Tag Archives for food

Fitwits

Fitwits graphics

Fitwits graphics

When I was studying design in college, I had big aspirations of what I would do with my career.
I could change the world, get published, do something wonderful that could help people… YEAH!… Hmmmmm. Well, here I am, eleven years later and although I know I have done many things I am certainly proud of, I also feel that I have not contributed nearly enough to the well- being of our society. I suppose it can take awhile to fully understand how one’s skills and talents can be useful in a larger sense, and often times, survival comes first— you just do what you can to get paid, pay bills and try to relax in between. Right? Right.

Well, I recently read an article about a woman named Kristin Hughes, an associate professor in the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University… and she’s using design to do something amazing… and it has to do with FOOD.

She has helped develop a school program, in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, called Fitwits. It consists of lessons, activities, and games designed to educate and encourage smart choices in nutrition, portion control, and physical activity for youths.

Obesity is a major problem in this country, and it begins with how our children are raised. Through programs like Fitwits, parents and children can learn about the importance of food and nourishment in their own lives, and hopefully how it can affect their families, communities and on, and on, and on…

I really love this, and think you will too. Check it out.

Pesto, focaccia and vino, oh my!

This was not the pesto meal, it was soup for lunch. But the sky looks exactly like today.

This was not the pesto meal, it was soup for lunch. But the sky looks exactly like today.

I woke up this morning to an overcast, chilly day… and it got me thinking about my time spent in Cinque Terre, Italy around this time of year almost four years ago. It was my honeymoon, and Cinque Terre was only one of the stops among many in Italy and France, but it was certainly most memorable for me.

What an amazing place. I won’t describe to you all of the wonderful things about this collection of five tiny villages along the coast, but just know, aside from its delectable food, it has so many more celebrated attributes. I WILL tell you about the food, though, and one exceptional meal in particular.

My husband and I stayed in Monterosso, the village with the most ‘nightlife’… and when I say nightlife, I mean a few folks enjoying their DOC wine al fresco. One evening, after hiking between all five villages and returning to Monterosso, we felt very deserving of a delicious pasta meal. (We would have felt deserving even if we hadn’t hiked, but…) We snuggled onto a charming restaurant patio overlooking the sea, and ordered up a carafe of the dry, white wine that so perfectly complements the fresh seafood and pesto the area is known for. You see, pesto and focaccia originated in the Ligurian region, and being steps away from the water, seafood is a staple in the cuisine. This is a sublime place for me because I could honestly live on those three food items alone.

So we ordered fettuccine with pesto, sat back and breathed in the misty, sea air. When our meal arrived, we were immediately overwhelmed with the aroma of garlic, toasted pine nuts and basil. The pasta was swirled into this beautiful, glistening nest — each noodle coated from end to end with bright, green flecks of basil and Parmesan cheese, gorgeous clumps of olive-oily, nutty, cheesy, noodley goodness… oh my, I could hardly wait to take a bite! And I did. I prefer using the spoon and fork method when eating long noodley pasta so I swirled a big gob of fettuccine onto my fork, big enough to fill your entire mouth, and took a bite of the best pesto and fresh, handmade pasta I’ve ever eaten. A sip of wine finished the moment and I sat there, smiling, sucking it all in so I could always remember. I’m glad I did because I swear when I close my eyes even now, I can still taste that first bite, so much so that it makes me want to go make some pesto right now. Maybe I will…

We ate our meal and chatted and had a wonderful, film-like evening. With the moon rising above the water, I soon noticed we had a guest at our table. This little kitty cat came up and sat down beside me, patiently waiting for a scrap of food. Apparently, the area is littered with wild cats which became very obvious during the remaining days we had in CT. Anyway, I felt so sorry for the little guy, that I tossed him a bite of our pasta and wondered if it tasted as good to him as it did to us. Suddenly the spaghetti scene from Lady and the Tramp came to mind, and I finished my wine to the sound of that pudgy Italian man singing Bella Notte. It truly was.

Meow

Meow

Food lovers… ’tis the season.

Simple salad on a Wednesday

Simple salad on a Wednesday

It’s fall, HOORAY! Fall is my favorite season by far. Some think I am crazy because spring is happier, summer is warmer, and fall only means winter is near… but not to me. For me, everything is still beautiful with summer trees turning brilliant shades of gold and red, and air that is crisp in the morning and evenings, and warm enough during the day to go without a jacket. I love frequently catching the smell of burning leaves and realizing I can dig out all of my sweaters and boots that I’ve had for years. But the best thing about Fall is of course, the food.

Don’t even get me started. I could write about this forever, and I will, but over several posts throughout the season. The roasting, grilling, baking and smoking… the soups, stews, pies and breads. It truly is a magical time to eat, and I haven’t even brought up ‘football food’ or dark beer, but that’s another story.

Today I’ll keep it simple=Chicken. Buy a whole one, roast it, have it for dinner then pick off the meat and eat it for days in several different ways. It’s economical, delicious and easy. Today for lunch I made a simple salad that tasted way better than most I get at any restaurant. Here it is:
Simple Salad
- Baby spinach tossed with Iceburg lettuce (for crunch and to spread out the more expensive spinach)
- Handful of gorgonzola cheese (or goat, or feta)
- Dried cranberries
- Walnuts
- Misc.: I throw in whatever else is leftover and will taste good, today a couple of blanched broccoli spears.

Squeeze some fresh lemon juice, a dash of olive oil, ground pepper and sea salt. Delicious.

Other things I do with my leftover roasted chicken is whip up some Chicken Salad, Chicken & Broccoli w/Peanut Sauce or Chx Paninis.

Ohmmm…Yummm

There is a concept in Zen Buddhism called Shoshin, meaning ‘Beginners Mind’. It refers to being open-minded and eager when learning about something new, and letting go of preconceived ideas, concepts, techniques and methods that could prevent us from fully receiving this knowledge or experience. Now, I’m not trying to get all preachy… but this is how I try to approach life, as much as possible, including when writing this blog about poetic food.

Let’s regress… I’m no expert in food or blogging. I’ve never even taken a cooking class or grown a garden (that flourished anyway.) I am also not a professional writer, which I’m certain will become very apparent in due time. However, cooking, eating and writing are some of the things that interest me most, and so I’ve decided to use this as an opportunity to educate myself, and hopefully, inspire or at least, entertain others.

Food makes me happy for lots of reasons. It has so much potential to not only nourish our bodies, but to nourish our souls through family, friendship, charity and tradition. That is what I’m exploring here. I’ve got a lot of food experiences, stories and ideas to share and many more to discover. This is just the beginning of poetic food journey.