Inside My Fridge - Dec 2, 2011

"Inside My Fridge" version of Where's Waldo...see if you can spot:
Last of leftover gravy?
Turkey stock to freeze?
Turkey noodle soup?
Turkey enchilada casserole?
Turkey tetrazzini (hint: it's gone)

I also made turkey pizzas last night for our Friday "Pizza and Movie Night" extravaganza. The best thing about pizza is that you can use what you have. Both had a tomato sauce base, but one had turkey, mexican-blend cheese, onions, olives and the other had turkey, artichokes, lots of onions and all the leftover Thanksgiving brie (amen!).

Date Night Leftovers = Crab Cake Eggs Benedict

Under Construction: Toasted artisan bread, crab cake, scallions, poached egg, remoulade (don't forget the Bloody Marys)

We are lucky to have my parents living quite close and, occasionally, they invite our children to spend the night. Sometimes we use this occasion for a dinner out or, more often, as a chance to go see some of the amazing live music available to us here in Music City U.S.A. But really our favorite thing to do is cook together the way we used to do before we had kids.

Back in The Day, we'd leisurely peruse the aisles of the supermarket, possibly having a plan for our meal or possibly waiting to be inspired. So on this recent date night, plans to play golf got rained out and we decided to do five-course dinner instead, followed by "playing" (i.e., me learning) chess by a roaring fire. Delightful!!

I don't have pictures for everything, but the food was so beautiful I couldn't help but snap a few pictures here and there. We hadn't done this in so long that I have to admit we got a bit carried away, but it was an awful lot of fun and a splurge I do not regret!

First Course

Fried Green Tomatoes (Brandywine) with  Goat Cheese and Stone Ground Mustard

Second Course

Mahi, oil-poached with pineapple sage, Garlicky Fingerling Potatoes, Broccolini

This beauty was 100% the spouse's brainchild: oil poaching without requiring a full pan of oil, with the bonus that we could finally use the fancy food saver. He prepped the mahi and cooked it in some low-simmering water, but 3/4 of the way through the damn bag broke, so it was only mostly "oil-poached." Making the most of things, we tossed our broccolini in the herby/lemony water with the fish and it turned out to be a happy -- and quite tasty -- accident in the end. 

Third Course

Crab Cake with Remoulade

Fourth Course

Lamb Chops with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Fifth Course was a cheese plate, for which I have no photo. I also must stress that, if you want to do this, the key is small portions of everything (that one piece of mahi, for example, yielded our two "portions" plus leftovers). You want a lovely taste, an exquisite mouthful or two to savor, but then you need to cook the next course, so if you get overloaded you might decide (like I did) to forego that lovely pea puree that would have been beautiful with the lamb and potatoes. C'est la vie. We had leftover broccolini and that was good enough for me!

The following morning, we woke and went about our day at a leisurely pace, enjoying coffee and then Bloody Marys, which lead to the inspired idea (again, credit to my spouse) to make a fantastic Eggs Benedict with our leftover crab cakes and remoulade. Then he strummed the guitar and indulged in a nap while I painted. 

Feed the body. Feed the Soul. Appreciate Our Time. Live Well.

We are planning a frugal-minded version of the 3+ Course Date Night very soon. Not surprisingly, it's easier to take pictures when the photographer is not also responsible for all of the cooking and prep, so I feel confident I'll be able to share that with you as well.

Easy Standing Desk Hack

If you work at your computer all day, you may be familiar with upper/lower back pain, neck tension, possibly carpal tunnel issues...the list goes on and on and on. It doesn't take a lot of brainpower to recognize that sitting in the same position for 6-12 hours is not really good physically or mentally. But if your work requires a computer, then what are you supposed to do?

I first heard of a "standing desk" when a friend posted this link on Facebook. The idea appealed to me immediately. Over the next few months, I noticed other articles about standing desks and wanted to find a way to try one, but $1-2,000 is a bit cost-prohibitive for our family budget. 

My "hack" on this pricey desk? Kitchen island and yoga blocks. This is quite sturdy since the blogs have an anti-slip quality, and it puts my laptop at the perfect height for standing to type. The screen is a little low, but doing a lunge here or there keeps me from straining my neck. Interestingly, I am much more likely to notice and respond to tension while standing. 

I have noticed being able to switch between sitting and standing helps me think better -- it quite literally "gets the juices flowing." I love writing this way! The only caveat is that it's in my kitchen, so if my kitchen is not clean already I either have to clean or forgo the standing -- seeing dirty dishes makes it hard for me to think, apparently. But I can face outdoors, which is something that I've long realized helps me function better, so as long as I keep things tidy, it's a terrific solution for me. 

So maybe you don't work from home or don't seem to have a good spot to do something like this. You can still spend five minutes every hour or two moving around, getting your heart rate up and stretching. But if the idea appeals to you, look around and see what setup you may be able to achieve using things you already have. I tried a shoebox and a plastic bin unsuccessfully before finally hitting on the yoga block idea.

Stocking Up

So you're feeling all thrifty and culinarily advanced, making homemade stock in your kitchen. Maybe you're even kickin' it super-frugal old-school like your gramma and saving your veggie bits in a stock bag. Homemade stock is really easy, tastes incredible (especially compared to the high-sodium stuff from the store), makes your house smell great, and saves money. But you still need to be able to store it.

Stock "brick" sits easily, is compact, and easy to defrost in a bowl.

Like most people, I freeze my stock. I used to take the "flat bag" approach, but in my freezer approximately 10% of bags get mysteriously punctured. The only way to know which is to defrost and see if they leak! It took about a dozen episodes of losing half a bag of my lovely stock in the sink or microwave or fridge to decide to always use a container "just in case." Well, there's no easy way to put a flat bag in a bowl to catch any leakage! Now, if you have the perfectly organized freezer where you never toss items around and you also know you never, ever overfill your bags, then flat bags may work for you. Ditto for glassware. I prefer "stock bricks" myself.

Shown here just out of the freezer.

Filling 8-10 bags and fitting them into a 9X13 pan is easier (in my experience) than trying to freeze them flat. I can fit 8 bags with 3 cups each into a 9X13 and the other 2-4 in a saver of some sort. I do my best to make sure fluid is distributed evenly so they don't stick together (see photo above). I pull them out of the freezer after a day or so, separate them and store them back in the freezer. If any are stubborn, I let them sit on the counter for 5 minutes or so.  You could run them under cool running water for a minute to separate, then stick them back in the freezer.

I used to freeze in smaller quantities, but I use more stock nowadays because it's a really wonderful way to add flavor. When I defrost, any extra goes into a mason jar in the fridge for use that week.

I am still using the plastic baggies. I would love a re-usable (or at least recyclable) alternative for freezing stock, so if you have a better option, please let me know. For now though, even with the baggies, my taste buds, my health, my budget and my planet come out ahead with homemade stock. Try some today!

When you need to peel a whole head

Handy method for peeling a lot of garlic. Thanks Saveur!

How to Peel a Head of Garlic in Less Than 10 Seconds from SAVEUR.com on Vimeo.

Simple Summer Supper: Beans & Taters

"Purple" green beans.

Beautiful, locally-grown potatoes (aka "taters")

I recently found myself with a wealth of both beans and potatoes and was musing about what to cook for dinner when my 5-year-old suggested combining Green Beans Almondine and pan-fried potatoes. The result played up all the freshness of the food and was healthy and delicious. I've already made it twice this summer! Bonus: it makes a great vegetarian dish.

Sampling is always allowed. You can see the potatoes in the background.

First order of business: clean and snap beans. I just toss them into a sink full of cold water and swish around with my hands, scrubbing any remaining dirt off with my fingers. The kids often will "help" snap as long as they can snack along the way. I am a stickler for removing all strings -- this is why I snap all but the youngest and smallest beans.

Blanching green (or purple) beans is easy. Bring water to boil, add a pinch of salt and cleaned/snapped beans. Cook for 3-5 minutes, then remove to ice water bath. You can see here, about two minutes into cooking, that the purple is disappearing from my beans. C'est la vie. While the beans blanch, I scrub and cut potatoes.

As you can see, the "purple" beans are quite green after cooking; here they are in their ice bath. Once they are cooled, they'll retain their bright green color and you can eat them like this or add to your salad, or stir fry or, of course, with potatoes...which I also blanched (same process, but for about 12-15 minutes, or until fork-tender) before cooking in the skillet.

Toasted almonds, brown and buttery.

While the potatoes blanched, I toasted my almonds in a little Smart Balance (butter or olive oil or toasting dry works just fine as well). I love the nice color and flavor and, especially if the entire meal is vegetarian, I like to add some good fat. (Note: use of Smart Balance actually makes this a vegan meal!) Toast in skillet till brown, then scoop carefully out so the nice browned butter-and-nut flavor is there for your potatoes.

If you don't want to also blanch the potatoes, you could roast them or pan-saute them; it is up to you. I like blanching because then finishing them in the "almond butter" makes for a lovely flavor. At any rate, add the potatoes to the pan along with a little olive oil and chopped garlic and brown to your liking (or just till they crisp up here and there, as was my choice this day). Then add the beans and season to taste with salt and pepper. Last of all, top with the crispy toasted almonds. I think some lemon or orange zest would be a lovely addition to this dish, if you are so inclined.

Here is my 5-year-old's portion of our simple "Beans and Taters" supper, served with some corn on the cob and leftover mixed veggies. Notice there is no meat on the plate! This vegetarian meal provides all of the protein, nutrients and amino acids necessary for good health. My husband works a physically-demanding job and found this meal satisfying and tasty (he takes it for his 2 a.m. "lunch") and asked for a repeat performance, only with more-browned potatoes.

Inside My Fridge - August 8, 2011

I still have loads of cucumbers! In addition to cucumber salad and many batches of icebox pickles, the last of which you can see bottom-center. I tried a version of this tomato-cucumber soup that was quite nice, but need a creamy, cold cucumber soup this summer, so I'll find one this week.

We have oodles of pattypan squashes, which are possibly now my favorite squash. I've been slicing them and layering in a pan with olive oil, salt/pepper and a bit of parmesan, then baking. Simpler is better for truly fresh food and it doesn't get much more simple than that. My dad has promised me several of the cute-and-tiny pattypans which I plan to stuff with cheesy breadcrumbs and maybe some bacon. My husband wants to try an oyster stuffing for these as well, so if anyone has any recipes, let me know.

The paper bag contains some not-totally-ripe tomatoes from our CSA. This is a great tip for those massive heirlooms you grow at home that split if you leave them on the vine, but are green on top if you pick them when the bottoms are ripe. Just put them in a paper bag for a few days; this captures the ethylene gas and allows them to finish ripening to delicious perfection.

Also, you may see the store yogurt on the bottom shelf and wonder if I've given up making my own. Funny story there...my three-year-old became constipated, which given the amount of fresh (mostly raw) fruit and vegetables she eats is rather odd and the pediatrician recommended adding some probiotics and specifically mentioned Activia so we immediately procured some. A little research over the weekend indicates that, yes, homemade yogurt does indeed contain lots and lots of probiotics, so that's good to know for certain. Oh, the funny part of the story? As it turns out, between my husband and myself we'd given her an inhuman amount of cheese over the previous two days. Communication failure there...

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Hornworm!

I found several of these hornworms on my tomato plants last week. They can be hard to spot so I don't look for them, but instead what is missing...in this case, the leaves at the end of the stem. In the last two years I was not vigilant (to my chagrin) because they are voracious eaters and can defoliate an entire plant in a day or so. You can also look for dark pellets on the leaves; these are their droppings.

They seem to appear just when my tomato plants are full of green fruit and then they eat everything. This year, I've been on the lookout and given the plants a daily visual inspection. Thus far, this easy approach has been effective! I just cut off the bit of plant they are eating and dispose of both. While I will happily smash squash bugs (with gloves), I am a bit too squeamish to just squish a hornworm.

I believe this is actually a tobacco hornworm, based on some brief googling this morning. This site has some wonderful information about the life cycle of this interesting garden pest. If I ever see one with wasp eggs, I'll be sure to get a picture.

Icebox Pickles: No heat required!

No cooking required.

My last summer before college, I dated a fellow whose mother always had a bowl of what she called  "icebox pickles" in her refrigerator. She explained to me that it was perfect for summer because it required no heat, just mix and leave overnight in the fridge. Icebox Pickles take full advantage of a cucumber's natural crispiness and, as they're stored in the "icebox" (aka: the fridge), they're cool and refreshing in the heat of summer.

I'd never tasted anything like them before. I found my fork actually seeking out onions for the first time in my life; they were super-thin, just this side of raw, with a pickly-sweet crunch that perfectly complemented the cucumber.

This is a double batch, sliced super-thin with a mandolin, to give an idea of how much veg you need.
"Six medium cucumbers" is so very subjective!

A few years ago, I began trying to reproduce these unique pickles (with two unsuccessful attempts), when I found a recipe for "Marinated Pickles" on the recipe blog for my CSA, and suddenly I was in heaven. The recipe required no cooking, no heat -- cool and crunchy, all the way, so I adapted it to suit what I keep in my pantry/garden. Slice veggies thinly, toss it all together in a jar or bowl, and leave it in the fridge overnight. Easy, Fresh, Crisp. Summer!

Marinade (because it's technically not a brine if you don't boil it), before vigorous shaking.

The recipe is below, and calls for cucumbers and onions, but as you can see I added some green pepper and super-thin carrot. Use what you have.....

UPDATE, Summer 2018: After several years of experimentation, I have significantly reduced the amount of sugar from 1/4 cup to 1-1.5 TBSP. I kept cutting it and not finding a difference in flavor...until I went below 1 TBSP this year. Try this for yourself! See where your palate notices the change.

Click here for printable recipe.

Lose Weight with Spiritual Practice (Seriously)

Ever since my "Lint" in January, I've been wanting to write a follow-up post about the benefits of Spiritual Practice. Prayer, meditation, fasting, self-denial --I find that practicing these types of things allows my mind to turn away from myself and be guided more clearly by God. Here, you can also insert Divine, Universe, Love, Holy, Allah, Jesus, Flying Spaghetti Monser, whatever you choose. I don't really quibble with the names people have for the force that created and flows through the universe. 

The point of Spiritual Practice is not, to me, to "tap into" God. The point of Spiritual Practice is to create a channel, an open space, that allows God to tap into me. Prayer, meditation, service, worship are all wonderful ways to do this. But sometimes it's really helpful to do a little more, to become a pilgrim for a time. I suppose that's why some type of Spiritual Practice is a component of every major world religion. Since I was raised Catholic, I found it very natural for me to pattern my own pilgrimage of the soul on the Lenten practice of abstention and reflection. It is a way to honor my roots but not be bound by them.

One reason it has taken so long to write this is my seeming inability to nail down specific benefits. This all sounds great, but is it really helpful? Is it worthwhile? My answer is certainly yes, but if pressed, I am general: clarity of thought, a new perspective on my journey....and then I realized that I'd made at least one specific change directly as a result of my spiritual focus during Lint. I changed how I approach exercise.

I've somehow finally grown to realize that it is a lot easier for me to incorporate something into my daily routine -- to make it a true habit -- if I start small. I resolved to forget about trying to find the perfect hour-long exercise routing to fit into my day, and then struggling to find the hour to exercise...at home...with two kids under five. My goal was only to Exercise Every Day.

At first, I thought I'd do 30 minutes a day, which I didn't do at all. Enter Zen Habits, a blog I really find inspiring, and the idea of starting with only five minutes a day. It did not escape my notice that five minutes a day would be better than the nothing I was doing currently.

Now, in August? It is rare that a day passes without me engaging in at least five minutes of exercise. Most days I get in 10-20 in 5- and 10-minute increments. It's not a lot. But it is certainly better than nothing and it is a great example of how little changes can make a big difference. I've lost 15 pounds since January and my energy levels are higher than they've been in a long time. I'm gradually increasing my weekly average "workout" time, but my only goal is still to exercise at least five minutes a day. Well, that and do a pullup unassisted, something I have never been able to do.

Spiritual Practice is my way of listening to that still, small voice. And that voice is not one of judgment or condemnation at my weakness. It is a voice of Love and Compassion urging me to have the courage to find the way that works best for me. And now I'm going to urge you to start small on that next new habit you think could change your life.

Peace Be With You.

Pictures were taken in Franconia Notch State Park.

Inside My Fridge - July 31, 2011

Tomato Season

I have oodles of sweet little cherry tomatoes, so that spells soup with some of my newly-dried dill. The skins are no problem if you have a sieve and a blender. I'll make a batch of icebox pickles to add to sandwiches or eat as a side dish (or snack). Tonight's plan is a fresh corn/tomato salad and some leftover ham. Later this week, I'll roast free-range chicken and make my 4-year-old's green been/potato recipe as a main dish.

We tend to eat light in the summer. Besides the leftover ham, the chicken will be the only meat cooked this week, although I do admit to having bacon in there that my husband plans to use for BLTs. I like BLTs but can't justify eating them as often as I eat tomato sandwiches -- nearly every day until the end of tomato season. We end up with several different types of tomatoes and I never get tired of a simple sandwich with mayo and basil. Since I rarely even buy tomatoes out of season, it's a lunch I will only be able to gorge on enjoy for another few months.

Everything spoils so quickly in the summer! Once the bananas reach their perfect spot of ripeness, I put them in the fridge. They will stay at that perfect spot much longer; they'd only last another day or two on the counter before being too soft for me. Even apples transform into a magic cooling treat if kept in the fridge.

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Truly idiot-proof yogurt at home

How did I not think of this earlier?

After making yogurt for a few months with my mini-crock, I found the time it took to get it to the proper temperature varied a lot more than making a whole gallon of milk in the big crock. Then one day in a burst of inspiration I realized I had the answer sitting in my kitchen drawer. We have an inexpensive digital thermometer with an alarm (similar to this one) so I can do the Ronco thing and set it and forget it!

To make Crock Pot Yogurt, pour 1 quart of milk in a  mini-crock with the lid slightly ajar to make room for the thermometer (as seen above), set the temperature for 180 and wait for the beep (approx 2 hours). Then unplug it, re-set the temperature for 115 and wait for the beep again (approx 3 hours, depending on ambient temp). Dip out a 1/2 cup or so and whisk together with either 1/4c of your last batch (or any yogurt with live cultures) or with some powdered yogurt starter. I like yogourmet. Then whisk that mixture back into the crock. This is also the time to add some nonfat dry milk if you want to increase the nutritional content. It also makes it come out thicker, but mine is usually a nice consistency. Put lid on, top with some kitchen towels and leave overnight (or 6ish hours at least).

In the morning, stick it in the fridge (stores great in a Mason jar). Mix with fruit and/or jam and a little agave nectar as needed and enjoy! No preservatives. No high-fructose corn syrup. No sticker shock. No plastic, one-use waste. I mix with fruit preserves, fresh fruit or vanilla to flavor and add some agave nectar if it needs to be sweetened. 

Kohlrabi: alien or spare baseball?

It almost looks squidlike, doesn't it?

Kohlrabi is a cool-looking vegetable, there's no denying it. I'd never tried it until last year when I opened up the farm box and thought "what the heck is that crazy thing and how on earth can I cook it?" I ended up cutting off the cool parts and tossing it with salt, pepper and olive oil and roasting it. I've not yet met the vegetable that didn't roast well. The verdict was "meh" from both myself and my husband. It is nice mixed in with roasted carrots or potatoes, but I wouldn't seek it out in the grocery store.

I should really like kohlrabi. It has a crisp texture not unlike a potato, but not starchy. It has a very mild flavor, reminiscent of celery or maybe broccoli. It sounds great but the reality is rather underwhelming. Lucky for me, I have a foodie cousin who is an accomplished cook. She advised me that kohlrabi makes a terrific spare baseball. Funny, eh? I remain undaunted for now and intend to give kohlrabi a few more chances to amaze me. I feel certain that there must a way to unleash the lovely, mild flavor in a way that makes me look forward to seeing it in my box each spring.

There was no way to make this look appetizing.

Sadly, my second preparation, this Kohlrabi Puree, was not the ticket. The incorporation of the stems/leaves really appealed to me. The flavor profile seemed right. But I didn't really care for it. It was not smooth enough for my taste -- a blender might have been a better option than the food processor -- but that's a lot of fuss for a flavor that is nice but not spectacular. I think perhaps a slaw is the way to go with this one.

I'm going to be getting it, so I might as well find a way I like to eat it. My husband remains skeptical that kohlrabi will ever achieve anything beyond "meh" for him.

Placating with Plating: Pork, Rice, Squash

You eat with your eyes first. But adult eyes and child eyes often see things a little differently. Who cares? Does it really make that much difference if the priority is an appealing balance of colors or enough "white space" on the plate or just making sure the food is not touching more than necessary?

Tonight's dinner: Jasmine rice with peas/carrots, free-range pork chops and a medley of roasted yellow squash, pattypan squash, garlic chunks and kohlrabi. A little freshly-baked wheat bread rounds out the meal. For some reason, many children, including mine, seem to prefer their food as segregated as possible. Should we call it "deconstructed" instead? It's not terribly hard to manage generally, so I try to honor that preference without being ruled by it, as evidenced by my rather brazen addition of peas/carrots to the rice.

The biggest differences between kid/adult plates are onions and veggie portioning. I topped my rice with sauteed onions and orange-pineapple jus from the pork pan. The kids got one piece each of yellow squash, pattypan squash and kohlrabi, while my plate is piled high with all those plus some garlic chunks. The bright green, orange and yellow of the veggies are offset brilliantly by the white rice and white plates, so this was a colorful and appealing early summer meal.

Not counting the bread, this could easily be a 40-minute dinner. The bread baking takes about an hour (counting time necessary to preheat the oven), so technically it's an hour prep. Swapping fresh bread for heat-and-serve rolls or skipping bread altogether makes pork chops one of my favorite "go to" meals after a hectic day on the go. I'll include a rundown after the break.

Dinner doesn't need to be fancy. Heck, it doesn't even need to be homemade. Really, it doesn't even have to be dinner -- it could be breakfast. It just needs to be time together to share and nourish body and soul.

For the record, the children ate rice, peas, carrots, bread/butter and pork. It was not surprising that they didn't touch the squash, but they did ask what each one was called and (amazingly) no one disparaged this vegetable that still holds a strong "yuck factor" for them both.

This Tennessee gal loves her Volunteers (plants that is...)

Go Big Orange! Scarlet Nantes - beautiful and delicious

Lettuces: Bunte Forellenschluss (my favorite), Winter Density and Grandpa Admire's.

I love peas in the pod.

Sunflower and the bean stalk, inspired by The Three Sisters.
Now how will I ever pick the beans?

Again, I have squash in the flowerbeds. (Did you know that was my inaugural post on this blog?) All of these are volunteer though; they just came up on their own. Beautiful, isn't it? That large broccoli plant is gone now, replaced with marigolds, moss roses and sweet alyssum (also volunteer). I'm amazed at what comes back each year and also at how perfectly one crop fades into the next. As the squashes sputter out in a few months, the moss roses and alyssum will explode into mounds of color that last into fall. I can pick up other flowers here and there on sale to fill in any bare spots. 

I say these are "squash," because that's what I planted in that area last year, but this one is looking much more melon-like to me. With volunteers, you are thankful for whatever you get because it's more than you expected. Not unlike my alma mater's football team, now that I think of it....

Inside My Fridge - June 5, 2011

In my fridge this week, we are in CSA heaven already. We only got one head of kohlrabi, not enough to try this kohlrabi puree, so that will have to keep. We have sugar-cured sliced ham, napa cabbage, bok choy, a massive head of broccoli, some gorgeous purple onions and assorted salad greens. I finally have beets enough (lower shelf in the middle) to make these Beet Chocolate Cupcakes, so that will definitely happen this week!

Also bottom-right I have some jasmine rice with peas and carrots (right next to the highly-recommended Summer Shandy). My time-saving tip of the week is to cook twice as much rice or pasta as you need and store the rest for quick sides or to make up easy vegetarian meals. The peas are homegrown! Next batch will have our own peas and carrots, if those ever last long enough to make it inside.

I have gone a bit crazy with cold summer beverages. You can see some homemade lemonade (in the Mason jar), so easy with citrus simple syrup, but there is also some green tea and cold-brewed coffee. Yes, that's right, I found a way to make a superb iced coffee -- no heat required because it is getting HOT here in the mid-south.  I will share details in a future post!

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Bag o' Bacon

Frozen bacon roll, ready for easy dicing.

A little bacon goes a long way. One piece, diced up and sautéed with garlic and onion adds a smoky saltiness to your tomato soup. With garlic, ginger and a bit of soy, it makes bok choy fabulous. Key here being "one piece." Bacon is best in moderation and it's certainly not sold that way.

My sister-in-law mentioned freezing bacon and I thought it was a great idea. I pictured myself freezing already-cooked slices, ready for crumbling into a salad or adding to pizza, pasta, greens, etc. If you're going to fry bacon, you might as well do it all at once, right? Besides, I do save bacon grease in a jar to make cornbread or to add to oil on the rare occasions I fry something.

The problem with frying a whole pound of bacon in our house is that it never makes it to the freezer. Inevitably pieces get snagged right away by the whole family; part goes to the the dinner; the remaining amount is usually deemed "too small to freeze" and used for breakfast burritos and BLTs the next day. This rather defeats the moderation theme, doesn't it?

After bringing up this dilemma with my sister-in-law, she recommended freezing it raw. Yes, it does seem like this would have occurred to me on my own, but it did not. I just rolled each piece like you see above and put them on a cookie sheet in the freezer overnight. The next day, the already-frozen rolls went into a plastic bag to be used 1-2 at a time. 

Unexpected bonus? it is really easy to dice or chop the frozen roll. This also means less hands-on time overall and, most importantly, makes it easy to only take out a single piece instead of trying futilely to resist the savory delight of hot, crispy bacon. 

Chill Out

So if you've ever wondered "just how far south of Sunnybrook are you there, Becky?" I'll tell you I'm roughly 1,100 miles south of Maine (as the crow flies), smack dab in the middle of Tennessee, a beautiful and friendly place to live as long as you can appreciate a bit of heat and humidity. I grew up in West Tennessee (even more humid) in a house with one window a/c unit in the dining room that was only turned on for company. I've made my peace with humidity. 

Now yes, of course, I do use a/c, though I try to avoid it as much as possible because I hate being closed in where I'm insulated and can't even hear the rest of the world. Cool air in summer is a wonderful and amazing thing, but I wonder how much it accounts for kids playing outside less...for all of us being outside less, which means being less connected with the natural world. When I was a kid, it was often cooler outside once you hit the high 90s and I wouldn't be closed up in a muggy house for anything.

Cold-brewed green/mint teas

Whether I'm indoors or out, I like a little caffeine in the afternoons. In the winter, I enjoy coffee or tea, but in the summer I need something cold. I do really like iced coffee, but only really strong, freshly-brewed coffee and that's just too fussy for a quick afternoon beverage. 

Enter the cold-brewed green tea. Cold brewing renders a very smooth, drinkable tea and with no heating necessary, it's perfect for summer. Put tea bags in pitcher. Fill with water. Place in refrigerator overnight. Remove tea bags. Enjoy tea. I put five green tea bags and one mint tea bag in this batch and the result is smooth and intensely refreshing. 

Now, being indeed South of Sunnybrook, I have to agree with my friend Julie Ingrum, who knowingly asserts "there is only one way to properly sweeten tea and that is in the brewing process." I agree with her and when I make "Sweet Tea", even in summer I will brew it on the stove, but obviously you can't sweeten cold-brewed tea the same way. Now, I think the cold-brewed green tea is great straight and I drank it that way all last summer. But I'm hooked on something else now.

One day when my 4-year-old wasn't feeling well, we snuggled up on the couch and watched Laura Calder make this lovely citrus simple syrup on television. It's really easy to make and I add a bit to my green tea now. I can also make fresh, homemade lemonade on demand if I have some of this pretty simple syrup in my fridge and who doesn't love that? 

Citrus zest pretties up a sunny lemon simple syrup.

My sister adds thyme to her simple syrup and you can add other herbs (my friend Mary Alice adds mint and more in her delicious natural concoctions). I'm a lover of color myself, and I just really like the lovely bright yellow color this syrup gets from the lemon zest. It makes me happy to see it in my refrigerator. I can add herbage in my glass if I want some.

Try one or both of these this summer and let me know if you love this simple pleasure as much as I do.

Inside My Fridge - May 25, 2011

My cup overfloweth with lettuces and strawberries. Apple juice/amoxicillin for the 4-year-old with a sore ear.  Rice/pasta for easy meals with green stuff this week as the adults recover from a stomach virus. Note the citrus simple syrup to the right of the milk -- my new favorite thing this summer.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod

Do your kids really eat that?

Wheat spaghetti, fresh spinach with garlic and artichokes, caramelized onions, sweet corn

I am frequently asked if my children really eat the "family dinner" that I make. Well, sometimes they do, especially if it's not touching too much. Children are notoriously picky eaters but I am not a short-order cook. Who the heck has time? I am a firm believer in physics: it is pretty darn hard to see -- or more importantly, taste -- something if it's not physically on one's plate, so yes, I serve them the same food we're having.

I've decided to begin showing some of my various plating strategies more regularly, in hopes of inspiring those among you who think it's impossible to cook for everyone without making special meals, especially on a Monday! Besides, then you can see a better representation of how we eat, which tends to be a hodgepodge of local + canned/frozen and pretty simply prepared most of the time. If you are curious, the pasta and spinach are locally-sourced in this meal.

Monday evenings mean fiddle lessons for my four-year-old. We are blessed to have The Fiddle & Pick (home to the Middle Tennessee Musical Heritage Center) just down the street for budding musicians of all ages. On the way home he asked what we were having and I told him some wheat spaghetti, spinach with artichokes and corn. He noted that bread and butter would go nicely and asked hopefully if we could have "some of yours, mommy" which just is the best thing for a mom who makes bread to hear. Sadly, I did not have dough in the fridge as usual, so the storebought wheat had to suffice.

My plates has pasta, onions, spinach and corn, one piled on top of the other (aka "mixed"). As you can see the kids' plates have all of those components, but separated. I toyed with mixing the corn and pasta, but was honestly just too lazy to bother. I did pull out a large-ish piece of artichoke in case they wanted to try it and, yes, they do have bread and butter. Parmesan cheese is on the table for anyone who wants some.

It is my experience that kids will be more willing to try things if they have "safe" foods to sate their hunger. Interestingly, they both loved spinach before they had teeth and I've often wondered if they just don't like the way it coats your (my?) teeth. They did try everything this night; the four-year-old wrinkled up his nose, made a funny face and said, "yummy" after his artichoke bite, but didn't ask for more.

I just need a catchy name for my plating series. Feel free to share any ideas!

Inside My Fridge - May 8, 2011

First delivery of the Spring/Summer season from Avalon Acres! If you live in the Nashville area and want to join a CSA, this is a great one -- includes truly free-range meat, eggs, pasta, jams/jellies, etc., along with locally-grown, pesticide-free produce. The fresh strawberries are almost gone and so is half of that bok choy and a large head of farm broccoli after last night's dinner with my parents (udon noodles with steamed broccoli and carrots in sesame-peanut sauce and pork chops with bacon and bok choy, homemade vanilla yogurt and fresh strawberries).

I have lots of spinach in my garden and a big bag from Avalon, so I think I will do a spinach-pasta dish this week and that is as far as I've gotten with the planning. Avgolemono is a possibility since I have some lovely, farm-raised chicken breasts in the freezer. I also have not made broccoli soup for the kids yet, so that is an option. One terrific use for spinach and other greens: smoothies! They taste terrific and my kids love them. They get a kick out of eating greens that way....and so do I since that is the only way they actually consume greens thus far.

In case you have not yet figured it out, the "Inside My Fridge" picture is an exercise that forces me to inventory and tidy my refrigerator. Doing this weekly reduces waste and gives me an opportunity to be creative with meals instead of resorting to fish sticks or "the box" as the tubular pasta and dried, processed cheesefood is known in our house. A little planning goes a long way.

Full-on American Food

When I was a kid, I heard someone explain how a hot dog was the perfect illustration of a quintessentially American food. You've got a sausage from Vienna, bread from the Midwest and condiments from across the globe. I liked the idea of food illustrating our melting pot, but really can't we offer up something better than a hot dog? If you say McDonalds I am now plugging my ears and running away screaming. I find it sad that most of the rest of the world thinks golden arches and Coca-Cola when they think of "American Food."

What is Real American Food? It's basically "peasant food." Real American Food is simple, fresh and easy to prepare. The thing that makes Real American Food unique is the surprising blend of flavors from around the globe.  I've worked in restaurants with some truly talented chefs. I've watched amazing chefs on television. They all say the same thing: get the freshest ingredients you can and cook it simply and you'll always have amazing food. I think it finally sank in when I started cooking with Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food.

Tonight's dinner is Real American Food: Pork Chops with russet and sweet potatoes and Swiss chard. The pork, sweet potatoes and chard are all from a local farm with Avalon Acres. The russets came from Costco. Easy, breezy, simple meal.

Pork Chops with Potatoes and Greens
Season pork as early in the day as you can, but at least 30 minutes prior to cooking. I made up a rub with sea salt, pepper, chipotle powder, garlic powder, onion powder and a bit of brown sugar. You can season it the night before or in the morning and pull out of the fridge while you prep/cook other things. It needs some time to come to room temperature to cook evenly.

Slice potatoes and season lightly with salt and pepper. Brown in about 1/2 TBSP olive oil in skillet (they will not be fully cooked). Add chopped or sliced onions and garlic if you like. Remove from pan and add a bit of vegetable oil or bacon grease (just about a scant teaspoon or so). Brown pork chops on both sides. Add a cup or so of chicken or vegetable stock and scrape up the browned bits. Add back in the potatoes, cover and lower heat. Allow to simmer for about a half hour until the pork is cooked through and the potatoes are tender. Wash and roughly chop greens and add to pot; cook until tender (mine took about 5 more minutes).

I served this with homemade bread and some brown basmati rice since my children are hit-or-miss with eating potatoes. It's not fancy, but it sure is tasty.

Sustainable Reading

When Bel at Green out Every Window invited me to participate in the Earth Day Reading Project, I loved the idea immediately. Share three books that have most inspired you to choose to live more sustainably. Fiction, nonfiction, graphic novel....it's all about what has made motivated you to turn ideas into actions. Full rules and a great list of gardening blogs can be found here at The Sage Butterfly.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver inspired me to action almost immediately.  We had begun to garden and had a compost bin. We were buying less "processed crap" with all the coloring, additives and packaging, but weren't quite sure what else we really could do. After all, we live in the suburbs...it's not like we can feed ourselves from this tiny bit of earth, right? Within a year of reading this book, I realized the power that comes from reconnecting with our food sources. I love Kingsolver's fiction, but her sharing of her family's commitment to eat only locally for an entire year (no bananas!) changed how I think about food.

I picked up a copy of the Kitchen Garden Planner at a bookstore's going out of business sale. We lived down in Florida and had asked (and received) permission to plant a small garden plot in the back yard of our rental. I dreamed of what I might do with a home and yard and garden of my own. As it turns out, I plant squash in the flowerbeds. All of my planted space is a kitchen garden, each year more beautiful and each year more edible.

I know, I know. Insert joke about garden gnomes here. But the interior of this book is filled with amazing illustrations detailing the many ways sentient being  might live in harmony with nature, might balance needs of self with needs of the system of which we are all part. When I was a child, I discovered this book next to a rocking chair in my grandmother's guest room. She had placed it there purposely so a little girl weary of grownup conversation might find some magic with which to amuse herself. Whenever I harvest herbs, I think of the gnomes in this book. If I ever make my own dandelion root tea (not unlikely, these days), I will credit this book for the inspiration. 

So that's three. I considered including Bill McKibben's Eaarth, for its influence on my planning and thinking, but there is no action yet I can directly attribute to reading the book. Square Foot Gardening was also a strong contender for the Top Three, because he makes it easy to get started with gardening no matter where you live. I appreciate that he thinks growing things should be mostly fun.