Art for Dinner

Last night's potluck took on a different form than usual when we ventured out to an art gallery at a local university campus. One of our potluck members (and my best friend!) had the opening night of an installation that she's spent a lot of time on.

We wanted to be there to support her, and so instead of our usual Monday night gathering, a few of the families met at the art gallery and then we followed it up with take out burritos from a local restaurant. While our night was different from the norm - the same key elements were there - community, friendship and food, just in a different setting.

And so, while I don't have pictures of delicious food or a recipe to share, I do have some shots of Hannah's art show, which can at least feed you in a different way.

Hannah's installation: With Paper and Pins

Artist's Statement

The artist and her work

Potluck friends checking out the installation

A Privileged Dilemma

Between snow days and birthdays and baking crazy three layer cakes, it's been a bit hectic over here at Monday Night Central. I could regale you about all the phenomenal things I've been cooking, but the truth is, it hasn't much of a week for cooking.

Yesterday we celebrated my son's birthday with a trip to a favorite Mexican restaurant and then to a local ice cream shop. Even a state of emergency could not prevent us from getting his anticipated birthday ice cream (a sugar cone filled with cookies & cream and topped with rainbow sprinkles!). And while the chilly, snowy weather has me aching for some hot soup (who knows, I'll probably whip something up tonight...I've certainly neglected the poor soup-a-long enough), for now, all I have to offer you is a radio interview.

A friend posted a link to a Canadian radio show that features an interview "debate" between Anthony Bourdain and Jonathan Safran Foer. Both men have strong viewpoints regarding food and what we eat, and sit on opposite sides of the spectrum for the most part

.

vs. 

Hm...hardly seems like a fair fight, eh?

This interview, which I feared could turn into a loud shouting match of catch phrases, ended up being an incredibly intelligent and thought provoking event. Anyone who knows Anthony Bourdain, knows that he's up for anything on a culinary level and in fact, even promotes the consumption of meat as a social norm. Jonathan Safran Foer, is on the complete opposite side of the coin, known best for his harsh critique of the meat industry in his book, Eating Animals.

While both men had excellent points on each side, what struck me more than the whole "meat vs vegetarian debate" was when Bourdain conceded that he has the luxury of choosing to eat meat that is not a part of the factory farm system. When you start talking about access versus choice, then you've stumbled into trickier water.

Like Bourdain, many of us have the luxury of making this choice - we can afford to practice an organic vegetarian diet or, like my family, eat a diet consisting of meat raised locally and humanely. Yet, especially in the "foodie world," it's easy to forget that not everyone has access to these choices. The fact that these two men can even have this debate reminds us of the social/economic implications surrounding food.

Bourdain makes mention that while he eats meat, he explicitly stays away from "The King, the Clown, and the Colonel" - referring to Burger King, McDonald's and KFC.

The reality is that there are many people for whom this diet is a daily reality. Safran Foer quickly made the point that you can easily provide a healthy vegetarian diet for comparable costs, yet I think he fails to see that access remains an issue.

I'm lucky enough to have the privilege to choose what I eat, and I wish everyone could say the same. Yet, that is not reality. In addition to having the privilege of choosing what I eat, I have access to information that helps me make these decisions...again, not everyone does.

This interview resonated deeply with me, because it brought to mind something I struggle with on a weekly basis. Once a week I head into a nearby city to tutor teen moms who are working towards their GEDs. These girls are wonderful - full of energy and excitement and many of them truly want to make their way to college and better their lives, for themselves and their babies.

While we pour over worksheets and practice questions, I find myself wondering how it's completely common place that a greasy bag from McDonald's is the standard breakfast, or that a bag of Twix and a stick of beef jerky constitutes lunch. After noticing the various food choices these girls made for a few weeks, I finally brought it up with them, asking about what goes into their decisions when it comes to food.

None of them had a real answer. Many of them cited money or ease of access to fast food. When I asked if any of them enjoyed cooking they all said they didn't really know how beyond some favorite fried food. These girls are right at the crux of the debate between Bourdain and Safran Foer, yet they're also invisible in this debate.

These are the people that should be given better access to food choice. These are the ones that should have a better understanding of where their food comes from and it's affect on them. Last week, after having yet another discussion about food, I approached the director of education of the program, asking if we could somehow find a way to offer a cooking class that focuses on easy, inexpensive and wholesome food.

There are plenty of obstacles in our way - from funding to actual kitchen access - but the seed in planted and we're hoping to figure out a way to make this a reality. Perhaps by getting these girls in the kitchen and allowing them hands on experience with food it will give them the opportunity to even fathom the choice the Bourdain and Safran Foer so easily debate.

Click here to read more and listen to the interview. In addition to the actual interview, the comments left by others are also incredibly enlightening and thought provoking.

Any Excuse For a Cake

One thing I love about potlucks is that in addition to sharing food and catching up with friends, we've come to use the opportunity to celebrate everything and anything. While we love to share in the joy of a birthday or celebratory moment, it also doesn't hurt that we all share a love of sweets as well.

We've turned regular Monday nights into parties by having special cupcakes and singing songs to help a toddler say "good bye" to nursing, and of course we'll break out the cake and candles at the mere mention of a birthday.

This past Monday we lucked out and had 2 birthdays to celebrate! Both Ben and Katie turned 31 and we  showered them with songs, cake & candles.

Lex made an absolutely delicious and moist double layer carrot cake, topped with cream cheese frosting. Yum!

The birthday girl listening to us all sing.

This coming Monday we'll have another birthday to celebrate. (which means another excuse to eat sweet treats!). My son is turning four next Wednesday, so on Monday we'll host potluck and provide a delicious dessert. At this point, I'm thinking we'll be making cupcakes since he'll have a cake for his actual birthday party the following weekend. Stay tuned to see just what kind of cake-like creations we come up with!

A Different Kind of Cooking

One tradition that we've cultivated through our years doing potluck is a "secret solstice" gift. We drop the names of each family into a bag and we each pick one to gift. The rules are fairly simple. We strive for something handmade or "recycled" in someway and we keep the budget under $20. In years past I've made homemade dog biscuits, lip balm, soap, pancake mix, soft playcubes for a baby and so much more.

Since we're swapping gifts tonight, I figure I can finally share what I've been up to. Surprisingly my gift included work that took place mainly in the kitchen!

The family we got recently bought and moved into their first home. I wanted to honor that and ended up making some flags that they could string in their new screened in patio. They were fun and easy to make.

What you need:

1-2 old white t-shirts (thankfully my brother had a few XL ones hanging around that he let me have). I cut them up in a bunch of wide rectangles.

Kool Aid!

And lots of it! Kool Aid makes a great dye if you want the material to come out in a nice muted shade. It was perfect for what I was making. 

Vinegar!

 Work with one color at a time. Mix up 1 cup of vinegar and 2 cups of water. Add 4 Kool Aid packets of the color of your choice and stir well. Add the material you want to dye and let it "cook" for 25-35 minutes (really until it soaks up most of the color). Stir occasionally.

Orange

Red! (aka Black Cherry)

Once the material has soaked up enough dye, give it a quick rinse. I found that my colander was helpful for that part (the less you have to touch the cloth, the better!)

Purple (aka Grape) getting a rinse

 After you've rinsed the cloth, toss them in the dryer. You need to dry each color separately so they won't run. I also added a little sachet of lavender in with them as they dried to help mask the Kool Aid/vinegar smell.

After drying. Looking good!

I brought in my sous-chef and he helped me decorate each one. We used stamps, scraps of leftover material and fabric paint. Then I sewed a hem and string them up with yarn!

Finished flags!

Close up of flag

We've wrapped them up and are bringing them along with us to potluck tonight. We're also bringing a Mexican lasagna, but I'll fill you in on that tomorrow!

Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays!

Popping in to wish everyone a warm and happy holiday season. Since we don't celebrate Christmas, we'll be doing our part to support the local Asian food scene with a hibatchi dinner tomorrow! Perhaps a movie will even be involved.

I love the goodwill and cheer spread this time of year, and will also be spending tomorrow roasting and seasoning various nuts to make little packages for our friends. Swapping food-centric gifts with friends seems to have become somewhat of a tradition (I can still taste Megan's homemade marshmallows from last year, mmm!).  This year is no exception and we've already received some delicious treats.

I'll leave you with a peek at two of them, with promises of a roasted nut write up sometime in the near future!

Homemade peppermint chocolate bark from Katie

 This jar has pretty much already been demolished. The hit of peppermint cuts through the white and dark chocolate perfectly and one chunk totally hits the spot after dinner (although we never quite stop at just one...)

Chocolate/peanut butter balls from Megan

These are totally melt in your mouth (and your hand!) and are already gone. Chocolate and peanut butter is definitely a favored combo here.

Wishing everyone happy holidays...may they be filled with love, laughter and lots of delicious food!

Monday Night Meat

Every fourth Monday potluck, after the food has been consumed and the kids are running around, the adults sit around and divide up...meat.

For the last year or so a handful of the regular Monday Night-ers have been a part of a local meat CSA. Each family gets anywhere from 5-10 pounds of local, grass fed meat, depending on what they've signed up for.

Almost all of the families in our potluck group belong to a produce CSA - and make their way to a local farm to pick up their weekly bounty during the late spring to early fall months. A good portion of the meals eaten during potluck contain a lot of these local, fresh fruits and veggies and we all stand behind the idea that eating locally produced food is both important for our health and our community.

Sustainability is something I try to adhere to when selecting what food I buy and prepare. I'm lucky to live in an area where farm fresh food - including meat - is readily available. I am in love with the idea that we can support a farm that not only treats it's animals humanely, but practices organic, green ways of running a farm.

When the opportunity to join in on a meat CSA opened up, we jumped at the chance. My family signed up for 5 pounds of meat, and each month I sort through the huge cooler to pick and choose what we'll take home.

This past Monday was a meat share day, and I'm happy to report I chose some stew meat (which we'll cook up with some carrots, potatoes, spices and other yummy stuff for dinner), some chicken parts, ground beef, and a couple of steaks (which have already been eaten, fresh off the grill).

We don't know ahead of time what types of meat we'll get each month - that's up to the farm and what they have available. It almost feels like opening up a present each time to see what meat we've received. It's not unusual to hear shouts of "Yes!! Bacon!" upon opening of the cooler.

There are usually choice cuts that people may barter over...bacon is a hot commodity as well as lean cuts of brisket. We're usually pretty good about doling things out evenly, and if somebody got stuck with extra ground beef or chicken parts one month, they'll be sure to pick up a Delmonico steak the next share.

As excited as I was to join the meat share, there are months that go buy where I stare at the meat in my freezer, unsure what I want to do with it. At the same time, it's nice to know that a pound of ground beef is only a thaw away from being used. Being a part of this meat CSA has definitely provided more avenues for trying out new recipes and perfecting old ones, like my shepherd's pie.

Currently, when I open my freezer I find myself staring at a bunch of ground beef, chicken legs/thighs, a few steaks and one bone in chicken breast...who's got some recipe ideas?

Potluck Babies

The other day I was busy in the kitchen, whipping up a shepherd's pie while catching up with a friend on the phone. As I finally layered the whipped potatoes on top of the savory beef filling, I explained to my friend that I had to get going, since I had to deliver this dish.

She asked me where I was going and I explained that potluck friends of ours recently had a baby, and I was bringing them dinner. My friend was surprised and commented on how sweet that was of me to do so. I explained to her that "I'm not doing anything extraordinary...this is just what we do."

When you intentionally create a community, you do so with the understanding that you'll be there to pick up the slack and help out when need be. In my mind, there's no greater need (or joyous occasion) then the birth of a new baby. Sure, making a meal and bringing it over also guaranteed me prime baby snuggling time, but I also had the responsibility of ensuring that the family was well nourished. 

Over the three years that we've been together, there have been four births and all have been celebrated and handled in the exact same way. Somebody steps up to the helm and creates a "meal train" - organizing everyone so that a fresh, home cooked meal is delivered to the family every couple of days for up to two months. 

As I made the shepherd's pie (and chocolate chip cookies!) I realized that I didn't have anything on hand for our evening meal, and perhaps I should have made two or thought ahead to plan something for us. My mind was clearly focused elsewhere, and I assumed a quick stop at the grocery store on the way home would suffice.

My son and I brought the food over (the second meal we've prepared for them) a little bit later and the moms all caught up while the older kids played. Eventually it was nearing dinner time, but before I could give the instructions on how to heat up the meal, we were invited to stay and enjoy dinner with them.

Of course we said yes...I mean, how could I say no to freshly made shepherd's pie and more baby cuddles? 

At some point in the evening I shared the earlier conversation I had and we all came to the conclusion that we're both proud and happy to be a part of this little community...one that steps up and helps out when needed. 

We're certainly not saints and have had our share of struggles and issues within the group. At the end of the day we're a close, cobbled together family and what family doesn't have issues? But...just like family, we're there for each other even if that just means sharing a home cooked meal.

*The recipe I used for the shepherd's pie was a variation on Alton Brown's recipe, substituting beef for the lamb amongst other slight changes.