The Way It Really Is

Whew! So this natural food thing is a tiring job! I seem to have a weekly cycle of cooking in a frenzy, whatever it may be--hummus, yogurt, granola, lentils, a pot of beans. Oh and then for bonus points, and because you gotta have a little pleasure, of pot of lemon verbana tea and some freezer cookies. It's all so inspirational, even for me, as I'm doing it but then I just have to confront my crankiness as I run into fatigue, a dirty kitchen and self-inflicted ADD as I'm trying give the processes of food-making and my children the attention they are due. (Jesse has a constant need for bathroom productions to be celebrated and Luci a need to be delivered from them because she's got diaper rash, her yelps of "Poo-poo!" are very distracting.) After all, I don't want to be the mom that instilled high respect for food into their brains but was always too busy. By the end of the week, I'm sick of dishes, cooking food, my skin is inflamed (I have excema on my hands), and I am resentful of my thoughtfully created leftovers. You see, some of these dishes were experimental in the first place and minimally pleasurable to begin with, so the second time they come around, it is purely an exercise in appreciation and not wasting. And hey, a bean is a bean is a bean. Wouldn't want to waste all that protein!

Sometimes it is clear that it is good and necessary to leave my obsessive thinking behind. But I think I am also learning to appreciate the value of food more.

With all the work, and starting closer to scratch, I am amazed to see the raw ingredients that God has given us. And the intricacies. Instead of being a bird watcher, I have turned out to be a student of grains and beans. It is amazing to see how many He has made, how beautiful they are, and what different nourishments they bring. Being with the beans and the grains (and I owe a mention to our organic produce box, the provider of adventurous fruits and vegetables) is definitely a way for me to connect with the Creator. I also have been more appreciative of home-produced/grown food because I'm realizing the process it is dependent upon. It is apparent to us, for example, how many ups and downs our CSA farm goes through. These ups and downs are related to the weather, soil, and labor help.

I'm also chewing on our over-abundance of food, and choice, in this country that is making us sick. Perhaps if we were more appreciative of our food, even in smaller portions, we could be more balanced. I've said that gluttony has just not been the same since my visit to Africa. It's hard to take in a pint of ice cream when you realize that there is something convicting about the disparity between the state of food here and in Africa. It's not really about my guilt related to how much I have and how much true hunger and starvation goes on there. While I have an abundance of food that many there would wish for, I wish for the purity of their gratitude and contentness. While in Kenya and Ethiopia, there was a repetition of food that is boring to most of us here in America. But stepping back I realize that while the issue for us here is "Can I experience satisfaction through this food? Is this what I want to eat?" and having that determine our state of gratitude, the situation in Kenya and Ethiopia seems a lot more like a simple reflex--with the provision of food, there is gratitude and not only a content belly, but also a content spirit.

It seems many lessons could be learned....

I've been reading The Poisonwood Bible the past couple of weeks which really keeps prodding me on this issue. It is something on my mind, ironically it seems, as this week has been a week of incessant pining for Ben and Jerry's coffee heath bar crunch and chocolate cookies. And the list goes on and on....as well as the struggle for satisfaction.

2 Great Recipes from More With Less

These are so delicious and easy, and probably yummy together. I think I could eat them every week. And the kids love them....

Baked Lentils With Cheese

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine in shallow 9x13 baking dish:
1 3/4 c. lentils
2 c. water
1 whole bay leaf
2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/8 t. each of marjoram, sage, thyme
2 large onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. canned tomatoes

Cover tightly and bake 30 minutes.
Uncover and stir in :
2 large carrots, sliced 1/8" thick
1/2 c. thinly sliced celery (turnips worked fine for me too!)

Bake covered 40 minutes until vegetables are tender. Stir in:
1 green pepper, chopped (optional)
2 T. finely chopped parsley (I used cilantro and it was yummy)

Sprinkle on top:
3 c. cheddar cheese

Bake uncovered, 5 minutes until cheese melts.



Cinnamon Topped Oatmeal Muffins! Today I used chocolate chips instead of raisins and omitted some cinnamon and they were amazing.....I always double the cinnamon topping, use whole wheat flour and brown sugar and feel I've never sacrificed taste.

Preheat oven to 425.
Sift together (but really don't sift):
1 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
3 t. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Stir in:
1 c. quick or old-fashioned oats
1/2 c. raisins

Add:
3 T. oil
1 egg, beaten
1 c. milk

Stir only util dry ingredients are moistened. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Sprnkle with cinnamon topping.
2 T. sugar
2 t. flour
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. melted butter

Bake 15 minutes. (This seems too long--I like 11 or 12 minutes)

Chocolate/Peanut Butter/Oats Freezer Cookies=YUM!

Yes, so I'm back from the dead and I have a few recipes to pass on.

I am very excited about the cookie recipe that my friend heidi passed on from her mom. I have altered it a bit to include less sugar. They are quick, delicious and I tend to think about them as somewhat nutritional. Delicious during the hot days we were having last week.

No-Bake Cookies

For 2 minutes Boil:

1 1/2 c. sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt

Then mix in:

1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. oats
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter (approx. 3/4 cup it chunky)

Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper and place in freezer.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust!

This is a crust I made today for Lucia's pizza/birthday party. I really love it--I wish I had let it rise a little more today, however, just to take a little of the gritty whole-wheat edge off of it and to make it airier.

(NOTE: I use ALL whole wheat flour even where it says all-purpose and I don't like it too well coming out of the freezer, seems to lose its pliability. I have also liked doubling the batch and dividing it into 3 balls so that there's a little more crust.)

This is taken from www.allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS:

1 teaspoon white sugar (brown sugar's fine)
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (here I use all whole wheat flour)

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.

Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining all-purpose flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces for 2 thin crust, or leave whole to make one thick crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll a ball of dough with a rolling pin until it will not stretch any further. Then, drape it over both of your fists, and gently pull the edges outward, while rotating the crust. When the circle has reached the desired size, place on a well oiled pizza pan. Top pizza with your favorite toppings, such as sauce, cheese, meats, or vegetables.

Bake for 16 to 20 minutes (depending on thickness) in the preheated oven, until the crust is crisp and golden at the edges, and cheese is melted on the top.

Enjoy!

yummy oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

okay, so how is it that I (Darren) am already posting for Pam on her blog when it is ONLY day two? hmmm...I'll consider it a Valentine's Day gift.

so these cookies are all the rage here in the Prince household. they contributed to about a pound or two of Jesse's birthweight the last month before Jesse was born in 2003 because I was making them all the time. and we continue to make a batch of dough and keep it sitting around in the fridge for up to a week at at time. I'm not sure where the recipe comes from, but I found it through a friend's housemate's friend.

Jose's Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups all-purpose flower (note: we started using whole wheat flower here, and they turned out great)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened (you could use less butter here if you wanted to)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 large eggs
12 ounce bag of chocolate chips
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, grated (this is optional -- I rarely put it in)

In a food processor pulse 1 cup of oats until ground fine. In a large bowl stir together ground oats, remaining 1/2 cup whole oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy and beat in vanilla and peanutbutter. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and gradually beat in flower mixture. Add chocolate chips and grated chocolate, beating just until combined. Chill cookie dough, covered, at least 2 hours and up to 1 week.
(sometimes we just can't wait, so we make a tray of cookies while the rest of the dough chills).

Preheat oven to 325.

Form rounded tablespoons of dough into balls and arrange about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten balls slightly. Bake cookies in batches in the middle of the oven 15 minutes, or until just pale golden. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes and transfer to racks to cool completely.

Makes about 60 cookies. (really? I can't believe that. then again, I tend to lose count.)

Yo-Gurt, Girls, and Guys!

So guys, I've been blabbing on and on about my exciting discoveries and decided that maybe that posting to a blog would spare some of y'all some unsolicited conversation/emoting.

Here goes.....

I've discovered yogurt-making at home, and along with it, the joys of reducing the amount of plastic going back to the environment or expending some fuel in it's recyclling journey. The latter is enhanced if you used powdered milk puchased from a bin, sans packaging!

I garnered this info from an Iranian woman I became acquainted with in a So. Cal park. She offered Jesse bubbles and I swooped in to ask her about food and yogurt-making of course. (I had been tipped off that Persians could offer me a yogurt education.)

To do it, you have to use your intuition a little bit in regards to determining what warm is:

1) Preheat oven to it's lowest setting. (Shut off after oven gets up to temp.)

2) During step 1, bring a gallon of milk to boiling and then remove from heat. Allow to cool down to warm, then SLOWLY stir in a cup of yogurt until mixed perfectly.

3) Put the top on your pot of milk/yogurt. Place it in the oven which you have allowed to cool to warm--it cannot be HOT for risk of killing the active bacteria. Leave in oven, untouched, for 3 or 4 hours. Then remove and place in fridge.

Enjoy the magic trick of turning your milk into yogurt!