Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Food, Inc. - a review

Hubby got me Food, Inc. for Christmas and we watched it last night. I thought I would share with you my thoughts on the film. Well, my first thought is that it is FABULOUS! I wish they would show it to my kids at school. They probably won't, though, so I will have to show it at home. This movie, along with The World According to Monsanto and The Future of Food, validates all of my weird, anti-establishment feelings about our global food systems. Unlike the other two films, though, which seemed to be designed to fire up people who already have all the "weird" thoughts, Food, Inc. has a much more mainstream feel to it. If you are concerned about where your food comes from now and about where it will come from in the future, well then there's probably at least one person in your life who thinks you're a little "out there," you know, odd. I mean, food comes from Wal-Mart and it always has and it always will, right? If there is someone like that in your life, and there are MANY in mine, then have them watch this movie. In fact, make a party out of it. That's what I'm thinking of doing.

Imagine an evening of organic and local (when possible) snacks. You would have to serve organic popcorn at a screening of this type! I would make it kind of over-the-top to keep the fun in it. But also, if people are noshing while watching, they are bound to start to look at their snack a little differently. As a gracious host, of course you would want them to feel secure as they munch! There is always the other option of serving more traditional fare and LETTING them feel a little uncomfortable as they begin to wonder... That might knock me out of the gracious host category, but it is kind of funny ;-)

If I get organized enough to do something like this, (which is doubtful at the moment with five kiddos home, but will seem much more possible in just a few days when they head back to school) I will let you know how it goes!

I hope you had a fabulous holiday. We celebrate Christmas and I think it was the best one ever for our family. We found out just a couple of days before that we have a finalization date for the adoption of our three almost-no-longer-foster-children. Of course, we don't think of them as foster children, but it is nice to have everything official and final. We will officially be a family of SEVEN! Yikes! It is challenging, but I can't deny that it is also a lot of fun!
Ta ta for now!
B

Friday, November 20, 2009

Tutorial: Going Glam on the Cheap

Okay, my first tutorial. I did not intend to do this, but I got about 5 minutes into this project and decided that it was turning out better than I expected and other people might like to do this, too. It really started yesterday, when I was checking my email. In my inbox was a flyer suggesting that I might like this. Well, as a matter of fact, I do like that. I like it very much. But it costs $79.00. Really? Yes, really. I could bore you with a long list of better ways to spend $79 (like, almost 100 lbs. of organic rolled oats), but I won't. Suffice it to say I wasn't going to buy that wreath, no matter how much I love. Love. Love it.

So, I did what I always do when I find something I love that carries an outrageous price tag. I started trying to figure out how to make my own. I figured it out and put it together this morning - for about $10. Really? Yes, really. Here's what I did.



First, you will need a wreath. I got my supplies at Wal-Mart. Even though I hate Wal-Mart, I shop there. Don't worry, I flagellate myself with a wet noodle after every shopping trip. There are many to choose from. I chose the 20" Deluxe wreath that was $4.


You will also need some shatterproof ornaments. I bought a 24-pack of red and a 24-pack of silver. You can use whatever color you want. All of mine were the same size, but you can mix up sizes, too. I may go back and add some smaller ornaments later. Or I may not (you never know with me). Each pack was $5, and I used half of each package. So I used $5-worth of ornaments. I also used most of one 30-count package of 18" 20-guage florist wire, which was $0.77.




Because the florist wire was so long, I folded each wire in half.






Then thread the wire through the hole in the top of the ornament.






Spread the branches apart to make a little nest for the ornament.






Place the ornament in the "nest" with the top pressed firmly
against the frame of the wreath and the florist wire wrapped
around to the back. Tightly twist the wire at the back of the
wreath to hold the ornament in place.



I went around the wreath once, making the first "layer" of ornaments. Then, I went around a second time to fill in any sparse areas.

Voila! It looks a lot more sparkly in real life, but it's a gloomy kind of day here, so the photo's not great. I'm thrilled with it. It took $10 and an episode of Go Diego, Go! (The one where the roadrunner Roadie is in a big roadrunner race and there's a sandstorm and...oh, sorry) and I now have a gorgeous wreath on my front door! Woo hoo!

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Sooner Chili

Yesterday I said I would post my chili recipe and a scarf pattern - so here we go!

Sooner Chili - I'm an Okie (but not from Muskogee) and an OU Sooner fan. Traditionally, I make my first batch of chili of the "season" for the OU vs. Texas football game. That's typically in October, and the weather has usually cooled off enough to make chili sound delicious again. Before I launch into the recipe, I have a couple of procedural explanations. I make my chili powder from dried chilies. I usually get them at the grocery store, but this year I have been lucky enough to score fresh poblanos from our friend Tim. I then dried them before using them in this recipe. I like to use 4-5 ancho chilies (dried poblanos), depending on their size and an equal amount of another type of chili pepper. Right now, I'm using California Chili Pods that I got from the grocery store. I have used New Mexico chilies before with good results. I don't think you can really go wrong - just pay attention to the heat rating.

Anyway, I take these 8-10 dried chili pods and put them on a cookie sheet along with two tablespoons whole cumin seeds. Put the pan in a 350 degree oven for 3-5 minutes. After three minutes, watch carefully because they will take on a strong flavor if they burn. I watch for them to puff up and they become very aromatic. I let them cool for a few minutes before handling them. Wear gloves if your peppers are packing heat. Pull off the stems and shake the seeds out into the trash. Pop the chilis into the blender with the cumin seeds and two teaspoons Mexican oregano. I have used oregano that wasn't labeled "Mexican" before with equally good results. Mexican oregano is usually a lot cheaper, though. Whirl this in the blender until is is a coarse powder. This is what I refer to as "chili seasoning powder." Now, on with the recipe.

  • 1/2 cup chili seasoning powder
  • 2 pounds ground meat
  • Large onion, diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
  • 3 cans petite diced tomatoes, with liquid
  • 3 cubes beef bouillon
  • 1 can each pinto, kidney, and black beans, drained and rinsed
  1. Add water to chili seasoning powder to make a thick paste and set aside.
  2. In a large stock pot, brown ground meat (my fave is 1/2 pork, 1/2 beef - also great with turkey) with onions and garlic. Drain if needed.
  3. Add chili paste to meat and stir well to coat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes.
  4. Add jalapenos, tomatoes, bouillon cubes and three cups of water to pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
  5. Add beans. Return chili to simmer. Reduce heat and simmer on low for 45 minutes - 1 hour.
  6. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Now for the scarf pattern. I wish I had taken a picture so I could show how my adaptation differs from the original pattern I found, but I didn't. So, you'll just have to take my word for it that it is cute. The original is, too. Here's mine:

Gathered Scarf – My adaptation of the “Mother-in-Law Scarf”

Use size 10.5 needles and DK weight yarn.
· Using cable cast-on, cast-on 15 stitches.
· Knit through the front and back loop of each cast-on stitch to immediately double stitches to 30.
· Start 14-row pattern repeat:
Rows 1-6 stockinette stitch. Odd rows are right-side, even rows are wrong-side.
Row 7 knit two together all the way across to decrease to 15 stitches.
Rows 8-13 knit every row.
Row 14 knit through the front and back loop of each stitch all the way across to increase back to 30 stitches.
· Repeat rows 1-14 to desired scarf length. End with row 7 to leave 15 stitches.
· Bind off 15 stitches. Weave in ends.
Notes:
· Fun and quick knit!
· For a neat edge, slip the first stitch of each row knit-wise and knit the last stitch of each row (even the wrong-side rows). Do this for each row of pattern EXCEPT rows 7 and 14 for increase and decrease rows.
· KnitPicks Swish DK is soft and stretchy, knits up beautifully and is superwash wool – easy care for the wearer, especially if the scarf is a gift. Have knit this scarf in a different yarn, but prefer the Swish DK. Just over 2 skeins – not quite 2 ½ - yields a long fashion-type scarf. Just lovely!

I used the color "Beach Glass" for my sister-in-law's scarf and it is a gorgeous color. Hope you enjoy!

~B

Friday, November 13, 2009

Happy Independence Days Peter Piper

I believe I have officially pickled, jellied, and dried more pecks of peppers than Peter Piper ever shook a stick at. Seriously. It is the middle of November and my pepper plants are still producing like crazy. It is completely. Out. Of. Control. I'm not complaining, though. My mother-in-law gave me her old food dehydrator that was gathering dust in her attic. I have used it to dry our cayennes and our friend Tim's jalapenos and poblanos and apples and pears from the co-op. Tim has given us a lot of poblanos, which I love love love because I like to make my own chili powder and anchos (dried poblanos) are just great for that. I am getting such a kick out of all of these peppers that I am definitely going to grow more varieties next year - including our own poblanos. So, I don't have all my Independence Days stuff separated into categories, but I have been doing things nonetheless. Harvesting peppers, peppers, and more peppers. And some basil and chard. I have preserved peppers by drying and making jelly, basil by making pesto, and apples and pears by drying.

As far as eating the food, we have been eating a batch of chili a week for several weeks now. I'll post the recipe below. Peppers will not go to waste around here. I have not been as diligent about composting because all of my receptacles are full! Once hubby builds me another raised bed, I will have space to resume composting. We have been doing our usual recycling. I have been shopping regularly at a great little resale shop for most of our clothing. I made most of the kids' Halloween costumes. Actually, one of them - a cheerleader's costume/uniform - came from the resale shop and then I altered it to fit my 10-year old. My other girls were Tinkerbell and a mermaid with homemade costumes. My 8-year old boy was Optimus Prime and I must confess that his costume came from Target. Oh - and I made my sister-in-law a scarf for her birthday. It's a fun pattern and I'll post it below. It's an adaptation of this scarf.

I have been making a ridiculous amount of soap because I plan to give soapy love to teachers - and we have a lot of teachers this year :) - and for hostess gifts during the holidays. I plan to give a trio of soaps: Cranberry-Kaolin for shaving, Pumpkin Spice for general use, and Peppermint-Pumice foot scrubby soap. The first two are curing and I will be making the Peppermint-Pumice soap in the next day or two. Unlike cookies, soap can (and should) be made weeks in advance, so I am excited that our gifts will be ready early. I think it will take the pressure off during those last two crazy weeks before Christmas.

And speaking of Christmas, I have decided to reclaim my love of Christmas and the holiday season this year. I've been a little humbuggy the last few (like, 7 or 8) years because the frenetic pace of the hustle and bustle is a bit much for me. And, although it sounds cliche, the commercialization of Christmas really gets to me, too. I would love to get and give only handmade Christmas presents, but many of the givers in my life feel compelled to buy buy buy. They mean well, I mean, they mean the very very best...it's just too much, you know? Last year I asked my brother and his girlfriend to give us a small homemade gift and they said that they just don't have the skills. I remembered some of the gorgeous pics they had emailed me from their outings in Oregon and Colorado and asked for them to have a couple of them blown up to 8x10 and give those. My brother felt that that wasn't enough because it only cost, like, nine bucks to do. But to me, I ended up with four gorgeous pieces of original art for my home. Not only is it special to me because my brother and his lady took them, but it would have cost me a lot to purchase four 8x10 landscape photos at a gallery. And you know what? Once they saw the pics blown up, they decided that they liked them so much that they were going to use them in their own home! So, the moral of the story is that everyone has a skill that can be used for homemade gifts.

In an effort to reclaim Christmas and to share my love of handmade gifts, I am going to throw a kids' Christmas party and I am so so so excited. Kids just naturally understand the special nature of giving something they made with their own hands. So, here's what I am going to do:
1. I am going to take a picture of each kid when they arrive. Then, they will each decorate a ready-to-paint wooden frame (which I bought at Michael's yesterday for $1 each).
2. We're going to decorate cookies. Just because it's fun - no agenda here.
3. The kids are going to watch The Polar Express. I love that movie. Plus, it will give me time to print out the kids' photos and put them in the frames. After the movie, we will wrap up the framed photos and each kid will have a handmade gift for their parents to open on Christmas morning. Fun!
4. To help everyone remember that Christmas is a time of giving, I am asking everyone to bring a canned food item. They will use their food item as a ballot to cast a vote. I'm thinking we'll vote on our favorite Christmas treat, cookies vs. candy. But I also kind of like the idea of favorite holiday movie villain, Ebenezer Scrooge vs. The Grinch. I don't know.

Okay, this post has gotten way out-of-control-long, so I'm going to put my chili recipe and the scarf pattern in a separate post later today. Okay, so it may be tomorrow. I'll do my best!
Love,
B

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Another Book Review

Well, I just finished Where Men Win Glory - The Odyssey of Pat Tillman in the wee hours of this morning. I have read a couple of Krakauer's previous books and had high expectations for this one. Krakauer did not disappoint. It is spectacularly well written and drew me in with the first few pages. Krakauer seems to have two goals for this book: to paint a full and honest portrait of Pat Tillman's life and death and to educate his readers on the background of conflict in Afghanistan. He achieved both of these goals.

If you have an appreciation for Pat Tillman's, or any soldier's for that matter, decision to walk away from normal life and defend freedom - well, this book can only deepen that appreciation. Pat Tillman was often painted by the media as a cowboy-type hero who left the NFL to go fight the enemy after 9/11. That is a one-dimensional view of Mr. Tillman, however, and he was a much more complex man than that. I don't think that Pat Tillman saw his sacrifice (NFL contract and career) as any greater than the sacrifices made by his fellow soldiers who had also left behind families and lives of comparative comfort. Mr. Tillman was a Renaissance man of sorts. Well-read and sensitive, intelligent and respectful of people and ideas, and guided by a personal moral directive to live a good life. He loved his wife and family. He was a remarkable man by all accounts. Krakauer undertakes to show the fullness of Pat Tillman, and he succeeds.

Krakauer must have waded through waist-deep piles of documents in order to discern what actually happened during the firefight that killed Pat Tillman. The Army and the government engaged in a massive cover up to hide the fact that Pat Tillman was killed by "friendly fire." It took extraordinary efforts on the parts of Dannie and Kevin Tillman, Pat's mom and brother to finally get to the truth about what happened. It is shameful what the family was put through following Mr. Tillman's death and I can only imagine that it must have felt like they lost him over and over again.

As for Krakauer's second goal to educate the reader about the history and background of conflict in Afghanistan he hits a homerun on that front as well. Krakauer gives a detailed and highly-nuanced description of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan that reaches back to the Carter administration. He gave me a new understanding of our actions there and why many of them were doomed to fail from their beginning. The U.S. government seems to take a simplistic view of politics in that region and continues to make mistakes that will potentially haunt us for decades to come unless some very dramatic changes are made very quickly.

A great book I would recommend to anyone. Entertaining and educational. Well-written. Many thanks to my brother for the recommendation.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Better Living Through Chemistry?

Okay, I'm back to therapeutic pharmaceuticals for the treatment of my anxiety/depression. In discussing my dismay at this latest turn of events, I tell people that I am frustrated that, even as I am slowly trying to reduce/eliminate the preponderance of chemicals in my home, I am back to introducing chemicals in pill form into my body everyday. I am met with questions like, "Why do you have chemicals in your home?" To which I respond, "Well, don't you?" Don't you have a cabinet full of Fantastik, 409, Comet, and the like? Well, those are full of chemicals. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that a few spritzes of soapy water can clean my table and countertops just as well as chemical-and-fragrance-laden commercial cleaners. People are surprised to find that I consider those products to be troubling. It makes me seem nutty and subversive. And yet, to me, it just seems like common sense. I am not advocating poor hygiene. I am only suggesting that when perfectly good, but less toxic, options are available doesn't it just make sense to choose the less toxic option? Especially in a home with children?

We have become so accustomed to re-odorizing everything around us that we are often oblivious to the fragrant assault we are subjected to on a daily basis. At the grocery store, I used to love to walk by the laundry detergent aisle. The scents of Fresh Linen, Spring Rain, and Mountain Mist seemed so lovely and calming. Then, several months ago now, I started making my own laundry soap at home. Shortly thereafter, I began to notice something very different at the grocery store - I can't get away from the laundry detergent aisle quickly enough. My nose itches. The fragrances seem heavy and cloying and sometimes even make my head hurt. When my kids come home from Grandma's, I often have to throw all of their clothes straight into the wash. See, Grandma oh-so-thoughtfully-and-graciously never sends home dirty clothes. I, of course, appreciate this gesture immensely and NEVER EVER complain. In fact, I thank her profusely, just so you know, for her kindness. Unfortunately, the clothing is so heavily fragranced that I just really can't stand it. She doesn't read this, BTW, so my secret is safe.

I'm really not trying to be a weirdo nut-job. I like to have a clean house, and I work hard to that end. I guess we all just have a different idea of what makes us feel satisfied that things are clean. My husband knows the kitchen is clean only when it reeks of lemon-scented Lysol household cleaner. I know other moms who feel the same way when their homes smell of Fantastik or smell bleachy. Personally, I feel like my house is clean when it doesn't smell like much of anything at all. If I want to freshen up the house, I like to open some windows to let fresh air in (weather permitting, of course) instead of spraying Fresh Scent from a can. I guess my post today is kind of a "standing on my soapbox" rant - I don't mean for it to be.

I just don't necessarily buy into everything that Dow Chemical has to say about healthy living. Their goal, after all, is to sell their products. My goal is to provide the safest environment for my family. Remember Agent Orange? Okay, I don't personally remember Agent Orange because I wasn't born yet. BUT, my dad is a Vietnam Veteran and the phrase "Agent Orange" was no stranger in our home. (We also were not allowed to watch Jane Fonda movies, but that's another story. But you can see that I was not raised with my default setting programmed to "Trust the Establishment.") For the uninitiated, Agent Orange is a dioxin-containing herbicide/defoliant that was sprayed pretty indiscriminately on the jungles of Vietnam in order to make it more difficult for the enemy to use the jungle foliage as cover. Unfortunately, this led to high levels of exposures to millions of U.S. troops (and also to Vietnamese civilians), which has led to long-term (still on-going, as a matter of fact) health effects. In fact, exposure to Agent Orange is so destructive that the Veteran's Administration policy imposes no time limits for filing health claims related to the exposure. Which is to say, veterans are STILL developing health problems, cancer, diabetes, and so on, that are presumed to have been caused by exposure to Agent Orange decades ago. So, who made Agent Orange? Among others, Dow Chemical and Monsanto.

You may recognize Dow because their label is probably on most of the commercial cleaning products you have under your sink. And Monsanto is currently hi-jacking agriculture on a global scale with genetically modified organisms that get sold as "food" but ultimately destroy the soil and put small farmers out of business - slowly and systematically diminishing our choices as consumers to purchase anything BUT their products. Do you grow your own food? Where do you get the seeds? Unless you purchase from a reputable supplier who pledges not to sell GMO seeds and sells seeds from open-pollinated plants, well then chances are you bought seeds from a Monsanto subsidiary without even knowing it. Scary stuff.

So, Better Living Through Chemistry, huh? Well, I guess in some ways yes, and in some ways no. It's a line we each have to draw for ourselves and our own families. Where do YOU draw the line?

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Book Reviews

Last week I finally read the two books that have been On My Nightstand for months: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert. I'm debating moving Animal, Vegetable, Miracle into the Life Changers category because it makes me want so badly to change my life, but it will be baby steps. At least it is baby steps in the right direction :-).

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle chronicles a year in the food life of Barbara Kingsolver's family as they endeavor to eat locally, and, in fact, mostly off of their own land and labor. This is not an undertaking that the Hopp-Kingsolvers took lightly or began on a whim. They planned for a year before beginning and then spent the year continually planning, as well. To eat tomatoes in January means canning tomatoes in August, and lots of them! To eat Tom Turkey for Thanksgiving dinner requires raising chicks in the spring. Kingsolver organizes the book according to the calendar, following their journey through the seasons. They begin by harvesting asparagus and that's how they end their quest, as well. There are portions written by Kingsolver's husband and by her eldest daughter. In addition to describing their personal experiences, Kingsolver educates readers on the history of food in the world and, particularly, how food in America got so screwed up. My favorite thing about this book is that Kingsolver makes it all seem so do-able. At times, she waxes romantic, but she always comes back to the mud-and-blood-stained reality of really feeding her family. I love, love, love this book. I must say, too, that Barbara Kingsolver is, without a doubt, my very most favorite contemporary author and has been since I was 16 or 17 when I was assigned The Bean Trees to read for a high school English class. Thank you, Mrs. Gronberg! Kingsolver has a new novel coming out in November. Woo hoo! If you want to take a peek, or just snag some recipes, check out www.animalvegetablemiracle.com.

And now on to The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert. I really enjoyed this portrait of Eustace Conway. He is a fascinating man trying desperately to wake up Americans to the reality of, well, reality. If you ever feel like a cog in the machine, you will relate to Eustace's message. Eustace would like for us to live REAL lives in harmony with nature. He would like for us to understand the satisfaction of being self-sufficient. And he would like to have a house with huge walk-in closets. Yeah, I know. This guy is full of contradictions, but you just can't help but want to meet him. He lives out in nature on a plot of land he named Turtle Island in the middle of what must be an Appalachian paradise. He walks the walk, people. He is a wounded man, though, and struggles within the confines of close personal relationships, although he longs for closeness probably more than any other thing. I have to say that I do not entirely enjoy Gilbert's writing style. That's not to say that she is a bad writer. In fact, she was very successful with what had to be the most difficult aspect of writing about someone as "larger than life" as Eustace Conway - especially considering that they are friends - she managed to avoid turning Eustace into a caricature. She seems to show all sides of Eustace: the good, the bad, and even the ugly. I would definitely read other books by Gilbert, I am especially interested in Eat Pray Love, before deciding that she's not my kind of writer. I will add, too, that she seems like a chick that you could go have a beer with - that is, there is an earthy sort of real-ness about her that comes through in her writing. I just can't put my finger on what exactly put me off a little in her writing for The Last American Man. You can learn more about Gilbert at www.elizabethgilbert.com.

I just started today on Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer. My brother, who just finished reading it this morning, promises it will be an interesting and educational read, so I'll let you know.