C'est La Belle Vie

They're Here!

2012-01-26T14:58:00.000-06:00

It’s blood orange season! It’s blood orange season! I was at TJ’s today, and I saw them there. Piled into a heap, they looked so unassuming. As if they didn’t know. As if they didn’t care how wonderful they are. It would have been easy to pass them by, but I caught a glimpse of the tell-tale dark red skin and I knew—they had arrived!

I absolutely love blood oranges, ever since I first discovered them in Avignon. I had never had one before, growing up in Illinois. We got your standard citrus there, but nothing so exotic as a blood orange.

“Orange sang” is what they are called in French. Which literally does translate to “blood orange”. My friend there introduced me to them. She got so excited when she saw them, and I wondered what the big deal was. Why get so excited about an orange? I found out soon enough.

Just looking at them, I could tell they were unusual. Parts of them looked almost black. They were mottled and ranged from deep red-black to light yellow. I peeled back the odd skin to reveal an even odder flesh. It looked almost like stained glass. Each little corpuscle of juice was a different shade of orange. Some were ruby red, some were deep orange, some almost clear. It was fascinating just to look at them. I held one section up to the light—that amazing Provencal light—and it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. I don’t’ know, maybe I don’t get out much, but I’m still fascinated by those little sections of fruit.

And I haven’t gotten to the taste yet! The flavor, how could one describe it? Well, it’s impossible, really, but the closest I can come to it is that it tastes like perfume. Not like chemical, store-bought perfume that, if you’re unlucky enough to get a spray of it in your mouth, you know is not a flavor to relish. No, it’s more like the taste of the smell of the most exquisite perfume that nature could concoct. It’s nothing like a naval orange. Or a Clementine. Those are fine, they’re wonderful, and I eat them in masses. But the blood orange has a flavor all it’s own that makes me swoon. The first bite of the season of the first orange is completely orgasmic. My knees nearly buckle. It’s divinity. It’s the juice of the gods.

In fact, if I were a god, I would eat blood oranges all year. I would bathe in them. I would wear them in my crown. I would fill my royal chamber with them.

I guess I’m a little maniacal about them. And maybe part of the their appeal is also their rarity. Not every grocery store carries them, and never all year round, like naval oranges. They have a specific and finite season: February.

February also happens to be my birthday month. Living in Minnesota, there is not much to like about February. In fact, there is much to despise. It’s smack-dab in the middle of winter, Spring is a lightyear away, everything is frozen and dead and covered in a skin of road salt, dirt, and ice. February is totally depressing. Or it would be, could be, without the lovely presence of “orange sang”. I feel like it is nature’s birthday gift to me. It’s nature’s way of apologizing for February, and trying to make amends.

I don’t think I will ever like February in Minnesota (unless global warming really kicks in and we end up with the climate of Texas), but I feel a little better having the gift of the blood orange. I feel like it is mine, it belongs to me somehow. In all of its odd beauty, its fragility, its terrifying name, it’s mine.

I Heart Rotting Stuff!! Or, Compost 101

2011-10-25T12:57:00.001-05:00

I've had rotting stuff on the brain lately. Maybe it's Halloween, maybe it's the recent zombie crawl, but more likely it's the fact that winter is coming on and it's time to put the compost pile to bed and let it work its magic. I love compost. I really, really do. And if you compost, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't, then it's time to get started!

Composting is SO easy, there's no reason not to do it. I have a teeny, tiny urban yard and I compost, so pretty much anyone can do it. Here's what you need:

A dark-colored container. I have a black plastic vertical compost container that I got from Green Guardian for about $35. It's nice because it has a removable top for throwing in stuff, as well as a sliding door on the bottom for removing the black gold. You can use any kind of container, but the dark color is important, because you want the thing to get warm.
Some "green stuff": grass clippings, kitchen scraps- basically stuff that's not dried out
Some "brown stuff": dried leaves, small sticks- the dried stuff

Seriously, that all you need to get started. There are a lot of web sites out there that advocate using a lot of other stuff, like worms, a thermometer, fancy barrels, but really in my experience, you don't need all that stuff. When you start your compost, feed it with a little "starter" dirt. Then, just be sure that whenever you add green stuff, you throw some brown stuff on top. This keeps a nice balance and keeps odor down.

One thing you might want to add is a container of enzymes from your local garden center. We did this the first year, and haven't had to add any since (we're in year 4). Other than the enzymes, just keep feeding your compost pile all spring and summer with your yard and kitchen waste, and if you want to, turn it once in a while, especially in late fall just before you put the pile to bed.

In spring, you will be amazed when you open up that bottom door and there's lots of beautiful, black compost for you to spread all over your garden! It's like magic. Since using compost on our garden, we have had great harvests, huge plants, and used zero pesticides or fertilizers. We don't compost in the winter because we're in Minnesota and it's just too darn cold, and sometimes the snow is too high to even get to the container. If you're in a more temperate zone, you can certainly compost all year!

Compost is a wonderful way to garden organically, reduce your garbage volume, and have some fun with dirt! Dive right in, and I bet by this time next year you will have rotting stuff on the brain, too!

Here are a few resources to get you started:
http://www.howtocompost.org/
http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/residents/compost
http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/rrr/composting/

Earth Life

2011-04-17T20:44:00.000-05:00

Today marks the beginning of Earth Week, culminating in Earth Day on Friday, and so it seems apt that I should share a blog post about my new adventures into strict vegetarianism. I think this may actually be several posts, so I'm just going to scratch the surface on this one...
I innocently picked up a lovely green book a few weeks ago at my church bookstore called "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer. I've been going through a lot of changes in my life lately as I more intentionally align myself with my values, and this book grabbed me for many reasons. I have toyed with vegetarianism my entire adult life, having settled on a diet that's mostly veg, with some chicken and fish thrown in for good protein, but if I'm really honest with myself, I prefer a totally veg diet for both aesthetic and humane reasons. So, when I saw this book I thought that it might just give me enough of a reason to cross over to the totally green side.
I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Book in hand, my husband and son and I headed back to our car, and after a bit of discussion about the book, my confirmed carnivore husband made a final statement, "Well, I'm going to eat whatever I want!" It was his final battle cry, and he was going down. I had long ago resigned myself to the fact that he would never budge on his dietary choices, and I was fine with that. Or so I thought.
After reading just a few chapters of the book, I was gushing to him about what a great writer Jonathan was, how engaging the book was, and how much it really made one think about the meat industry. Well, I must have gotten to him at a particularly vulnerable moment, because the next thing I knew, he was reading the book! We were actually fighting over book time!
And now, here we are, just a few short weeks later, and my confirmed carnivore husband is on his second week of being a vegetarian! I can hardly believe it! We're in unchartered territory, and I will go deeper into what he learned that really pushed him to the green side in future posts, as well as chart out our adventures in these unfamiliar waters. Who knows...maybe we'll inspire a few more veg heads who will wake from the nightmare of The Meatrix like we did!

Yoooo Looook Mah-velous!

2011-02-24T23:59:00.000-06:00

Remember that skit by Billy Crystal where he would be interviewing someone and then just blurt out in the middle of them talking, "Let me tell you something, dahling, youuu looook mah-velous, simply mahhh-velous!" Well, maybe I'm dating myself by bringing it up, but he comes to mind when I think of Spring Fashion!! I capitalize because it's just that awesome to think that there is even such a thing as Spring! Woo hoo, I'll say it again: Spring!!!!!!
OK, now that we've gotten that love-fest over with, what the heck are you going to wear once this uber-fabulous season arrives? Well, dearies, I've been doing some investigating (don't say I never did nothin' for ya) and I think the fashions for this Spring are going to make you happy. Some of my personal highlights:

It's all about comfort! Clothes are drapey, billowy, gauzy, layered, as seen here (click through the slide show to the Michael Kors dress at the end-- divine!!)
There is life after skinny jeans! OK, I confess, I actually have come around to skinny jeans and really like mine, but fashion-wise, I've never been a fan of the one-note sonata. So, I'm glad to see that the flare jeans are coming back. High waists are coming back, too, but they won't be around for long, as they are very hard to wear. My advice-- wear the waist rise that works for you and don't worry about it. But flare jeans are pretty much the most flattering fit for anyone. They make your thighs look skinny and they make you look tall. What's not to love about that?
Pale neutrals.... OK I'm a little blah on this one, but I think they way I'd wear this trend is to punch it up with a little color here and there. Maybe a pale neutral suit with a great coral tank or even a colorful statement necklace. The pale pieces can make up the foundation of your wardrobe, and then accent with more fun colors.
Coral! Think pastels punched up. So, pink becomes coral, baby blue becomes turquiose. These are the fun, accent colors that you can play with in your accessories, t-shirts, tanks, even shoes
White! Even though some fashion houses are showing head-to-toe white, I really don't think it's a good idea for most. You'll end up looking like you should be admitting patients to the ER. Instead, get some great white jeans, maybe a white jean jacket, but don't wear them together. Use white as an accent. And remember, anywhere you put white will look larger!

OK, I'm doing this when I really should be in bed, so I'm not posting photos and links like I know I should...I'll try to get those in later. In the meantime, have fun looking forward to Spring, pick 1 or 2 of these trends that you want to embrace, and HAVE FUN!!

Remember When GE Meant General Electric?

2011-02-01T21:41:00.000-06:00

Well, GE now stands for something much more sinister: Genetically Engineered. It's the food that we eat every day. 90% of soybeans are genetically engineered and 86% of the corn crop is GE, 80% of Hawaiian Papaya, 93% of rapeseed which is where we get canola oil from, and 95% of sugar beets. You can see where I got this data here. Notice the sentence at the bottom of the GE food chart:
             "In addition, various genetically engineered micro-organisms are routinely used as sources of enzymes for the manufacture of a variety of processed foods. These include alpha-amylase from bacteria, which converts starch to simple sugars, chymosin from bacteria or fungi that clots milk protein for cheese making, and pectinesterase from fungi which improves fruit juice clarity."

If you want a VERY scientific but thorough explanation of how GE seeds are created, check out this blog called Sandwalk, written by Biotech professor Larry Moran from the University of Toronto. If you're not a biochemist, you won't fully understand it but you can get the picture. Basically, Monsanto wanted a crop that would be resistant to its pesticide, Roundup, which is glyphosphate. They set about searching for some living thing that would show resistance to glyphosphate, and not surprisingly, they found what they were looking for in a strain of bacteria from the waste-feed column at a factory that made-- what else-- glyphosphate. They isolated the gene that was resistant to the chemical, did a few waves of the magic wand, and got it to combine with the DNA of the crop they wanted to modify.

Of course, there were promises galore about how these "Roundup Ready" crops would increase crop yield, make it easier to grow crops in harsher climates, thus creating cheaper food and possibly food that could feed people who would otherwise starve. Not only has this not been the case, but now the results of using GE seeds for the past 17-ish years are starting to show, and the picture is not pretty. In a nutshell, all the promises made are turning out to be the exact opposite of the reality.
________________________
Here are a few stats and quotes which I found at sourcewatch.org. You can (and should) read the entire article here.

         "GM chemical companies constantly claim they have the answer to world hunger while selling products which have never led to overall increases in production, and which have sometimes decreased yields or even led to crop failures" says Peter Melchett, Soil Association policy director. According to the report by the Soil Association, "The yields of all major GM crop varieties in cultivation are lower than, or at best, equivalent to, yields from non-GM varieties"

        "...while Roundup and similar products were originally used against weeds, 'they have become a food product, since they are used on GMOs, which can absorb them without dying,' maintains the biochemist Gilles-Eric Séralini. A member for years of the French Commission on Biomolecular Genetics (CBG) [and also a member of Criigen], responsible for preparing the files for requests for field studies, then GMO commercialization, he ceaselessly demands more intense studies on their eventual health impact"

        "While farmers growing Roundup Ready crops initially used lesser amounts of herbicides other than glyphosate, that trend has changed in recent years. Increasingly, farmers find it necessary to apply both increased rates of glyphosate and large quantities of other herbicides to kill resistant weeds." This upward spiral in resistance/usage can be expected to continue.'

        "The increase in herbicide use on HT crop acres should come as no surprise. Weed scientists have warned for about a decade that heavy reliance on HT crops would trigger changes in weed communities and resistance, in turn forcing farmers to apply additional herbicides and/or increase herbicide rates of application. The ecological adaptations predicated by scientists have been occurring in the case of Roundup Ready crops for three or four years and appear to be accelerating". It concludes, "the average acre planted to glyphosate-tolerant crops is requiring more and more help from other herbicides, a trend with serious environmental and economic implications
_____________________________

If the above quotes don't scare the crap out of you, get this: because the heavy use of Roundup on these crops has resulted in super-weeds, farmers are going to have to use stronger and stronger herbicides to kill the weeds. Either that, or go back to tilling their fields to kill weeds, which negates the so-called benefits of using GE seeds. Oh, but wait-- they can't just till their fields because there is now a Roundup-resistant weed that is so huge and strong that it DAMAGES FARM EQUIPMENT. Yes, you know that huge farm machinery? This weed damages it!!!
                "Pigweed can grow three inches a day and reach seven feet or more, choking out crops; it is so sturdy it can damage harvesting equipment"

So, why am I bringing this all up now? Because on January 27th, the USDA approved the unrestricted use of GE alfalfa, a crop that was barred from being planted in 2007 due to court order. Well, Monsanto wielded its corporate heft and got the ban lifted and now we can ad yet another GE crop to the list. Not only that, but they approved unrestricted us, which means they included no safeguards for organic crops. Organic crops growing near GE alfalfa fields CAN and probably WILL become contaminated. Not only that, but this just furthers the use of GE seeds, thus hastening the emergence of more super weeds, more and stronger herbicides, and more chemicals going into our bodies. I strongly encourage you to send a letter or email to the White House and give them a piece of your mind. Here's a link where most of the work has already been done for you: http://ota.capwiz.com/ota/issues/alert/?alertid=24747501
Sign it and tell your friends. Enough voices CAN make a difference.

I CAN Live on Bread Alone...

2011-01-28T10:28:00.000-06:00

if it's THIS bread! OK, so I'm going through a bit of a farm girl phase here, and for the last couple of weeks have been lusting after home-baked bread. Or better, the IDEA of home-baked bread. Then, last week at my book club my friend told me she was getting in to baking her own bread, too. I was inspired. A couple of days later, I headed for my co-op and bought some whole wheat bread flour and made plans.
I could already smell that wonderful yeast-y smell emanating from my warm kitchen as I opened my laptop and pointed my browser to my most favorite farm girl, Ree Drummond, a.k.a. The Pioneer Woman. If you haven't been to her site, you must go. But be prepared to lose the rest of your day, because you can't just go to her site for 10 minutes and leave. But that's a whole other story. I was talking about bread... so I went to her site, clicked over to the Cooking section and headed straight for the Breads. What I found was heaven on a LCD monitor: "The Bread, In His Words". Oh, lovely, lovely, loveliness! But I didn't just drool on the screen-- I actually went so far as to print the recipe! AND make it!!

Oh, how I wish I had a great camera like Ree! But I don't, so you will have to forgive my substandard photos. I try. This is a before-the-bake shot. I used 3 cups of the whole wheat bread flour and 1 cup white all-purpose, so it did not get a dough-y as Ree's. I did not get the "window pane" (read the recipe; you'll see what I mean), but I figured that much whole wheat flour just isn't going to act like white. That's OK by me. So here it is, scored and ready for the oven. I do not have a Dutch Oven, so I put the ball on a baking sheet in a 450 degree oven for 10 minutes, then reduced to 375 for another 40 minutes. This was per Ryan's comments, since a lot of readers were in the same boat as me. I also put a bowl of water in the oven in an attempt to create steam. I don't know if that really worked or not; I later read that I should have used a pre-heated metal pan for the water. Next time.
So, after 50 minutes, it came out like this:

It bloomed! I let it rest a few minutes-- and congratulated myself on my saint-like patience-- and then cut in:

Ooooh baby! It was worth the wait!! Yum. Yum. I say, yum.

Cheap Thrills

2011-01-24T22:16:00.000-06:00

I have always wanted to do a blog post on this; actually, given enough ideas, I would love to do a whole blog on this: cheap thrills! Especially in "these economic times" (don't you just love that, as if there could ever be anything but THESE economic times), but even in more prosperous times, I have always been on the lookout for little indulgences. They can be anything from a great piece of chocolate to a fabulous pair of shoes for $20. But whatever they are, they don't break the bank, they're fun, and they make you feel faaaabulous!

I have a few I'll share now and who knows, maybe this will turn into a regular thing.... Being a highly spontaneous person (Aquarius on the cusp of Pisces, that's me) not given over to planning, you just never know.

So, one of my favorite, favorite indulgences is actually FREE! Yes, I said FREE! And it's in a place you would never expect to get anything great for free: Starbucks! I'm a girl who still does love her $4 lattes, even though every time I buy one I think to myself that next time I will- I WILL- just get the dark roast. But I digress. So, Starbucks can be blamed for a lot of expensive addictions, but one thing that you can get there for free- FREE- is great music. I'm not talking about the CD's that they tantalizingly put right there at the cash register that you just can't help but pick up to look at the playlist, put back down, pick back up, and guiltily slide across the countertop. "Yes, I'll take this, too. Thank you. I have no willpower." No, I'm talking about the little cards that I know no one takes because there is always a ton of them sitting there, that are coupons for free songs! Grab that little credit card-sized bit of wonderfulness, stuff it in your pocket, and when you get home, go to the iTunes store and click on "Redeem". Enter your code and voila, you have just discovered what could be your next favorite band. Or not. Doesn't matter because it was FREE. Now, if the card ended up costing you $25 because you bought a latte, a mug and one of those cute little bears, don't look at me. Apparently you also have no willpower.

My next cheap thrill is so incredibly girl-y that I'm almost embarrassed. Almost. But not quite, because it's really the artist in me that loves this stuff: nail polish. I really, really do love it, tolulene and all! The husband of a friend of mine once asked me what it is about nail polish that is so appealing (he so didn't get it, so I tried to enlighten him). I told him that it's because I adore color so much, that any chance to put it on my body is welcome. That shut him up. (The exception is tattoos, the explanation for which I just don't have time to go into right now, but suffice to say it has nothing to do with propriety. I just have a hard time committing to anything. Except my hub.) But nail polish is wonderful; it comes in absolutely any color you can imagine, it totally transforms the look of any outfit (glam? goth? innocent? vamp? it all can be communicated in the nail polish!), and it's CHEAP! What's not to love?! Personally, my favorites are OPI and moreso, China Glaze. China Glaze makes the most amazing, brilliant colors that will just knock your socks off. It can be hard to find, but Sally Beauty Supply always has it. It's just totally yummy. Right now I'm wearing "Mediterranean Charm". It's my little weapon in the battle against these godforsaken Minnesota winters.

That's all for this week's edition of Cheap Thrills! Tune in next time when we talk about...well, since I'm not a planner then your guess is as good as mine! ; )

Down the Drain

2011-01-18T17:27:00.000-06:00

Are you ready? It's time to be an activist! Don't worry, no picketing or getting arrested involved! In fact, it will make you feel great! It's about reducing the massive piles of discarded plastic water bottles that litter our planet, fattening your wallet and getting healthier all at the same time!

Check this out: one of my favorite groups, the Environmental Working Group, has done a study and found that bottled water consumption has more than quadrupled in the last 20 years. This seems like it should be a good thing, right? Of course, drinking water every day instead of soda is great for your health, but tossing those plastic water bottles in the trash is the problem, and a study by the EWG has found that many bottled water companies won't disclose what's in their water! That's a bit frightening if you ask me. Not to mention the fact the creating all those plastic bottles consumes energy and contributes to greenhouse gasses. AND the fact that bottled water can cost 1900 times MORE than tap water!!!! Yikes!!

A better solution? Install a water filter on your kitchen faucet and fill a reusable water bottle like a SIGG bottle. I have an ancient kitchen, so I haven't been able to install a filter, so instead we fill and re-fill gallon jugs at the local co-op's water station. We make about a trip a week and fill 8 gallons of water. It's easy and it's cheap. If you decide to do that, just make sure you're refilling your jugs at a good store where you can see the water quality report from the company that's maintaining the water station.

For more about your drinking water , click here to see the report, and pledge to reduce your plastic water bottle use!

To order a SIGG bottle, try the web site backcountry.com. I've ordered from them and they're very friendly, and quickly replaced a bottle that arrived with a small dent in it. I'm on my second SIGG in about 3 years, only because I use it every day and it's pretty much attached to my hip. I heart my SIGG bottle!!

See, being an activist isn't so bad! And now you have an excuse to go out and buy a cute, new water bottle! It will pay for itself in just a few refills, and you can feel good that your cash-- and the planet-- is no longer going down the drain!

I'm Obsessed!

2011-01-12T16:08:00.000-06:00

I don't know what has come over me, but I am suddenly obsessed with a certain color. It's what I call Peacock Blue. It's that teal-y, green-y, blue-y color that is in peacock tail feathers, and I am completely in love with it. I probably sound insane to most of you, but you artists out there know what I'm talking about! So, I had to have, possess, own this color NOW! I had a vision to update my living room--which already has lots of warm tones of yellow, red, and orange--and adding that blue as a counter-balance seemed the perfect solution.
I was on the hunt. I headed for the fabric store, with no luck. Everything looked too blue or too green. Nothing in the beautiful hue I was obsessed with. Next stop, Pier 1. They have lots of tropical colors there, and I hoped that they might have just what I was looking for. I walked in the front door and low and behold, there it was: the pillow! What I call my Big Lebowski pillow (it ties the room together):

See that blue-green color around the edges? THAT'S the color! Peacock Blue! Yahoo! So, I grabbed the pillow and kept looking. I found a lantern and some yellow grassy-looking things and left with a twinkle in my eye! I needed just one more piece (for now) to really make the room sing, and I knew just the place-- Homegoods! If you have not experienced the awe and wonder that is Homegoods, I am sorry for you. If it's because you don't have one in your town, I am doubly sorry for you. If it's because you just never got around to it, shame on you! Go now! No, finish reading, then GO!
Because when you see what I got there for $14.99, you are going to cry--and I got the only one! Here it is:

Isn't that the most beautiful Buddha head you have ever seen??! Of course it is! It has that crackly finish, the multiple layers of glaze, even some wear...it looks like it's about 500 years old! Yes, I am in love with my Buddha head!
You can also see the lantern next to it from Pier 1, and a strand of Tibetan flags that I got in the mail long ago (free!). All together, the mantel looks like this:

I love it, I lurv it, and the bright lightness of it is helping me to forget about the dark, cold days outside. Well, that and a hefty glass of wine! ; )

Best Laid Plans

2010-12-27T08:58:00.000-06:00

..of mice and women bloggers! So, I had all intentions of posting some great ideas for keeping your slim and trim figure over the holidays, and look how far I got! One idea! Sweet potatoes! Sweet!
The holidays were like a freight train on iced rails, barely slowing down enough for me to get a good look at them! (OK, so New Years hasn't arrived yet, but I know how it's going to be...a blur!)
Over the break I did discover a new blog that I am very excited about. It's called The Pioneer Woman (www.thepioneerwoman.com), and it is so incredibly inspiring to me! She's living the country life that I sometimes dream about having but probably never will (total city girl at heart!), she is an amazing photographer, and she's really funny. Especially her blog posts about adventures in the kitchen and with her "Marlboro Man"-- husband and father of their 4 kids. Anyway, check it out; I think you will be inspired, too! Hmmm...New Year's Resolution....set up a chicken coop in the back yard???? You never know, this city girl might have a little country in her after all!

Healthy Holidays!

2010-12-06T20:34:00.000-06:00

Part of an attempted series of posts highlighting yummy holiday food that won't make you fat.

Today, it's sweet potatoes. Now, if you want the fat-making version, load a bunch of brown sugar, butter and maybe even some marshmallows onto your sweet potatoes. Congratulations, you've just turned one of the healthiest foods on the planet into junk food!
I have to say, I don't understand adding sugar to sweet potatoes. It's like adding sugar to sugar. Sweet potatoes have LOTS of flavor and sweetness already; you just have to bring it out. I find the best way is to roast them. Roasting brings out the sugars and caramelizes them and they taste amazing! Just dice them into 1" cubes, toss in a little olive oil and salt and pepper, put in the oven at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, and you're done! VERY delish and loaded with vitamins!! Healthy food status remains intact!

Give Thanks

2010-11-22T20:56:00.000-06:00

It's nearly Thanksgiving and I'm counting the days. I love the smells of the turkey slowly roasting in the oven, the spices of the pumpkin, the baked bread smell of the stuffing...I love watching the Macy's parade in the morning, as cheesy as it is...I love having a day that's just about being together. It's kind of surprising to me that I love Thanksgiving so much, considering I don't really like turkey or pumpkin pie, I don't care about the football game (especially not this year, Vikings!), and I know too much about the true history of the first Thanksgiving to feel very warm and fuzzy about the origins of this holiday.
But still, I find a way to appreciate the parts of it that I love, and I guess that's really what the message of Thanksgiving is. We find something in our lives to appreciate and be thankful for, and for one day (or hopefully more), that's what we choose to focus on. Forget the checking account balance, the weather, the project at work, or the funny noise your car just started to make. Forget all that, and be thankful. Thankful that you have more food than you could possibly eat, thankful that you have loved ones to share it with, thankful that the car making funny noises will-probably- get you home safely, and thankful that you have a home to return to. With a cat in it who is very happy to see you and your leftover turkey!

It's the Great Pumpkin!

2010-11-14T12:48:00.000-06:00

I wish I could take credit for this one, because it is brilliant! This photo is of my son this morning, with his gift from the Great Pumpkin. Let me tell you all about it...

I was at my "book" club (loosely termed because we rarely actually read a book!) last week and we were all lamenting the vast amounts of candy that our kids still had stashed away from Halloween. How to get rid of it? Throw it out while they're at school? (Seems dishonest.) Donate it? (That one always sounded to me like passing along my problem to someone else.) Then someone piped up, "Well, haven't you heard of the Great Pumpkin?" We all agreed we'd heard of it from the Charlie Brown cartoon, but so what? How does that help us get rid of gobs of candy? So she told us that the Great Pumpkin comes in the night, like Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny-- they all hang out together and share the same MO-- but in order to get something from the Great Pumpkin, you have to give him all of your Halloween candy! In exchange, he leaves you a small gift. I love it!!!!

So, I proposed this to my son, and he was all over it immediately, like I knew he would be. He likes candy, but he likes toys much better. So, what to give for the gift? I think the best way to do this is to buy something that you had already planned to give for Christmas. That way, you're not spending more money on yet another toy. My son had asked for this Lego Advent Calendar a few weeks ago, and I was planning to get it for him as an early Christmas gift, so it fit the bill perfectly. We let him open Door #1 this morning, so he would have something to play with, and you can see the little snowman there in front of the box. So, we have the advent calendar and NO candy!!! It's a beautiful thing!

Candy Train to Easter

2010-11-03T16:11:00.000-05:00

I once heard someone say that Halloween is the first car of the candy train to Easter. For those of us who are following a healthy lifestyle and slimming down, this can sound terrifying. I imagine a big, bloated back train huffing out gobs of candy from its smoke stack (this is an old train!) and me gaining 5 pounds as each car goes by. Yikers!

So, I'm making a plan. I'm preparing myself and my family for the sugar rush that is the holidays and trying to think up ways to have fun, participate in all of it, yet not hate myself in the morning.
Since opting out is not an option, I'll tell you how I'm planning to enjoy the ride.

First of all, I'm going to keep temptation to a minimum. With Halloween, I didn't buy my favorite candy to had out to the kids. Too hard not to need to "sample" it. And test it. And make sure there's no razors in it. Aaaaand maybe just one more sample. Yeah.

Once the trick or treaters were done for the night, I got rid of all the leftover candy. I packed it up and told my husband to take it to work the next day. I could have taken it to my office, but I didn't even want it that close to me! So, off it went to wreak havoc on someone else's hips.

Now, we just have the 10-lb. bag of candy that my son collected to deal with. For some reason, I'm not tempted by it. I had a few pieces on Halloween, and that's it. I let him have a piece in his lunch, a piece when he gets home from school along with something healthy, and a piece after dinner. Once the candy is a few weeks old, we'll either throw what's left away or take it to Lifetime Fitness. I hear they have a box where you can donate your leftover candy and they will send it to the troops overseas.

As for the run-up to Christmas, as much as I love the smell of baking cookies, I'm just not going to go there this year. It's not worth it. I know I'll get plenty of treat temptation other places; I don't need to have it in my own kitchen.

This battle of the bulge is really aptly named. Sometimes it does feel like a war. It's amazing how much junk there is out there that can derail a perfectly good diet. Instead of the candy train, I'm taking the healthy eating and exercising train. It's not glamorous, but damn it will feel good to go bathing suit shopping come Spring!

The Picky Eater

2010-10-27T16:21:00.000-05:00

You know one, you probably love one, maybe you even are one. The dreaded picky eater. I actually have counted myself as one of them in times past, so I can't bash them too hard. Growing up, I remember sitting at the table long after everyone had left because I didn't eat my sausage or my fish stick. (But maybe it was really the wiser part of me who knew those foods weren't really healthy for me anyway!) I vowed that when I had my own kids, I would not force them to eat foods they didn't like. For the most part, I've actually kept my vow, but with a caveat: my son HAS to at least try the food before he decides he doesn't like it, preferably several times. And luckily, he is not a picky eater. Did I just get lucky? Were the culinary stars aligned when he was born? Maybe. But I also think it's the result of some planning and seed-sowing from the very first spoonful of mashed peas that I airplane-ed into his little baby mouth.

I'm no food expert, but I did manage to raise a boy who is willing to try any food, and for the most part is reasonable about what he likes and doesn't like...and he likes quite a bit, including salad! So, I'm going to lay down some of the methods that have worked for me in the hopes that they will help you to also raise a child whose palate is trained beyond Spaghetti-Os and pizza.

1- Start early!! In college, I studied in the south of France for 6 months and lived with a family. I learned a lot about French culinary heritage and was struck by the fact that children were expected to eat the same foods the adults ate. And as you probably know, the adults in France have a pretty sophisticated palate. There was no "kid food" in France, no "lunchables", no boxed Mac n' Cheese, no frozen pizza. When I saw this, I made a mental note to feed my future kids the same way, and 8 years later when I had my son, that's exactly what I did. As soon as his little teeth and tummy were able to handle a new, adult food, I gave it to him. Avocado was an obvious baby food, as were sweet potatoes, but later on I was giving him salmon, vegetables (without dip!) and even salad. I advise starting with the sweeter fruits and vegetables, since babies palates are very tuned in to sweet flavors. Sweet potatoes, cooked carrots, corn (organic only), cooked apples and most fruits are good starters. Then, gradually move on to the more bland veggies.

2- If you have to, dress it up. If a little ranch dressing is what's going to get the carrots and celery down their throats, go for it. Just read the label of the dressing, or better yet, make your own. A lot of dressings out there have a ton of sugar and other unmentionables that don't belong in your child's body. I like Trader Joe's brands, as they are most always free of chemical additives, but you can also go with Annie's or another organic brand.
If your child is not allergic, peanut, sunflower, almond, or other nut butter, even Nutella in small portions, can make eating fruits and some vegetables more enjoyable. Of course the old celery with peanut butter is a classic (for a good reason), but apples or bananas with nut butter or Nutella are delish, too.

3- Don't force it. Forcing kids to eat anything usually backfires big time. Remember my story about sitting at the table because I didn't eat my sausage or fish sticks? Well, I STILL hate sausage and all red meat in general, and it took me into my adult life to try fish again. You don't want the same thing to happen with your kids when it comes to truly healthy food. But again, I add the caveat that they have to at least try it. Just one bite. And then maybe one more, if they can stand it. If they take two bites, congratulate them and move on. Next time, ask them to take two bites again. This time, tell them that it takes at least 10 bites of something for your mouth to truly decide if it likes it or not. Then, try to get them to just take a bite or two whenever that food is being served. If they still don't like it, tell them that's fine. You respect their opinion, but that they shouldn't be surprised the next time you prepare that food if you ask them to "just take a bite". They may never come to like the food. But on the other hand, they might. And they've learned a valuable lesson along the way-- the art of trying new food. This is a skill that will serve them their entire lives.

4-Don't fix it. You'll be tempted to fix them their own separate dinner, when it looks like all your child ate for were those two bites of sweet potato. Don't do it! You'll be going down a long, one-way street that leads to a life as a short-order cook. Your child will not starve; it's against the laws of self-preservation. If they get hungry enough, they will find something on the table to eat. If they are stubborn enough to sit through the entire meal without eating, don't make a big deal about it, don't get mad. Just clear the plate. Later, when they are saying they're hungry for a snack, offer them a few healthy choices, but no junk food. If you stick with this pattern, eventually they will learn that they are expected to eat what is served to the family because they are part of the family.

5- When all else fails, hide it. I'm not a big fan of this one, but when you're desperate you're desperate. The reason I'm not a fan is because hiding healthy foods doesn't accomplish the goal of developing your child's palate and helping them to truly LIKE the foods that are good for them. Remember, when feeding your child it really comes down to 2 goals: first, making sure that they are adequately nourished today; second, making sure they will be adequately nourished when they are on their own as adults. Hiding healthy food doesn't really help with the second goal. But it helps with the first one, and if you can combine hiding with the "take one bite" method, you should be able to cover all your bases. If you have to hide good foods-- and veggies are usually at the top of this list-- start with shredded zucchini. It's so easy to hide in everything from baked goods to dips, there's no reason not to. Another is spinach. This one you can whir into a smoothie and they'll never know it's there. Experiment with your own ideas, or consult the cookbook "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld. I've not tried it, but I've heard it's full of great recipes designed especially for hiding healthy foods in the kinds of foods that kids love.

Well my dears, that's all the sage advice I have for today...tune in next time when we discuss...well, you'll just have to tune in to find out!

No One's Perfect

2010-09-14T15:15:00.000-05:00

I loved taking the Eat Local Challenge! So much so, that I'm not doing it anymore! Wait, what?

Eating local is still something I'm fired up about. It's still something I aspire to. Unfortunately, it's also something that got dropped by the wayside as life got busier. My weekend mornings were spoken for for a couple of weeks so I couldn't make it to the Farmers' Market, and my Friday grocery shopping time got eaten away (no pun intended!) so quick food grabs at Super Target were the solution. But as I've said before (and try to remind myself), this is not about perfection. It's about becoming conscious and making small changes.

I'm SO not good at small changes, though! I'm a "dive into the deep end" kind of person. Problem is, after a while, I realize I'm in the deep end, I freak out, and I leave the pool entirely, rather than swimming over to the kiddie pool where I can safely stay in the water. But small changes, I'm learning, are what sticks. Small changes mean being OK with the kiddie pool for a while, while you acclimate to the water, "get your feet wet", maybe even get your hair wet, and then start the journey to the deep end. It requires patience and time, and I'm not long on either one!

So, small changes in the world of eating local...what will that mean for me? I'm going to start with a trip to the co-op once a month to get some of my favorite local items-- butter, bread, eggs, and whatever produce is in season. I'll still supplement with my more usual Super Target or Trader Joe's run, but at least that gives me a few local items to enjoy on a regular basis!

Little by little...baby steps...kiddie pool...I think that's going to be my mantra for a while!

Why Local?

2010-08-25T14:53:00.000-05:00

OK, so I want to explain a little bit about what eating local is something I've decided to try, and why I'm so passionate about being conscious about my food choices. The most obvious reason is the desire to support local, small businesses. This often happens two-fold when you buy local: first of all, you're supporting local farmers. That's a no-brainer. But often, you're also buying that local food from a local retailer, like your neighborhood co-op or other local small business. Here in the Twin Cities, we have several wonderful co-ops, and in St. Paul there's also the small grocer on Grand Ave., Golden Fig. These are great resources for anyone who wants better-quality, local food. While I still love buying from the Farmers' Market, I can't always make it there during its limited hours, and not all products that I need are available there, so that's when I seek out those local retailers.

But there are other, most subtle reasons to choose local food that we may not always think about. First of all, the concept of food safety is something that, for the most part, we have the luxury of taking for granted in this country. We don't have to boil our water in order to drink it; we don't have to wonder how old our milk is or whether the grocers' meat is rotten. Usually. As you are probably aware, there is a huge egg recall going on right now that has many people asking questions about our food supply and how safe it really is. Add that egg recall to a list of several other recalls we've had recently, including peanut butter, spinach, and green onions, and it becomes an alarming trend.

How does eating local protect me from contaminated food, you may ask. Well, it won't protect you from EVER having to think about food safety, but eating local drastically reduces your chances of buying bad food. Why? Because much of this problem of tainted food comes form the fact that there are fewer and fewer mega-farms supplying more and more of the food that we buy. This creates problems on a variety of levels, one being the existence of mega-farms. To be blunt, they're terrible. Terrible for the animals on the farm, terrible for the environment, and terrible for us when it comes to food safety and quality. To maintain such large-scale food production, land use quickly gets out of control, animal populations become very dense, contributing to disease, and quality control goes out the window. Take the case of the Iowa farm where the tainted eggs are coming from. This farm has been cited for numerous violations going back to the 1970s, but somehow people haven't been adversely affected. So, it was allowed to stay in business. Now, people are getting sick and people are finally asking questions.

Keeping such dense animal populations is the root of the problem. In order to do it, animals have to be given antibiotics, they can't be fed high-quality food so they're not healthy, and their waste products are a never-ending issue. Do you ever wonder how vegetables get tainted with eColi? eColi is a bacteria that is only found in the lower intestinal tract, and it only comes out into the environment in the form of feces. Yep-- poop. That means that somehow, poop got on those vegetables. Most of the time, it got there from runoff from a mega-farm. For me, that fact alone is enough to turn my stomach and make me want to get my vegetables from a reliable farm that is not right next to, or part of, a mega-farm.

Mega-farms aren't just contaminating food, though. They contaminate the water supply in the communities where they exist, and they contribute heavily to greenhouse gasses. Did you know that the emissions from livestock contribute more to greenhouse gasses than cars and trucks? A 2006 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations stated that livestock contributes 18% of total greenhouse gasses; a 2010 study upped that number to 51%!

On a brighter note, choosing local food from a small farm means that your food is just going to taste better! Because it doesn't have to be shipped far and wide, the fruits and vegetables can stay on their vines, plants, or trees much longer, getting ripe and sweet and delicious! You may not even recognize the flavor of some fruits and vegetables when you try the local version. Heirloom tomatoes, ripened on the vine will blow your mind. Good, local potatoes and corn are so sweet, they need nothing added to be delicious.

All of these reasons and more caused me to think long and hard about the food choices that I make, ultimately leading me to the decision to choose local whenever I can. I must say, it's been very easy and extermely enjoyable! Of course, at the height of the local harvest, it IS easy to choose local. Come winter, it's going to be a bit more of a challenge, but one I'm going up for.

Choosing local doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing proposition! It's just not practical for me to choose local 100% of the time. But like I said, I do it as often as I can. If you choose to take on the challenge, you decide what is right for you. Maybe it's one meal a week that's entirely locally sourced. Maybe it's a little bit of every or most meals...it's up to you! Make it what you want, and have fun!

Photos of a Local Feast

2010-08-23T20:14:00.000-05:00

Finally, some photos of our feast a couple of weeks ago. I had to order a new cord for my camera-- my old one was no where to be found! I so rarely lose things, I was sure it would turn up, but no. It has fallen into the other dimension. So... our yummy local feast consisted of: mozzarella made in-house at the Mississippi Co-Op, a cave-aged cow and sheep cheese from WI, tomatoes from the farmers' market (ours were just not quite ripe yet), basil from our garden, and bread from A Toast to Bread in St. Paul. It was fabulous!!

The Challenge Continues...

2010-08-09T19:44:00.000-05:00

We made it through the weekend and it was so much fun to try to eat as much local food as possible! And need I say, it was delicious, too!
So, a little bit more about how I'm structuring this thing so that it really is do-able...
First of all, I'm not restocking my kitchen. I just don't have unlimited funds to replace all condiments and whatever groceries we still have from our Trader Joe's shopping trip from last week. I'm working within my means, buying local as I go along, as often as I can. I keep telling myself, this is about exploration, not perfection. So, the olive oil is not local (nor could it be), the lemons and limes...not local. In fact, there were hardly any fruits for sale at the farmers' market this weekend, so we're having to supplement with shipped-in fruits. Big B loves his bananas so I don't intend to deprive him of that. (If I have time this week, I'll stop at the co-op and get some local fruits there.)
So, Saturday morning we ventured out to the St. Paul Farmers' Market, bags at the ready, cash in hand. We stocked up on tomatoes, zukes, cukes, onions, garlic, cheese, and bread. The tomato stand I recommend is the one where their tomatoes are pesticide-free, and all varieties are $2.50/lb. That includes heirlooms!! Compare that to the co-op, which will charge you up to $5.99/lb. for heirlooms! So, we filled a bag with a huge, gnarly red heirloom, some smaller roma-like tomatoes, and a couple of purple ones (I don't remember the names.) The big one was amazing! When I cut into it that evening, the flesh was smooth, juicy, and tasted like the earth it was grown in. It tasted like a tomato-- and you probably know how hard it is to find a tomato these days that tastes like a tomato!
I snagged a couple of onions from a guy who was selling the largest ones I've ever seen-- about the size of a 1-year-old's head! He said they were super-sweet, like a Vidalia. He was not kidding; sliced super-thin and tossed in the Greek salad I made that evening, they were heavenly.
Next, it was on to my favorite bread stand, A Toast to Bread. I get their rosemary or basil baguette whenever I visit the market. They are so dense and chewy, you can't take just one bite. And the ingredients list: flour, yeast, sea salt, water, herbs. (I'm going from memory here; there might be sugar in that list, too, but that's it!) Compare that to the litany of ingredients on the labels of bread at a big-box grocery store, and that alone may convince you to eat local and/or organic. (Seriously, next time you're grocery shopping, read the label of some of those breads that are supposed to be "healthy"! Many have HFCS and other nasty ingredients. It's unbelievable!)
After a few more veggie purchases, we made our big splurge of the day: a big, $10 wedge of cheese from (I think it was) Love Tree Farmstand Cheese. The mother and son were selling that day, dressed in their finest pink T-shirts. Hers read, "Aged to Perfection" and his, "Got Mold?" I've met her before; she's quite a character, and VERY passionate about good, artisinal, cave-aged cheese. They had 3 kinds there that day: a fresh sheep's cheese they had just made the night before; an aged goat cheese that was super-mild, and an aged cow/sheep cheese that had the most beautiful, bumpy rind, was pungent and smelled to high heaven. Guess which one we chose! Hint: the kitchen smelled like feet for hours! But, oh was it ever delicious-- rich, creamy, amazing.
We went home loaded with treasures and excited about digging in. I had even stopped at Heritage Liquor on Frost the day before and picked up a bottle of Crispin "The Saint", a hard cider made in Minneapolis, and a 4-pack of Liftbridge "Minnesota Tan", brewed in Cold Spring.
So, do you want to know what we did with all that goodness?? First, I have to say that if you want a plethora of great recipes that use ingredients readily availble in MN, pick up a copy of "The St. Paul Farmers' Market Cookbook" and "Simply in Season". The former orders the recipes according to main ingredient, so that when the market is overflowing with carrots and parsnips, you can just flip to those sections and find lots of ways to prepare them. "Simply in Season" groups recipes by season, according to what foods are growing at that time of year. I'm a seasonal eater by habit-- I can't even fathom eating apples in the Spring or strawberries in the Winter, so this cookbook is a godsend.
OK, so back to Saturday dinner: I made the Greek Salad from p. 100 of "Simply in Season": tomatoes, onion, and cukes dressed in olive oil, wine or balsamic vinegar, garlic, and dill from our garden. With that we had caprese stacks: the baguette sliced thin stacked with a slice of tomato, cheese (either the fresh mozz I got at the co-op on Friday or the lovely stinky cheese), and a basil leaf on top, drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper. Even Little B can't get enough of those! On the side, we had local corn drizzled with lime and salt, of course our hard cider to wash it all down. We dined (and sweated) al fresco and it was beautiful!
I took some great pictures of the spread, but until I find my USB cord, the pics are trapped inside my camera. Hopefully it will turn up soon!
Later this week, I'll tell you about the pizzas we had on Sunday, and how we fared on our weekday meals....the adventure continues!

The Eat Local Challenge

2010-08-06T17:56:00.000-05:00

OK, I'm doin' it. I'm going to eat only local foods for 1 week. It's the Eat Local Challenge and it's designed to encourage and educate people about the benefits of eating foods that aren't shipped in from miles away, generating tons of CO2 and harming the planet. But the planet is not really why I'm doing it. While I would definitely call myself a "treehugger", and very proud of it, my decision to eat local is based on something much more selfish: pure pleasure.

It started with a trip to the St. Paul Farmer's Market, which I LOVE!! It's one of the things I get excited about each Spring, and mourn the loss of every Winter. (Yes, they're open all Winter, but let's face it--it's not the same!) So, the Big B and I went to the market last weekend and filled our bags with more produce than a family of 3 could possibly eat. We always do that. Can't help it. So that evening, while we were preparing dinner, a huge smile crossed my face as I thought of the farmer right here in Minnesota who grew all this amazing food. Beautiful, fresh-picked just that morning...food like it was meant to be. I thought about how nice it would be to eat this way all the time. And that's when my stomach said, "Take the Eat Local challenge!" To which I said, "I can't; it's too hard!" To which Stomach said, "Stop your whining or I'll give you heartburn for a week!" I shut up at that point because I realized I was talking to my stomach. I also realized that it's August, there is bounty to be had at the markets and my co-op, and it really wouldn't be that hard. Would it?

I haven't started yet, but I'm planning to start tomorrow, after I make my morning trip to the Farmer's Market. I shopped the co-op today to get a few things like local cheeses; I'll probably just stick to produce and chicken from the market. I'm going to blog about the whole sordid affair so that you, dear reader, can learn from my fumblings and hopefully do something like this yourself! The planet, and more importantly, your stomach, will thank you!

Mr. Dyson, You Suck!

2010-08-02T15:24:00.000-05:00

Oh, Mr. Dyson, why? I'm sure you meant well. You're so suave and distinguished and brilliant, and you have a great accent. I just wish you had never invented that vacuum. See, you went and invented that pretty, robot-resembling bagless vacuum that everyone just HAD to have, and every other company just HAD to copy, and you made vacuuming a royal pain in my side forevermore.

I was just running the old suck machine a couple of days ago, and I have to admit that it's not a Dyson, but another popular brand that copied the technology, complete with the "cyclone" feature and yes, the bagless dust tank. So, I finished vacuuming (OK, full disclosure, my son finished vacuuming), and I went to empty the tank and of course it was completely full. As I'm pulling out the container, dust flying in my face-- dust that was HEPA filtered, by the way-- I'm cursing the inventor of the fancy yellow machine who convinced everyone that vacuum bags are evil. Why?!? What is so horrible about bags? It seems to me that bags keep all the nasty stuff I just vacuumed neatly contained and out of my face! What is the point of using a filter at all, let alone a fancy HEPA filter, when you're just going to open up that container, shake it into your trash can, and immediately inhale all the dust, mites, fur, and who knows what that you just filtered! It makes no sense!!

I don't hold it against you, Mr. Dyson. Well, OK, maybe I do a little bit. And while I know Mr. Dyson is very proud of his sucking vacuum-- "it never loses suction"-- and I actually think my knock-off sucks pretty hard, too, I'm just not sure I (or my nose) can ever forgive him for his illogical hatred of the vacuum bag. I hear he's moved on to inventing a new fan which looks very cool and will probably inspire many knock-offs as well. Maybe he should just stick to inventing/"improving" things that blow and leave the things that suck to Mr. Hoover and friends.

Au Revoir, My Friend!

2010-07-26T17:04:00.000-05:00

Today one of my best friends in the whole world is on her way back to her adopted home in London by way of Chicago. I dropped her off at the MSP airport this afternoon after a fabulous weekend of relaxation and ribaldery. (I don't think that's a word but somehow it seems appropriate.) We always end up solving all the world's problems until about 3 AM, this time covering parenting (even though she's childless by choice), right wing nut jobs, and why it is so dang hard to lose those last (or more truthfully, those first) 10 pounds! She'll be back for New Year's celebrations, as has become our custom. It will be here before we know it, too. It's hard to imagine in the middle of the summer, but next time I see her, we'll be donning scarves, hats, boots, and coats! Ah, la vie in Minnesota!