In the Heart of my Home

needle & thREAD & a whole lot of reading about eating

 

 

Hello! Some sewing actually happened around here! Honestly, it was so nice to get back to it, to feel that wonderful fabric and to smell steam rising from crisp creases. I don't know what took me so long. I'm ready to binge on sewing again.

I made those Easter dresses. Well, actually, I did deviate from the plan. Instead of the Fairytale dresses, I went with the simpler Family Reunion dresses. I still love the Fairytale dress, but I didn't quite have the time or energy to commit. 

My girlies are quite pleased with their dresses. They looked so sweet Easter Sunday and these dresses are simple enough to get lots of every day wear all spring and summer. Again, I'm thrilled with the Oliver + S attention to detail. My friend Cari came over to help me with the dresses and she'd never sewn with Oliver + S previously. I think she was really impressed at the quality and clarity compared to other patterns.

Incidentally, someone asked why tracing is necessary. The way these patterns are printed, it is absolutely necessary to trace if you want to sew more than one size. The sizes overlap each other and it would be impossible to cut one without destroying another. After I trace a pattern, I store each size individiually in a ziploc bag. So, tracing is only necessary the first time. After that, it's a much simpler process. I definitely think I'll sew these dresses again, so all that tedious tracing time will have exponential benefits.

I've been reading about a bazillion nutrition books. Everyone has a slightly different angle on the ultimate "anti-inflammatory diet." I've been reading and researching deeply from the vegan end to the paleo end, considering absolutely eveything in between. It's sort of astonishing how many well-respected and well-credentialed people can have such passionate convictions about the same topic and come to such widely disparate conclusions. So, do I have one book to recommend? Um, no. Not really. Do I feel like I've wasted time reading so many? No. Well, maybe. 

I guess the thing is that I didn't really learn anything new. I've spent eight weeks taking Heather's Whole Food Kitchen workshop and reading extensively on my own and I didn't really add to my nutrition knowledge at all. I already knew how to organize a kitchen, plan menus, shop in a wholesome way. I've been feeding real food to a dozen people, more or less, around my table on a daily basis for quite some time now. I was reading nutrition books when some of the people who are writing new ones now were wee babes. Laurel's Kitchen and Moosewood philosophy framed my kitchen for years. And Mollie Katzen is often in my ear in the kitchen. I've been researching the best anti-cancer diet since--well--since before I had cancer. And that was nearly a quarter century ago.

What I learned from my experience of Heather's class is to stop looking for a person or a science to nail exactly what I should eat to prevent disease and enhance quality of life. What I've discovered as I've weighed one theory against another and kept a food diary is that I need to start trusting myself. I need to listen to my body and have a little confidence that it will tell me what's best for me. 

So, for anyone interested in {very} a broad nutrition education, here's the reading list.

It Starts with Food

Practical Paleo 

Everyday Paleo

Paleo Comfort Foods

(The paleo books are now living at Kristin's for awhile. I still highly recommend them. It was just time to pass them along for a bit.  Ironically, since passing them along, I have noticed that Kristin's Instagram food pictures are suddenly very vegetarian.)

The China Study

Super Immunity

True Food

Eating Well for Optimum Health

(Andrew Weil has long been an influence. His anti-inflammatory pyramid makes pretty good sense. I can't do grains quite the way he prescribes, but he's a good guy;-)

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (always a good go-to for gardening inspiration. Might be an annual March must-read)

The Omnivore's Dilemma

Food Rules {Herein lies the simplest strategy of all: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants}

unDiet I think this one is a good concept and her blog is probably worth a gander, but the book felt really unorganized to me. It's conversational and sort of bloggy sounding and might just try too hard to be hip and cute. Or maybe I'm just old... Still, I found myself copying parts of it to hand to certain offspring (who would have been put off by the "pinkness" of the book) and I really liked the section on cosmetics. Seriously, girls, what have we been rubbing on our skin and allowing to seep into our bodies?

Clean Cuisine. I liked this one. It drove me crazy that the authors include corn with vegetables and not grains and then really missed how ubiquitous corn is. But all in all, I like this one. 

{The raw milk books are not here. My experience with the milk philosophy and "traditional" foods was by far the most miserable physical and emotional three years ever. Milk is not for me.I've read those books, lived that diet. Not revisiting. No milk. Never.}

Also not read: Crazy Sexy Diet and MILF Diet. Both sound intriguing, based on descriptions and recommendations from people who've read them. But I live in a house with lots of people and, honestly, both sound offensive. I couldn't leave them on the kitchen counter for my grab-a-minute-or-two style of reading.I'm not a big fan of profanity. I think it's unprofessional in a published work and frankly, I think we can do better vocabulary-wise. There are so many great words from which to choose; let's challenge ourselves to express the best way possible. In the case of the latter book, I admit I had to check Urban Dictionary for the acronym. Then, I had to wonder. Did no one involved in the naming of this book understand that women likely to read it are of the age that they are mothers of teenaged boys? And then, what were they thinking? That the moms would want the book hanging out for their sons to spot? And that that exchange wouldn't be incredibly awkward for both of them? This is just weird. 

And there is definitely weirdness to be experienced in the foodie world. Lots of different lifestyles and philosophies intersect. Many people, from many different walks of life want to eat well for their own health and the health of the planet. I think we have much to learn from one another. I do offer this caveat: if you are a reader who is offended when the author's lifestyle or faith or political perspective doesn't match yours exactly, you might not want to read through the books I've listed above. But if you like to glean wisdom from the people you bump into at the Farmer's Market, that's a rockstar list of books.

 

I'm eager to see your Easter and springtime sewing and to hear what you're reading (and eating?)! Please a leave a link and let me know what you've been up to! I promise to re-vist the combox (and to follow links to your blogs) frequently in the next couple days if you want to talk food. Or fabric. Or both.

 

What are you sewing and reading this week? I really do want to hear all about it!

Make sure the link you submit is to the URL of your blog post or your specific Flickr photo and not your main blog URL or Flickr Photostream. Please be sure and link to your current needle and thREAD post below in the comments, and not a needle and thREAD post from a previous week. If you don't have a blog, please post a photo to the needle & thREAD group at Flickr. 

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Excuse the mess, we live here.

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That was one very intense weekend. I hit the gym at 7 AM Saturday because I knew that if I didn't go then, I'd miss working out the whole weekend. Truth be told, I'd planned to do a video with the little girls late Sunday, but by the time Sunday evening arrived I was bone tired. 

Stephen and Nick both had soccer tournaments in Arlington. That's about an hour away. It was 26 degrees outside (I'm not exagerrating). Mike did Saturday Soccer and I did dance. I also cooked and cleaned and cleaned and cooked. After a full day of both dance and soccer, we went to Mass and then to basketball.

Christian has long been the "little boys' " basketball coach. Since they were in the second grade, they have played on teams with a core cluster of great kids from great families. Some of those boys are six feet tall now. A couple of seasons, Christian even coached GIRLS, just so Mary Beth could claim her brother as a coach. He's easily the winningest coach in our league's history. He wasn't going to coach this year.

But our friend Steve, wise man that he is, made an offer he couldn't refuse. Steve would take a team, do all the executive duties that Christian hates, and let Christian show up and sprinkle coaching magic. Nick would "play up" two years and be on the the team. Throw in Steve's son, Joe, to play with them and those little brothers wouldn't let Christian turn it down. Perfect coaches. Who could ask for more?

Me. Though I didn't have to ask. With Steve comes Jenn. My boys first told me Jenn would be my friend. The boys had played together for years, but I was usually busy in the stands with babies and toddlers. I nodded and smiled at other moms, but that's about it. Two years ago, a couple of weeks after Ann visited, Stephen and Nick came home from practice and said, "You should be friends with Mrs. Skinner, Mom. She was sitting in the bleachers reading Ann's book during practice tonight." Indeed. I should. And I did. And Jenn has become one of Christian's greatest prayer warriors. She's the go-to text I write when I'm worried. And she's the fun friend at every single basketball game.

So, Saturday was the last game. Eighth grade championship. Undefeated season. There's no Tebow Law in Virginia. The rest of the team will go on to play in high school. Stephen cannot. My boys had a huge cheering section. Both of Stephen's godparents and their families came. Lots of Christian's friends came. I was made aware of a gaggle of eighth grade girls who are Superman fans;-). And all of Mike's side of the family was there.

They won. Jenn and I cried. It was awesome. And late. Well on the way to 11:00 when I rolled them all into bed.

We got up for soccer at 6AM. Mary Beth was dispatched to a dance intensive for the day. I dropped Mike at the airport on the way to soccer. He went to Miami. (Have I mentioned the wind chill at home yet?) Nick played first. I huddled under my friend Robin's blanket and wore a motley collection of coats my children had left in the car. I might have even pulled on a pair of heretofore balled up socks over my own and under my boots. Robin has been in California for five weeks. We had a lot of catching up to do inside that blanket. Friends in the bleachers. I'm very grateful for them.

Nick went home with Robin and Stephen and I had lunch. Then we went to Stephen's game. His ankle was swollen up like a basketball. He clearly wasn't going to play. So there we were, an hour from home, in freezing weather, and he was going to spend the hour of warmups just watching and then ninety minutes of game time sitting on the bench. That bench? It was a two minute drive from my friend Linda's house. So I called her. And two minutes later, I was sitting on her couch with my knitting and hot tea. We talked food and kids and God for more than two hours! Then Robin dropped Nick off, we collected Stephen, and headed home. The boys slept hard in the car all the way home.

We had takeout Pho to celebrate the anniversary of Stephen's baptism, got Mary Beth off to youth group, and collapsed into bed. 

I got up this morning and my house looked like a stuff bomb had gone off. When I left before dawn on Sunday morning, I did so knowing that my least tidy children were going to be home together all day. I left them a list. Ahem.

So, yeah, stuff bomb. 

As I started picking things up and trying to make tidy before leaving for the gym this morning, a familiar despair swept over me. Monday morning and already behind the 8 ball. I remember a comment made to me the day after the wedding, after I had finished showing someone all our renovations. She said, "Now that you finally have it all clean and nice and pulled together, maybe you can keep it this way this time." I know she meant no harm. But she had never before seen my house, nor had she seen the previous one. Her comments made it clear that someone had told her that my house was not usually House Beautiful. I was tired and the comments cut me to the quick. 

Mike and I have had several big talks about it since then. So have Linda and I. And they both said the same thing--these two people who know me better than anyone else. They said that I sacrifice appearances for relationships. And I do. I'm intentional about it. I know the hurt that happens when you get it reversed and sacrifice relationships for appearances.

I spent the weekend doing the important things: with my kids and my husband and my extended family, with Jesus, with my friends, even. God provided ample time for the important things. He even arranged for tea, knitting and a heart-to-heart some place warm!

My house looks like a stuff bomb went off. That's unfortunate. I wish the children left at home had been more considerate and, well, tidier and more industrious. But things are just things and we'll get it together today some time, God willing.

Mary Beth saw a magnet the other day that I wish she'd bought. It said, "Pardon the mess; we live here." Yes, and we love here, too. We are careful stewards who put people first and sometimes that doesn't look like House Beautfiul. 

How about a recipe? I promised this to some folks on Instagram. It's a cold noodle salad that is good and hearty enough for a main dish, but makes an awesome side dish, too. I'm posting cold noodle salad recipes with a snow storm predicted. What can I say? My heart's in Miami...

(Feeds 12--feel free to cut it in half.)

The Marinade

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup dark sesame oil

1 cup wheat-free soy sauce

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

scant 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 Tbs salt (or less)

4 teaspoon chili oil

2 Tbs minced fresh ginger

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped cilantro or Italian parsley, as desired

 

The Noodles and Veggies

2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal

1 head of red cabbage, sliced

two sweet peppers, sliced and roasted (these are stashed in my fridge, thanks to salad every day prep)

2 pounds Tinkyada brown rice pasta (spaghetti style)

two bunches scallions, including firm greens, thinkly sliced

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Mix the marinade ingredients together, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

• Bring a  large pot of water to boil. 
• Add salt and asparagus. 
• Cook for just a few minutes until bright green. (I lower my veggies into the water in a colander and then pull them out.)
• Rinse the asparagus under cold water. Shake the excess water out of the colander and put the asparagus in a large pasta bowl.
• Using the same boiling water, repeat the process for the cabbage. Just a couple minutes and then a quick rinse and into the pasta bowl.
• Boil the noodles in the same water. It's going to be a little purple because of the cabbage, but that's okay. Follow package directions to get them tender but not mushy. 
• Drain and rinse the noodles.
• Add the noodles to the asparagus and cabbage and add the roasted peppers.
• Toss it all with the marinade and most of the scallions and most of the sesame seeds.
• Before serving, sprinkle the rest of the scallions and sesame seeds on top.

You can shake up the veggies in this and use whatever suits you. Play with your food!

(adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone)

 

Cookies and Milk

 

When Michael was a baby, he had chronic ear infections. By the time he was six months old, he tubes in both ears. It's all a little hazy now, but a pediatrician switch, some intense diet research, and a great many La Leche League meetings later, and by the time I was pregnant with Christian, I wasn't drinking milk at all. And--with the exception for one brief (and very dark) non-homogenized organic milk experiment--I never have since.

But I've missed it. Terribly. I don't miss colicky babies or ear infections or bloating or my own sinus issues. But I miss rich, creamy yumminess, especially in tea or coffee. I think coconut milk tastes like shampoo. Soy is not my friend. And almond milk always tasted {eh} to me. Certainly nothing to look forward to. 

When she shared that she was making yet another batch, I offhandedly asked my friend Katherine why bother making almond milk. I mean, almonds aren't exactly free and it's kind of a mess-potential proposition and almond milk is {eh}. She told me there was no comparison between homemade almond milk and the {eh} in the store. 

She's right. Almond milk made at home is delicious. For the first time in 22 years, I really don't miss milk. At all. Here's how we do it:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw almonds, soaked in water (I've found Costco has the best prices. If you can find better, please let me know!)
• 4 cups filtered water
• 3 pitted dates, to sweeten, so use more or less to taste (soften with a soak in water, if necessary)
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (If desired. The dates might be sweet enough for your taste.)
• 1 whole vanilla bean, chopped. OR 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. (Vanilla bean is such an extravagant luxury. It's certainly not for our everyday almond milk, but on occasion, it makes it amazingly wonderful.)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of fine grain salt (Don't skip it. It brings out the other flavors)

 How to do it:

1. Soak almonds overnight covered with water. The first time I made it, I didn't soak at all, but it's really better if you soak them 8 hours or so.

2. Drains the almonds and give them a rinse. Put them in the blender with the dates and the vanilla bean and 4 cups filtered water.

3. Blend on highest speed for a couple minutes. I have a Vitamix and it handles this easily. A less powerful blender might need to rest a bit after blending a minute. If you soak the nuts, I think any blender can do it, but go slowly so you don't burn the motor out.

4. Place cheesecloth or a nut milk bag over a large bowl and slowly pour the almond milk mixture into the cloth or bag. This works better with a wide bowl. Trust me on this one--it's not fun to have it squirt wildly and then spend several minutes scraping almond milk paste from the cracks in the flooring. Go with the wide bowl. The extra dish is much easier to clean than the alternative.The first few times, I used a flour sack cloth (purchased at a local grocery store) instead of cheesecloth. It worked just fine. The nut bag does make things simpler and quite a bit neater. Gently squeeze the bottom of the nut milk bag to release the milk. A milking motion works beautifully and it's kind of fun to actually "milk" an almond. 

5. If you are using vanilla extract and maple syrup, rinse the blender and pour the milk back in. Add the extract, syprup, and salt. If you're not using extract or syrup, I think you can add the salt with everything else and save the step. And...I've added it all at the beginning and all was well.

6. Store in glass containers in the fridge for 3-5 days. I've been making a double batch at a time and it's never lasted more than 36 hours.

What to do with the almond meal left in the nut bag? I'm so glad you asked!

You make

Oatmeal Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

 

• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 3/4 cups unbleached flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
• 3/4 cup damp almond meal left over from milk making
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)

How to do it:

 

1. Heat oven to 350°F. 
2. In large bowl, beat brown sugar and butter until blended. 
3. Beat in vanilla and egg until light and fluffy. 
4. Stir in oats, flour, almond meal, baking soda and salt. Mix well.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Onto ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by rounded tablespoonsful about 2 inches apart.
7. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies

{{For entirely gluten-free chocolate chip oatmeal almond cookies, make sure your oats are gluten free and substitute the damp almond meal for all the flour. It works just fine! They're a little softer than the flour ones when they come out of the oven, so cool them completely before moving them from the cookies sheets. My tasters made them disappear!}}

 

Salad Everyday

A couple of weeks ago, while I was whining to a friend about the limitations of my diet, she mentioned that she was going to challenge herself to a salad everyday. I was noncommittal. Then, providentially, the heat went out. It was several days before the part could be shipped and received. Suddenly, the idea of cold salad was pretty unappealing, but the idea of roasting something--anything --all day long and staying close to the warm oven was very appealing. 

I took a walk through Costco and essentially gathered up everything that could be roasted. At every vegetable, I thought about roasting potential. If there was even a glimmer of roasting potential, I put it in the cart. I cannot wait to use this approach at the farmer's market. Of course, I may not be so eager to roast in the heat of midsummer, but we'll cross that bridge later.

More or less, I followed the roasting instructions in An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace.  (short review here). Basically, I poured a little olive oil on everything and roasted each vegetable separately at 375 degrees in Pyrex baking dishes or on cookie sheets. I put the ones that take the longest in first and let them start as I prepped the ones that don't need long roasting times. With the broccoli, I roasted some garlic, too. With the beets, I sprinkled balsamic vinegar with the olive oil and roasted them wrapped tightly in foil. I added garlic to the peppers, as well.

To me, roasted vegetables have more appeal than raw ones. The flavors are richer and roasting actually makes some nutrients more available. For vegetables that are known to adversely affect the thyroid, roasting mitigates the goitrogenic quality. All around, roasting makes jars of jewels for the refrigerator.

After roasting, the broccoli got a few splashes of lemon juice and everything got a wee bit of salt. Once, I've sprinkled the cauliflower with balsamic vinegar. That's pretty awesome.

When the vegetables are cooled, I packed them into glass dishes with lids or Mason jars. Wide mouth Mason jars are easiest. If a veggie was roasted with garlic, the garlic went into the jar with it. It's all a fairly simple, streamilined operation that really takes under an hour (except for the beets--beets take forever to roast, but they are so worth it).

Then came a most interesting development. I was making "normal" dinners for my family and I adapted them for me, taking cues from the roasted veggies in the fridge. I began Instagramming them, mostly to see if my friend would join me in posting her salad pictures. #saladeveryday was born. So far, it's just me (and a few stray people I don't recognize using the same hashtag), but it's been great fun. Nicholas noticed that I was using bits and pieces of their meal to make my salad and wondered aloud if every meal could be so adapted. So far, so good. From my Instagram notes (you can find these @heartofmyhome):

::Roasted chicken, roasted peppers, roasted broccoli, roasted beets and spring mix. (The kids had roasted chicken and borccoli and potatoes. Mike was out of town the week this experiment began.)

::Mixed greens, baby spinach, roasted balsamic cauliflower, roasted beets, roasted peppers and cedar plank grilled salmon. 

::Romaine, spinach, roasted peppers, green apple, avocado, bacon, a wee bit of pepper-jack, and olive oil/lemon/southwest seasoning (The kids had a baked potato bar with most of those ingredients as topping choices)

::Romaine lettuce, beef, braised mushrooms and onions, roasted beets, shredded carrots. (The kids had beef stroganoff and I pulled off my meat and mushroom before making the cream sauce.)

::a salad at Chipotle on grocery shopping day;-)

::Wilted arugula, roasted peppers (two kinds), olives, roasted asparagus, a fried egg, topped with crumbled bacon (The kids had spaghetti carbonara. Nicholas was totally impressed with this salad solution. I think he thought there was no way to convert that meal. The egg idea is in An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace. I should have oached it but I was too lazy.)

::Romaine lettuce with chili (no beans) on top. (The kids had chili with beans.)

::My very favorite: Christian made grilled chicken, creamed spinach, and mashed potatoes for dinner. I had a salad with fresh spinach, the chicken, and the last little bit of veggies from all the jars. Then, I went grocery shopping the next day and began again.

For the chicken, mix equal parts orange juice, wheat free soy sauce, and honey. Add a little bit of chili sauce with garlic (in the Asian food aisle), to taste, and pour it over however many boneless, skinless chicken thighs you need to feed your family. Let marinate for an hour or more. Grill outside. Delish. They were fighting over the last piece. Sorry about the lack of "real" recipe; we made it up as we went.

I'm definitely on a roll, loving this way of looking at food and eating better than previously. One reason it's hard to cook differently for myself than my family and avoid those things that make me sick is that I often find myself at the hungry hour, without a real plan or provisions. This method assures that there is always a really good, hearty salad in the refrigerator. Works for me! 

The plan is to keep eating a #saladeveryday. You can find them on Instagram.

 

Snow Day (Well, sort of)

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Once upon a time, when there were just three little boys in my tiny little house, there were grand predictions of a big snow. I got those little boys all hyped up on the idea of snowballs and snow angels and snowmen. And then it snowed less than an inch. Those boys were so bummed. In an effort to make snowballs indoors, we popped some popcorn and introduced it to marshmallows. Very yummy fun. Like so many things, we did it once and it became a sort of tradition. I think there are children here who might just hope the forecast is wrong. They know the consolation prize for just a little snow.

Still, I'm wishing for a big snow. Really wishing.

Below is the recipe for popcorn snowballs and then a list of great books that will make even the most tropical among us hope for just a little "playable" snow.

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Popcorn Snowballs

2 sticks of butter, plus some to butter your hands

1 cup popcorn kernels 

1 bag mini marshmallows 

Pop 1 cup of popcorn kernels, set aside.

Melt both sticks of butter. Add marshmallows. Once marshmallows are melted, add the popcorn. Mix ingredients together. Butter your hands and then form the popcorn mixture into balls and set on a buttered baking sheet to cool. 

>>>

The Snowy Day. Everyone loves Peter and his dog Willy and the adventures they have on a sweet snowy day.

The Story of the Snow Children The snowflakes are snow children who are swept into the Snow Fairy's kingdom on a winter day. You'll never look at swirling snow the same way again.

Flannel Kisses This one reminds me a little of Peter's Snowy Day above, but warmer and softer, I think.

Owl Moon A little girl and her father venture into the stillness of a winter's night and experience a lyrical, almost magical (but real) adventure.

My Brother Loved Snowflakes This is the true story of Wilson Bentley told through the eyes of his older brother. It's a wonderful companion to Snowflake Bentley. We love the both. Together:-).

Winter Days in the Big Woods I just ordered a new copy of this one for our library. My children have all loved, loved, loved Laura's stories come to life in these picture books. This one is a keeper and one to replace when it gets loved to death. 

A Farmer Boy Birthday See above. Love, love, love. Almanzo gets a new sled for his birthday. 

The Mitten (and The Hat) Beautifully illustrated whimsical stories in snow. These feature handknits and, well, there is just so much inspiration to be had here;-)!

Snowsong Whistling. Well worth the hunt. 

Snow Cynthia Rylant. I'm a big fan of Cynthia Rylant. This book lives up to my high expectations. The text is brief, but lyrical, and the author wrings meaning out of every drop of word. A little girl, her friend, and her grandmother appreciate an incredibly beautiful snowfall. 

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening. Read through this bpicture book, lingering on lovely illustrations, just for a few days in a row and suddenly, you and your children will have memorized Frost, so that his poetry comes to mind every time it snows, forever.

Cravings: A Catholic Wrestles with Food, Self-Image, and God

{This post is a part of the Cravings blog tour.}

Five years ago, I resolved not to diet. (Go ahead. Read it. I'll be here.) As I said then, I come from a long line of dieters, and an astonishing number of women with eating disorders. For the rest of that story, you'll have to click the link. For today, I want to tell you about the last five years and a most extraordinary book. 

Cravings: A Catholic Wrestles with Food, Self-Image, and God was written by Mary deTurris Poust. 

Mary is an author, columnist, journalist, speaker, and blogger who has written for dozens of Catholic and secular publications. I think you will want to add her blog, Not Strictly Spiritual to your "read frequently" list. I first read Mary when I picked up Walking Together: Discovering the Catholic Tradition of Spiritual Friendship.

The funniest thing happened right after I read that book. Well, maybe not the funniest, but definitely worth smiling about. Linda, one of my dearest, closest friends in the whole world called to tell me that she was reading this awesome book that just reminded her of us and she wanted me to read it with her. Had I ever heard of Walking Together?

Um, yep. A little;-). I had blogged about it and had a delightful conversation with the author and Lisa Hendey for a Faith and Family podcast that very day.

Linda doesn't read my blog:-)

I love her any way. But I digress.

So when Mary asked me to review this book, I jumped at the chance. Honestly, I wasn't all that enthused about the subject matter, but Mary is an excellent writer and I really like to read her books because she thinks big thoughts and she thinks them thoroughly. In this rapid-fire internet world, those big thought, thorough books are becoming rare.

I wanted to read this book, not because I have an obsession with dieting or any kind of eating disorder, or even a poor body image. I wanted to read this book because, dang!, it's really, really hard to eat the way I have to in order to avoid setting off an autoimmune reaction. Between Hashimoto's and Celiac disease, I've learned to eliminate all grains, dairy, legumes,and sugar. Ideally, the meat in my life hasn't been fed grains, either. Think about that a minute. That's a whole bunch of food that's not in play. I feel like I think about food all the time, just to figure out what to eat next. And frankly, I'm tired of wreatling with food all the time. I don't diet, but sometimes I starve--not because I mean to, but because there truly isn't anything available to eat. Poor planning. 

So, I read this book with different eyes from most of the reviewers on the grand blog tour. Much of what Mary wrote about the voices we hear as women rang true, but for me, I was looking for something else. I had mostly quieted those voices; the taunting of different voices was ringing in my ears.

From the middle of July until last week, I stuck carefully to a very strict eating plan. And I felt well, really well. And then, all at once, the wheels fell off. I helped myself to spoonful of cream cheese frosting, then, two chocolate chips, and before I knew it, I was dipping bread in butter. That day, writhing with a stomachache, my mouth full of blisters, I tried to help my family see my son off to college. Emotional eating? No way! I had conquered that, remember?

Maybe not.

Walk with me a few minutes through Mary's book. I'll pull some quotes that spoke to me and hope they speak to you, too. They are a bit eclectic. Think of it as a buffet.

Make a list. Start to write down the tihngs you've always wanted to do, a Bucket List of sorts. I did this not long ago and was suprised by some of the things that made their way onto my list...Weight loss or  poor body image don't seem to have anything to do with those things, at least not on the surface. But when you dig a little deeper, you begin to see that a poor self-image makes us less likely to tackle something new, something that might call attention to us, when what we really want is to fade into the background.

Oh, yes. That fade into the background desire. I know it well.

I've often said the greatest weapon I have in the war against eating something that makes me sick is the Eucharist. If I can remember between times that I receive Communion that I won't even take the Lord in a form that contains gluten, it's hard to persuade msyelf that any other forbidden food is worthy.

Mary quotes Cathy Adamkievwicz, who says, 

Whenever I go to Mass, I'm offered Jesus himself in the Eucharist. It's become a profound reminder that he will feed me--repeatedly. He is always there, ready to give me exactly what I need.

And really, I don't need a grilled Brie sandwich on artisan sourdough.

Nurturing the connection between body and soul starts us down a road less traveled, one where we crave healthier foods, slower mealtimes, more physical and spiritual space. From this new perspective, we willingly choose fewer mindless high-calorie fillers [or fewer autoimmune triggers?] because we don't want to bog down our bodies and souls with things that wear us out, fatten us up, and lead to sluggishness and dissatisfaction and acedia, or inertia...We can find magic in the moments of chopping, stirring, baking, eating, savoring, and sitting around a table and enjoying our food rather than standing at a counter eating directly from the bag. But that shift in attitude takes work, so get out your shovel and let's start digging.

My college going-away-day binge?  I don't think it was deep-seated emotional muck that required a steam shovel. Instead, I think it was largely fatigue and about eight weeks worth of to-do lists that never once bulleted self-care moments. It was the royal crash my spiritual director had warned about the night before the wedding, when he gently chided, "Martha, Martha..." This book and a small spade, and I think I can shovel out of this one.

I loved Mary's reminiscing about Sunday afternoons in Brooklyn. They reminded me very much of my cousin Ellie's similar memories. I could smell the Bolognese gravy and hear the great-aunts arguing about the right way to make the perfect meatball. I don't think the value of Sunday dinners can be overstated.

In the chapter on balance, Brother Victor of The Gift of Simplicity and the wonderful Monastery Kitchen books, writes, 

Make preparing food an enjoyable time. People can get into it and learn the value of these different elements, how to balance a meal. It's not just a question of eating and filling ourselves up and then just forgetting. Making food is something that can really bring quality into your own personal life and your family, not only on feast days and special occasions. Do it as an everyday thing, even if it's in a simpler form, and then perhaps on weekends or feast days you do something more elaborate.

My kitchen time of late has not been enjoyable time. It's been crazy-busy, hard pressed, and utilitarian, even when feeding large crowds of loved ones for special occasions.

Brother Victor again:

The daily rhythm of a monastic life attaches great importance to the time spent in the kitchen and food preparation, to time in the refectory and the act of consuming food. Saint Benedict attached great importance to these matters, and throughout the whole of monastic tradition, food retained a sacred character because of the importance given to it by Christ himself. Anyone participating today in the life of a monastery notices the importance the monks and nuns give to their meals, their practical and healthy method of cooking, and their reverential way of serving food at the table and their equally reverent consumption of it.

I've been at war with food. A former foodie with an Italian passion for food and feeding my family, I've been fighting food this past year. It's truly too hard to feed an entire very large family with my food restrictions. After reading this book, I'm ready to fill myself with Christ, and--so filled--to cook with intention for my family, secure in knowing that I can forego some of the foods they are eating because food isn't bigger than the Spirit that fills me. 

I'll let you know how it goes. 

I highly recommend the book and I have a copy to give away. Leave a comment below; join the foodie conversation (I truly do love foodie conversations). I'm going to try to pop in frequently in the next couple days and follow up on comments.

You may leave separate comments if you share this post/giveaway on Twitter and Facebook (or even Instagram--I love Instagram. And foodie Instagram, all the better. I'm @heartofmyhome). The contest ends at 8 pm EST on January 25, 2013. 

Also, there's this giveaway. It's a biggie! Win a Williams-Sonoma gift card.

 

 

A Martinmas Spice Cake

It's the eve of Martinmas. The children's lanterns are glowing on the mantle and I still have one more pumpkin hat to decrease and bind off after bedtime. I did manage to get a little festal baking done after dinner and just pulled our spice cake out of the oven when I thought of you.

I thought how you might like to prepare a Martinmas cake for your family. (We're eating ours for breakfast. A feast is the perfect excuse to have cake for breakfast if I do say so myself. Anyhow, this recipe boasts a smidge of whole wheat pastry flour and a lot of pumpkin puree so I don't feel too guilty. Not at all in fact.)

This recipe is a simple one and most likely you have all the ingredients on hand, especially this time of year. And no. It's not even close to Paleo. 

Martinmas Spice Cake 

Dry Ingredients

• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves

First of all, don't forget to preheat that oven. 350 should do just fine.

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Some say it's best to sift them. I say just use a fork and mix away.

In another bowl...

Wet Ingredients

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 can pumpkin puree (That's probably about a cup and a half.)
• 2/3 cup canola or coconut oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat the wet ingredients well and then gradually add in the dry. Don't overmix or you'll have yourself a dense cake. 

I suppose you could add in dried fruit or nuts, but why mess with perfection?

Generously spray a bundt pan with canola spray. (Seriously, spray it generously.) Pour in the cake batter and bake for 40 minutes. (At least that's how long it takes in my oven. My oven tends to run slow, teaching me unwanted lessons in patience. So check it at 30 minutes just in case. If a toothpick comes out clean, you're set.) Allow your cake to cool in the pan for five minutes and then turn out on a rack to cool completely. (If you sprayed that bundt pan generously it should come out just fine.)

Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy with those you love.

Happy Martinmas to you!

xoxo,
Edith

C is for Cranberry Chicken with Cornbread Stuffing: Comfort Before the Crazy-rain

2 lbs boneless chicken breasts

1/3 c. flour

1t. salt

4T. butter

11/2c. fresh cranberries

3/4c. brown sugar

1t. orange peel

3/4c. orange juice

1/4t. each cinnamon and ginger

Coat chicken in flour and salt and brown in butter.  Combine remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Pour over chicken, cover and bake at 350F for 45 min. to an hour.  Great served with stuffing or rice! I substituted almond meal for the flour. It wasn't the same, but it was fine.

"B" is for Baking Blackberry-Blueberry Butterfly Pie with Our Besties

8 cups of berries 
1/2 to 1 cup sugar
3 tbl corn starch 
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
1 tbl lemon juice
Zest from 1 lemon -- optional, but makes it so good!
2 tbl unsalted butter cut in bits
Milk as needed

2 refrigerated prepared pie crusts

Instructions:

1/ Heat oven to 450
2/ Gently toss berries with sugar, cornstarch, salt, spices, lemon juice, and zest.
3/ Pile into rolled out dough -- making the pile a little higher in the center.
4/ Dot with the butter
5/ Cover with the top crust
6/ Seal edges with fork or fingers
7/ Place pie on baking sheet -- to catch drips
8/ Brush top of pie with milk and sprinkle with sugar
9/ Cut 3-4 slits in top of crust -- to allow steam to escape
10/ Bake for 10 minutes at 450
11/ Reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 40-50 minutes or until golden brown
12/ Cool on rack before serving warm or at room temperature

All pictures, the recipe, and the warm afternoon of baking generously and graciously providing by my friend Megan and her daughter Katie. Note, Sarah had three outfit changes during the course of baking pie. Megan is all patience with a girl's need for the perfect dress. In the end, she provided a dress with butterflies!

God willing, I'll be back later with an update to the plans for C week and perhaps a bit more on those 31 Days to Remind Myself of the Mission.

~A~ is for Apple (picking and pies)

First, there is apple picking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then,

 

~Apple Crisp~

Grain-free, recipe:

In a greased 8X8 pan, toss:

• 6 - 8 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1/2 c sugar (substitute  2 TBS maple syrup if you want sugar-free)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 T arrowroot powder
• 2 T almond flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp grated lemon rind

Toss all ingredients together well and put in greased 8" X 8" pan. 

Mix together in a medium bowl:

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp coconut oil or unsalted butter
• 1/3  cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Crumble over the top of the apple mixture. Bake at 350* for about 45 minutes.

 and

~Apple Pie~

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 pounds firm, tart apples  peeled, cored, and sliced 
• 1/2 cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in an iron skillet saute pan over medium heat. Add the apple wedges and saute until slightly softened, but holding their shape, just 3 to 4 minutes. Don't overcook. They're going to be baked. Add the 1/2 cup of sugar and stir to combine. Add the sugar and spices and stir.

In a bowl, combine the lemon juice and cornstarch. Stir  into the apple mixture and remove the pan from the heat. Let cool completely.

Use refrigerated pie crusts. They usually come two per pack. For the bottom crust, follow the package directions to put it in the pie pan. Fill with the cooled filling. Dot the top with the other 3 tablespoons of butter, cut into little pieces.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll out the other refrigerated crust and help your little learners cut the letter "A" with cookie cutters. Arrange on top and lightly brush with egg wash and sprinkle with about a teaspoon of sugar.  

Put the pie on a cookie sheet to catch any dripping and bubbling. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes.  Rotate the pie 180 degrees to move the front edge of the pie to the back of the oven. Bake until the top is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Watch carefuly throughout to ensure that the crust doesn't burn. Cover loosely with foil if it seems to be browning too quickly.

Remove the pie from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before slicing and serving. If you slice and serve to soon, it will be runny.

 

~Happy Appling!~

 

Preparing for the Feast of St. Therese

~repost, because that's what we can do with traditions.

If you've ever been to my house, chances are excellent to 100% that you have seen one of these prayer cards laying around. I ordered them in bulk when Karoline Rose was born to include in her birth announcements. And I've ordered more every year since. The rose novena is most definitely how we begin to prepare for the feast of this saint, who is so, so dear to our family. Karoline's name, of course is a tribute to St. Therese's promise to shower roses upon the earth and Karoline tells everyone she knows that she is, indeed, a rose sent from heaven. Katie was baptized Kirsten Therese, so she, too, is named for St. Therese. And there is lots of evidence of her presence on this blog because there is lots of evidence of her presence in our lives as a family.

We will go to Mass, of course, to celebrate with the Universal Church. There will be roses. Michael is Katie's godfather and buys her miniature roses ("Little Flowers") on this day--just as long as I remind him;-). For this year, the girls are all abuzz about this pan, I purchased last summer. So, a rose-shaped cake. But I'm still not sure what the recipe will be. Any suggestions would be most welcomed in my inbox. Extra points if you have a grain freen recipe that works in a pan like this. It's a season for miracles, no?

One of Trish's candles (in that amazing St. Therese rose scent) will be lit before the icon. Mary Beth took Therese as her confirmation name and Patrick's godmother blessed her with this beautiful image.

 

I have learned over time that this is one feast I do not overplan, despite the fact that it is huge day in our family. St. Therese has a history of showering us with her love in most unexpected ways.

The novena begins September 23, to prepare for the October 1st feast.

 

*September 23 is the feast of our favorite Capuchin, St. Padre Pio. In our house, that means cappucino all around:-)

God in the Vineyard

There is a large statue of Our Lady overlooking the vineyard, a chapel on the grounds for daily Mass, and a wine named for Pope Benedict. This is Trinitas. And it is beautiful. Trinitas Cellars has a small vineyard of its own, but sources out for most of its grapes. On the grounds of the Meritage Resort and Spa is the Trinitas Tasting Room, a cave that is home to a beautifully appointed bar. There, we met an incredibly personable (and knowledgeable) young man named Michael, who introduced us to the wines. 

Among the Trinitas wines is one called ratZINger. Every year, the founders of Trinitas travel to Rome to present bottles of the wine to Pope Benedict. Steph and Tim Busch are very active in Catholic ministries and organizations in the United States and this winery truly reflects their authentic Catholic sensibilities.

A sweet picture book on the shelves amongst the wine bottles captured my attention while Mike was chatting wine and baseball with Michael. The Grapes Grow Sweet is the story of a family bringing in California grapes at harvest time. Beautifully illustrated with rich, watercolor pictures, the book tells the story of Julian and Adrienne Rossi, two children growing up in the fourth generation on a Napa vineyard. The story is tenderly told and every time I read it aloud to my children, I'm drawn into the warmth of this family and the love and respect they have for the people who work with them. The pictures are incredibly detailed and with each reading so far, we've noticed something new. My girls were so inspred by this book that we took off last week for an impromptu visit to some Virginia vineyards, hoping to see the harvest gondolas. 

But back to Trinitas:-). After we spent a very long time learning ever so much in the tasting room, Mike and I walked the vineyards. We read each of the placards and got to know the grapes a little better. We also introduced ourselves to an impressively large jackrabbit. I was surprised by how large and muscular those rabbits are compared to my Virginia garden bunnies. Alas, no picture. He was much too fast for me!

In a place like Trinitas, it's impossible not to think of the first part of John 15. I was disappointed in my (in)ability to recite it from memory on the spot and have since endeavored to commit it there. 

The Vine and the Branches.

 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.  Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends,  because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.

 

This time away with only Mike gave me the space I needed to really consider what God has been trying to prune and how He calls me to lay down my life (and for whom). We don't, of course, need a vineyard and a wine named for the rosary to do that, but I am astonished at the generosity of both God and my husband, who provided them well before I even knew to ask.

 

 

The One Where Napa Valley Wins my Heart

On our first day in California, we touched down at the San Francisco airport. We'd left home in the dark before dawn and flown across the country. Upon arrival, I checked my trusty iPhone to see if my children missed me yet and discovered that my phone, too, had gone along with the plan to spend the week in California. Everything had shifted to the new time zone. I had arrived. And it was still early in the morning. I've always wanted to gain three hours in a day.

Before I left, I'd set up a very private Instagram account for just my children and three friends. It was really the only social media/phone/computer I used all week. And I'm so glad I did it. Instagram was a very convenient way to take pictures, tag them with locations, and stay in touch with the people I loved. One of the friends was Beka, who lives in northern California. She was able to follow our journey in real time and offer so very many useful suggestions along the way. It was a deliberate and well-considered decision to leave the fancy Nikon at home. I didn't want to get so caught up in the perfect shot that it got in the way of the perfect moment. And I really didn't want to have to protect and carry my camera everywhere. So, the net photo result is "Northern California in Lo-Fi."

After landing, we drove the short distance across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito. There, we had lunch at a charming waterfront restaurant called Scoma's. Lunch was delicious and the service wonderful--and sometime in that restaurant, I really started to believe I was on the trip of a lifetime. All the anxiety (and there was so very much of it) ebbed away into that bay. 

{view from our table in Sausalito}

From Sausalito, we drove to Napa. Initially, as we approached Napa, I was disappointed. Everything seemed so brown. Dusty brown hills. I even dared to speak aloud that Virginia was far more beautiful. As we drove further into wine country, the color deepened a bit and somehow the brown hills became a lovely green. Not a Virginia green, not at all, but a different gray-green, beautiful in its own right. I had hoped to conquer jetlag and keep chugging along until bedtime, but by the time we got to the hotel, I was truly grateful for the suggestion of a nap.

 

Our evening began with a reception in the hotel lobby. Wine, veggies and dip, and some lovely black swans welcomed us to Napa Valley. We had dinner that night at a restaurant called Fish Story. I promise not to bore you with the details of every meal, but this meal was worth noting. Amazing. I had trout with figs and hazelnuts on a bed of greens. I cannot do it justice (clearly, I'm no food critic). I assure you though, I'm on a mission to replicate that recipe. Our server was so nice and I quickly learned that everyone we met had a story; all the stories were love stories. The people of Napa Valley truly love where they work and live. We got to know several of them. I was sorry to say goodbye.

We went to three wineries the next day. Each one had its own distinct character. The first was a large winery whose wine is readily available in east coast supermarkets. We took a skytram up to the winery, where we had an automated tour. The views were breathtaking--literally. I was just plain astonished by how beautiful it all was. And I thought to myself how silly my comments of the day before sounded now. On the way down in the tram I remarked to Mike that the tour was just exactly what I'd hoped it would be. I had seen a lot and learned a lot and tasted a bit, too. He remarked that the views were exceptional, but that he had hoped for a more personal perspective than the one offered by the automated tours. He also commented about the odd lack of bugs and birds. Turned out his comments were the perfect segue to the next place.

Beka had suggested Grgich Hills Estate, a small biodynamic and organic farm and winery. Oh, I'm so glad we took her suggestion! At Grgich, we were treated to a personal tour given by a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic woman named Nicky. She introduced us to "Mike" Grgich, the 89-year-old Croatian immigrant who put Napa wines on the map by beating the best of the best in a 1976 Paris tasting. Mike Grgich was the youngest of eleven children who left Yugoslavia with wine knowledge, a love of freedom, and $39.00 in the soles of his shoe. And he has created a dream come true in Napa Valley.

When I expressed an interest in biodynamic farming and mentioned Rudolf Steiner, Nicky's eyes lit up.  Grgich Hills Estate uses biodynamic farming practices pioneered by Steiner. They sound a little crazy, but they produce amazing fruit! My Mike is ever the skeptic when I get too crunchy, but he enthusiastically conceded that this was some amazing wine. And he promptly invested in a plan to ensure we'd remember our time at Grgich with wine for... I don't know...ever?

We went to a third tasting that day, but I think perhaps I've gone on long enough and that place deserves a post of its own.

Pretty Pickle Pix Post

We made up the refrigerator dill pickle recipe as we went along, basing it loosely on the one in this post.

Simple. Summer. Pretty. Perfection.

Inspired by a picture on the Pottery Barn catalog cover, Katie and I played with some fruit and water last weekend and we have found the absolute perfect summer drink. Few if any calories and just a hint of flavor, this water makes you want to stay well-hydrated. And in an easy pour container with a stainless steel cup at the ready, even the littlest can quench her thirst.

~Start with some ice and then add small watermelon wedges~

{please disregard the bagel on the other side of the glass}

~ Add thinly sliced lime circles ~

~ Fill it up with cold water ~

~ The limes sink and the watermelon wedges float all in a row. So pretty! And it tastes amazing. ~

 

~ Sarah samples an orange and lime variation. Next up: strawberries and blueberries for the Fourth of July! ~

Family Recipes: Roasted Beets in Balsamic Vinaigrette

This one is for Kristin.

Beets “bleed,” so to keep the juices in while they cook, leave on the skins, the roots on the bottom, and at least an inch of the green stems. It’s especially pretty to cook both red and yellow beets. You don’t want the colors to bleed on to each other, so you may want to cook and handle them separately. After they’re cooked, peel the beets over a bowl, since beet juice stains are nearly impossible to remove from wood or plastic surfaces. Expect that your hands will be stained. (Never, ever let a child help while wearing white without an apron. Just sayin'. I found these pictures on my computer. They're fairly old. I have no idea what I was thinking that day.)

This makes enough for a summer side dish for 4 people. Toss with toasted pecans and crumbled goat cheese.

OR

Roasted beets are really good in a salad of mixed greens; the marinade makes a salad dressing.

8 medium beets (about 2 pounds total)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
1 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Trim the beets, leaving on the skin, an inch of the stem, and the tail on the bottom of each, then scrub and drain. Place the beets in a small casserole dish just big enough to hold them. Pour the water and olive oil over the beets then cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil and bake until tender and easily pierced with a sharp paring knife, about 1 ½ hours.  (Honest disclaimer: I often do this in a disposable pan. The beet juice carmelizes, which is delicious, and incredibly hard to clean off the pan.)

3. Remove the casserole from the oven and uncover the beets carefully, keeping your face and hands away from the steam. Let them cool completely in the dish.

4. Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the salt, and pepper in a medium-size bowl and whisk to blend. Taste and add more olive oil, if desired.

5. Peel the cooled beets with the back of a paring knife and cut into ½-inch slices. Add to the dressing in the bowl and toss gently but thoroughly to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator, for up to 24 hours.

{Please pretend there is a picture of beautiful beets here. There isn't. We ate them. The beets, not the pictures.}

 

Family Recipes: Fettuccine Gazpacho Salad

A couple weeks ago, I asked for favorite vegetarian recipes on Facebook. This one is my absolute favorite recipe of all. I found a version of this recipe at Whole Foods, way back when it was Fresh Fields and I took three little boys there nearly every day. Over time, we've tinkered with it to make it our cherished summertime fare.To me, this is the summer farmer's market in a bowl.

To make a gluten free version, these noodles are a must. (Note: it looks like small quantities at Amazon with free shpping are limited. Maybe wait a day or two? I've had trouble finding it locally. But it is so worth the hunt!)

Happy weekend, my friends! I hope your farmer's market is full of treasures for your table.

Fettuccine Gazpacho Salad

Serves 8 to 10

2 cans (14 ½ ounces) diced tomatoes (do not drain) or use 10-12 whole fresh tomatoes, about 2 pounds. You can peel the fresh tomatoes, if you like. I don’t—it all gets chopped fine in the blender and peeling tomatoes in a hot kitchen isn’t my favorite thing to do.

3 medium cloves garlic

½- 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (more or less, according to taste)

¼ cup packed fresh basil leaves

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

sea salt

1 pound fettuccine (fresh fettuccine takes it to a whole new level)

1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch pieces

1 medium red bell pepper , chopped

1 medium yellow bell pepper , chopped

2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes , halved

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves (Alternatively, cilantro is a different flavor, but also really good. And then again, fresh basil is another good choice. Go with what looks best at the market.)
3 scallions, thinly sliced

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup pitted black olives , quartered

Directions:

1. Puree diced tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, basil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and ½ teaspoon salt in blender until smooth. Transfer to bowl (don’t use metal), cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
3. Place cucumber, red and yellow peppers, cherry tomatoes, parsley, scallions, and oil in large serving bowl and toss well to combine.
4. Add pasta and pureed dressing and toss again.

Salad should be allowed to sit in the refrigerator at least two hours and can be refrigerated overnight. This is a great do-ahead dish for a summer party. Scatter olives over top. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Family Recipes: Banana Pudding

I offer this recipe to you with a bit of trepidation. I haven't personally eaten it all together. I tasted parts of it, but definitely not the whole. I'm not a fan of Nilla Wafers. And bananas? I've never really liked bananas. 

One day, when I was about eight, that changed. I learned to hate bananas. I was on a Girl Scout campout and there was nothing I liked for breakfast. So I ate a banana just because I disliked cereal more than I disliked bananas. Shortly after eating the banana, my face and mouth began to swell.

I was rushed to the hospital, pumped full of epinephrine, chased by Benadryl. 

And sent home. 

No one would let me go back to camp. They never said bananas were the culprit. But I hate them to this day.

All that said, my husband is a huge fan of banana pudding. Loves, loves, loves it. And he told my friend Mindy the other day that he really wished I'd make it for him. Big, brown, pitiful puppy dog eyes.

I did some research and tinkered a bit and came up with the following recipe. Mike declared it the best banana pudding EVER. And he's taste-tested all over the country. He was still talking about it four days later. With that stamp of approval, I offer it to you, even though there's no chance I'm quality-checking it myself.

Banana Pudding

• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 5-ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1 TBS vanilla extract
• 16 ounces heavy whipping cream
• 4 ripe banana
• 1 box of Nilla Wafers

Whip the whipping cream until you have soft peaks and set aside. You can sweeten it a little if you like, but I didn't.

In another bowl, beat the cream cheese until perfectly smooth and fluffy. Beat in the condensed milk. When that is smooth, beat in the whole milk, the extract, and the pudding mix until it is all incorporated and smooth. It will thicken a little more after sitting.

Line the bottom of a 9X13 inch glass pan with a single layer of Nilla Wafers. Add a layer of sliced bananas on top.

Gently fold half the whipped cream into the pudding mixture.

Gently spread the pudding mixture on top of the bananas.

Push Nilla Wafers vertically along the side of the pan.

Top the pudding with the remainder of the whipped cream.

If your children haven't yet polished off the remainder of the Nilla Wafers, make crumbs of them and sprinkle on top.

Refrigerate until serving time.

Serves 12 nicely.

I'm told it's top-notch for breakfast the next day.

 

Family Recipes: Meat Sauce for Pasta

When my sister was getting married, she asked my Aunt Lisette for family recipes. Aunt Lisette happily complied by hand lettering all our family's pasta sauce recipes. And then she doodled a bit on the page;-). She's incredibly talented and the resulting painting was a work of art we all wanted to hang in our homes. And so it is that we all have the same painting, framed differently in each house. My dining room, admittedly, is the home to the simplest frame, but I love this more than any other art hung in the house. 

Here, for you, is the meat sauce recipe that my aunt drew on our heirloom paintings.  

Saute 1/2 cup finely chopped onions in 2 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Remove the onions when they become golden and just soft. Add 6-8 Italian sweet sausages, pork or beef ribs. (I often use a combination of meat) When the meat is thoroughly browned, return the onions to the pan. Add 2 large cans of imported Italian tomatoes that you mixed in the blender. It is optional to remove the seeds in a Mouli-Grinder (Gramma did this). Add seasonings: salt, pepper, 5-10 leaves of fresh chopped basil. You will need to add 1 cup of water. Simmer covered for 1 1/2 hours. Serve over fresh pasta or macaroni--Rigatoni, Ziti, or Spaghetti, Fettucine or Linguine, etc. Garnish with freshly grated Romano cheese (Locatelli is the best). 

Family Recipes: Homemade Manicotti

I texted Kristin a few days before her birthday to ask her what her favorite meal is. It's a tradition in our family that you have your favorite meal on your birthday and your name day. She said any kind of pasta would suit her fine. Kristin is a vegetarian, but that's not a problem. I was a vegetarian for a long time and I have lots of well-loved recipes that don't rely on meat.  I also have six men living in this house and they don't think it's dinner unless there's meat. Every Friday, no matter what the meal, Stephen always tells me it would be better if we added hamburger.

Kristin is already an accomplished cook, but I want to share family recipes with her, becuase our family does a lot of gathering in the kitchen and she fits right in there. So I pulled out Aunt Lisette's Manicotti recipe, knowing I could make a meat sauce for the boys and top Kristin's with Marinara. I handed the well-loved, very worn recipe card to Kristin. 

"Well," she said dubiously, "as long as you can read it." 

I could read it (mostly because I already knew what it said). But I saw her point. And I just happened to have a solution.

Kristin's birthday present from us was a copy of Homemade Recipes, a scrapbook style binder for recording family favorites. It's a beautiful book that I know I've mentioned previously. Actually, I have one for myself. And one for each of my girls. We gave one to Mary Beth's buddy, Bailey. And there's one here I promised to Hilary. There might be a few more. You know, in case another sweet girl comes along who wants to cook with us. 

I had started a pot of meat sauce earlier in the day. When Kristin arrived, we mixed filling and made batter for homemade noodles. After letting the batter sit for about half an hour, Kristin cooked the crepe style noodles and Katie filled. I copied the recipe onto a new page. I kept Aunt Lisette's card. Can't really bear to part with it. 

For you, though, the fresh recipe page.

And a few pictures of the what is really the most amazing pasta, ever. Michael asked if I was going to try it with rice flour. Nope. I just can't bring myself to be bummed. There's no substitute. I can't eat this version, but I'm not going to let the recipe die altogether. I can cook it for everyone else. And now Kristin can, too.