It’s also our wedding anniversary, and so Danny and I will be slipping out for dinner downtown, followed by a movie. A rare treat and a much needed date night.

Here’s are a few links to articles I’ve read or watched this week that have made me nod, think, smile, and shake my head in wonder.

• An Open Letter To Everyone Who Eats :: MindBodyGreen. Thank you to my friend, Winnie, for attempting to open up a dialogue about healthy eating instead of finger-pointing.
  
• {VIDEO} Get kiddo excited about veggies away from the pressures of mealtime :: One Hungry Mama. Stacie is on a mission and it is one that I support wholeheartedly. Besides the cute video, she’s also got a good list of children’s book that celebrate produce and encourage kids to embrace their vegetables.
• Rhubarb Galette :: Top with Cinnamon. My rhubarb is almost ready to harvest, and when it is, I’m making this pretty tart.
• Alcohol Substitution Chart for Cooking :: Sober Julie. Skip the booze, save the flavour in a recipe with Julie’s handy chart.
• {VIDEO}  ‘Space Oddity’ by Commander Chris Hadfield :: A revised version of David Bowie’s Space Oddity, recorded by Commander Chris Hadfield on board the International Space Station. TOO. Cool.
• And lastly, Mother’s Day in four (food) photos :: Under the High Chair. Last Sunday was a good day for eating around here.

Have a wonderful weekend, all.

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Spring has sprung. In a span of a week, our lawn turned green and the forest unfurled into a glimmering emerald panorama. All at once it seems highly appropriate to be eating outdoors, and besides, how can we stay away with the chorus of the bullfrogs and the quacking of the mallards calling us to come and salute spring?

I decided rather last minute to welcome friends over for a meal last weekend. They were in town on short notice and we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see them – and meet their adorable new baby girl.

Everyone in the family pitched in to prepare for our first backyard gathering of the season. The boys power-washed the deck chairs and Danny primed the grill, while I prepped for a simple taco feast.

The day turned out to be gloriously warm; the children ran barefoot and our friends toured the garden and the chicken coop before we ate. And boy, did we eat.

As the sun slanted through the green tinged weeping willow, I set out a selection of Archer Farms tortilla chips and their pungent Roasted Tomato and Chipotle Salsa, and poured iced watermelon agua fresca into glasses garnished with fresh mint.

We gathered around the food and caught up on happy news like new babies, as well as somberly recounted the Boston Marathon bombings, as our friends are from Boston. It was a good reminder to count our blessings and appreciate our health and safety, as well as our sunny Saturday get-together.

To me, the best moments with family and friends are when we are gathered, casually, around the table and sharing a meal together. Sure on this particular occasion the kids spilled their juice, the babies wailed, and more than one taco hit the deck – literally – but no Skype chats or instant messaging can replace the fellowship we shared.

As parents, we share a certain empathy for each other in our various plights. It helps enormously to compare notes (ideally over guacamole, chips and cold beer) and sigh in relief to know that others are losing sleep with a teething baby and coping with picky eaters as well.

So we laughed, and lamented, together.

ALL photos by Tim Chin

Planning a simple taco gathering with friends: the make, the buy, and the do-ahead.

Although it seems like a lot of components, a build-your-own taco party is an easy way to entertain. For starters, have your guests bring the beverages; just remember to make and stock plenty of ice.

Buy:

• Tortilla chips. A must for pre-dinner munching, we enjoy white, blue or yellow corn varieties, ideally organic.
• Salsa. Until tomatoes and peppers are fresh, local and in season, I’m purchasing our salsa. Target carries a wide selection of Archer Farms salsas, many of them organic.
• Corn or Flour soft tortillas.
• Sour cream. My boy’s favorite garnish.

Make:

• Carnitas. Below I’ve included a super simple recipe for Carnitas, a pork shoulder braised in orange juice with some spices that is shredded for the taco filling. It’s about 30 times better than boring roast chicken and comes together quickly. You can make this!
• Guacamole. It has to be homemade. Gaby has at least a dozen variations.
• Toppings. Prepare your fresh toppings such as lettuce, diced onion and chopped tomatoes on the same day as you are entertaining.

Do ahead:

If you have at least a day’s notice before the taco-scarfing crew descends on your backyard, you can get some of the prep squared away. You can grate the cheese and cook a batch of beans. I stick with Diana’s flavorful Frijoles Rancheros, which tend to be even better on the second day.

To Serve:

Ask a friend to warm the soft tortillas on the grill while you warm the braised pork and the beans. Enlist the help of any children running through the kitchen to help you set out the toppings on the picnic table. And definitely check if another pitcher of margaritas is needed before you sit down.

Then relax and enjoy. At least, until things get out of hand at the kiddie table.

What’s stopping you from entertaining more often? Discuss in the comments and let’s float some good ideas around.

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I managed to stay on top of the big things, but I failed miserably at a few of the little things. Emails went unanswered, school uniforms were re-worn without washing, and the hens, well, they had to scrounge a little more than usual.

Then there was the time my five year old Mateo made us dinner. What started out as another shortcoming of mine – failing to menu plan – turned into a proud moment for Mateo and a enormous blessing for me.

This boy is always asking to help in the kitchen, and on this particular afternoon, I was working closely with Noah on a school project and was happy to have Mateo lend a hand. He started by peeling our eggs (I usually have a few cooked and stored in the refrigerator for quick lunches), and then moved on to shred the lettuce. Our goal was a chef’s salad for dinner.

From the dining room table, where I was occupied learning about the gasses and asteroids of Neptune, I instructed Mateo to peel and grate the carrots, which he tackled valiantly and only nibbled a few. I moved closer and observed as he chopped the celery every so slowly, followed by the cucumber, with increasing speed and confidence. He also set the table and fetched the Creamy Buttermilk Salad Dressing from the fridge.

Then he heaped lettuce on our plates (Clara likes greens too) and we sat down to build our salads and enjoy a meal together after a busy day. He was so proud, but not as proud as I was of him. I couldn’t have done it without his help.

Build-your-own Salad Bar for kids

Kids embrace what they create – even if it is a big ol’ pile of salad. When you let them pick and add their own toppings, you transfer some of the control over to them and kids love to make their own decisions.

By including them in the meal preparation, as I did with Mateo, you increase your odds of watching them dig into a big salad bowl for dinner. They take great pride in their work and genuinely love to serve others.

This meal is a great starter for children who want to help in the kitchen. Tasks like shredding lettuce and peeling eggs are basic, while grating and chopping are slightly more advanced. You can ensure a dressing is prepared in advance, but other than that, let your children run the show!

Adding our own salad toppings works well for my family as the children enjoy different vegetables than Danny and I. They go for celery and carrots over avocado and tomato, and one of them passes on vinaigrette. It’s fun for them to customize their own plates, and I know they will only take what they will eat.

Remember, you can add in any salad ingredients you enjoy – radishes, crumbled feta, grilled chicken, mushrooms, peppers – and switch in your favorite homemade salad dressing also. We enjoy our farm fresh eggs for protein, but grilled salmon or chicken would be fantastic also.

Do you enjoy a big salad for dinner? What are a few of your favorite toppings?

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So take a breath, set aside the to-do list for now, and cherish your time with your kids. They do grow up so fast.

All images by Tim Chin

I am so blessed to have a close group of friends of mothers and future mothers who inspire me all the time. Their support means the world to me. Sometimes a girl just needs to vent about parenting a five year old or waking up with a baby, and my mama-friends always listen and offer encouragement.

We’re all so different in our approaches to parenting – childbirth, education, discipline – but that is what keeps our conversations lively. We have a mutual respect for each other and a commitment to honestly that is essential for maintaining a friendship as moms, not just girlfriends.

When it comes to parenting, I feel I am learning day by day. These wise words from Diane Loomans, however, are some that I try to apply in my everyday existence:

“If I had my child to raise all over again,
I’d build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I’d finger-paint more, and point the finger less.
I would do less correcting and more connecting.
I’d take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I’d take more hikes and fly more kites.
I’d stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I’d do more hugging and less tugging.”

Happy Mother’s Day!

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Naturally, he passed on a similar love of upcycling to my sisters and I, as this post is proof. On a recent morning I swerved and stopped the car in front of two garbage cans, hopped out,  and opened my hatchback. A distressed, paint-splotched wooden step ladder was tiredly leaning up against one of the bins, awaiting crunch time in the garbage truck.

Thinking of the obvious potential of this find, I quickly loaded the ladder into the car, and sped away. On the way home, I recalled a few projects I had seen on Pinterest. There was this bookshelf, which isn’t one bit safe for my house with small children, and this garden planter, minus the moldy boots. (It’s just my opinion, but workboots are one thing of which world needs less upcycling…)

An upcycled wooden ladder garden display

When I got home, I ‘planted’ the ladder in one of my raised beds, and decided to use it as a climbing trellis of sorts for cucumbers. Or tomatoes, once it is warm enough to plant them in the garden.

At any rate, someone else’s junk has been given a new purpose in life.

For now, the old wooden ladder holds my potted herbs, safe out of the baby’s reach, and angled for maximum sunlight. What do you think? I kind of love it and it fits well into the rustic style of our urban homestead.

This could be a permanent display, with potted flowers instead of herbs, and would look cute in a corner of the yard. Perhaps when my children are a little older, and I don’t have to  worry about them pulling it down onto themselves.

Now lets talk about another green project: using cans from the kitchen to grow herbs or flowers.

How to make herb planters from recycled kitchen tin cans

You don’t have to purchase pots or planters for your kitchen herbs this spring, not as long as you have a few empty cans around to recycle.

Here’s how:

1. Use a can opener to cut a few holes around the bottom of a tin can to allow for drainage.
2. Add a few pebbles at the bottom, also for drainage.
3. Fill cans half way up with rich soil or compost.
4. Place small herbs in and fill around with soil. Don’t pack it too tight.
5. Water and place in a sunny spot. If kept indoors, store them on a tray.

These varieties of basil will be going in the ground in just a few weeks, once the danger of frost has passed. But for now they are very happy to hang out in my old maple syrup cans.

Want to grow your own? Here’s a list of common culinary herbs and their uses, plus instructions on growing your own indoor herb garden.

Have you upcycled anything recently?

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While the name sounds highly impressive, tartines (or crostinis) are really nothing more than slices of toasted/grilled bread topped with a little something. It can be as simple as store-bought jam and a slice of aged cheddar, assorted spreads, cured meats, or fresh produce that’s paired with fragrant herbs and oils.

I typically opt for the latter, and they are almost always the highlight of the meal. Lightly buttered bread is usually grilled, rubbed with garlic and then covered with a variety of toppings. For spring, I’m smitten with the combination of sweet peas, Parmesan and mint, but you can use pretty much anything that’s in season.

Some of the other flavor combinations that I’m partial to include:

• Chopped ripe avocado dressed up with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, sea salt, olive oil, and red pepper flakes.
• Sweet tomatoes tossed with olive oil, fresh basil and baby bocconcini cheese.
• A smear of goat cheese blanketed with roasted mushrooms and fresh chopped tarragon.
• Soft unsalted butter topped with crisp radish slices, sea salt, and a sprinkling of chives.
• Slow roasted cherry tomatoes, with fresh ricotta.

There is no real recipe for the ideas I’ve listed above; just use what you have on hand and adjust the seasonings to taste.

I’m a collector of back-pocket recipe ideas, the ones I can turn to time again for inspiration and success, and this one is currently sitting within easy reach. I wouldn’t hesitate to make a platter of these just for dinner, date-night, or even an easy lunch, in addition to serving them with a glass of sangria for my favorite visitors in the coming months.

What are your go-to appetizers for warm-weather entertaining??

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I’ve been eager to pair the vanilla and the cinnamon together in an authentic, merit-worthy dessert – and that pot of rice pudding I scorched a while back doesn’t count. Although it hardly fits into the ‘whole foods’ recipe bracket that I usually aim for, today’s coconut tres leches cake was just what I was looking for and most deserving of my precious Mexican ingredients.

Translated as ‘three milks cake’, Tres Leches is a buttery sponge cake that is soaked in a rich blend of milk varieties, in this case, coconut, evaporated, and thick cream. Before yesterday, I was quite unaware of its qualities, having never tasted it in my 34 years. Now, here I am, inviting you to put a fork to its sweet, cool sponge and be seduced for yourself.

Spotted on Shutterbean (who adapted it from Martha) nearly a year ago, this simple sheet cake has been in the back of my mind to make for ages. I left the flaked coconut out of the original recipe (Danny’s not an enthusiast), and added a generous pour of my Mexican vanilla extract to the cake batter instead.

I also ground one of the cinnamon sticks (I grind my spices myself when possible) and sifted it into the coconut milk and cream. It gave a pretty speckled appearance to the soaking mixture.

As a finishing touch, I tipped a little more pure vanilla into the whipped cream and spread it generously on the chilled cake. The end result was cool, creamy and dreamy. And it totally reminded me of Mexico.

Paired with silky cubes of mango, this Coconut Cinnamon Tres Leches Cake was the perfect sweet ending to our little Cinco de Mayo weekend party. My boys asked for seconds, which I conceded, then thirds, which I refused.

Everyone needs a solid sheet cake recipe in their back pocket for the summer. Ideally it should  feed a crowd, keep overnight, and be easily decorated in about two minutes flat – even when the cook is slightly buzzed on a fruity summer beverage (although, I can’t think why I would happen to know that fact).

This is such a cake.

I could happily enjoy this cake all over again next weekend. In fact, I think I may bake it and soak it on Saturday, then leave it in the refrigerator for the boys to finish off on Mother’s Day. They are fully competent to whip cream and wash berries, and they would thrilled to be able to fix dessert for me.

A little Mother’s Day do-ahead has always been my game plan and it works like a charm every year.

And finally…

I had quite a few people on my Facebook page asking for a gluten-free version of tres leches cake. Although I am not sure why they are asking me, with zero food intolerances to my name, I happen to have an answer for them. I am also sharing my source here in case you are on a similar hunt.

The amazing Kelly, of Kelly Bakes, recently developed and posted a Gluten-Free Tres Leches Cake. So there you have it. I’m sure you could substitute coconut milk in for the evaporated milk in her recipe and have something similar to what I have shared with you today. Happy Baking!

Do you have a favorite sheet cake for easy summer entertaining?

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Congratulations to our Bite this Book giveaway winner, Ashley L, who will take home a copy of Absolutely Avocados. Thank you to all who participated in the giveaway; Gaby’s book is perfect for summer, so I hope you pick up a copy.

Here are a few posts that inspired me this week:

• Motherhood Again {and how to meal plan while pregnant} :: Stetted
• Pots and Pans, but Little Pain: Making Lunch With Michael Pollan and Michael Moss :: NYT
• Memories of Family Dinner :: Marisa McClellan on Community Table
• Coffee: a brief history, how it gets to your cup :: Simple Mom
• Family Dinner… An Honest Glimpse Into My Home :: My Kitchen Addiction
• Which Egg Is Best? :: Honey & Huckleberries

Enjoy your weekend, friends!

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If I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic for a weekend Cinco de Mayo celebration, I am now! I’m holding Gaby Dalkin’s beautiful new cookbook, Absolutely Avocados, and each recipe is a nudge to invite some friends over and get cooking.

Gaby’s love of fresh ingredients and California cooking style comes through loud and clear with dishes like her Sweet Potato and Avocado Burgers, and the Cumin-Dusted Mahi-Mahi Tacos. I love that many recipes are healthier versions than their counterparts such as the Avocado Lobster Roll and the – yep, that’s right – Avocado Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Oh, and did I mention the entire chapter dedicated to guacamole? I’m working my way through that one first.

Read on for a super fun interview with Gaby and a chance to win a copy of Absolutely Avocados.

Q & A with Gaby of What’s Gaby Cooking.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your food philosophy and cooking style.

Hmmmm let’s see. I grew up in Arizona and now I’m right smack in the middle of LA so I am really all about fresh food, southwestern and Mediterranean influences and then some serious decadence every once in a while. I like cooking a whole range of things, and I’d say I keep it healthy about 85% of the time and then the other 15% of the time I whip up some indulgent desserts, appetizers and dinners for special treats!

I was a private chef for a number of years after graduation culinary school after college. Being a private chef was amazing, and so fun because I was able to cook so many different kinds of cuisines depending on who my client was. I left the private chef world about 8 months ago to focus on my blog, the book and recipe development for some fab clients!

2. From a breakfast avocado smoothie to the amazing avocado chocolate chip cookies in the dessert chapter, your recipes truly showcase the versatility of this fruit. What was your favourite chapter to work on?

Oh, that’s a tough question – almost like asking me to pick my favorite child! I’d say the guacamole chapter is what sparked my interests in writing an avocado focused book… but the appetizer chapter was really my favorite. I’m a huge fan of throwing parties, and appetizers are basically my favorite thing to eat because you get to sample lots of different things without getting too full.

3. Thank you for telling us how to properly cut an avocado – with step-by-step photos, too! Are you on a mission to stop avocado massacre? Oh, and got any good tips on preventing browning?

YES!! It’s one of my main goals in life… stop avocado massacre and rid the world of hunger.  No but in all seriousness, avocado browning is basically my worst nightmare.

There is nothing worse than a brown avocado and I’m totally going to save the day. I have 2 ways around this.

1: Eat the entire avocado in one sitting

2: If you’re only using 1/2 an avocado, rub a little lemon or lime juice on the half that you are not using and then wrap it up in plastic wrap to prevent any air from touching the avocado flesh. And then eat the rest within the next day or so.

If you’re making guacamole or something like that, just be sure to add enough acid (lemon or lime juice) and it will prevent it from turning brown.

4. Everyone probably asks this, but how many avocados did you go through  for the making of this cookbook – and are you still obsessed?

Omg, we went through over 400 avocado for recipe testing and then about 100 more during the photography portion of the book. And yes – I am, and will always be obsessed with avocados!!

Thank you, Gaby! And congratulations on a amazing cookbook.

All photos by Matt Armendariz

Giveaway!

Thanks to the publishers at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, I have a copy of Absolutely Avocados to give away.

To enter:

To enter this giveaway leave a comment on this post and, just for fun, tell me your favorite way to enjoy avocados. That’s it.

Giveaway ends Sunday, May 5, at 8:00 AM EST. Good luck to all!

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In the next 18 months we would visit the hospital three times. Each time started the same and ended with an emergency room visit, intubation, drug-induced comas, and a stay in the pediatric intensive care unit.

For the past 17 months, however, we have stayed clear of all of those things.

The answer for us, temporary as it may be, came after a long drive and a visit to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. While looking for answers and getting a “probable” diagnosis, I noticed that some research showed sensitivities to glutamates could be a cause of migraines. While not a cure, the doctor did agree that removing all instances of monosodium glutamate from his diet could help to decrease the frequency of the hemiplegic migraine episodes we were experiencing.

Photos by Shaina Olmanson | FoodforMyFamily.com

Before we go any further, let me make a few disclaimers.

First, we don’t eat a lot of MSG in our house and never have. We were cooking from scratch, but what I had narrowed down with the three episodes was we had 1) been at a relative’s house eating food we didn’t normally eat or 2) we had been out to eat recently.

As a family who eats at home for nearly every meal and avoids most processed foods, these were distinct events that I could pinpoint happened directly before our trips to the emergency room, which helped me when narrowing down potential triggers for these episodes and putting two and two together.

Second, I am highly under qualified to make broad assumptions as I am have not researched this myself, and all of my personal research has been just that: personal, amateurish, and directed specifically at trying to limit what we were experiencing as a family.

Glutamates naturally occur in our food, specifically fermented foods like soy sauce and kimchi, in aged cheeses like Parmesan, and in mushrooms. They play a part in learning and memory. They taste good, so good that a researcher gave a particular flavor associated with them a name, umami, and started studying it in several different types of glutamates before he patented the process of recreating monosodium glutamate from one specific type of glutamate, sodium glutamate, and crystallizing it so that it could be added to food.

Monosodium glutamate as we know it today is added as a flavor enhancer to several types of processed foods. Its role is generally to make food taste even better so that we crave more of it and want to continue eating it. You can find it in powdered cheeses, breading on chicken nuggets and fish sticks, in crackers, and other foods that are often marketed to our kids.

These food additives are usually unnecessary.  In fact, laboratory rats are fed MSG to fatten them up for study. (Their offspring often have issues, too, such as learning and focusing issues, higher obesity rates, and seizures.)

There are other studies that show some sensitivities in humans, but nothing definitive. As with several “advances” in food technology, I would rather stick with whole foods than trust incomplete science to determine whether it is safe.

While you can often look on the back label to read the ingredients and find monosodium glutamate listed, it often comes as other names: yeast extract, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed protein, even “natural flavor.” You can find a list of just some of the things MSG can be listed at on the Truth in Labeling site.

For my family, we’ve continued to avoid buying products that might contain MSG. We stay away from fast food chains, and when we do dine out, we research the menu before we go, especially with our children. We plan ahead, packing snacks and lunches from home.

We educated our children on why we were going to stop eating those products and which ones we should specifically watch out for when we are out in the community and with family and friends who might not know we’re avoiding them. We teach them to be smart and trust them to make their own food choices when we are not with them.

We try our best to make choices we believe in with the limited information we have available to us. For our family, these actions are all essential for good health and wholeness.

Editors note: I asked Shaina to share this story with us today, not as a whistle-blower, but as a mother realizing the utmost importance of her healthy family food choices. We hope to raise awareness on the subject of MSG in our children’s diets and encourage a positive discussion that is beneficial for all.

What are your thoughts on hidden MSG in our diets?

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