PS - Don't know what happened to my header graphic; do know I've got to fix it.
Copyright © 2005-2011, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Merry Christmas
PS - Don't know what happened to my header graphic; do know I've got to fix it.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Christine Cooks is Six years Old Today
Today I begin my 7th year of writing this blog.
I greet this significant milestone with mixed emotions.
This morning I went on an interesting journey through my blog posts all the way back to February 2005, wincing at some of the writing and the early photography (or lack thereof), laughing at some of the recipes, smiling at others that I know are keepers.
Mostly what I see is a genuine yearning to eat well and be healthy in the process.
Sometimes that endeavor has taken me down some dubious paths: egg substitute instead of whole eggs; trans fat free margarine instead of good butter. Oy.
Grains or no grains?
Full, reduced or low fat?
Sugar or no sugar?
Splenda? (Well, yeah, it's my weakness.)
Omnivore, vegetarian, vegan?
One could get whiplash reading some of my posts.
I have often thought to delete the more wince-producing ones but then the documenting of the journey wouldn't be complete. And for me the journey is what makes the story interesting.
We try things on, wear them for awhile to see how we like them, sometimes casting them off according to what is fashionable, sometimes making them a permanent part of our wardrobe. Of course I'm speaking metaphorically about food.
What I have learned about food is not so much all things in moderation as eat what works for you in order for you to live a healthy life - "healthy" being key.
Some need to be vegan or vegetarian. Some need to avoid fat, salt, and sugar. Some need to avoid gluten, wheat in particular. I've tried all of these things. They are on the pages of this blog, sometimes written a bit pedantically. I don't apologize. It's all part of the journey.
And after giving it some thought, I've decided to continue this journey for a bit longer. I still have things to say, food to cook and share.
As I move into year seven I know I'll mostly concentrate on recipes that will reflect my goal to eat food that works for me in order for me to live a healthy life.
I may quote Michael Pollan at times.
And I'll try not to pontificate.
Bear with me.
Oh - yes, there will be Splenda.
Some things I won't give up.
Copyright © 2005-2011, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
January Downtime
Dear Readers,
I am taking the month of January off from blogging. All is well, just re-grouping. I will continue to post photos on my garden blog, Raven Ridge Gardens; I hope you will pay a visit there. I'll be back here ready to cook come February.
I am taking the month of January off from blogging. All is well, just re-grouping. I will continue to post photos on my garden blog, Raven Ridge Gardens; I hope you will pay a visit there. I'll be back here ready to cook come February.
Copyright © 2005-2011, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Beautiful Blogger Award . . .
. . . and I'm blushing!
Truly beautiful bloggers, all of you!
Mary, who blogs over at Work of the Poet, and who is a multi-faceted person and stellar photographer,
sent me a Beautiful Blogger Award.
I am so pleased!
Pleased also that I get to pass it on to some of my beautiful blogger friends.
The rules are: Tell seven things about yourself and then pass the award on to 15 beautiful bloggers.
Here goes:
1. I hate to fly. Even though I have to do it from time to time, I truly hate it.
2. I'm a farm girl at heart and would have sheep, goats, more horses,
and maybe even a cow if Mr CC could abide it.
3. I love Mr CC too much to indulge in my farm girl fantasies.
4. My day job is being a business manager.
5. Blogging makes me sedentary; I really should exercise more.
6. I love taking photos of plants, critters, and the great outdoors and have another blog devoted to just that.
7. I would live in France if I could. Even if for a short while . . .
Now I'd like to pass this along to:
Truly beautiful bloggers, all of you!
Copyright © 2005-2010, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Spring Vegetable Soup For Weekend Herb Blogging
A direct consequence of my having gone back to work full time is that I don't cook as much (or at least not much that hasn't been done before.) Which results in my not posting as much. Which eventually results in the DT's brought on by blog withdrawal. This week then, just when I was giving myself a good talking to about getting back to cooking and posting recipes, I dislocated a tendon that runs down a groove between shoulder and elbow (the name of which eludes me), rendering my right arm useless and me in blinding pain. I didn't even know that tendon existed let alone that it could be dislocated. Moreover, I'm not really sure exactly how I did it, as the pain didn't start until long after I'd thrown my sweet horse her evening flake of hay (which I've been doing for many years so go figure.)
So now my excuse is not so much that I'm working full time, but that it's hard to cook with one and a half arms (the elbow to fingertips part works just fine as long as the upper arm is glued to my ribs.) Quel dilemma. Coinciding with this tendon fiasco is the fact that Mr CC is away at a conference, offering sympathy by phone yet unable to give any help at all.
Even with full use of body parts, there is something about being home alone that quells the more creative cook side of me. Throw injury into the mix and I definitely turn into a simpler-is-better-certainly-easier-and less-painful kind of cook. Take this soup for instance: Thawed chicken stock brought to a simmer with fresh, organically grown vegetables tossed in plus garbanzo beans and there you have a healthy one-pot meal that takes just a few minutes to prepare, with minimal clean up. If you make enough of this it will carry you into the next day's lunch when you can sprinkle it with a chopped, hard cooked egg.
I finished a book recently that talked about the need for Americans to eat less processed, packaged, refined foods and eat more whole foods, especially those containing omega-3 fatty acids. Flax seeds, walnuts and salmon are the most well-known foods high is this essential nutrient, but leafy greens such as spinach, kale and collards are also a good source as are strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower and scallops.
Chard, beet tops, broccoli and spinach came from my garden just moments before being washed, chopped or shredded and tossed into the soup pot. The rest of the vegetables came organically grown and snapping fresh from our local co-op. I had a small amount of Neiman Ranch Uncured Applewood Smoked Ham which, as you may imagine, gave the soup a lovely smokey depth. The gruyère practically begged to be added ... I couldn't say no.
Spring Vegetable Soup
Christine's original recipe
Ingredients:
4 to 6 cups home made chicken stock or a good packaged organic stock
20 shelling peas (about), shelled
1 bunch asparagus, stalks peeled if tough, cut into bite-sized pieces
Several small stalks broccoli, stalks peeled if tough, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 clove garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cups thinly sliced greens, such as chard, kale, spinach and beet tops
1 can organic chickpeas (garbanzos) drained
1/3 cup each uncured (no nitrites or nitrates) ham and gruyère cheese, cubed (optional)
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Preparation:
Bring the chicken stock to a simmer over medium heat.
Add the vegetables, garbanzos and ham, if using, and simmer until just tender.
Add the cheese, if using, and allow it to melt slightly.
Ladle into warmed bowls and serve with a delicious crusty artisan bread.
Even though I didn't add any herbs to my soup, and even though I'm not showcasing any one vegetable, I'm sending this post along to my friend Kalyn as my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging - because this soup features a mix of fresh vegetables that are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, an essential and woefully lacking ingredient in so many Americans' diets. Kalyn created WHB over two years ago and it's still one of the most popular food events in the blogosphere. Click here to see how to enter, and while you're at it, peruse Kalyn's blog for some über healthy and tasty recipes. And if you'd like to see another dish that is loaded with omega-3's, look at what Kirsten of Kirsten's Home Cookingcame up with recently. Zowie!
And by the way, my arm is healing, somewhat slowly but nicely, and I should be back to cooking up a storm soon.
Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved
Monday, February 18, 2008
Happy Blogaversary To Me . . . !
I'm still recovering from the nasty flu bug that has hit the country so hard this winter so I won't be very wordy here and I certainly don't have any recipes to post. But I would feel worse yet if I let this day go by unmentioned. So I lift my weary, fevered fingers to the keyboard to wish myself a happy blogaversary and to thank all of you - those who are visiting for the first time, those who subscribe to my posts, and YOU, you wonderful circle of bloggers whom I'm proud to call friends - for all the love, encouragement and support I've received over the past three years.
Ever onward!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Another Mini-Break . . .
See you in September. :)
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Welcome Simona!
Dear food blogger buddies,
It gives me great pleasure to introduce my friend Simona to the blogging community. About to relocate from the Bay Area to the North Coast (yay!), Simona is a food writer, chocolate lover (her home town is Perugia, Italy) and new blogger.
Simona's blog, Briciole, has links to her lovely writing and features an "idiosyncratic and opinionated dictionary of Italian words related to food." I don't speak Italian, but as near as I can determine, Briciole may mean "meatballs". Simona, please correct me if I'm wrong.
Please check out her blog and give her a hearty welcome!
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Why I Link To Products
... and a bit of my philosophy on the subject.
For anyone who reads my blog with any regularity, it's obvious that I do a lot of product linking.
I'd like to explain why but first, a little backstory:
This blog was originally started for my grown boys who for years had been encouraging me to write down my recipes in a family cookbook.
I made several attempts to carry out their wishes in book format, but it didn't work for me. Then, thanks to my brother-in-law, Devan, I discovered blogging and that was that -- I'd found my medium.
So, keeping the whole family thing in mind, here is my explanation of why I use product links:
Quite simply, I link to products that I use in my kitchen. I link to these products, or to cool products I've discovered, so my family and friends can find them to use in their own kitchens if they so choose. I do not seek remuneration for these links nor have I ever been asked to link to any of these products for monetary reward.
Occasionally, I am asked to review a cookbook which I happily do with the caveat that I am under no obligation to write a post about it or put a link to it on my blog unless I choose to do so.
Occasionally, I receive requests to review a kitchen gadget or product and my answer is always the same: I would be happy to do so if I am sent the gadget/product in question, but I clearly state that I will be under no obligation to post it on my blog unless I choose to do so. I am very nice about this, but firm in my resolve.
Now all this is not to say that I don't love to review cookbooks, products and kitchen gadgets. I do. I wouldn't mind being paid for it either. But I am very careful about not compromising my position, in that I write my blog for myself, my family and my friends and, in using product links, am not pandering for commercial gain. If this ever changes, you will be the first to know of it.
As can be seen on my sidebar, I have links to AdSense, which is run by Google. Viewers can click on these links and purchase products if they wish. Sales that result from clicking through my blog, also result in me receiving a small percentage of the sale of the product. I have no control over the content of these AdSense links.
In the not-too-distant future, I will be placing a link on my sidebar to my Amazon store. This virtual store will have a listing of products that I use and endorse. Viewers interested in buying a product can click through to my store and make a purchase which, again, will result in my receiving a small percentage of that sale.
Both AdSense and Amazon are win-win partnerships for bloggers. Everything is up front, there is no hidden agenda; a method which I fully support.
Copyright © 2005-2007, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved
Saturday, December 16, 2006
My Little Kitchen Scissors Drawing...
The time has come
All the names are in the hat
Puts in his hand . . .
And pulls out . . .
Kristina, I will be emailing you shortly to get your mailing address and will send these to you this week. Thanks to everyone who entered this drawing - it was lots of fun for me. My only regret is that I don't have enough scissors for all of you!
And pulls out . . .
DRUM ROLL, PLEASE . . .
TA DA!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
Kristina, I will be emailing you shortly to get your mailing address and will send these to you this week. Thanks to everyone who entered this drawing - it was lots of fun for me. My only regret is that I don't have enough scissors for all of you!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Holiday Blogging By Mail
The package from my Blogging by Mail 'Secret Santa' arrived today filled with delicious goodies from Helene at Tartelette. Helene has been baking up a storm, cleaning her house and doing a thousand other chores in preparation for spending the holidays with her family in France. Her penchant for baking is truly inspiring. You simply must go to her blog to see the recent Gateaux Basques and the peppermint meringue kisses.
My package came with Helene's homemade biscotti and blue cheese crackers (yum!), Belgian "Fruits de Mer" chocolates, all in the shapes of shellfish, a sweet Santa in a glass bell jar, gingerbread candles and so many more wonderful goodies. Thank you so much Helene! Mr. CC and I already sampled the biscotti for tea this afternoon and they were delicious.
A special thanks to the very stylish Stephanie of The Happy Sorceress for hosting this Holiday Blogging by Mail event. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
My package came with Helene's homemade biscotti and blue cheese crackers (yum!), Belgian "Fruits de Mer" chocolates, all in the shapes of shellfish, a sweet Santa in a glass bell jar, gingerbread candles and so many more wonderful goodies. Thank you so much Helene! Mr. CC and I already sampled the biscotti for tea this afternoon and they were delicious.A special thanks to the very stylish Stephanie of The Happy Sorceress for hosting this Holiday Blogging by Mail event. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Menu for Hope III raffle is going gangbusters, with over $13,000 raised in just 3 days. There are so many fabulous prizes donated by food bloggers all over the world that, at just $10 per ticket, how can you resist? Let's make this year's event the biggest and best ever! Click here to read all about it, see the prizes, and make your donation. It's that simple. You could be the winner of some of the best prizes the food blog world has to offer and help hungry people the world over at the same time.My raffle donation, Code UW22, may be seen here. Please join us!
Saturday, April 15, 2006
About Me
It's been over a year since I started this blog and I’ve been thinking about it lately: What it's about, why I'm doing it, how it's changed. I'd like to spiff it up a bit. Add more links and information to the side bar. Flesh out the "About Me" bio. Especially the "About Me" bio. It won't happen overnight. You may have noticed that I keep changing the sub heading under my title block (it's not there just now) and fiddling with the “About Me” section in the sidebar. I just can't seem to settle on any one thing that really sums me up.
This morning, as usual, I woke up thinking about my blog (go ahead, call me obsessive). I got onto this long thought about re-vamping the template, which led to the “About Me” bio, which I’ve never been fond of, not actually liking to write about ME per se, only what I like to DO, which is read about cooking, think about cooking, cook what I've read and thought about, and then write about it, which led me full circle to my blog and what to put in the "About Me" section. I've read the bios of other food bloggers and find them clever and well written, giving me a good idea of each blogger's personality. Mine doesn't do that for me. What's there is somehow lacking in spark and fullness, to say nothing of not being clever.
Is cooking all I’m about? (Surely not, she says with some dismay, how one-dimensional.) I mean right now I should be finishing up some bookkeeping, which is what I do for my husband’s business. And yesterday I proofed a new brochure for the school where I do admin and budget work. And I’ve really got to knuckle down and start on the publicity campaign I said I’d do for a local non-profit. Plus I’ve got to clean out my horse’s stall, prune the claws of
our “gray beasties” who are happily and willfully shredding the furniture and, if it ever stops raining, mow our rather large expanse of lawn. Then there’s my vegetable garden, which may never get planted because of the rain, and gardening in general, which I'm generally in charge of, on our 2-plus acres. I also read a lot.So, this morning (remember?) I was sitting in bed sipping the hot tea that my dear husband brings to my bedside table each and every morning (husbands, take note!), thinking, okay, if I'm going to fill out the "About Me" part of my blog, what should I write? Which, somehow, got me to thinking of all the cookbooks I own (173), which got me to thinking about all the food magazines I subscribe to, which got me to thinking of all the dinners and dinner parties I’ve cooked up. Then my eyes fell on the bookcase that’s firmly anchored to one wall of my bedroom and which contains all of my Bon Appetit magazines,
carefully placed in date order and taking up a full four shelves, the sight of which led me to the inevitable conclusion that, yes indeed, a very great part of me really is about food. (In case you're wondering just where I'm going with all this, I'm putting it down in the order I've thought it. Not the best way to write, but my mind doesn't always follow the rules and I'm letting my fingers follow suit. Besides, this is "About Me".)
Intrigued by the sheer volume of my collection, I went to the bookcase and pulled out the first issue. April 1985. Wow! 21 years to the month. That’s, let’s see, 252 issues... and counting. (That I’ve saved every issue and that I’d never for a moment consider getting rid of any of them may say something more about what I’m about, but I’m not going to analyze that just now.)
I have many of her recipes, handwritten on 3x5 cards, in an old yellow plastic recipe box. She's the one who gave me my first cookbook. I used to sit quietly and watch her in the kitchen as she was cooking. Quietly because she wasn't a verbal teacher and questions or chatter, when she was trying to create, made her nervous. I didn't start cooking until I moved out of the house after high school. Then I made all the recipes I could remember her making. And when I couldn't remember something I'd give her a call. She was pleased to be asked and gave me detailed instructions. Those were '40s and 50's recipes, influenced by the depression in which she grew up: Meat loaf, tamale pie, green bean casserole, spoonbread, chicken pot pie, peach cobbler, ice box cakes. She made pancakes and waffles from scratch and melted butter, honey and cinnamon together for the syrup, something I did for my own boys as they were growing up. She taught herself to decorate cakes for special occasions and for years people in our town begged her to make cakes for them. Wedding cakes, anniversary cakes, birthday cakes, doll cakes, train cakes, flower basket cakes, what she could do was endless. And every holiday season she made a gingerbread house the likes of which I have not seen to this day. Somewhere between us siblings are slides my father took documenting her achievements. If I find a few I'll post them here.
As I grew older I graduated from the Betty Crocker Cookbook to the Good Housekeeping Cookbook, then to the Joy of Cooking and Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook. For years, those were the only cookbooks I owned. I always had people over for dinner just because I had cooked up something new and had too much of it. Sharing was and is a big part of why I cook. Then, in 1985, I subscribed to my first magazine devoted not just to cooking, but gourmet cooking - Bon Appetit. Totally overwhelmed by the bewildering and intricate techniques the more gourmet recipes called for, for the first two years I went straight to the "Too Busy to Cook?" section where everyday home cooks sent in time-saving recipes and were lucky enough to get published. This is where I honed my culinary skills, developed a sense for food chemistry and gained enough self confidence to take chances, experiment, soar... Right into the RSVP section in the front of the magazine, where famous chefs share their recipes and one had to know one's brunoise from one's mirepoix.Well, so far this "About Me" is still all about cooking. Should I tell you that I'm self-taught, never took a hands-on cooking class? That I harbor fantasies of going back to college to major in both English and history while mastering the French language? That I've got a growing itch to hold my yet-to-be-conceived grandchildren? That I own a beautiful, gray Arab mare and haven't ridden her in 2 years because we're both getting older and less sure-footed? That most of my day jobs have been in the non-profit sector keeping busy offices running smoothly? That I've written for, edited and published no fewer than 4 weekly and monthly newsletters over the past 18 years? That I've raised three incredible, wonderful, brilliant, capable, loving, kind, did I say brilliant? boys who are now grown and fledged and that thinking about any one of them instantly warms my heart? That I dream of owning and living in a small house/cottage/barn/I'd-settle-for-hovel in the southwest of France? That I once worked in a restaurant for six months as the soup and appetizers chef and KNEW after the first four painfully difficult hours that it was not the job for me? (That I lasted the full six months should say something about me but, you know, I'm not really into the self-analysis thing.)
I could go on, but after more than twenty-one years, 173 cookbooks, binders overflowing with recipes, notes and dinner menus, subscriptions to Saveur, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Cuisine at Home and Bon Appetit (the May issue just arrived), I guess I'll have to admit that it wouldn't be at all untruthful to say, "Simply put, She loves to cook; She loves to feed people, But that's not all she's about". Not a bad phrase for a blog either. But enough about me.
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