When I originally envisioned this column my idea was to create a place to talk about food in Walla Walla. What we are doing here that is good and what is not. Things that are worth your time, effort and money and those things that are not. While we have been doing a lot of recipes and general cooking instruction since the beginning, we have not yet tackled a review of a place or thing. Over the next few weeks I am going to be doing just that. While this might seem like suicide to many in a small town like ours, I think it is the one thing that is sorely lacking here. Real reviews that are unflinchingly honest, good or bad and not just “fluff” pieces meant to stroke peoples egos. That’s not my bag, baby. So without further ado, here we go. . . .
This past weekend my family and I went out for lunch/brunch/late breakfast, whatever you want to call it. This is not a regular thing for us, as like many of you, funds are generally tight and eating out is a luxury that is only seldom deemed necessary and or affordable. Since we had not tried it yet, we opted for Greenspoon downtown. When we arrived, the place was very busy with like minded people, although the wait was less than five minutes to get seated with a party of six, including two children.
Once seated our waiter brought menus, paper, and some crayons and activity pages for the kids, nice touch. I really felt like having a bloody Mary, as the kids were in rare form that day, but alas not to be had, just beer and wine, oh well. Here is my first criticism, our waiter should have pointed out the “bloody beer” option (which I found on my own) to me as it’s a great option for those that are looking for that little something. I opted for corona instead of the silver bullet, and was not disappointed at all. Note to wait staff, suggest this option as it is fantastic, really, and could easily be missed by many of us.
Service proceeded from there well. Our waiter brought drinks quickly, I also ordered an iced tea, which was refreshingly strong and fresh (Thank you!) the perfect counter point to my bloody beer. Orders were taken without any issues, even with the buzz in the restaurant conversation was easy and not loud and you could still here the music which was pleasant and not too loud, someone here is really paying close attention to the details. No one had to shout at the waiter and no one had to ask him to speak up. Very pleasant.
Two of our party opted for the “Rachel” a turkey version of a Rueben sandwich, two opted for the burger, one for the kids eggs and bacon, and I the biscuits and gravy. Now, here is where things really start to succeed or fail for most restaurants. Our food arrived quickly, like under 10 minutes quickly and this is with the restaurant mostly packed. Impressive. Everything was cooked as ordered and arrived without flourish but exactly as it should. Bravo.
Something often overlooked in many restaurants is the fact that when people are dining together they usually appreciate actually EATING together. As in don’t bring half or some of the plates then wait ten minutes to bring the rest. Also, wait staff that fail to check their orders BEFORE they leave the kitchen need to understand that if something is wrong on a plate when it leaves the kitchen, it will be coming back. Kitchen staff that fail to take care of their wait staff will be fixing plates when they could be getting their other orders out. . . .
None of that happened with our orders. They arrived, perfectly. Plates were not too hot to handle. This is a sure sign that people are actually COOKING in the kitchen and not just sticking things in the micro. Again, bravo. Now, this is where it gets down to brass tacks, how it tastes. Again, this is where most people who do reviews, just gloss over the facts and fail to write anything of substance. Well, not me. I tell it like it is sister. And it was FLAWLESS. Really. Flawless. Best biscuits and gravy, ever. I have eaten B&G for many, many years, I am something of an expert and a connoisseur (if you can use that term about one of the simplest foods ever). These rocked. If the biscuits were not fresh made then it was a darn good show, because they tasted like they were just made that day, and did not seem to be “from a package” but rather made in house, I will check on this fact for you. Gravy, was also fresh made, not too “floury” or tasting of un cooked flour. Nice bits of sausage and a good spice without being “spicy”.
Portion size was also perfect. One of my other issues is that most breakfast spots usually either go too big or too small. I.e. there is too much to eat and you are force to leave it (wasteful) or take away (again wasteful that you need a container usually foam). The rest offer tiny portions that leave you hungry and charge you an arm and a leg for “spa” food. No thanks. These guys, have it spot on. Again, bravo.
The rest of my group thoroughly enjoyed their meals as well, my oldest devouring here eggs and bacon. The youngest really enjoyed her burger and REALLY enjoyed the chips that came with it. The “Rachel’s” were dispatched with great gusto and finished, although I did hear that it was almost too much, which for that person is a great compliment, trust me. My wife also had the burger and she really enjoyed it, with the correct proportions of meat, bread and condiments elevating the flavors of the meat and not overshadowing them. My breakfast also came with potatoes (always a plus) and two farm fresh eggs that were cooked, perfectly. Again, as I am sure you are painfully aware by now, I am particular about my food, and when I say something was done perfectly you can guarantee that it really was. Really.
I really wanted to finish my plate out of respect for Chef Gene and Katie, who have obviously gone through a lot of thought about their restaurant top to bottom. BTW, it is considered, in some circles, that leaving food on your plate at a restaurant is disrespectful to the chef, even insulting. It is an indication that you did not find it satisfactory, so please consider this when dining out. I left one bite, because try as I might, it was almost too much for me to finish, but it was thoroughly enjoyed, make no mistake of that.
Prices were extremely reasonable, even on the inexpensive side, for the quality of ingredients and care that went into our meal. Average price was about $10 a person, and again no one walked away needing more. Although there are many other items on the menu that I would like to try I am going to have a hard time going back and NOT ordering the same thing, it was seriously THAT GOOD. I really wanted to go and wrap my arms around Gene and plant a big wet one on his cheek to let him know how much I enjoyed it, but felt discretion was the better option this time round.
If you go, please make note of everything on the menu and ask your server what they like, I seriously doubt that you will be disappointed by anything offered. Gene Soto and Katie Gonzalez have created an amazing addition to Walla Walla and the restaurant scene here. Ambiance, simplicity, service and food are all spot on. Just remember to ask your waits person about the “bloody beer” if you are craving that Sunday morning pick me up. . . .Cheers.
Greenspoon is located at 13 E. Main st. in Downtown Walla Walla, next to Bright’s Candies. Hours are
M, W, Th: Lunch - 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Dinner - 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Friday: Lunch - 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Dinner - 5:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Saturday: Brunch - 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Dinner - 5:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Sunday: Brunch - 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Phone: 509 240 6288. Reservations are not required, but it is always respectful with large parties and helps avoid wait times if you are in a hurry.
All restaurant information can be found at: http://www.greenspoonw2.com/ and their menu is posted there as well. Bon Appetite.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
School Lunch Part Two . . . .
After reading the last installment of the Walla Walla Table, a friend commented that she loved the article but now felt guilty about what she had been doing for her kid’s school lunches. This is always my fear, that someone will feel that I am calling them out on things. Well, I kind of am, but in a positive way (I hope). I promise to not raise problems that I do not have a solution to, if you promise to not take things too seriously. It’s just food, people.
So I promised some better suggestions for your kid’s lunch so here we are delivering on that promise. I am hoping that we can get several recipes printed this week that will allow you to create some better choices and save yourself some time and frustration in the coming weeks. My first question is, does it HAVE to be a sandwich? Sandwiches are very popular lunch items as you can usually eat them on the go, with one hand and no utensils are required. Why are we afraid of giving our kids utensils? Are you really afraid they are going to shank some other kid or the yard duty on the playground? Have they done it at home? Giving your kids a bit more responsibility is a good thing, make it fun and make them responsible for bringing them home. Go to the 2nd hand store and let them pick out a knife, fork and spoon, and make THEM pay for it. Their money, they will tend to be more responsible. And if they lose it, they get to buy another one with THEIR money again. Trust me a few purchases will solve any forgetful child’s issues. There is a Preschool in France where every meal if served with knife, fork and spoon and on real plates(not paper or plastic) and with real glasses, and those kids are 2 to 5. And they eat vegetables, lots of them. Why can’t we do this with our 6+ year olds? ‘Nuff said.
We all get in that rut of not knowing what to make for our kids lunch, but usually the answer is so easy that it is too obvious. Leftovers. You don’t always have to do what you did last night, but leftovers are a great way to get your kids to eat a better variety of foods (assuming that you are cooking a better variety of foods) than just the sandwich. And just to be clear a “wrap” is just a sandwich by another name, seriously. Soups, stews, pastas, and salads and even proteins are great the next day, assuming proper storage and handling at the home kitchen. More on this another time.
Last go round I gave you the simple vinaigrette recipe. Great on veggies, even meats and salads and even on couscous. Couscous is a simple wheat pasta that is usually steamed or boiled and common in North Africa. It is a pasta, so note that there are a good amount of carbs in it. BUT, you can mix a bit with the vinaigrette and serve it cold like a salad, and is great with some garden cherry tomatoes.
If your kids will eat the vinaigrette then you are golden. There are many different riffs you can use that on and embellish and improve upon as you wish. Want an Asian flavor; add some sesame oil and Chinese black vinegar in place of the EVOO and wine vinegar. This is great on a simple salad of grated carrots, fresh thin sliced mushrooms and cucumber. Add some toasted sesame seeds and you have something very fun that almost any kid will eat.
Take a boiled piece of chicken, let it cool, slice thin and toss it in the vinaigrette. Serve with some fresh sliced tomatoes from the garden while we still have them. Better yet, toss the tomatoes first, and the tomato water that collects in the bowl will add to the flavor, then toss the boiled chicken with that. This is another item that can be packed in a school lunch.
When you have to make sandwiches, don’t be afraid to reach into the “way back” machine for some great old classics. I made my daughter egg salad one day, when she asked what she was getting for lunch and I told her, I heard the “eww gross” and “I don’t want that” (yes it happens to me too people). When she got home from school, she asked if she could have egg salad again tomorrow. . . there you go. If you have a “fancy Nancy” fan, why not make high tea sandwiches? Little cream cheese some cucumber slices and fancy it up a bit, frilly toothpicks and all. In this case, playing with your food is acceptable. But again, moderation and variation is the key, diversity is a good thing.
Fruit is a great one to experiment with. Fresh pineapple, mangoes, kiwi. We had a babysitter that had never eaten kiwi until I offered it to her. Said it was one of the best things she ever ate. Papaya, guava when you can find them. There are so many different kinds of apples and pears coming on right now too. Don’t be afraid to try something new, if you aren’t then your kids won’t either. Cheers.
Couscous
Chicken or vegetable stock, preferably your own, but canned (good) will do in a pinch (see we keep going back to that pantry). About 2 quarts or so.
EVOO
1 Onion (med) diced
Couscous. I prefer the hand rolled to the machine cut that you find at the Super Market.
In a stock pot heat 2 to 3 TBSP of EVOO over med/high heat, add onion (you should hear the sizzle). Sauté onion until translucent. Add stock and bring to a boil, covered. Once a good boil is achieved, reduce to a simmer and add in your couscous, in a stream through your fist, until you have added about 2 cups worth, whisking the whole time. Reduce heat to low, and cover, stirring occasionally until couscous has soaked up the stock. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5 min. Season with salt and pepper. Great with dinner hot, or let cool, add vinaigrette and serve as a cold pasta salad. Garnish with whimsy.
Classic Egg Salad
6 hard boiled eggs (put them in the pot with cold water, bring to a simmer, covered and cook for 10 to 20 minutes. Remove to an ice water bath and let cool) chopped and mashed with a fork
Mayonnaise, homemade is better, 1 to 2 TBSP (less is more)
Good Dijon mustard 1 to 2 tsp
Pickle relish (sour or “dill” not sweet), preferably from really good pickles, 1 TBSP
Salt and pepper and EVOO
In a bowl combine all ingredients and mix together thoroughly, taste. Adjust seasoning if necessary. To this you can add celery or whatever else you fancy, just no sugar please.
Tea Sandwiches
Good Bread (this is a must. Do NOT settle for the “wonder” type stuff), sliced, crusts removed if you must.
Cream cheese or even better fresh chevre (goat cheese).
Cucumber, English or common, peeled and sliced thinly. It might be easier to split lengthwise and cut rather than trying to keep it from rolling while slicing.
Salt and pepper, EVOO
I prefer to toast my bread gently in the oven or toaster on the lowest setting to dry the bread a bit. Bring the cheese to near room temp and blend together with about 2 TBSP of EVOO to soften. If the bread is soft and the cheese is cold you ain’t gonna have no fancy sandwiches, just a big mess. Spread toasted bread with cheese and layer cucumber slices on. Season with salt and pepper. Feel free to cut into cute shapes and such. It’s your party do what you want. This recipe can be adapted to many things, including blanched asparagus and prosciutto, or quick blanched green beans and prosciutto, whatever your little ones will eat, just be creative and get them to taste it too.
Sources:
Eggs, there are many places to buy local eggs, including: Andy’s Market, Salumiere Cesario, Local CSA programs are providing some eggs right now as well.
Asian ingredients; most of the local Super Markets carry some Asian ingredients, but the Asia Oriental Store on Issacs has a good selection of hard to find items, as does Salumiere Cesario (black vinegar).
Local tomatoes; if you are not fortunate enough to have your own garden look into one of the many CSA’s around, as well as some of our local farms: wallawallafarmmap.com
Good bread, made by human hands is readily available at John’s Wheatland Bakery and the Walla Walla Bread Co. Support our locals whenever possible and ask your local market to carry the local breads if you have trouble getting downtown.
Pickles and relish made from locally raised cucumbers and naturally fermented can be obtained at Salumiere Cesario, I hear they have good peanut butter too. . . .
So I promised some better suggestions for your kid’s lunch so here we are delivering on that promise. I am hoping that we can get several recipes printed this week that will allow you to create some better choices and save yourself some time and frustration in the coming weeks. My first question is, does it HAVE to be a sandwich? Sandwiches are very popular lunch items as you can usually eat them on the go, with one hand and no utensils are required. Why are we afraid of giving our kids utensils? Are you really afraid they are going to shank some other kid or the yard duty on the playground? Have they done it at home? Giving your kids a bit more responsibility is a good thing, make it fun and make them responsible for bringing them home. Go to the 2nd hand store and let them pick out a knife, fork and spoon, and make THEM pay for it. Their money, they will tend to be more responsible. And if they lose it, they get to buy another one with THEIR money again. Trust me a few purchases will solve any forgetful child’s issues. There is a Preschool in France where every meal if served with knife, fork and spoon and on real plates(not paper or plastic) and with real glasses, and those kids are 2 to 5. And they eat vegetables, lots of them. Why can’t we do this with our 6+ year olds? ‘Nuff said.
We all get in that rut of not knowing what to make for our kids lunch, but usually the answer is so easy that it is too obvious. Leftovers. You don’t always have to do what you did last night, but leftovers are a great way to get your kids to eat a better variety of foods (assuming that you are cooking a better variety of foods) than just the sandwich. And just to be clear a “wrap” is just a sandwich by another name, seriously. Soups, stews, pastas, and salads and even proteins are great the next day, assuming proper storage and handling at the home kitchen. More on this another time.
Last go round I gave you the simple vinaigrette recipe. Great on veggies, even meats and salads and even on couscous. Couscous is a simple wheat pasta that is usually steamed or boiled and common in North Africa. It is a pasta, so note that there are a good amount of carbs in it. BUT, you can mix a bit with the vinaigrette and serve it cold like a salad, and is great with some garden cherry tomatoes.
If your kids will eat the vinaigrette then you are golden. There are many different riffs you can use that on and embellish and improve upon as you wish. Want an Asian flavor; add some sesame oil and Chinese black vinegar in place of the EVOO and wine vinegar. This is great on a simple salad of grated carrots, fresh thin sliced mushrooms and cucumber. Add some toasted sesame seeds and you have something very fun that almost any kid will eat.
Take a boiled piece of chicken, let it cool, slice thin and toss it in the vinaigrette. Serve with some fresh sliced tomatoes from the garden while we still have them. Better yet, toss the tomatoes first, and the tomato water that collects in the bowl will add to the flavor, then toss the boiled chicken with that. This is another item that can be packed in a school lunch.
When you have to make sandwiches, don’t be afraid to reach into the “way back” machine for some great old classics. I made my daughter egg salad one day, when she asked what she was getting for lunch and I told her, I heard the “eww gross” and “I don’t want that” (yes it happens to me too people). When she got home from school, she asked if she could have egg salad again tomorrow. . . there you go. If you have a “fancy Nancy” fan, why not make high tea sandwiches? Little cream cheese some cucumber slices and fancy it up a bit, frilly toothpicks and all. In this case, playing with your food is acceptable. But again, moderation and variation is the key, diversity is a good thing.
Fruit is a great one to experiment with. Fresh pineapple, mangoes, kiwi. We had a babysitter that had never eaten kiwi until I offered it to her. Said it was one of the best things she ever ate. Papaya, guava when you can find them. There are so many different kinds of apples and pears coming on right now too. Don’t be afraid to try something new, if you aren’t then your kids won’t either. Cheers.
Couscous
Chicken or vegetable stock, preferably your own, but canned (good) will do in a pinch (see we keep going back to that pantry). About 2 quarts or so.
EVOO
1 Onion (med) diced
Couscous. I prefer the hand rolled to the machine cut that you find at the Super Market.
In a stock pot heat 2 to 3 TBSP of EVOO over med/high heat, add onion (you should hear the sizzle). Sauté onion until translucent. Add stock and bring to a boil, covered. Once a good boil is achieved, reduce to a simmer and add in your couscous, in a stream through your fist, until you have added about 2 cups worth, whisking the whole time. Reduce heat to low, and cover, stirring occasionally until couscous has soaked up the stock. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5 min. Season with salt and pepper. Great with dinner hot, or let cool, add vinaigrette and serve as a cold pasta salad. Garnish with whimsy.
Classic Egg Salad
6 hard boiled eggs (put them in the pot with cold water, bring to a simmer, covered and cook for 10 to 20 minutes. Remove to an ice water bath and let cool) chopped and mashed with a fork
Mayonnaise, homemade is better, 1 to 2 TBSP (less is more)
Good Dijon mustard 1 to 2 tsp
Pickle relish (sour or “dill” not sweet), preferably from really good pickles, 1 TBSP
Salt and pepper and EVOO
In a bowl combine all ingredients and mix together thoroughly, taste. Adjust seasoning if necessary. To this you can add celery or whatever else you fancy, just no sugar please.
Tea Sandwiches
Good Bread (this is a must. Do NOT settle for the “wonder” type stuff), sliced, crusts removed if you must.
Cream cheese or even better fresh chevre (goat cheese).
Cucumber, English or common, peeled and sliced thinly. It might be easier to split lengthwise and cut rather than trying to keep it from rolling while slicing.
Salt and pepper, EVOO
I prefer to toast my bread gently in the oven or toaster on the lowest setting to dry the bread a bit. Bring the cheese to near room temp and blend together with about 2 TBSP of EVOO to soften. If the bread is soft and the cheese is cold you ain’t gonna have no fancy sandwiches, just a big mess. Spread toasted bread with cheese and layer cucumber slices on. Season with salt and pepper. Feel free to cut into cute shapes and such. It’s your party do what you want. This recipe can be adapted to many things, including blanched asparagus and prosciutto, or quick blanched green beans and prosciutto, whatever your little ones will eat, just be creative and get them to taste it too.
Sources:
Eggs, there are many places to buy local eggs, including: Andy’s Market, Salumiere Cesario, Local CSA programs are providing some eggs right now as well.
Asian ingredients; most of the local Super Markets carry some Asian ingredients, but the Asia Oriental Store on Issacs has a good selection of hard to find items, as does Salumiere Cesario (black vinegar).
Local tomatoes; if you are not fortunate enough to have your own garden look into one of the many CSA’s around, as well as some of our local farms: wallawallafarmmap.com
Good bread, made by human hands is readily available at John’s Wheatland Bakery and the Walla Walla Bread Co. Support our locals whenever possible and ask your local market to carry the local breads if you have trouble getting downtown.
Pickles and relish made from locally raised cucumbers and naturally fermented can be obtained at Salumiere Cesario, I hear they have good peanut butter too. . . .
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
The School Lunch
We have been moving the blog posts to our website for the past year and I hope that everyone has been following along there. Many of you may also know that we have been writing for the UB Weekly as well. And we know that those of you that have been following along in the paper have really enjoyed the recipes, thank you all for the nice comments. But, we have decided to use this blog space as a way to offer some more content that the Weekly does not currently afford us. Due to space limitations not all of our articles are being published, so we thought it might be nice to offer you a bit more content and maybe even some extra recipes that have to be deleted due to space limitations. So we are offering you this opportunity this week to get a peek at what will be in the Weekly, this week. We have included some great pictures (OK, maybe not great)of things that we all buy/have bought at the Super Market. Things that you might think are "healthy" alternatives to the "other" options.
Please let us know what you think and please let us know if there are questions. Cheers.
Believe it or not the kids start back to school this week and that means, among other things, school lunches are back too. Now if you are the kind of parent that makes your child’s lunch for them, bravo to you. And if you are the kind of parent that wants to make sure that your child eats a well rounded meal with actual hot foods and pays for school lunches, bravo to you to. But there are a few things you should know about what it is that your kids are ACTUALLY eating.
School lunches might as well be fast food, and for all intents and purposes, they are. And it’s not the fault of the kitchen workers in our schools. It’s our fault, collectively, for allowing someone else to manage our kids and what they eat. Chicken nuggets, hot dogs and hamburgers (from seriously suspect “meat”), corn dogs, nachos and flavored milk with the much needed added sugar are the norm. And if you think that what you are putting into your kids “homemade” lunch is any better, think again. Most of your Super Market “deli” meats or cold cuts are full of nitrites, corn sweeteners and freakishly high levels of sodium and fats, even beyond what is common in cured meats.
A typical school lunch for a child has between 800 and 1000 calories, nearly ½ or more of what they should be taking in. 20% of that is from fats, and not necessarily ‘good’ fats (remember those chicken nuggets mentioned above). Sodium levels are more that 200% of RDV in one meal, and if your kid eats breakfast there too, watch out. There is plenty of information out there for those of you that want to do the research, I am not going to be preachy about this and especially not here. The choices are yours to make, not mine. I am here to help offer you some choices for those of you that want to make sure that your kids are getting the proper nutrition and something tasty to eat during the school day.
So what can you do to help make you kids lunch both nutritionally sounds and eaten? Ask your child what they would want in their lunch, you’ll probably be surprised by the answers. Then, take their “not so good” answers (chocolate cake, cookies, French fries) and drop those for the once or twice a month category. Then look at the things they suggested that make sense, and use those, carrots, fruit and foods that are nutritionally dense but without the extra sugar, fat and salt. So plan your kid’s lunch in a way that makes sense following some simple rules.
1)Fill your tank in the morning not at night. Your body’s metabolism regulates how much “fuel” is used up during the day. Those with a faster metabolism require more fuel (think gas guzzler engine) to get through the day than those with a slower metabolism (think fuel efficient engine). If you get 40% of your calories in the morning, 40% at lunch and 20% at dinner your body will begin to regulate itself better (and you might actually see some weight loss, adults). Remember after dinner your biggest activity is sleeping for the next 6 to 8 hrs.
2)Carbohydrates are complex sugar molecules that the body breaks down into usable sugars for muscle fuel. Too many carbs in your diet can lead to a buildup of sugars in the blood and or in the body (stored as fat) and can also cause your body to falter on its production of insulin resulting in diabetes (read up on this). Carbohydrates combined with fats is the double whammy, think French fries, great once in a while but disastrous on a regular basis.
3)Condiments should be used sparingly. They alter your perception of flavors and they add sugar, fat and salt into the diet in large quantities. Ketchup is mostly sugar. Ranch is mostly fat. Salt is, well that should be pretty obvious. Use accordingly.
4)Remember that processed foods rely on adding fat and salt to compensate for lack of flavor. Lunch meats from the Super Market should be treated like cookies and such, once or twice a month. If you want lunch meats there are better options out there. Don’t assume that just because it says “Turkey” that it was raised or processed in a way that would make you want to eat it if you knew how it was done. Smoked products have higher levels of carcinogens than non smoked products. Skip the lunchables and boxed drinks.
So what’s left? The BEST solution is to have a good menu plan set up; I know lots of extra work. I am going to help you out by providing some examples. We will have a more detailed menu that you can work from in the coming weeks.
Monday) Cold steak sandwich from Sunday night’s steak. Garden fresh tomatoes or good cherry tomatoes. Fresh fruit. Carrots or celery with or w/o peanut butter (not a commercial one).
Tuesday) If you make pasta ever, cold pasta is a great option in lunch and if you have one of those thermos things you can keep it hot for hours. Small salad with some quick vinaigrette on the side.
Wednesday) Middle of the week is the tough one. Give them something they like, like PB&J or BLT. Include some veggies like carrots or celery and something fun like popcorn (homemade, not microwave)
Thursday) Again go with something from the leftovers drawer. Hot or cold it breaks up the monotony of sandwiches. Include something unusual like kiwi or mango as a treat.
Friday) Knowing that the chances of them having fast food is going to increase on the weekend, plan accordingly. Great day to add more veggies (cucumbers, bell peppers)and “other” (hummus, couscous) foods into the diet, even things like cheese (not the orange stuff from the Super Market).
Things to avoid, anything that is labeled “low fat” a sure sign that they are trying to get one over on you. “Sugar Free” is also a bad one, chances are they have added in things worse than sugar to compensate for lack of flavor. Read the labels, and do the research. Knowledge is your best weapon. Cheers.
Simple Vinaigrette for Salads and Veggies
EVOO (you all know what this is by now, right?)
Juice of 2 or so lemons
Salt and pepper
Whisk all ingredients together and taste to make sure there is balance of flavors, have you kid taste it too, if they don’t like it they won’t eat it.
Chicken Salad
With or without bread this is always a favorite and moderately healthy.
Chicken thighs, on the bone, with skin (yes, really). About 5 or so lbs
Mayonnaise, making your own is the best but there are good ones on the Super Market shelf too.
Dijon mustard.
Apple, preferably pink lady or suitably tart variety, diced (brunoise is best 1/16 x 1/16)
Walla Walla Sweet Onion, diced like apple
Celery, 4 stalks, diced as above
Apple cider vinegar
Sugar, 1 TBSP +
Salt and Pepper to taste
Boil chicken with bones and skin in a large stock pot with 2 TBSP of garlic powder until chicken is falling off the bone, about 1 hr. Remove chicken and cool. Reserve your weak chicken stock and use this to make soup from later (soup keeps well in a thermos) follow previous recipe for stock. Once chicken is cool enough to handle shred into small pieces, saving skin and bones separately (you can use this again in your next stock just roast the bones at 200 until lightly browned or brown them on the stove top in your stock pot with the skins). Combine chicken with 2 TBSP mayo, 1 tsp Dijon, apples, onion and celery. In a small mixing bowl add sugar to vinegar and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Taste, if too sweet add vinegar, if too acidic add a bit more sugar. Add this 1 TBSP at a time to chicken, tasting until flavor is where you want it. This will make a large portion of salad and will keep for several days to 1 week. Toast some good Oat Bran bread and viola. Additionally you can save some of the chicken and make tacos, enchiladas and a bunch of other dishes for home or lunches too. Cheers.
Please let us know what you think and please let us know if there are questions. Cheers.
Believe it or not the kids start back to school this week and that means, among other things, school lunches are back too. Now if you are the kind of parent that makes your child’s lunch for them, bravo to you. And if you are the kind of parent that wants to make sure that your child eats a well rounded meal with actual hot foods and pays for school lunches, bravo to you to. But there are a few things you should know about what it is that your kids are ACTUALLY eating.
School lunches might as well be fast food, and for all intents and purposes, they are. And it’s not the fault of the kitchen workers in our schools. It’s our fault, collectively, for allowing someone else to manage our kids and what they eat. Chicken nuggets, hot dogs and hamburgers (from seriously suspect “meat”), corn dogs, nachos and flavored milk with the much needed added sugar are the norm. And if you think that what you are putting into your kids “homemade” lunch is any better, think again. Most of your Super Market “deli” meats or cold cuts are full of nitrites, corn sweeteners and freakishly high levels of sodium and fats, even beyond what is common in cured meats.
A typical school lunch for a child has between 800 and 1000 calories, nearly ½ or more of what they should be taking in. 20% of that is from fats, and not necessarily ‘good’ fats (remember those chicken nuggets mentioned above). Sodium levels are more that 200% of RDV in one meal, and if your kid eats breakfast there too, watch out. There is plenty of information out there for those of you that want to do the research, I am not going to be preachy about this and especially not here. The choices are yours to make, not mine. I am here to help offer you some choices for those of you that want to make sure that your kids are getting the proper nutrition and something tasty to eat during the school day.
So what can you do to help make you kids lunch both nutritionally sounds and eaten? Ask your child what they would want in their lunch, you’ll probably be surprised by the answers. Then, take their “not so good” answers (chocolate cake, cookies, French fries) and drop those for the once or twice a month category. Then look at the things they suggested that make sense, and use those, carrots, fruit and foods that are nutritionally dense but without the extra sugar, fat and salt. So plan your kid’s lunch in a way that makes sense following some simple rules.
1)Fill your tank in the morning not at night. Your body’s metabolism regulates how much “fuel” is used up during the day. Those with a faster metabolism require more fuel (think gas guzzler engine) to get through the day than those with a slower metabolism (think fuel efficient engine). If you get 40% of your calories in the morning, 40% at lunch and 20% at dinner your body will begin to regulate itself better (and you might actually see some weight loss, adults). Remember after dinner your biggest activity is sleeping for the next 6 to 8 hrs.
2)Carbohydrates are complex sugar molecules that the body breaks down into usable sugars for muscle fuel. Too many carbs in your diet can lead to a buildup of sugars in the blood and or in the body (stored as fat) and can also cause your body to falter on its production of insulin resulting in diabetes (read up on this). Carbohydrates combined with fats is the double whammy, think French fries, great once in a while but disastrous on a regular basis.
3)Condiments should be used sparingly. They alter your perception of flavors and they add sugar, fat and salt into the diet in large quantities. Ketchup is mostly sugar. Ranch is mostly fat. Salt is, well that should be pretty obvious. Use accordingly.
4)Remember that processed foods rely on adding fat and salt to compensate for lack of flavor. Lunch meats from the Super Market should be treated like cookies and such, once or twice a month. If you want lunch meats there are better options out there. Don’t assume that just because it says “Turkey” that it was raised or processed in a way that would make you want to eat it if you knew how it was done. Smoked products have higher levels of carcinogens than non smoked products. Skip the lunchables and boxed drinks.
So what’s left? The BEST solution is to have a good menu plan set up; I know lots of extra work. I am going to help you out by providing some examples. We will have a more detailed menu that you can work from in the coming weeks.
Monday) Cold steak sandwich from Sunday night’s steak. Garden fresh tomatoes or good cherry tomatoes. Fresh fruit. Carrots or celery with or w/o peanut butter (not a commercial one).
Tuesday) If you make pasta ever, cold pasta is a great option in lunch and if you have one of those thermos things you can keep it hot for hours. Small salad with some quick vinaigrette on the side.
Wednesday) Middle of the week is the tough one. Give them something they like, like PB&J or BLT. Include some veggies like carrots or celery and something fun like popcorn (homemade, not microwave)
Thursday) Again go with something from the leftovers drawer. Hot or cold it breaks up the monotony of sandwiches. Include something unusual like kiwi or mango as a treat.
Friday) Knowing that the chances of them having fast food is going to increase on the weekend, plan accordingly. Great day to add more veggies (cucumbers, bell peppers)and “other” (hummus, couscous) foods into the diet, even things like cheese (not the orange stuff from the Super Market).
Things to avoid, anything that is labeled “low fat” a sure sign that they are trying to get one over on you. “Sugar Free” is also a bad one, chances are they have added in things worse than sugar to compensate for lack of flavor. Read the labels, and do the research. Knowledge is your best weapon. Cheers.
Simple Vinaigrette for Salads and Veggies
EVOO (you all know what this is by now, right?)
Juice of 2 or so lemons
Salt and pepper
Whisk all ingredients together and taste to make sure there is balance of flavors, have you kid taste it too, if they don’t like it they won’t eat it.
Chicken Salad
With or without bread this is always a favorite and moderately healthy.
Chicken thighs, on the bone, with skin (yes, really). About 5 or so lbs
Mayonnaise, making your own is the best but there are good ones on the Super Market shelf too.
Dijon mustard.
Apple, preferably pink lady or suitably tart variety, diced (brunoise is best 1/16 x 1/16)
Walla Walla Sweet Onion, diced like apple
Celery, 4 stalks, diced as above
Apple cider vinegar
Sugar, 1 TBSP +
Salt and Pepper to taste
Boil chicken with bones and skin in a large stock pot with 2 TBSP of garlic powder until chicken is falling off the bone, about 1 hr. Remove chicken and cool. Reserve your weak chicken stock and use this to make soup from later (soup keeps well in a thermos) follow previous recipe for stock. Once chicken is cool enough to handle shred into small pieces, saving skin and bones separately (you can use this again in your next stock just roast the bones at 200 until lightly browned or brown them on the stove top in your stock pot with the skins). Combine chicken with 2 TBSP mayo, 1 tsp Dijon, apples, onion and celery. In a small mixing bowl add sugar to vinegar and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Taste, if too sweet add vinegar, if too acidic add a bit more sugar. Add this 1 TBSP at a time to chicken, tasting until flavor is where you want it. This will make a large portion of salad and will keep for several days to 1 week. Toast some good Oat Bran bread and viola. Additionally you can save some of the chicken and make tacos, enchiladas and a bunch of other dishes for home or lunches too. Cheers.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Wicked bad. . .
There comes a time in ones life where you have to come clean and admit to your mistakes, follies and wicked deeds. This will be my confession to follow. . .
I have done something bad. Like, wicked bad. Seriously. I made some hot sauce and its evil. The problem lies in the taste. Its hot, oh yea, it's hot, but it's not too hot. And the heat doesn't come at once. It kind of stings the tip of your tongue, then you get this sweetness, and a little tang. Then the heat sort of caresses your palate and then builds slowly. But it never over whelms your palate, cause its balanced. So you want more. And this is where you get into trouble, cause it will build, in layers, on your taste buds, until the sweat starts. . . next thing you know your moping your brow and panting like a dog on a hot July day.
So I've created this abomination of chile and garlic and spices, but I don't know what to do, cause I kinda like it. I kinda like it a lot. And I am betting that there are some of you out there that will like it too. So rather than say my Mea Culpa, I am gonna offer all of you free samples this weekend. We think that you'll find it just as wicked bad as we do, and as much fun. Cheers.
Monday, April 26, 2010
The Big Cheese . . .
People are always asking us about the big wheels of cheese we keep on the very bottom shelves of the cheese closet. Usually these are full wheels of traditional cheddar that we purchase from Neal's Yard Dairy in London. Neal's Yard is a wholesaler that buys direct from specific farms throughout the UK. They hand select all of their cheeses for specific traits and only cheeses that meet expectations are selected. So why are these cheeses sitting on the bottom shelves for so long? Well, as much as we appreciate what the folks at Neal's Yard do, we tend to trust ourselves on when cheeses are REALLY perfect. So we do some "extended" ageing on these wheels, coaxing out flavours that you will not find anywhere else.
Why do we do this? Because we can. Our cheese closet allows us the luxury to hold our cheeses in the perfect environment until we deem that they are truly "ready". Which is nice, because we're pretty picky about cheese, so you don't have to be. When you come in to Salumiere Cesario you'll know that every piece of cheese that you buy is about as perfect as it is going to get and you can always taste before you buy, just in case.
Right now we have the some Isle of Mull cheddar that we think is particularly good right now. The flavours are sharp but with a natural sweetness. Although this is a hard cheese the mouth feel is quite creamy. There is a hint of grass and flowers that really adds to the finish of this cheese. While this cheese usually sells for $33 a pound, we are selling this cheese through the end of April for $26. Come in today for a taste, we think you'll see why our cheeses are special. Cheers.
Why do we do this? Because we can. Our cheese closet allows us the luxury to hold our cheeses in the perfect environment until we deem that they are truly "ready". Which is nice, because we're pretty picky about cheese, so you don't have to be. When you come in to Salumiere Cesario you'll know that every piece of cheese that you buy is about as perfect as it is going to get and you can always taste before you buy, just in case.
Right now we have the some Isle of Mull cheddar that we think is particularly good right now. The flavours are sharp but with a natural sweetness. Although this is a hard cheese the mouth feel is quite creamy. There is a hint of grass and flowers that really adds to the finish of this cheese. While this cheese usually sells for $33 a pound, we are selling this cheese through the end of April for $26. Come in today for a taste, we think you'll see why our cheeses are special. Cheers.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
The Things We Do. . .and why. Earth Day Special Edition
So its Earth Day, and this is the day that you are supposed to stop throwing things away and be "environmentally conscious". Like one day out of the year will make a difference...well it does. But let's be realistic here, if you did this stuff EVERY DAY, it would make a BIGGER difference. So I thought today, I would give you an idea of what we do every day to help reduce our "carbon footprint" (you can tell I am not into the buzz words), or more importantly what we do to reduce our addition to the waste and land fill stuff that is slowly poisoning us all. I promise this will not be "preachy".
When we first opened Salumiere Cesario it was one of my main goals that we not create a lot of waste. In a town the size of Walla Walla, it is extra important to make sure that what we put into the land fill is absolutely not a recyclable, as we have limited space and what leaches from the landfill into the ground affects all of us. So we decided to use a wax sheet and butcher paper. The butcher paper is totally recyclable, where plastic wrap is not. We decided on reusable plastic deli containers that can be used in the microwave, so people would be less likely to throw them away. Our quart size containers can even be used for hot foods as well as cold, making them even more useful at home.
We made a conscious decision to limit the amount of "takeaway" food we did as this would help reduce the amount of waste we produce. When we did finally decide on takeaway boxes, we went with a natural 100% recycled content box. The box itself is 100% recyclable too. Even our lunch box is almost totally recyclable. The box, the tissue, the napkin, the condiment cup and even the flat ware. Only the wax sheet that the salame and cheese come wrapped in are not.
You'll notice that all of our beverages come in glass containers. Again a conscious decision on our part to make sure that we were not adding to the problem, and most people feel self conscious throwing away glass. Speaking of glass, we now recycle all of our glass. 100% of our glass is either reused in house or taken to the local recycling center. We started our Bulk Olive Oil program just to help reduce the amount of wine bottles that were being sent to the land fill. A 750ml (standard) wine bottle is sterilized and reused to hold olive oil for your kitchen, you can even bring in you own sterilized standard wine bottle from home and refill it, just remember to bring a T-cork. We even use non phosphate soap for our dishes.
Many people ask us why we don't do more take out food. Well, we think our food is better enjoyed here and we think that whenever possible we should try not to create more waste. So certain items will never be available to go, but know that its only because we are trying to do our part to make the world a better place. Happy Earth Day. Cheers.
Friday, March 26, 2010
The Palace of Pork . . .
Long, long ago in a far away land there stood the Palace of Pork.
And though the meats were divine, and it was open most of the time,
the Prince was a bit of a dork.
For he liked to make rhymes at inopportune times and disliked the use of his fork.
His meats were, agreed, the best of their kind, to be found anywhere, in his kingdom. With garlic and fennel, mace and clove, his salumi was flavored to perfection. Far across the land, would he seek these fine meats, and for his customers, go and fetch them.
With a knife and a slicer he would carve piles of meats and no one they said did it nicer. Carefully packaged and wrapped, with paper of white and a sticker placed just so, he would send out his wares, for those who did care, about what they packed on the go.
But he needed some meats, that were quite tasty eats, that could be taken on the run. Without slicing and wrapping, (someone started clapping), these meats could be purchased with haste. Creminelli! He thought, would be the right spot, to find some amazing salumi. Barolo, Felino, Sopressata, Cingale, all were fantastic and quite small-a.
So the Prince of Pork announced to his people that Creminelli would be his new staple. And the Palace of Pork was the talk of the town, but he's still not doing bacon with maple. . . Cheers.
And though the meats were divine, and it was open most of the time,
the Prince was a bit of a dork.
For he liked to make rhymes at inopportune times and disliked the use of his fork.
His meats were, agreed, the best of their kind, to be found anywhere, in his kingdom. With garlic and fennel, mace and clove, his salumi was flavored to perfection. Far across the land, would he seek these fine meats, and for his customers, go and fetch them.
With a knife and a slicer he would carve piles of meats and no one they said did it nicer. Carefully packaged and wrapped, with paper of white and a sticker placed just so, he would send out his wares, for those who did care, about what they packed on the go.
But he needed some meats, that were quite tasty eats, that could be taken on the run. Without slicing and wrapping, (someone started clapping), these meats could be purchased with haste. Creminelli! He thought, would be the right spot, to find some amazing salumi. Barolo, Felino, Sopressata, Cingale, all were fantastic and quite small-a.
So the Prince of Pork announced to his people that Creminelli would be his new staple. And the Palace of Pork was the talk of the town, but he's still not doing bacon with maple. . . Cheers.
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