Readers weigh in on changes at The N&O

Your turn: Last Sunday's column discussed the elimination of movie summaries from the Channels section, as well as other N&O initiatives to save expense and shift more content to the paper's Web site, www.newsobserver.com. Here are some readers' reactions, excerpted:

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I read your article in today's paper titled, "Worries about the shrinking newspaper." I just wanted to say I think that in some ways, it is actually a good thing that the paper is shrinking. Although I am a Web programmer and spend most of my day online, what I value about the print edition is that I can scan through the main section and the City & State section to find articles about local transportation and land-use issues. I end up recycling the entire remainder of the newspaper without giving it more than a cursory glance. I feel bad about wasting so much paper, so a thinner paper will make it easier for me to justify subscribing to The N&O. -- STEVEN WATERS, Raleigh

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I think the whole attitude of economizing yourself back into newspaper prosperity is about like the tale of the farmer who wished to economize by feeding his mule corncobs instead of corn. It is said the old mule began to like the corncobs about the time he died of starvation. I hope we are not the mule to your farmer.

My daughter, who is a guidance counselor in the Triangle area, says some of her high school students get their news from the likes of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. And a very few years from now, they will be given the right to vote. May God help us all. -- JOHN BISHOP, New Bern

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I understand the need to reduce cost, but how about a compromise? Wouldn't it be possible to include [movie listings] on The N&O Web site and regain some of the perceived lost value? I suspect the cost to do that would be negligible and that most of the people who miss this feature are computer-literate. -- TERRY TENHOUSE, Chapel Hill

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Your article resonated with us. For some time we've been noticing (and grumbling) about the gradual decimation of the editorial/text content of The N&O, while the percentage of the page area containing advertisements (which mean little or nothing to us) continues to increase. And the recent "retirement" of several columnists that we followed regularly has left a void that is yet to be filled. -- RAOUL & JERRIE LEUTERITZ, Fearrington Village.

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Unless means are found (a) to continue the financial support of multiple (and competing) suppliers of real reporting and (b) to ensure that such reporting continues to be read or seen by a broad enough segment of the populace to create a national "information consensus," we will end up effectively lacking a Fourth Branch to keep the other three honest.

A society without accountability for government or corporations is a prospect I don't even want to think about. And though we're still blessed with McClatchy [owner of The N&O], the [New York] Times and many more suppliers of what we need to know, I worry that we're already somewhere along that road. You don't always know what you needed to know before it's too late. -- ANN THACKREY BERRY, Raleigh

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The downsizing is unfortunate. The quality is also being compromised. Two pages for a barber retirement is excessive. A short column would have been adequate. This is just a sample of many other articles from time to time. Your column, and other staff writers could be shortened. Particularly when the content is biased in favor of the paper. -- HOWARD CUNNINGHAM, Raleigh

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I love my N&O .... Love my paper. Love to flip the pages, love to cut out the recipes, love to send articles to my mother. I miss that part of Channels too, but that's the way life goes. -- DOT RICE, Raleigh

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You and I both know a tremendous amount of resources are being diverted to online publication of the news. Any story in the daily paper is generally found online the day before it reaches print. Frankly, I think The N&O is making a tactical error in judgment by opting to rely on the Internet as the future prime source of reader captivation. To be honest, when I check online I usually gravitate toward CNN, Fox News or Yahoo for any stories I might find interesting enough to click on. I do, however, rely on the local print paper to fill in the other gaps. ... -- BOB SULLIVAN, Raleigh

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As to The N&O receiving only "about two dozen complaints ... out of a Sunday circulation of more than 200,000," the nature of complaints is complex. Some people, such as myself, complain when we truly care about a business and wish for it to improve because we want it to survive. Other times we do not complain because we do not care whether the business disappears, or more cynically while we care about the business, we do not believe that our complaint will do any good. In that regard, I feel that this e-mail is a complete waste of my time, but I am breaking one of my rules of complaining and sending it anyway. -- EDWARD H. WILLIAMS, Raleigh



http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/columns/story/852441.html

Recipes Article

With a new year will come two additions to the Herald-Republic.

The first actually arrives on New Year's Day -- Relish magazine, which will be included in your newspaper on the first Tuesday of every month.

Relish is not about celebrity recipes or where the stars dine. Instead, its goal is to celebrate America's love of food. From Wisconsin's cheesemakers to New Mexico's chile pepper farmers, the stars in Relish are the folks who make our food great.

Some of the notable elements of the January issue include:

* This & That -- Highlighted in January: Zinfandel grape juice, a cookbook focused on the bundt cake, cherries, a recipe for the Tunnel of Fudge Cake and the perfect diet book for eating out.

* Good Food Fast -- Chicken Dinner: January is a time for frugality both for our pocketbooks and in the kitchen. This article shares a comforting chicken dinner that's perfect for wintry evenings. Recipes include Salad with Orange Cumin Vinaigrette and Braised Chicken with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes.

* The Healthy Table -- The Power of Green: This article focuses on nutrient-rich spinach and features the recipes for Spinach Pesto and Stir-Fried Spinach.

* New American Farmer -- Apricot Heaven: Relish shares the story of Apricot King Orchard, part of the Santa Clara Valley's agricultural area, and its staple crop. Recipes include Apricot and Lamb Tagine, Apricot Meatloaf and Dried Apricot Pie.

* Entertaining -- Super Bowls: Just in time for the big game party, this recipe for Dried Cherry Chili can be made ahead of time and isn't your normal football party fare.

* Marketplace -- Must-have spices: ground turmeric, whole cloves, ground coriander, whole green cardamoms, whole black cardamoms and garam Masala.

We are adding features and recipes from Relish to the Wednesday Taste section, too. And more Relish recipes and tips are available at www.relishmag.com.

The next addition will arrive four days later, when American Profile magazine becomes a part of your Saturday newspaper.

American Profile was created about seven years ago by Publishing Group of America as a weekly magazine that tells the stories of small towns and big cities, ordinary people doing extraordinary things and both the common and uncommon events that bring us together and make a positive impact on our lives. Since its debut in 2000, it has become a weekly part of nearly 1,350 newspapers across the country.

Included in American Profile on Saturday will be:

* Acts of Kindness 2007 -- Readers describe the generous acts of friends, neighbors, family and anonymous individuals who lent a helping hand to someone in need.

* Hometown Hero: Blankets of Love -- Denise Dee's love of crocheting gained a new purpose when she began making blankets to give away to children in need. Her generosity has spread with her organization, Cover Me With Love, which puts knitters to work throughout the country to help critically ill children, homeless shelters, children of teenage mothers, and families in need.

* Health: Managing Medications -- This story offers advice on how to manage multiple medications, including information on avoiding drug interactions, and tips on how to save money on prescriptions

* And more recipes. This issue offers Spicy Chicken Soup and Carolina Chicken and Collard Greens Stew.


http://www.yakima-herald.com/page/dis/290641615618244

Weight Loss Recipe: Fish In Orange Sauce

Lean protein is your diet is essential to weight loss and weight maintenance. Fish is an excellent source of lean protein as it is lower in fat that red meats.

Long term weight loss isn't about hunger, misery and crash dieting. It's a whole new way of learning to prepare nutritious food that your body needs and enjoys. "Fish in Orange Sauce" is one of a range of hunger fighting, low fat recipes to assist you keep your weight under control. This irresistible, no-hassle meal will help you reach your weight-loss goals - while making mealtime a real treat.

Variety is an essential element of any successful health program. If you get bored with foods, you're much more likely to abandon your program altogether. Each main meal should be accompanied by an exciting range of colorful vegetables.

Fish in Orange Sauce (serves four)

Ingredients
Juice of 2 oranges
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon margarine
¼ teaspoon black pepper, coarsely ground
4 fillets fish
small quantity of plain flour

Directions
1. Place juices, margarine and pepper in pan.
2. Cook until slightly reduced.
3. Dust fish with flour.
4. Add to sauce and poach until just cooked, turning once.
5. Lift out onto serving plates. Spoon sauce over the fish.

Nutrition per serve
166 calories, carbohydrate 4g, protein 27g, fat 4g.

Kim Beardsmore is a weight loss consultant whose business operates across 60 countries. Tons of recipes, articles, resources, free newsletter and more to help you lose weight and keep it off forever. Estimate your healthy body weight or receive a free weight loss consultation at http://www.weight-loss-health.com.au

Weight Loss Recipe: Whole Fish In Ginger Sauce

Lean protein is your diet is essential to weight loss and weight maintenance. Fish is an excellent source of lean protein as it is lower in fat that red meats.

Long term weight loss isn't about hunger, misery and crash dieting. It's a whole new way of learning to prepare nutritious food that your body needs and enjoys.

Instead of high calorie, fatty sources - use spices to provide flavorsome, exciting meals your whole family will enjoy. "Whole Fish In Ginger" is another recipe in a range of hunger fighting, low fat recipes to assist you keep your weight under control. This irresistible, no-hassle meal will help you reach your weight-loss goals - while making mealtime a real treat.

Variety is an essential element of any successful health program. If you get bored with foods, you're much more likely to abandon your program altogether. Experiment with spices to find exciting alternatives, and each main meal should be accompanied by an exciting range of colorful vegetables.

Whole Fish in Ginger (serves four)

Ingredients
1kg (2lb) fish fillets (approx)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
¼ cup (60ml) soy sauce
juice of 1 lemon
¾ cup (190ml) dry white wine
4 spring onions, sliced lengthways
lemon slices for garnish

Directions
1. If there is skin on your fish, score the skin with a knife.
2. Place fish on its side in a flat dish.
3. Combine remaining ingredients to make a marinade, and pour over the fish.
4. Bake the fish, uncovered, in a 180C (350F) oven for 20 minutes or until fish flakes when tested with a fork. Baste frequently with the marinade during cooking. Alternatively, cover with plastic film and microwave on high for approximately 10 minutes.
5. Serve the fish whole with cooking juices and garnished with lemon slices. Accompany with boiled rice and a green salad.

Nutrition per serve
119 calories, carbohydrate 1g, protein 22g, fat 3g.

Kim Beardsmore is a weight loss consultant whose business operates across 60 countries. Tons of recipes, articles, resources, free newsletter and more to help you lose weight and keep it off forever. Estimate your healthy body weight or receive a free weight loss consultation at http://www.weight-loss-health.com.au

Weight Loss Recipe: Oven Fried Chicken

Enjoy the sensation of fried chicken without the extra calories of deep frying. This recipe is sensational either hot or cold and is great for taking to work to avoid the unwanted 'canteen calories'. Oven fried chicken is an excellent choice for those for those wanting to lose or maintain their weight.

Long term weight loss isn't about hunger, misery and crash dieting. It's a whole new way of learning to prepare nutritious food that your body needs and enjoys. We've selected a range of hunger fighting, low fat recipes to assist you keep your weight under control. These irresistible, no-hassle meals will help you reach your weight-loss goals - while making mealtime a real treat.

Variety is an essential element of any successful health program. If you get bored with foods, you're much more likely to abandon your program altogether. Each main meal should be accompanied by an exciting range of colorful vegetables.

Oven-Fried Chicken (serves two)

Ingredients

Vegetable oil spray
1 cup high fiber breakfast cereal
2 teaspoons 33% reduced sodium chicken bouillon
1 tablespoon very low sodium chicken bouillon
black pepper to taste
chili powder to taste
1 teaspoon canola oil
2 egg whites, slightly beaten
8 oz or 250g skinless chicken breast

Directions

1. Preheat over to 180C (350F). Coat a cookie sheet with vegetable oil spray.
2. In a food processor, combine cereal, both types of bouillon, chili powder and pepper. Process until it is fine ‘meal’. Alternatively, crush the cereal with a rolling pin or other means. Be sure it is exceptionally fine. Place in a small, flat container.
3. In another small, flat container, whisk together the oil and egg whites.
4. Cut chicken into strips and dip into egg-oil mixture. Then dredge in cereal meal, coating each strip well.
5. Place each strip on the cookie sheet and coat tops of strips with vegetable oil spray.
6. Bake for 30 minutes.

Nutrition Per Serve
285 calories, carbohydrates 24g, Protein 38g, Fat 7g

Kim Beardsmore is a weight loss consultant whose business operates across 60 countries. Tons of recipes, articles, resources, free newsletter and more to help you lose weight and keep it off forever. Estimate your healthy body weight or receive a free weight loss consultation at http://www.weight-loss-health.com.au

Zucchini Carrot Salad

Summer is nearing and it is time to start thinking about serving succulent garden grown or farm fresh salads. This zesty Zucchini Carrot Salad recipe is certain not to disappoint you or your guests as it is an attractive meal to dish out after a hot summer's day! No cooking is involved; consider serving it with bread, if so desired.

Ingredients:

1 {one} bunch of romaine lettuce, cut into quarter sized pieces

1 {one} medium head iceberg lettuce, cut into quarter sized pieces

2 {two} medium or one large zucchini, sliced thinly

3 {three} green onions, sliced

1 {one} can -- 6 oz. of pitted ripe olives, small, drained

1 {one} cup thinly sliced or chopped carrots

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup of finely chopped bacon

1/2 cup of Italian dressing

Directions:

Toss all the ingredients together in a large bowl except for the salad dressing and the chopped bacon.

Pour dressing over the salad and toss.

If desired, sprinkle liberally with bacon.

Servings:

6 to 8 people

Substitutions:

Select imitation bacon, low calorie Italian, Caesar or Greek dressing

Another option:

You could also consider adding basil, parsley and cherry tomatoes to the salad to give it a richer, more robust Italian flavor:

If Desired, Add:

1 {one} cup of cherry tomatoes, halved

1 {one} tbsp. of parsley

Sprinkle crushed, dried basil over the salad

Matt manages the Corporate Flight Attendant Community at http://www.corporateflyer.net where the discussion is as much about food service as it is about flight.

Cinco de Mayo Recipe

My ex reminded me last week that the holiday that "my people" celebrate was coming up.

My people. He was, of course, being facetious, but I smacked him anyway. Well, he's a thousand miles away, so I virtually smacked him. Same effect.

My people. Like I even speak Spanish. My father wouldn't teach us when we were growing up because he didn't want us to be stigmatized. Only the last name gave us away as it was.

Still, I do like to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. The Fifth of Mayonnaise. I love mayonnaise.

For this Cinco de Condiment, my love wanted to make turkey taquitos for his office party. So I am, even now, roasting turkey parts for said taquitos. Have you ever had turkey taquitos? Around here we have them after major holidays. Christmas, Thanksgiving . . . because that's usually when there's leftover turkey. Turkey is a primary ingredient in turkey taquitos, as you may, or may not, have gathered from the name. I dunno. Some of you are probably quicker than others about these things.

There is no mayonnaise in turkey taquitos. A recipe featuring mayonnaise will be arriving shortly, but this isn't it.

This is a recipe for turkey taquitos. Keep in mind that I can barely read directions, much less give them, so this may be a bit haphazard.

First step: Go to the store. Any store. Well, not just any store. A store that sells what you need. We went to Central Market because I wanted to show Bruno (my boyfriend's alias) what a fun place it is. He stuck his finger in one of the crab tanks and irritated a crab, who tried to grab his finger and run off with it. The crab, fortunately, was unsuccessful in this endeavor. Whew. Close call. Anyway, Central Market has lots of cool stuff. Live food. Dead food. The mess of octopus on ice was something I could have done without. Organic food. Free range chicken. Bulk herbs. Skullsplitter ale, which I wanted just because of the name. A deli section where one could just do all their shopping, thereby making the rest of the store redundant.

Anyway. Go to the store. We looked at turkeys. Then we looked at the turkey breasts next to the turkey. And we went for the turkey breasts. Three of 'em. Saves me the trouble of wrestling with a turkey. I am nothing if not lazy. Also buy tortillas, and bend them to make sure they're fresh and pliable. And either fresh salsa, or make your own. And vegetable oil. And toothpicks. Some dark sweet beverage, if you're feeling like it.

Method of cooking turkey: See, this all depends on what one plans on doing with the turkey. For enchiladas, stewed chicken works best. For taquitos, roasted turkey works best. Something about the dryness or lack thereof of the meat. I roast my turkey in a turkey roaster, but I suppose you could also use an oven. The recipe for how to roast a turkey will be out later this year, when it's time to take those things seriously. For now, I'm sure you can stumble through it.

Roast the turkey.

Chop the turkey into chunks and shreds. Add the fresh salsa or the salsa you made yourself using the fresh ingredients. We don't want the mixture to be too wet.

Too wet. I just made that term up.

Get out two frying pans. Get them out of where? That's rather up to you. Depends on where you keep yours. Put a nice half inch layer or so of oil in one, and just heat the other. (Almost had a typo there. Almost said eat the other, which would be wrong. That is no way to get more iron in your diet.) Heat the oil now or later, depending on if you're going to cook them now or later. I usually fry them as I go.

Heat the tortillas one at a time in the hot skillet. When hot and pliable, and therefore easily bendable, take out of the pan, put a good heaping tablespoon of turkey mixture on the tortilla, and roll it tightly. Secure with a toothpick. (Did you think we bought the toothpicks just for fun?) Sometimes tortillas aren't as bendable as we might wish. This is too bad. Heat them longer.

Put the secured taquito in the hot oil. Let it sit there and brown. Of course, while it's doing this, roll up another one and stick that in there too. Watch taquitos carefully. We want them crispy but not lethal. Turn them over while they cook. We're not deep frying them after all, it just seems that way. The oil should not cover the taquitos fully, only about halfway. That's why you turn them over.

When the first taquito is crispy but not overdone (and this is rather subjective - mine are at times a bit chewy just because I like 'em that way), remove it gently and put it on a plate with a paper towel to soak up the oil. Do not use your fingers for this procedure, except to handle the tongs. This is hot oil, after all. Repeat this procedure for the several dozen taquitos to follow. You can make a whole buncha taquitos before you know it.

Growing up, I was often the victim of burnt fingers because my stepmother would make me stand over the stove for hours heating tortillas to her specifications. For years I suffered from post-taquito stress syndrome. Just the thought of making taquitos was enough to make my fingertips itch. Do not overdo it. You can cook them in batches. You can cook some now and some later. This is not a marathon to see how much damage one can do to oneself. Once, when my hand was sprained, she made me take off the wrap that was holding it together so I could bake cookies for her, the kind you had to roll in your hand. She was mean. Besides, she always overcooked hers. Both taquitos and cookies.

Serve the taquitos with guacamole and sour cream. Okay, some of you don't like sour cream. That's why I only bought a small sour cream - I can eat the stuff straight, but other people have a problem with it. I don't know why.

These can be eaten either hot or cold. Technically, everyone thinks they're supposed to be hot, but it ain't so. If made properly, and drained properly, they're quite good any time at all.

Enjoy the holiday. I hear it won't come around again until next year.

Monique Young is adept at certain things, but cooking is not one of them. She can be reached at monique@moniquewrites.com most days of the week.