If my self at age 9 knew how I eat now, she might not approve. She might think that having more Doritos, Crunchie bars, Froot Loops, white bread, and Sherbet in my diet would be more fun.
I realize that those aren’t all that outrageous. I was just trying to think of things that were treats when I was younger.
My parents did a good job of feeding us healthy foods. I don’t really remember hating it or anything. Maybe I was a bit indifferent. In any case, I now recognize the importance of what we eat. I know that a diet that consisted solely of Froot Loops wouldn’t be a wise choice for me. Doritos for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day would be a disaster. Just like my parents allowed us, I definitely have room in how I eat for treats. Definitely. But, there’s a fierce love for fruits and vegetables that will not be denied.
Here are some things I learned today that I kinda wish my now self could go back and tell my this morning self:
When your four year old friend, Clara, suggests that you make soup for your show, do it. No hesitations necessary. It will be a good idea.
When the energy saver lightbulb (you know, the kind that contains mercury) breaks, you don’t need to cry. Just go for a walk and let the apartment air out (then clean it up, obviously, in the safe manner that Husband found online).
The smell of garlic cooking and gruyère broiling can make the day just a little bit better.
When there are leftover pieces of toasted bread with melty, crispy, browned gruyère, it is the best idea to put a few layers of rosemary ham between them and call it lunch.
Taking a break from sorting through photos to rearrange your desk counts as work, even though it’s fun.
If you put the funny nose and mustache glasses on the dog and he refuses to knock them off, laugh as much as you need to. He doesn’t mind. He will take them off later and you can tell him he’s a good boy.
And, it is always a good idea to eat as much soup as possible.
Heat soup pot. Add butter and oil and let it brown, covered (to prevent splattering), over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add cauliflower, onion, and a pinch of salt. Cook, covered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
Uncover, turn heat to medium-low and add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
Add lemon juice, remaining salt, parsley, and vegetable stock. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover and reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until veggies are tender.
Dish soup into oven-proof bowls or ramekins and top with toasts. Top toasts with a sprinkle of gruyère. Broil in the toaster for 5-10 minutes (in the oven broiler, broil with the door open, paying attention the whole time, it should be a much shorter amount of time).
Notes
The toasts will soak up some of the soup as they broil. If you’d rather, you could toast the bread with the cheese and place it on top of the soup right before serving. Leftover soup makes great pasta sauce.
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Need some ideas for your week’s menu? Here you go!
Last week there were two special birthdays in our family. My dad turned 60 on Saturday. Unfortunately we couldn’t be there to celebrate with him because we live kinda far away. So we make do with phone calls, Skype dates, and celebrating when we’re all together, even if it’s a completely different time of year.
It’s good to have birthdays, I think. It’s a good reminder to appreciate wonderful individuals. We can appreciate them any day, all year round. We should. We are, aren’t we?! But, on someone’s birthday, we can be reminded of how extra special they are, and thank God that they were born.
I am very thankful for my Dad. He is one of the few people that I know who has always loved his work. So many people complain about their jobs. Not my Dad. He really likes what he does and he’s good at it. What a blessing!
I love seeing the ways I’m similar to my dad, and the ways that I’m different. Dad was the person who inspired me to want to try my hand at photography as a kid. My brothers and I all enjoy it and we get that from him. Dad also loves nature – he told me when we talked on his birthday that he’d spent most of the day outside. He was very pleased about that. We differ a little bit there. I mean, being outside is great, buuuut, I’m not as nature-inclined as he is. I enjoy it, but from a little more of an observer/distance way. Except when it comes to gardening. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty then (but the bugs can stay away – they are not welcome!).
My dad is levelheaded, wise, patient, and kind. He’s silly and can giggle with the best of them too. He is a great dad and I’m thankful for him.
The second birthday that we celebrated was our dog, Brando’s 5th birthday. Yes, we celebrate our dog’s birthday. We buy him bones and toys, bake him dog cookies and take him for a walk. Not too unlike any other day, except that we say the word birthday a lot. 🙂 I think that he thinks it’s special. I could be wrong since he doesn’t speak english.
He and I don’t have as much in common as say my Dad and I do. Although we do both like to walk and eat, so… If he were permitted to, Brando would be eating the same foods that we do at the same time. Since that doesn’t happen very often, he just waits until he hears the sounds of us finishing up our food and begs with his eyes to please clean the plate. He usually gets to since our dishwasher requires a pre-rinse anyways. 🙂
On birthday morning, since we hadn’t walked to the pet store to get him his bone and toy, I made some cookies. I know that he doesn’t know when his birthday begins and ends, but I do and I care. What he cared about was cleaning the batter bowl so carefully. I think he spent about 5 minutes on it. The cookies are really simple and make a cute little treat. I used Gluten Free flour, because we’re trying to avoid gluten in the dog’s diet (hoping it might help with allergy skin), and because I had some, so why not use it. These would also be good human cookies. Just add some maple syrup, honey, or sugar, maybe some chocolate chips or raisins, and they might be good. Might be. They’re dog tested, not people tested. 🙂 Oh and if you add stuff, especially chocolate, don’t give ’em to your dog. You know this. But just in case…
Happy birthday Dad! Happy birthday Brando. One special human, one special dog.
Last modified on 2013-04-01 20:32:48 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Brando’s Peanut Butter Dog Cookies
Recipe Type: Dog Treat, Cookies
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients
1 C AP Gluten Free flour
3/4 C rolled oats
3 T peanut butter
1/2 C water
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 225F.
Mix all ingredients together. Dough should be slightly sticky, like cookie dough.
Press out to about 1/2″ thick on a floured surface. Using a cooking cutter or a knife (occasionally dipped in flour so it doesn’t stick) cut into shapes (I used a bone shaped cookie cutter).
Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake for 60 minutes (baking time may vary depending on thickness and size of cookies).
It’s Easter weekend. As with most holidays, there are gatherings with lots of great food. If you’re still in need of some menu ideas, here I am to help!
To start out your day, a good brunch is in order.Â
It is spring. It’s time for asparagus and sugar snap peas, tank tops and flip flops, BBQs and Burgers. I like spring. I like the leaves that are greeting us with their green cheer, and the blossoms that mean fruit is just around the corner.
I do not like the allergies that come with spring. But, since spring means that the baseball season is about to start, allergies schmallergies.
On this lovely spring day, I used eggs from Burroughs Family Farms. They are the best eggs. (If you’re an Abundant Harvest Organics subscriber, you can buy them from the add ons list, same with Bari’s awesome, so awesome, olive oil.) They have these amazing bring orangey-yellow yolks and incredibly hard shells. Wowza! I combined them with just a few springy ingredients for this simple Frittata: asparagus, mushrooms, green garlic, potatoes, fresh parsley, and leeks. Toss in a bit of salt and pepper, and you’re almost ready to eat.
The Frittata is topped with Parmesan cheese and baked to perfection. Then it’s time to have a bite. Yes, I ate what appears on the fork below. It’s hard to wait for dinner on filming days.
Welp, that’s 60 episodes done done done. Thanks for watching and being a part of this yummy journey.
Heat ovenproof skillet. Add olive oil. Add potatoes and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook covered, over medium-low or low heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender.
Add asparagus, leek, and mushrooms. Cook uncovered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the veggies are tender.
Add green garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Whisk eggs with milk, salt, pepper, and parsley. Turn heat to medium-low and add eggs to pan. Stir once. Cook for 1 minute, stir again, then cook for 3-5 minutes, or until eggs are starting to set.
Sprinkle with cheese and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the eggs are set.
Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
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Here are some ideas for what to do with the contents of this week’s Abundant Harvest Organics box!
Note: you may want to oil your pan a little more than I did. I have a bit of a time cleaning it, but it was worth it (stuck on cleaning in a Cast Iron skillet requires oil, salt, a paper towel or cloth, and lots of elbow grease).
If my self at age 9 knew how I eat now, she might not approve. She might think that having more Doritos, Crunchie bars, Froot Loops, white bread, and Sherbet in my diet would be more fun.
