Southern Cookbook and Good Home Cooking

Now that school’s out and I have all three girls home with me all day, every day, my time is even more valuable, especially to them. Apparently, along with all my other roles, I’m also their personal chef, activities director and event planner for the summer. They don’t know how good they have it. I try to remember this when they try to lay on the guilt with: “I’m hungry. I’m bored. Can we go somewhere?” HELL NO! I’m trying to write in my blog. Of course I didn’t actually say that.

One place we love to go is the library. It’s good, free entertainment and we get to bring home books to occupy them later. I owe my sanity to the public library (which is why I made a nice little donation when I heard my branch might shut down due to underfunding). That’s not the only reason I love it. I could spend hours in non-fiction, browsing the shelves in section 641. Food and drink. I’m a big supporter of borrowing books rather than spending money on new ones. Especially cookbooks, since I really only use them for inspiration. But every now and then, I find one I don’t want to return. I renew it until I can’t anymore. Art Smith’s Back to the Family, is one such book. The pictures are amazing and the food is good and simple. I’ve made bread pudding (twice), fennel coleslaw and a brunch dish that coincidentally called for a cheese I’d just picked up at Trader Joe’s that I’d never used before (manchego). As usual, I made a few changes to suit our taste and food choices and sometimes just to use what we had on hand. If you like southern food, I recommend this book.

I’ve made several recipes already. My favorite is the bread pudding. I strongly recommend drowning the raisins in spiced rum first. I let them marinate for about an hour in hot rum. And I served it with ice cream as suggested (homemade vanilla). It’s so easy to make, it’s scary.  Scary because it so damn good.

One night I was looking for a way to use some cabbage that I’d had in the refrigerator for a week and a half, which by the way was still crisp and quite fresh since it was freshly picked when I’d bought it from Matthews Farmers’ Market (best in the Charlotte area, hands down). Raw veggies and apple cider vinegar have great health benefits. The recipe is for Fennel Coleslaw. I substituted half the fennel with my cabbage and added a red bell pepper.  I love fennel and it has its own benefits, but I don’t think my family would love a coleslaw made entirely of fennel.

Late one morning, I was looking through the book and came across a recipe for Asparagus with Manchego Cheese. I had a smoothie very early that morning and was getting hungry. This recipe looked easy and tasty. The tomatoes, now in season and delicious, and of course the manchego caught my eye. Similar to the bread pudding recipe, it calls for bread cubes and eggs. I substituted the French bread with a very dense whole wheat sandwich bread and the asparagus with broccoli, because that’s what I had on hand. When I was a less experienced and less confident cook, I would pass on recipes unless I had (and liked) the ingredients called for, which was a big mistake. It turned out wonderfully, but I can’t wait to try it with asparagus (and a few other veggies, now that I think of it).

I encourage less confident cooks to take a chance and make changes to suit your taste or use what you already have. (America spends a lot of money and resources on wasted food.) My mom has this simple and awesome fried rice recipe that’s comforting and makes me feel like a kid again. It’s not like the fried rice you’d find in a Chinese restaurant. There is no soy sauce or eggs and aside from the Korean sticky rice she uses, it’s more like an Americanized version of fried rice. She uses rice, carrots, onions, celery, ground beef, salt and pepper (and probably some minced garlic). I made this recipe with sausage instead, again because it’s what I had on hand. The smell of the sausage with those ingredients reminded me of another one of her recipes for dirty rice, so I meshed the two and added curry powder and a little extra turmeric (because it has some great health benefits and to give it a beautiful yellow color). Don’t get me wrong, my mom’s recipes are already good and very special to me. They are my comfort foods, along with the rest of her home cooking. (Where do you think my interest in food and gardening comes from?) However, I’ll be making this mash-up of the two again and again.

A Few Facts About the Obesity Epidemic

First let me say that I strongly recommend the HBO documentary series The Weight of the Nation.  The series inspired this post. Click here to watch the series for free.

(Click on the links highlighted in blue for more information.)

• Two thirds of Americans are overweight and half of those (one-third) are obese.
• The rate at which obesity is climbing is scary and there is no sign that it’s slowing down. It’s predicted that soon nearly one-half of Americans will be obese (42% by 2030 according to the CDC).
• The rate of childhood obesity has tripled since 1980. WE are over feeding them and THEY are suffering, and some are DYING from adult related diseases – preventable diseases that can be avoided just by maintaining a healthy weight.
• Children today have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.
• Obesity is killing us. Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable diseases. (Smoking is the first.) Four of the ten leading causes of death in America (heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer) are directly related to obesity.
• And if money, healthcare or the economy is your thing then you should know that obesity is costing America about $270 billion a year. (That’s $270,000,000,000.00!) Many people believe eating real food is costly, but the hidden costs of eating junk food is exponentially more. Here’s just one example:

“Obese men rack up an additional $1,152 a year in medical spending, especially for hospitalizations and prescription drugs, Cawley and Chad Meyerhoefer of Lehigh University reported in January in the Journal of HealthEconomics. Obese women account for an extra $3,613 a year. Using data from 9,852 men (average BMI: 28) and 13,837 women (average BMI: 27) ages 20 to 64, among whom 28 percent were obese, the researchers found even higher costs among the uninsured: annual medical spending for an obese person was $3,271 compared with $512 for the non-obese.”

• There are other costs associated with obesity as well. Some of which include increased fuel, increased food costs, increased costs to accommodate the obese (i.e. bigger seats, toilets, beds, equipment, clothes, etc.), increasing insurance premiums and lost productivity, just to name a few.

Farm to Table Journey to Health (and Weight Loss)

The most remarkable thing about this journey is how it has affected my soul. When I first started my goal was to lose weight. But where I ended up instead, was so much better. And the weight fell off. This journey led me to unexpected places. Like farmers markets. And farm tours. And to cultivating a garden of my own. I have a deep appreciation for food now that I’ve seen the whole picture, from seed to plate. And when I say food, I don’t just mean ‘food’. I mean everything from seeds and plants and animals that “only have one bad day”; to climate and fertile soil and clean water and organic, sustainable  farming; to creating recipes with appreciation for the ingredients; and then cooking and sharing meals, relaxing and making memories with friends and family. Even after the food is gone from our plates, it’s sitting in our full bellies, nourishing us. I mean “FOOD!” I didn’t know it could be this good and, this nourishing. I’ve changed from the inside out. Deeply. This journey moves my soul and now I’m in tune with the natural world. It’s a part of me and I’m a part of it.

So if you want to lose weight AND be healthy and you’ve tried everything else… I have a little suggestion. Something you probably haven’t tried. Just learn to love nourishing food. Reconnect with it. Get to know it really well. Try a… I was going to call it a “farm-to-table diet,” but I hate diets. And I hate when people call eating well a “lifestyle”. I mean it is, but it sounds so cliché. How about… a farm-to-table journey to health. If you learn to eat well, the weight will fall off – and you won’t feel deprived or starved. Our entire family slimmed down in one summer. Except the picky one that needed to gain a little. She did.

Read some articles about all those foodie things I italicized above, and blogs like this one and dozens more like it. Subscribe to facebook pages and blogs like health.com, Slow Food USA, 100 Days of Real Food, Harvest Moon Grille/Grateful Growers and Mark Bittman. I suggest this book: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and other books by Nina Planck, Michael Pollan, Alexandra Zissu. If TV’s your thing, try watching some food shows. Set your DVR to record “Dr. Oz” (he has Oprah’s old spot) and “The Chew” on ABC and Extra Virgin on the Cooking Channel. And watch Food, Inc. Don’t let the politics deter you. Understanding where food comes from and how it gets on your plate is the first step to eating well. Ignore the politics, unless of course you feel passionate about it.

Visit a farmers market or two. Try to find one that is a “producers only” market with food that comes from within a 50 or 100 mile radius. Start shopping there regularly. The best one in the Charlotte area is (Matthews Farmers’ Market.) In fact, some might say this is not a good time to start farmers’ market shopping, because we’re in the middle of winter and there’s hardly any food. First of all, that’s not true. There’s plenty of food. There’s just not a wide variety of food. But I think it’s the best time to get to know the farmers’ market – before it’s busy and crowded and there’s food everywhere. In the winter, farmers’ markets are quieter. The farmers, vendors and market goers will be more relaxed, less busy and open to conversation. And you can watch it grow into spring.

Locate some organic, sustainable farms in your area where food is grown without chemicals and animals are treated humanely. Most of them offer free scheduled tours. This is a great opportunity to find out why sustainable food costs more. It’s also a great way to spend a day with the family. Farms have a way of reminding you what life is all about. Kids of all ages will love it. It’s such a fun learning opportunity. (Also good for getting a reluctant spouse on board.)

Start small. Read one article a day. Subscribe to one blog. “Like” something food related on facebook. Cook one meal from fresh, whole ingredients. I’m telling you, this journey is nothing like a diet. There’s no calorie counting or eating low fat (fat is delicious and doesn’t make you fat – google it). This journey is eye opening and it’s fun. It changed my entire family. We’re all better because of it. I thought it would be nice to hear a kid’s point of view, so I’ve asked my daughter Haleigh (she’s 12) what she has enjoyed the most about this journey. So I’m stepping away from the keyboard now and letting her write it in her own words. This is what she has to to say:

“Eating healthier isn’t as bad as it seems – like eating vegetables all the time and not eating cookies – because there are also good things, like I get to go to the farmers’ market every Saturday. That’s fun for me and also the food from the farmers market tastes better than from a store. Healthier food makes me feel more focused and fit. Unlike junk food which makes me feel lazy. At lunch when I see people all around me eating cookies and chips and I’m eating carrots and a sandwich, it makes me think I’m much healthier than my friends and I’m going to be better off in life. Even though they sometimes make fun of me and stuff, because my mom’s such a “health freak” I’m thinking well at least my mom cares enough not to feed me junk food all my life.”

Warm and Cozy Hot Chocolate

We have an icky bug floating around the house. It’s just a cold, but there are five of us. And when we have an icky bug, it can take weeks to run it’s course through our family. We still have a few sniffles, but we’re almost in the clear. The little one started it all. She missed school last Friday because of it. And of course they had something special planned that day. It breaks my heart when they’re sick. It’s worse when they miss an event they’ve been looking forward to all week because of it. This called for a little extra mommy lovin’.

So I had to re-create “warm and cozy day” at home. Especially since she was fighting a cold. We made hot chocolate from scratch. I haven’t bought that stuff in the packets in over a year.  We used to always have it around. So now when I make hot chocolate, it’s extra special.

While I prepared the hot chocolate, she picked a spot and arranged our picnic blanket and her stuffed “aminals”. She came to the kitchen several times. She’d grab my hand and lead me into the living room and ask “Is this okay?” They are unbelievably cute when they’re three.

The cookies were Trader Joe’s Highbrow Chocolate Chips. We don’t normally have this kind of thing in the house, but they were leftover from an event over the holidays. I was saving them for an emergency, and this seemed like the right time. The warm, creamy hot chocolate and those crispy cookies were perfect together. She forgot all about school.

“Uh oh. I had a little accident Mommy.” No problem. I worried that the all that chocolate would keep her from napping, but she slept soundly. The fever never came back after that. I doubt it had much to do with our warm and cozy hot chocolate, but who knows. I let her believe it was the cure.

Warm and Cozy Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

• 2 cups organic whole milk
• 1/4 cup organic sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• pinch of  sea salt
• 2 ounces good quality dark chocolate (or 1 square)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon organic virgin coconut oil
• splash of organic heavy cream or half and half (optional)
• marshmallows are optional

Method:

1. Heat milk in a small saucepan over low heat.
2. Whisk in the sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, coconut oil and salt until dissolved.
3. Stir in the chocolate until melted.
4. Remove saucepan from heat and allow to cool slightly or add a splash of cold heavy cream or half and half, or a dollop of whipped cream. Throw in a few marshmallows if desired. Makes 2 servings.

I decided to add the coconut oil not just for a little more flavor, but to make it a little extra nourishing for my feverish lil’ pumpkin. And to strengthen my immune system, just in case I was next… I was.

Coconut oil has been used for centuries to treat illnesses.

The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin which is claimed to help in dealing with viruses and bacteria causing diseases such as herpes, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and even HIV. It helps in fighting harmful bacteria such as listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and harmful protozoa such as giardia lamblia. As a result of these various health benefits of coconut oil, though its exact mechanism of action was unknown, it has been extensively used in Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medicinal system. (from organicfacts.net)

I also had some homemade almond flavored whipped cream leftover from the a few nights before. Whipped cream is ridiculously easy to make from scratch. A cup of organic heavy cream, a few tablespoons of confectioners sugar and some almond extract, all whipped together with a stand or handheld mixer on high speed until thick and creamy. You can substitute with whatever extract you prefer. Store bought whipped cream isn’t anywhere near this good.

I doubled the recipe so I’d have enough leftover for the other two when they came from school. Friday treat!!

How to Get Your Kids to Eat Well

This NPR article inspired this post. Apparently Georgia is running some controversial ads to try and fight childhood obesity. I think the ads are going to shed light on a subject that has been taboo for decades. Fat kids. There I said it. Not to be mean, but to be honest. Many kids (and adults) have excessive fat on their bodies. The fat is dangerous. Yes dangerous. In case you haven’t already heard, our children’s life expectancy is shorter than our own. What could this mean for future generations – our grandchildren and great grandchildren? Scary stuff. Something’s got to give. I want to break the cycle, not perpetuate it. I’m doing everything in my power to improve my kids’ chances. By example. And by showing them how to eat healthy. That’s right. I’m the mom who doesn’t like it and discourages her kids from eating candy and chips and soda and cake and ice cream. Though I try not to be a fruitcake. (See below.)

My kids eat vegetables. But they didn’t used to. Because I didn’t offer them. And the road hasn’t been easy (still isn’t). But I do it anyway. My three year old only eats a couple – celery (thanks Wonder Pets), broccoli (sometimes) and french fries (technically a vegetable, but just barely). But I’ve noticed that just like the older two, she’s eating more of them each week. Guess what else she loves. Tofu. Loves it! Because it tastes good. You probably don’t believe me because of it’s reputation in America as a disgusting or tasteless health food. I didn’t believe it until I actually tried it a couple times, a couple of ways.

Before you can convince your kids to eat well, you have to learn to do it. If you find healthier food to be tasteless (or even gross), give it a fair chance. Try not to write a food off after just one taste, or even just one preparation. It’s okay to be honest when you don’t like something. The kids have seen some funny, interesting and honest reactions from me. But keep trying it. They’ll get the lesson and hopefully you’ll learn to like it, not just tolerate it. Here’s a list of just some of the foods (and drinks) I used to dislike but now love:

• unsweetened beverages
• milk
• kale
• arugula (only after about the third try and after learning that salty and acidic foods compliment it’s flavor)
• beets (just getting to know and like them)
• figs
• rosemary, sage and a bunch of other herbs
• Greek yogurt
• parsnips
• goat cheese
• fennel
• kombucha
• salmon (just in the last couple of weeks)
• anchovies
• all kinds of beans
• cole slaw
• and of course, tofu – so versatile, yet I only had one image of it before we started this journey:

Here’s a link to some beautiful tofu on Google Images. Okay they aren’t all beautiful. But most of them are. And for the record, like chicken, it has an extremely mild taste, so a flavorful preparation is recommended. If you think you don’t like it, you probably just didn’t like the flavors used to prepare it. And the texture can vary and can also be manipulated if that’s your hang up. It can be delicate like cottage cheese, or firm like chicken.

But this post isn’t about tofu. It’s about getting kids (and you) to eat better, to be healthy. I’m no expert but I can tell you that I’ve learned a lot from my picky eaters over the last couple of years. One thing is certain, if you want kids to eat healthy food you first have to offer it (hello!?) and don’t give them an unhealthy option to choose from instead. In other words don’t serve chicken nuggets, french fries and kale. Duh. No need to elaborate further on that one. What are you afraid of? Insist (that’s right insist) that they take at least a reasonable bite. You do it all the time with other things. You insist they go to bed at a reasonable hour. You insist that they wear their seat belt. So ignore those “experts” that claim forcing your kids to eat their vegetables will give them some negative associations with the food. They’ll get over it. They might not like it this time, but keep offering it – over and over and over again. It can take something like a dozen tastes to change our minds about a particular food. Try another preparation. Use flavors they love. Just don’t give up on nutritious food – or your kids.

Here’s another tip. If they refuse to eat, let them go hungry. They won’t starve. And the next time you offer them something nutritious, they’ll probably be hungry enough to try it. Maybe not at first. They’ll probably rebel if you haven’t been eating this way for long. But if they refuse, they probably aren’t really that hungry. Trust me on this. Even if they’ve barely eaten for days, they won’t starve. If you cave and offer their favorite junk food, you are undermining your efforts and their chances to learn to eat healthy. It helps to look at the big picture. Have plenty of the fruits they love, milk if they’ll have it and other healthy options for snacks or meals. Stock up on the nutritious things they already love. And don’t expect them to be eagerly eating vegetables in a month or even a year. We’ve been at it for two years, and we still have issues. But it’s a million times easier than it was those first couple of weeks. Trying new foods and learning to like them is a lifestyle, not a childhood phase. As I said, I’m still doing it.

Come up with some ground rules. For instance, our kids must take a “thank you” bite. Always. At home and away. If they want seconds or dessert, they have to eat everything they’ve been served. I only serve them small portions to begin with. Sometimes a half portion or even just a couple tablespoons. My kids are used to trying new foods or new dishes now, though they aren’t always thrilled about it. Many of the foods that used to make them gag (literally, but I still made them take a bite) are some of their favorites now, or are at least tolerable. And I don’t care if the only reason they eat the kale or tofu is to get more chicken or dessert (we don’t have dessert regularly though). I am even going to start offering special privileges for clearing their plates. Like offering to play a board game after dinner, or to do one of their chores for them – dishes perhaps. The point is for them to give the food a chance. Who knows, you might like it Sam I Am. And don’t forget to praise them when they eat well or try something they don’t like.

While this post is mostly about offering healthy food, don’t forget to teach them portion control. My kids are only allowed one serving of each food, until they clean their plates (unless of course it’s more vegetables). If they want a second single serving of chicken after they’ve eaten salad and roasted carrots, then go for it. Americans tend to over estimate portion sizes (thanks to “individual” sized bags of chips with two servings, soft drinks and super sized meals in almost every restaurant, but especially fast food joints). A serving of vegetables is about 1/2 cup (1 full cup for greens like spinach and lettuce). A serving size of meat is 3 ounces (not 4). A single slice of bread is one serving, so a sandwich includes two servings of bread. Learning how much to eat is equally as important as learning what to eat. Here’s a handy chart.

I want to suggest one other thing. Eat and prepare meals together as a family. Families who eat together are usually closer, eating habits are better and kids are more confident, less likely to drink, do drugs, smoke, be depressed, have sex at a young age or get pregnant (just to name a few). Countless studies and research has been done on the subject. Tons of articles have been written about it. We eat dinner together nearly every night. My kids are almost always in the kitchen when I’m preparing dinner, usually doing homework or chatting (though I still need to work on letting them help more). It’s not always fun and games, but as the kids get older, the benefits become more and more important. And linger at the table after everyone is done eating. Finish your glass of wine or coffee. Chat. Goof off. Plan future events. Talk about your day. Our best conversations happen after the meal. Serious subjects like sex and drugs and bullying. Sometimes we get down right silly. Like the time we used an iPhone app to turn our voices into a song and sent it to a relative. Or the night we gave London some silly (but useable)  examples of what to do and say next time a boy in her class hits her or one of her friends. The dishes, the homework and the baths can wait just a little longer. This is more important.

***Updated to add a couple of things.

1) Sometimes kids will refuse to eat something even if they like it, just to be right. One of mine decides with her eyes first and will rarely admit she likes anything new. (Very discouraging and annoying.) But I’ve accepted it. Sometimes she’ll continue the charade indefinitely. But she doesn’t put up as much of a fight when I put it on her plate. Sometimes she’ll say it’s “okay”. But she’s quite stubborn. So am I. I just keep putting it on her plate. It’s like a little dance we do.

2) Texture can be a big problem for picky eaters. If something doesn’t taste good AND it’s mushy, it’s like a double whammy. She dislikes some delicate fish and hates beans and used to hate mashed potatoes (keep reading). Funny though she never had a problem with grits, which have a very distinct mushy/gritty and slightly slimy texture that many people do have a problem with. I have always added milk, cheese, lots of butter and sometimes sausage or bacon in our grits, preparing them almost like a rich risotto. Sometimes I even add onions, tomatoes, chard or spinach, mushrooms… My guess is that she just couldn’t resist the rich flavor. (That gives me an idea. Maybe I should try this with beans.) I mentioned that she used to hate mashed potatoes, but now she devours them. Especially with gravy. That’s my girl!

Molasses Cookies, Royal Icing and Natural Food Coloring

The cookie jar is full.

No wonder we put on extra pounds every year during the holiday season. Last week it was apple cobbler, and this week it’s homemade gingerbread cookies. Sheesh! What is it about this time of year and homemade goodies? And I haven’t even gotten around to the dark chocolate peppermint bark and white chocolate coated popcorn yet. Maybe if we stop saving these homemade treats for the winter months and spread them throughout the year. Who says you can’t have peppermint bark in July? Why not make a couple of batches of cookies to share in the spring? I know the answer. Tradition. The girls and I look forward to cookie decorating during the holidays. We had hours of fun and there was no fighting and bickering for the duration. We all needed a break from the quarreling.

The cookies are Molasses Sugar Cookies and not gingerbread cookies, though I’m not sure what the difference is. The molasses cookies might be a little softer. But I found that if I cooked them a few minutes longer, they darkened and hardened a little. They were good either way, but the softer ones break easily. Click here for the cookie recipe. I used 2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups of all purpose, and instead of shortening I used 3/4 cups of leaf lard and 3/4 cups of real butter. Next time I’ll use all butter just because it tastes better. Refrigerating the dough for hours is not necessary if you just use cold butter in stead of melting it as the recipe instructs. I do refrigerate between batches and recommend it if you are planning to roll it out and use cookie cutters. The first two batches were rolled into  balls and half of those were tossed in sugar.

I refrigerated the rest of the dough overnight and we finished up the following evening. No sugar coating was necessary since we were going to cover them in icing and candy.

London’s cute little cookies were covered in globs of icing and carefully placed pieces of candy. Yummy.

Haleigh, a budding artist, let her creativity fly. She’s a neat little artist.

Linsey, a budding perfectionist, wanted to make sure icing was evenly distributed on her cookies. I have to say though, that the icing is the glue that is keeping her cookies from crumbling to pieces in the cookie jar. This cookie’s head fell off, but the rest is still intact.

Let’s talk about the icing. Royal icing is considered the best type for decorating cookies because it dries and hardens quickly. Some recipes call for meringue powder, cream of tartar or powdered egg whites – things I don’t normally have on hand. How about you? Here’s my simple and easy recipe:

Easy Royal Icing

Ingredients:

• 2 egg whites
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or extract of whatever flavor you want to impart – lemon, peppermint, almond etc.)

Method:

1. Beat egg whites in clean, large bowl or stand mixer at high speed until foamy.
2. Gradually add sugar and lemon extract. Beat at high speed until thickened.

This made twice as much as we needed, so you might want to cut the recipe in half. Of course you can just use the white icing. Coloring isn’t really necessary since the candy is colored. We generally try to avoid artificial coloring. We did however have some artificially colored candy lying around so we used that, along with some mini-chocolate chips. But I don’t ever use or buy artificial food dyes. I attempted to try and color some of the icing naturally – purple, using juice from some frozen blue berries and pink, using juice from a large handful of pomegranate arils. (Who says Christmas cookies have to be red and green?) The results were not that great. I ended up with two shades of pale pink. Pretty, but not very vibrant. There are better ways, I know. But I was lazy.

And they were a little runnier, even though I added quite a bit more powdered sugar. My guess is that the acid from the fruit broke down the stiffness in the whipped egg whites.

Anyhoo, the girls loved the colors. My favorite are the ones with just chocolate chips. Chocolate chips and cookies belong together.

Simple, Seasonal Food

Carrots are in season. My kids like them raw mostly, but for dinner we like them roasted with just olive oil, salt and pepper. I roast most veggies at 450 degrees, but how long depends on the size. The carrots I get from the farmers market are small-ish, but still I split them in half so they cook even faster. I roasted these maybe… 20  minutes? I used to think that there was an exact science to using the oven. I wouldn’t dare use it without the instructions from a recipe telling me exactly what temperature and how long. I’m finally comfortable with guesstimating a temperature and cook time.  For most things, precision is not necessary. You can just tell when it’s done, or – use a thermometer. Not done yet? Okay. Back you go. Occasionally I wait too long. But usually overcooked or “charred” food is still edible and tasty… usually.

Carrots from the farmers market are never as uniform as the ones they sell in grocery stores.

Thank goodness, because I like a little fun in the kitchen. Put some clothes on those lady legs!

I split them in half, but kept the “legs” together for a little funny on my girls’ plates. They didn’t even notice.

Carrots and roasted chicken… mmm…. I got this sample seasoning packet from the farmers’ market at Atherton Mills. A Savory Spice Shop is opening in the shopping center next door and they were giving these away to spread the word. Good blend. Can’t wait to visit this spice shop. Roasted chicken was so simple. Rub olive oil or butter, salt and whatever seasoning you like on the chicken and roast it at 375 degrees until temp reaches 180 degrees . Unless you got yourself a pastured chicken like this one. They only need to get around 170 to 175 degrees. A four pound chicken takes around an hour and fifteen minutes. (A meat thermometer is inexpensive and doesn’t take up much space. Totally worth it, especially if you tend to to overcook things like I do (in fear of under cooking). I start taking it’s temperature after an hour. Here’s a tip I’ve picked up somewhere. Stick the thermometer between the breast and thigh so that you don’t actually puncture the meat and allow all those juices to escape. And make sure the thermometer doesn’t touch any bones or the bottom of the pan.)

Oh wow. This is the second time I’ve purchased a pastured chicken from Laughing Owl Farm. So moist and yummy.

Ever heard of Cushaw Pie? Not me. I found the cushaw at a pumpkin patch. I bought it mostly to decorate the front porch along with a few other uncommon varieties of winter squash.

The cushaw is the one that looks like a duck. It’s green and white, kind of like a watermelon.

But then thought I’d see if any of them were good for anything else, like eating. Turns out cushaws makes a good pie. It’s especially good with homemade whipped cream infused with nutmeg and orange zest. However, the pie crust was the best part. I used a basic recipe, but substituted 1/2 unrefined coconut oil and 1/2 butter instead of all butter or shortening (leaf lard works well, but I wanted to impart the flavor of coconut and butter). I also added a tablespoon of sugar and maybe a 1/4 teaspoon of  cinnamon. Simple as that.

I made heart shaped pumpkin pancakes for the girls on Friday. They were out of school for Veteran’s Day. I just added a couple extra tablespoons of flour, about a cup of pumpkin puree and some pumpkin pie spices to my usual pancake batter and cut the milk down just a little. If you’ve made pancakes a few times, you know the consistency. We ate them with a little real butter, 100% pure maple syrup and fresh apples. Simple enough.

I found this brand new heart-shaped pancake mold at my favorite thrift store for only $0.49! According to the tag, it came with a partner. Two would have been better for. sure. Double the pancakes in half the time. Took me like 30 minutes to make 6 pancakes! I sure do heart my girls…

Also found this cute cookie jar for a whopping $1.99. No cookies yet. The girls check every few days.

Sometime this week I’m going to surprise them and actually fill it with homemade cookies. I’m thinking I might even restart a fairly new family tradition: “Friday treats”. Just not every Friday. Last school year we did this and the girls really loved it. In fact so much that they actually drove me insane about it all. week. long. “What’cha makin’ this week? What? That’s not a good treat!? Why can’t you make blah, blah, blah? You didn’t have time to make our Friday treat!? Well then you owe us…” Wait, what?  So, no. Not every Friday.

Pomegranates and Smurphat Family Recipes

I bought two pomegranates a week ago. I looked at them nearly every day and asked myself, “When are you going to crack those things open? What exactly are you waiting for?” My kids asked the same sorts of questions. Truth is I haven’t bought one in years. When I was growing up, my mom would buy them. But she lovingly did all the hard work and all we had to do was pick off the arils. I’ve bought them a few times since then, but was always disappointed and never felt they were worth the trouble. The seeds inside were hard and difficult to chew, making the little burst of juice hardly worth the messy, cutting, peeling, prying, plucking and seed spitting. Now, why did I buy these again? Oh yeah. They are good for you and yummy (even if they are a lot of work). They are rich in vitamin C, B5, potassium and polyphenols (like tannins and flavonoids).

Finally, I decided to open this baby up. But first I had to consult YouTube. Not because it’s all that difficult, but because I figured there was a trick to it and YouTube is my favorite site for how-to demonstrations. I found two ways to do it. Since I had two of them, I tried both ways. Yeah. I’m a nerd like that. The first method involves cutting the thing into manageable pieces then working the arils out by hand in a bowl of water. The peel and membrane floated to the top and the kernels sank to the bottom. Of course when you cut the thing open, just know that it has the potential to look like a scene from some gory horror flick. The juices splatter. In fact, I didn’t even notice they had splattered all the way up the wall and under my cabinets. Also found some on the the paper towel roll the next day. And on the canisters. And toaster. Meh… I prefer the second way, which involves “scalping” the top to reveal the sections and then slicing through the skin and prying the sections apart. It was definitely less messy. And the spoon tapping to release the arils worked okay. Though it didn’t really knock them off, the arils were loosened and easy to pry off after the spoon smacking. (I know, I know. I’m a food nerd.)

As it turns out, the seeds aren’t as bad as I remember. I wasn’t going to mention the seed spitting option to the kids unless they had a problem with it. I didn’t have to. The seeds didn’t bother them. One of them even liked the crunch. Huh. Me too. Go figure. And eating the pomegranate with the seeds is better for you. They contain healthy oils, micronutrients and fiber. Pomegranates are high in sugar. In fact, most of it’s calories come from this sugar. But the fiber helps keep blood sugar levels from spiking by slowing the breakdown of sugar in the body.

They make a great healthy snack all by themselves (I ate quite a few while writing this post), but they were also great on our salads last night:

Speaking of salads, this Sweet and Sour Slaw is what led me to the collection of Smurphat family recipes. Of course the recipe is good as is, but you know me – I added fennel, apples and carrots to give it my seasonal, nutrient dense twist.

The slaw recipe is my mother’s. I had misplaced my handwritten recipe and after searching everywhere, I suddenly remembered that she had submitted the recipe for the Smurphat Family Recipes. No she is not technically a Smurphat (that would be my late grandmother on my Dad’s side), and this recipe actually comes from my childhood neighbor. The recipes were gathered at a family reunion and the “Sweet and Sour Slaw” recipe was my mother’s contribution.  So I dug around and found the family recipe book in a closet upstairs. (Upstairs!?)

Even before I’d found this cookbook, I had been thinking a lot about family recipes. Since I’m cooking more traditionally now, I am always in search of old recipes. I love how naturally good for you they are and I’m fascinated that science is now proving that these tried and true methods and ingredients (a.k.a. slow food) are more beneficial to our health than we realized. Good, simple, unprocessed ingredients, food preparations and cooking methods that have been fine-tuned over centuries and handed down for generations – the culture, the tradition. I’ve been wondering how and what recipes I want to pass on to my daughters. And as I was preparing the slaw, I began thinking about my grandmother. She passed away a few months ago. I wondered which recipes she had contributed. So after dinner I finished my glass of Syrah while perusing family recipes.

As it turns out, quite a few of these recipes called for processed food ingredients like cream of mushroom soup and rolls of refrigerated dough, marshmallow creme, shortening and margarine. I was a little disappointed that these recipes weren’t very traditional, and in fact seem to come from the 50′s era of condensed soup and prepackaged convenience foods.

There were a few gems though. Even some traditional Italian and German Recipes. My grandmother’s recipe for “Number 1 Perfect Apple Cobbler” was included and it just so happens that apples are in season. In fact, Saturday is the last day for apples at my favorite farmers market. Other than the “oleo” (margarine) that she calls for, the rest of the ingredients are pretty traditional. I’m excited to try it.

All this has me wanting to put together a collection of family recipes that use traditional ingredients and methods. You’ll probably be hearing more about this and more about traditional recipes and methods in future posts. I’d love to hear about your family food culture, traditions and recipes. Please feel free to comment below.

ADHD? I’m not so sure…

I’ve been thinking a lot about ADHD lately. In fact I’ve been working on this particular blog post for over a month. Two of my girls have been “diagnosed” ADHD. The diagnosis (if that’s what you want to call it) is based on evaluations by school psychologists, teachers, myself and by talking directly to my girls. Not some definitive test. Definitive tests for psychological disorders are rare, intensive and expensive – if a test exists at all. I’ve struggled with decisions about medication. There are side effects – loss of appetite, sleeplessness, listlessness. Even on low doses. Yes. Grades, school performance and sometimes even behavior and home life improved. And in the beginning it seemed like a godsend. But a few months ago we decided that medication no longer felt right for this family.

Let me say this: parenting is not easy. There isn’t always a right or wrong, cut and dry, black and white answer. Just like everything else in life, there’s no handbook. Differences of opinions and experiences from one parent to the next can be drastically different or nearly identical. I enjoy reading and hearing other parents perspectives on these issues. So, I’m just going to tell my story.

I was wrong. I was wrong to jump on ADHD as a cause for why my kids struggled at school. I was wrong to try and medicate them. There, I said it. It’s out there. I have only myself to blame, because I pulled the trigger on this. It didn’t help that the school and the girls pediatrician were equally concerned and their suspicions and confirmation was all it took. But I suggested it and I perpetuated it. I remember always asking myself, “How do I know this isn’t normal? I have nothing to compare them to. I only have these kids.” But the schools and doctors, they see lots of kids – and they agreed with me. The symptoms fit. But to be honest you could replace “Symptoms of ADHD” with “Characteristics of Children” and no one would bat an eye.  Here, let me show you.

SYMPTOMS OF ADHD

CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILDREN:

Children who have symptoms of inattention may:

• Be easily distracted, miss details, forget things, and frequently switch from one activity to another
• Have difficulty focusing on one thing
• Become bored with a task after only a few minutes, unless they are doing something enjoyable
• Have difficulty focusing attention on organizing and completing a task or learning something new
• Have trouble completing or turning in homework assignments, often losing things (e.g., pencils, toys, assignments) needed to complete tasks or activities
• Not seem to listen when spoken to
• Daydream, become easily confused, and move slowly
• Have difficulty processing information as quickly and accurately as others
• Struggle to follow instructions.

Children who have symptoms of hyperactivity may:

• Fidget and squirm in their seats
• Talk nonstop
• Dash around, touching or playing with anything and everything in sight
• Have trouble sitting still during dinner, school, and story time
• Be constantly in motion
• Have difficulty doing quiet tasks or activities.

Children who have symptoms of impulsivity may:

• Be very impatient
• Blurt out inappropriate comments, show their emotions without restraint, and act without regard for consequences
• Have difficulty waiting for things they want or waiting their turns in games
• Often interrupt conversations or others’ activities.

(These ADHD symptoms were copied from the National Institute of Mental Health)

Seriously? Even as I’m reading over them again, I realize how absurd it is. What kid isn’t ADHD? It’s no wonder it’s so over diagnosed in children! To be honest, I experience several of these symptoms myself from time to time. I know some other adults that might have adult ADHD based on this list. And nearly every kid I’ve ever met. Honestly I feel a bit ashamed that I didn’t recognize the absurdity sooner.

Another thing I feel is important enough to share is that somewhere along the way I heard (or told myself) that if the medication improves performance, then it must be ADHD and they must need the medication. What I didn’t know is that most anyone that takes ADHD medication will find that their concentration and performance improves. It’s why many college students take it illegally while studying for and taking important exams. It’s also why there’s a growing number of adults taking ADHD medication. They are the equivalent of steroids for the mind.

While medication may be a viable option in severe cases, my kids’ cases are not severe. But school really brings out the “ADHD” in them. It’s frustrating and sometimes downright mind boggling for sure, but still not severe. This morning in fact, I was particularly flabbergasted. One of them is really struggling at the moment.

I’ve seen the research and written about how food might be a factor. I firmly believe that poor diet plays a huge role. Garbage in, garbage out. We need food (exercise and rest) to be healthy, mind and body. However avoiding Blues 1 and 2, Citrus Red 2, Green 3, Red 40 and Yellows 5 and 6, isn’t going to cure ADHD. Do keep in mind though, that there’s no nutritive value in food dye and it has been linked to a host of health conditions which includes ADHD. (Even if there weren’t any risks, is it really necessary? I mean most of the foods that contain dyes and additives are probably things we shouldn’t be eating anyway, right? And what exactly are these food manufacturers trying to hide or disguise?)

Opinions as to why ADHD is so much more prevalent than it was a generation ago run the gamut – from more awareness and better diagnosing to food additives and chemicals. And then there are those (including myself now) that believe that most cases of ADHD aren’t really ADHD at all. Do we really expect children, even older children to be capable of sitting quietly and staying focused for hours on end while listening to one boring lesson after another? Lessons they probably have little or no interest in to begin with? Could the increase in ADHD diagnoses (in both children and a growing number of adults) be due to decreased societal acceptance of impulsive behavior and inattention in general? These are just some of the questions I’ve been struggling with lately.

Schools today seem too rigid, broad and fast paced and overly standardized. Quality, mastery and understanding don’t seem to be as important as exposing kids to a wide range of topics in hopes that enough sticks to pass some yearly standardized test. Overworked, underpaid teachers, assistants and staff have little time or energy left to deal with the kids that don’t fall in line. And with a shrinking window for what is considered acceptable behavior and performance, more and more kids – probably even more than they have time to notice – will not hit that window.

Most kids diagnosed with ADHD do not have attention problems in all situations. It’s selective. My kids have no problem completing and focusing on tasks that interests them. They can read, play with Legos and focus on T.V. for hours on end – as long as they get to choose what to read, play with or watch. Is this a surprise? Aren’t they really just like… everyone else? But they will have to learn to keep focused, even when they are bored. People often say that the majority of kids usually “outgrow” ADHD, or that they learn to overcome or compensate for their inattentiveness, but isn’t that just… growing up?

All kids must go school. Some of them do very well and like it. Some of them learn to drudge through it, even though they’re bored. Some of them don’t do well at all. They can’t sit still. Don’t pay attention. Aren’t getting their lessons or maybe just aren’t able to retain them for long. They are frequently “off task”. Behave impulsively (interrupting others, bothering other peoples things, talking too much, etc.) . And some even disrupt the class.  These are all signs of ADHD. You know what else they are signs of? Bored children.

Here’s something else that relieves some of my mommy worries. Many people who exhibit signs of ADHD also seem to be highly creative, imaginative and innovative? Many actors, artists, inventors and visionaries were, or showed characteristics of ADHD. Some are well known (google it) and some are just everyday people. And where would our world be without those people? Why are we trying to squash these traits?

Check out this link to a good article that I found on the internet: The “ADHD Personality”: Its Cognitive, Biological, and Evolutionary Foundations

Here’s a link to the book that I have on hold at the library that I can’t wait to read: A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future

This video says it all, much better than I did. In fact I should probably have just posted the video on facebook or something, but it took me a month to write this damn thing, so I posted it!

Lastly, a note to my teacher friends and family:

I hope that this post does not offend you. I’m aware that you are pretty much at the mercy of the material you are given, and can only guess that any one of these alone – the politics and red tape in the education system, lack of energy due to being over worked, resentment due to being underpaid and under appreciated as well as the lack of assistance and parental involvement – is probably enough to make you want to quit sometimes. Yet you bare it, even when you are bombarded with all of that at once, every. single. day. I imagine even the most talented, spirited and inspired young teachers get discouraged when they finally do get their own classroom and figure out just how bureaucratic it can get. I doubt I could walk in your shoes. I hope one day, that this country learns to appreciate things that are really important. Teachers are near the top of the list.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds and Jack O’ Lanterns

One of our favorite family traditions is selecting and carving The Pumpkin, then roasting the seeds. This year we went to Riverbend Farms. There was a $5 per person charge to enter the farm. They are making some serious dough! We’ve had more fun at other farms that don’t charge an “entry fee”. (Next year we’ll go back to Hodges Farm on Rocky River Road.) But we all had a good time. They had some fun slides (fun for adults too), some animals (turkeys, buffalo, goats and more) and some old farm equipment that has been turned into a playground of sorts. I hear they sell ice cream, but we skipped that. There’s also a hayride through the huge pumpkin patch, where we accomplished our goal of finding The One. And then some. They had several varieties of gourds so I chose a few interesting ones.

The girls do all the dirty work, literally. I cut. They scoop out the slimy pulp.

Haleigh wore gloves. Linsey scoffed, “Gloves? Really!? Pshh…”

The girls put the muck and seeds into a bowl. They can’t resist squishing the “guts”, and I let them because it makes it easier to separate the seeds from the pulp later.

This year we carved two pumpkins and had a ton of seeds, so I made them two ways – salty and sweet. Here are my recipes:

Ingredients for Traditional Pumpkin Seeds

• 2 tbs melted butter
• salt
• garlic powder
• onion powder

Ingredients for Pumpkin Spiced Pumpkin Seeds:

• 2 tbs melted unrefined coconut oil (or butter if it’s all you have)
• 2 tbs sugar
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• ginger
• allspice
• pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300°.  Remove large chunks of pumpkin and as much of the strings as you care to. Leaving some of them won’t hurt anything and will even enhance the flavor, if you ask me. Pour them out on a towel and dry them a little.

This will also help remove more of the strings. Combine the seeds, butter or coconut oil and spices in a bowl and mix well. Spread them out in a single layer onto a baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes. If you can remember, stir them around once or twice. I forgot, and they turned out just fine.

Pumpkin seeds have excellent health benefits. They are rich with antioxidants, loaded with minerals and can reduce bad cholesterol and may also lower blood pressure. There’s no need to remove the outer shell. Roasting makes them crispy and edible. The hull contains lots of fiber and all the flavor. I preferred the sweet ones, of course. But the sugar content negates some of the nutritional benefits. The unrefined coconut oil imparts a very light coconut flavor on the seeds. (Great for popcorn too.) Mmm…

Store them in air tight container on the counter for about a week or in the refrigerator for up to two months. They only last a few days in our house. They are great sprinkled on salads.

And here are the Jack O’ Lanterns:

Linsey said “Uh oh! You forgot the noses!” Nope. One less thing to carve and more room for a big mouth!