Bites.

No time for a full-blown blog post?  I hear ya.  Here are some quick and yummy bites of information that I hope will entertain and educate.  (You can also get these by “liking”  https://www.facebook.com/realfoodfor5 )

October 18, 2014

Got some help from the 6 yo with movie night dinner last night! Popcorn cooked in safflower oil, in a pan, on the stove (the only way to do it) with LOTS of organic pastured butter and salt. Organic apples and cheeses. Applegate Farms organic ham. This may not be considered “dinner” in some houses — but it is at ours! (Plus a couple of beers for Mom — that’s “real” food, right?. After 2 straight hours of clothes shopping with my 13 yo son, I think I should be commended for limiting myself to just 2 beers.)

 

October 15, 2014

chicken stew

Last night Bill made the classic French dish Coq au Vin for the boys. Which they loved (sorry I don’t have a photo!). Tonight I turned the leftovers into a chicken, bacon, onion & mushroom stew; served it on top of mashed potatoes and cauliflower, with a side of sauteed baby carrots. (don’t tell the boys that there was cauliflower in those mashed potatoes!)

 

 

 

 

October 6, 2014

Freezing blueberries. Organic ones were on sale. Led to extensive research on the best way to freeze them (librarian, remember?). DON’T rinse them first. DON’T just dump them in a bag and freeze them. Spread them out on a tray first and freeze them. Once frozen put in a freezer bag — they won’t be clumped together. I’ll get back to you on the success of this “project” when I break them out mid-winter to make blueberry muffins or pancakes. Promise I’ll keep you posted.

 

August 22, 2014

Dinner after the first day back to school for the boys. Looks complicated, but I just pulled everything from the freezer and heated it up — so it was easy and they loved it! Homemade manicotti, “gravy”, and Italian bread (plus veg). Here’s the post with the recipes

manicotti

 

July 27, 2014

veggie egg scramble

AM scramble: organic potato, spinach and tomato; organic cheddar; cage free egg; all fried in organic pastured butter. Yum start to the day.

 

 

 

 

June 24, 2014

Fun night in Cincinnati with one of my college housemates last weekend – beet salad and scallops with spring vegetables at Local 127 (sadly it closed a few weeks later). DELICIOUS breakfast the next morning — Eggs of the House at Annabel’s in Mount Lookout. Cincy is turning into an awesome food town!

pretty beet salad

 

 

“Eggs of the House” at Annabel’s

 

May 14, 2014

All organic “burrito bowls” for dinner with my guys — brown rice, black beans, local chicken, spinach, corn and salsa. (Also added a lot of grated cheddar after I took the picture!)

 

 

April 21, 2014

I know this place is renowned for it’s pizzas, but I keep going back for the vegetables! Oven roasted beets! Fire roasted cauliflower! Yum. — at 800 Degrees Three Fires.

 

April 18, 2014

manicotti

For dinner last night, cooked up a pan of homemade manicotti (that I pulled from the freezer earlier in the day — from my Christmas time cooking frenzy). It was still molto yummy. Here’s the original blog post on how to make ithttp://realfoodfor5.com/2014/01/01/real-christmas-traditions/

April 7, 2014

Beer (Scrimshaw from North Coast Brewing Co.) and some small plates at the always delicious 800 Degrees on Illinois Rd. the other night — particularly loved the oven roasted broccoli. Can’t ever go wrong with the meatballs and the asparagus, of course. — at 800 Degrees Three Fires.

roasted broccoli

asparagus and farm egg

 

April 2, 2014

tilapia dinner

Quick and easy (healthy and earth-friendly, as well) dinner tonight for the boys and me. Delicious Regal Springs Tilapia that I get at the Three Rivers Co-op Natural Grocery. Season the tilapia with olive oil, S&P, a bit of garlic powder, paprika, and grated parmesan. Broil. Served with organic brown rice and organic (frozen) peas.

April 1, 2014

Saarinen’s arch

Road trip with the boys to St. Louis for Spring Break. They loved the Arch, the City Museum (wow! what a crazy, wonderful place…), and Daniel Boone’s Farm. Mommy loved the Robust Wine Bar in the hotel’s lobby.  Like, REALLY loved it. Highly recommend — some delicious local, seasonal food, great wines, even a kids’ menu.

A page from Robust’s menu

 

March 31, 2014

Made Lefse (shout out to all the Norwegians in the audience! Uff Da!) with my mom the other day. A traditional flat bread made with mashed potatoes, cream, and flour. You also need a special grooved roller, cloth covered wood board and wooden spatula-type thing (both handmade by my Grandpa Sigvald Howe), AND a lefse-specific electric griddle (that I believe can only be purchased in select parts of North Dakota and Minnesota). Did I mention you cook them one at a time? Uff Da is right. But they are delicious! Many people like them with butter and sugar; I prefer just butter – hold the lutefisk.

 

 

February 10, 2014

“gravy”

 

Cold snowy days are great for making “gravy” AKA tomato sauce! 1)whir up whole canned tomatoes in blender; 2)saute onions and garlic in olive oil and a couple of glugs of red wine until “jammy”; 3)add dried spices – LOTS of oregano, S&P, a bit of basil & garlic powder; 4) simmer for a few hours. 

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2013

New Year’s Eve dinner out with the boys last night at 800 Degrees Three Fires. Pizza delicious as usual, but check out the awesome selections from the Chef’s Menu (love the locally sourced meats). I had the cauliflower side and it was delicious.

December 23, 2013

Decorating sugar cookies with my mom and the boys. Thanks for letting us make a mess at your house, Mom! Again, lots of white flour, powdered sugar, and food coloring. But, heck it’s Christmas!

12 Year Old’s Santa

9 year old’s snowman

a moon by the 5 year old

December 23, 2013

Making Norwegian Krumkakes with my mom. OK. Not “real” food, per se. Lots of sugar and white flour. And butter — butter is good!  A fun and  delicious Christmas tradition. Did I mention labor intensive? That, too. But that’s Christmas for you!

December 21, 2013

My 7th grader recently returned from a school sponsored trip to France. Look what he got for me! J’adore les oeufs! But now will happily have to brush up on my French to read the recipes in this little treatise on the omelette.

December 9, 2013

BBK Side

Health blast side dish (aka cleaning out the fridge). Blanched broccolini and brussel sprouts, tossed with baby kale, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, walnuts, salt & pepper to taste. Pretty good with pork chops!

November 23, 2013

Proud of myself for concocting a yummy, sweet, all natural treat on a cold and blustery day. Toasted a piece of my whole wheat bread (see blog for recipe), smushed some ripe banana on it, and topped with all natural chocolate syrup:
2 t. dark cocoa powder whisked with 2 T. pure maple syrup Easy-peasy and YUM!

November 17, 2013

Rainy afternoon hang out at Barnes and Noble. Picked up this book: Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson.  Super excited. It won a James Beard Foundation Book Award in 2012 — great photos and the recipes look fabulous. I’ll let you know if I discover any new favorites!

November 12, 2013

Went to the book launch party last night at Joseph Decuis in Roanoke, Indiana for
http://www.wagyutrail.com/

The book includes recipes from Decuis’ Executive Chef, Aaron Butts. I sampled quite a few of the Wagyu Mini Burgers with Blue Cheese Mousse and can personally attest to their yumminess! The book is a fascinating read, as well. Get a copy!

November 9, 2013

Went to a special wine pairing dinner at Chop’s Wine Bar earlier in the week. It feature I Selvatici wines from Tuscany. Chef Brian rocked the menu (photo attached) — local ingredients of note included pea shoots, micro basil, pork cheeks, and rabbit! Yum. Next time you are there, ask him for the date of the next beverage pairing menu. It’s worth it!

Tasting Menu with my notes (apologies for the tacky pink pen)

http://www.iselvatici.it/english.asp

October 30, 2013

Kneed A Chef

At our friends’ house last week we enjoyed a multi-course tapas-style dinner with wine pairings by Chef Eric Braun of www.kneedachef.com/
Two of my favorite courses were 1) organic beets in a citrus glaze with fennel and 2) pan seared sea scallops with parmesan corn relish. Check out his website for more about his “come to your house and make awesome food for you and your friends!” business.

October 10, 2013

Cynthia Presser

Thanks to Cynthia Presser, Cooking with a Twist for a delicious and fun lunch yesterday to celebrate the new book! I particularly loved the hearts of palm soup — can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Brazilian-Twist-Cynthia-Presser/dp/1628471808/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381398428&sr=1-1&keywords=cooking+with+a+brazilian+twist

September 21. 2013

Saturday breakfast. Bacon from Seven Sons Farms viaTanglewood Berry Farm ‘s order and onsite pickup. My fave homemade wholewheat bread (check outhttp://realfoodfor5.com/ for the recipe). Pastured butter, all fruit fig jam, and local organic watermelon all fromThree Rivers Co-op Natural Grocery & Deli. Thanks local food sources for a great start to the weekend.

 

September 15, 2013

Took your suggestion, Beth Gibbs, and added the homemade chocolate chips to the brownie mixture. Very yummy! Made these yesterday for the boys’ school lunches all week. We have enough left for Monday’s lunch….