A Simple Fact

Everybody knows I take a lot of pictures of food.

It's kinda my thing---or one of them, anyway.

We spend a lot of time together, food and I---whether up close and personal being prepped in my hands, meeting my tongue, or somewhere in my mind.

Food has facilitated friendships, conversations, traditions, moments that tie so much together.

I think one of my sons is on to something tho.

We were eating dinner not too long ago and he jumped up to grab his camera to take a photo of what we were eating.

(Observation: like mother, like son, I guess.)

Anyway, he came back to the table and came out with something that made me grab my iPhone and write it down so I wouldn't forget because it kind of cracked me up.

"It's a simple fact: every good meal requires a picture."

And you know what?

I can't really disagree.

Food

So, after this post on food, I went to lunch with a couple of long-time girlfriends of mine.

Somehow we got talking about how I love food, love to cook, and I mentioned that I have realized that I take A LOT of pictures of food.  

Like, maybe an inordinate amount.  

Just sayin.

And one of these dear friends started to laugh, and referenced that last post by saying that she had read it and was thinking to herself, "Yeah...she really likes food."

Okay.

But, here's the deal.

It's not that I sit and pig out all the time.

I just happen to really love to mix flavors and I love to eat yummy food.

So...in that spirit, I am going to post a whole bunch of photos of what we've been eating around here since that last post.

And, my one explanatory note?

I try to only cook with meat a couple of times a week.  

I'm persuaded health-wise on this issue.

That's why you'll see lots of pasta and vegetarian stuff, too.

That's been a bit of an ongoing learning curve, because I grew up in a house that, probably like many of you, had meat as the main dish for dinner every night.

Anyway, you'll see a mix of meat and non-meat dishes here.

Pork spare ribs with baked potatoes, corn and salad

Lentil cauliflower curry soup, from this cookbook, which I love.

Seriously...I can't state enough.  This was bomb dot com.

Check out this gal's blog at ohsheglows.com.

She doesn't disappoint.

A fast and delish version I make of homemade macaroni and cheese.

Use pepperjack cheese.  The kick is yum. 

 A salad I found pretty: 
red onions and walnuts and avocado, cottage cheese, pepper, etc.

 Quiche, I think? with the above salad.

 Pies for celebrating dad's birthday: 
banana cream, apple, chocolate cream

 Belgian waffles with sweetened whipped cream, strawberries, blueberries, bananas

Peanut butter cookie dough bites.  

Also from ohsheglows.  Delish.

I've pretty much kept a batch of these in my freezer ever since I first made them.

 Roasted potatoes, onions and carrots with sea salt and pepper.  

Salad on the side.

Homemade rolls.

Cuz, seriously.  Do we need an explanation on this one?

Mashed potatoes -- with butter and whole milk and salt and pepper.  
Not the flakes junk.  
Like genuine mashed potatoes.
It makes me laugh that I even have to put that explanatory note here, but it seems that folks do genuine mashed potatoes less and less.

There is no other alternative, in my book.

 Vegetarian Indian food.  Brown rice and lentils with vegetables and Indian spices.  I loved this.

White bean chicken chili, with cream and green chiles and cheese and some red pepper that kicks it up a notch.  I love this.

 Yummy, yummy cookie bars.  

 BBQ chicken with roasted asparagus and salad with tomato and avocado and purple onion and feta.

 Cinnamon bread.  

This is dangerous.

Garbanzo bean and butternut squash curry on brown rice.

I loved this.  Next time I make it, I will put way more squash in, tho.  That added this nice sweet flavor and good texture, too.

Homemade spinach almond pesto, tossed with pasta.  Roasted cauliflower on the side.  Salad.

Spaghetti with scratch sauce, roasted carrots, garlic bread, salad.

(I pretty much always make a salad with dinner.  Like every night.)

 BLTs on homemade artisan bread.  

(With above mentioned spinach almond pesto.)

 Artisan bread.

Vegetarian minestrone with kidney beans, white beans, pasta, spinach.

Hot bread and butter.

Albacore tuna sandwich.  

I talked about this before, but make it with apples and cheese in it.

Or with dill pickle and cheese and celery.  Mix it up.  It's good.

 Sugar cookies with my fave buttercream frosting that is just the perfect mix of sweet and salty.

 Ice cream cake, for Valentines Day dinner.

 Chicken Alfredo.

**************

Are you hungry yet?

Or do you have some new ideas for stuff to make? (I always love that.)

I'd be really flattered if you drooled.

Here's the thing: if it isn't obvious already, 

I totally nerd out on this topic.

Done, and done.

Go eat.

And make it good.

xoxo

Berries and Cream

 As a little girl, I would sit on the counter and watch my dad when he made pies.

I remember the swishing of the knives (back in the day before the pastry cutter), blending the shortening into the flour 'til it was just right.

I remember stealing the scraps and tasting the just-barely-salty lardy flavor in my mouth.

And man...that crust is to die for.

I had friends over for dinner recently and knew, a couple weeks before, that I was going to make berry pie.

And it was one of those things that I thought about
for all those two weeks leading up to it.

Mmmm.

They came on a Saturday evening, and the night before, in the quiet, I mixed sugar and tapioca and berries.

I made pie crust, all the while listening to an interview that my father did in 2010.

I heard him laughing, talking, telling stories.

The kitchen was quiet, just me and him and this familiar thing since childhood.

It was perfect.

And really, all I have to say today is that there are few things as delish or as comforting to body and soul as a slice of berry pie with cream.

Amen.

And amen.

Thursday afternoon

At 3:15 this afternoon I walked into the kitchen and found this on the counter.

 I opened it to find this: 

"I love you Mom," and signed by my gal.

She leaves me notes all the time.

Or other things, like when I came in from running yesterday and she had my smoothie bottle full of fresh water for me.

Or the way she'll fill my water cup full by my bed at night, cuz she knows I always take a big cup of water with me to bed.

She's thoughtful like that.

She makes me feel lucky to be her mother.

That was one buoyant thing this afternoon.

Another one? 

The boys have taken to listening to the radio in their room, and I can totally tell that it makes them feel cool, like adults.

(this pic is from 4 years ago)

It cracks me up.

Today, country music was blaring from their room.

It's so funny.  

And the last happy?

Making Belgian waffles for dinner.

Pouring the butter in here and I've set the batter out to rise while the Little Miss and I walk down to the post office to mail a letter.

Then, home for my dinner night date with Benji:

we're gonna whip cream,

chop strawberries, wash blueberries,

set the table, and then gather everyone 'round to eat.

This is Truth

Sometimes those close to you can really just say it how it is.

A few weeks back, this lady and I were on our way to Costco.

I don't even remember what we were discussing (must have been something regarding yummy calories), but she turned to me at one point and said, 

"Mom...you reeeeeeeeaaaaalllly like food."

Which totally cracked me up.

And, you know what?  It's true.

When I look back through my pics on my iPhone, there are a lot of pictures of food.

These are just in the last month, and I'm not posting birthday cake pics and German pancakes that were already posted here.

Roast with mashed potatoes and gravy, salad, and roasted cauliflower:

 Vegetarian taco salad:

 Oatmeal with cream, brown sugar, and pecans

(although my favorite way is with fresh strawberries, blueberries and bananas with raw almonds and honey):

 Potpie with gravy and salad and roasted carrots, cauliflower and onions:

 Homemade truffles: Dark chocolate orange, peppermint, and chocolate cream, rolled in pecans:

 A tunafish sandwich with potato chips tucked inside:

 Orange rolls rising on Christmas Eve morning:

 Huge pan of potatoes ready for roasting:

 Russian tea:

 Pomegranates...because I always think they're so beautiful:

 Cherry pie:

 Dinner rolls on Christmas:

 Chocolate chip cookies from just the other day:

Yup...she pretty much couldn't be more right.

I love to talk food, love to make food, love to eat food.

It's such a happy part of life.

On Chickens and Breakfasting

Because, yesterday, I mentioned 

strutting around like a chicken, 

I thought perhaps you'd like to see

the feathered ladies at our house.

From left to right, meet Cuss, Lady Gray, Miss Beattie, Bertha (also known as Big Betty or Goldie), 

Little Red, and Harriett.

I've just used six of their beautiful brown eggs to make German pancakes for the children for breakfast, baking in the oven right now.

I mean. 

Look at these beautiful eggs.

These three were particularly big.

But that one in the middle?

Huge.

It's a pretty lovely thing.

I'll serve those kids hot pancakes and some warm Russian tea.  

I wish I could give you a warm cup, but I can give you the recipe.

Russian Tea

Boil for 5 minutes: 2 cups water with 2 cups sugar

Then add, and heat to boil:

2 cups orange juice,

2 quarts of water,

1 teaspoon almond extract,

3/4 cup lemon juice (I sometimes like a little more than this...closer to a cup...but you can taste test and see what you like),

and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.

And then, just enjoy.

Mmmmm.

This drink takes me to Christmas Eve mornings of childhood 

and warm winter nights by the fire.

It's good for chilly mornings, too.

Warm citrus and almond and sweet is a lovely thing.