Freshman 15 - It Really IS a Myth at UConn

Well, UConn students have taken the "Freshman 15" survey on our Facebook page and the consensus is...drum roll please...it really IS a myth!
Out of 69 students that responded, 14 said that yes, they did gain the Freshman 15, and 55 said that no, they did not gain the Freshman 15. Interesting, for sure.
So, how did that myth start? According to a study from Ohio State University, "The 'freshman 15' is a media myth." The authors of that study have written an article slated to appear in the December issue of the journal Social Science Quarterly, noting that the first mention of the phenomenon in the popular press appeared in 1989 in an article in Seventeen Magazine. Maybe they should have called it the 'Freshmen 17.'

Study: 'Freshman 15' Weight Gain Is A Myth

A study was just published today on FoxNews.com about "Freshman 15 Weight Gain Is A Myth." After all these years, we just assumed gaining all that weight was inevitable. So, out of curiosity, Dining Services is posing the question to students on our Facebook page: Did you gain 15+ pounds when you were a freshman or not? We'll compile the results and see how UConn stacks up to the study. Photo from the nutritionpost.com

Fall Weather is Coming and the Soup's On

Cooler weather is on it's way, any day now, and with it, the desire to enjoy a bowl of hot, delicious soup. While searching online for some quick, easy and delicious soup recipes, I came across this adorable story put to music by one of my all time favorite singers, singing about one of my all time favorite soups....enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNBzJlpwChU&feature=player

GROUNDS FOR GARDEN ENVY

Want a Healthy, Happy Garden?
Add coffee grounds....and Dining Services will give them to you for free! (We have a few pounds here and there!!!)
Vist our UC Cafes and the Cafe in Union Street Market and ask for your free bag of grounds.
Why Coffee Grounds?
Coffee grounds are filled with nitrogen, magnesium, calicum, potassium and other trace minerals - great for growing green things.

There are several ways you can put coffee grounds to work in your garden:
Put coffee gounds in your compost bin.

Add grounds directly to the soil in your garden. You can scratch it into the top couple of inches of soil or just sprinkle it on top and leave alone.

Create a slug and snail barrier. Coffee grounds are both abrasive and acidic so a barrier of grounds placed near slug-prone plants may just save them from these garden pests.

Make coffee ground "tea." Add two cups of used coffee grounds to a five gallon bucket of water. Let the "tea" steep for a few hours or overnight. You can use this concoction as a liquid fertilizer for garden and container plants. It also makes a great foliar feed.

Add coffee grounds to your worm bin. Worms love coffee grounds! Add some to your worm bin every week or so. A cup or so of grounds per week for a small worm bin is perfect.

Remember, just visit our Cafe in Union Street Market or one of the UC Cafes that is open this summer and ask for your free bag of coffee grounds. Your worms will thank you.
Information from About.com

University Catering Brings Home a Silver!

NACUFS we enter, year after year,
hoping to bring home a medal
and spread some good cheer
to all of the people who, day after day,
work very hard, so we just want to say...
THANK YOU so much from the bottom of our hearts,
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, you certainly are parts
of our department we can't do without.
CONGRATULATIONS!!! YOU ALL ARE THE BEST, WITHOUT A DOUBT!!

Congratulations to University Catering and everyone who was involved in this creative endeavor! Because of you, we won the Silver medal in the Catering: Special Event Catagory!!

Warm Weather Means Grilling

It's never too early to drag out the BBQ and do some hot weather grilling. Thought I'd share a few recipes from Rob.....unusual items you usually don't think of placing on a grill....but they are both delicious! Give them a try at your next backyard grill time.
GRILLED GUACAMOLE
Makes 4 servings
4 avocados, halved
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic-minced
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1 small jalapeno, chopped (about 2 tsp)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup fresh tomato, chopped
2 tablespoon fresh cilantro
2 dashes hot sauce
Salt-to taste
Brush avocado halves with olive oil and place on preheated medium-high grill. Grill until slightly browned, remove from grill and allow to cool. Once cool, spoon avocado flesh from the skin and place in mixing bowl. Add tomato, garlic, onion, jalapeno, lemon juice and sour cream. Blend with a fork and then add in tomatoes, cilantro, hot sauce and salt. Cover and refrigerate. Serve with tortilla chips.

GRILLED RED and GREEN CABBAGE SLAW
1/2 cup tarragon vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil plus additional for brushing
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 medium head of red cabbage (about 1 3/4 pounds), quartered through core
1 medium head of green cabbage (about 1 3/4 pounds), quartered through core
1 bunch green onions (about 6), trimmed
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Whisk vinegar, sugar, 1/2 cup oil, mustard, and tarragon in medium bowl. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Brush cabbages and green onions with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill cabbages until dark grill marks form, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Grill green onions until charred on 1 side, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer vegetables to work surface. Chop green onions and cabbages; place in large bowl, discarding cores. Add dressing; toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper.

This next recipe is not to be BBQ'd but really needs to be shared: a delicious recipe for muffins from Dennis. He made these a few weeks ago and brought them in......very, very good. (Would be even better with a bit a dark chocolate, but that's just my peronal opinion!) Enjoy.

ORCHARD CRUNCH MUFFINS
3 cups flour
2 ¼ cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
½ pound unsalted butter, melted (microwave) and left at room temperature
2 extra large eggs
¾ cup whole milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 mashed ripe bananas
1 cored, peeled, large diced apple
1 cored, peeled, large diced pear
1 ½ cups muesli (if you don’t have this, make a mix of oatmeal, dried fruits and nuts) or use granola
½ cup coconut milk, unsweetened
1/4 cup maple syrup (use local)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with fluted paper muffin liners. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl with a fork until thoroughly mixed. Add melted butter to dry mix and blend. Combine eggs, milk, vanilla and coconut milk. Mix but not too much. Add to flour/butter mixture. Fold in mashed banana, cut up fruit, and maple syrup. Do not over mix. Spoon the batter into paper liners. If you have an ice cream scoop, use it. Top each muffin with muesli and brown sugar. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and remove from pan.

Staff Awards & Milestones

The Divison of Student Affairs held it's annual Awards and Appreciation ceremony a few days ago and we are proud to say that two of our distinguished team members were honored for their contributions to not only the Department of Dining Services, but also to the Division of Student Affairs.
Rob Landolphi, our Culinary Operations Manager, won the 3C Award. In short, this award recognizes the guiding principles of collaboration, communication and community and is presented to an individual, group, department or committee that best exemplifies the notion of being a team player. Congratulations Rob!
Roselyn Lamont, Manager of Chuck & Augie's Restaurant, was honored to be chosen as Employee of the Year. This esteemed award is the Division of Student Affairs highest honor. Congratulations Roselyn!

Quite a few employees celebrated longevity milestones. Brian Cormier, chef at Gelfenbien Commons, celebrated 40 years of service with Dining Services....amazing! Debbie Lee, Lou Levy and Bob Zanonno celebrated 30 years of service. 20 year employees are Xiaoqing Cui, Grace Danso, Carol Gaylor, Gale Marsan, Richard Martin, Ken Soder and Zemei Ye. 15 year employees are Margaret Comeau, Peneope Corcoran, Jim Kupchunos, Helen Mesi and Jason Reynolds...an on down the line. Just goes to show you that Dining Services is a great place to work!