Spaghetti Squash

Katie Belle has a new favorite - spaghetti squash! I never tried this with Ethan, but it is a GREAT baby food! Very easy to eat, sprinkled with tomato sauce, or a little butter & cheese. And these spaghetti squash came from the church garden. She's been gobbling it up lately!Eating with Mimi.

CSA, Week 17

Winter Squash!!! Do you know what this means? Fall is COMING! This is the CSA share we received last Sunday. I guess we've skipped right past the okra this year. The past 2 years, we've gotten a lot of okra with the CSA. This year - none!

This week we received: pumpkin, butternut squash, tomato, potato, corn, eggplant, cucumber, white eggplant, yellow tomatoes, onion, and green beans.

This week I'll be making Roasted Pumpkin & Winter Squash Soup. Sounds delicious to me! Some potato soup is probably in order too. And more Eggplant Sandwiches (with goat cheese), which I've eaten every day for the last 2 weeks!!!

My Grandfather, A Beautiful Life

Tonight my Grandfather went to be with his Father in Heaven. I'm so glad that the kids got to meet him, just last month. He was a wonderful man who loved Jesus, his wife & kids, traveling, stationary bikes, photography, gardening, and Larry King. He called Jeanie, my sister-in-law, "Tina" for the last 13 years. He married Lance & I, calling us "Larry." I loved this man. But I'm so excited for him to be free of his his human shell & now living in his final resting place. I love you Granddad.

Floating Baby!

Ethan went to swim lessons a few weeks ago. He can jump in the water (or be thrown in) and he knows to roll onto his back & float! I'm a proud mama!!! They had him jumping into the water & floating on DAY 2 of his lessons!

Magnetic Chalkboard

Recently I found a nice little $8 mirror at a yard sale. So I joined the legions online who have made magnetic chalkoards! Added Note: For how to's, check out thse blogs: she paints directly onto a mirror, while these guys paint onto a magnetic surface.First, we painted the border, then added 3 coats of magnetic paint and finally, a coat of chalkboard paint.Voila! Not the most magnetic thing in the world, but we're loving it!

Bringing Food to Someone with Allergies

I’m convinced that bringing food to someone who needs it is possibly the greatest gift ever. But if that person has dietary restrictions, you might have a challenge on your hands. I am quite well versed in food allergies. However, a recent experience cooking for a family with a different set of allergies reminded me what an overwhelming experience it can be to cook outside your comfort zone. Allergy families understand what a big deal it is for you to bring food. If you have a friend with a new baby, illness, or just in need of a TLC, here are a few tips that would be helpful if you are willing to go the extra mile, as you generously consider bringing to someone with an allergy in the family:

1. Do it Anyway – The thought might enter your mind “This is too difficult. Forget it.” Trust me: Whatever you do will be appreciated. Even if it’s not a glamorous meal, you can come up with something that will work for your friend. One friend brought us a simple basket of fresh fruits/veggies from the farmer’s market, which saved me a grocery trip!
2. Ask Questions – If you cannot conceive of how to cook a meal within your friend’s restrictions, just ask! I sent a list of “safe” recipes & easy substitutions to some friends who requested it. Your friend will be happy to answer questions about how to accommodate their needs.
3. Label – Put the list of ingredients on the box, container, or include the recipe. Although your friend understands that you have gone to extra effort to create their meal, people with allergies are instinctually double-checkers.
4. Bring The Box – If you used anything prepackaged, bring the empty box with you! Even those who are accustomed to cooking this way make mistakes, so it’s comforting for us to read labels for ourselves.
5. Don’t Be Insulted – If you are asked questions about an ingredient or food, please don’t be insulted. We are so grateful for your kindness, but must be sure that the foods we eat are safe.
6. Know that we are Beyond Grateful – Many people are frightened by the thought of bringing us food. So we are so grateful that you’ve done it anyway. We know the extra effort required by your generosity, and it means more than we can explain.

Eggplant Patties with Parsley, Garlic & Parmesan

This recipe is my favorite eggplant dish, probably. It is from Marcella Hazan's, "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking." I finally found it online so I didn't have to retype it!

About 2 lbs eggplant
1/3 cup unflavored breadcrumbs, lightly toasted
3 Tbs parsley, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 egg
3 Tbs freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
salt and pepper
vegetable oil
flour, spread on plate

Bake whole washed (untrimmed) eggplants at 400 F until tender (about 40min., test with toothpick). When cool, peel and cut into large pieces. Place in colander and let juices drain for about 15 min. (squeeze a little). Chop the eggplant very fine and combine with breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic, egg, cheese, salt and pepper. Shape into patties about 2 inches by 1⁄2 inch thick.
Heat 1⁄2” oil in frying pan until hot. Coat both sides of patties in flour and slip them into the pan without crowding. Cook until nice dark crust forms on each side. Transfer to drain on paper towel lined platter. Serve either hot or lukewarm.

Variation with onion and tomatoes (I've never tried this one): Saute 1 1⁄2 cup finely sliced onion in 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil until colored deep gold. Add 1 1⁄2 cups chopped canned Italian tomatoes, with their juice. Simmer until oil floats free, about 20 min., and season with salt and pepper. Add eggplant patties and heat through.

Not my photo. Picture from here.

CSA, Week 16

Back to work cooking local & fresh meals! I just read "In Defense of Food," which reminds me of part of the reasons I do the CSA. The motto of the book is: Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants. It's a very interesting book, and if you'd like to get the overall gist of the book, read highlights here. So, our CSA for the week looks like this:Green Beans, Tomatoes (small & big), yellow & green bell peppers, corn, onion, banana peppers, 2 types of potatoes, lemon cucumber, purple eggplant, cantaloupe & some sort of white eggplant. Yesterday, a purple eggplant, combined with a tomato & basil from the garden plus goat cheese became a tasty sandwich. And today I'm making some potato soup for dinner.
I've scoured the web for info on the white eggplant, but can't find out anything about it. Anyone seen these guys before? A few years ago, we received a white eggplant, but not this "finger" shape. In the above picture is also the lemon cucumber.

Estes Park, Colorado

We are getting settled back in after a wonderful trip to Estes Park, CO. We got to do lots of hiking, climbing (well, Lance did) & hanging out with our friend Tommy.
Lance got to climb The Diamond, pictured above our heads & also below!
Picture of The Diamond from here.

Babies

My babies are getting bigger! Ethan is starting another year of preschool in a week. His teacher was also my teacher when I was his age, so I have all sorts of nostalgia going on. Katie Belle is so fast & crawling up everything. She's not still for a single minute of the day. Can't believe how time flies!

CSA, Week 14 (15 Missing)

Pictured above are last week's veggies. And I did not get a picture of this week's veggies & gave most to my mama. This week's share (Week 15) was very similar. So last week we received cantaloupe, eggplant, green beans, pattypan squash, green peppers, onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, peaches, squash, corn & potatoes. SO Delicious! The CSA looks alot different than it did this spring!

Allergy Story, Part 3

I wanted to give an update to our allergy story (Part 1 Here and Part 2 here) since people often ask about how Ethan is doing. Thanks so much for your support & concern for him throughout the years. I hope that watching our story has helped you realize (if you didn't before) that parents of children with food allergies are just like you. We're not crazy & overprective. We dream of a normal childhood experience, complete with fun birthday parties, trick-or-treating, eating out, etc. We would never want this for our children, and hope every day that our children outgrow them. It is a challenge every day. I am so thankful that I've been given so much support by you, my family & friends. So...Now onto my FAQ's:

How is he with Milk & Eggs these days? He’s not able to drink a glass of milk, or eat scrambled eggs, quiche, etc. But he can tolerate milk and eggs used in foods. At the beginning of our good news, we jumped right into the unrestricted diet full-force. That was just too much on his little system. So we have pulled back. So we just try to go light on milk/eggs, but don’t have any real fears anymore about these foods.

How does he feel about it? People often expect him to feel like some whole new world has opened up to him, but he doesn’t really know any different. LIfe is very different, but mostly for me. It does make it a bit more difficult to explain, “You aren’t allergic to milk anymore, but you can’t drink a glass of cow’s milk.” The explanation was much simpler before. He just got it.

What will happen if he drinks a glass of milk? With large quantities of eggs/milk, now he gets very congested & has tons of snot & difficulty breathing (due to nasal congestion). His eczema flares up.

What about the Nut thing? He still has never ingested any type of tree nuts or peanuts. We’ve only had the skin test, so we will go back in for the blood test at a later date. We just have to schedule it, which I’m reluctant to do, because it’s pretty unpleasant.

What’s Next? The doctor thinks he will completely outgrow the milk/egg allergy. He said to just try every once in a while to give him eggs or a glass of milk to see how he responds. I gave him a little milk in May, and he was congested for 3 days. Last week I tried milk again & he seemed to handle it well. The nut allergy is likely lifelong.

What about Katie Belle? We haven’t had any testing done for her, but she has not had any reactions to foods yet.

Throughout the course of my blogging experience, I have had lots of people ask me questions. I'm so happy to help out anyone who is dealing with thie personally, or who wants to get a greater understanding of it. The whole concept is very overwhelming at first.