i love it when i'm clever

the bathroom in our house was a total afterthought.  like sometime in the late 50s, early 60s someone looked around and saw that EVERYONE else now had indoor plumbing and thought they should go along with the trend.  so they put up a wall on a porch and some drywall in the now "bathroom".  no insulation, though.  it is about 25 sq ft. with a full sized bathtub, sink, toilet, wall storage cabinet and a full sized water heater.  so, yeah.  it's kind of the bane of my existence in this house.  i love this house, but that bathroom. oh my god.  as you can imagine, there are no towel bars or places for towel bars, or wall space. so....after 3 years i have actually figured out a cute, easy option.  yes, it took me 3 years to be clever.
remember these from our wedding?

well, since i am not planning any dinner parties anytime soon. they are now cute, monogrammed towel hooks.

weird thing is...mike still used hendrix's towel this morning instead of getting a new towel.  why? boys are gross.  that's why.  new "systems" take awhile to take hold in our house. so, hendrix should have it down by yesterday and mike by next year. ha!
up next...turning an old door/entrance into a craft corner. sounds weird.  but it is going to be awesome.  let the nesting begin!!!  

cookbooks for $100

cookbooks are shoved all over my house.  most of them are in two stacks in my kitchen, though.  the pages of how to cook everything and time for dinner are smudged and those two books seem to stay on top of the piles.  this time of year, though, canning for a new generation competes viciously with both.  also, my first cookbook given to me by my grandmother, alice, still gets pulled out from time to time.  it's a sort of junior cookbook put out by betty crocker.  my grandmother wrote in the inside cover page, too.  i love seeing her handwriting.  it still makes me tear up to speak of her.  she will have died 12 years ago this august.  she, too, had a cookbook collection issue.  i can still seem them lined up on a back counter in her kitchen.  i can close my eyes at any moment and smell what her fridge smelled like, feel the breeze from the back porch door, and see the flour sack towels laid on the counter.  she read cookbooks like they were novels.  much as i do today, actually. i miss her so much some days that it breaks my heart. i hope i never forget what that kitchen smelled, looked, and felt like.  i hope that my children and grandchildren remember what my kitchen smelled, looked, and felt like. 
.....
cookbooks hold a special place in my heart because they are tools for creating experiences and letting people you know that you love them.  food is love. that junior betty crocker cookbook is one of my most prized possessions. as well as, a cookbook that my friend, summer, made for me for my bridal shower.  she asked guests to contribute their recipes to the book and tell her why they gave her that recipe.  mike's mom included a recipe for macaroni meatballs that her mother used to make weekly when mike and his sister were growing up.  mike gasped and was left a little speechless when he saw that recipe.  my friend, julie, that i have known since i was hendrix's age contributed her grandmother moretta's chocolate cake recipe.  it made me so happy to see that recipe.  julie's mother is italian and i have many fond memories of eating with her family.  in fact, most of the "real, whole" food i had growing up; i had at julie's house.  that was one of the first home gardens i was exposed to, as well. i have a distinct memory of trying blueberries for the first time on the their front porch.  i was not a fan and didn't become one until i had hendrix.  i also have cravings for that mint tea you could always find in their fridge during the summer.  so, you see, cookbooks mean something.  they are powerful memory-chasers.   i collect them for many reasons, but maybe mostly, so my children can read through my collection someday and remember the many meals full of laughter and love that we had when they were growing up.  i guess that is why i cook at home so much, too.  not just to give my family real food, blah, blah, blah....but to create real memories.  the ones that matter.  and food made with love makes some of the best memories i have.
.....
so, what cookbooks would i buy today if you gave me $100?
DG at Home
Dinner A Love Story
The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
The Homemade Pantry
AYear of Pies

i believe in cooking

my friend summer and i were talking about gardening, food, clemetine's p+p, and cooking. . .when she said, " i believe in cooking." just like that, all the pieces fell into place.  she summed up what her and i have been talking about for years.  what i have been talking about with everyone.  her and i believe in cooking .  for this reason, we value local food. we value gardening.  we value canning.  we value freezer chests.  we value cook's illustrated. 
summer gave me a bumper sticker that she got at penzey's. it says....
love people.  cook them tasty food. 
she then threw me a bridal shower that was full of lovely food...endive with bleu cheese and mandarin oranges, cheese plates, beautiful pickled things, a smores bar, a hot cocoa & apple cider station, full bar, homemade sandwiches, lovingly made sweets, handmade marshmallows....food is love.
i give food to people when they have babies, when a loved one passes, for the holidays....whenever i want to show love. 
when i make something without love it tastes like shit.  when i am angry, rushed, stressed...it tastes like shit.  maybe that's why people who don't like to cook, shouldn't. if you want to know how to cook and you want to like it...all you need to know is that if you believe in it, you believe in the power...the power of a home cooked, lovingly made meal, that it will turn out.  sandwiches are always better when someone else makes them.

monday check list

here's 10 things you need to know this week (at least i think so):

1. crop mob dates have been scheduled.  come out and meet your growers.  free sunshine and fresh air. oh, and free lunch.  check out our facebook events page.

2. we have hired our interns for this year and could not be more excited to work with this group of women.  caitie, marcia, and taylor are going to be awesome!

3. seed catalogs are still coming in the mail and maybe some of you are planning on doing a garden this year.  mike can come help you get the ground ready. details here.

4. this is the last week to sign up for the veg box subscription.  email us at clementinespandp@gmail.com to get the sign up form.  you can pay by check, on the website, or at our facebook shop.

5. 61% of low income families have no children's books.  you can help change this. here's the post about it.

6. omahans, you have a chef in your town that has been invited by the james beard foundation to put on a dinner for their members.  new yorkers, you should go to this!  congratulations, chef paul kulik!

7. i work for this woman!

8. waffles are back on the menu at daily grub on saturday.  and i am jonesing. bad.  AND look for cookbook on kickstarter this march!  elle is genius.

9.  my cousin, connor barrientos, won at the state wrestling championships this weekend.  our family is so pumped!

10. some wonderful videos and posts on gardening with children.  and a how to on building cold frames.


upcoming posts this week (hopefully). . .what you really need when expecting a new baby and food + accessibility.

summer

again, not the season. but i like that too.  my friend, summer.  this is the third in the "people in my food life" series on the blog.  you can find one and two here. 
my mom friend, summer, makes homemade marshmallows.  they are hand poured and hand crafted.  they come in flavors like chai, toasted coconut, vanilla bean, and red hot candy. my favorite is toasted coconut.  it's like crack.  at least i think so, i've never had crack.  so i guess it is what i imagine crack to be.  she sells them at heartland bakery in elkhorn.  and on facebook during the holidays.  jet puff marshmallows will never do after you've had summer's marshmallows.  i mean, do you know anyone who makes their own marshmallows!?! summer is the kind of cook who trys something and decides she could replicate it.  probably even make it better.  and then she proceeds to try and try until she nails it.  the science behind food really trips her trigger. 
summer is also writing a cook book about the local food scene in nebraska and iowa.  it will profile and celebrate the growers, their farms, and the restaurants who sell the stuff.  
and she has a two year old who is being potty trained. AND she is having a baby in april. seriously. oh, and she blogs on a regular basis.
so in 2009 she become a mother for the first time.  in 2010, she became a bakery owner. in 2011, she will have had her first daughter.  in 2012, she will become a published author.
summer is someone who loves projects that make people feel good about themselves and their community.  she's also the executive editor of this newspaper. 
she is someone who believes you can have your cake and eat it, too.  and just writing this post about her endeavors it is hard to not to believe her.  i am proud to drink with her (when she is not with child), taste test her marshmallows, and be her mom friend.
*orange poppy bakery is closed until november while summer is on maternity leave.

rambling thoughts on inspiration

the current economic climate has me thinking a lot about making your own fate. as i try to figure out what our family's fate is. . .i look for inspiration. muses.

summer has been writing an inspiration series on her blog. for all the people who say there should be a less fluff more "real" mommy blog out there. . .here's some real writing on the topic of retaining a sense of oneself while mothering. and even better, developing and growing as a person while mothering. you can find them here, here, here, here, and here.


i often require mini mental breaks throughout the day while i am mothering and partnering (domestically). here are my favorite new to me inspiring websites:
great name. . .honestlywtf
this one led me to honestlywtf and i found her via design*sponge
and i am embarrassed to say i just recently began frequenting the smitten kitchen.


i wrote about being grateful during harvest recently. and how sometimes it takes death to remind us what is important. i forgot that it. . .death. . .can also remind us about inspiration. the passed can help us remember that even the inspiring need to be inspired. this poem was on a program for a funeral i went to this year. i never knew the title until i googled it about 1/2 hour ago. makes sense.


do you believe food can inspire? i have been thinking about how i live in a bubble where most everyone i know and talk to loves food. they believe in the power of food. that food can heal physically and mentally. that food can evoke change. i am not naive. . .i realize this ain't how most people think. hence, the kings: fast food joints and prepackaged, processed food.


what, if not food, inspires you? what inspires the people you know and talk to? do you believe in making your own fate?

elle + daily grub

in august i wrote about my grandmother, alice. i meant to write a monthly feature on the "people in my food life". the people who inspire me to grow food, cook food, plan food. then life happened and i forgot.
sigh.
no time like the present to do what i set out to do.
elle of daily grub doesn't let life get in the way of her doing what she set out to do. most people i know have had the daydream of one day opening a restaurant. but since most of these people work in the food industry and somewhat know the reality of what it would take to make that happen. . .i only actually know 4 people who have succeeded in this. elle is one of them. and she is a revolutionary. in less than a year, she has been named best new restaurant. best new restaurant that does not have a business phone, uses facebook to showcase its' ever changing menu, and has no outside investors. if you don't know much about the business, let me tell you, this is virtually unheard of. oh and daily grub is a vegetarian diner.
most of us are familiar with the new trend: farm to table dining. this is what she does. elle does it in a way that i have never considered. her flavor combinations constantly inspire me when i am making lunch at home. (try the quesadilla, that's all i'm saying.) elle started all this restaurant business by hosting sunday brunches at her home. the brunches grew into huge events. like 80 people every sunday. see what i mean? people dream of doing this type of shit, but no one actually does it. but elle did. (and now i have dreams about the cashew butter on the sopes at daily grub.) and she's doing it in an old south omaha bar on 20th and pierce. elle has not only made vegetarian fare accessible, but she has offered it in such an unpretentious way that she has successfully made non-vegetarians fall in love. she has given customers access to local fare made from locally sourced ingredients at a very affordable price. so this holiday season i invite you to check out the dream. the virtually unfathomable. go eat lunch in between your shopping or have dinner over the weekend and be inspired.

i think you should know about THIS!

1. we all have colds. AGAIN.
2. awesome wreath. . .i want to recreate this.
3. kale chips. gonna make them as soon as i step away from the computer.
4. keeping the oven on and baking things keeps the propane bill lower. (not really)
5. i made pumpkin muffins (recipe below) today and substituted applesauce for the oil, used 1/2 whole wheat flour, and cut the sugar by 1/4 cup. results? delicious!
6. if you haven't tried andrea's pancakes and you are a mother, someone who is frazzled in the morning, or someone who has to get up in the morning. . . you should. they will save your life.
7. i AM going to make this. mainly, in hopes, that otis the cat sleeps in there & not in our bed.
8. if you haven't checked out http://www.dinneralovestory.com/ you need to. here's your first recipe to try. . .you'll never look back. eat it with horseradish on the side.
9. my aunt & her friend started an etsy shop. so did my other friends, shannon & gabe.
10. if you become a friend/fan of metro neighborhood news on facebook and they reach 1500 fans. . .you could win some cool stuff. i won a $30 gift certificate to mangelsen's yesterday!

pumpkin muffins
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1 c. pumpkin puree
1/3 c. applesauce
2 lg. eggs
1 c. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/8 t. ginger
1/8 t. cloves
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
sift flours and baking powder. in separate bowl, whisk pumpkin puree through salt together. slowly whisk in flour mixture. fill paper lined/greased muffin tins, 3/4 full. bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. enjoy!

p.s. 11. the high winds outside are making me want to poke my eyes out.

alice

i woke up today thinking of my grandmother, alice. she was the best cook i ever met. and she was the only grandparent i ever met. ten years ago this month, she passed away. everything i know and love about food i learned from her. at one time in her life she was the head cook at brownell talbot's school. almost everyone i ever meet that knew her, comments on her excellent cooking. it's amazing to me how much you can still miss someone when they have been gone so long. i guess that is a testament to how great some people are in this life. . .how much and how long they are missed.
she used to make this german pancakes (pretty much a crepe) that we ate with butter and sugar. she always had real butter in the house. ever had a lime jello & cucumber mold thingy? she used to make those, too. turns out, it had mayo in it. candied apples remind me of holidays at her house and date bars, too. lamb chops, too. growing up, i loved that woman and her food more than any other granddaughter in the history of the world. my greatest regret in life, is not spending near enough time with her towards the end of her life.
according to my uncle bob, she taught herself to be such a famed & great cook by reading cookbooks like they were, well, books. her first was a world's fair cookbook. the story goes, from my great aunt ruth, that she also contributed to the metz beer cookbook. (metz beer used to be located in omaha, ne.) she was almost entirely self taught. she just practiced a lot. she had 7 children who gave her a lot of practice. 5 of them were boys.
she gave me a cookbook when i was about 9 or 10. it was the better homes and gardens junior cookbook. i still have it. and i still make the chocolate chip cookies recipe. she, also, helped me make apple cinnamon muffins from scratch for the 4H fair. i won first place. almost every great memory i have from my childhood includes alice. and i just wanted to share what i lovely and wonderful woman she was with you all.