Have you ever given any thought to the first time you taste something different?  The texture, the flavor, the sensations are often lost in the moment and sometimes the hurry of just eating.  I think this is something we all take for granted unless we are engaged in a unique dining experience where we are forced to contemplate what we are consuming.  I believe this is unfortunate because if we take the time to truly enjoy our food, and look at it as an experience instead of devouring it, we might actually, accidentally, become healthier in the process.  What do you think?

Think about a baby, every time they get introduced to a new food. You can tell by their immediate reaction if they like it or find it repulsive.  For your enjoyment check out the link “Leah Eats” of the video below and watch my granddaughter, Leah, as she takes her first taste of solid food – the infamous rice cereal! (Thanks to my daughter-in-law and modern technology, I had the joy of sharing in the moment with her family!) It’s just a delight to watch and perhaps a lesson to remember to truly enjoy what we eat!

Leah Eats

Y’all know what this is, right?  It’s the response you give when your child or spouse is asking, “what’s for dinner” and you don’t have a legitimate response.  It’s particularly an annoying question because not only do you not know what you are going to make, you are totally uninspired and uninterested in making anything at all.

Growing up, Chef’s Surprise came to mean one thing only in our house – salad.  Now, that may not sound particularly good to you, but that’s only because you haven’t had the pleasure of a Miss Ann (my Mom) salad.  Everyone  in our home town knows Miss Ann can make a salad (and a sandwich) that is unsurpassed.

First she would start with the bowl.  A huge silver thing large enough to feed a football team, but really just for our family of 5.  Then she would begin to fill it with salad greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, anchovies, marinated artichokes, salami, homemade croutons, pepperoncini and whatever else she could find in the fridge.  She would top it all off with a little olive oil and vinegar.  This would be served with a glass of sweet tea with lemon and mint and a great big loaf of crusty bread to sop up all the drippings from the tomatoes and olive oil.  Heaven!

My Chef’s Surprises tend toward a main meal salad or breakfast-for-dinner.  I have learned to keep a few ingredients on hand so that when I am feeling unmotivated, I can “assemble” instead of “cook” which is really what “chef’s surprise” is all about.  Bon Appétit.

I was reflecting on the journey my cancer-survivor husband has been through and how it brought me to Mother Earth Meals.  One of the influencing pieces of information he came across is the video on “TED Talks” entitled: Can We Eat to Starve Cancer?” by a brilliant man named William Li. Mr. Li presents a new way to think about treating cancer and other diseases: anti-angiogenesis, preventing the growth of blood vessels that feed a tumor. The crucial first (and best) step: Eating cancer-fighting foods that cut off the supply lines and beat cancer at its own game. I thought I would take this blog and share this fantastic talk with you.  Although it is rather technical, it is presented in a relatively easy to understand manner.

I invite you to watch the link below and think about this talk.  It may have the same impact on you as it did on us. It could change your life.

Maryann and I have gone back to school.  Not as students, but as teachers at a local cooking school – Alice & Louise Catering and Cooking School.  This is new territory for us and we were a bit nervous about it.  Would anyone come?  Would our first subject be of interest?  Could we work the kitchen equipment?

We planned extensively.  We decided to feature whole grains and selected two dishes for our students to cook: Quinoa with Bacon and Roasted Apples and Kamut with Rosemary Roasted Parsnips and Grapes.  We developed a learning strategy, class plan, lesson plan, and talking points.  We held a mock class for friends and received valuable feedback.  We shopped, crosschecked our ingredient list several times over, packed and checked supplies again.  We were definitely prepared.

The class went off without a hitch.  Nichol (the Alice of the business) was there to assist and guide us through our preparation, answering questions along the way.  We were organized and ready when our students began to arrive.

The students worked in teams of two to create the dishes.  Several of our students had never tried our featured grains and some had never had parsnips nor considered pairing grapes with a savory dish.   Once the cooking was completed, we all sat down to enjoy their creations.  The dishes were wonderful, the students great fun and we all walked away feeling like we learned something new.  We had a blast.  We were at ease in A&Ls wonderfully well-equipped kitchen.  Now we feel like old pros and can’t wait to tackle our next class.

We invite you join us as we will be making it a monthly event the second Thursday of every month.  If you don’t live in the area and would like to experience a Mother Earth cooking class, drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do to accommodate you. We are all about spreading the love of healthy cooking and healthy eating wherever you are!