Monthly Archives: October 2011

Oct31

Real Halloween Nightmares

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Real Halloween Nightmares

I have always loved candy, but I wasn’t allowed to go trick-or-treating when I was a kid. The prevailing sentiment in the churches we attended was that Halloween was a “devil’s holiday.” We had “harvest parties” instead. I certainly never was lacking for candy around the 31st of October.

My kids haven’t gone trick-or-treating either, but that’s mostly because we’ve lived overseas for most of their lives; last year, we were here, but Aidan had a broken leg and getting him around to go trick-or-treating was pretty much out of the question. So far, then, I haven’t had to give a great deal of thought to Halloween candy.

If you’ve read my blog before, you know I’m not opposed to letting my kids have sugar. We went to an Easter Egg hunt at the state park in springtime, which (brilliantly, I thought) had receptacles for unwanted candy to be redistributed to needy kids who hadn’t been able to attend. I think the food traditions in a culture–trick-or-treating, cupcakes at school for birthdays–are kind of nice. If there’s any beef I have at all, it’s that the ordinary days are a bit out of control.

[What's the point banning birthday cupcakes at school if the kids get access to soda and sweet snacks from vending machines at school?!?]

Simplify our ordinary days, that we may be able to enjoy a good celebration.

The last thing I want to do is be a killjoy who takes candy from kids. But what if that candy takes kids from their parents?

In West Africa, an estimated 200,000 children are enslaved on cocoa plantations. And major chocolate producers like Hershey’s get their cocoa from these places.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Fair trade chocolate exists. When you buy a certified fair trade product (like chocolate or coffee), you pay a little extra, but it means that the working conditions have been found to meet certain minimum criteria, and that the workers have been fairly compensated for their work, and, most importantly, that they are not victims of trafficking. (People who have been moved to a different location and/or held there under force, fraud, or coercion.)Chocolate’s no longer an exotic luxury; for most of us, it can be had pretty cheaply. But the mini-bars and fun-sizes come cheap at a very, very high cost to the children whose labor brings them to us.

I want my kids to have a fun and safe time on Oct. 31.

But I want that for all God’s kids, too.

You can sign a petition asking Hershey to begin sourcing Fairly Traded chocolate here.

You can watch a whole documentary on child slave labor on cocoa farms here and below.

Oct30

Connecting/Celebrating

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Connecting/Celebrating

I’ve decided to take Sundays off from writing and, instead, post a single photo capturing some aspect of Sabbath–rest, peace, comfort, connection, praise, help–things like that. Today’s is about connecting/celebrating.

“Grandpa, hold me like this and then raise your glass!”

Oct29

When Jesus Was Our Guest

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When Jesus Was Our Guest

The other night we had a fellowship meal at church. The best part was that the boys got to run around and play for an hour beforehand, which helped pique their appetites considerably.

We got to catch up with friends with cute, long-distance grandchildren:

Turns out the HVAC guy + my dad make pretty good spaghetti sauce!

We broke bread together. We reflected on the early church’s practice of love feasts and on Jesus’s promise to be with us when we gather in his name.

And we cleaned up together.

And Christ was with us:

Come Lord Jesus, be our guest,
May this food by you be blest,
May our souls by you be fed,
Always on the living Bread.

Come Lord Jesus, be our guest; Come Lord Jesus, be our Guest

Amen.

(attr. Martin Luther)

here’s the tune you can sing it to: Redhead 76

Here you can watch it in sign language:

Oct28

A Mouthwatering Work of Culinary Genius

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A Mouthwatering Work of Culinary Genius

So between my birthday (last month) and Tim’s (yesterday) and the book contract, we had the opportunity to do some serious celebrating.

Not far from us is one of the very finest restaurants on the East End. We’ve eaten there twice before (well, three times if you count the time we went only for dessert) but only during ‘Restaurant Week,’ during which they feature a different menu with smaller portions.

Each time was nonetheless thrilling–to put it in the form of an analogy:

GREAT HOME COOKING : NORTH FORK TABLE’S FOOD ::

is as:

is to:

The food at the North Fork Table is kind of in a different category from other food. There are a lot of reasons why that’s so, but all I can say for sure is that when I eat it, I’m thinking, “this is so good that it can hardly be for real.”

And this time–with the fuller menu–it was, if possible, even better. It’s almost embarrassing to admit how enjoyable this is because I think our culture doesn’t allow us to speak lyrically about food without branding us ‘foodies’ or ‘snobs.’ Improbable though it may seem, the atmosphere and presentation is unfussy. It’s just really good food.

And without further ado:

the atmosphere is beautiful...the champagne is beautiful...even the menu is beautiful!

tuna tartare for tim

house-cured charcuterie for a between-course treat

a second course of squab on butternut squash for tim

and a second course of locally caught striped bass atop brussells sprouts and parsnip puree for me

long island duck for tim

and humanely raised veal for me

I forgot to take a picture of the dessert before I decimated it...

and they sent us home with house-made mallomars.

One of the things I love about going there is how serious, yet joyful, everyone is about their work. They’re artists, and creating things of beauty–even if those things are edible and consumable and fleeting–consumes them. I love that. I’m grateful for them. I’m grateful for the bounty of where we live.

I’m grateful to the Giver of All Things.

Oct27

No Peace at the End of Anxiety

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No Peace at the End of Anxiety

So I signed a book contract this week.

I don’t want to share the details widely (yet) but I do want to tell you that the book came before the blog.

[If/when] you read it, you won’t be all “but this is all stuff I’ve already read on the blog!”

At least, I hope not. But I’m trying not to worry about that.

I’m trying not to worry about all of this.

Because I think I’ve learned something important this week:

there is no peace at the end of anxiety and worry.

I’m basically a happy person. I want to ‘live with joy’ all the time.

But even though I’m happy, it’s easy for me to fall into worry-traps–and worry is a trap.

I get a contract with the perfect publisher for my book…and then I’m thinking:

“what if I can’t finish this book?”

“what if my sales numbers are bad and I can never publish another book?”

“what if I never have another idea for another book?”

But the ability to read, to think, to write? Are they really mine, anyway?

Are the things I do merely a product of my own efforts?

No: my life–right now–is a gift.

There’s no peace at the end of a worry-strewn journey; there will always be more to worry about.

(Ha! Because just a short time ago I was worried I’d never get a book contract!)

So I’m trying to be grateful in this moment, and the next, and the next.

Because how much more does the God who clothes the lilies and feeds the birds delight to care for us?
{Um, readers? I didn’t suddenly turn into Rob Bell, although I realize that the style of this post might’ve confused you on that point.}

Oct26

Michelle Obama’s Cookbook

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Michelle Obama’s Cookbook

So here’s Michelle Obama on the cover of her cookbook, forthcoming in April:

And here are the ingredients for a Michelle Obama recipe:

Michelle Obama’s “No Cream” Creamed Spinach

2 pounds baby spinach, washed and cleaned

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 shallots, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Here’s a picture of Martha Washington from the National Portrait Gallery:

And here are the ingredients for a Martha Washington recipe:

Martha Washington’s Cake Recipe (makes an 11 pound cake)

2 3/4 cups golden raisins
2 cups dried currants
1 cup orange zest
6 ounces candied lemon peel
3/4 cup chopped candied citron
1/3 cup candied angelica
1/3 cup red candied cherries
1/3 cup green candied cherries
1/2 cup brandy
4 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
10 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup sherry
1 cup sherry

Yeah, so cooking has changed a bit since Mrs. Washington’s day. I don’t, however, understand why creamed spinach has to be made with no cream. Cream is wonderful and goes wonderfully well with spinach! So if that recipe is any indication of what’s going to be in the book, I’m nervous.

Plus?

I’m nervous that the press release says this:

“Mrs. Obama will describe how her daughters Sasha and Malia were catalysts for change in her own family’s eating behavior…“

because Mr. Obama already once said this:

“A couple of years ago — you’d never know it by looking at her now — Malia was getting a little chubby.”

and because more than once I’ve heard something like this:

“My [6, 7, 8, 9] year old was talking about ‘fat’ and ‘obesity’ and worrying about what we were eating…because of something she heard Michelle Obama say.”

I’m really glad that Michelle Obama started the first edible garden on the White House grounds since Eleanor Roosevelt’s WWII victory garden. And I’m glad that she is working to bring attention to and eradicate food ‘deserts.’

no, not desserts. deserts.)

But this book, quite honestly, looks like it’s going to be a pretty coffee-table piece of political advertising, not a cookbook that’s going to inspire a new food culture.

{And I hope it’s not going to add to the fat anxiety already too prevalent in this culture.}

Well, that’s enough speculative judgment on a book I haven’t read. (!)

Anyway, change never comes from the top down. It starts where the inspiration for this book came from anyway–at the grassroots.

As in, next spring, why not pull the grass up by the roots and plant some strawberries or potatoes or lettuce instead? Forget the obesity epidemic: gardening is joyful work.

{Oh, and forgive me, but do those hair-scrolls atop Mrs. Obama’s head remind you of the ribbons on Mrs. Washington’s cap? They do me–HT Sarah–tee-hee.}

Oct25

Some Medieval Good Times

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Some Medieval Good Times

[wherein I may lose my pacifist street cred.]

Can you bear with a post about a really fun birthday party for a 6 year old?

Yes, I know it’s Tuesday, but my Fannie Farmer plans were interrupted this week.

(No, we did not let Mr. and Mrs. S. down, but Saturday was one of those days that moves inexorably toward a Pizza Night and we–well, my mom, actually–brought them some of the deliciousness from Brick Oven, along with a sneak preview of birthday cake.)

So, thanks in part to the Magic Tree House books and to several by Margaret Hodges and some illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (especially Saint George and the Dragon and The Kitchen Knight) Aidan loves the Middle Ages.

Or, as he prefers me to say, “Medieval Times.” Why?

“Because it sounds like there’s evil in it.”

Exactly.

Last year, Mr. A. had a terrible, awful, no good, very bad birthday, having spent it in the ER of Stony Brook University Hospital with a broken leg. So we decided together to make up for it by having a great medieval-themed birthday party.

“We’ve got to eat chicken legs off the bone, Mom. That seems medieval.”

Come on, how could I possibly say no?

We pinned the tongue on the dragon:

Need I point out how handy it is to have an artist for a Grandpa?We had a battle axe throwing contest (oh, yes, the artist-grandpa doubled as Lancelot)And some balloon-bamboo jousting astride a noble steed:Some young folks were dubbed knights of the Round Table:(Are you wondering where we got that throne? It’s from the church basement.)

After all were knighted, they slew a terrible dragon, who, surprisingly, was filled with a selection of organic candies and tiny toy knights:And then ate him in effigy:(I baked and frosted–Grandpa decorated.)

Huzzah!

Oct24

Injustice of Biblical Proportions

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Injustice of Biblical Proportions

The world was supposed to end last Friday, did you know?

It’s funny how most of the folks who are obsessed with Biblical prophecy are only obsessed with a very narrow slice of Biblical prophecy. Contrary to what you’d think, the books belonging to the category of “prophets” have more to say against injustice toward society’s most vulnerable than anything apocalyptic, eschatological, or millenial.

(Which is maybe why, as a recent survey suggests, frequent Bible reading can make you more liberal.)

I’ve been hearing about tomatoes and other crops rotting on the vines in Alabama. Which made me think about some Biblical prophecy, like this:

Be ashamed,

for the wheat and the barley,

because the harvest of the field has perished.

The vine dries up;

the fig tree languishes.

Pomegranate, palm, and apple,

all the trees of the field are dried up,

and gladness dries up

from the children of man.

(From Joel 1)

Alabama’s new immigration law makes it a crime to appear in public without proof of your immigration status, and requires law enforcement officers to stop anyone who “appears illegal.” If you don’t have proof of legal residency when you go to pay your utility bill, they can cut off the water to your house.

Women are afraid to go to the hospital to have their babies, preferring to birth at home with no one in attendance.

Parents are keeping their children home from school.

And people are afraid to go to the grocery store, instead relying on church groups that are mercifully making deliveries to people’s houses.

Even though helping so-called “illegals” is punishable as a crime, too!

Which means Alabama has made it illegal to love our neighbor as ourselves.

In theory, these harsh laws were made to help create jobs for documented American workers. But non-immigrant workers can’t or won’t take on the backbreaking work of picking crops.

One Alabama farmer said:

“The tomatoes are rotting in the vine, and there is very little we can do. We will be lucky to be in business next year.”

Nearly one-third of Alabama households are already not getting enough to eat. As one reporter wrote “letting crops rot in the fields is downright immoral.”

Indeed.

This Draconian immigration law is a fake fix that diverts attention from the real problems in our economy and blames the most powerless.

As one writer put it:

“Alabama’s latest experiment shows us that we can’t reclaim our economy by surrendering our humanity.”

And surrendering our religion, too.

{Read more about this here, here, and here, if you like.)

Oct22

And Now For Something Sweet (with a Recipe)

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And Now For Something Sweet (with a Recipe)

I do believe yesterday’s post ruffled a few feathers out there.

It’s true that my primary allegiance isn’t to the Republican party, or the Democratic party, or even to these United States of America. When it comes down to it, my primary identity isn’t “American,” even though that’s what my passport says.

My primary identity is “Christian.” As a Christian–a follower of Christ–my sense of justice for “the least of these” is offended by such things as giving advertisers unfettered access to impressionable children.

End of story, for now. On to something much less controversial and much, much sweeter.

Caramel apples.

Oh, yes. It is apple season. Just after went apple picking some weeks ago, we had an occasion that demanded some dessert. I too tired to make another apple pie, and was all set to make brownies and THEN! Then I remembered that an easy, fun apple dessert could be had by slicing up some apples, tossing them with lemon juice and serving them alongside some caramel, like so:

Salted Caramel Dip

(adapted from a recipe by Chef Claudia Fleming)

Place in a large saucepan:

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water

2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup (no, it’s not the same as HFCS)

Cook over medium-high heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until mixture turns a dark amber (about 10-15 minutes.)

Carefully whisk in (the mixture will hiss and bubble–be careful!)

1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

1/8-1/4 tsp. sea salt

and whisk until smooth.

Allow to cool. Can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.

Oh, come on. You’re not going to tell me that this is unhealthy, are you? What about all the apples?

Besides, look at those ingredients again. Do they look a little better than this?

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SKIM MILK, CORN SYRUP, PALM OIL, SUGAR, BUTTER (CREAM, SALT), MODIFIED CORN STARCH, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, DISODIUM PHOSPHATE, SALT, POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVATIVE),TBHQ (ADDED TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS), ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS.

{I love that they call it “old fashioned.” Because anything old-fashioned clearly had to have TBHQ–a form of butane, by the way–”to maintain freshness”}

That’s what I thought.

Enjoy!