Annotated means a book or other piece of writing that has explanations and background info about various words, phrases and references in between each line, or many lines, of the text. I have an annotated Mother Goose that is absolutely fascinating and will look for this edition of The Secret Garden--thanks for telling us about it.

Here's what the American Heart Association says about fiber: Dietary Fiber Dietary fiber is the term for several materials that make up the parts of plants your body can't digest. Fiber is classified as soluble or insoluble. When eaten regularly as part of a diet low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol, soluble fiber has been associated with increased diet quality and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Soluble or viscous fibers modestly reduce LDL ("bad") cholesterol beyond levels achieved by a diet low in saturated and trans fats and cholesterol alone. Oats have the highest proportion of soluble fiber of any grain. Foods high in soluble fiber include oat bran, oatmeal, beans, peas, rice bran, barley, citrus fruits, strawberries and apple pulp. Insoluble fiber has been associated with decreased cardiovascular risk and slower progression of cardiovascular disease in high-risk individuals. Dietary fiber can make you feel full, so you may eat fewer calories. Foods high in insoluble fiber include whole-wheat breads, wheat cereals, wheat bran, rye, rice, barley, most other grains, cabbage, beets, carrots, Brussels sprouts, turnips, cauliflower and apple skin. Many commercial oat bran and wheat bran products (muffins, chips, waffles) contain very little bran. They also may be high in sodium, total fat and saturated fat. Read labels carefully. That's why I wouldn't stress as much about "no carbs" as I would look at an overall plan that includes low in saturated fat, trans fats, and cholesterol and higher in fiber. Those "no carb" diets are fads and people only lower their cholesterol because they loose weight fast, but I doubt most keep it off. And the diet allows a lot of saturated fat and salt, which is why I wouldn't follow it to a "T" although I would get some ideas from it beause people eat WAY too many empty carbs. But bear in mind that any refined flour products are going to be high carb, but the biggest thing that zooms up your "carb" ratings on things is SUGAR, another no no that is hard to avoid if you are fighting heart disease. We are bombarded daily by foods that contain the lethal mix of trans fats or saturated fat, high sugar and high salt. I ate two chocolate ones for breakfast this morning, lol! If your hubby is like my dad, it's not the good meals that you put on the table that are probably doing him in. Sounds like he wants a quick fix. Better to make gradual healthy changes to the way you cook to include more low carb, high fiber vegetables and healthy snacks. This is a constant battle I know. And I also know that you have to negotiate this with hubby too! Good luck, I know you have LOTS of company in your struggle here on the board! This kind of low balanced carb, high fiber diet is good for fighting diabetes too. And a lot of other chronic diseases. It's too bad that your husband isn't getting good diet advice from his physician, who should be paying attention to this too and not JUST prescribing pills. But I know that's the way most doctors do it. LOTS of really great stuff on the American Heart Association's Web site. Search "low carb" and you'll find some cautions. Low carb is fine if you include fiber and whole grains which have lots of B vitamins which are also good for the heart and blood. Here is a link that might be useful: American Heart Association Food and Nutrition

I read Kitchen Confidential. It was good, but I found the two Ruth Reichl books I read much more interesting. I don't know whether to like or dislike Bourdain as a person, because I don't know him, other than having read one of his books, but he does come across as arrogant. He's funny, though. I tried to like his show, The Taste, when it was first on last year, but it seemed way too much about the judges and not enough about the contestants or their cooking. That being said, I didn't make it past the opening rounds. I guess I've wondered way off topic now. Sorry. Sally

Congrats to the champions! I remember when I was in Paris, I was overwhelmed by the variety of very fresh seafood. So I bought a pot and an electric stove, smuggled into my hotel room and cooked. (With the bathroom exhaust fan going) With fresh seafood, all you need is salt and pepper, and a length of baguette. dcarch