Put a little love in your heart...and your food.

Would you look at that...I am blogging 2 months in a row! I feel so bad that I don't do more blog entries, but I feel like no one really ever reads what I have to say, except for maybe a few faithful friends (Thanks :) ). But I hope that others are reading this too...thanks to the others too!

So anyway, let me just touch base on my previous entry. It has now been a little bit over a month since the tragic weather hit much of the northeast. Now is the period of relief and rebuilding, but it is still going to take quite some time to recover! The areas that were severely impacted still have a long road a head of them, and still many are left with much of nothing, so continue to keep those people in your thoughts and prayers and if you have been helping out and volunteering, keep up the good work. I believe that paying it forward is a very rewarding concept, helping those most in need without anything getting or expecting anything in return is a great gift, one we often seem to take for granted! Your help, your kindness, and your compassion will speak echoes and thanks for all you do and have done...I'm sure those who were greatly impacted by this weather appreciate your kindness and compassion more than you will ever know...but we must remember kindness and compassion doesn't stop at rebuilding it continues through words and checking in, just smiling and talking, and even asking the simple question "how are you doing today?".

Remember:

 "Kind words are short and easy to speak, but their echoes are endless"-Mother Teresa.

Ok...now onto the new stuff.

Recently, I have been struggling with digestive issues...and unfortunately have had to go through a whole bunch of medical test....only to be back at square one waiting for a diagnosis. However, my GI doctor has suggested I follow a gluten free diet to ease some discomfort, which I have started doing and I do have to say it is really helping. However, I have a dilemma! I have the worlds biggest sweet tooth, in that, I would have ice cream for dinner over a regular meal (which I did the other night and I'm lactose intolerant too!) I prefer strawberry or mint chocolate chip--though I do love Ben and Jerry's Phish food too, but low and behold...chocolate my one steady and stable relationship has gluten in it too! There are so many things with gluten in it, it is really hard to keep track...sometimes, I'll even sacrifice my stomach and intestines so I can have my marvelous chocolate...chocolate bars, oreos, brownies...I honestly LOVE chocolate, so now I begin my quest to find a delicious delicious delicious gluten free chocolate! My friends are helping me with this gluten free adventure and passing along recipes, which all are great...but finding the time to make a whole bunch of stuff, is like finding a needle in a haystack. Supposedly there is a great gluten free/vegan bakery in Troy, which I will definitely have to try out! I just wish I didn't have to give up so much, but on the bright side-cutting out lots of foods, especially super processed ones has helped me to slim down a little :).

So, being gf has also forced me to up my vegetable intake, which I'm fine with...because I love vegetables...though, I honestly get really sick of potatoes more often than not, my sister is obsessed with them, I could take them or leave them (except fingerlings). But back to the vegetables...they are so great and delicious and I am sad that my favorite kinds of vegetables are going out of season....no more fresh,juicy, wonderful tomatoes from our back yard, no more long, smooth, delicious zucchini or summer squash, no more eggplants, no more peppers...of course you can get this at the nearest supermarket, but honestly it's not the same. I think vegetables from your own back yard are full of love, sunshine, and deliciousness, and you really can taste the difference...It is possible to still get some good fresh vegetables from your local farmers market too, but supplies on those will soon come to an end and then we will be stuck with those boring and hideous root vegetables...yes that is right I am hating on root vegetables and acorn squash, but to each his own...right? Regardless, vegetables are great! They serve so many great purposes and you can really reap many benefits from them...and if you are gluten free like me, well you better learn to start loving those veggies :).

I plan on documenting my journey into the land of gluten free and can't wait to incorporate it into my blog! I think that it will also help me focus on more natural foods, because honestly I don't know why I pollute my body with processed snack foods- oh wait, yes I do...the processed snack foods are made in an evil labratory with no love, only special chemicals to make you become addicted and fall in love with them...yes I am talking about you oreos (among others), but maybe there's a way to make gluten free oreos with out products or chemicals...maybe in the future.

All i'm saying is, that we should look at what we eat, where it came from, and how much love was put into planting it, harvesting it, or making it, because when lots of love is put into something...that taste is always magical.

So, until next time, think about what I said and feel free to leave me suggestions for a new entry!

Below is a picture of a bundle of love aka our vegetables:

We cannot do great things, but we certainly CAN and SHOULD do small things with great LOVE

It has been awhile since I last posted, I know I am slacking. No excuses.

Anyway...a lot has happened since July 29th (my last post) and much of it has to do with good ole Mother Nature. On August 23, much of the east coast from Virginia to New York felt the earth shake, which was later revealed as a 5.8 earthquake originating in Virginia...with a very shallow epicenter.

Most of us came out unscathed or thought nothing of it, and so we all carried on with our lives...until word got out that a could be category 3 hurricane, was expected to hit the East Coast from Thursday-Sunday...and hit it did. It may not have been a category 3 or even a category 1, but Hurricane Irene did hit and she hit hard, she hit places that never even prepared or expected to be hit, and as a result flooding and severe devestation occurred. Rotterdam Junction in New York State was washed away and flooded badly, Scotia was hit, Schenectady's historic stockade was partially underwater, and Amsterdam and beyond experienced devestating floods,that even destroyed a historic building. Troy, NY and the hudson swelled and emptied it's flooding waters up to river street and momentarily put buildings paritally under water. States such as Vermont, NJ, and Pennsylvania, also experienced massive flooding-of epic proportions. These floods devestated the local economy and have left many people with out homes, belongings, and meals. People were with out power and things were destroyed...and they were never expecting it to be this bad!

People had just started to think all was clear until the National Weather service announced the development of tropical storm Lee, but that was only supposed to bring some rain and not really bother us...so that Sunday when hearing about Lee, we thought we'd all sit and wait and see. However, amidst the waiting a tornado touched down  in Amsterdam, NY, something we'd never think would happen in the wierd week of weather events, did. Everyone went about the rainy week in New York, until about Wednesday night, where we learned that much of the southern tier, parts of the capital region, parts of central NY, and parts of the mid-huson valley would be impacted by more flooding, because remmnants of TS Lee, would be dropping off excess moisture...EXCESS MOISTURE?! In both the Southern Tier and in Pennsylvania they experienced serious flooding. The floods were quoted as being historic and some were the worst floods the areas have ever seen.  The other areas that had been recovering from Irene's flooding such as: Rotterdam Junction, Amsterdam, Scotia, Schenectady, Schoharie, Prattsville, etc (All in NY), also experienced more flooding bringing those areas back to square 1.

It has been a few days since Lee struck and clean up efforts have begun, it's been about 2 weeks since Irene left her mess, yet people are still in shock and disbelief and are left to pick up the pieces, from these natural disasters that have occurred. I will get into the helping out in a moment, but can I just say...DO YOU BELIEVE IN GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE YET? If these weather events weren't a warning sign of what's to come over the next several hundred years. I don't know what is.

Anyway. I have been helping doing psychological first-aid for disaster relief as part of the clean up efforts for hurricane Irene in Schenectady County, and it is just unbelievable to see the number of people that were and are directly and indirectly impacted by the damage that hurricane Irene caused(I hope to be able to do the same for victims of Lee). People's spirits and well being were at an all time low, some have gone without food, and are staying in hotels, because they lost everything. It really is a devestation. The floods that were brought on by Lee, have created more devestation and the need for disaster relief, this is the moment where we must reach out to our friends, loved ones, and even perfect strangers to help get them through their hard times. We should help in anyway possible, the smallest act of kindness and caring can go a long way, especially in these trying times. So I am asking everyone, if you live near an area that was impacted help out, if you have a friend or a loved one who was impacted by these natural disasters, help them and offer support and kind words, if you know no one and just generally care, help out.

All help counts, no matter how big or how small. As Mother Teresa once said: "We cannot do great things, but we can do small things with great love". Having compassion in a time where there is not much, is important, be compassionate and contribute to your community or there community  in any way you can.

If you want to make a monetary donation, here are a list of websites I have found, but also contact local agencies to see what they are doing:

Salvation Army: Helps provide food and relief for those impacted by flooding.

Gotham Survival: Delaware County Relief

CW Albany: List of places to donate to (NY,VT,MA)

Red Cross: Click Disaster Relief

Southern Tier Food Bank

Southern Tier Red Cross.

Schoharie Valley Relief donations

United Way Pennsylvania

Susquehanna Valley Red Cross

VT donations

NJ Flood and donation Info

**Above are just some of the many places that are seeking donations.**

If you can't make a monetary donation or want to do something more, look up local volunteer efforts! Disaster relief efforts are needed around the impacted areas and even just helping a friend or family member speaks volumes.

I apologize if I did not cover every area, if I did not cover your area or a specific donation site you'd like to mention, feel free to post it here. States along the eastern seaboard were impacted by the hurricanes and tropical storms and the need is great. Help in any way you can.

and for those who have been impacted: Do not lose hope, things will get better...maybe not today, or tomorrow, but they'll eventually get better. Don't be afraid to ask for help you should not have to go through this alone.

If you are feeling desperate, lost, and alone through these tragic times and feel like you cannot go on and you are thinking about suicide...PLEASE CALL: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Press 1 if you are a veteran or active duty soldier.

Remember: He who saves one life, saves the world entire (Schindler's List).

Sweet smell of summer.

I have been slacking on my blog and I apologize. I get busy, I get tired, I try and survive the heat wave, and I get caught up in the motions of life...and I forget! I have been enjoying the nice summer weather, but not the heat! Our CSA started about 3 weeks ago, so we've been getting lots of fresh vegetables from the local farm that is providing them. So far we've gotten corn, lettuce, potatoes, beets, zucchini, summer squash, Swiss chard, beet greens, and cucumbers (we may have gotten other things, but I can't remember). It's really exciting to use these fresh local vegetables in many of our lunches and dinners, and it also feels great to share with others. Our garden is coming along nicely, too! We've had about 10 cucumbers, a few tomatoes, squash, mint, basil, parsley,etc. Other stuff is still growing, but it is coming along nicely. On the other hand, I am terribly sad, because my sun flower, that I grew from a seed, met it's untimely death a few weeks ago...but that is the way things go :(.  I hope that you are enjoying your garden, local produce stands and farmers markets, crop shares, community gardens or whatever sustainable gardening/harvesting you are doing. I know I always say it, but you can really taste the difference. Speaking of tasting the difference, about a week or two ago, I made homemade blueberry muffins, from scratch. They were delicious, or so people said...but I think that it was the fresh local blueberries that really made them great! I believe it is really important to incorporate in season, ripe, local fruits and vegetables into your dishes...I really can't stress how great it tastes and how good it is for the environment. Do you know how much gas you are saving by buying locally? Do you know how many chemicals are not being used when you buy locally?...the answer to both is A LOT! By buying locally you are helping yourself, your local economy and community, and you are saving your earth and that is something to be proud of. Another thing, especially if you are from NY, there is a great wine country in NY state and it produces delicious and sustainable wine. I have been to Napa Valley and Sonoma and I believe that the wines from NY state are just as delicious as the wines from California's wine country, plus you are supporting your own state, which is a great thing & you can always go pick up your wine at the vineyard or have them ground ship the wine to you, cutting down on the cost, because it is not being driven or flown across the country.

Anyway, I want to share my blueberry muffin recipe with you, so that you too can enjoy these fresh delights.

My blueberry muffins with fresh local blueberries :) . 

Next week I will share a summer vegetable recipe.

Ingredients You will need:

• 3 cups & 2 tablespoons of  flour (all purpose is good, but you can substitute it for a gluten free flour, in which case, you should look to see if other ingredients are gluten free).
• 3 tspns of  baking powder
• 6 tablespoons butter - I used local amish butter, but grocery store butter works well too. Make sure it's at room temperature, and use a little more to grease the pan
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 and 1/4 cups of sugar
• decorative sugar, cane sugar, or crystallized sugar for sprinkling on top
• 1 lg egg
• 2 lg egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• If you want a little extra, put just a small scraping of vanilla bean in there ;-)
• 1 cup milk, but eyeball it, you may need 1 cup and a few more tablespoons of milk to keep it moist.
• 1& 3/4-2 cups of blueberries, or really however many blueberries you want...but I suggest you use the plump, fresh, local, in season blueberries.
• Honey (just a squirt, or even a partial substitute for some of the sugar)

Directions you should follow:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Use the extra butter or nonstick spray to coat the muffin pans
• sift flour
• In a bowl mix baking powder, sifted flour, and salt together (and then set it to the side)
• In another bowl, such as your kitchen aid mixer or electrical mixer bowl, mix in butter and sugar and continue to mix it until it reaches a creamy texture
• Add the 1 egg and 2 egg yolks to the butter and sugar mix, keep the mixer on low speed
• Add the vanilla to the sugar,butter, egg mix
• Add the milk and flour/salt/baking powder simultaneously. You really should begin and end with the flour, but you may need to add a little more milk in, especially if it seems to gummy.
• continue to mix all of the ingredients together until they are smooth.

• Add in a squirt of local honey( but shhh. it's a secret...it just adds a great flavor!!)
• Fold in the blueberries...mix mostly with hands and by hands I mean spoon, it's just to messy to do it with hands!
• Then this is a big no-no, but for about 2-10 seconds turn the electrical mixer on very low speed and continue to mix, it really helps get the juices flowing in the blueberry batter and just makes it tastier!
• Then put the batter into the muffin tins. The recipe should make about 6 really really big muffins or 12 medium size muffins, but again, you can gauge it
• Place in the oven( that is already preheated)
• Sprinkle sugar and drizzle a little bit of honey over each before they really begin to bake
• Let them cook for about 35-45 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Stick a knife in them to see if the batter sticks to the knife, if it does let them bake more...and you can always rotate for more even baking.
• Once done, take them out of the oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes, then remove them from pan and let them cool off just a little more.
• Voila and enjoy!!!

How does your garden grow?

Above is a picture of our garden at the house (my mother's house that is, not the apartment). We planted most of it about a week or so ago, and added more within the past few days. We have lettuce, a variety of tomatoes, my one lonesome sunflower, a variety of peppers, zucchini, squash, musk melon, watermelon, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, parsley, basil, scallions/onions, beans, chives, rosemary, etc. I think we have a pretty decent garden and I am excited for the tasty, fresh, wonderful feeling of eating fruits and vegetables from your own garden! Any friends live within a 1-2 hr (or less) radius, feel free to get some veggies from me :). 

I hope with the warm weather coming up, you are gardening or hitting up your local farmers markets! The weather is nice and you have no excuses as to why you can't support your local economy, even if it's just one thing...my philosophy is: every penny counts :). Also, remember to buy fruits and vegetables that are seasonal, especially if you are buying them from the grocery store, because there are so many issues that go along with buying fruit out of season! A great date or activity would be to hit up your local farmer's market or roadside produce stand and stock up on fresh in-season items...and helping small businesses...or perhaps going strawberry picking (and blueberry & raspberry when they are in season!) ...just an idea. But seriously, even if you have a small space, try and grow just one vegetable...like tomatoes...or lettuce! Trust me, it will not only make you feel better to get vitamin D while planting, you'll also feel accomplished when  you actually see and use the produce :).

I have been thinking...another way to support your local economy is to order stuff that is from local places. The other day, when I was in the southern tier (of NYS) for work, I was about 2 hours from wine country...and I looked at the wine list and saw all the fancy chardonnay's from California, then I saw the semi-local NYS wine and I of course picked that! Boy, I am glad I did! It was delicious! Can you sense my excitement? It also felt good to know I purchased something that was from in-state and didn't use much fuel to get here! So when you are out, look at the wine list and try one of the local ones--if available! I also encourage beer drinkers to do the same!! Try one of the locally brewed beers and support your locally economy...it's really simply. I'm not going to lie, every now and then we pine for something that is not locally grown--California avocados-ahem...and it is totally fine to get them, but I think we should all try our best to support our local farms and local economy. 

I am in the process of reading a book that discusses farming and ancient civilizations, with focus on the farm to table concept...I plan on incorporating it into future blogs! 

If you have any ideas or suggestions, feel free to post them! I love when I get them! Thanks for reading!

and also, hope you all had a great Memorial day :)

Back to Blogging!

I am sorry I have been absent from the blog scene for a few months, but I got extremely busy with school and just did not have the time or the energy to blog. So anyway, I Promise to blog regularly throughout the spring and summer, especially as I go on new food adventures.

 

So a few interesting things I'd like to catch you  up on...My blog is about being sustainable and supporting our local economy (among many other things), and I believe it is important to support your economy in anyway you can, basically don't go 100 miles out of your way to get some product, when there is a good chance that the product is available in your "own backyard". One sustainable concept I really like is--local restaurants supporting local artists (without charging them to display their artwork or commission free), there are several restaurants around that are following this trend...and what a great way to support your economy and your neighbors...instead of wasting gas to go to an art gallery in a far away land from some over priced, but well known artist. If you think about it we can be sustainable in many ways...not just with food! One restaurant that is following this trend is the Wine n' Diner in Albany! The food is great and the concepts are great...and one day we actually got to talk to the owner and he explained the concept of the restaurant, the featuring of the artists, and his inspiration for the meals. Wine n' Diner also has a featured local cheese of the week and let me tell you they are delicious on their burgers--I had a Black truffle cheese- which had black truffle shavings and oil in and on the cheese--and it was absolutely amazing...one of the best burgers I've ever had. While this restaurant is not a direct farm to table restaurant, it still has a great idea and seems to really believe in supporting the local economy/local home/ sustainability concept, which is great !!! This summer I plan on going to many restaurants that work to support their local economy in one way or another, especially with the farm to table movement. Sustainability is easy and more cost effective, the possibilities are endless, and it will help save our earth, so why not do it? I mean honestly...what is so hard to understand?!

I am also super excited, because I bought a book today that deals with the farm to table concept and agriculture in our country. I will definitely mention it in my blog soon!

So another great idea I came across and am doing with my family is doing a shared farm crop. Many local farms are selling shares of their crop in a co-op like fashion, which will give those who buy shares a variety of produce that is grown their. I think this is a great concept...and what is even better is the fact that the crops/shares that aren't sold go to the local food-bank, which is important--especially with obesity rates, unemployment rates, and the high number of people in our own community who don't receive adequate or nutritious meals. I think that everyone should have access to local and affordable produce, regardless of their life circumstances. I think this is also great because it is local and a large portion of the produce is grown organically and because it is local there is no need for pesticides. I also think it is great, because we are reducing our carbon footprints by not buying grocery store(and rather disgusting) produce from California or Florida or Mexico or somewhere in South or Central America. I'd rather get my produce from a local farm, with local roots, supporting a local cause. 

 

I also can't wait to grow our own garden, as we do every year. We always have tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, basil, mint, parsley, lettuce, eggplant, and peppers...I am hoping to grow some scallions/onions this year too...and I can't wait. I encourage you all to grow your own garden or become part of a community share...or do both, like my family and I are doing. Another great way to get fresh produce--especially if you don't have a backyard--is by joining a community garden, which can reap the same benefits of a personal garden...but ask around first!

 

Personally, I am excited for summer! I can't wait to explore more sustainable places and restaurants and also can't wait to share some recipes...I'm so glad I have a break from school, so I can get back to updating this and sharing my ideas and my encounters.

 

Lastly, I have an assignment for you. 

1) Do you know of any sustainable and/or farm to table restaurants in your area...and if so, can you please list them in the comment box? (I'd like to try them, if they are somewhat close by)...

2. Grow your own vegetables, visit a local farmers market, or look into becoming a share holder at a farm or a member of a community gardens...believe me, you'll see the benefits!

 

 

Hope you have a wonderful day!!

It's your life, so choose the path you take carefully...

This is a picture of Rehoboth Beach, DE. I love Rehoboth Beach, and have been going there forever, and I mean forever-i've been going since I was a baby, and my mom and grandma have gone there for summer vacation for over 50 years, so yes it is a wonderful (and might I add favorite) tradition of ours. Rehoboth Beach has amazing restaurants, such as SaltAir, which is a farm to table restaurant...and we all know how I feel about farm to table restaurants...have you tried one yet? You can definitely taste the difference...right? Which brings me to my next point...I am not making this entry so much about food, but more about happiness for our life and how to find it...but I am going to go off on a tangent and just quickly discuss a concept I read about a few weeks ago....so here it goes...

I was reading an op-ed article in the New York times, and the writer's name has escaped my mind as of now, but I will try and find it and link it to here. Anyway, she was discussing the concept of buying locally vs. buying organically and she made great sense!!! She discussed how people think that some organic foods are great for you, but in actuality they are damaged in shipment, don't always taste great, and are ruining the environment. THINK ABOUT IT....you buy a local non-organic tomato (in season of course), that most likely won't have any pesticides or chemicals anyway(because it's local and doesn't need to be preserved), or you buy an organic tomato shipped from california (most likely out of season) and it is packed and shipped via truck or plane, where it will get bruised and waste alot of energy on the way it travels. Having organic products from out-of-state doesn't help our local economy and really doesn't make much of a difference with our bodies. If you can buy products that are cultivated and harvested locally and are organic great, but you will reap the same benefits from a local non-organic piece of produce that is in season and will help your local economy. So when you go to the grocery store look to see where your produce is from and if it is outside of 100 mile radius, don't buy it...why buy produce when it is out of season? it's not even good! Make stuff that follows with the seasons and buy locally as best you can, and remember organic is great, but it's even better when it is local and when it's local , you can get the satisfaction of knowing you are eating great food and not harming the environment :) Great feeling isn't it? I know things are easier said than done, but remember one small change from each of us, can create a big change from all of us!!!

So now I am onto the happiness piece of this entry...What makes you happy? What makes you sad? Do the winter months get you down? I know they definately get me down...that is why I like to look at pictures from vacations I go on, especially our vacations to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Soo, I have been going back and forth in my mind about why I have been down, a great majority of it has to do with the winter blues, I find winter to be soooo depressing! But then I also have this, that, and the other little life stressers pop up here and there. I also think things are going in some direction and they end up going in the complete opposite direction, or perhaps not opposite, perhaps they are just sedentary, but either way it gets disappointing and I get discouraged. So what have I been doing to make myself happy? Well I have been writing in my journal (recycled material of course) and penning all of my thoughts and feelings. I have been getting my hair blown dry at my salon, do facials, manicures, and pedicures for myself at home, which is a great relaxation...and something I highly recommend to help cure the winter blues...While I'd love to go on vacation to help make me happy, I know that it is not possible, until we go to Florida in May, which gives me something to look forward to...do you have anything to  look forward to? I think that we can always make ourselves happy, if we find a way to calm our thoughts and just unwind and relax...it is important to remember that we are ultimately responsible for our own happiness, therefore we should always try to do something that makes us happy. We cannot place our hopes, dreams, emotions, and happiness in the hands of another person-for sure we can share with them- but, we are ultimately in charge of how are journey will be and how happy we are. It's also important to remember that if we can't make our own happiness no one can. So as we enter the end of January and end the first month of the new year, we must look to ourselves for guidance on how we can achieve our happiness and how we can hope for the best in 2011. Every day, something may be thrown at you, but know that you are not alone when it comes to that.We all are facing some sort of struggle or another, take comfort in that, because one day (though it may not seem like it), everything will change and you will see that life is full of beauty and eventually all of the bad stuff will begin to diminish and good will shine through, depend on yourself for happiness and hope for a brighter, better tomorrow (metaphorically speaking). And to wrap this into the theme of the blog, eating great food and lots of chocolate will help you to fill some area of happiness and come spring planting and gardening, as well as visiting local produce stands and farmers markets will work wonders. Also taking walks and just being outside. I look forward to spring and even though I have definitely felt down, in this wretched month of January, I am hoping and praying for awesome new experiences and looking to myself to become a better and more fulfilled person and will continue to work on my own happiness each day.

I hope that you will do the same.

If the winter months seem to be too much for you, and everything just seems to be going wrong, don't hesitate to call the suicide prevention life line:

1-800-273-TALK (*Press 1 for veterans)

You can talk to one of the people on the hot line, which can connect you with a local mental health provider and get you to help, because especially in these winter months and as we head into spring the going gets tough, but know that there is help and your life is totally worth living! *I also am trained in a variety of suicide prevention trainings such as QPR, SafeTALK, and ASIST, so if you're reading my blog and feeling distressed, I would be more than happy to connect you with resources that can help!

Hope you enjoyed this post and I hope that you will all find happiness and health and great food and produce in 2011. And remember help your LOCAL economy :)