thing.

Do you have any specific advice for people who are older about trying it?

I’m 63. It’s doable. You’re only changing your diet for two-thirds of the time. I mean, do you want to live a longer, higher quality life or not? Some people say, “I don’t care, I’m going to eat my cheeseburgers.” Those are not the people this book is addressed to. Obviously.

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I LOVE FOOD.

I love thinking about food. I love dining out. But when it comes down to it, my favorite foods are incredibly simple: tuna salad with a mayo and celery at home, or spaghetti with Bolognese sauce when I dine out. While I like to watch reruns of Julia Child cooking for their entertainment value, I have no desire to cook coq au vin or beef bourguignon.

Whether you enjoy being creative in the kitchen, or (like me) ordering your favorites at a restaurant, you are not alone. Both cooking and dining out are favorite interests of those 50 and older. Those ages 50+  favor casual dining restaurants (60%) such as Applebee’s, Chili’s, Cracker Barrel and Olive Garden and locally owned restaurant (45%).They still eat the most out at fast food chains (71%), and also enjoy family style restaurant chains (44%) such as Denny’s and Friendly’s, according to data from Scarborough USA+ 2012.

In the past decade, there have been incredible strides made to include healthy and nutritious food offerings in super market and restaurants. Still, 36% of Americans 20 years and older are obese (having a BMI/Body Mass Index of 30 or more and roughly equates to being 35 lbs. or more overweight), according to the CDC. It’s an issue I think many of us can relate to. Going on a diet to lose weight is hard. And while eating healthy most of the time is crucial, I personally believe a little indulgence is an important part of any diet. Everybody should be able to eat “fun” foods AND healthy foods.  I don’t know anyone who has the discipline to never eat potato chips, chocolate or ice cream, unless they have allergies. Even Julia Child said butter was just fine in moderation and refused the idea of cooking with margarine.

Turns out Americans overall also believe a little indulgence is okay. In a recent GfK Roper Reports® US, fewer Americans (compared to results from 2009) now say they avoid foods with high fructose corn syrup, and one-third (33%) say caffeine is not harmful at all, up 11 points in just three years. But how can we stop ourselves from going overboard?

I’ve been reading AARP’s new book: AARP New American Diet: Lose Weight, Live Longer by John Whyte, MD. It has tips to help you lose 10 lbs. in weeks. In fact, there is a 7 day, 2 week, and 4 week plan. Home cooking is encouraged. Dieters on the 4-week plan are told to avoid restaurants for the first two weeks. The foods recommended are available in any grocery store: lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains. The diet is simple but the key is smaller more frequent meals to help maintain blood sugar levels and help you feel full all day. It seemed to me there are three pillars to successful dieting:  1) how much you eat (portion control), 2) how often you eat (to maintain you blood sugar) and 3) what you eat (healthy with some occasional small indulgences).

What’s your favorite food? Indulgence? Diet or no diet?

More on Becky: Becky is AARP’s Senior Vice President of Research & Strategic Analysis, and is focused on fostering understanding of the interests and concerns of people age 50-plus  and their families. Before coming to AARP, Becky served as the Vice President of Global Market Research & Guest Satisfaction for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. In her spare time, she likes visiting her niece in Ohio, gardening, and collecting American art and antiques.

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It is with a great sense of pride and admiration that I am reminded of Latina trailblazers who give us reason to believe we can overcome any of life’s challenges just like our “pioneras”:

The queen of salsa, Celia Cruz was an entertainer that transcended cultures. She left a rich legacy for future generations to enjoy.  The Smithsonian Institute honored her as an American icon whose unique persona and music are world renowned.  Her name is synonymous with rhythm, flavor and Azúcar! She has the distinction of being immortalized in a commemorative U.S. Postal Service stamp.  Celia achieved all of this success without knowing a word of English, arriving to our country after fleeing from Castro’s Cuba.  Success didn’t come easy.  She struggled like many new immigrants, but her perseverance, hard work and incomparable talent made her an international icon of Cuban music. Who could think of Cuban music without picturing Celia?   Celia’s musical influence and stage presence remain second to none and her influence is ever-present in many of the new, upcoming talent trying to emulate her style and charisma.

Another Latina that transcended culture and language with her art is Frida Kahlo; this famous artist continues to headline the list of important and outstanding women. Frida’s health issues were very well known and publicized throughout her entire life, but those very circumstances were her fountain of inner strength and inspiration, giving her a peculiar way of looking at life that captivates audiences to this day. Modern audiences revisited her life through Salma Hayek’s portrayal of her tumultuous life in an Oscar-nominated role that showcased all these traumas and virtues that accompanied her until her untimely death.

As Latinas our future is bright and full of possibilities.  Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Sonia Sotomayor reminds us to dream big. Sotomayor grew up in the South Bronx, considered by many a neighborhood where people can decide to rise above it all as she did, or get side tracked by the distractions.  Having suffered the passing of her father at a young age, she stayed the course, looking forward. She obtained one of the highest ranking and most important jobs in the country.   How? Sotomayor is the first to acknowledge that it was due to the hard work and sacrifice of one of the most influential Latinas in her life–her mother. I highly recommend reading her book, ‘My Beloved World’ to learn more about Justice Sotomayor’s path to success, the obstacles she faced and how she overcame them.  Times have changed. Our country accepts its rich diversity, and rewards individual achievements not based on ethnicity, but on the merit of hard work and excellence.

The legacy of these exceptional women has given us a message of hope and reminds us of the winning attitude every Latina woman in the United States brings to their own life and work environment on a daily basis. It’s very important to give recognition to all Hispanic women in our society, as this will strengthen our community and motivate the younger generations to aspire to bigger and better things in life. At AARP, we will continue providing tools and resources to empower and help women make their aspirations a real possibility.

The dark green leafy vegetable is everywhere, from upscale restaurant menus to the grocery store snack food aisle (think kale chips). It’s been called “the new beef” because of its high iron content. It’s been hailed as the “queen of greens” because, well, it’s fun to say.

Even the health-conscious White House has gotten in on the trend with a kale salad that was the hit of the Obamas’ Thanksgiving menu last year, reported the Washington Post.

Some contend kale’s newfound popularity stems partly from Americans getting scared off fresh spinach following recent food contamination recalls. Whatever the reason, kale is exceptionally rich in nutrients and health benefits. And, more importantly, it tastes good and can be used in a variety of recipes.

A word of caution: Kale is very high in vitamin K, known as the clotting vitamin because without it, blood won’t clot properly. If you are taking blood thinning or anti-coagulant drugs, like warfarin (brand name Coumadin), you need to avoid large amounts of kale. Kale’s level of vitamin K — a cup has more than 1,000 percent of the recommended daily amount (RDA) — could interfere with your drugs.

Also, if you’re a kale newbie, don’t go overboard. Too much kale can be hard on the digestive system. Just ask the New York fashion models who binged on kale to stay slim and fight off the flu this winter and then had to be treated for diarrhea.

Recipe: Kale or Chard Pie

Here are four good reasons to add some kale to your diet:

For your eyes: Kale is high in lutein and zeaxanthin, phytochemicals found in the retina, which could help reduce the risk of macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in older people. The American Macular Degeneration Foundation says research has indicated that eating red, orange, yellow and dark green fruits and vegetables, which are high in phytochemicals, seems to have a protective effect against vision loss.

For your immune system: Kale is rich in beta-carotene (vitamin A), a powerful antioxidant that may help boost the immune system and possibly protect against some chronic diseases and cancer. At least one study also found that long-term consumption of beta-carotene had cognitive benefits.

For your bones: Kale is is one of the few vegetables with a decent amount of calcium, but it’s especially high in magnesium — just a cup contains 40 percent of the RDA — which is very important for bone health and to protect against osteoporosis. Magnesium has a crucial job working with vitamin D to help your bones absorb calcium. In addition, research has shown that the vitamin K in kale also contributes to bone health by improving bone density.

For your heart: While recent studies have found that antioxidant supplements, like vitamin E pills, don’t protect against heart disease, foods like kale that are naturally high in antioxidants are definitely heart-healthy, says the Cleveland Clinic. Plus, kale’s magnesium and potassium help lower blood pressure, and its high fiber content can help lower cholesterol — all beneficial factors in lowering your risk of cardiovascular illness.

Photos: Top: SweetOnVeg /flickr; bottom: Lablascovegmenu/flickr