Eating Real Food...

This is the book I am really spending time with nutritionally this year.  Sally Fallon Morell went against the norm and trends of modern day nutrition to write something she truly believes in.  I am growing to agree with her more and more as I learn about nutrition myself.  She takes us back to tried and true eating... real food... natural food.

You can read more about Sally here...   and here

I am planning to cook a lot from this book this year...

Check out some of Sally on YouTube.com... this is part one of three.

Here she shares why soy is NOT good for us... and since I am allergic to it I get this!
Check out her book... and her stuff on the internet.  She has some really great things to say about how we should be eating.  :)

French Friday... Quartre Quarts

For January 20, 2012 

QUARTRE QUARTS

I, honestly, just had too much going on to be able to do this cake before today.  It was a lovely finish to  Sunday dinner.  I was a little worried as I mixed and it seemed so dense but it turned out very delicious with a great crumb to it.  Mine was also a little flatter because I do not own an 8-inch spring foam but a 9-inch instead so it was spread over a larger area and did not get as tall as it should.  That did not change the texture and flavor one bit.  We cut it into six servings as the recipe suggested.  We have six in our family.  PERFECT!  To do it again I would make a recipe and 1/2 and then use my 10-inch spring form pan.  That should help the height.  YUM!!! Everyone loved it!

 The finished cake in the spring form pan

 macerated fruit

 The crumb was beautiful!

 Fruit and whipping cream were a perfect pairing with this...

and, of course, coffee... decaf for evening.  :)

Food from our family table this week...

 The initial phase of Julia Child's Potato Leek Soup

 Small fruit crisps for clients

 Challah for a client

 The final product with the potato leek soup

 Cilantro/garlic/lime chicken before grilling

 Big salad

 Pineapple salsa to go with chicken

 steamed broccoli

 Chocolate Amish Bread

 My plate... I never can finish a whole chicken breast, though, so half of this went to one of my big guys.

A Tres Leches Cake for a special client... a personal friend and fellow church member!  

Happy Birthday Miss Chong!

Ready for pick-up!

Small Home-Based Business Friendly...

Texas has finally gotten on board with this but there is lots of opposition from big corporation and city health departments all over the state.  Home Baking Businesses are part of the Buy Local movement... please support your local home baker businesses as well as your local Farmer's Markets that allow them to sell in some locations.



SB 81 - The Texas Cottage Food Law from Christian Remde on Vimeo.

Food as medicine...

I have always loved learning.  With my job I get to learn new stuff ALL THE TIME!  That is part of what makes me so happy about what I do on a daily basis.  This week I have been doing research on a few dietary restrictions for different medical conditions.  I have been reading about diabetes, learning more about gluten free diets and looking up some information on gout.

I have also been very interested in nutrition and in treating physical ailments with the right food instead of popping pills.  I believe the right diet can help to heal and nurture the body.  Sometimes pills are necessary but I do believe that if people would just eat better it would solve a lot of problems with their health... me included. I love studying about food and nutrition so much I am planning to go back to school for that nutrition degree at some point.  I would love to start next fall on the science classes to get ready for the master's program at NMSU for nutritionist.  This is a very exciting prospect to me!  I have wanted to study nutrition for a long time.

I am studying the intricacies of the glycemic index right now for some clients.  I can understand why it is so hard to figure out a diabetic diet!  I am going to keep working on it and start putting menus together so I have some backup stuff when I need it.

I also checked out a book on CD to listen to as I work.  It is the book Wheat Belly by William Davis  

I also came across some good things to know about gout as I read this week.  I learned that poppy seeds are one of the worst things you could eat so I made a Challah without them for a client this week.  I also learned that cranberries are EXCELLENT for treating gout.  I will be reading more about this in the coming days.

I am going to work on some lists for me to keep handy as I work with a variety of diets and as I prepare meals for clients.  I am starting a notebook to help me keep things together.  I need the organization.  LOL

"Fast" Food...

We are moving into the Lenten season soon and I have been doing a lot of reading and research on fasting.  I have chosen to do a 21 Day Daniel Fast this year.  I have been on two weeks of  "preparation" for this and have not officially started.  I have been cutting back on sugar and caffeine to prepare my body for this big change.  I have also been eating more vegetarian in the last week.  Coming off of the Christmas season with all the crazy eating I needed an extended preparation time for this so my body would not go into SHOCK!  LOL  

I truly believe that fasting should not be used unless you are praying with it.  The Bible is clear that we should engage in both... together.... "prayer and fasting" is listed together every time it is mentioned.  I am personally seeking the Lord for some answers for our family during this time and need some focused prayer time.  I feel strongly that this is something I should do right now.  I have to admit, though, that it is hard for a chef to fast.  The clients I cook for have some healthy menus right now and that should help a great deal.  I do have to taste things as I go to make sure they are up to my standard  for preparation before passing the food on to the client so there will be tasting... just not indulging.  

I thought I would share some tools I will be utilizing during this time for those interested in doing this type of fast, too.  

You may be asking, "What is a Daniel Fast?"

It is a 21 day fast of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds... basically a vegan diet... for the purpose of clearing the body while focusing on the aspect of prayer and seeking God.

The original story comes from the book of Daniel in chapters 1 and 10.

This is a great link from a doctor... not exciting but good information to see who Daniel was and what he did, why we fast and how it affects the body and mind throughout this process.  This is fascinating to me to see how Daniel and his friends would have been "healthier" than the kings men in the story from the Bible about this.  It is a study he is discussing.

Here is another page with a great list of what is acceptable for the 21 day duration.

So, here is what I mean by preparing...

One, I have been reading two books in preparation for this.

Two, I have found video and recipe helps online that I will be referring to in a pinch throughout the process.

MarthaFry.org shares her grocery planning and shopping tips on her site along with her experiences and insights for her family

There are four video resources I have enjoyed on youtube.com that share information and recipes.  

The Daniel Fast

Susan also has more videos on her site

The Ultimate Daniel Fast

Chef Judson Todd

Martha Fry

Three, I will be writing an extensive menu plan and grocery list as I go to make sure I stay on track.   I am already developing a chart that keeps my menus and daily reading in front of me as I go.  I am of the opinion that the planning I do ahead will keep my mind focused more on the prayer time than on the food prep time once I start.  I don't want to make this about the eating.

Several of these sites started the fast on January 8th and are sending daily e-mail to encourage those fasting. The e-mails I have been receiving are being saved for me to start reading next week when I start officially.  They are packed with good stuff so I encourage you to sign up for those if you can.

I am planning on sharing recipes here as I go that help me.  There are lots of things that will be vegan in nature and can be used all the time and not just during fasting.  I hope you will enjoy this series as I share.  

I am a "flexitarian" so you can expect me to go back to eating animal products once I have completed this fast.  I hope you will consider this for yourselves.  Please feel free to share other resources you might have found or will find along the way here.  

Thanks for reading!

French Fridays... a little late

The goal of this group is to cook and bake our way through this book

I received this book over a year ago as a Christmas present.  We will not be sharing the recipes here because it is our intent to share our personal journey in photos and encourage you to pick up your own copy to do the same.  We do not want to break copyright laws by posting published recipes and Dorie worked hard on this and should get paid.  It is a magnificently beautiful book!

This particular recipe for the week of January 6th is the Bubble-Top Brioche. 

Brioche is made from an enriched dough... that means is is loaded with butter, sugar and eggs.  LOL  It rises more slowly and makes for a very flaky, rich product.   It is quite delicious!

 Initial dough before overnight refrigeration

 The dough the next morning

 Shaped Brioche proofing

Baked rolls

We enjoyed these with family today for our Sunday Dinner together.  

A lovely treat, indeed!

Check out the website for upcoming challenges and pick up the book to join us if you like.

It's the little things that make me happy...

Loose Leaf Tea and a Tea Ball... this is such a great little treat for me!

and Earl Grey Tea at that... Mmmmmmmm...

Got a new pair of pie birds for Christmas.  This means there will be a pie in my near future.  

What is a pie bird you ask?

It is a little hollow ceramic bird that is placed in the center of your pie as it bakes to release steam.  This provides a "drier" pie... Fruit pies, especially, tend to be a little too runny from the steam and juices that build up during baking.  Releasing the steam helps it to be more solid in it's structure once cooled and sliced.

These are "old time" devices and are a collector's item for some people.  I hope to collect more myself.  ;)