The Pantry Challenge or The Grande Failure

Well, I have to admit, and I'm not terribly ashamed: I have failed beautifully, I only got as far as taking inventory on the lower pantry & freezer, I even had the brilliant idea of putting them on a list on my iPhone so I'd always have that important info at my fingertips.  I still have not done the upper pantry or the fridge, it's just SO daunting - I have countless little jars of this & that in the fridge...

So I failed.  I pretty much KNEW I would.  December is a crazy month spent entertaining, potlucking & being too busy in general to make eating frugally a priority.  (Which is a whole 'nother topic & problem of mine!) 

However, I did LEARN a LOT about myself thru this process of sincerely trying and of failing.  I learned that I definitely have a problem with buying too much food.  I am not very good at planning ahead, which tends to be pretty darn necessary when eating more nourishing foods.  I am also very lazy - there, I said it!   I want to make this new lifestyle a priority, I want to learn a rhythm to integrating these habits into my daily, weekly, monthly life.  I tend to live in cycles, I'm sure that's not unusual.  I have periods of time, where there are lots of social commitments that take up your time, energy & focus.  There are periods of time where, I am able to make home more of a priority.  And there are periods of time when we travel & no matter what I try, it has been impossible to get back into whatever rhythm I had finally worked out previously.   And then I have these cycles of excitement to try all these new things & I just go crazy - I tend to be a bit extreme, all or nuthin', you know?  And then overall that, I tend to get very overwhelmed & very frustrated that I can't seem to bring it all into focus & achieve these goals I've set for myself....

So, while we're talking about goals, with Christmas being over now, and 2009 quickly approaching, everyone is already talking about setting New Year's Resolutions.  I generally try not to bother, knowing I will simply let myself down & all that...

So this year, Kimi from the Nourishing Gourmet has a marvelous post that I found very encouraging about setting realistic goals, rather than 'not bothering' at all.   I read her post tonight on the way home from my 5th and hopefully final Christmas and I felt encouraged & inspired.  Instead of 'not bothering' again this year, I will give it some thought & really try to boil down all my many aspirations to just a few, and to make sure those few really make sense at this point in my life....

Stay tuned...

Merry Christmas to all!

Happy (belated) Christmas to you!

Just wanted to pop in & share some things...

I always get more excited about giving things at Christmas, our family has always placed great emphasis on giving & helping the needy, etc....

With that said, I am almost embarrassed to admit this, but it's relevant to my quest & thus, relevant to this blog, so bear with me....

I SCORED!!!

My lovely husband gave me a grain mill!  It's been on my wish list for a few months, so I'm very excited to try that out & stop buying pre-ground flour from the store! 

I got a new computer, so that should help me post with greater ease, thus hopefully my posts will be more frequent & more interesting with pics & possibly videos...ooo, imagine the possibilities...!

And lastly, our digital camera died last month, so we have a nice new camera, it has all sorts of bells & whistles, but most important, it takes video & it has a 'food' setting...I can't wait to try it out!

Anyway, again, not to brag or anything like that, just to say I'm now very well equipped to be a better blogger in the coming year & I was so excited about that I had to share...

Hope you all had a wonderfully blessed Christmas Season & looking forward to sharing healthier foodie adventures with you in 2009!

Pantry Challenge Week 1

So here's the promised snaps of my Pantry, Before & After:

Before: Pasta & Grains
After: Pasta & Dried Fruits

Before: Baking Supplies
After: Baking Suppies

Before: Cereal & Snack
After: Cereal & Grains

Before: Spreads & Teas
After: Spreads & Teas


Look at my formerly messy pantry, it feels so great to know that it's all organized & clean!

Sorry about the picture sizes being wonky - technical difficulties! After remodeling the house, I 'moved into' my kitchen in October '07 and I am loathe to admit: I don't think I've cleaned them or re-organized them since! How embarrassing!
Thank goodness for the "Challenge"! What better excuse/encouragement?

We be Jammin'....

So my Friend, Terah cam over today & we JAMMED! I started at 8:30, she came at about 10am, and by 4 pm, we'd completed 9 different flavors of Jam - I now have every spare surface in my kitchen & dining room covered with Jam Jars!!

Here's what we did:
Wine Berry Jelly
Strawberry Jam
Jalapeno Jelly
Pear Raspberry Jam
Lemon Strawberry Marmalade
Red Onion Marmalade
Habanero Gold
Orange Marmalade
Strawberry Vanilla Bean

Pretty amazing!

Oh, and I did get a second wind after Terah went home and forced myself to make:
Mint Jelly
Mint Vanilla Bean Jelly
Lemon Mint Jelly
Herb Jelly

Recipe: Cranberry/Jalapeno/Ginger Chutney

Recipe for Cranberry/Jalapeno/Ginger Chutney (from my Aunt Louise)

1 Big Bag of Cranberries (Costco size) or 3 reg size Bags
Maple Syrup (to taste - I use about a whole 12 oz. bottle)
Juice & Zest from three Oranges
Zest from one lemon
Crystalized Ginger (8 oz) - Chopped fine
Grated Fresh Ginger (about 2 Tbsp)

Put Cranberries in a heavy bottom Stock Pot & cover with water (the kind you like to drink!)
Bring to a boil
Add the rest of the ingredients & bring back to a boil

Adjust the Maple Syrup to taste, it should be tart, but sweet enough to enjoy.
It will thicken & develop a candied look right as it's getting done. Watch for it, then:
Add about 3-5 (chopped med/fine) Jalapenos to Serranos (check for heat before you go crazy!

Stir them in & let cool. Stores for 2-3 months in fridge, or you can 'can' to preserve in your pantry...Enjoy

My fav in on leftover Turkey & Stuffing Sandwiches! AMAZAZING!

Mexican Food ROCKS

Well, we just returned from a week in the Riviera Maya. We had a condo so I did do some minor 'cooking' during our stay to save on eating out. That said, we still did eat out & man do I love it! We had tacos arrachera, tacos al pastor, quesadillas, Sopa de Fideos Seco (so good!), lime soup, ceviche, lots of chips y salsa, some guacamole...and even that which wasn't phenomenal, was pretty darn good! Wash it down with some Corona's with lime & add a beachfront terrace overlooking the Caribbean Sea & you've got yourself a DREAM! Well, I do, anyway! lol
While I love food in general, Mexican has definitely been one of my most favs for a very long time. It's funny, living where I do there are lots of Mexican 'implants', thus we have access to some great Mexican restaurants in the areas we frequent, but I really have only a few 'Mexican' items I make, and I wonder at their authenticity....I mean I can make a pretty yummy pico de gallo, but that's pretty darn easy. I make a very popular enchilada casserole, but it's far from authentic! Chicken & creamy soup....? Not so much in the traditional Mexican pantry! lol I'll have to work on that!
In the meantime, I really enjoy vacationing in this gorgeous country & look forward to many more trips, perhaps we can start moving away from the traditionally touristy spots & head inland....unfortunately, I'm having some serious technical issues with my camera so at the moment, I don't have any I can share, but stay tuned....

Culinary School Challenge

So I felt like sharing some pictures & happened upon this one. It was about midway thru the course & we were assigned a meat (mine was Porterhouse), we had to make it, plate it, name it, price it & present it with "gusto" to our Chef Instructor.

It was truly an opportunity....to shine or fail miserably....

See, the trick was in the details, was the plate warmed, was the color palette balanced, what did you name the dish, what was your cost vs. price? It's been almost a year now, so my memory is a bit fuzzy, but I believe I served the Steak with Roasted Beets & a Timbal of Parmesan Mashed potatoes...yum...I see sauce on the plate, probably a red wine reduction...?

Anyhoo, Chef was pleased and I had a proud moment ;)

the best day ever!

Ok, so yesterday I've had the loveliest day! I realized Monday that both Joe & Kanan were off Tuesday (School Holiday for Veteran's Day) so I took the day off too & we just hung out at home mostly! We slept in 'til 9, made a yummy scrummy breakfast. I soaked some grains the night before in excited anticipation & made raspberry muffins (NT recipe). While they were baking I made coffee, bacon & an egg/cheese Frittata. YUM! The bacon was Niman Ranch, the eggs were pastured....as I've shared, we are making baby steps. ;) Trying to focus on quality & packing the extra nutrition in wherever possible.
I prepped a jam recipe & put Tami's sourdough bread recipe in the breadmaker on 'dough cycle' and the three of us went for a hike to top of our hill, man is it steep! Sheeshenheimer! I was dying! But we gotta start somewhere, right?
We hurried over to the pet store (we've recently started the process of allowing our cats to maybe think about going outside once in awhile - long story) but the first step is to make sure they have proper collars & tags...
Ran back home, put the bread in the pan to rise again, the dough looked pretty good this time (I've been struggling with this for a few weeks, more on this later - perhaps with recipes?)....I made a batch of Pear Raspbery (Yes, the same jam I made on Sunday, but it IS the most popular flavor I make, so I must stock up!)
I had canned some Cranberry Jalapeno Chutney last week, but had completely forgotten the ginger!!!! Hello, now I remember that I called it Cranberry Ginger Jalapeno Chutney last year! DUH. I knew I was missing something, but sallied forth. Well, now that I had remembered, I decided to fix it - isn't canning great? You can just re-do it! I emptied out all the jars, heated it up, added the fresh & candied ginger, let it stew a bit, washed the jars, sterilized them & was done in no time! It tasted MUCH better after that - thank goodness I caught my mistake before I started selling & giving it away!
So, in the midst of the canning, the bread came out of the oven. I am VERY pleased to say that this is MUCH close to what I've been intending to produce! YAY - finally! ;) The only thing is that Joe pointed out a 'sour' taste, my natural response was "well, babe, it IS supposed to be Sourdough bread, you know...?" LOL We examined this a bit further & have decided that the 'bitter-ish', sour-ish taste he was referring to was indeed present & I think it's the Olive Oil! Next time I'm going to use butter & see if our theory is correct...makes sense though...I think.
Olive oil, especially the good kind, the organic extra virgin, has a very distinct flavor, that may be less obvious when sauteing veggies, but in THIS bread, it really stands out!
Ok, so after a few slices of bread & butter for an afternoon snack.....Kanan & I began making homemade pasta. I had bought a pound of Semolina at Lassen's over the weekend, so we chucked it in the Food Processor with a pinch of sea salt, Kanan cracked 4 eggs into a bowl & we added them slowly to the flour as the machine ran. It was still too dry, so I added my yummy RO (reverse osmosis) water, a little at a time, until finally it formed a ball! Woo Hoo! I wrapped it in Cling film & let it rest in the fridge for about 20 minutes...Meantime, I got the kitchen aid fitted with the pasta roller, floured a couple of baking sheets & put the Heavy Cream in a Saucepan (I use Berndes nonstick - Haven't done that research yet! Anyone?) Anyhoo, as the cream was reducing for Alfredo sauce (Kanan's pick) we rolled the pasta thru the roller & then cut it with the other attachment into Spaghetti....threw it into the rolling, sea salted, boiling water, stirred it a couple of times, seasoned the cream sauce....it actually looked a bit too thick, so I added some of the pasta water - professional trick, now I've told you I might just have to kill you - Shhhh! We drained the pasta, tossed it back in the big pot, added the cream sauce, tossed it together, added some Parm (Trader Joe's brand) and "Voila"!! It was SOOOO yummy!
After we ate our fill, I rolled out the rest (half the dough made enough pasta for a small portion for 3 of us - we also had plain ole' oven roasted acorn squash & some garlicky cheese toast - what??!! I did NOT claim to be well balanced all the time!), and took it to our Book Club to give away....everyone was excited!
So, we came home & went straight to bed & I can say with complete satisfaction that it was "the best day ever!" (I'm not that big a dork, it's a Sponge Bob Song!)
I wish you many happy returns of my glorious home day! Work hard in doors & out...and bon appetite!!

Baby Steps

A little about where I come from (food-wise): my background in cooking (which I've always loved since childhood) is grandma & mom's family 'comfort foods to feed a crowd', it's still, to this day, hard for me to make anything in small batches - I mean if you're going to make something, make a ton of it & freeze some for later!). I went to a small local culinary school in 2000, I've done some catering & private chef jobs, I love to do food for other people, but as I get older I find my time to be too valuable for feeding strangers in exchange for money, it simply isn't 'enough' for me anymore....so my focus has shifted over the last couple years to home.
I stumbled across the Nourishing Traditions book while I was doing the Maker's Diet a couple summers ago. An amazing diet that really works - I dropped some serious inches! Anyhoo, I found myself getting more & more curious about Sally Fallon & these old world methods. I bought the book a few months ago & immediately starting making things. I tried Cream Cheese, Kefir, Sourkraut, Kimchee, Sourdough Starter, soaked grain muffins & quick breads...
I found a source for Raw Milk at a discount (Organic Pastures has a HUB Store in San Fernando, CA every Saturday from 10a-2p.), so I have developed a routine of going every other Saturday morning. It actually is only about 15 minutes away & there is a CNG Station in town so I can fill up the Green Bean while I'm there!! Gotta love efficiency & saving $$!
So I since starting that, I have made my own Cream Cheese, Sour Cream & Raw Butter now several times. The Sour Cream is THE BEST - my husband loves it, he's a big sour cream freak anyway, so now he is enjoying the 'real thing'! I find I don't even consider buying these items commercially anymore unless I'm desperate.
I bought a Sprouter, and some seeds - still working on making that part of my routine. But I have tried sprouted Wheat Berries (which I dried in a low oven overnight & am storing until I get my grain mill (Santa Baby?) and can grind into flour & make some yummy super nutritious bread! I know there are tons of other uses & methods for using them, just haven't gotten that far...
I had some money in my pay pal account, so I treated myself to a few new attachments for my kitchen aid mixer: the pasta roller & spaghetti cutter, the meat grinder, the sausage stuffer. I also got a Food Saver, and got a used freezer for my garage so I can store all my yummy creations! I also found some good deals on Pampered Chef Stoneware loaf pans, so my bread will turn out gorgeous & healthy! Other large kitchen gadgets I had already are: Viking Food Processor (not horrible, but I wish I'd gotten the Cuisinart!), Vita Mix Blender (LOVE it, could NOT live with out it!), meat slicer (trying to buy lunch meat whole - Trader Joe's sell small ones) and slice my own for freshness & savings!. I also found another great use for it: I froze a chicken breast, sliced it thinly, and made Tom Kha Gai. I never could get the chicken thin enough & that was perfect. I used some & put the rest, which was still frozen, in a freezer bag & then I had some for next time I made the soup (will Post the recipe later). Of course, now that I have the food saver, I will store in them next time.
Ok, well I'm almost at Stage: Crucial with my Pear Raspberry Jam, so I must end this post with a quick encouragement & be done (for now)....
I know this first post is all over the place, but I am a bit like that myself, so 1. you are getting to know the real me ;) and 2. I will go into greater depth on all these subjects, as they are not the random ramblings of a lunatic! They all work together towards the goal of of finding methods & lifestyle changes that will add up to a healthier, happier home & family.
Bless you for bearing with with me, hope to hear from you soon with input/questions/comments.
~Erin