Sometimes things like chicken and potatoes can move me. Because they remind me of a trip to visit my family. We’ve only been back for 4 weeks. That seems like an eternity. When we get to see my family just 2 or 3 times a year, the space between visits can stretch into much too long.

We Skype each week. We connect, we laugh, we share about what’s going on in our lives. We talk about what they had for dinner and what we’re about to have. We make funny faces and take screenshots of ourselves. We sing silly birthday songs, we congratulate each other on new opportunities, we make ninjas dance in the message section and laugh with glee when Mom and Dad finally notice. We don’t often talk about how much we miss each other. It doesn’t really need to be said. It’s just there. Always there.

Sometimes when it’s not Skype night and I want to feel closer to my family, I’ll make a meal that reminds me of them. Like this one. On our trip we spent some time with Jake, Jen, and Anja at their home. We had an amazing dinner with their community. I was inspired to make a dinner for us that had similar themes.

I roasted a chicken in the Crock Pot. Simple, just olive oil, salt, pepper, and savory. Halfway through I added some whole mushrooms. I roasted some whole potatoes, small ones. Then I smashed them with the bottom of a glass and roasted them for a little while longer. I made gravy with the pan drippings and added the mushrooms and a bit more savory. The gravy went over the chicken and potatoes. It was comforting, delicious, and made me think of happy memories, of time spent with family.

Happy Eating

Crock Pot Chicken with Mushroom and Savory Gravy

Last modified on 2013-08-19 20:18:30 GMT. 1 comment. Top.

Mushroom and Savory Gravy

Last modified on 2013-08-19 20:18:25 GMT. 7 comments. Top.

Squashed Twice Baked Potatoes

Last modified on 2013-08-19 20:18:19 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

I’m reading a book called Salt Sugar Fat, by Michael Moss. It’s got me thinking, really noticing the things that are called food that are on the shelves at the grocery store. When I went shopping the other day, it was kinda depressing to see all the pre-packaged, sugar filled/chemically laden/artificially colored and sweetened/GMO foods. Don’t we realize what we’re eating?! It’s not food. Not real food anyways.

I need to stop for a second. I want to say that I will still occasionally eat Doritos, order pizza, and have a pre-made, sugar filled treat. My frustration is that this stuff is taking over the shelves and has been made into the norm.

Empty calories are simply empty. When did it become less beneficial to eat fruits and vegetables that contain the vitamins and minerals that pre-made and packaged foods are fortified to include. When did convenience become the only thing that was good for us… When did we forget that we know better?

Do we really not understand why we’re so unhealthy? Has the lightbulb above our collective heads just burned out completely? Look at what we’re putting into our bodies. We can’t be surprised by the results.

Or are we? Are we so sold out to the big food corporations that we’ve forgotten what real food tastes like? Have we adjusted our taste buds so that they crave only sugar and salt infused pre-packaged items? Have we forgotten what food actually is?

My challenge is to make this our norm: Fresh, local, organic, and in season fruits and vegetables; pastured, organic meats; whole milks and cheeses, the best olive oil, eggs with bright orange-yellow yolks… Sure, we will eat a pre-packaged salty or sweet treat, if we need it, once in a while. We definitely consumed our share while we were on vacation a few weeks ago. But, the goal is to eat real food, real food, REAL FOOD.

Doesn’t that sound delicious?

We have an abundance of peaches. We eat them as quickly as we can, but it never seems to be quick enough. Desperate measures must be taken. Salsas must be made.

This one’s a simple one. It requires minimal effort. If you can chop a peach, you’re almost there. And as long as you don’t put your fingers in your eyes after chopping the chili pepper, you’re probably going to win… also don’t scrape the ribs and seeds out with your fingernails. Trust me. I learned the hard way.

Lavash Chips are a fun substitute for store bought corn chips. They also take very little effort. Regular tortillas could be used as well. And if you have corn chips, they’ll work just fine.

I think this would be absolutely perfect to dip a Corn and Cheese Quesadilla into. With a side of Lavash Chips, some fresh cantaloupe and peaches, maybe a salad with some almonds and a quick vinaigrette, you’ve got dinner.

Happy Eating!

White Peach Salsa

Last modified on 2013-08-05 23:30:34 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Christy’s Lavash Chips

Last modified on 2013-08-05 23:30:30 GMT. 2 comments. Top.

We left on a hot July afternoon. Normally when we visit it’s warm when we leave, cold when we arrive. Cold there, not here.

There is Ontario, Canada. There is where I was born and raised. There is where most of my family is.

This time it felt hotter there. There has humid summers.

We arrived to my sweet brother and his cute girlfriend waiting for us at the airport. They had snacks all ready for us in the car, and we had a nice tour of the town before getting on the road to go to our parents’ house (thank you Google Maps lady voice). It was super late, so we giggled a lot (like when I told the guy at the toll booth to have a good night and my brother replied, “You too.”).

We enjoyed a lot of good time with the family. Really, it was an incredibly awesome time. We had a 60th birthday party for my dad. We got to hug/squeeze/play with our 10 month old niece again. We got to visit the farm where my brother, his partner, and little daughter live. We ate snap peas from their field and picked sour cherries from their trees. We had the privilege of having dinner with their community – a delicious farmers meal of Chicken with Mushrooms, Greens and Potatoes, Beets, Baked Beans, Green Salad, Boston Brown Bread, and an incredible Sour Cherry and Berry Cobbler. Oh to eat that meal again tonight…

We ate a lot of junk food too. A LOT a lot. I guess it’s just what we do on vacation. We hang out, watch movies, read books, lay on blankets on the grass watching the baby store things under her legs and eat currants. And we eat chips and ice cream every day. Because it’s vacation.

We barbecued. We had things like Steak, Burgers, and Beer Can Chicken. We had three kinds of Potato Salads. We had Angel Scones, Cinnamon Buns, Chelsea Buns, Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting, and Banana Muffins.

I don’t know that I was ever hungry on this trip. We talked about what we would have at dinner while we were still eating lunch.

After spending the first half of the week at my parent’s place, we drove 4 hours East to my Aunt and Uncle’s cottage for the reunion. Husband and I rode in the back of my parents’ VW Westfalia. Remember when I said that it was hot and humid in Ontario in July? Westie = no air conditioning. That’s cool when the windows are down and we’re driving fast. But, we got stuck in traffic in Toronto…

We laughed a lot with the family, much of it a result of many games of Mad Libs. As it got later and later, the answers got funnier and funnier. The second night we got the whole family playing. My parents were laughing harder than I’ve seen them laugh in a long time.

We’d been hoping for a nice thunderstorm while we were in Ontario. We don’t get many here in LA, so we thought it might be nice. We got one. We were camping. We woke up to pouring rain, thunder and lightning at 3am. We were damp, tired, and our air mattress was slowly losing air. I’m not the outdoorsy type. I survived.

The rain went away, and we enjoyed the remainder of our weekend swimming in the lake (which kinda freaks me out – I don’t like to not be able to see the bottom), reading books on the deck, catching up with the family, enjoying the next generation of our family (those kids are seriously amazing!), and eating, always eating.

And now we’re back. I can’t say that I’m glad yet. It was a great trip and it’s always hard to be back home when it means being far away from people that I love so much. I try to make myself feel better by starting to plan the next trip, but they’re still there and I’m still here…

Angel Scones

Last modified on 2013-07-25 23:50:01 GMT. 0 comments. Top.