Pleasuring 8 ladies today

I am on my way to cook for 8 ladies wanting to  have a good time and learn a few things about good food. I look forward to it, those dinners are always way too much fun. I love my job!
cheers

Meat Glue

Say what?

When I heard of this product I was could not figure out what my friend was talking about. Is this is one of those funny videos from YouTube? Is this even about meat? … I really had never heard of anything like it.

I need to let you know that this video can be a bit gruesome and certainly shocking at times.  http://d.yimg.com/nl/australia/site/player.swf?vid=24472661&repeat=0&browseC 

What I am told is that meat glue can be called something else and approved for use in Canada…

I know that food products like Cheese Whiz can be a bit scary when you start figuring out how they are made, but you kind of expect that, to use my example, it’s cheese in a jar! When you buy meat you expect it to be just that… meat. Not a meat reformed into a steak.

Wow, is this crazy or what?

Send me some comments please … it will tell me there is a chance this world will stop doing these kinds of things and start realizing how screwy this is…

Mum’s the word

Mother’s Day is this Sunday, but my Mom was just here for a whole glorious ten days from Easter onwards, so I got my dose in early. We got to just hang out, which is something we have enjoyed my whole life. My Mom and I like to talk – not just chat, but talk passionately about things that matter to us – and it is far more fun to do it in the same room sharing the same bottle of wine, as opposed to over the phone long distance, with our own glasses in our hands. I am really glad when I get to share time with my Mom, no matter what we are doing. I just like having her around.

We got to walk the dogs together. It was funny to see our unruly Simon (the German Short-Haired Pointer) with my Mom, as he is often a real handful with people. Mom just put on her stern “I’m the Mom, and I’m in charge” voice, and he shaped right up!

We had coffee together. I prepare more coffee when my Mom visits, but we don’t always drink more, as we can just as easily end up being caught up in a discussion of supreme importance (at the time) and the water never gets poured, or the pump never gets pushed, or the coffee in the cups gets cold and we have to start over. But we can come dangerously close to solving the problems of the world.

We got to sit on the deck together. My Mom could have been an architect or a landscape designer. She has redesigned my house(s) and garden(s) in the air over the years so many times she should get an honourary degree, I am sure. I am the kind of person who just goes with an idea, and then fills in the rest. She has a plan and can tell you which style it is, from which part of the world and from which century… and whether your neighbor has done a good enough job to keep up with you if you decide to make your changes. The best part is though, she IS a Mom, and Moms are the ones who when you go off in a completely different direction (one that seems like it could go completely wrong – as in, you will be laughed at or will end up in tears)… they stand by, at the ready, and they are there to give you a hug and say “It’s OK” if it does blow up, or with equal love and enthusiasm, “Bravo!” if it goes right.

The crowning glory, if you will pardon the pun of course, was that we got to watch ANOTHER Royal Wedding together. I still remember sitting up and discussing every little detail of Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ wedding, thirty years ago. It seemed only proper that we share this regal moment as well, and so Mom planned to be here on the special day.

We had grand plans of an elegant party, with spiffy appetizers throughout the wee hours. In fact, all we managed was to finish the chocolate sponge cake that Martin made for us, so we could have something special with our bubbly. But we did wear hats with our jammies, and we waved our flags as the cars headed to Westminster Abbey, just like all the well-wishers on the streets of London. We giggled at some of the more outrageous outfits (didn’t William’s cousins Eugenie and Beatrice look like the two stepsisters from Walt Disney’s Cinderella? And how is it the wife of the British PM didn’t get whisked away by the Protocol Police for not wearing a hat to the ceremony??) We oohed and aahed at the more elegant guests and we admired the new Princess’ vision of creating a forest in the Abbey. (I thought it looked like the wedding of Robin Hood and Maid Marion when they all came down the aisle, with Pippa holding the hands of the young girls and all of the greenery framing their way). It all went swimmingly well, really, and we agreed the bride and groom looked much more “in the moment” than William’s parents all those thirty years ago. It made my heart swell to see their smiles, and I know Mom wiped a few tears away.

As we clinked glasses and watched them begin their Happily Ever After, I thought how wonderful it was to live in the moment with my Mom, “yet one more time again”, as she is fond of saying. I cherish every moment we get to share, but I do love being able to stack them up!

One of my first Mother’s Day cards said, “To Mumsy, with love from Clumsy”. I am here today, many years later, saying, “Thanks Mumsy, for showing me the classy side of clumsy”. That and so many other things you have shared with me. I feel like I have my own Queen for a Mom, so I guess that makes me a Princess, too, doesn’t it?

Happy Mother’s Day to all those wonderful role models out there.

Kristin

Taboo BBQ Sampling

I will be at Save on Food in Westbank / West Kelowna today from 11:30am until about 4:30pm.
Sampling barbecue sauce on baby back ribs... come visit...

Are you going to eat that?

I have been working with kids in after school programs and one of the things I try to do is show them new foods. My biggest discovery is that kids seem to say no less easily to a stranger like me versus their own mom or dad. I have asked many kids and most say they don't it at home but they don't mind trying it with me. So don't be shy to send your kids somewhere else so they can experience new food. 

Here are some ideas that have been fun to try:

1. it's OK to bribe, push, manipulate, scheme or even force your kids to try new foods - no one will call social services on you...
2. pick a new fruit and get the kids to taste it – star fruit, kiwi, mango, papaya, passionfruit… let them pick something when you go shopping!
3. have them try a hot pepper (jalapeno will do to start) – try it yourself first so you can time the heat and then you can tell them that it will dissipate after 20 or 30 seconds (I did this with my daughter and she got to try many spicy foods this way)
4. show them how to cook simple ingredients like pasta or rice – older kids can even have this as a job to help with at dinner
5. if you have a group, get them to work as an assembly line with dishes like wraps or rolls – great for spring rolls where you can see the insides once you roll it!
6. try a blind food tasting to see if they can describe how food tastes – what does it remind them of? (Kristin’s brother said when he was a kid, he thought papayas tasted like the zoo!)
7. You are what you eat - so help them become better human being!

You can even show them fun ways to set the table, like different ways to fold napkins!

Get your kids involved in the kitchen and they will learn to respect the food and the cook. Years later when they come home to visit, maybe they will cook for you.

Why are carrots purple?

She says:

I have been looking at the garden seed catalogues trying to plan out what we will grow this year in our wonderful garden, but it seems every year the dilemma of deciding becomes more difficult. It is bad enough I have to choose between beets and turnips or decide whether the extra space at the back is best for potatoes or squash – now I have to choose what colour I like my vegetables to be! (For those interested, the beet versus turnip debate is actually no contest, as the Chef does not like turnips, no matter what colour they are.)

I know we live in a world where technology allows for life to go at the speed of light, and traditions and old ways are meant to be expanded and revamped, but really, do we need to change the colour of our vegetables? Where does it stop??

Don’t get me wrong – I am not talking about Mother Nature’s variations, like green and yellow beans. A little bit of variety is a good thing – the spice of life and all that. However, in the first place, what is the point in having a funny-colored veggie if it doesn’t stay that colour when you cook it and in the second place, if the colour is only skin deep, does that even count?  Aren’t we supposed to consider what is inside?? Perhaps this is a sign that we should only eat food uncooked and unpeeled. (Certain trend-watchers would say this is a topic for another column!)

Part of me is intrigued by these fantastic foods. There is a Roald Dahl aspect to the idea of a garden that has an imagination of its own, like the Giant Peach or Charlie’s Chocolate Factory. You have to choose wisely to maximize your exotic efforts, as often it seems to take extra energy for the plant to produce a more unique product. Sometimes the Chef just smiles and shakes his head, but I enjoy the taste of lemon cukes and green zebra tomatoes. He did use some of our weird and wonderful tomatoes in his menus last summer, and he liked the striped Chioggia beets we planted. However, purple dragon carrots were most impressive in name, and orange cauliflower was just more difficult to grow than the white variety. Creativity is required when appreciating Mother Nature, though, and what would a garden be without a little experimentation?

I guess at the end of the day (or the summer) I should just marvel at it all – even the green vegetables that grow quietly in their rows. I suppose having a colourful garden plot is another way to salute individuality… and besides, can someone who, as a girl, liked to wear red and pink striped socks with her favourite purple jumper really judge what colour a carrot should be?

He says:

I really like being able to choose vegetables from our own garden for cooking, and I enjoy visiting the farmer’s market when it is in season, too. I don’t specifically look for weird or exotic foods, but they are fun to use from time to time. One of my contributions to the garden was some golden raspberry canes, and I don’t mind saying, they are very tasty!

I don’t mind yellow kiwis either. Actually, in the last few months I have used broccolini for many high end dinners I have done for people. The comments were nice, as many people had never tried broccolini before. It’s not a very complex vegetable: it’s a cross between broccoli and rapini (which is also known as broccoli raab). It’s long and skinny and tastes similar to Gai Lan, a Chinese green vegetable. (It takes very little time to cook, so watch it carefully.)

I don’t really mind what they cross vegetables with as long as it is another natural vegetable and not part of the genetically reproduced stuff that we hear about on the science network. Although, if the children of farmers don’t decide to take over our food chain as farmers themselves, who is going to feed us veggies in 30 years from now? Maybe genetic veggies will be the only choice left. Over the years, Hot Houses have created the perfect tomato, always the same color, the same size and the taste is also always the same… BLAND as hell! So this year, I will chose to plant heirloom tomatoes just like last year. Go visit www.veseys.com/ca/en/ for good seeds.

Support your farmers and promote good eating!

Jamie Oliver’s is back at it…

Last Tuesday on ABC the second season of Jamie Oliver TV show “Food Revolution” started. This time Jamie tries to create change in the school system in Los Angeles. Although the producer’s emphases a bit too much on the reality TV style/drama controversy instead making it into a documentary style show, it was very interesting.

I will make a point to watch it mostly because I do believe Jamie has his heart at the right place and his main goal is to feed kids better food. Yes, it’s TV show, yes he does make money off that show, but let me tell you he works for it… having to go meet with the school board superintendent requires a lot of self control and should be rewarded with money. I wonder how long is he going to take to come to Canada to do this. I am convinced that our schools are not that far behind the American schools. Kids obesity is a problem in Canada and many meals are eaten at school.

If the school would to stop selling fast food of any kinds, no kids will die from it. No kids will pass out in class, no kids will get worst grades. It is simple, if the choice is fast food then that’s what they eat. If the choice is real food, then they will eventually get hungry and start eating it too. Kids are not stupid, when they get hungry they will eat!

I am not saying strawberry milk, burgers, pizza and brownies are never going to end up in a child’s hand, but why make it so easily available for them…

My two cents