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| Kiwis, sliced bananas, and clementine sections = a tropical palm tree scene. |
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
June 23, 2012
Funky Food
Kathleen, our resident artist, gets funky with food.
March 3, 2012
Parenting Tip #417
Avoid feeding your diaper-wearing baby oodles of blueberries.
Yeah. Trust me on this one.
Yeah. Trust me on this one.
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| Lucia Rose |
September 27, 2011
April Fool's in August
Kathleen decided to play a trick on the younger kids.
She served up a delicious breakfast of "eggs and toast."
The boys and Therese were temporarily fooled.
Look closely.
The yolk is a peach. The white is yogurt. The toast is pound cake.
While they figured out the pound cake right away, they were pretty stumped on the egg—trying to figure out why it looked "so big."
A great way to start off a summer morning, thanks to crafty Kathleen.
She served up a delicious breakfast of "eggs and toast."
The boys and Therese were temporarily fooled.
Look closely.
The yolk is a peach. The white is yogurt. The toast is pound cake.
While they figured out the pound cake right away, they were pretty stumped on the egg—trying to figure out why it looked "so big."
A great way to start off a summer morning, thanks to crafty Kathleen.
December 4, 2010
Thanksgiving 2010
After our bittersweet days in Chicago both before and after Mom's / Grandma's death, we were ready to come home. Thanksgiving was upon us, and we had a 22-pound turkey thawing in the refrigerator!
Following are some scenes from our very low-key Thanksgiving day. We cooked up a storm, but we had no guests and no time-table this year. It was just what the doctor ordered.
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| Therese and William survey the appetizers and ready to dig-in. |
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| Simple cheese plate, olives, crackers, and chex mix for a warm-up. |
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| Andrew is ready for chex mix. |
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| Kathleen, Andrew & Therese wonder when they can start feasting. |
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Joe mans the turkey fryer—our new experiment this year. Since he had to stand out there anyway, and since there are white-tail deer on our property, Joe, of course, needed his gun. (And yes, that's a beer sitting there too.) Boiling oil, guns, and beer. Can you say, "Chicago-boy-turned-redneck"? |
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| Appetizers behind us, we finish cooking dinner. In the foreground: a pot of pumpkin soup. On the stove: pumpkin pie and apple pie, plus a pot of gravy |
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| Almost time to cook the beans—with bacon, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. YUM! |
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| Now that the appetizers are put away, we prep the kitchen table for dessert— pumpkin pie, apple pie, frozen sugared grapes, and gingerbread cookies. |
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| We are almost ready to sit down to dinner in the dining room. Kathleen made place cards, even though we weren't hosting anyone this year. |
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| Kathleen and Anna Marie help put the finishing touches on dinner, just before we sit down. |
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| Joe brings in the bird. Just perfect! |
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| Following dinner in the dining room, we enjoyed dessert in the kitchen. A perfect Thanksgiving—one in which we spent a great deal of time remembering Mom / Grandma. |
September 18, 2010
Meal Planning
This is what it looks like when I actually plan meals (with the emphasis on "actually plan"). I either fly by the seat of my pants which results in the same-ol'-same-ol', or I actually go all-out and plan like a mad-woman.
On this, the last weekend before we started school, I went a little crazy mapping out some meals for this family. The number of pictured cookbooks is huge because of Kathleen's restricted diet. I had at least ten dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free cookbooks checked out from the library in an effort to put a little more variety into our limited diet.
Now, if our schedule and my energy could only keep up with my grand plans!
On this, the last weekend before we started school, I went a little crazy mapping out some meals for this family. The number of pictured cookbooks is huge because of Kathleen's restricted diet. I had at least ten dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free cookbooks checked out from the library in an effort to put a little more variety into our limited diet.
Now, if our schedule and my energy could only keep up with my grand plans!
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| This is how our kitchen looked all day. |
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| Think this will be enough cookbooks? |
An Update on Kathleen's Health
Kathleen has struggled with unexplained, persistent, and disabling diarrhea for over two years. After she lost fourteen pounds (during a time of life when she should be growing, not shrinking), her pediatrician and gastroenterologist ordered barium swallows, stool samples, blood tests, food elimination trials, and ultimately an endoscopy and a colonoscopy. Nothing provided the answers we needed to stop the weight loss and prevent the cramps and bathroom episodes.
Finally, we consulted with a naturopath who ordered some blood tests that had never been administered previously. The results of those tests indicated that Kathleen's body provides a strong inflammatory response to the ingestion of eggs. It also provides a lesser, but significant, inflammatory response to gluten and dairy.
The prescription, beginning late last July: Cut out all eggs, dairy, and gluten (wheat and many other grains) completely until December. Talk about challenging!
The result: As of yesterday, Kathleen had gained two much-needed pounds and is actually growing out of her shoes! Woo-hoo! (For the last two years she's not grown at all, because she's not been able to retain the food that should be nourishing her.) This is a really big deal, and we are overjoyed.
The great hope is that her gut will soon be healed sufficiently, maybe as soon as December, to handle the gradual reintroduction of some or all of the currently-forbidden foods.
Meanwhile, we are serving lots of meat, seafood, fruit, veggies, and nuts. Can anyone say Atkins Diet? We've also been experimenting with baked goods the are gluten-free, egg-free, and dairy-free—no easy feat. Nevertheless, we've had a few successes and Kathleen does have a few favorites.
We are just so pleased the awful bathroom visits have ceased and Kathleen is starting to grow once again! Good job, Beanie!
Finally, we consulted with a naturopath who ordered some blood tests that had never been administered previously. The results of those tests indicated that Kathleen's body provides a strong inflammatory response to the ingestion of eggs. It also provides a lesser, but significant, inflammatory response to gluten and dairy.
The prescription, beginning late last July: Cut out all eggs, dairy, and gluten (wheat and many other grains) completely until December. Talk about challenging!
The result: As of yesterday, Kathleen had gained two much-needed pounds and is actually growing out of her shoes! Woo-hoo! (For the last two years she's not grown at all, because she's not been able to retain the food that should be nourishing her.) This is a really big deal, and we are overjoyed.
The great hope is that her gut will soon be healed sufficiently, maybe as soon as December, to handle the gradual reintroduction of some or all of the currently-forbidden foods.
Meanwhile, we are serving lots of meat, seafood, fruit, veggies, and nuts. Can anyone say Atkins Diet? We've also been experimenting with baked goods the are gluten-free, egg-free, and dairy-free—no easy feat. Nevertheless, we've had a few successes and Kathleen does have a few favorites.
We are just so pleased the awful bathroom visits have ceased and Kathleen is starting to grow once again! Good job, Beanie!
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| Here is Kathleen with her favorite dairy-free ice cream alternative. |
April 17, 2010
And Then There was the Food
Food, glorious food... Sing it with me.
Despite the Good Friday freezer disaster which put off our Easter food-prep and necessitated the cooking of large quantities of thawed meat, we pulled off another Leone Easter feast in the nick of time.
Joe, as usual, tended to the olive oil-basked and rosemary-encrusted lamb roast and potatoes. Meanwhile, I pulled together our caesar salad, deviled eggs, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, homemade rolls, and the annual Grandma Kate-inspired relish tray full of hot peppers and specialty olives. My mouth doth water.
The feast ended well after dark with cheesecake and Lemon Pavlova—a meringue-based frozen Australian dessert. (Yes, that would be the dessert that looks like the long slab of fish in the photo). It is both light and sweet and pretty much to-die-for. This was its third appearance on the Leone family Easter table, and suffice it to say, the lemon pavlova is now ensconced as a Leone family tradition.
Despite the Good Friday freezer disaster which put off our Easter food-prep and necessitated the cooking of large quantities of thawed meat, we pulled off another Leone Easter feast in the nick of time.
Joe, as usual, tended to the olive oil-basked and rosemary-encrusted lamb roast and potatoes. Meanwhile, I pulled together our caesar salad, deviled eggs, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, homemade rolls, and the annual Grandma Kate-inspired relish tray full of hot peppers and specialty olives. My mouth doth water.
The feast ended well after dark with cheesecake and Lemon Pavlova—a meringue-based frozen Australian dessert. (Yes, that would be the dessert that looks like the long slab of fish in the photo). It is both light and sweet and pretty much to-die-for. This was its third appearance on the Leone family Easter table, and suffice it to say, the lemon pavlova is now ensconced as a Leone family tradition.
April 1, 2010
To Good Health
We fell a bit off the healthy bandwagon for a couple months after Marguerite was born. It's nothing new. I always lose my resolve when I have an adorable baby in the house. My lips need to be firmly planted on those cute baby cheeks at least half her waking hours. And that whole concept does not lend itself well to spending time in the kitchen.
We are back on track now though (and Marguerite continues to get oodles of kisses -- somehow we make it all work). ;)
For the last couple years, I've been implementing Nourishing Traditions recipes, food choices, and dietary principles into our lives, little by little. But recently, I've upped the ante a bit and tried to make the majority of our food choices truly healthy ones. That means we are no longer buying oils with trans-fats, we are limiting (and for some of us, avoiding altogether) sugar, and we are canning, fermenting, and cooking from scratch. It's time-consuming, but it sure seems worth it for long-term health.
The latest: homemade yogurt, kefir, yogurt cheese, whey, sprouts, bread, kimchi, and beef and turkey broth. Say it with me: yum!
We are back on track now though (and Marguerite continues to get oodles of kisses -- somehow we make it all work). ;)
For the last couple years, I've been implementing Nourishing Traditions recipes, food choices, and dietary principles into our lives, little by little. But recently, I've upped the ante a bit and tried to make the majority of our food choices truly healthy ones. That means we are no longer buying oils with trans-fats, we are limiting (and for some of us, avoiding altogether) sugar, and we are canning, fermenting, and cooking from scratch. It's time-consuming, but it sure seems worth it for long-term health.
The latest: homemade yogurt, kefir, yogurt cheese, whey, sprouts, bread, kimchi, and beef and turkey broth. Say it with me: yum!
October 10, 2009
Healthier Eating
In an effort to improve our eating habits and drop our grocery bill, I've been doing some experimenting in the kitchen.
After years of "primal" eating where I've avoided sugars and processed foods, I'm trying to slowly move the rest of my family in that direction. (I also avoid grains, but Joe and the kids are not so interested in that whole idea...) I feel better and am certainly healthier and stronger as a result of these changes. I'd like to ensure the same for my family.
To achieve some of these healthy goals, I've started baking whole grain breads regularly. I highly recommend Baking Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. This method has made regular bread-baking something that is do-able for me, despite my zany mothering, homeschooling, and chauffeuring schedule. I'd retitle the book "Baking Artisan Bread in Ten Minutes a Day" (and then it wouldn't sell so well), but seriously, this is a ten-minute a day thing. Pretty do-able!
Additionally, I've been experimenting with naturally fermented foods, such as kimchi. I made our first batch of kimchi with a plethora of cabbage that came from our garden. I zipped it up with some jalapenos (yes, I'm mixing Mexican food with Asian), and it was de-lish!
Recently, I perfected two recipes that I'd been trying to turn sugar-free for some time: Baked oatmeal and granola bars. The kids love the recipes, and although we sweeten the granola bars with dried fruit and add maple sugar to the baked oatmeal for a little sweetener at the table, the resulting foods are much more nutritious than your granola and oatmeal recipes.
Some of my favorite books that have kick-started us toward healthier eating include Nourishing Traditions, Primal Blueprint, Eat Clean, & Wild Fermentation.
On that note, I'm off to start some sprouts in our little sprouter thingy...
Homemade pita bread.
Fermenting veggies, on their way to becoming a big batch of kimchi.
Six jars of kimchi!
After years of "primal" eating where I've avoided sugars and processed foods, I'm trying to slowly move the rest of my family in that direction. (I also avoid grains, but Joe and the kids are not so interested in that whole idea...) I feel better and am certainly healthier and stronger as a result of these changes. I'd like to ensure the same for my family.
To achieve some of these healthy goals, I've started baking whole grain breads regularly. I highly recommend Baking Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. This method has made regular bread-baking something that is do-able for me, despite my zany mothering, homeschooling, and chauffeuring schedule. I'd retitle the book "Baking Artisan Bread in Ten Minutes a Day" (and then it wouldn't sell so well), but seriously, this is a ten-minute a day thing. Pretty do-able!
Additionally, I've been experimenting with naturally fermented foods, such as kimchi. I made our first batch of kimchi with a plethora of cabbage that came from our garden. I zipped it up with some jalapenos (yes, I'm mixing Mexican food with Asian), and it was de-lish!
Recently, I perfected two recipes that I'd been trying to turn sugar-free for some time: Baked oatmeal and granola bars. The kids love the recipes, and although we sweeten the granola bars with dried fruit and add maple sugar to the baked oatmeal for a little sweetener at the table, the resulting foods are much more nutritious than your granola and oatmeal recipes.
Some of my favorite books that have kick-started us toward healthier eating include Nourishing Traditions, Primal Blueprint, Eat Clean, & Wild Fermentation.
On that note, I'm off to start some sprouts in our little sprouter thingy...
Homemade pita bread.
Fermenting veggies, on their way to becoming a big batch of kimchi.
Six jars of kimchi!
May 23, 2009
Just Call Me Lola...
...Lola Granola.
We've gotten earthy and taken a step toward better health.
We're growing our own sprouts out here on the ol' Leone homestead. We decided that we'd kick up the health quotient a notch (so that we can be spared excessive guilt while eating greasy fries at McDonald's).
Our sprout-grower comes from this cool little business. And let me tell you how much fun we're having, growing a variety of healthy greens...
We've gotten earthy and taken a step toward better health.
We're growing our own sprouts out here on the ol' Leone homestead. We decided that we'd kick up the health quotient a notch (so that we can be spared excessive guilt while eating greasy fries at McDonald's).
Our sprout-grower comes from this cool little business. And let me tell you how much fun we're having, growing a variety of healthy greens...
September 1, 2008
Stone Ground Flour, Anyone?
We recently purchased a manual mill for grinding our own wheat berries and other grains. It complements the electric mill we already owned, and gives us some self-sufficiency in the event of a power outage. Joe got his work out grinding the wheat berries after this photo was snapped. We all had fun taking turns and seeing how long we could crank that flywheel.
Bon Appetit!
Mr. Andrew, our resident four-year-old, likes to eat summer sausage atop chocolate donuts. He's been a real gourmet health nut from day one.
July 16, 2007
Pickles—Part II
This is how we solve the dilemma of the smooth-top electric stove not being hot enough for canning. Joe does his canning outside, on the deck, using the camp stove. It works like a charm and doesn't heat up the kitchen! Voila! 
July 14, 2007
It's Pickle Time!
Joe, the resident Italian in the family, is a canner extraordinaire. (It seems that every "good Italian" I know is a canner.) By mid-summer, Joe is usually hip-deep in pickling and canning. By August, he's at least elbow-deep. Here, the kids display the beginning of the cucumber harvest. On the agenda this afternoon: Bread & Butter Pickles (recipe courtesy of Joe's secretary, Marcia).
Bread & Butter Pickles
Ingredients
4 quarts Sliced, unpeeled medium cucumbers
6 medium White onions sliced -- (6 cups)
⅓ cup Pickling salt
5 cups Sugar
3 cups Cider vinegar
1 ½ tsp Turmeric
1 ½ tsp Celery Seed
2 tablespoons Mustard Seed
Instructions
Combine cucumbers and onions. Add salt, cover with cracked ice, mix thoroughly. Let stand 3 hours and drain well. Combine remaining ingredients, pour over cucumber mixture and bring to a boil.
Fill hot jars to 1/2 inch from top, adjust lids. Process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes (start timing when water returns to boiling).
Makes 8 pints.
Nutrition Summary by Recipe (Excluding Unknown Items)
4029.5 Calories (67.7 Calories From Fat - 1.68 percent of total); 7.5 g Fats; 6.4 g Protein; 1019.0 g Carbohydrates; 0.0 mg Cholesterol; 4.3 g Fiber; 7.2 mg Sodium
Exported from A Cook's Books -- Recipe management for Macintosh
Bread & Butter Pickles
Ingredients
4 quarts Sliced, unpeeled medium cucumbers
6 medium White onions sliced -- (6 cups)
⅓ cup Pickling salt
5 cups Sugar
3 cups Cider vinegar
1 ½ tsp Turmeric
1 ½ tsp Celery Seed
2 tablespoons Mustard Seed
Instructions
Combine cucumbers and onions. Add salt, cover with cracked ice, mix thoroughly. Let stand 3 hours and drain well. Combine remaining ingredients, pour over cucumber mixture and bring to a boil.
Fill hot jars to 1/2 inch from top, adjust lids. Process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes (start timing when water returns to boiling).
Makes 8 pints.
Nutrition Summary by Recipe (Excluding Unknown Items)
4029.5 Calories (67.7 Calories From Fat - 1.68 percent of total); 7.5 g Fats; 6.4 g Protein; 1019.0 g Carbohydrates; 0.0 mg Cholesterol; 4.3 g Fiber; 7.2 mg Sodium
Exported from A Cook's Books -- Recipe management for Macintosh
July 4, 2007
Summer Breakfasts
My kids beg for "fruit parfaits" for breakfast. What an easy way to start the day -- vanilla yogurt, fresh fruit of choice, and granola. Our oldest always requests wheat germ sprinkled on top as well.
Easy, healthy breakfast and smiling kids. What could be better?
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