A kind reminder that there is no better lunch than a perfect tomato sandwich. Hurry before the tomato season runs out. Because in January the only thing that looks like this and still tastes this good will be the memory of the ones you ate during the summer.
Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.
Today I ate my juicy two tomato sandwich with not so much prudence, but lots of thanksgiving. Here’s another joke of a recipe. Still delicious. If you haven’t made it yet, run to your nearest farm stand and buy the best tomatoes possible, snag some mayo or make it, and a loaf of quality bread. There couldn’t be a better time. Continue Reading →
One of the hardest parts about being deliberate about what you eat is realizing, remembering and respecting that not everyone else is. Anyone who has ever been avoiding sugar and at a friend’s birthday party, been the lone vegetarian at a barbeque, or been hungry and gluten free in the middle of Nevada say “amen.” It is hard to not feel like a bit freakish when you aren’t doing what everyone else is doing; eating what everyone else is eating. I think about this one every time I wind up somewhere with my ideas about food and limited options, particularly in a social setting. It is just tricky. I don’t want to look showy or elitist, like, “Yeah, since I’m doer, not a hearer only about that whole ‘eat meat sparingly’ thing I am not having the token ward picnic hot dog” or saying “No, you go ahead and have my piece too, since those apples in the pie weren’t ethically raised.” (I know you don’t ethically raise apples, but you can grow them while reading very moral literature aloud.)
While there are some real reasons, like food allergies, where you can legitimately excuse yourself, other self-imposed restrictions, like healthfulness, are harder to navigate. Continue Reading →
I have plans for the summer. Way back before I was thick into triple digit weather, pool excursions, and some blissfully unstructured days, my son and I sat down and made a list. So whenever there is a lull, or we are wondering what plans to pencil in the calendar, we have some at the ready. We agreed that building bird houses out of popsicle sticks, museum visits, and making goo would be a good use of our time. It has been. I also wanted to teach him a thing or two, so we are starting with some cooking fundamentals this summer. Since he is still seven and not that patient, we are starting small. This summer is a single ingredient study: the egg. Since the two of us share a love of eggs, and they are fast and straightforward to prepare, and yet ever so versatile.
Plus, my fridge is kinda packed with eggy goodness. I connected with someone with a wee farm close to one of the offices my husband works out, that is selling me fantastic pastured eggs from her happy little flock. And she is kindly offering them for much less than I have paid for similarly wonderful local eggs. So we are enjoying good quality in greater quantity these days. I love supporting local farmers and I adore eggs with yolks so orangey-yellow my mayo looks like mustard. Continue Reading →
Although I have been certain for sometime, I got the confirmation from the doctor that my daughter, Lucy, will be safe eating a few select nuts. We’ve done allergy testing several times now, and she has always come back with minuscule numbers for everything but a few major whammies, peanuts, walnuts, and pecans. So technically, she has been clear for non-tree nuts for a while. We have just kept her from them for an added precaution. She has even had an accidental encounter or so with them and proved perfectly unruffled. Since nothing happened on those few occasions, I thought now that she is nearly four, maybe it was time to let her have a few deliberately. Her doctor validated my decision, and just asked us to watch her closely to see how she did.
So, this morning I ground some almonds for the multi-grain pancakes I made this morning (which I totally recommend, it made them so filling I couldn’t quite finish my normal amount, and I am still full 3 hours later). She ate that almond spiked pancake and nothing happened. Lucy was totally, completely fine. Glory, glory hallelujah. Continue Reading →
Summer is upon us down south. It is lime for squash and green beans, and lots of them. This dish made me fall for green beans all over again. The combination of black mustard seeds with toasty coconut and sesame seeds with bright, still crisp green beans had me. It was so addictive that I made it for dinner one night this week, scavenged the fridge for the leftovers later in the evening. And then still was unsatisfied when I wanted it again at lunch and there was no more. So, I made it again. Less than 24 hours later. I know. I don’t do that. I rarely repeat recipes every two months. Really. And yet I made this again the next day for lunch because I was craving the peppery pop of the mustard seeds again the sweet toasted chew of the coconut and the vibrant beans. And then I ate every last bean, mustard seed, sesame seed, and coconut shard on the plate. Except for the ones my daughter stole from my plate, because she liked it too. Continue Reading →
