Summer eating

I don't think I'm alone in marking so many highlights of the summer around food.  Trying new restaurants, celebrating special events (like my dad's birthday yesterday, which we celebrated Sunday, and our 10-"monthiversary" today) and writing random food thoughts on one's own blog :).  My whole family is making the trek to Chicago this weekend to celebrate my brother-in-law's (40th, ahem) birthday, and of course the main celebration will take place over - you got it, lots of food. 
 
Our friend's birthday was this past weekend and her mother who was in town commented that the Michigan economy didn't seem so depressed because every place they went to eat around town here had a wait for a table!  But, in fact, the 'for sale' signs on homes and the many shuttered small businesses tell a different tale.  There are certainly things we can all do to help out, and the media outlets have been touting this profound statistic in recent months:

"According to the Michigan Department of Agriculture, if each family in Michigan started spending $10 per week of their grocery bill on Michigan products, we would keep more than $37 million in Michigan, EACH WEEK."
 
I've noticed that all of the groceries that we regularly frequent, particularly Whole Foods & Nino Salvaggio's, have increased their marketing of products grown in Michigan, and for good cause, I say.  So give up a few Starbucks lattes this week and buy some products locally, like these candy-like rainier cherries that I packed in my lunch today that we picked up from Eastern Market the weekend before last.  I think we could all use a summer boost!
 
P.S.  Happy anniversary, Mr. & Mrs. Mac - hope you are having a special meal of your own to celebrate!

Making the right connection

Those who know me well know that I am a big believer in making connections, and while I am lucky to have met a ton of people through my job, volunteer involvement, church and friends, I don't think that it's having a fat Rolodex that matters - it matters if you can make good on those connections when you see a need.  Some people are great at this, regardless of whether you need to hire a DJ or a landscaper, get a restaurant recommendation or find a job; there's always someone who knows someone who can help you!  Certainly in a weak economy, these connections become all the more important, and hey, who couldn't use some extra good karma these days?
 
Just this morning I reached out to two friends and asked if they'd be willing to help another two friends of mine (on two different matters), and they both replied right away no problem they would do what they could to make something happen - and these favors would benefit people they've never met, mind you!  So I feel lucky to know all of you (and not just have you in my list of contacts!), and be a part of a generous community of friends who are often willing to lend a hand to others.
 
P.S.  If you have a specific need right now, don't hesitate to ask.  Even random requests are welcome (though I fear I may be opening the door wide open with that statement :).  No guarantees on positive results, but I will always try my best!

 

Experiments in baking

I've recently had success in using baking substitutes (namely whole wheat flour and organic cane sugar) in some of my favorite recipes: oatmeal raisin cookies, zucchini bread, blueberry pancakes.  So then I thought I'd go a step - or two - further when I was baking last night, and substituted the sugar for light agave nectar, and half the oil with unsweetened applesauce.  Let's just say I would've been better off sticking with my first modified recipe for mom's zucchini bread, as the result was a faster-cooking (read: brown), drier and much blander version.   We've decided to still eat it and just drizzle it with a bit of honey or peanut butter so that it masks the extreme-vegan taste, which pretty much defeats the substitutions in the first place!  Oh well, lessons learned.

What the couscous?

So last weekend we come home from shopping at Whole Foods, and as the hubs is helping me put away the groceries (he is very helpful in this area even though I sometimes find purchases in random places :), he calls out "sweetie, where should I put the quinona?", and he says it like it rhymes with Winona.  We had a good laugh over this when I explained that it is actually pronounced "KEEN-wah".  Ha! 
 
Joking aside, he has been a very good sport in accepting new whole grains into his diet from my cooking, including such tasties as quinoa, whole wheat pasta, bulgur, brown rice, whole wheat flour and/or rolled oats in my baked breads and cookies.  So let's hear it for fiber, people.  It's official, brown is better :).  Just so you know...

 

everyday miracles

A couple friends & I have been studying the gospel of Mark, working our way through the stories of various miracles (think fishes & loaves), and it got me to thinking.  I know that I'm often guilty of compartmentalizing the idea of "miracles" to those of bible tales, miraculous wonders of nature etc, instead of appreciating the little everyday miracles that happen all around us.  Then there are those in desperate situations who pray to God for a miracle in their lives or in the lives of their loved ones, and when those prayers seem to go unanswered and all seems lost, they still remain steadfast in their faith.  It is seeing and hearing stories of those people and their faith that challenge me to the core, and it makes me wonder about how strong my own faith really is.  I've been thinking about this idea of having your faith "tested", which I suppose in some ways is not unlike feeling like the kids or your co-workers are testing your patience, or feeling tested in your relationships - but with much higher stakes.  I guess I should learn to allow God to speak to me through the everyday lessons I'm presented with, and pray that I would be changed by them.  
 
Talk about a test of faith, if you'd like to see one couple's story about their son Eliot, check this out, it is the single best thing I've seen on YouTube to date (thanks Kim for passing it along).  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th6Njr-qkq0  You'll need to grab a tissue first, but the story is beautiful, I promise!

Dining al fresco

Al fresco - defined as an adjective meaning "in the fresh air; outdoors".  Or, if you're my 4-yr-old nephew, "al fresco means eating outside!"  A couple weeks ago he learned this little tidbit from his dad and repeated this to me several times (usually starting his sentence with an excited "guess what, Tita?!" as most of his sentences to me do), however he was quite perturbed when he later discovered that eating outside made him "hot".  Ha!  Out of the mouths of babes.
 
But I must say that this is truly one of my favorite aspects of summer (in addition to summer fruits and cute open-toed shoes!); last weekend we grilled out, had some wine at an open-air bar www.thegrapevineofnovi.com , and went to a backyard bbq at our friends' house (thanks Kim & Mike!) complete with summer white sangria.  We continued the trend this past holiday weekend, with picnicing and fireworks at the Greenfield Village, picnicing and fireworks in Birmingham, a bbq at my sister's house, and tasty treats downtown/midtown at the Comerica Cityfest.  For someone who attacks most outdoor activities with at least 45 SPF sunscreen, I couldn't get enough of the outdoors these last couple days, and even suggested we take our niece & nephew to the nature center in Troy, and the next day the hubs agreed to a not-so-brisk walk on the Paint Creek trail through Rochester.
 
So here's to doing the whole Michigan summer al fresco - enjoy!!
 
P.S.  Full disclosure: no, alas, this is not a picture of our backyard garden, rather, it is the charming chateau hotel Le Clos D'Amboise in France where we'll spend the last two nights of our fall Europe excursion.