2010 April

raising healthy eaters: part 1

April 15, 2010 by rainyd01 6 Comments

I’m not the most clueless person in the world. I know that the pesto tortelinni that I ate for dinner last night was one of the worst possible food choices I could have made. I felt guilty for days after I fed my daughter a McDonald’s cheeseburger when we were on the road and in a rush. But feeling guilty about my food decisions doesn’t always translate into preventing bad ones. And when it comes to raising my daughter, I don’t want my poor decisions to set a bad example. I need to start with improving my own diet and work outwards.

So when heathy family eating guru Cynthia Lair was speaking in my neighborhood, I had to show up and hijack all the info that I could. She’s a nutrition professor at a local university, a mom, a fellow blogger, a published cookbook author, and a seriously funny lady. I was scribbling notes like a madwoman, and because I wanted to give a recap for all of you moms out there interested in what she had to say, I’m going to give you a summary in two parts (one today, one next week). I’ll try not to butcher her words, and keep in mind this is what I gleaned from her talk—others may have interpreted her advice differently and scribbled an entirely different 5 pages of notes. Her approach to healthy eating involves the whole family: one dinner cooked, one dinner eaten for everyone. No special meals for kids, no begging, no fighting, and no McDonald’s cheeseburgers.

I’m just kidding. That’s my own rule from now on. Cynthia is not one to banish foods from your diet. She’s an “in moderation” type ‘o gal.

So how do you get there? How do you achieve domestic culinary bliss for both kids and parents? I was dying to find out, and this spunky, petitie brunette, Power Point at-the-ready, didn’t disappoint.

She began with a simple question: how do we choose what we eat?

When you open your fridge, what’s going on in your head while you’re deciding what you feel like munching on? It may be a nagging, “I seriously have to eat three more servings of vegetables today?” Or it may be a justification: “I went to the gym. Therefore I can eat a gallon of ice cream.” Whatever you decide, and whatever logic takes you there, Cynthia explained that it’s seldom in touch with what your body really needs. That turkey sandwich may seem like a good choice, and it may very well be. But is your body in need of those particular foods? Would you be better off with a tuna salad? Pasta? Beans? Yogurt? Listening to your body, she explained, is nearly impossible given all of the preconceived notions we have about food, which are only multiplied and reinforced by media messages. But if you can try to shut off that mental chatter and listen to what your body is really asking for, you’ll be one step in the right direction.

Mine often tells me that I need to eat an entire bag of Cadbury Mini-Eggs. Luckily they’re only available once a year.

The conversation then inevitably turned to the question at hand: what should you eat? She explained from the get-go that she doesn’t label foods “good” or “bad”—in some cases the food that is the worst nutritionally might be the best choice. But she does advocate a diet full of “whole foods.” No, not the supermarket chain. Although maybe she shops there.

What she means by a “whole food” is one that meets the following general criteria:

A food that you can imagine growing. Froot Loops? Not so much. Unless there is a magical Froot Loop tree somewhere in the Yucatan. Toucan Sam is hangin’ out there as we speak.
A food that has one ingredient. Cool Whip is not one of these, much to my dismay.
A food that has not had much done to it since harvesting. Something that has been chopped up, purified, liquified, mixed together with a bunch of other chopped up, purified, liquified junk, and then packaged, shipped, unloaded, and finally placed on a supermarket shelf is not a whole food.
A food that has all of it’s original edible parts present. Hence the word whole.
A food that has been known to nourish humans on this planet for a long time. Like Splenda. It’s nourished me since 2006.

So, a family’s diet should consist of foods that are mostly whole. But if you’re anything like me, at this point you were on the verge of panic. We can eat…vegetables? Beans? Eggs? And….I’m out of ideas. Just as I was about to write Ms. Lair off as some Houdini trying to steal my delicious cooking mojo, she further explained what a diet full of whole foods would actually look like. And here’s what it would include:

Whole grains. Barley, brown rice, corn, oats, and whole wheat flour just to name a few. Phew. I may not be able to have Funyuns, but I can eat the heck out of some millet. Booyah.
Beans. Which are, as Cynthia explained, a complete protein when combined with whole grains. To demonstrate: black beans + corn = yummy and pretty darn good for you, especially when slathered in sour cream. I have problems.
Animal Protein in portions per day the size of your fist. That means for a kiddo, it’s a tiny amount and for an adult it can be larger. And I was pleased as pie to discover that Cynthia is on my hippie meat bandwagon: organic, ethically raised, properly fed, and hormone and antibiotic-free. RDG is so popular and widely-read that I have created a movement. And if you believe any part of that sentence you’re not as savvy as I thought you were.
Dairy. Preferably organic, especially when it comes to milk. And milk, contrary to popular belief, Cynthia explains, is not a drink. It’s a food and part of a food group. Although the ADA would lead you to believe otherwise, it’s not essential to a child’s growth and they don’t need as much as we’re told they do. So when my pediatrician tells me that Lucy should be drinking 24 ounces (?!?!) of whole milk per day, I can tell her to take the proverbial hike.
Nuts and seeds. You know, when they’re old enough for them not to be a choking hazard.

Whew. Got all that? Me neither. But I’m trying. I’m torn between jumping on the Cynthia Lair bandwagon and writing the whole thing off as “that hippie lecture I went to one time…remember?” I want to incorporate some of these ideas into our lives, but to put all my chips on the table would sacrifice a lot of what makes me happy (cooking unhealthy junk and blogging about it).

That’s all for today. I’m off to stock my cupboards with spelt, garbanzos and animal proteins the size of my fist. At least that’s what you should tell Cynthia if she asks.

Tune in next week for part deux of the lecture. Miss Lair has got a lot more tricks up her sleeves, as well as some practical tips for dealing with picky eaters and how to maintain sanity around mealtimes.

-RDG

Filed Under: et cetera Tagged With: advice, Cynthia Lair, feeding the whole family, healthy, lecture, raising healthy eaters

gemelli with turkey spinach meatballs

April 13, 2010 by rainyd01 9 Comments

On one rainy Monday, after feeing my daughter a lunch of her favorite pasta (Annie’s O’s with soy “meat”balls), I was feeling a little guilty. I had just fed my toddler something out of a can. Three days in a row. And she loved it. And even though the ingredients are all organic and things I can pronounce, I set out to make my own version. I wanted something Husband and I could eat and enjoy with her, but that would still be easy for little toddler fingers to pick up and place in her little toddler mouth.

What resulted was not only incredibly tasty, but something I felt good about eating and serving to my little one year-old garbage disposal. You should make this too, whether it’s for you or for your little eater. Or both.

To begin, you’ll need grated parmesan cheese, one egg, freshly ground pepper, whole grain breadcrumbs (or regular ones—Italian style, in either case), and garlic salt.

Also prep some chopped spinach. If you’re using the frozen kind, squeeze all of the water out.

Pile one pound of ground turkey, your spinach, cheese, breadcrumbs, garlic salt, pepper, and egg in a bowl. Mix well with your hands until the mixture is uniform…

…and then shape into balls. I made mine small and cooked them in two batches.

Brown the outsides, and then add enough water to the pan to go about 1/4 of the way up the sides of the meatballs.

Cover and let simmer until those tiny balls are cooked all the way through.

Remove them from the pan and let them rest on paper towels while you prep the pasta.

Begin by pouring one large can of tomato sauce into a large pot. Bring to a boil.

For the pasta, you can use whatever type you’d like: spiral, bow tie, orichette, macaroni, or even long noodles like fettucini or spaghetti. I used these tiny spirals called gemelli because they’re easy for little fingers to pick up.

Pour the pasta into the boiling tomato sauce and cook until the pasta is al dente and the mixture has thickened. It should take between 20 and 25 minutes with lots of stirring—those little noodles love to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Almost there…

Perfect. Add one tablespoon of butter…

…1/2 cup of milk…

…and 1/4 cup more of grated parmesan.

Mix well, add your meatballs, and presto—kid-friendly, adult-approved pasta that the whole fam-damily will love.

You can make it pretty by garnishing with a little fresh parsley and a sprinkling of cheese. No one will ever know this stuff is for kids by looking at it.

Or by tasting it, for that matter. By cooking the noodles in the tomato sauce, they’re given a rich, hearty flavor.

And the meatballs? Oh, the meatballs. I don’t know if I’ll ever make meatballs without spinach again. Not only does it give this dish a healthy boost, but that lovely green veggie lent some gorgeous flavor to these suckers. I may or may not have eaten two right out of the pan.

Or five.

This recipe makes a huge batch, too. Perfect for a big family dinner, leftovers for the whole week, or for freezing for a rainy (or busy) day.

Make this soon for your little monsters. Or your hungry stomach.

-RDG

Gemelli with Turkey Spinach Meatballs

1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs (whole grain, if you can find them)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese divided, plus more for garnish
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
1 package Gemelli pasta (or whatever type you feel like using)
1 large can tomato sauce
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter

To make the meatballs, combine turkey, breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese, spinach, egg, pepper and garlic salt in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until the mixture is uniform and then roll 1-2 tablespoon amounts into balls. Brown half of the meatballs in a large nonstick skillet, and then add enough water to the pan to come 1/4 up the sides of the meatballs. Cover and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining meatballs.

Pour tomato sauce into a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, until pasta is al dente—about 20-25 minutes. Stir in the milk, butter, and remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Gently stir in meatballs. Serve with a sprinkling of cheese and garnish with fresh parsley. Serves 8.

Filed Under: food Tagged With: gemelli, kid-friendly, pasta, recipe, tomato sauce, turkey meatballs

normalcy, or something like it

April 12, 2010 by rainyd01 6 Comments

Because it’s monday, and because I am so worn out that I can’t even muster the energy to hunt for my slippers to warm my freezing feet, and because the coffee just won’t seem to make itself, today’s post is not about food. And I’m sorry. Sorting through hundreds of pictures, cropping them, making them look like they were taken in a kitchen whose light does not resemble a catacomb’s, and trying to describe to you how to make a pasta dish or braised short ribs just seems like an insurmountable task. So instead, because I love ya and because you’re the only person reading this, I thought I’d share a little about what’s going on in the RDG household.

If you’ve been around lately, you know that Husband went under the knife. He’s now on the mend and feeling fine. But the surgery and the week that followed left me a little off-kilter, a little exhausted, and a little overwhelmed. I couldn’t catch my breath even for a moment, and I wasn’t even the one who had just been cut open. As soon as I was beginning to regain my emotional balance toward the end of the week, a family situation arose that completely surprised me and left me feeling sucker-punched. I’m still reeling, not quite sure what to make of the whole thing. Let’s just say, without going into the gory details, that it has not been a quality week for RDG. I’m one sob-fest away from packing up this joint and moving to Bermuda. If I don’t post anything tomorrow, Husband, Lucy and I have legally changed our names and are hiding out east of Florida.

Okay, now onto the happy stuff. Several things are not crappy about life right now. Let’s make a list.

1. My daughter has decided that this is her most photogenic expression. I’m okay with it.

2. Braised short ribs. I dreamed about them last night. Literally.

This is one of the recipes I couldn’t bring myself to write about today. I’m a tease and I’m sorry. But I’ll have it ready later this week, I swear.

3. I planted a gazillion herbs. Lemon thyme, dill, lavender, chives—anything I like to cook with, I planted. Now if my brown thumb will step aside so I can keep these suckers alive, I would greatly appreciate it.

Oh, and my hand is not sweaty in this picture. It’s wet from washing the thyme. I promise.

4. Little Bear pushes around her little bee all day long. Sometimes I strip her down and watch her do it in her diaper because diaper butts (and half-naked babies) are the cutest thing in the world.

Moms? Am I right, or am I right?

5. I made this pasta dish with turkey and spinach meatballs that I thought Lucy would love—sort of a grownup Spaghettios. She didn’t dig it as much as I did. But I really, really, really dug it. So the bar was set high. I’ll post the recipe this week so you too can make your “kids” a healthy pasta dish. And if it’s for you, that’s okay too.

6. My daughter and my husband have the same hair. And it makes me smile.

These two are my saving grace. When everything goes pear-shaped, they’re right there to make it apple-shaped again. Or banana-shaped. Or whatever fruit is very, very symmetrical.

Happy monday!

-RDG

Filed Under: et cetera Tagged With: braised short ribs, husband, Lucy, pasta, random, ranting

green chile chowder, lightened up

April 9, 2010 by rainyd01 3 Comments

While catching up with my favorite food blogs one lazy afternoon, I ran smack-dab into the middle of one of the most awe-inspiring, delicious-sounding, I-must-make-this-now recipes I’ve seen in quite some time.

I read the recipe at 3:00, was at the store by 4:00, and had this chowder in my stomach by 6:00. When a recipe turns an afternoon of web surfing and Judge Judy into a mad cooking dash, you know it has to be a great one.

But being me—never quite satisfied, unabashedly restless, and with a compulsive need to alter every recipe attempted—I changed it a bit. I substituted sweet potatoes for savory ones, added corn, switched roasted garlic for the raw variety, and cut the fat. What ensued was a crazy-delicious, smoky/spicy, slightly sweet and completely yummy chowder. I was in love.

Anything New Mexican-inspired makes my skirt fly up. Literally. If you haven’t seen my undies, you haven’t been around me very long. I’m a sucker for green chiles, cilantro, roasted corn—these are all foods that make me flash my neighbors.

Luckily, I’ve invested in the full-coverage granny panties, lest they should accuse me of indecent exposure.

What I loved most about this particular Santa Fe-style dish was the combination of the smoky spice (provided by roasted jalapenos and anaheim chiles) and the tinge of sweetness from the yams and corn.

Here’s an equation:

Corn chowder + spice – fat + a helluva lot of flavor = green chile chowder.

Got it? The quiz begins at 9.

I suggest that you make this today. Preferably for lunch. Or dinner. Or a snack. Or for that potluck tomorrow. Or because your neighbors haven’t seen your panties in a while.

-RDG

Green Chile Chowder, Lightened Up

4 Anaheim or Poblano peppers
2 Jalapeno peppers
1 onion
1 cup cilantro
3-4 yams or sweet potatoes
1 cup corn (frozen is fine)
5-6 cloves roasted garlic
4 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup milk
1 cup fat free half and half
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Garnish: (optional) lime wedges, cilantro sprigs, dollops of sour cream

Preheat oven to broil and move oven rack to highest possible position. Place jalapenos and green chiles on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Place under the broiler for 5-10 minutes on each side, or until skin of peppers is thoroughly blackened. Remove from oven and fold aluminum foil around peppers to keep warm.

Dice onion and peel and dice potatoes. In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat and add onion. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, until onion is translucent. Remove peppers from foil packet, peel, remove seeds, and dice (either wear gloves or wash your hands thoroughly after this step). Add peppers, potatoes, roasted garlic, corn, cilantro, chicken stock, cumin, and salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes until potatoes are cooked and mixture has thickened. Remove from heat.

In a blender or food processor, puree half to three-quarters of the chowder, depending on how chunky you would like it. Pour pureed mixture back into pot, add milk and half and half and stir. Place chowder back on stove to bring it up to serving temperature. Garnish with lime wedges, cilantro and sour cream if desired. Serves 8.

Filed Under: food Tagged With: green chile chowder, recipe, santa fe, soup, spicy

mini strawberry pies

April 7, 2010 by rainyd01 24 Comments

I have a weakness for delicious food, miniaturized. Tartlets, finger sandwiches, mini marshmallows; all foods improved by their tiny stature. So when I had the urge to make pie with a huge flat of strawberries I had just purchased, I knew that I had to go small. Big is soooo 2009.

Although these pies are personal-sized, don’t underestimate their flavor. The crust is crisp and buttery, the filling is fresh, chunky and light (not jelly-like, as most grocery store pies are). And most importantly, they’re really dang cute. Also, you don’t need any special equipment—no tart pans, no ramekins. Just a good old fashioned cupcake pan. So you can make them with me.

Ready? Let’s start with the crust.

You’ll need flour, cake flour, salt, lightly beaten eggs and cold cubed butter.

And starting now I’d like you to ignore the rumors that good pie crust is difficult to make. That is a vicious lie started by the pie companies to keep you buying their inferior pies. I know, they’re evil, right? There is only one rule when making crust: keep the butter cold and keep the dough cold. As long as you do that, you’re golden. And your crust will be, too.

I amaze myself at my own level of cheesiness sometimes.

Mix the flours and salt together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the cold butter cubes and mix on low for 1 minute, then add the eggs and mix on medium low until the dough forms a cohesive mass. It may clump together right away or it may separate into tiny pieces before clumping together—every batch of dough has a mind of it’s own. Don’t ask me why.

Pat the dough into a disc, wrap in cellophane and place in the fridge while you prepare your other ingredients.

Now is also a good time to preheat your oven to 400F and place your cupcake pan in the freezer. Because the fish sticks need company.

You’ll need strawberries. I was delighted when these hit the stores this spring. The real ones—not the fake rubbery-tasting look-a-likes that pass for strawberries in the winter months.

Their little strawberry faces make me smile.

After you’ve washed, dried and de-stemmed them, remove any mushy or un-ripe parts and chop each berry in half. Quarters if they’re huge.

Next, in a small bowl mix together some flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch and a dash each of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Toss the strawberries in a little vanilla extract (or a Grand Marnier if you’re feeling naughty)…

…and coat them in the flour/sugar mixture.

Remove your dough from the fridge.

On a clean surface, roll out 3/4 of your pie dough until it is about 1/8″ thick. Return the remaining 1/4 of the dough to the fridge.

Cut circles in the dough using a round that is approximately 3″ in diameter. None of my cookie cutters were quite the right size, so I used this gorgeous coffee cup that my dear Ma-in-law gave me. It worked perfectly.

Cut a total of 9 circles. If at any point the dough is no longer cold (you’ll know—it will begin to stick to your work surface), place it in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes and then continue. It will be a pain in the butt to work with if it gets warm.

Remove the cupcake pan from the freezer (the cold temperature will make shaping the dough easier) and lightly grease the cups with butter. Press and stretch each round into the cup, making sure that there are no holes in the dough. If you find a hole that you can’t seem to fix, pinch a small piece from the remaining dough in the fridge and use it to patch the hole. Then overfill the pies with the strawberry mixture—the berries will shrink down while cooking. I used my fingers to arrange the berries to ensure the maximum amount of berry goodness in each little pie.

Roll out the remaining dough to 1/8″ thickness. Use a pizza cutter to slice strips that are 1/4″ to 1/3″ in width.

Jeez, I’m giving a lot of annoying measurements in this recipe. I apologize. Don’t listen to me—just go with your gut.

Lay three or four strips across the pie in one direction, pinching the ends off as you go. Press each seam together so they adhere.

You could make a true woven lattice crust here if you have more patience than the Dali Lama and incredibly dextrous fingers. Which I do not. You know who would be remarkably good at making these pies? John Cusack’s character in Being John Malkovich.

While we’re discussing pop culture, let’s play Where’s Waldo with the photo below. Can you spy the pie that I tried to weave into a lattice crust? My attempt lasted all of five seconds. And then I threw in the towel and chucked Waldo against the wall.

Place your cupcake pan on top of a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake for 30-40 minutes. If at anytime the crust is becoming too brown, cover with foil and continue baking.

And when they’re done? Masterpieces, my friends. Masterpieces. Although (and I hate to tell you this now, after you’ve done all this work) you have to give them an hour or two to cool before eating. Otherwise you’ll have a gooey red mess that is very un-pretty.

But once they’re ready to eat? Oh, baby. Get ready for some strawberry lovin’.

I’m not even going to say anything else for a few and let you enjoy these photos:

For me, this is as close to perfect as pie can get. The crust is crisp but not hard. The filling showcases the flavor of the strawberries—it doesn’t mask it in a barrage of goo. They’re not overly sweet. The crust has a buttery richness that is nicely complimented by the flavor of the berries. The….

Okay, once again, shutting up.

I can’t seem to say enough about these little beauties, so I’ll leave you with one last thing: you need these in your life. Like, yesterday.

Happy hump day!

-RDG

Mini Strawberry Pies

For the crust: (Inspired by a basic crust recipe in James Peterson’s Baking)

1 cup cake flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2″ cubes
2 lightly beaten eggs

Mix the flours and salt together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the cold butter cubes and mix on low for 1 minute, then add the eggs and mix on medium low until the dough forms a cohesive mass. Pat the dough into a disc, wrap in cellophane and place in the fridge.

For the filling:

1 1/2 lbs fresh strawberries, to yield about 4 cups halved strawberries
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (not packed)
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 dash cinnamon
1 dash nutmeg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl mix together the dry ingredients. In a larger bowl, toss the strawberries with the vanilla extract and then toss with the dry ingredients.

To assemble the pies:

Preheat oven to 400F. Place a cupcake pan in the freezer.

On a clean surface, roll out 3/4 of your pie dough until it is about 1/8″ thick. Return the remaining 1/4 of the dough to the fridge.

Cut circles in the rolled-out dough using a round that is approximately 3″ in diameter to make a total of 9 circles. Remove cupcake pan from fridge and lightly grease 9 of the cups with butter. Gently press each dough round into greased cups, coming all the way up the edges and leaving a small rim of dough at the top. Patch any holes with a pinch of extra dough from the refrigerator. If at any time you’re working with the dough and it becomes sticky, wrap and place in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes before continuing.

Overfill each pie with strawberry mixture. Roll out remaining dough and slice into 1/4″ to 1/3″ strips. Lay strips of dough across each pie in a criss-cross pattern, pinching each seam together as you go along. Place cupcake pan on top of baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes. If the crust is ever becoming too brown, cover pies with aluminum foil and continue baking. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes, then remove and let pies cool completely on a wire rack before serving. Makes 9 pies.

Filed Under: food Tagged With: cute, dessert, fruit pie, mini pies, mini strawberry pies, strawberries

home is where the mess is

April 6, 2010 by rainyd01 5 Comments

A friend and I recently got into a discussion about hoarders and hoarding. I’m a little fascinated by it, and she had me enraptured with a story of her firsthand experience. I know you’re curious too. It goes like this:

Her neighbor’s front door was ajar for two days. My friend eventually knocked, received no answer and went inside, praying that she wouldn’t find the neighbor dead on the floor. The woman was nowhere to be found. Even if the old lady was there, however, my friend would have had no idea where to find her—trash and debris were stacked to waist-level. Newspapers three years old, mail from 1962, books and soda cans littered the floor. Narrow pathways flanked by hills of garbage meandered through the house. Greasy handprints smeared the wall where the old lady had tried to stabilize herself while navigating her living room. One lone burner was available on the stove; the rest were stacked with garbage and splattered with cooked food. A small worn spot on the couch and a ratty blanket served as the woman’s bed.

My friend left, baffled and a little sickened. The neighbor eventually returned from a long weekend. She never told her neighbor what she had found. My friend later realized that in all the time that they had lived next door to this woman, she had never seen her take her trash or recycling to the curb. Stuff and more stuff kept coming into the house, but nothing ever left.

As much as I was entertained by this story (the A&E show got me a little mesmerized by hoarders), I must admit that I could relate to this poor woman who was being swallowed, quite literally, by her house. The last few days, Husband has been laid up on the couch from surgery. I’ve been the sole Lucy caretaker, nurse to a sick husband, cook, maid, garbage taker-outer, toy putter-awayer, and general clutter master. The thing that has overwhelmed me the most has not been getting breakfast, lunch and dinner on the table or getting my daughter bathed and to bed on time. It hasn’t been being on my feet 10 hours a day or trying to find a half hour to have a cup of coffee and read.

The things that have been the toughest are doing the dishes. Getting the bath toys in the tub. Getting the bath toys out of the tub. Hanging the wet towels. Washing the pajamas. Losing my shoes. Finding my shoes. Tripping over my shoes. Rinsing the coffee press. Locating my book. Locating the page that Lucy ripped out of my book. Trying to make my way through an obstacle course of toys so I can reach the couch so I can read my book. Getting frustrated with the sea of toys. Picking up the sea of toys. Watching my daughter create another sea of toys in 5 seconds flat. Going to Costco. Trying to fit the stuff from Costco into the car on top of the stroller. Unloading the stuff from Costco. Putting away the stuff from Costco. Realizing that I just brought a bunch of stuff into my house that I’ll only have to take care of, put away, recycle, throw out or use up. And the cycle continues.

I realize that I am nothing like a hoarder. If anything, I am a neat freak in a toddler’s world: there is a slim chance of survival. But what all of this fascination with hoarding got me wondering is this: how much of our stuff do we enjoy, and how much of it becomes a burden?

I enjoy reading books, but do I need to keep a collection of 700? Having a book collection means buying lots of bookshelves. Installing them. Organizing them. Dusting them. Lucy loves her toys, but does she need stuffed elephants and monkeys and bears and bunnies? I spend half my day plucking stuffed animals from every corner of the house. What about all of the other miscellaneous junk? Boxes full of office supplies, random electronics, old clothes that I “might” wear in another season. A million board games, ten tons of magazines, CDs up the wazzu. I feel like every year I pare down, making trips to Goodwill and donating stuff to friend’s garage sales. But when you’re constantly bringing more stuff that you don’t really need into your home, it’s a losing battle. It’s a war between what you use everyday and the items that you might use given the right circumstances.

I realize that what I’m complaining about is really a bourgeoisie dilemma. I am so lucky to have the money and the space to have all this stuff. Millions of people around the world would happily enjoy all of the comforts and pleasures that a home filled with stuff provides, or even a home with very little stuff. But are we, the lucky ones who have a world of merchandise at our fingertips, really any happier than the folks who have little? Besides the necessities: food, water, heat, a roof and a place to sleep, what use do we have for all of the other things?

I sound like a hippie. And for all of the fun I make of hippies, in certain areas they’re onto something. Less is more. Waste not, want not. Live Zen. Dog is my copilot.

Okay, scratch that last one. But seriously, people. I’m like two seconds away from selling this joint and moving into a tiny, tiny condo with one closet. My job, besides mother, wife, and blogger off her rocker, is manager of stuff. And it’s not a happy job. It’s messy, frustrating, time-consuming and tests my patience. And we’re not even close to being hoarders; we have very little stuff compared to most American households. My point, friends, if there is one, is how do you strike a balance between the enjoyment of the stuff and the managing of the stuff? Lately, because I’m worn down, worn out, and totally frustrated, I can’t seem to find the Zen. I feel like that old woman, wearing paths around her living room, hands reaching out to the walls to catch my balance.

Filed Under: et cetera Tagged With: hippies, hoarding, home, home organization, mess, ramblings

white bean and roasted garlic dip

April 5, 2010 by rainyd01 5 Comments

It’s monday. My knuckles have that dry, annoying itchy thing going on. Husband is drugged and asleep on the couch next to me. Once in a while he wakes and says something about Christmas and smugglers. I’ve had chipped neon yellow nail polish on my fingernails for over a week. My daughter has figured out the joy of wheeled toys, while my head has not. I’ve been the single parent on-duty, plus on-call nurse, for what seems like an eternity.

But, on the brighter side, I found some time during various Husband and Lucy naps to cook. And I successfully navigated Trader Joe’s on a sunday, although I not-so-successfully escaped with entirely too much food that will not fit in my freezer nor my pantry.

One of these items that just wouldn’t fit was a can of beans: cannelinni, to be exact. And they’re the main ingredient in this delicious dip. It’s full of roasted garlic and is a must for dipping veggies, bread, or for spreading on crackers. Think hummus but lighter in flavor, more garlicky and without the richness that tahini provides.

Cannelinni beans (a.k.a. white kidney beans) should be available from your local grocer. If you can’t find them, garbanzo beans or navy beans would do just fine. You’ll need one can, rinsed and drained.

Also grab three or four sprigs of parsley and one head of roasted garlic. See my handy-dandy reference guide on how to roast garlic right here.

Place the beans, parsley, and roasted garlic cloves (just squeeze ‘em out of their little garlic skins) in a small food processor or blender. A regular-sized food processor would work if you’re willing to make a double batch.

Season with salt and pepper and add 1/3 cup of olive oil.

If you look very closely at the upper left-hand corner, you can behold the glory that is my nail polish.

Pulse and blend for a few minutes until you have a uniform consistency. You may have to pause and scrape down the sides a few times, as this makes for a fairly thick mixture.

Once it’s well-blended you’re done! So easy, fairly healthy (we’ll call olive oil a good fat), and tastes fresh and light.

I love, love, love this dip. It’s light and yet deeply flavored from the roasted garlic—a pretty awesome combo. Plus, it’s yummy for whatever your dipping needs require.

Except baklava. That might taste weird.

You could also use it in as a sandwich spread or in place of mayo in a chicken salad. Ooh! Or on a gyro or falafel!

Damn it. Now I’m hungry.

Speaking of hunger, I’m always on the hunt for snack foods in my fridge. And a funny thing happens when I have dip on hand: I actually consider vegetables snacks.

I take one look at that gorgeous dip, chop up some carrots…

…and dive right in. Miraculously, this also prevents me from snacking on cheesecake and potato chips.

Alright. That was a total lie. I snack on this stuff in addition to cheesecake and potato chips.

I have problems.

I’m trying to decide what letters this photo is trying to depict. CA? CO? CE? It’s definitely a C followed by some sort of vowel.

Happy monday! Make dip. And send me good thoughts. I’m going to need them to get through another day of nursing and mothering. And nursing. And mothering. And nursing….

-RDG

White Bean and Roasted Garlic Dip