Green: Eat Like You Mean It!

What's YOUR favorite food?

Eating, like cooking, should be fun. One element of fun with food is the pre-requisite that you like what you're eating! This can be challenging in a large family full of people who prefer different things. Harder than cooking at home is going out to eat; given that I'm wheat- and meat-free and dairy-limited, finding a restaurant where I can eat more than salad and maybe potatoes can be a challenge. Especially given that no one else in the family shares my dietary needs. There's a lovely little family-run Mexican restaurant up the street, El Norteno, where we like to go. Everyone can eat something. The food's very good, and it just means that I eat dairy. Fine. An evening at El Norteno means I don't do dairy again for awhile. No problem. There are also a couple of grilles nearby where my family can enjoy a full-on flesh feast and I can at least have the specialty sweet potato fries (Longfellow Grille) or the garlic-parsely fries (Town Talk Diner) and a creative salad.

Another family favorite--and my personal favorite!--is a local Indian restaurant called Ghandi Mahal. They serve lots of wheat-free vegetarian food, but the rest of the fam can eat all the tandoori chicken their hearts' desire (they have plentiful meat offerings besides tandoori...)! Actually, Indian and Middle Eastern food rank super high on my list of favorites, as well as Thai and other SE Asian cuisine.

For supper tonight, I made a 'build-your-own' curry dinner:  In separate pots and pans I made...

Curried fried potatoes (made this way so they'll be easily re-heated tomorrow and served with an egg for breakfast),

Curried mixed veggies, literally a using up of what's waiting in my veggie crisper,

Curried chicken, thigh and breast pieces,

And a pot of brown basmati rice and some coconut-red curry sauce.

Once done cooking in their spice baths, the chicken, veggies and potatoes each got a ladle of the sauce. Then I turned everyone loose to build their plates to their liking. My plate included the rice, potatoes, veggies, a healthy dose of the curry sauce, and a generous sprinkling of crushed red chilies.

Little Ada went for a spoon of rice, a spoon of veggies, and a nice juicy chunk of the chicken.

When cooking for my brood, I try to make meals that are flexible and allow for tailoring to personal tastes. I really like to turn up the heat in my food, but no one else currently living here does (my oldest, on his own, also shares my love of spicy food). So I make my sauces more mild than I prefer, but keep a supply of heat close at hand. (Even my morning egg, over-easy on gluten-free toast, gets a healthy dash of chili flakes!).

Another recent meal I can share was the one I made for my daughter Olivia's 19th birthday. She asked for shrimp and sweet potatoes. The shrimp were marinated for the day in olive oil, lime juice, salt, a few chili flakes, and freshly chopped garlic. When it was almost time to eat, I tossed the shrimp into a giant hot iron skillet with a little more olive oil. When they were done, I tossed them with chopped flat-leaf parsley.

The sweet potatoes, one of Olivia's absolute favorit foods, were cut into disks, tossed with olive oil and generously seasoned with sea salt, fresh-ground pepper and sweet paprika, then oven roasted.

I didn't think that was enough food options for the whole group eating, so we also enjoyed garlic-mashed potatoes with parsely, a simple green salad tossed with my ex's mustard-shallot dressing, and a loaf of local bakery bread.

Simple foods, all, but tasty and so satisfying. Most importantly, for this family, such meals as these offer a little something for everybody! Until next time...

--Sheila

The Soirees of Spring and the Succulent Morsels That Make Things Special...

It's spring, school is almost over for the year, and little parties are popping up all over the place. I've catered four in the last week...an after-the-Big-Event committee debriefing dinner, a store's Customer Appreciation day treats buffet, a volunteer thank you party, and another volunteer thanks-for-your-service brunch. The challenge is for me is to keep a fresh perspective always, to avoid being repetitious, to offer a full menu that will satisfy the palate and meet the needs of everyone. Because I'm known for being able to cook around dietary concerns, lots of my clients are wheat-free or dairy-free or vegetarian or vegan, etc. Here are some highlights:

Above is a platter of oven-toasted polenta points with a sun-dried tomato tapenade. The polenta was cooked in the pot, poured onto a jelly roll pan, and chilled overnight. I then cut it into squares, drizzled it with olive oil, and toasted it in the oven until it developed a nice, brown crunchy bottom and maintained a chewy center. The tomatoes were softened in boiling water, drained, then chiffonaded and macerated in olive oil, garlic, ground chili peppers, salt, and--if I remember correctly--basil. Once the polenta was out of the oven, I plattered and topped it and Voila! a lovely wheat-free, savory appetizer that's just bursting with flavor, fun to eat, and even cheap to make!

Another recent offering was this little platter of shrimp and chicken:

The chicken was marinated overnight in a chili-lime sauce, then oven-roasted. The shrimp was pan- seared in lemon, garlic and parsley, then chilled overnight. For serving, I placed the bowl of shrimp in another bowl of ice to keep it cool, and plopped it right down in the middle of the warm platter of chicken strips tossed with freshly-chopped scallions. As both items were already so full-flavored (I NEVER skimp on spicing and seasoning!), there was no real need for a dipping sauce, making this easy-to-eat party fare.

Next up on the menu: Another round of fruit and veggie platters. A platter of fruit piled to the sky and balanced for colors, flavors, and textures is a sure thing when putting together a quick party menu. It's beautiful, satisfying, and provides a refreshing counterpoint to any grain, meat or cooked veggie dish. The veggie platter is just one more take on what's possible with roasting vegetables. The key, for me, is that each vegetable is differenlty marinated and seasoned before roasting, so that the finished melange is a richly varied ensemble of flavor tones.

 

 

This particular platter includes fennel and balsamic vinegar-roasted beets, paprika and olive oil-roasted parsnips, scallions pan-roasted in lemon juice, walnut oil and chili flakes, oven-roasted baby bok choy in ume plum vinegar and sesame oil, mushrooms seared in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and oregano, and topped off with heads of roasted garlic.

 

One thing I've been experimenting with is my basic gluten-free bread formulations. In a previous post you'll see a giant cinnamon-sugar loaf. For another event, I added a layer of cinnamon-roasted apples in the middle of the loaf. For a savory take on that experiment, I created the tomato-parmesan loaf above. I added parsley, basil, and fresh-ground black pepper to the dough before rising. Meantime, I marinated tomato slices in olive oil, salt, pepper, chili flakes, and fresh parsley. Before baking, I layered the dough with a mid-section of the tomato slices and a generous heap of grated parmesan. About half-way through the baking, I added the top layer of tomatoes, parm, and another drizzle of oil oil. In this picture, it looks like a focaccia, but it is more of a "rustic round."

One of my new favorite dessert offerings is a roasted fruit pizza:

In this instance, I used gluten-free crusts that came frozen from a local specialty bakery. I often make my own, but was interested in saving a little time. To make the pizzas, I started the night before by slicing the peaches and macerating them overnight with the blueberries in brown sugar and cinnamon. I then made the cream base by whipping together cream cheese, raw honey, and cardamom. On the morning of this particular event, I brushed the still-frozen pizza crusts with olive oil and popped them in a hot oven. About halfway through their baking, I took them out, spread the honeyed-cream, and plopped on the fruit. Back in the oven they went until everything was warm and saucy and delicious. (Note:  it actually  makes a full-flavor difference to put the cardamom in the cream, and the cinnamon in the fruit rather that putting the same spices on everything. This is the key to "flavor-layering...")

Finally, this morning's event was graced by Beth's Too Perfect Gluten-Free Blueberry Crumbcake.

 

There are not words enough to describe how truly perfect this cake is:  crumbly yet moist, sweet and generously laced with fresh blueberries. It is ALWAYS a crowd-pleaser, and is the perfect ending to any meal:  breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. It is heaven with a cup of coffee!

Of course, as a caterer, I'd love to prepare these and other taste-treat sensations for you. But as a committed lover of beautiful, healthy, delicious food, I also want to encourage you to explore your own culinary desires. People often ask me where I learned to cook. Having no formal training whatsoever, I always answer, "In my kitchen."  Head to your local food co-op or farmer's market or your own garden. Get your hands on anything that looks really good to you. Start chopping and simmering and seasoning and see what happens! Explore new flavor combinations. Go one step further and unleash the "overtone series" in a sauce (i.e. roast the garlic first before adding to the sauce, or take the time to carmelize the onions...take even just one thing a little further to develop a rounder, fuller flavor!). Most importatnly, trust yourself to make the food you love.

Of course, you can always count on a little help from Green...

--Sheila

The Elusive Perfect Veggie Platter...

So I was hosting a lunch meeting and needed make an affordable, quick meal for about 20 people. The menu was simple:  garlic-parsley polenta (with parmesan on the side to accomodate the dairy-free set), a potato-onion frittata, a simple mixed green salad with balsamic-mustard vinaigrette, and a roasted veggie platter.

Veggie platters can be heaven or hell. On one hand, a good roasted veggie platter can be tasty and beautiful, and can easily round out a meal for a bunch of people. It makes a great potluck item, or a fun appetizer or party plate. On the other hand, a mediocre veggie platter can be nothing but a big disappointment, especially when everything is roasted exactly the same, with no nuance or flavor-boosting elements.

When putting together a veggie platter, I choose veggies that will provide both variety and balance, with a multiplicity of textures and flavor tones. Then I individually roast each veggie, either in an iron skillet or in the oven, finally plating them together on one big platter in as attractive a fashion as I can muster.

The platter above contained the following veggies:
-slices of fennel bulb pan-seared in olive oil, sea salt & black pepper
-whole crimini mushrooms pan-roasted in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt & dried oregano
-sweet potato slices oven-roasted in olive oil & paprika
-green beans pan-seared in olive oil with fennel seeds
-heads of garlic oven-roasted in olive oil, salt & pepper
-sugar snap peas pan-seared in olive oil & seasoned rice wine vinegar
-scallions pan-seared in olive oil & lemon juice

As each item was done, I gave it a place on the platter. Right before serving, I put the whole platter back in the oven for a warm-up. By individually treating each ingredient, I was able to enhance and expand each item's flavor impact. When served together as a a whole veggie platter, each item's particular flavor tone can then play off the others' in perfect concert! The next time you need to feed a crowd, or want to bring something simple yet yummy and creative to a party, try a veggie platter. It's an easy way to experiment with your spice rack, satisfy your palate & impress your friends!

Oh--dessert was a Turtle Cheesecake...

'Wish you were here.

--Sheila

Time to Eat!

I want to rant a little while about time--specifically, about the time it takes to cook a decent, healthy, delicious meal. I cannot TELL you how many times people comment about my food, then say something to the effect of, "I'd love to eat like that, but I don't have time." Frankly, it rankles me beyond measure. The implication is that I, of course, must be positively luxuriating in time, time, nothing but time. Give me a break. I have six kids, a day job, writing projects, music projects, important personal projects and--oh yea--a little catering to do. I know an awful lot about time.

I also know what it means to have a good meal set before you. (And what it means to have a bad one--nothing disappoints me more than crappy food, or even mediocre food that could have been, should have been good...like the dinner out I had just this Valentine's Day. But that's another rant...)

Good, clean, tasty, healthy food should be considered a basic right. And a priority. Who wants to eat crap? And, as the above-delineated busy person that I am, I can attest to the fact that a good meal doesn't have to take all day to cook.

Take my favorite potato skillet dish I eat probably too often. It takes many forms, depending upon what what I've got available.

In this version, I've taken oven-roasted potatoes leftover from the night before, tossed them into a skillet with some chopped celery and garlic, then added in my baby spinach and some goat feta just before pouring it out onto my plate. Big, big yummy!

Here, I started with sliced raw potatoes, then tossed in some sun-dried tomato slices from my pantry and some green peas I had creamed the night before in a chevre-garlic sauce. Of course, I also tossed in some baby spinach 'cause that's how I like it! In both instances, I made good use of leftovers and created a tasty lunch in 20 minutes, start to finish. Twenty minutes. That's not a lot of time, and the result was well worth the little bit of chopping and stirring required.

Just tonight I made myself a nice pot of 4 Onion-Mushroom Soup. (The rest of the family had a hearty beef chili served Cincinatti-style over spaghetti noodles.) While my husband made the family din-din, I set to work on my pot of soup:

I set a pot of water to boil with 1 large carrot and 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped. This was to be the broth base, along with a healthy dash of wheat-free Tamari soy sauce and lots of black pepper (I later removed the carrots and just ate them. If this was to be for guests, I would have taken the time to puree the potatoes into the water, but as it was just for home, I left the potatoe cubes entire.)

Meanwhile, I sliced and olive-oil sauteed some crimini mushrooms and tossed them into the soup pot. Then I chopped one half of a yellow onion, two smallish leeks, and 4 large cloves of garlic. Into the sautee pan they went. Once they barely started to carmelized, they, too, joined the soup pot. I then de-glazed the sautee pan with one small pat of butter and about 2/3 Cup of Sauvignon Blanc. This made a lovely little sauce that was also added to the soup. Then I poured a glass for myself--why not?

With most ingredients now in the pot, I let the soup simmer for a few minutes while I added salt, more pepper, dried parsely flakes and dried oregano. Finally, in went a dash of raw sugar for depth and some sliced scallions.

All things considered, it took about 1/2 hour of my time to slice, chop, sautee, stir, de-glaze, etc. I then had another 10-15 minutes to fill while I waited for the soup to simmer and the flavors to meld. In the end, I enjoyed one tasty bowl of soup.

Now you might ask why I didn't just chop all the veggies, toss them in the pot with some tamari and white wine and let it boil. I could have done that, and yes, I would have had an OK soup. But by taking just a few extra minutes to sautee and carmelize the various ingredients, to pour the wine into a piping hot iron skillet and release the little oniony-mushroomy bits, I was able to have a pot of soup with greater depth and complexity, one that really satisfied the taste buds as well as the gullet.

Yes, it took a little time. Note:  a LITTLE time. Like anything, of course, we put our time and our energy where it matters most to us. I believe in good food. And yes, being an experienced cook, I probably chop and slice and dice and de-glaze quicker than the average home cook. But that only happened because, at home, I cook!

This is not to disparage the time-challenged, or to add any mental stress to people who already feel like they're not eating or cooking well enough. It is, however, to say that we really do have the time to enjoy healthy, savory, good-for-the-body-and-the soul meals in very little of that precious commodity of time. With all of those kids and the varieties of work I do, I'm not super woman. I'm a tired mom and a woman trying to make the most of her life. And that life just works a little better when by body gets what it needs from the food I eat. And so I cook in order to eat well, in order to feed my family well. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I love to cook...but that's another story.

--Sheila

Easy Gluten-Free Meals

Most people in "my world" know I cook, and that I am meat-free, wheat-free and cow-dairy limited. And yet, I eat really, really well--both in terms of nutrition and flavor. As I've said before, if it doesn't taste really good, why eat it? Yet, I must acknowledge that the notion persists "out there" that "specialty diet" food must be expensive, hard-to-make, or be somehow lesser in flavor, texture and overall gastronomic benefits. Not true, I say! Below are a couple of quick meals I have recently enjoyed:

Lime-Infused Green Beans w/ Tamari-LIme Dipping Sauce & Acoutrements:

(First of all, forgive the phone-camera picture with too little lighting!)

To make the beans, I set a pot of water to boil whilst I trimmed the beans. Once the water was ready, I tossed in some sea salt and my beans, blanching until they were just barely tender. I drained them in a colander, ran cold water over them, and put them in a bowl. I tossed in a dash more organic kosher sea salt and a drizzle of lime juice (I keep bottles of organic lemon and lime juice in my frig always handy for when I either don't have the fresh fruit handy or the time to squeeze them.).

For the sauce, I whisked together some wheat-free tamari soy sauce, I dash of lemon juice, a bigger dash of lime juice, a pinch of raw sugar, some red chili flakes, a splash of seasoned rice vinegar, and sesame seeds. To complete my meal, I chopped up an avocado and a bit of red onion, tossing them with olive oil, cumin and lemon juice. I finished off the meal with a nice New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale, and ate the avocado salad with some organic whole-grain corn chips. A fresh, tasty, quick and easy meal.

Next up:  Quinoa Spaghetti w/ Spinach & Garlic:

This is a leftover-lover's delight! I had made quinoa spaghetti with a tomato basil sauce the night before for the whole family, accompanied by some salad and sausage for the carnivores in my life. For this meal, I chopped a generous amount of garlic and sauteed it in olive oil in a 10" iron skillet. In went some leftover quinoa spaghetti and a bit of the sauce. I happened to have a tomatoe in the frig, so I chopped it up and tossed it in. Last I added some baby spinach and more red chili flakes, as I can't face a day without a little culinary heat!

Two fast meals (made in mere minutes!), both delicious and tailor-made for my dietary specifications. Of course, it helps to have a well-stocked pantry. I am NEVER without olive oil, garlic, lemon and lime juices, and a broad array of herbs and spices at the ready. Just the tiniest bit of "extra" effort (come on--how hard can it be to toss on a few sesame seeds or add a splash of lime juice?!?!?) can turn a basic meal into something truly extraordinary. Try it--you'll be sure to like it!

--Sheila

Speaking of Cream, Eggs & Burnt Sugar....

It's Creme Brulee time. I LOVE Creme Brulee and, when I make it, I eat it. Now let's be honest:  I should NOT eat it. The cream is way too much heavy dairy for me, the high egg content is just more concentrated protein than my body likes to process. I suppose I could just eat the burnt sugar, but that would seem somehow frivolous and ungrateful, all at the same time!

One of the funny things about Creme Brulee is just how easy it is to make. In a bowl go some egg yokes and maybe a couple of whole eggs for balance, whisked with a little sugar and vanilla (sometimes I use pure maple syrup instead for an autumn-harvesty maple brulee!). In a heavy saucepan goes the heavy cream and more sugar. Because I use raw can sugar instead of the bleached, processed stuff, I put the pan on super-low heat and raise the temp slowly to be sure all the sugar crystals have melted into the cream. Once the cream is adequately heated, remove it from the heat and let it cool a bit so you don't end up with scrambled eggs instead of custard.

Finally, the sweetened cream is whisked into the eggs, the custard is put into ramekins which are put in a larger pan half-full of hot water and popped into the oven. Once baked, I let the ramekins cool right in their water bath for awhile before putting them to cool in the fridge. Finally, before serving, I sprinkle them with more raw cane sugar and fetch the blowtorch. That's the really fun part!

Of course, the most fun part is using a spoon to crack the sugar "window" and scooping up the sweet custard that lies beneath. It's a full-sensory dessert, really--the sound of the spoon tapping, than breaking through, the constrast in textures, and the heavenly, heavenly flavor. How can you NOT love Creme Brulee???

--Sheila

Party Food With Your Diet in Mind

A few times a year, for the last few years, I have catered the All-School Meetings at City of Lakes Waldorf School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. These meetings kick off with a half-hour of gathering and social time over coffee and tea and tasty treats. I've tried hard over the years to not repeat any menus; I don't my "regulars" to get tired of the fare!
    One of my considerations is to be mindful that there are always folks in the crowd who can't eat certain things, like wheat or soy or nuts. I always include a menu board or some such that makes note of whether the dish is wheat-free or gluten-free, or if it's vegetarian, or contains nuts, etc. And I try to make sure there's something for everyone.
    Tonight's menu was something of a "modern Mediterranean" line-up:  For savories there was White Bean & Tomato Bruschetta, Roasted Red Pepper Puffs with Carmelized Paprika Shallots, freshly-made Falafel with my Very Zingy Tzatziki Sauce, and, for dessert, Wheat-Free Coconut-Lemon Dream Bars.

Besides being easy and of infinite varieties, Bruschetta is yummy. Not that I could eat this one, as the bread base was made from a regular wheat baguette from a local bakery. The topping in this instance is a very bright and citrusy mixture of mashed cannelini beans, chopped grape tomatoes, minced red onion and garlic, parsley, sea salt, a healthy dose of organic lemon juice and my "secret" spice blend to make each bite particularly piquant. While it is sometimes too ubiquitous these days, Bruschetta is a fine party food and easy to pull  off. Simply toss your baguette slices in a large bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper, and toast on cookie sheets in the oven. Set them on a serving platter, and top just before serving with whatever your heart (and your palate) desires.

Next up, the Red Pepper Puffs. First, let me say right off the bat that I used puff pastry from the freezer section. While I can make it myself, why?--when there are other folks out there doing a fabulous job who can have it available at the last minute when I'm throwing something together.
    Now I'm not about to give away all my trade secrets, but let me just say that puff pastry is a lovely base for an infinite variety of toppings, and is a nice alternative (or, in this case, complement to) Bruschetta. I thawed it, rolled it out, brushed it with seasoned olive oil, put on a spoonful of my red pepper/carmelized shallot/spice mixture, and popped these savory morsels in the oven for about 15 minutes. What could be easier?

What can I say about falafel and tzatziki, other than they rank really, really high on my list of personal faves. And, if I may say so, my so-called "recipes" for each are truly yummy. For starters, they're both glute-free. And I make it mine with organic ingredients. Further, I don't ever, ever skimp on flavor. I like food with bold flavors, so my falafel is packed with lemon and parsley and lots of garlic and minced onion and, again, my propriety spice blend. Ditto on the sauce--I make it really tangy and vibrant and frankly, I just want to lick out the bowl right now!  But where are my manners...

Last, but not least, are these lovely little lemon bars. The base is something of a cross between a gluten-free shortbread and a pie crust, with a little egg and melted--not cut--butter. I used several flours and shredded coconut for the "bar" part. The topping is a mixture of whipped heavy cream, organic lemon extract, sugar, and lemon curd. Finishing it off is a sprinkling of ground walnuts. If I were making this for a smaller gathering, I would bake it in a tart pan, or maybe make individual tartletts out of it and perhaps include a middle layer of sugar-cured lemon slices. Oh the possibilities!
    When all was said and done, the folks at school enjoyed a flavor-packed menu of healthy, beautiful, tasty foods. The gluten-free set could eat the Falafel and Lemon Bars. The dairy-free folks could eat the Bruschetta and the Falafel sans sauce, the nut-free could eat all the savories, and the vegetarians and soy-free folks could eat it all. And no one was missing a thing!

 

One final note:  Being a wheat-free, other gluten-limited, cow-dairy-mostly-free vegetarian, I often find myself at social gatherings NOT catered by Beth & me where I really can't eat much of anything. That always feels bad. I can't tell you how many times I've attended expensive fund-raising dinners where all I could eat was the (usually mediocre) salad. Who wants to go to a party and feel punished for one's healthy dietary choices and "good food" standards?
    Given that Beth and I share the same dietary requirements, excepting that I am vegetarian and she's not, and that we don't settle for mediocre food in our own day-to-day lives, it is important to us that the world know that "restricted diet" doesn't have to mean "crappy food that tastes and feels like birdsead and cardboard." I feel strongly that, when we serve up our Green offerings, our clients enjoy better, more vibrant and full flavor regardless of whether the food is vegetarian, vegan, or whatnot. We like knowing that everyone can come to the Green table and walk away satisfied in palate and stomach! That's the Green way, after all. 'Hope to see you at the table soon.
 
--Sheila

Holiday Baking Fun

It's been awhile since we've traversed the blogosphere; life just gets too busy come Winter Holiday  Season. Once we've survived Thanksgiving, it's on to other things at work, home, and school. Take Advent, for example. My daughters' Waldorf School celebrates the onset of Advent with the most beautiful, contemplative "Advent Garden" celebration. Evergreens in spirals, candles everywhere, shells and crystals adorning the pathway, and sublime music floating in from a harp or angelic voice. In this celebration we learn to go within, to embrace the darkness of the season, to find our inner light flickering, glowing, keeping us sure of ourselves until the light returns. We are told to keep things simple in this meditative season.

Hah! At the same time, the biggest event of our collective school life (the annual Holiday Fair) hits us like a 3-ton hunk of quartz crystal, the annual Winter Holiday shopping frenzy has begun out there in the cold, dark world, and the last flurry of activity before Winter Break is underway for the kidies. Meditative? Meanwhile, lots of you are no doubt busy doing whatever it is you do to prepare for whatever it is you celebrate. And doing it in the midst of a recession that has everyone worried.

Wile the world carries on the sub-zero temperatures, we at Green are busy baking for others as well as (we hope!) for our own families. Like a lot of people this year, we're finding more and more people are giving handmade or homemade gifts. A little something sweet (or savory!) on the tongue, nourishing to the body and the spirit, and made by someone who loves doing it--whether the giver themself or someone, for example, from Green! Catering--can be the balm for what ails this difficult time of year. Truth be told, we all have enough stuff. But a pretty little crumb cake or a bag of maple toffee pecans or a plate of holiday cookies really warm the heart as well as please the palate. Check out the Rum Raisin-Craisin Bread Pudding pictured above. Who wouldn't want such a jewel for a holiday gathering or hostess gift? Or maybe you'd prefer the flourless chocolate ganache cake, below...

Whether you bake it yourself or hire us to do it, such simple gifts do more than look pretty on the table and taste good on the tongue. Food means a lot of things--like comfort, nourishment, even time, as in time well-spent to nourish and please our loved ones.

So go ahead and keep it simple this year. Make a little something for someone you love. Can't find the time or inspiration for that chocolate cake or holiday cookie plate? Let us do it for you. It's what we love to do!

--Sheila
(p.s. Bread Pudding and Flourless Chocolate Cake, $24 each. Green is happy to make almost anything for your holiday party or gifting. Contact us at mntimmer@yahoo.com to discuss options and pricing.)

Thanksgiving Dinner: So Easy a Child (or two!) Can Do It

Thanksgiving 2008. A low-pressure year. Only my husband and the kids, including the on-his-own man-child, and a couple of kids' friends. Total of 10 people. A small affair, really. Sweet gig, catering to an already-on-my-side group of "clients."  Thanksgiving Dinner is the Biggest Meal of the Year in my house. My kids wait for it, talk about it, remember it, savor it...you get the idea. And because they expect good things, and because I love them, I do try to make it special.
          Of course, Thanksgiving Dinner--like many holiday events--can be a loaded event, what with expectations and emotions and dinner guests and all. I remember my earliest years of putting together the Fabled Feast, being very anxious about producing the Perfect Bird. Maybe I wanted to prove something, maybe I needed to know I could. Fast-forward through the years:  I know I can, and now I just look forward to this special meal for the shear joy of cooking it, of offering my beautiful family their favorite meal of the year.
          But I know that the Very Important Family Feast still brings a ponderous level of worry to lots of home cooks, so today I bring you Thanksgiving highlights in my family, as my youngest two children, Ada (4) and Aurora (10) helped me along with every dish, every step of the way. And if they can cook Thanksgiving dinner, so can you! On the menu:  Turkey with Wild Rice Stuffing, Polenta-Pear Stuffed Squash, Roasted Garlic-Mashed Potatoes, Perfect Turkey Gravy, Toasted Walnut Brussels Sprouts With Fennel Seed, Cucumber-Red Onion Relish, Apple-Turnip Slaw, Spicy Corn With Red Pepper-Chevre Sauce, Local  Bakery Baguettes, Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie, & Cocoa-Cinnamon Cream-Filled Chocolate Cake. As a wheat-free, dairy-limited vegetarian, I could eat everything but the turkey & gravy (the stuffing ultimately included pork sausage; I saved out a portion for me before adding the meat. The bread used was a gluten-free variety from a local bakery.), the baguette, and the pumpkin pie. Both the apple pie and the chocolate cake were gluten-free, and I ate the cake even though it had a cream filling because, simply put, I couldn't resist it!
          Ready to cook with Ada & Aurora? Here we go!!!

Our odyssey began the night before Thanksgiving with the baking. After spending the day baking special-order holiday desserts for clients with my dear friend and biz partner Beth (often referred to as "my other half' or "the rest of me") the Girlies and I got to work baking our own desserts. Let's face it:  Who doesn't want to begin with dessert?

Thanksgiving morning, 7:00. I begin by roasting the garlic, making the stuffing, prebaking the squash (to be stuffed and finished off in the oven when the bird comes out) and getting the bird ready for roasting:

By around 9:15 or so, the squash and garlic came out of the oven, and the bird went in. Without giving away too many "trade secrets," my turkey roasting method involves lots of olive oil, some butter, a hunk of cheesecloth, and a rigorous basting schedule.
          By 9:30 the Girlies were up and about and ready to cook. First, Ada decided we needed coffee:

Then it's onward to other prep. We've got cranberries to turn into sauce, lots of fruits and vegetables to pare and chop and sautee and shred. We chopped more parsley than we care to remember:

Oops! Time to baste the bird and check on the cranberry sauce, a heavenly concoction of fresh organic cranberries, raw cane sugar, water and, of course, my secret ingredient (which shall remain nameless)...

While the Girlies continue to prep and chop the veggies, I've got all sorts of things somewhere in process:

Oh yea, gotta baste the bird and check the cranberry sauce again...

A few hours of chopping, paring, shredding, stirring, basting, etc and the bird comes out of the oven. While it rests, the once-baked squash is stuffed and popped in the oven while the gravy is made and everything else is finished and readied for serving:

Finally it's time to present, carve, and plate the bird:

And now it's time to eat. Let's review our menu:

Turkey,

Wild  Rice Stuffing,

Polenta-Pear Stuffed Squash,

Cucumber-Red Onion Relish,

Apple-Turnip Slaw,

Roasted Garlic-Mashed Potatoes,

Pan-Seared Brussels Sprouts With Walnuts and Fennel Seed,

Spicy Corn With Red Pepper-Chevre Sauce,

Perfect Turkey Gravy,

Cranberry Sauce,

and yes, those three desserts featured above, here shown with Aurora sprinkling the chocolate cake with a cocoa-cinnamon-sugar topping:

It was a great day of cooking with my Girlies (yes, they really did help prepare everything and yes, they do possess knife skills!) We had, in the end, a fabulous meal to show for our labors. A good (gastronomic!) time was had by all. And while I was tired when it was all over, I was happy to have given my brood another fine feast to talk about over the course of the next year!

Happy Thanksgiving! And blessings on your next meal. If you need help, you know who to call...

--Sheila

A Mother's Lament, or, How I Feed Six Kids

 Let's see..I DO have six kids. I DO feed them. And I DO sometimes lament. It's not easy feeding a cast of characters such as the ones living in (and near) my house. The oldest (on his own now, though he still stops by to eat upon occasion) was easy enough to feed. He likes a wide range of foods, and so is sure to be satisfied by what's on the table, be it Mexican, Greek, Thai or some other cuisine I'm serving up. He hates cooked tomatoes (unless it's non-chunky sauce on pasta or pizza) and red peppers. Other than that, he'll eat what I put in front of him and serve me up raves in return.

Child #2 would, if I let her, live solely on beige food:  Chicken, pasta with parmesan, risotto, mashed potatoes. She will eat pink food once in awhile (shrimp, salmon) and golden brown food (waffles, pie, cookies) when it's available. Oh, she does like some orange food (yams, squash, pumpkin) and will consume green food if it's in the form of my pesto. It's something, anyway.

Child #3 really loves Subway sandwiches. One Subway sandwichto be exact--a toasted roast beef and pepper jack on herb & cheese bread with banana peppers & chipotle sauce. Besides that, he likes my curried chicken, tuna salad, wild rice, squash, polenta, ribs and--go figure--broccoli and Brussels sprouts. And hot sauce. He LOVES the hot sauce.

Child #4 is kind of like a snake. She eats like a bird for days on end, then protein-packs for a day or two. She loves apples and celery with peanut butter, goat feta, pasta with olive oil and parmesan cheese, ribs, black sesame seed-tamari crackers, salmon, Indian food, and can almost always be plied with a feta or cream cheese omelet, or a pesto pizza, though she does NOT like pesto on pasta!

Child #5 is a bit easier--like me, she LOVES the vegetables, and so will eat whatever I'm eating. She also digs salmon and shrimp, and will eat other meat products if they're on the table, usually, though she does tend to corn and peas and mushrooms.

Child #6, my teenage "aquisition" of a year or so ago, doesn't eat at home as often. She's very social and often with friends at mealtimes. But, at 19, she will eat almost anything I make (though she and my 18-year-old, Child #2, do really enjoy Udon instant noodle soups and, I suspect, are keeping their own stock of Frosted Flakes in their bedroom.

How to feed this brood? I confess, I am not always successful by my own measures. I eat a very healthy, organic, varied and vegetarian diet. My kids think of me as a most excellent cook. They know I even get paid to cook for other people, and think it's cool that I'm rather known for my cooking in our community. But, alas, sometimes, just as the cobbler's children had no shoes, the organic gourmet cook's children would sometimes just rather order pizza!

My kids' health is a priority for me, of course. I believe in the power of food to not only nourish, but heal. I love cooking for others, especially for my own family. So when my kids don't all rave over the same things that I adore cooking and eating, I admit, I sometimes feel bad, especially given that I'm cooking not only because I like to, but to keep them alive!

But they don't all like the same things, and I've never been the "you have to eat and like what I eat and like" kind of parent. I encourage them to try new things. Indeed, Child #2 only recently developed a taste for shrimp after taking several years to must the courage to try it! But I don't think that forcing them to eat what repulses them is worth the fight. Food should be savored, not battled.

So it's true that each and every child does not necessarily get 100% of their nutritional requirements in every meal. I work hard to provide a variety of foods over the course of every week, and to include things in every meal that will please every participant. Child #3 hates pasta; I try to make it on nights when I know he won't be home for supper, and then, make sure we have wild rice or polenta on a regular basis when is is home. And if Child #4 hates the balsamic-roasted beets with chevre and fennel ('cause she's crazy! What's not to love about balsamic-roasted beets with chevre and fennel?!?!?), then she has to eat another form of fruit or vegetable matter in its stead.

At the end of the culinary week, most of the kids have eaten enough of what they need to grow and flourish. It's true that my main focus these days is on the two youngest; the three oldest are firmly planted in the realm of self-responsibility, even if I'm doing the cooking. The 16-year-old is still within my reach, though sometimes beyond my grasp, as he's a busy, busy boy. So I just make sure that I feed him well when I've got him at my table.

So, finally, even though I spend a lot of time in my kitchen, feed hordes of people over the course of a year, and love doing so, feeding my own family can still be challenging. They do have every  opportunity to eat really, really well. And sometimes they eschew that opportunity for Subway or Frosted Flakes when I'm not looking! I guess I don't have any sage advice for other lamenting feeders-of-children, accept maybe to think in broader sweeps about food and time, and don't lose hope. When my oldest was still a child, his favorite thing was chips--corn chips, potato chips...just any crunchy, salty chip. On his own, I'm sure he eats too many frozen burritos. But I'll tell you this--he also knows how to whip up some of the tastiest freshly-grated and skillet-fried hash browns you've ever eaten. And even the pickiest of my little eaters still appreciates that what's on their plate is organic home-made goodness, even when they don't love every single dish. Heavy sigh.

--Sheila