The Marriage of Beef Bacon and Marshmallows - A Tribute to Mike

Mmmmmm, the rich fragrance of gooey, smouldering, sizzling,  and eventually flaming cheese-like substance wrapped so delicately in plastic--or maybe that's the "cheese" itself--searing ever so elegantly atop the grill. Two years ago the waft of this aroma sent my stomach turning. Fortunately, this year I was further along in my pregnancy--12 weeks instead of 5--allowing me to partake whole-heartily in my family's annual "Cheese Races", no nausea sending me to the bench!

 

Cheese Races, simply put, is a double elimination competition in which two contestants participate at a time. At the count of 3, each contestant throws their piece of cheese ("cheese" is debatable here, as the four choices in "cheese" all consist of individually-wrapped cheese impersonators, a.k.a American cheese). When both pieces of cheese land in their strategically-chosen destinations atop the grill, contestants cheer on their brave little cheese to see who's will inflate (yes...inflate), and lift all four corners of plastic off the grill grates first, proclaiming that round's winner.

Held back by no nausea this year, I took championship cheese racer status! Along with an extravagant trophy!

Cheese Races are just one of my family's quirky yet brilliant traditions we have adopted over the past years, integrated into our week-long celebration of Thanksgiving, otherwise known in my family as "Turkey Pallooza".

Now I know, we're about a week out from Christmas and I am just now making my Thanksgiving post, what's with that? Well, with this little being growing inside of me and concurrently embezzling all of my energy, everything around here gets accomplished a bit slower these days. Well, except for entering rooms. Thanks to my ever-expanding babybump I now enter the threshold of rooms a nano-second quicker than the rest of my body. Now that's productivity!



Grayson adds an addition mystery ingredient, cheetos.

Another one of my family's Turkey Palooza traditions is the ever-famous cooking competition. This contest is based off of the BravoTV television series, Top Chef. A couple of days before the competition, each contestant pulls a plastic knife out of our styrofoam knife block. Each knife has written upon it a mystery ingredient. These ingredients range from quite useful with a little bit of creativity, to downright awful. This year's lot fared well, leaving me with a pomegranate-raspberry vinaigrette. However, upon opening the bottle I wondered how well I had actually fared, finding my vinaigrette a bit ripe--fermented, in fact. That was a tad too far for a "mystery" ingredient; I was allowed to replace my vinaigrette with a fresh bottle form the supermarket. Other mystery ingredients included marshmallows, tikka masala curry sauce, meatless chili beans, wasabi peas, and brie cheese, to name a few.

 

Zeke helps Grandpa mix ingredients

After receiving our mystery ingredients, we again pull knives, this time to discover a number written on them. Proteins are then revealed to us to choose according to our number pulled. Some of this year's proteins included veal breast (which I chose), beef bacon, ground lamb, and frozen breaded corn dogs--again, some desirable, some not so much. It's always interesting, and a bit frightening, to observe which proteins get paired with which mystery ingredients. This year's strangest pairing would have to be my brother-in-law Mike's fare with marshmallows and beef bacon.

We then have a day to research, make a meal plan and purchase any additional ingredients we may need. On Saturday we have meal time and judging set for 4:00pm. There is usually a slow hum in the kitchen all day long, but at about 2:00pm, things begin to buzz as competitors grasp, wrestle and grapple for available pots, pans, tools and stove burners.

My mom was the wisest one in this arena, as she obtained a small electric burner and set-up kitchen camp in a back hallway, staying clear of the chaos and confusion in the main kitchen. Although, she did look a bit suspicious in the dimly-lit stairway cooking, well, who knew what!

What most concerned me this year during the competition was the fact that Mike, who had ended up with marshmallows and beef bacon, had completed the preparation AND cooking of his meal the night before. As each of us rushed around and pushed our way through the frantic kitchen on Saturday, Mike sat and enjoyed some beer, his meal long accomplished. It wasn't his efficiency that scared me, it was the idea of a secret dish comprised of beef bacon and marshmallow hidden somewhere within the house, requiring no refrigeration or heating before being served. Sick.

The action intensifies as 2:00pm rolls around. Andi almost sets her hot oil on fire. A recap of her oil fire from a couple of years ago during the same competition...

Now Gray gets some kitchen tips from Zeke

Ian prepares an array of veggies for his Chicken Fried Rice with Wasabi Peas Two Ways

Dad re-hydrates his frozen breaded corn dogs....spreading a bit of concern throughout the kitchen...

The past two years I have had to plan more strategically for my cooking time in the competition, in order to assure no needy toddler (wonderful as he is) at my feet as I readied my ingredients and hustled around the workspace. And so I very carefully planned Ezekiel's nap time for 1:30, when I could begin prepping my veal breast to slow-cook in white wine. After rubbing the veal in salt, pepper, and a savory spice mix, I browned it in its own fat trimmings (hey, all wholesome eating is off for this competition!). I then slow-cooked the roast for about a hour in white wine. I was pleasantly surprised, as I had never before attempted to cook veal, to find it quite tender once finished. I wrapped the roast in tinfoil and set it aside, and then began to cook down the white wine and veal juices, adding my pomegranate vinaigrette to make a new dressing all my own. With 5 minutes left on the clock, I sliced my veal roast, laid it atop a bed of fresh spring mix, and topped it with some smoked Gouda cheese, fresh pomegranate pearls, and my pomegranate-infused dressing. Beautiful, and done on time!

With all creations spread across the table, our bellies grumbled in anticipation, and possibly some apprehension, at the plates set before us. Each contestant received a scoring sheet, with which we would rate each competitors dish on a number scale according to overall flavor, creativity of mystery ingredients, and presentation (which included an oral explanation of the dish)

No one left the table hungry, which is a good sign that most of the food was indeed edible. Actually, it ends up I come from a family of very creative chefs. Each year I am impressed by the display of artistry and ingenuity displayed in how each person utilizes their ingredients into a surprising and, most of the time, pleasant dish!

Just some of this year's completed dishes included: Fried ravioli with meat sauce dipped in Baked Brie, Lamb burgers with a spicy Tiki Massala Curry Sauce, Chili with Fried Gnocchi Fritters, and Inside-Out Fried Dumplings.

Sadly, the Lynums did not place in the top rankings this year. I blame it on my rusty cooking skills due to the pregnancy and not having touched a pot or pan in the weeks leading up to this great competition. Grayson and I indeed ended up on the bottom half of the ranks. There's always next year--and I'll be ready!

More surprising, however, was that Mike with his pre-prepared beef bacon and marshmallow concoction claimed first place! And it was the first-ever attempt in our cooking competition history at a dessert! It may have been the pregnancy, but the bacon-hot sauce-infused fudge layered atop the rice crispy with chunks of beef bacon bits, all topped off with a toasted marshmallow left me picking left overs from others' plates.

The traditions lend their necessary fun and nostalgia to our Thanksgiving celebration, and year after year we are building a legacy. A legacy of family. My parents first decided to make Thanksgiving so big and extravagant so that this holiday could be our family holiday--one to come together and simply enjoy one another, enabling us without any guilt to go then and enjoy Christmas with our other families. It's their gift to us. Yes, a gift that I'm sure digs a bit of a hole in their pockets around November, but one they freely and eagerly give to see their family blessed, to allow us to know one another even now that we are separated by miles. It allows me to look back and remember years past growing up, sitting around a table surrounded by those dearest to me, recalling to mind the innumerable blessings God has bestowed on us. Looking forward it gives me vision for my own family--to create memories, to invest time in those we love, to take every opportunity to know my kids, and inspire them to enjoy life.

Thanks mom and dad.

Ezekiel's Great-Grandpa reading him a story

Gram with her great-granddaughter, Hanna

Ian and Andi help mom begin baking her array of pies for Thanksgiving (She makes one for each person) 

Zeke hanging out with his second cousins who came to visit for a day

Beware of the Bread Thief

I realize I've had a slight hiatus in blogging. Trust me, it has not been specific to blogging. No, I fear this hiatus also enveloped my cooking, pursuit of good food, judgment of what good food is, and consumption of real food. What could cause such a detour in what seemed so strong--our pursuit of real food? This, I tell you!

14 Weeks!

Now, I determined, I even prayed, that with my next pregnancy I would continue strong in well-eating, for the sake of my health, the baby, and my family. However, by the time this little guy (yes--guy!) reached the size of a sesame seed deep within my abdomen, all bets were off. It's as if one morning I woke up, and takeout pizza reigned supreme! This was followed by a good month of a cuisine, if you could call it that, of takeout, dine in, or bagels. Without getting into all of the details (I have upcoming blog entries to entail those), at the end of 4 weeks of eating, well crap, my poor husband had had enough. Enough greasy sausage pizza, enough mediocre Chinese, enough evenings of coming home from work to no good food. Of course I was guilt ridden, and he did all he could to assure me it was not my fault, and it was only for a time, but something had to change

Slowly, surely, I took step by step back into the kitchen, toward the counter, then the cupboard, still avoiding the fridge knowing full well of the untouched, rotting produce leftover in the bottom shelves form our days of good food. Meal by meal I pushed myself. I found tricks. Make a simple casserole before noon (before my nausea would creep in), something I can pop in the oven while Grayson commutes home. I tried the slow cooker, but that ended up a big mistake come 3:00pm when stomach-turning fumes--I mean, delicious aromas of soup came wafting through the house. Grayson was thankful I'd cooked. I wanted to hurl.

Simple meal by simple meal I pressed on. Stuffed shells. Burrito pie. Tacos. I used be judgemental about those flashy cookbooks staring at innocent bystanders in Barnes in Nobles "Five ingredients or less!" "15-minute meals!". However, these I found in my first trimester were my refuge. If there were more than five ingredients, I would lessen the load by cheating. Canned enchilada sauce? Why not!? After all, it was better than takeout.

I knew from experience this illness would just be for a time. However, my question remained, how long a time? During my pregnancy with Ezekiel, I did get over the nausea around 12 weeks, but my standards of eating were different back then, and my return to food was characterized by many bagels, and ice cream every day. I feared the worst, that even after the sickness of this pregnancy subsided, I would remain unable to touch a vegetable until this child was born.

But then came my break--Thanksgiving vacation, or "Turkey Palooza", as it's known in my family (blog post to come)! Every year my parents rent a large house for all of our family to spend Thanksgiving week together, complete with wild, wacky traditions. I look forward to it all year, every year. And this year I had an additional anticipation for this week: a whole 7 days of other people cooking food, and no take out or restaurants! I did challenge myself and volunteered to cook a couple of meals throughout the week. Tuesday evening I prepared iron-skillet lemon, garlic, and dill chicken drumsticks, served alongside homemade potato and cheese pierogies. Saturday I had signed Gray and myself up to make everyone breakfast. We needed to use up leftover ingredients in the fridge, and so I slyly dropped the responsibility of breakfast in my blessed husband's lap by declaring "we" would make omelets. He makes the best omelets around, after all!

Our Thanksgiving vacation served as my transition back into real food. We've been home from vacation for four days now, and I am proud to announce I have made dinner three of those nights! Okay, last night resulted in a run to Noodles and Company, but it was an "off" day. This morning I played my usual game of "what sounds good, or edible, for dinner?" The first viable option to pop into my mind is what is on the dinner menu for that night. I rush to the store before I can change my mind, returning home with bags in hand--there's no turning back now! Today's winner was Chicken Saltimbocca. Someone gave me a recipe for this a couple of years back, and although I was highly impressed, the recipe has since sat in my cupboard untouched--until tonight. I've put a slight spin on the recipe, mostly due to ingredient variations and a lack of grocery funds, but this spin ended up a great success!

Chicken Saltimbocca is an Italian dish comprised of chicken breast cooked with veal or prosciutto and white wine. The original recipe I was given had this dish served over rice cooked in onions. My variation is a "Violet Rice", the name was deemed after I chose to use an "Imperial Blend" of white, purple, and Jasmine rice, resulting in a surprising, bright, almost obnoxious (but delicious), purple rice!


My next variation was my choice of meat. I did opt for the called for chicken breast. However, being at the end of our budget week, our allotted grocery allowance was running on change, and I couldn't bring myself to spend our last grocery dollars on a $5.99 package of 3oz of prosciutto. So, although I would recommend prosciutto for this dish, I found that some thick-cut Virginia ham made a much heftier but still suitable exchange for the prosciutto ham.

My final variation was my herb mix. The original recipe called for Herbes de Provence, which is usually a staple in my home, and I did indeed have some on hand. However, this particular container of Herbes de Provence I had brought home from the bulk section of a local market. I found it a little bit too coarse for my liking, and so I poured the lovely herbs into our coffee grinder. However, I must have gotten a little carried away with the grinder, because when I was finished the herb mix resembled a sort of "herb dust". It has remained untouched on my spice shelf since. And so for this recipe I opted for some "Fines Herbes" I had on hand. Fines Herbes is a lighter variation, I find, of Herbes de Provence, a little more delicate in nature, and ideal for eggs, fish, and chicken. Fines Herbes is a mixture of parsley, chives, tarragon, and chervil.

This is the "fanciest" dish I've prepared in the past 3 months, and pleasantly simple. I prepped the chicken and ham in the morning, so that shortly before Grayson arrived home I simply had to chop an onion, cook the rice, fry up the chicken, and mix the sauce--a total cooking time of about 30 minutes. I do realize this dish contains one little veggie (the onion), and the sauce is comprised of wine, sour cream and sugar. These facts would usually disqualify this dish from a veggie-full, real food pursuit dinner. However, I'm pregnant, and this is what the pregnant woman wanted, and it may have only had one veggie, but it had a veggie!

Sometimes our goals in life  acquire a relative facet to them. Circumstances force us to be flexible. We have to assess our original intent and purposes, and align them with new developments. For instance, I would have to admit that in the past 3 months we have compromised our standards of eating, and veered from our goals. However, I can choose to sit in guilt and wonder at the negative affects all of those poor food choices will have on this child and my family. Or, I can give myself some slack. I can be thankful that in the past 3 months my nausea was relatively mild, and that I was able to eat at all, taking in calories to help my baby thrive. I can choose to move on, embrace a new day, take it one step at a time and return to good eating as I'm able.

During my hiatus from good food, I have been working on several blog entries documenting this struggle of mind, will, and nausea. I plan to post these in the coming weeks in hopes of encouraging some other pregnant soul somewhere that 1. It's ok to eat pizza, for a time. And 2. You can return to good food after nausea! For those who have been pregnant, hopefully these posts will be a simple humorous relief, a look back on those fond mornings of crackers and ginger ale at the bedside. And for others, my hope is to provide a humorous tale, and a word of encouragement that a detour from your goal is not the end of the world. After all, in the little things of life there must be wiggle room, and in the big things of life, there must be grace.

Chicken Saltimbocca over Violet Rice

 

• 1 medium chopped onion
• 1 tbs real butter
• 1 cup uncooked purple rice blend
• (I used Imperial Jasmine Blend from world market)
• you can use good old white rice, or brown rice. Experiment, rice can be exciting
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 4 all-natural boneless chicken breasts
• 4 slices prosciutto ham, or regular ham
• "Herbs de Provence" mix (or "Fines Herbes")
• salt and pepper
• 3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1-2 Tbs sugar

• Saute onion in butter until tender. Add rice and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in broth, bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer 15-20 minutes until rice is tender.
• Cut slit lengthwise in each chicken breast, fill with sliced ham. Rub some olive oil over chicken. Lightly salt and pepper, and sprinkle both sides with herb mixture.
• Be careful not to over-salt the chicken, as the ham will lend quite a bit of salt to the dish itself.
• Brown chicken in oil for 2-3 minutes per side. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 8-10 minutes, or until juices run clear. Remove chicken and keep warm.
• Add the wine to the pan your chicken was in, scrape bottom to mix in all of the flavor. Bring wine to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 3 minutes. Stir in sour cream, sugar, 1 tsp of your herb mixture, and a pinch of salt to taste
• Taste the sauce after each addition of sugar. This sauce is intended to be quite sweet, but can easily become overly-sweet
• Serve your chicken over a bed of rice, and drizzle with sauce

Enjoy this dish with some warm, fresh Italian bread. However, if you have a sneaky little bread thief in the house, beware he doesn't snatch the loaf before dinner....

 
 
 
 



Returning to the Basics--The Mark of any Good Cook

Many chefs will tell you that a sure test of any good cook--any cook who understands the fundementals and basics of food done well--will have the skillset to master an omelet.

An omelet. Possibly the only thing bachelors actually "cook". Easy enough for a young child to produce for breakfast in bed on mother's day (maybe with a little help from dad...) Yet the omelet may be one of the most misunderstood breakfast staples in the kitchen. I've come to find out in just the past couple of months that I've been cooking eggs completely wrong my entire life. What a blow to my egg ego, right? I guess I can simply be glad in knowing my sails have been reset and I am now on the path to mastering the egg. That is one of the benefits we've seen in our new way of eating this year--a gained knowledge in culinary basics. It hasn't taken much, just a little bit of research and practice in the kitchen, and we're finding ourselves equipped with basic skills which accumalate and build to masterful, healthful meals!

My husband was the instigator in our egg endevour. Grayson can truly appreciate an egg done well. A few weeks back we awoke early on Saturday morning to set out, as is our Saturday ritual, to the farmers market. Only today Grayson awoke with a terrible headache, and so I set off alone. While strolling through the market and choosing an array of colors and flavors for our fresh produce that week, Grayson called me and asked me to let him know when I was on my way home, so that he could make me breakfast. Little did I know that he was sitting at home on YouTube, "researching" how to make a masterful omelet. Now, I am not much an enthusiast when it comes to omelets; but let me tell you, my husband has made me a believer!

I do have to say, it was slightly disconcerting walking in the door to find him swirling a nice pool of butter round and round a pan on the stove. However, with every omelet I am more and more convinced that a little extra butter on a weekend morning, perfectly browning some eggs round a beautiful array of vegetables and rich cheeses is well worth the extra fat.

Grayson's reasearch via YouTube that morning has served to heighten our awareness of the potentential of an egg. With this new knowledge, omelets have become a regular in our home, always keeping in mind the key elements to an omelet cooked correctly.

Don't add milk! I thought it was a fundamental. I believed in some unsaid rule somewhere in the sphere of culinary lies that one must always add milk or cream to eggs. I was deceieved. Simply beat together 4 eggs. Whip them well so that there are no strands of cloudy clear egg mucous (mmmm, appetizing!), but only a rich yellow egg base. Beat in some salt and pepper, and a bit of dried dill if you wish. Oh, and a word here on those dreaded miniscule pieces of shell that sneak their way into the bowl. Simply dip your now-empty half egg shell into the bowl to scoop egg shell bits out. Works like a charm. (Thanks Jamie Oliver!)

Choose and ready your filling. Mine consisted of some leftovers from dinner the night before:  Sauteed asparagus and steak, along with some fresh spinach and brick cheese. If your filling needs to be cooked beforehand, do so now. Omelets are a great way to enjoy many and varying vegetables. Experiment with different pairings of flavors and lots of bright colors!

I know--what about the eggs? They are, after all, the whole shabang of an omelet. Without the eggs, we have no omelet, only naked veggies and cheese. I have a confession to make here. I have yet been able to take the plunge in purchasing local, cage-free eggs. With how many eggs we go through (we have a slight fixation on eggs in this house...), I just can't justify the price jump it would impose on our grocery budget. However, if you can--then by all means buy the good chicken babies to-be!

Oh and--cheese does matter! A chunk of cheddar from the grocery store can make do if neccessary; but if you're able, get your hands on a nice, rich cheese from the farmers market. We have a little cheese tent we visit every few weeks to try a new block of cheese. Brick, Gouda, Farmers, or Havarti work great.

Heat your skillet. Use a 7-8 inch round, non-stick pan with a small edge. Omelet pans are preferable, for obvious reasons. We actually use a crepe pan that my dad passed on to me when he "upgraded" (the man take his crepes seriously, as he should). Throw in a nice gob of (real) butter. 1/2 - 1 tbs should do.  Swirl to coat the bottom of the pan, and let the butter begin to bubble over a medium heat, until it browns slightly.

Bring in the eggs. Pour in your beaten eggs. For the first 20-25 seconds, use a fork to sort of "fold in" the eggs from the sides. They should still be liquid. As you "bring in the egg" from the side, tilt your pan so that the liquid egg fills in the gap. This encourages a large egg curd for your finished omelet.

Let it rest. Give your pan one last tilt to make sure egg is completely covering the bottom. The egg should still look soft and now is a good time to add your cheese and prepared fillings. Let your omelet sit on this low heat for about 40 seconds. Make sure your egg is not raw, but still soft--you don't want an over-cooked egg.

Finish'er up! Take a large spatula and gently push down the sides of your omelet to dislodge it. Tilt the omelet away from you, slip your spatula under one side, and flip it over itself for a half-circle. Now slip your omelet onto your plate and enjoy with some fresh toast topped with a bit of butter and roasted garlic!

And about that roasted garlic--this is a culinary revolution that I happened upon a few weeks ago. I raised a few eyebrows on Facebook when I posted a status that I had consumed an entire head of garlic by myself. But it was truth--this garlic is just that amazing!

 

Remove the outer paper shell on a head of garlic; just the first shell, leave enough shell to keep the head together. Now cut off the top of the head to just expose each clove (or as many as you can), about 1/4-1/2 inch. Place the head of garlic onto some tinfoil, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, wrap the tinfoil up and around to completely enclose the garlic. Roast at 400 degrees on your top oven rack for 30-35 minutes. The garlic is done when it is a nice toasty brown, and you can press in the cloves (they're squishy). Let cool. To enjoy, simply squeeze the now soft cloves out of their shells and spread on bread, or use in cooking. The long roast takes away all of the pungent identity of the garlic and replaces it with a whole new sweet, nutty personality.

Sometimes cooking is about back-tracking. Instead of forging ahead, at times we need to take a step back and reavaluate what we may think we know. Where we go wrong is when we assume we know the best way to do something, and thus don't explore further knowledge. My son was four months old, but had already drug Gray and me to the ragged edges of our existence. We were both in school, Grayson working full-time and me part-time (besides motherhood), and new parents. Our child did not sleep. And in fact, progressively slept less. I was stubborn and refused to attempt introducing him to a schedule. "Our lives are too crazy" was my excuse. Then, one day, one very wonderful day, I reached my end. And Grayson, fearing his wife's sanity was soon to be forever lost, convinced me to pick up "Baby Wise", a book on introducing your child to a flexible schedule to help them sleep. Within a week our child was sleeping through the night. I was, of course, overwhelmed with joy, but at the same time felt like and idiot for waiting so long to seek knowledge. The same can be found true in the kitchen. Return to the basics. Re-learn them. Subject yourself to the position of a student and self-learn the fundementals of good food done well.

And so, whether you're simply not a fan, or have settled for an amateur production of the egg, give the omelet another chance. Watch this 4-minute video by Jamie Oliver, follow his directions, and you'll rediscover a whole new potential for this breakfast classic.

An Arena of Adventure

I have made a grand discovery this week. For months I have been defeated in this one simple quest:  to make the perfect muffin; concocted of wholesome ingredients, artistic in design, and thoroughly enjoyable. My grand discovery this week has finally brought a sure victory in this endeavor. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour. And with this discovery two new staple muffin recipes have been born into our home. Don't be intimidated by the extra steps to these recipes. Muffin making, I have found, is an art form.

Crazy Cow Muffins

 (Adapted from here)

 A few weeks back Grayson and I were at a church potluck picnic. I had brought a plate of Crazy Cow Muffins to share. Two young boys sat on the opposite side of a picnic table from me. I observed one of the boys take a cautious bite of the muffin. He stared at the now exposed inside, and leaned over close to his friend's ear and whispered, "There's green stuff in it!" The other boy peered into the muffin and replied with a resounding, "Cool!"

These Crazy Cow Muffins get there name not only from their deep brown and white contrast, but from an unexpecting array of ingredients. A key factor in our new way of eating is undoubtedly a flexibility to experiment and try new things. I am excited that our adventurous spirit in what we eat now will directly form Ezekiel's approach to food as he grows. What we see now as strange and unfamiliar, he will grow up knowing as "normal". Further, as we continue to integrate newness into our diet, I don't doubt he will acquire this proneness to wonder at new foods, and curiosity to embrace them.

In example, this week in the market I was drawn to some smoked salmon dip marked on special. I asked for a sample. Ezekiel quickly voiced his desire to try whatever I held in my hands. I dipped one of his cheddar bunny crackers in the salmon dip, and he eagerly opened his mouth to receive. An older woman standing next to us in line peered over and commented, "seafood lover, huh?" I smiled and began telling her of all the variety of foods he loves. She was impressed. I was a proud momma. Of course, introducing new foods is not fool-proof, Ezekiel refused to eat much more than salmon dip for the next two days....

Vital in muffin-making: Don't over-mix batter!

Recently I was talking with a friend about adapting a healthier way of eating in the home. Her child being a little older than mine had already adopted a "normal" for what he expected and liked on his dinner plate. She shared her frustration that all he wanted to eat was pizza and french fries. She, like many women I know, simply desires to serve her family good, healthy food. I encouraged her to start, then, with what is familiar to him. I shared with her my favorite pizza dough recipe (found here, use whole wheat flour), and encouraged her to integrate different vegetables as toppings, starting slow so he is not turned off to the idea of new pizza. I encouraged her to keep offering good veggies even if he keeps refusing. Always make them available. He will eventually cave if he sees mom and dad enjoying them. I then shared with her how to toss cut potatoes in chicken stock and seasonings, then roast them in the oven to make some delicious french fries (Grayson actually prefers these to fries made with oil).

This week I made a Scheherazade casserole for dinner one night. It intrigued me, boasting of Bulgar wheat, 2 types of beans, 3 types of onions, 2 types of peppers, garlic, basil, parsley, tomatoes and feta cheese (I altered the recipe slightly to adapt it to what we got at the farmers market). It was new to us, and so it was definitely new to Ezekiel. As delicious as the meal was, he was feeling a little less than adventurous that night. However, once wrapped in a little bit of familiarity (in the form of a flour tortilla), the child was more than willing to try it, and clean his plate!

I am thankful that we've begun this journey while Ezekiel is young so that we need not back-track and undo already learned habits of eating. Surely we will make mistakes (surely we already have) isn't this an all-around theme in parenting? Needless to say, however, a steadfast introduction of new foods to a young child (and any of us) encourages a culture of excitement for good and nutritious foods.

When I was recreating this recipe for Crazy Cow Muffins for the blog's sake (and maybe just to have some yummy muffins), I handed a piece to our brother and live-in house guest. I waited patiently as he consumed the morsel. "Good?" I awaited an assessment. "Mmmmm, berry bood" (translation: 'very good' while still chewing a muffin). And that perplexed little boy back at our church picnic? He finished his green-filled muffin.

Ok, so the Crazy Cow Muffins may not be in the realm of "healthy". But they are all whole-wheat, have little fat content, and delicious. Sometimes we can just go for some chocolate, and this is a much better choice than a bowl of ice cream or slice of cake, and just as satisfying!

Combine Dry Ingredients:

•  1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
•  1/2 cup all natural cane sugar
•  1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

In separate bowl, combine wet ingredients:

• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 2 tbs melted butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup honey   
• 1 generous teaspoon vanilla extract

Make deep well in dry ingredients, pour in wet ingredients. Mix by folding with rubber spatula until a few streaks of dry ingredients remain. Do not over mix!

Fold in: 

• 1 generous cup shredded, then chopped zucchini
• 3/4 cup real white chocolate chips (Ghirardelli is great)

Pour into greased or lined muffin cups (makes exactly 12 average-sized muffins). Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.


If you would prefer a lighter muffin with less of a dessert flair, and more of a breakfast identity, then meet the Crazy Cow's better half:  

Lemon Poppyseed with Blueberries and Ginger

 (Adapted from here)

When I made this recipe for Blueberry Poppyseed Muffins with Ginger last week, it received little enthusiasm from Grayson. This boggled me. I thought they were worth at least some recognition. In the car that afternoon I asked him, "Are you just not a muffin person?"  My determination set in ever so greater than before to create the perfect muffin.

After a trip out to acquire some real, high-quality flour (bulk bin in a natural foods market), I set to work adjusting my previous recipe. The Whole Wheat Pastry Flour is truly what this recipe was waiting for. It adds such a decadence to the texture that you would expect to discover such a muffin as this in a quaint little bakery off in a distant little corner of the world where all is well.

This recipe in relation to the former calls for more familiar ingredients,  yet they all meld together with such eloquence to produce a perfect pairing for a good cup of joe in the morning, or an afternoon snack, or an evening snack, or a late night snack. Or all four.... When Grayson tried a bite of this new and improved recipe, he gave me a look as to say, "perfect."

Lemon and Ginger Infused Sugar

1)  Create your base of flavor. A lemon and ginger infused sugar. (also at this time melt  8tbs real butter and set aside to cool)

• 1/3 cup all natural cane sugar (I use Florida Crystals)
• zest of one lemon (how to zest)
• 1/8 inch peeled fresh ginger, grated 

Massage ingredients together with your fingers for about a minute. You will know when it is ready when an unbelievably delicious aroma abounds.


2)  Add to your infused sugar:

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Thoroughly whisk ingredients to combine




3)  In another bowl, combine wet ingredients:

•  2 large eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup all-natural plain yogurt, mixed with 1  1/2 tbs flour (perfect sour cream substitute in baking)
• 1 generous teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled 
• juice from 1 lemon (the one you zested)

4)  Make deep well in dry ingredients, pour in wet ingredients. Mix by folding with rubber spatula until a few streaks of dry ingredients remain. Do not over mix!

5)  Gently fold in just until incorporated:

• 1  1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• 2 tbs poppyseeds

6)  Pour into greased or lined muffin pans (makes exactly 12 average-sized muffins) bake at 380 degrees for about 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clear (check at about 14 minutes to be safe).

Okay, so you may be asking, 'what is with the stick of butter?' It's a muffin. We can deal. Also, paired with the perfect consistency from the pastry flour, these muffins have a magnificent buttery taste, and beg for no dollop of butter on top. It is perfectly content in the nude. Because face it, if it didn't taste buttery, we would add butter on top....

Ezekiel enjoyed waking up his Uncle Jake for some french toast and berries

The kitchen should be an arena of adventure. It should hold promise of discovery, newness, creativity, fun, and good health. Yes, it takes work, but it is a mom's ministry to keep it well stocked and ready to feed hungry mouths wholesome foods. Do we fail if at the end of the week the fridge is less than providing and we opt for a little white cardboard container of chicken low mein? No. It happens in our home on occasion. But it is essential that we create a culture in our home of excitement for well-eating and good choices surrounding what our kids eat. This will set them up for physical wellness their whole lives, better enabling them in all areas of life, mostly to honor our Creator God. An atmosphere of adventure and trying new things does nothing but encourage this. Yes sometimes it will go south. Just today Ezekiel refused that very same Scheherazade casserole he devoured a couple of nights ago, but he opted for a banana. I won't call that a failure. I'll call it a journey of good health.