The Good, the Bad, and the UGLY!

The GOOD:

We went to the Farmer's Market in Boise on Saturday.

It was freezing,

but really fun.

Tessa looked adorable in her hat.
Too bad she's getting too big for her warm clothes.
She's looking a little hodge-podge these days.

We bought onions and carrots from this lady.
She wouldn't let me leave until I promised to try a shallot.
She threw it in my bag for free.
Kate was crying, "cause me COOOOLD!"
Annie loved all the free samples.
Just like Costco.
***
The BAD:
(not pictured)
I made a frozen lasagna for dinner after church.
I was too tired to make anything else.
I didn't make anything else to go with it,
but Brock heated up some corn.
It was gross.
***
The UGLY:
My cinnamon rolls were a disaster.
I didn't use enough flour.
When you don't use enough flour-
it's really bad news.
These rolls were bad news.

Brock was trying to be helpful by saying positive things like:

"Don't worry. They look o.k."

"Maybe that's how they're supposed to look."

"This way is better because you can make them into shapes."

But then the dagger came when he said,
"Hey, they kind of look like buffalo chips."

BUFFALO CHIPS!!!
SERIOUSLY!
But that was exactly what they looked like.

But they actually tasted alright...

not like Grandma's though.

***

Brock's Review

Chanell insisted that I write about her cinnamon rolls.

I just needed to say that despite the pictures above, these cinnamon rolls

were really good!

On a grade scale:B+.

I'm sure the more she makes the cinnamon rolls the better she will get,

but they did remind me of my cow tippin' days. :)

Thoughts about food from Grandma Lang

I just finished reading In Defense of Food.

Michael Pollan states in the opening pages that we would all be better off if we ate like our grandmothers and great-grandmothers used to eat.

I thought that this was an interesting idea, so I called up my Grandma Lang and asked her,
"What kind of things did you used to eat?"

She laughed and said,

"Well, we ate what we made!"

She went on to say that they bought very little from a store.

They baked their own bread.

They had a cow for milk and butter.

Pretty much everything else they ate came from their garden.

I asked her, "who taught you how to cook?"

She answered, "Well my mother, I guess. I just grew up cooking."

She then told me about days when she would be late to jr. high school because her Grandma Church wouldn't let her go until the bread dough was just right.

She also told me that every Monday they would spend the day doing their laundry- no matter what. So every laundry day they would put on a big pot of beans and ham. She remembers how fussy her Grandma Church was about the laundry because people could see it on the line.

I asked her what her favorite food was when she was a child.

She took a moment and then told me that she loved the homemade ice cream.

During the winter they would go out to the frozen lake and cut chunks of ice and store them in the cellar under sawdust. They would use this ice to make ice cream during the summer.

I asked her what "kind" of ice cream they made, and she said it depended what "fruit was on." They would add peach or strawberry or they would make vanilla.

But she did remember that for the Fourth of July they would make homemade rootbeer. They would make it a month in advance and store it in the cellar, and then for Fourth they would have Rootbeer Floats!

***

I really love my Grandma. I still remember sitting at the bar in her kitchen watching her cook. I was fascinated by how she knew how to make such delicious food- it seemed a little bit like magic. She had a way of making holidays more exciting and ordinairy day seem special by whipping up something so delicious. She was an especially wonderful baker. I still remember the breads and cookies- and OH the cinnamon rolls! Brock especially LOVED her cinnamon rolls. He may or may not have married me because of the deliciousness of those rolls. :)

***

The two things that stand out the most to me from the conversation with my Grandma is

1. Food doesn't need to be elaborate or complicated to be delicious. At times she almost seemed apologetic as she answered my questions with , "well...we just ate what we made." I think that simple food is still good food.

2. That there is something so wonderful about routine and tradition when it comes to food. I find myself loving the idea that EVERY Monday was ham and beans. That in a world of constant change and chaos I can use food as a stabilizing factor in my home. I also love that special occasions call for special foods. I love that the flavor of the ice cream depended on the fruit in season. I want to give my kids a reason to look forward to holidays and the changing seasons. That means maybe not buying strawberries in January or apples in May- just an ideas...we'll see.

***

Thank you Grandma! You are such an inspiration to me!!! I will have to call you and tell you this because you don't read my blog. As we were talking about somethings she used to make and she apologized for using butter, but then said, "well it got me this far... ninety years." And as I wrote down what she said I can only hope eating more like her can get my family to ninety years too.

***

And for a special bonus, here is my Grandma's Cinnamon Roll Recipe:

4 C. Water
1 C. Sugar
¾ C. Oil
1 Egg
4 pkgs. Yeast
¾ C. Powdered milk
½ C. Instant Potato Flakes
1 T. salt
Enough flour to make soft dough (don’t make to stiff; as it is mixed the lighter the dough the better), about 7 C.

Soften yeast in warm water; add sugar, oil, egg, potato flakes, powdered milk and salt, Mix and let rise to double. Put out on floured counter; roll out and spread with butter, then sugar with cinnamon mixed in (I use part brown sugar), some nuts (chopped) and raisins, if desired, Roll dough up and slice, Put on cookie sheet; let rise and bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes ( don’t over bake). Frost with a powdered sugar glaze.

***

I want to make these this weekend. I'll let you know how they turn out.

I can't wait-If they do turn out...Brock is going to love his wife so much more!

"Real" Food.

A little background on me,

I'm not a good cook.

My brother is a good cook, much to the delight of Provo High's Mrs. Cluff, as well as the pride and joy of my parents.

I am a lover of good food and like to eat yummy food, but I am not the one who usually cooks good food.

When my family gets together to prepare a meal, my mom usually says things like, "Chanell, do you think you could cut the stems off of these strawberries?"-with a look on her face the means- are you capable? You're not going to screw this one up are you? Which at times I find a little insulting, but then part of me is hoping I don't screw it up too.

Since I married Brock I have put a lot of time and effort into becoming a better cook.

I knew that until I learned how to make yummy food, there would always be a little part of him that would love his mother more than me. I'm serious.

So in the last six years I have learned how to make yummy food- the easiest way possible- so that I would't screw it up.

***
Fast forward to January 2010:

One of my new year's resolutions was to eat "REAL" food.

I have always felt the need to learn more about food and nutrition, but I guess I got kicked into high gear when I watched the documentary, Food Inc. (and p.s. I have not eaten at McDonald's since.)

I guess what bothers me the most is that by feeding my family certain things, I could be hurting them. I felt like I needed to have more of an awareness as to what I was feeding my family. I wanted to be a deliberate cook- to make choices that would benefit their health and well being. I wanted to stop choosing what was easiest or convenient. This has given me a purpose- I don't need to learn how to cook everything. I only need to learn how to cook the BEST things.

***
So now what?

I need to learn what "the BEST" actually means. ..and how I actually cook those things...so that my kids will actually eat those things... so that I have time to do this... and so that it doesn't push me over the edge of the cliff called "crazy, young mother of three."

My plan is to read good books, read good blogs, but the biggest thing is I'm takin' it to the streets of my homies. Those who already do things I want to do. I want to learn from them. I will do whatever it takes. They are my "Mr. Miagi" and I am their "Karate Kid."

I will record the things I learn here- for your enjoyment of course- and also to help me measure my progress.

So wish me luck... I am REALLY gonna need it.