Wish Upon A Chef

The "C" word.

It's a nasty, terrible word. 

A word no one wants to hear uttered, especially in reference to themselves or someone they love.

It's amazing how one filthy word can (if you let it) strip you of your decency and self-respect.  It will also change your outlook on so many things - about life, about yourself, about your family.

I want the "C" word banished forever and I never want to hear it again.

One month ago this week, my parents were finishing up a 21-day safari trip of a lifetime in Africa, the Boy Toy and I were relaxing for a well-deserved week in Mexico and all was right with the world.  Less than 3 weeks later, the terrible "C" word would blindside us. 

Cancer.

That's the word I'm talking about.

Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma to be exact. 

No one knows exactly when the stage 3 cancer manifested itself into my mother's body and no one will ever know exactly what caused it, but I've long believed that the chronic health issues we face today - Alzheimer's, ADHD, autism, obesity and numerous cancers, just to name a few - are ultimately caused/aggravated by the processed foods we eat.  The government regulated, FDA approved, heavily marketed and targeted foods that populate our grocery store shelves. 

Do you really look at the ingredient label on the "food" you are consuming? Does it even register with you that you are not, in fact, actually eating food?

Chemicals. 

Preservatives.

Additives. 

Growth hormones. 

Genetically modified organisms. 

Things you cannot even pronounce.

POISON is what you are actually consuming.  Plain and simple. 

I'm not going to sit here and say that the reason my mother has cancer is because she ate convenience foods from a box or a can. But who's to say that isn't part of the underlying reason? I will say that from the point of October 1, 2013 on I won't give processed foods the chance to repeat history with me personally. 

Since the beginning of the year I have been working to change my diet to more organic items, less refined sugar and no processed items. It's been a work in progress and even after 9 months, I'm still not completely there. So when I ran across the Unprocessed October 2013 challenge, it seemed like the final step in getting myself over the hump of ridding my pantry and recipes of poison and I vowed to take the challenge.  I promised to dedicate 23 of the 31 days to not eating processed foods. The reason for the 8 days of non-participation is because most times on the weekend I am not in charge of my own cooking and I wouldn't dare turn up my nose or impose my standards on someone who took the time to prepare food for me.  And who are we kidding to say that we are NEVER going to indulge in something that doesn't meet the kitchen test or be in a position where we are served food that we have no control over.  But even in these types of situations, I will do my best to make better choices.

It's not too late for you to take the challenge either wholeheartedly or just in an effort to change one small thing about your eating habits.  You have to start somewhere and Eating Rules is a great resource to get you started in the right direction. 

Let's ultimately rid our society of that "C" word one box and one can of processed crap at a time!

At the first of the year, I vowed to move my diet away from processed and non-organic foods and toward more real and organic items.  I'm nine months into the change and if I had to grade myself on my progress, I'd have to admittedly give myself a solid "C."  Sometimes I think I'm doing good/above average and sometimes I feel like a complete failure.  I applaud myself for being more conscious of the things that I buy - I no longer fall victim to the buy one, get one free schemes at the grocery store because most of those items are not suitable to a real food lifestyle.  My biggest problem was/is that my pantry was already so full when I started the challenge and being the frugal gal that I am, I didn't want to just toss it all out and start fresh.  I had the attitude that I would work my way through it and slowly replace my pantry staples with suitable things.  But can you believe that nearly nine months later I am STILL eating my way through most of those items?! 

I'm starting to see organic items take the place of my most frequently used items like diced tomatoes, beans and olive oils.  I've stopped buying sugar, white flour and other baking supplies that used to populate my shopping lists.  I've started purchasing local meats from Windy Hill Farm and organic produce from Simply Fresh. But I'm in a quandary as to what to do with the non-local/organic meats in my freezer and processed items still in my pantry - at the rate that I'm going, I'm still going to be eating processed food items in the year 2037.  I have half a mind to pull everything out and segregate it into a box and anytime I need to prepare food for someone other than myself, I'll use those items. 

I've also been challenging myself to try new things and it was back in March that I took this challenge to try quinoa.  I tried a cold salad recipe that incorporated feta cheese and fresh cherries - two things that I absolutely love on their own but it was not a hit when combined with the quinoa.  I ended up picking out and only eating the fruit and cheese so I tabled the quinoa challenge for awhile but was determined not to give up. 

And then I found this recipe in a Martha Stewart magazine for Quinoa and Spinach Pilaf and it instantly made a quinoa lover out of me.  I loved the simplicity and the savory flavors.  The recipe made alot more than what I consider four servings, so I portioned it up for the freezer, which made me love it even more!


Quinoa and Spinach Pilaf
Serves 4
recipe from Martha Stewart

Printable Recipe

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 finely chopped small yellow onion
1 minced clove garlic
1 cup rinsed quinoa
1 1/4 cups water
5 cups baby spinach (5 ounces)
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium. Add onion and garlic; cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add quinoa and cook 1 minute. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir in spinach and lemon zest, then season with salt and pepper.

"I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse." Walt Disney, 1954

My first visit to Disney World was in 1971 when I was a whopping 6 months old.  A few years later, my family bought a summer home in Florida and we visited the parks almost every summer.  Then adulthood and life kicked in and the little house was sold and it would be nearly 15 years before I visited the happiest place on Earth again. 

The Boy Toy, his two kids, his father and I were at Disney World in August and it occurred to me that the whole "happiest place on Earth" tag line may very well be just a marketing ploy.  While standing in lines for what seemed like eternity for a ride that lasts 4-1/2 minutes, I started observing people around me.  Adults were weary and hot.  They had that look in their eyes that said they were tired of keeping up with kids, tired of standing in line, and beyond tired to know they still had two of the six lands to visit in order to get their (lots of) money's worth out of the day.  Kids were hot, moody and in desperate need of a nap.  Their attention span rendered them incapable of understanding why they had to wait in a long line for instant gratification.  The most ironic thing I overheard was a pushed-to-the-limit parent telling their pouty kid, "It cost alot of money to come here.  You're going to have a good time and I. MEAN. IT!"

The happiest place on Earth?  It is questionable for some.

Like everyone else, we were tired, hot and sweaty.  The kids were impatient at times, but I'm pleased to report that we had a really great visit.  We came away with good memories of a nice family vacation and I scored some really sweet souvenirs!

Anyone have the time?

The Mickey watch was a splurge for me and I picked up a really nice Christmas ornament at the Christmas shop in Liberty Square but there was one more thing I wanted - a cookbook to add to my already overburdened cookbook shelf.  It wasn't until we wandered through the Emporium on Main Street on our way out of the park that I found the one that I wanted.  Chef Mickey Treasures from the Vault & Delicious New Favorites contains recipes from various restaurants and resorts from both Disneyland and Disney World as well as from their cruise line.  I liked that it contained recipes from places that no longer exist within the Disney empire. 

It was hard to choose which recipe I wanted to try first, but I settled on Grilled Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Polenta ('cause you know I love me some goat cheese) as featured at Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano at Disney's Hollywood Studios.  I made it as written once (you can find that recipe here) but then changed it up by using shrimp and basil pesto from my freezer and decided it was one of the best meals I'd created in a long time. 

A great vacation, fun souvenirs and an awesome meal....it is the happiest place on Earth!




Sauteed Shrimp with Sun-Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Polenta
Inspired by Chef Mickey Treasures from the Vault & Delicious New Favorites
Serves 4

Printable Recipe


Sun-Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Polenta
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 small clove of garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup goat cheese
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon chopped basil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Shrimp and Asparagus
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
16 fresh asparagus spears
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup diced tomatoes
1/4 cup basil pesto, prepared or make your own

For Asparagus:

Preheat oven to 400.  Lay asparagus on baking sheet in a single layer.  Drizzle with olive oil (about a tablespoon or so) and season with salt and pepper.  Roast for approximately 15-20 minutes. 
 
For Sun-Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Polenta:

Combine chicken broth, heavy cream, and water in a large pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer.

Slowly whisk in cornmeal, stirring constantly until thickened.  Don't whisk too fast or lumps will form.

Stir in garlic, thyme and tomatoes; add goat cheese and butter, stirring until cheese and butter melt.

Add basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Continue to stir and cook until cornmeal is creamy.

For Shrimp:

Heat olive oil (about a tablespoon) in a saute pan over medium high heat.

Add shrimp, tomatoes and 2 -3 tablespoons basil pesto.  Cook, stirring occasionally, about 7-10 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and tomatoes have cooked down a bit.

Put 4 spears of asparagus on each plate and top with 1/2 cup polenta.  Place shrimp and tomatoes on top of polenta. 

Despite a ridiculously rainy summer, this year's garden bounty was still fairly decent and it's a good thing too, because I put alot of money and effort into revamping my garden space earlier this year. 


The Boy Toy was kind enough to haul my 300 pounds of crap and I nearly chopped off a few appendages and almost destroyed my fence while using my birthday present (thanks Pop!)

Unfortunately, my squash and zucchini never lived to see the light of day thanks to hungry wascally wabbits and some of my tomatoes fell victim to the monsoon conditions, but overall I was still happy with the results.  I was so excited to see these two lovely eggplants and the first order of business was to transform them into one of my all-time favorite dishes:  Eggplant Parmesan.  I'm even more excited that there are more eggplants coming along in the garden and they're slated for this fear inducing Ina Garten recipe.



Always quick and easy to prepare, this dish is also freezer-friendly.  Just prepare it up to the point of baking and pop it into the freezer to be thawed and prepared at a later date. 


Eggplant Parmesan
Serves 6

Printable recipe

1 large eggplant
flour
salt and pepper
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 6-oz can tomato paste
2 16-oz cans diced tomatoes
1 cup water
fresh parsley, chopped
1-1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Combine tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and parsley in a medium sauce pan.  Season with salt and pepper.  Simmer, uncovered, about 1 hour or until thickened, stirring often.

Prepare two plates:  one with flour seasoned with salt and pepper and the other with eggs.  Peel and slice the eggplant into 1/4" thick slices.  Season each slice liberally with flour, shaking off excess.  Dip slices into egg.

Heat oil in large skillet and fry slices a few at a time until golden brown, turning once.  Drain well on paper towels.

Spoon a thin layer of sauce in a baking dish  Arrange half of the eggplant slices, overlapping, over sauce.  Top with more sauce and half of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.  Repeat layers.

Bake 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.