You don’t know what to do with the rest of your nacho cheese? I have the solution for you

5 cups whole milk

2 bags 12 oz vegetable Penne rigate

1 LB ground beef

1 can 14.5 fire roasted diced tomato

1 Tbs salt

1 Tbs black pepper

1 cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese

½ cup flour

3 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

4 Tbs butter divided

3 Tbs olive oil divided

½ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp crushed pepper (hot)

Cook the Penne according to the package directions.

In a saucepan, cook beef with 1 Tbs butter and 1 Tbs olive oil, salt, black pepper and cook until the meat fully cooked. Remove and replace in a backing pan and set a side.

Add the remaining butter and oil in the same saucepan you cooked the meat in, let the butter melt and add the flour and cook until it become paste, add the milk and wisk until its thick. Add half of the cheese, nutmeg, crushed pepper, and mix well until the cheese is melted.

Combine the meat, cooked penne and the cheese sauce in the baking pan and top with the remaining cheese, bake for 25 min or until the sauce is thick and the cheese is golden

Often when big business moves into small business territory there's apprehension.

Will big business take over the local market with their flashy promotions and competitive prices? Will longtime patrons of small business remain or be tempted to stray?

As a cupcake connoisseur, I asked myself some of these questions when Panera Bread entered the cupcake industry in September.

Recently chosen as the Best Chain Sandwich Shop in America by readers of The Daily Meal, obviously Panera Bread knows a thing or two about making customers happy.

I was eager to see how well this translated to cupcakes.

Of Panera Bread's three debut flavors - Chocolate, Vanilla and Red Velvet, I purchased two. Each cupcake was priced at $2.79, which seemed reasonable for its size.

I started with the Vanilla Cupcake. Their description is a light and fluffy vanilla cake filled with pastry cream, then topped with vanilla bean icing and finished with a seasonal sugar leaf.

From the first bite, it was apparent there was nothing light or fluffy about the cake. Instead, I found it dense and dry - disappointing indeed.

The vanilla bean frosting was okay. I liked its initial vanilla taste, but not the sugary trace afterwards. As for the cream filling, I didn't care for its flavor. Overall, the cupcake wasn't any better than one from the bakery section at a grocery store.

After I finished the Vanilla, I wasn't feeling optimistic about the Red Velvet.

For those who have been following my blog from the beginning, you know how incredibly persnickety I am about Red Velvet. So much so, I rarely rate a bakery with this flavor... I've had countless letdowns and only trust certain cupcake shops.

For Panera Bread, I made an exception and mentally lowered the bar.

Their Red Velvet Cupcake is a chocolate brownie base layered with red velvet cake and topped with cream cheese vanilla bean icing.

Let me say that brownie base made all the difference! I enjoyed this cupcake.

The brownie had the right amount of cocoa to complement the red velvet and its texture was similar to cake. I've had richer cream cheese frosting and it had a slight aftertaste. Nonetheless, I was satisfied.

I give Panera Bread's cupcakes 3 out of 5 stars. Per their description, the Chocolate Cupcake also has a brownie base. Although I didn't sample this flavor, Chocolate should be one of their better cupcakes as well.

Even so, I don't believe the small bakeshops have much to fear from Panera Bread. In their pursuit to grab a piece of the multimillion-dollar industry (see infographic), they've left something out of their recipes.

I didn't taste the creativity, the handmade quality, or love I find in local cupcake shops. Thus, there's no doubt this Frosting Fanatic will remain loyal to small business.

You may be saying goodbye to sweet treats and other eats at your kids' school Halloween parties.

I have a feeling that what just happened at my neighborhood school is going to become a nationwide trend by next year: no snacks, candy or treats at school holiday parties.

Halloween has become  just too frightening for parents of kids with allergies.

But I know EXACTLY what those parents are thinking… and what they fear each time their child walks out the door. My youngest has an anaphylactic shock-inducing allergy to peanuts. She’s learned to be safe about her food. But every time I hear of a child who dies because of allergic reaction, that gnawing anxiety that it could  happen to my daughter comes flooding back.

Nut allergies were once the biggest concern at school parties. These days, navigating the allergy minefield is just too tricky, so why chance it at all? Even moving from sugary sweets to healthy treats like apples and hummus won’t work… someone might have a legume allergy.

With the nation’s obesity rate where it is, classroom parties should not HAVE to be food based… there are other ways to celebrate. Instead of decorating popcorn balls, my neighborhood school will be making bracelets and cards to send to a children’s hospital and doing other age-appropriate community projects.

But honestly, it does make me a little sad to see that food-festooned parties are on their way out. I used to love to see some of the more inventive things the really competitive moms would bring to the Halloween parties. Thank goodness for Pinterest!  

5 cups of red lentil

1 large onion chopped

1 cup long grain rice

2 Tbs cumin

2 Tbs salt

16 cups of beef stock or 16 cups of water and two TBS of better than bouillon beef flavor paste

4 Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs black pepper

1 Lemon Juice or Lime Juice or about 4 TBS and extra to serve with the soup

 In a large saucepan sauté onion in olive oil, add salt, black pepper, cumin and cook until soft.

Add the remaining ingredient and bring to boil, reduce heat to medium / low heat, and simmer part covered until the lentil and the rice fully cooked, if the soup seems too thick; add hot water a cup at a time until you reach the consistency you desire.

  Served with; toasted pita bread, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, sliced radishes and green onion.

 This recipe feed about eight but do not dismiss it, it freeze really well by dividing it in to portions in freezer bags and lay flat in the freezer.

This morning I am mad. Really mad. I am mad because I am hurt.

You see, my son is a high school sophomore. He is an active member of his school. He has spoken at local Board of Supervisor and Board of Education meetings regarding issues near to his heart. He plays in the marching band (he's the best one out there if you ask me or his dad!) He swims on a summer swim team. He volunteers at a local middle school band camp during the summer. He volunteered out of state at a food allergy camp last summer, giving up a week of his personal time to show these children a great, safe time!

Oh, by the way, he was born with a congenital heart defect. He had his first open-heart surgery as an infant; we are preparing for his second one in less than three weeks. Yep, mom is a mess. I would love to tell you all about his journey, but that is another post.

As if his CHD wasn't enough, he developed numerous anaphylactic allergies in elementary school. We manage. We adjust. We ask for your understanding and support, not your pity or sorry eyes.

Today, I rant. Today, instead of posting educational and heartfelt information on Matthew's Facebook group page, I respond to the complaints from parents regarding the ever-increasing policies to eliminate food from classrooms across the country.

Yes, I am aware that the grammar is not perfect. I have no doubt you will find a spelling error. I'm not sorry. I don't care. You need to read this. If I had taken the time to proofread, I wouldn't have posted it. I try not to upset people or give them an avenue to attack my Knight.

Please let me know what you think ... I'm mad, really mad.

As Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and then Valentine's Day and Easter all fall during the school calendar year (and with Halloween this week), I feel it is appropriate to share some information with all of you about food allergies. While I do post information regarding food allergies, CHDs, and special needs education, I rarely rant.

Today, I rant. It's a long one. Go potty, get a fresh cup of coffee, and sit down a while. Here goes ...

What You Need to Know About Food Allergies

• Fact -- Food allergies affect one in every 10 - 13 kids in America. That is, on average, two children in every classroom. A large majority of students that do not have an allergy themselves have siblings that do. Perhaps both children have allergies to different things.

• Fact -– Food allergy diagnoses are increasing every year.

• Fact -– I pray that your child (or any of your loved ones) is never diagnosed with an ANA allergy; however, regardless how you have treated me or my children to date, I will help you understand the new world you now live in and pray for you.

• Fact –- 25% of allergic reactions in the school environment happen to children with no known allergy. Would you want your child to be one of them? Does your school have a Stock Epinephrine Injector available -– would your school nurse be able to use another child’s injector without risking her job for using a medication prescribed for another child on yours?

• Fact -- Anaphylactic Allergies are considered a disability under Section 504 of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

• Fact -- Under ADA, handicap accessible facilities are required. While my child does not require a ramp or an elevator in his school or community, my tax dollars are used to provide these services, thus enabling physically challenged individuals equal access to services and classrooms. LET ME SAY that even BEFORE my son was diagnosed with ANA allergies, I wholeheartedly supported this law and would have gladly testified before Congress regarding the need for such.

• Fact -- Excluding food items from school functions will NOT kill your child.

• Fact –- Including food items in school functions could kill my child … or could kill your child if they are one of the 25% I mentioned above.

• Fact -- Excluding food items from school functions does not require the use of taxpayer dollars; therefore, it takes NOTHING out of your pocket.

• Fact -- Food allergy parents spend thousands of dollars more annually to provide their child with safe, properly nourishing foods than non-food allergic parents. By the way, we happily do this, because we love our children the same way your love yours.

• Fact -- Every food allergy parent I know provides their child with lunch at school, thus saving the school system a huge financial burden and the liability of preparing "safe" meals.

• Fact -– Every food allergy parent I know volunteers a disproportionately large amount of time in their child’s school.

• Fact –- Every food allergy parent I know would stand beside you during any struggle you go through, because they know the loneliness from exclusion (as, sadly, so do their children) and the sense of overwhelming that comes with a challenge faced alone.

• Fact -- I have NEVER met a food allergy parent that requested anything that was not reasonable when it comes to classroom party accommodations. Granted, some do. I, personally, have not seen it, and the stories I have heard about it basically come down to fear for their child’s safety that was precipitated by a scary event.

• Fact -- I would not push your child down a set of stairs to see what happens. Why would you place my child in a potentially dangerous situation and just “see what happens”?

• Fact -- "Hidden" disabilities are disabilities just the same.

• Fact -- NO parent of a child with any disability chose this for their child, their family, their community.

• Fact –- Childhood obesity is on the rise, as is juvenile-onset diabetes. How can you insist that schools provide hot, nutritious lunches with taxpayer dollars and then overload students with birthday cupcakes 20+ times between September and June, give candy as a bribe to complete school work or learn spelling words and host at least five holiday parties each year (more if you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, have cookies for President’s Day and … ). Kind of a double standard, isn’t it?

• Fact –- I am afraid of the generation we are raising. Seriously, they frighten me. If little Susie won’t complete her math page without getting a candy bar as a reward or young Tim believes he is entitled to a sucker for knowing his spelling words, what the hell are they going to do when they reach the real world? Ask their boss for a Dairy Queen Blizzard after morning meeting because they showed up on time and completed their assigned work?

• Fact –- Your non-food allergic child has the option to go trick-or-treating this year. Mine does not have that choice. Your child will have a sack full of candy at the end of night. My child will be handing out candy. Hope you like Smarties, Tootsie Rolls, and Nerds –- those are safe for my son to handle, and what you will get if you stop by our home dressed like a princess or ghost. By the way, your child is adorable in their costume and I will tell them that; however, you don’t even walk your kids down my driveway and to my door, so my son never hears you say that to him.

• Fact –- If you ever see someone having an anaphylactic reaction (and I pray you don’t), you will never forget it. Never.

I read a post recently by a non-food allergic mom. She wrote it on the day she finally “got” food allergies from a parent perspective. To paraphrase, she basically stated that she never realized that food allergy parents were not worried if their child’s friends would like their new shoes on the first day of school or if they had the coolest notebook, because they were worrying if their child would even come home.

Our children are just that -– children. When he grows up and enters the “real world,” he will not work on a peanut farm if he is allergic to peanuts. He will not work in the Hershey plant if he is allergic to chocolate. He will have choices. Yes, they will be limited, but he will have choices. He will cope. He will alter his world to meet his health needs. Right now he doesn’t have those choices; however, you, the adult he wants to trust and look up to, do have choices. Do you leave a child out? Do you have peanut butter cookies at your child’s birthday party and invite the whole class for the festivities EXCEPT the peanut allergic child, or do you have sugar cookies and include little Johnny so he isn’t sitting at home alone and crying?

Would you sit by and watch as a child was getting bullied over wearing the uncool brand of jeans? Hell, no, you wouldn’t! Then, please tell me, why are you bullying my child? Complaining about the “no food” parties within earshot of my child, excluding him from play dates because during the two hours our children will be together, your child NEEDS to eat peanut butter crackers for snack? Yes, YOU. The. Adult. You. Are. The. Problem. Believe it or not, if you explained food allergies to your child, he wouldn’t want to hurt mine. Let’s be honest here, you are the one who is the problem here. Not. Me. Not. My. Child.

In closing, who seriously thinks it is a good idea to eat food prepared in a stranger’s house? What does that kitchen look like? Did they wash their hands after going to the bathroom? Did they pick a booger and then stir the mix? YUCK!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/MattTheKnightWithEveryBeatAndEveryBite/

Much love, Matt's Momma

Would love to be your friend!  Follow me!
Mrs. H
hayes080505

A Decade of Change....

... Whilst reading a high street food publications November Issue, Celebrating their 10th Birthday I read an article about how the UK's food scene has changed over the last 10 years, to me this is something I find fascinating from the mundane like which spirit was most popular in 2003 compared to now(whiskey - now vodka), to the more complex human perception of high street culture.

Can you remember 10 years ago? Petrol prices averaged 76.9 pence per litre, a loaf of bread averaged 60 pence, families shopped regularly on a weekly spend of £40. The many changes in the past 10 years doesn't seem to have halted our spend for luxuries, in fact rather than spending little and often which used to be the case we now spend more but more sparsely, it comes as no shock to see how restaurant chains have maintained prices over these 10 years but now really compete over offers and deals. How much compromise will there be in the retail sector, supermarkets price increases make it now difficult to spend realistically in this idealistic world that is expected of us, "healthy eating, weight reducing" society driven by the government, a "healthy shop" is nearly 4 times as much as 10 years ago. Branded restaurant prices on average are only £1.30 dearer than 10 years ago. so how is it possible to eat in your Harvesters, Frankie's and Benny's, Nando's so regularly but struggle to fill your cupboards and fridges at home for the same money. Surely one has to give with the price of food rising how can wholesalers keep up with demand but keep prices low, the big dogs in supermarkets must have a close eye on wholesale prices so if restaurants do suddenly increase the prices and lose their bread and butter trade will supermarket prices stop their price hikes? Supermarkets thrive on the abundance of newer fresher ingredients available to us, the real foodies amongst us being able to re-create our favourite chefs recipes or re-creating our favourite dishes from our favourite restaurants, in the last 10 years surveys suggest the "home cook" has increased significantly 55% in fact, now cook from scratch as apposed to microwave or oven cooked dinners. This again brings into place the price war when the average Joe amongst us realises what can be achieved at home and how cheap with fresher ingredients; when will the tipping point of restaurants hit, I mean if you can openly create a stunning dish fresh at home for £10 less than you pay in restaurants there will be a time and point where you are only paying for the luxury of being out of your house. When will food become secondary to the "service".

10 years ago the average person eat out as a luxury to have good cooked food, the service included wasn't really a big deal. Branded Restaurants were always a family favourite or a sought out choice where now its about who provides a decent service, and a family meal with value. The social spenders happily go to branded outfits such as Nando's where to eat a set meal for 2 costs £20.00 and you only receive 1 medium chicken cut into 4 with 2 sides of chips, you have to queue and order your self, you have to get your own drink and get your own cutlery and condiments, this style of restaurant is beyond me as if you wanted you could buy a bottle of Pepsi max a bag of oven fries and a medium chicken for no more than £6.00 cook it your self which means the service was the same but your not paying in excess of £20.

With all the competition out there gastro pubs still do well, its no surprise really that the prices are always inflated where the quality never really matches up to the expectation however the atmosphere and social circle your in frees your mind to spend less cautiously.

With 55% more people cooking from scratch at home its a small surprise that supermarkets invest heavily in meal deals and more premium products, if your going to cook at home why cheat where is the reward? Your Marks and Spencer's and Waitroses are now closely followed in their original eat in for £10 by the big 3.

Whilst we have as a culture started to eat out less for luxury we are spending more in supermarkets, we are also spending much more in alternative food luxuries such as coffee shops, the branding, marketing and demand for coffee shops  such as Costa and Starbucks is trending through the roof, whilst supermarkets branch out to locals, expresses, service stations, branded restaurants hit retail parks and tourist areas, coffee shops where our average spend per head is nearly £4.00 are everywhere to be seen, high streets, supermarkets, aeroplanes, trains, service stations, pubs, retail centres, tourist hot spots, literally everywhere.

from feeding a family for £40.00 a week 10 years ago we now spend £40.00 a week on coffee, on eating out and on luxury items in supermarkets.

Will be interesting to see where we are as a culture in the next ten years.

As you all know, I started making green smoothies back in December. Most of the time I share my experiments (new recipes) with y'all on Instagram (@curlsandmo) but a few times I shared a pre-made green smoothie drink by Naked.

The few times I posted it, I got comments from other ladies warning me not to drink them and expressing their concern. I didn't think much of it until a few weeks later when my friend, Camille, sent me this “Naked Juice Admits It’s Not So Natural”. I was mortified. Then I stopped in Starbucks and low and behold ALL of the Naked drinks were gone from their shelves. They were replaced by new Evolution smoothies. (I'm not sure if Evolution is a subsidiary or what but what I DO know is Starbucks is serious about their customers. So if Naked was gone...y'all catch my drift.)

My discovery soon turned to anger. I was mad. Yet ANOTHER large corporation had profited from blatant lies. And not just any company. A company who was supposed to be helping Americans be healthy. Then Camille sent me this “Naked Juice class action settlement announced: Here's how to claim $45 from PepsiCo even without proof of purchase”.

While it doesn't erase what they did, I DEFINITELY submitted my claim. If you have purchased a Naked drink between September 27, 2007 to August 19, 2013, click this link. Submit your info and you'll receive $40 if you don't have proof of purchase but if you DO have proof of purchase you'll receive $75. I'm upset at myself for not having a receipt for any of mine.

Have you purchased a Naked Juice? PLEASE share this with everyone you know.

The deadline to submit your claim is December 17, 2013.

There's a plan going around farming circles to breed 'headless' chickens.
The idea is to remove the cerebral cortex of the chicken while keeping the body alive through an arterial system that pumps food, water, and oxygen through the 'living meat' and pumps waste directly out of its digestive tract. The brain stem of the chicken is left intact to continue to regulate the metabolic systems involved in muscle growth, but the chicken is blind, unconscious, and has no sensory perceptions.

The chickens are oblivious to their surroundings and feel no pain. Unnecessary body parts like beaks and feet and wing tips can be trimmed off to save on space, and the birds can be densely packed and stacked like firewood. The 'farms' would make good neighbors even in urban and suburban areas because the chickens are completely silent, sanitary, and odor-free with all of the messy in- and outflows contained in tubes and tanks.

Is it humane to farm the unconscious?
Consider the current state of animal welfare.
Billions of chickens—fully 99% of the 7+ billion raised each year in this country—are currently living the entirety of their miserable lives in confinement. They're crammed together in filthy sheds and cages where hundreds of millions of them have broken limbs and can die from stress and dehydration, unable to reach the water nozzles, and another hundred million are deemed unfit for meat and are tossed into bags to suffocate or ground up alive.

These are social animals with the intelligence of cats, dogs, and even some primates. Yet there are no federal regulations governing chicken welfare, and except for cockfighting prohibitions, they're ignored by most states. Chickens are even excluded from the Humane Slaughter Act that protects every other land animal.

Is 'headless' chicken production an act of humanity?
The blind, footless, lobotomized chickens are no longer sentient beings. They're merely an agricultural crop like vegetables that we ready for harvest. Proponents argue that removing the chickens' higher cognitive abilities is a kindness in an agricultural system that currently disregards them.

The Chicken Matrix?
There are obvious comparisons to The Matrix. In the movie, humans are kept alive in power plants where their brains are plugged into a simulated reality while their bodies are being harvested for bioelectrical energy to power the machines that dominate the Earth. A few rebels are given a choice: a blue pill allows them to stay in the safety and comfort of the simulation while a red pill releases their brains into the harsh, post-apocalyptic reality of the physical world. The hero Neo opts to live and die authentically, but the choice is not so clear-cut. The rebel Cypher regrets the trade-off telling the leader Morpheus: If you'd told us the truth, we would've told you to shove that red pill right up your ass. 

While chickens might not suffer from the existential crises of free will, they also don't exist in a world of red and blue pills. We don't provide adequate welfare for agricultural animals, but it doesn't mean we can't. Ignorance for chickens might be more blissful than the current horrors of factory farming, but it's not a kindness.

Our dominion over animals means we bear a responsibility to care for them humanely. It means stewardship, not exploitation. 'Headless' chicken production tries to circumvent that responsibility by rendering compassion irrelevant to the process. In doing so, it diminishes our humanity.

Gigabiting: where food meets culture and technology.

gigabiting.com

In our small foggy corner of the Redwoods Coast of California, we have celebrated the first three years of Food Day (October 24th, every year!) with increasing enthusiasm. This year, in addition, we are concentrating on the Food Day founders' intent: We are using Food Day as a focus for our year-round work, especially in our blogging.

We're doing this in two ways. We are sharing our dreamings for next year's Food Day celebrations and we are using the four-word Food Day tagline (Healthy. Sustainable. Affordable. Fair.) as inspiration for many blog posts. Our goal is to have at least one blog post each month focusing on one of those four words.

Today, we focused on Healthy with a post about soda on the kids' menus of major national restaurant chains. Yesterday, we described one of our plans for next year's Food Day: Driving itineraries focused on specialty foods (cheese, beer, distilleries, etc.) up and down both the Redwood Coast and the Wild Rivers Coast.

Come join us at our Growing Tables blog to follow our journey towards food as healthy and beautiful as our location.

Last week I went on a guided mushroom hunt with my nearest and dearest. Three hours of wandering the woods, peering at the leafy floor, in search of an edible bounty. I think this may be the most fun you can have with your clothes on. And what a bounty we found! A stunning array of colours, textures and species. I found, for the first time, amethyst deceivers (laccaria amethystina), winter chanterelles (craterellus tubaeformis), bay boletes (boletus badius), charcoal burners (russula cyanoxantha) and orange peel fungus (aleuria aurantia). We also found some lovely hedgehogs (hydnum repandum) and a truly beautiful specimen of wood cauliflower (sparassis crispa). The only other time I have found the enchanting cauliflower mushroom is the first time I ever went mushroom hunting. It was absolutely thrilling to find another one and I cradled it like a baby for the rest of the hunt.

Image: Courtesy of Ramsoms and Bramble

We were hunting in Sussex and we found our epic haul in the woods surrounding here. I have never really understood the politics of ‘mushroom spots’ that seems to exist among mushroom hunters. Especially when dealing with people new to this wonderful hobby. I want to do everything I can to encourage people to join in and to experience the excitement of finding weird and wonderful fungi. It’s good to share. Of course, people need to learn how to identify their own favourable mushroom environments, but part of learning that is experiencing such environments, of stomping around in them and really getting a feel for them. Not everything can be learned from a book, nor can everyone be inspired by the often dry delivery of detailed, technical, scientific manuals. I think there are enough mushrooms to go around.

Some of our party that day were very reluctant to collect and eat mushrooms. They had heard scare story after scare story (including from our guide), and although there certainly are risks associated with careless mushroom hunting, I think the irresponsible repetition of disproportionately alarmist stories of death and disability is something to be fought against. Compare the handful of mushroom casualties with the 5.5 million cases of food poisoning that exist from supermarket foods (primarily meat, fish and poultry) in the UK, resulting in at least 500 deaths every year. Of course, in the UK there are far fewer people collecting and eating mushrooms than buying food from supermarkets, but I think the comparison still stands. When was the last time someone looked at you as though you were mad when you reached for some packaged chicken? Don’t eat the chicken, the chicken’s deadly!! There is nothing unsafe about the careful, considered collection of many, easily-identifiable, wild mushrooms. There is a strong financial interest in keeping people away from the wide range of freely-available edibles that literally cover our cities, towns, villages and countryside. Namely, that they’re free. No profit to be made there.

If you can get yourself on a good mushroom education course, this is by far the best way to start. I got the bug while I was living in the mushroom-rich forests of Canada, where a local nature education centre put on a very reasonable one-day course designed to introduce people to safe mushroom collection. They provided us with the tools, as beginners, to continue the hobby by ourselves, rather than stressing how complex the world of mycology can be. This scientific field can indeed be extremely complicated, but it does not always need to be. With a few hours education, it is accessible.

They introduced us to the key identifiers you should become familiar with to feel confident collecting mushrooms, such as colour, shape, smell, texture and growing environment, to name but a few. They told us about their favourite books, why they found them useful and how to get the most out of them. They displayed examples of the beautiful, magical spore-prints all mushrooms produce and showed us how to make our own. And then the really exciting part, taking this basic knowledge out into the forest to find our own. That day I found lobster mushrooms (sadly unavailable in the UK), chanterelles and – most excitingly – a cauliflower mushroom. It was all profoundly inspirational and I was sold. Give it a go. I cannot imagine how anyone who tries it would not love it.

I was lucky enough to be able to take home most of what we found last week. I prepared each mushroom separately (individual guides and cooking instruction posts coming soon!) and we ate homemade pizzas, each topped with a different mushroom. We still had lots left though, so the next day I turned our multi-mushroom selection into a lovely wild mushroom risotto.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Nancy Anne Harbord

Serves six

• 500g fresh wild mushrooms, sliced
• 6 tbsp butter or oil
• 2.5 litres water
• 2 tbsp shiitake or porcini powder*
• 2 tbsp homemade stock paste or natural stock powder
• 3 tsp dry sherry (not Madeira or Port)**
• 2 onions, chopped in 5mm pieces
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed (or more to taste)
• 250ml white wine
• fresh thyme, to taste
• 50g vegetarian ‘Parmesan’, finely grated
• 100g Stilton or other strongly flavoured cheese, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste

Sauté the fresh mushrooms in batches over high heat in about 1 tablespoon of butter or oil. If you are using different mushroom types, cook them separately as they will likely have different water contents and cooking properties. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. You do not need to keep adding butter or oil, just scoop the cooked mushrooms out of the pan, set aside, and add more fresh mushrooms. Wild mushrooms frequently contain a lot of water, so the high heat will help you evaporate the water and enable you to lightly brown them. When they are all cooked, return them all to the pan, season well with salt and freshly ground pepper and set aside.

Create your risotto stock by bringing the water, shiitake/porcini powder and stock paste/powder to the boil in a separate saucepan. Turn the heat down, but keep it hot. Get a ladle ready.

In another large heavy-bottomed saucepan, fry the onions and garlic over low heat in 2 tablespoons of butter or oil. When softened and translucent, about 10 minutes, add the rice and stir well to coat in the butter or oil. Cook the rice for about 5 minutes, stirring to stop it sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add the white wine and stir while the rice absorbs the liquid. Start adding the stock, a ladle or two at a time, and continue to stir while the rice absorbs the liquid. Keep adding and stirring until the rice is softened, cooked all the way through and very creamy. When the rice is cooked and is the desired consistency (you may not need all the stock or may need to add a little more hot water), check for seasoning. You will most likely need to add more salt – with all that starchy rice, it is very important that a risotto is not under-seasoned as it will not really taste of anything, no matter how many other flavourings you include.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cooked mushrooms, fresh thyme, lots of black pepper, ‘Parmesan’, Stilton and about 3 tablespoons of butter. Cover and rest for 10 minutes before serving.

* I keep this umami-rich powder on hand for various flavouring tasks. Grind either dried porcini or shittake mushrooms in a spice grinder or high-powered blender and store in an airtight container.

** Compounds that result from a yeast-like growth in aging sherry create a synergistic relationship with umami elements in food, significantly boosting complexity and flavour, even when such a small amount is used.

Read more like this on Ramsons & Bramble

In our current decade of war, we seem to have lost the sense of shared sacrifice seen in World War II especially. We sport ribbons to "Support the Troops", but do we do anything that actually supports them or the veterans they become after their service?

Our post today is about the home front, the war effort, and Victory Gardens:  http://growingtables.blogspot.com/2013/11/on-this-veterans-day.html

8 months ago I started my blog Feed Me Dearly with the intention of covering a food-related topic that hits close to home. 

As many of you know, in this country, and around the world, we’re facing an epidemic; a serious, and growing public health concern. Food allergies are on the rise, touching millions of families worldwide.

A few facts to consider:

• Up to 15 million Americans have food allergies, which affects every 1/13 children
• There are 200,000 emergency room visits each year due to exposure to food allergens
• A CDC study conducted in 2008, discovered an 18% increase in food allergies over the previous 10-year period.

The situation is grim, and it’s getting worse.

Theories abound, including the hygiene hypothesis, which suggests that we’ve become too clean and our immune systems are sitting around idle, waiting to attack, something, anything, even if it’s harmless.

Eight foods account for 90 percent of all reactions: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish. 

Lauren, who started First Grade this year, has an anaphylactic reaction to two of them (peanuts and tree nuts) as well as third: sesame.

When Lauren was first diagnosed with her food allergies, I was worried.  I thought about the years to come: how could I send her to school? On play dates? To summer camp?  I loaded up on Epipens and stashed them around the house, in diaper bags, and in the bottom of the stroller.  I threw out any offending substances – the Tahini paste in the fridge, the nuts in my freezer, and the jars of sesame seeds and Asian sauces in my cupboard.

But even with all of that vigilance, you can never fully protect your kids.

A few months after Lauren turned 2 we had our first allergic episode. A guest had brought peanut butter Easter eggs to a dinner party we hosted for my husband’s birthday. Somehow, over the course of the evening, they’d gotten mixed into the bowl of solid milk chocolate eggs that I was planning to hide the next day. 

When Lauren woke up on Easter morning, she was thrilled to find out that the Easter bunny had visited. She quickly uncovered the eggs from their hiding spots, unwrapped the first, and bit into it.

I didn’t realize the mistake until Lauren was halfway through her egg and I noticed that the center looked different from the shell.

I tried the remaining half and was horrified when I tasted peanut butter. Panic set in and I watched her with a close eye.

She seemed to be a little uncomfortable, but nothing happened in the first half hour. I was starting to think that her skin test was a false positive when she started to cough and wheeze.  Slowly at first, but progressively it got worse. She quickly got to a point where she was gasping for air and I realized that we were dealing with an anaphylactic reaction. Because of the slow onset, I was taken off guard – this wasn’t what I expected anaphylaxis to look like.

I dug through the diaper bag with shaky hands and found the Epipen. After tearing off the blue top, I grabbed a fistful of skin and injected it into her thigh. She responded immediately. The coughing and wheezing stopped, it was like nothing ever happened. She was back to her normal 2-year old self, laughing, chatting about the Easter bunny.  Stunned, we packed a bag, strapped her into the stroller, and took her straight to the hospital.

As terrifying as our experience was, I learned a valuable lesson. That the Epipen is not to be feared, that it’s there for emergency situations, and that it works. I gained confidence in my ability to handle a similar situation, God forbid it were to ever happen again.

In the years since, I’ve taken the time to educate myself about food allergies.  I’ve read the books, the journals, the blogs.  I’ve learned, for instance, that subsequent reactions are not always more serious. They can be, but having one reaction doesn’t mean that the next time will be worse. 

I’ve also learned that because of the growing awareness about food allergies, anaphalaxis-related deaths are rare.

Most important, I’ve learned that it’s critical to give the Epipen at the first sign of a severe reaction. Don’t wait, as I did, for symptoms to worsen. Although we were fortunate, waiting is like playing a game of Russian roulette – anaphylaxis is unpredictable, and in some cases you don’t know the severity of a reaction until it’s too late.

Today, rather than fear the diagnosis, we now face it head on, which counter-intuitively gives us the ability to live a more normal life.

Although I still do get the occasional pit in my stomach, I send her on school field trips and allow her to eat the school-provided lunch every day. As long as I know that her medicine is close by, I’m comfortable letting her do the activities that all of her friends and classmates are doing.

And we no longer restrict foods in our home – my other two kids eat peanut butter sandwiches. I keep hummus in the fridge. We’re careful about wiping down surfaces and washing hands. We talk to her and the kids regularly about how to be safe.

In some ways, simulating the outside environment in our home makes me comfortable that Lauren can handle herself when I’m not able to watch over her. Which these days, is the majority of her day.

She’s acutely aware of the things that she can and can’t eat.  She asks me whether something is safe when she’s unsure. She’s becoming her own advocate, which is a big thing to ask of a 5-year old, but is so important.

All things being equal, she’s growing up as a normal kid and we try not to make her allergies her defining characteristic. She’s a creative 5-year old who loves art and gymnastics, and she happens to have an allergy. Not the other way around.

Sometimes I wonder if this is the right approach. Are we too relaxed? Am I putting her in harm’s way?

I keep reminding myself that as parents we weigh the risks. Just as there is a risk of her coming into contact with the wrong foods, I feel strongly that hypervigilance about her allergies could impact her character and personality in a negative way. I don’t want her to live a life on the sidelines, longing to join in on the typical kids’ activities but unable to. As much as possible, I want to say “yes”, not “no”. To quote Michelle Obama, I want to give her “as long a leash” as she can handle.

It’s not the right approach for everyone.  But it feels like the right one for us. Lauren has told me that her allergies aren’t a source of frustration or shame. That means the world to me.

Her biggest gripe? That she doesn’t know what peanut butter tastes like. And hopefully one day, if the medical community can figure out a treatment, she just might get the chance.

Article originall posted on Feed Me Dearly at: 

http://feedmedearly.com/2013/11/08/living-with-food-allergies/

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I know many of you ditched trans fats a while back… way before the FDA’s decision last week to ban trans fats in our food.

But even though a product’s label screams “Zero Trans Fat!!”, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it's trans fat free.

This is what I'm saying:  Look at the ingredient list on a product. The Nutrition Facts say “Trans Fat 0”… but in the list of ingredients, it says, “partially hydrogenated oil." Any oil that is partially hydrogenated is a trans fat.

The label is a bit misleading, right?

Here’s something else: The FDA lets food companies claim that a food product is “trans fat-free” if it has 0.5 grams or less per serving… like Fig Newtons and Premium Saltine Crackers. That's NOT trans fat free.

Having worked for several major food companies, I know it takes a long time to reformulate ingredients, especially those that have trans fats, because hydrogenated oils give foods taste and texture and helps prolong their shelf life.

Nilla Wafers are a good example. You get that crisp snap because the trans fat keeps the cookie from going stale and becoming soft. Nestlé’s Coffee Mate is smooth, rich and creamy because the third ingredient (after water and sugar) is hydrogenated oil.

Let's hope the FDA’s ban on trans fat is the first step in recognizing that we need to clean up our food supply now. What should the FDA scrutinize next? Sodium? Sugar? High fructose corn syrup? Parabens? Nitrates? BHT? Tartrazine? The list goes on and on.

I don't often quote Richard Nixon. In fact, I think today was a first. Back in the days of his Presidency, Nixon wrote a letter saying that it was "embarrassing and intolerable" that there should be hunger and malnutrition is such a land of plenty as ours was and still is.

American farmers produce about 3,900 calories for each man, woman, and child in this country, almost twice the recommended caloric intake for an adult. So why do so many people -- one in seven Americans -- not get enough?

Today, Nixon's own party wants to rip another $40 billion dollars out of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), leaving families without the resources to put food on their table. It is still embarrassing and intolerable.

You can read more on this issue, including more of Nixon's letter and a link to the full document on our Growing Tables blog today.

"I think the media covers the industry. I don't think the media has to advocate for anything."

- Time Magazine editor Howard Chua-Eoan in an interview with Eater

Last week, Time Magazine came out with a huge feature boldly entitled, "The Gods of Food".

The cover (of the non-U.S. versions) has chefs David Chang, Alex Atala and René Redzepi looking somehow both awkward yet casual, their heads touching at uncomfortable angles and their expressions conveying that, while of course they'd rather be in their kitchens, being crowned one of "Gods of Food" is pretty damned cool, too.  Within the article Redzepi also tops one of four lineage trees of sorts alongside chefs Alain Passard, the Adrià brothers, and Thomas Keller, the incredibly talented chefs they've influenced spread out below them in an illustration linking them together with vine-like scrawls and buds.

When glanced at quickly, the drawing that connects them resemble a mass of sperm, aggressively swimming to stake claim on the line of royalty. It's a fitting visual because here's the thing; not one female chef  is included as a "God of food".

Chef Amanda Cohen, owner of Dirt Candy (photo Brent Herrig)

What followed the feature's release was an incredibly direct interview by Hillary Dixler on Eater with the editor in charge of the piece, Howard Chua-Eoan. I'll let you read it, but Chua-Eoan's statements of defense enflamed rebuttals and opinions across the Internet's most influential pages, with scoffed "female" chefs asked to weight in.

In no way am I qualified or interested in what makes a "god of food".  For two industries that sometimes play to the shallowest, least-enlightened person in a room, the usage of the word "god" in of itself is empty.  I give my nana far more credit for my life-long love of kale than Dan Barber, who the article hails for the leafy green's cult-like popularity.  Yet I find it curious why Dan (who I highly respect and have nothing against), made the cut over Alice Waters, the chef who has long been looked to as the one who truly started the farm-to-table "trend"decades ago, while Dan was a product of her kitchen?

Just pass me the damned kale; I'm hungry.

But here's a thing I do have a vested interest in; the "gods" were chosen by members of the media.  And in the Eater interview, Chua-Eoan denies that the media has any responsibility in creating trends, and only reports on them.  Which is ridiculous.  I don't know how many times a chef has told me their restaurant almost closed until a positive New York Times review changed everything.  I get pitched stories weekly by smart (and almost entirely female) publicists who recognize the importance of press coverage. 

Don't try to tell me that the media doesn't create trends or have a responsibility to promote ones that are fair, and truly worthy, and inventive.

 Sarah Simmons, owner City Grit (photo Brent Herrig)

Even within his own interview Chua-Eoan uses the term "interesting" as a deciding factor in how certain aspects of the feature were determined; the editors had to come up with an interesting lineage tree that had to look interesting and contain the most interesting restaurants.  By choosing what they found "interesting" and putting those opinions into print with such a devotional title, they're making or fostering a trend, not just reflecting one.

Now take note; I personally scoff when someone calls me a "journalist".  I think of myself more as an observer, or an archivist.  Hell, I'm barely a writer, since most of what gets typed out are words someone spoke to me that I've just whittled and honed down into a clear narrative.  I don't believe my writing about a (delicious) $16 cocktail or an intricately prepared piece of (equally delicious) wild halibut is going to move our culture forward.  Yes, I take pride in the honest presence, focus and respect I try to give to each person I speak with.  But believe me, I know my niche.

Yet I disagree with Chua-Eoan's statement that the media does not have to advocate.  Hell, I'm a woman.  I believe everyone has to advocate.  Aren't we supposed to be over inequality and not allowing it to thrive between others?  Shouldn't those of us who write for and read things like Time Magazine and Eater be smarter than this? Shouldn't all of us be smarter than this?

(chef Vanessa Miller, photo Brent Herrig)

So, hell. What is my responsibility in this mess?

I get to choose who I interview, for the most part, with guidance and a final say by my editor, who (is a man and) I adore.  Yes, when I first took on the column for Serious Eats I was told I needed to focus on the "big names".  But in doing so I was accidentally fostering the idea that those names were the valid ones, the ones to note.  And, incidentally, I have been keeping the "boys club" of the kitchen alive, as only 18 of the chefs I've interviewed have been women.  I've been lazy by focusing on those others are focusing on, and not fighting harder to promote anyone I believe is doing relevant, passionate, important work in their field.

Maybe I need to find a middle ground between the fennel pollen and the politics.  Maybe I should start thinking more like a journalist.

While I work on that, check out 18 of the 100 or so extraordinary chefs I've interviewed. Who also just happen to be women, too.

All photos but top by Brent Herrig.  Top photo by Kym Fajardo. Using them without permission is illegal. And mean.

I’ve always believed that the meat I bought in the supermarket originated in the United States.

Wrong!

I didn't know that the pork chops I served for Sunday dinner might have come from China.

Boy, was I naive. I stumbled upon this knowledge when I learned that meat processors are blasting a new USDA regulation requiring meatpackers to include country-of-origin information on supermarket meat.

Like everyone I know, I thought all the meat I found in the grocery store originated in the United States. And yes, I do know that a lot of our seafood comes from overseas, like Indonesia or Europe.

The new rule on meat, which goes into effect this Saturday, would require meatpackers to track and label every major step of livestock processing and meat production: where a cow (or chicken or pig) was born, where it was raised and slaughtered, and where it was packaged.

Giant meatpacking companies, like Tysonand Cargillsay this tracking process is expensive… and doesn’t benefit the consumer.

Really? I mean… REALLY?

There’s one obvious benefit for the consumer: We’ll all be able to decide whether we really want to buy a rump roast from a country that has sub-standard sanitation and food safety laws.

American ranchers and farmers are VERY MUCH in favor of the new regulation, hoping that more of us will opt to buy “locally” (even if “local” in this case means anywhere in the entire United States). The meatpacker’s lobby is working furiously to amend this regulation in their favor before it becomes law this weekend.

Do you want to know where your meat comes from? I sure do.

When the season began in fantasy football pay leagues, the burning question about the San Francisco 49ers was not whether or not they were a playoff team, but whether or not Colin Kaepernick was ready to be elevated to the status of elite quarterback in fantasy football pay leagues. Throughout the course of the season in fantasy football pay leagues, both of those things have become serious questions.

When it comes to Kaepernick, it is probably unfair to give him a definitive thumbs up or thumbs down. He has had moments of brilliance, but because his favorite target, wide receiver Michael Crabtree has not seen and will not see the field this season in fantasy football pay leagues, its hard to answer the question of whether he can become elite with anything other than “not yet”. Kaepernick is not a bad quarterback and his talent is evident, the results have just not been there this season.

As for the Niners being a playoff team? Right now they find themselves in a three way tie for the final wild card spot in the NFC with division rival Arizona and Chicago/Detroit (whoever winds up not winning the NFC North over there), with a record of 6-4. There is good new however for the Niners. Four of the final six teams that the Niners play all have losing records (Washington, St. Louis, Atlanta and Tampa Bay, the latter two who are both 2-8, while Washington sits at 3-7). The other two games come against Seattle and Arizona. Seattle may be all but out of reach for the division, but it will be a chance for the Niners to see how they size up against the best team in the conference. As for that Cardinals game? It is the final game of the season, with a possible wild card berth on the line.

Verdict: No playoffs

"He didn't sleep well last night," my sister said, passing off the baby to my open arms.

She didn't need to tell me. I could tell by the faint smudges under her eyes, the baby's unnatural disinterest in his breakfast. He didn't whimper at being handed to his auntie, but he didn't greet me with his usual new-toothed grin.

Sister reached for coffee cups, one for her and one for my brother-in-law, who shuffled in with a similar face.

"I don't think he's been feeling well," she explained. Mom came in after me, and reached for the baby's forehead.

"He feels a little warm."

"And it explains why he's been such a fuss-bucket," my sister clucked, reaching over to feel the baby's forehead, too.

I handed Baby back to my mom, who with my sister jointly administered Motrin. Not wanting to hover underfoot, I took my coffee and granola bar to the living room, where I picked up my laptop and tried to catch up on the emails I'd missed since driving up to San Francisco for my nephew's first birthday.

After a while, my sister appeared back in the living room with Baby in tow, cup of coffee in her free hand. His eyes seemed clearer, and he unleashed one of his megawatt grins at me. Sister set him down on the fluffy carpet, and sat beside me. Baby crawled over to his toy basket and promptly began pulling out plastic footballs and farm animals.

Sister had dressed for the day, jeans and a sweater. Her style hadn't changed much over the years. She had always worn simple clothing and hardly any jewelry. However much her appearance hadn't changed though, she looked different.

"It's great that you guys are here," she told me. "A lot of the time it's just me, and I can't even leave the room. When he was younger I could just pop him in the bouncy chair. Now that he's mobile, that doesn't work anymore."

Baby got to the bottom of his toy box and, tired of the contents, crawled back to his mama, chortling to himself as he went. He was at that stage, the one of perpetual noise-making and cooing, even the occasional utterance of single-syllable words.

"Aw, you feeling better, pookie?" she crooned, scooping him up. "Let's play with the cars Auntie got you for your birthday."

They scooted to the floor, a single unit. Baby grabbed one of the chubby cars and stuck a bumper in his mouth. Sister scooted another car back, cranking it up, and released it. It skittered across the floor, and Baby beamed.

Mother and son. The mother bore no resemblance to the girl with the sheaf of yellow hair who told jokes with no punch lines; the one who would purposely give herself a milk mustache to irritate me, but would always play Barbies with me when I asked. This girl who drove me crazy with her sloppiness and then later grew into the neater one of us. This girl who flew with me to France, who kept me company as I dragged her from monument to monument and who shared gelato with me everyday.

When did my little sister become this mother and son?

"Look at him dance," she said. She had been singing "Happy Birthday" to him, and he frantically bobbed back and forth with infant wiggliness as she commenced with another rendition of the song. After, she kissed the top of his head.

She had never looked more beautiful.

These egg producers should be charged with animal abuse for improperly feeding their birds.

I get a lot of questions about my agricultural practices
from my customers at farmers markets.

"Are your chickens cage-free?" 
"Do you feed soy?"
"Are your eggs fertile?"
"Do you de-beak your chickens?"
"Do you poison or shoot predators?"
"Do you feed hormones or antibiotics?"

These are all valid and welcomed questions I 
recognize from consumers concerned about the health 
and integrity of the protein they eat and I do my 
best to (repeatedly) answer the questions not just 
about my own farming methods, but to why they are 
important as well as to debunk many of the myths 
and misunderstanding associated with each question.

Since I try to use as many as recycled cartons 
as possible (yes, please bring your empty cartons 
to the market and I'll gladly use them), I've 
been noticing some disturbing marketing speak 
on the labels from the upscale grocery stores and 
Certified Organic producers and I knew it was only 
a matter of time before I'd be faced with the question....

"Are your chickens fed a vegetarian diet?"

To which I have vehemently replied, 
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! I refuse to unnaturally 
feed my livestock to meet the flavor-of-the-week 
marketing schtick beating customers into a frenzy 
over the safety of their food.

Let's set the record straight--chickens are omnivores, 
meaning they eat both plants and animals. 
Ask any farmer with a flock of pastured poultry 
how much their hens squawk in a frenzied delight 
at the discovery of an errant mouse, lizard or snake. 
A full-scale war of capture-the-flag breaks out in 
the barnyard when a hen nabs a coveted live morsel. 
Or worse yet, chickens are notorious cannibals, 
pecking injured flockmates to death. This is one 
of the reasons commercial chicken operations de-beak 
their birds when they stuff them into cages 
and buildings by the tens of thousands. Over the 
years of raising poultry I've come across several 
well-picked carcasses of a bird who became ensnared 
in fencing or netting. My livestock is checked daily 
and yes, it happens that fast.

Check out this video of hens going after a mouse.

Several years ago a non-farming friend was visiting 
and asked where my compost pile was located so she 
could dump the bucket in the kitchen with food scraps. 
She was shocked when I told her to toss it all to the 
hens as it would pass through one more iteration before 
becoming compost.

"But there are all those shrimp shells in there. 
Will the chickens eat them?" she asked. 

"They'll love them. Trust me." I replied and 
with that she tossed the contents over the fence 
to a feathered feeding frenzy.

Over the years my hens have dined on lobster 
carcasses, intact oyster shells, what's left 
after fileting fish, cleaning squid and butchering 
livestock. They get garden detritus--both weeds and 
vegetables and sometimes even flowers! By the way, that's a dirty little commercial laying hen trick to bump up the color of the yolks...adding dried marigold flowers to the feed. Looks good, means nothing.

Although I rarely get a chance to sit down in 
front of the television, last night when I caught 
a few minutes of the evening news I happened to see 
that this idiocy has moved into the meat bird industry 
as well when a Purdue Farms commercial emphasized their 
chickens were fed an all-vegetarian diet.

A vegetarian chicken is NOT an "All Natural Chicken", it is an abused and unhealthy chicken.

While the marketing team that came up with promoting 
vegetarian chickens and eggs needs to have the ever-loving 
guano slapped out of them, there's a more sinister plot 
involved with this whole vegetarian chicken thing. 
Commercial chicken operations no longer feed their poultry 
animal by-products so the litter (i.e. chicken manure) can 
be fed to cows. 

Ok, let's all exhale in a collective EEeeewwwwwWWWW!

Yes, that's right, the poop from vegetarian chickens 
is being fed to cattle in both the beef and dairy
industries. Why? It's a cheap form of food. However, 
the practice was prohibited with the advent of Mad Cow 
disease. Turned out those pesky little prions that 
could potentially pollute the animal by-products used 
in poultry feed could survive being eaten by a chicken, 
crapped out and then eaten by a cow where it would 
infect said bovine with Bovine spongiform encephalopathy 
(BSE) and potentially infect humans as well. 

So under the guise of food safety, our chickens must 
now be vegetarians.

Next time you see "all vegetarian feed"on your 
poultry products (yes, even if you buy them at 
Whole Foods or they are Certified Organic), 
remember you are contributing to unnatural agricultural 
practices implemented solely for bigger profits 
in the industrial food production complex and not 
to the benefit of the livestock or more importantly, 
your health.  

This is "cage-free" and "free-roaming".

Sandra Kay Miller
Farmer, Writer, Cook, Goddess
"Life is too short to eat bad food."
www.sandrakaymiller.com

Well, I must be doing something right.  My 9 year old daughter eats really well, makes good choices even without me, is growing to love cooking, and generally has a good awareness of how the right food nourishes our bodies.  

So, recently when we happened to bump into the district's superintendent at a local event, she had a question for him.  She was brave enough to ask him the question.  She inquired about the greasiness of the pizza at school.  She also expressed concern over the amount of food that gets thrown away at lunch.  We both were surprised to find out that the pizza had hidden vegetables in the sauce and that the cheese was lowfat.  My daughter concluded it must be the pepperoni causing the grease and he offered to look into it.  My daughter informed him her favorite school lunch was chicken and waffles; he didn't realize we had that as an option. So, it looks like my daughter might have an upcoming lunch date with the superintendent!

That's what brings me to this blog post.  I decided to interview my daughter about school lunches, her favorite foods, and her concerns.  Here goes:

1.  What Are Some of Your Favorite Foods? Chicken nuggets, pizza, ice cream, Mexican food, strawberries, apples, zucchini, broccoli, and almond butter.

2.  What Do You Wish Your School Cafeteria Offered That They Currently Don't Have?  Almond butter sandwiches, whole wheat bread for sandwiches, kiwi fruit, zucchini sticks.

3.  What Is Your Favorite School Lunch?  Chicken and waffles.

4.  What Can't You Stand At School Lunch? Nachos.

5.  What Are Some Of Your Friends Favorite Lunches?  Hamburgers, nachos.

6.  What's One Thing You Would Change About Your School Cafeteria? Eliminate some of the unhealthy choices, like the nachos.  For the food that kids don't eat, offer a compost bin or save it for farmer's to pick up to feed their pigs.

My favorite part of this interview was her idea about the leftover food for the farm animals.  We live in a suburb that actually has a heavy farming and agricultural base, so this idea actually seems feasible!  I'll keep you posted.

The original article is here.