The Earthbound Cook

I bought myself a Christmas present - "The Earthbound Cook". Yes, a cookbook. But honestly, I've been in a bit of a rut, haven't felt like cooking and my appetite is not great. I'm just pretty uninspired by food lately! So I decided that a little inspiration wouldn't hurt. Plus today is the Staff/Resident Christmas Reception and I will get a nice little gift that will more than cover the cost of the book. And I also have a whole shelf to fill on my cookbook shelf now that I moved all the books to a new one! (obsessed? perhaps).


Anyways, I was reading about the benefits of organic farming and a dream in me was renewed. I've always wanted to live on an animal and vegetable farm. When I was 16 or 17, I began volunteering at a horse breeding farm to gain some large animal experience. I spent a year mucking out stalls, delivering bails of hail, and learning about an amazing animal. I quickly found out that i was a city gal - I got shocked a few too many times by the wire on the fence. My supervisor smiled near the end of my time there and said that I had come a long way - that they weren't sure if it would work out with me!

That was when I first got the idea that I want to have a home on a big property and animals and be able to open it up to others in need. Now the idea has and is continuing to change with maturity. But I remember being struck by how therapeutic working with animals was - even though I did not have the language of "therapy" to stick with my experience. Cooking is also a means of "therapy" for me.

Today on my way to work, I couldn't help to be inspired by the gorgeous pictures of fruits and vegetables growing in the backyard of the author's home! Wouldn't it be wonderful to fill the table with foods that don't contain pesticides and that haven't sat in the back of truck for days or weeks? I even had a brief moment today when I thought that having organic meat was a good idea - I was shocked by my somewhat ok-ness with sacrificing Buffy the cow to feed the family (hmmm..... let me rephrase. My husband can do the deed while I am out somewhere! I shall add that to my description of husband requirements: willing to bring me coffee in the morning, a strong Christian, able to proofread, able to read in between the lines, and be willing to do the much dreaded deed should we one day live on a farm).

One of the draws to organic eating is a change of lifestyle habits. I was reading about ways in which energy, resources and time are wasted and began reflecting on the number of times I have thrown out good food simply because I didn't know tips that would help preserve food longer (did you know that you should wash lettuce when you get it, put it through a salad spinner, then in a bag with a paper towel, store in the coldest part of the fridge [preferably a crisper] and away from apples? Supposedly lettuce will stay firm for a week!)


So expect updates on what it is like to become an earthbound cook and to allow this lifestyle to permeate every aspect of my life!

Kale Salad - Original Recipe

Kale Salad

I introduced Kale Salad to a group of youth and their families this past Friday. For many it was the first time they have ever seen, let alone tasted, this glorious vegetable. For others, it was the first time they had had Kale raw. I had forgotten that this was a potluck dinner, and so I had forgotten to bring anything from my kitchen. So this is an original recipe.

In keeping with the Christmas theme, I used: Red apples, Red onions, Red peppers and Kale.

The dressing was as follows:
1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice
1/2 of vegetable oil (I think olive oil would have been much better)
1-2 tbsp of Mustard
1tsp cayenne pepper

Toss with salad..... mmmmmm.
This salad seemed to win over even those who are not salad people!

A Pokeman Christmas

As an outreach event, I held a Christmas cookie decorating event with seniors, students and members of the local church. It was a wonderful evening of hearing stories of Christmas traditions, and learning of one person who used to decorate wedding and birthday cakes. I love having baking and cooking nights as it allows each other to learn things that one might not learn over a cup of coffee. I also really enjoy holding intergenerational events as I think the stories and experiences shared are beneficial to both!

Apparently Christmas can't be Christmas without a pokeball ornament! K. came up with this design.

Pokeball

Others made various creative Christmas ornaments with the sprinkles I had provided. I was amazed at the creativity!

Santa Claus

 

Youth Group Night - Japanese Food!

On your mark. Get set. Go! 15 youth divided into pairs of 2 or 3 with a recipe or two in a kitchen that has few supplies. I told the youth group that I was two too tired to cook, so they were going to cook for me. Improvisation is the key word of the night - a cup for a bowl, a glass for a rolling pin. Several of the youth had not cooked before and many of these foods were considered "exotic". My name was called throughout the evening and food preparation techniques were given. Everyone had a choice - they could cook or be on sole cleanup duty. Everyone made the wise choice to cook.

It took a long time to prepare - much longer than I had anticipated. So between the long wait and the eagerness to try the dishes that we prepared, we were more than ready to sit down together. In the spirit of the Japanese who thank the earth for the food, we thanked God for the food, the friendship and the time that we had together to learn new things.

Then - for the first time in a few hours - there was complete silence followed by a chorus of "mmmmm"s.

Here are pictures from the evening's menu:

Spicy Edamames

Beef and Pepper DIsh

This salad was prepared by one young man who adamently proclaimed that he could not cook. So I gave him the salad that only required slicing tofu, tomatoes and avocadoes. I learned afterwards that I had successfully given him a dish to prepare with every ingredient he did not like! Poor guy didn't get to enjoy the fruits of his labour!




Tofu Salad



Daikon Salad



Bean Dish



Avocado Dip



Teryaki Chicken

Well done youth for a delicious meal.