Goals - 2015

February is here (the time for resolutions long past), but I heard this podcast the other day about goals.  I always heard about goals and goal-setting growing up, so to actually sit down and set goals seems anathema to me.

But I have set goals in the past (even sneaky goals) and I have met them.  The cast talks about sharing goal setting and successes with other people as encouragement.  So this is my encouragement to the few cranberry blog readers I have left; along with some of my current goals.

*I stopped drinking a particular diet caffeinated beverage daily.
This was not an easy thing.  One day I woke up and I had been drinking a particular diet beverage daily for years (probably over ten years). I had a routine.

I have no qualms with caffeine, but I had also read the numerous studies that showed this beverage's negative effects.  And my dentist wasn't happy with it either.  So I switched to unsweet tea and lemonade.  My dad (famously) said it wasn't possible but I've kicked the habit.  Frankly, I think the additives were more addicting than anything else.

*I stopped using as many paper plates.
At one point, paper plates were de rigeur at my house.  But with all the changes in my life in the past year, this is one thing that that has changed.  Perhaps it helps that my kids can help load the dishwasher.

But I've moved almost completely away from paper plates.  This gives me a strange satisfaction.  It's not as if my use of paper plates (or non use) will save the environment.  But it is one small thing I can do.  And I'm also washing some dishes by hand!  That would have been unthinkable some years ago.

* I try to read a classic book each year
So this goal I haven't been so good about following.  I did read The Mill on the Floss in 2013, but I haven't been as consistent as I'd like.  Fortunately, this is an easy goal to remedy, and the only person I'm accountable to is me.

This year the goals and resolutions are similar to last year, particularly this one:
*Try new foods
Trying new foods isn't terribly difficult for me, but it is a stretch for my kids.

*Spend an hour without screens each day
This one is also difficult for my kids. We've been reading books together (which counts), and also doing experiments from this book (Totally Irresponsible Science).  In the end, it's a good practice.

*Continue to work out
My apartment complex has a workout room that my kids can use with me.  It's a great benefit (though I think we probably annoy my neighbors).  I work out regularly and am planning on walking a half marathon in May.

*Continue to volunteer
Since I now have a lot more free time, I have time to volunteer.  While I have mixed feelings about my increase in free time, it's nice to be able to volunteer for various causes.  I'm honest about how much time I can spend, and can set my own hours.

*Pass a certification test for my work
I took this test last year, and unfortunately didn't pass (although I use the software daily).  Basically the test is written multiple choice with some trick questions (depending on the version of software).  I missed passing by two or three questions.  So I'm confident that if I study this year, I will be able to pass.

Best of luck to my readers (I haven't been writing as much, of late) in setting and working towards goals.

Turning into one's parents

I was determined at sixteen not to turn into my parents.  That may have been a life goal of mine at the time.

So it's ironic some years later to realize various ways I'm turning into my parents (and admit it to my children and the internets).

- I don't order pizza delivery
It used to drive me nuts as a teenager that my parents wouldn't order pizza delivery.  I ordered pizza myself a few times as a teen.  But now - the cost of tipping the delivery person is just too much.  And it's not as if it's a lot of money.  For me, I am much more willing to drive to the pizza place and pick up pizza myself (bonus points for the frozen pizza they carry).  And when the weather is awful and I don't want to cook - I hate the idea of the pizza delivery person driving to my house.

- I have been putting meat in the freezer
My children's dad was shocked when we first moved in together that I would put bacon and sausage in the freezer.  He felt this was heresy.

But for me, now, I'm eating a lot less meat, and it could easily go bad.  So I'm putting it in the freezer, and defrosting what I need.

- I don't play the lottery
For me, playing the lottery always feels like burning money.  It must be how much I know about the math involved - it's more likely that I will be struck by lightening.  Not sure if my parents said this explicitly, but it was always implied.

One of my goals is to be frugal, not cheap.  I read about the cheap vs. frugal dynamic - being cheap is deliberately not spending money and not being concerned about quality.  Frugal is being conscious about spending money, and working towards quality.

The most important part (to my mind) is making conscious decisions.  I am consciously choosing these habits of my parents (which typically make logical sense). It would be foolish (and immature) to reject good ideas just because my parents did (or did not) choose them.  I think it's only natural that each person chooses to be like their parents in some ways, and chooses a different path in other ways.

The infamous $10 peaches

When I start driving to Utah and canning peaches, that's when it will be time to be concerned.

Holiday recap

Card Wreath 2012

I have a post about the school shooting, but I wanted to give an update on the holidays.

They have been very peaceful.  I made this card wreath from old Christmas/Holiday cards. 

I baked - a lot. I also made an awesome spicy potato salad.  My kids went rock climbing for the first time.  Many video games were played. 

The only downside was that the sugar cookies I made did not turn out and we ran out of butter to make more.  Everything else went swimmingly. 

Oh, and going to a big box store on the afternoon of Dec. 24th was insane.  Everyone else was there at the same time.

Hope everyone had a peaceful holiday!  I know it's a bittersweet season for many of my friends who've lost loved ones this year. I'm thinking of you.

Leftovers

Having leftovers for dinner used to be intensely disappointing as a child and teenager.  Of course, this is before my family had a microwave, so my Mom would reheat everything on the stove - inevitably the food wasn't heated all the way through.  Slow cookers were also problematic - there was this roast with potatoes and carrots that my family would make on Sundays - the potatoes would get brown and foul tasting.  Much like a friend of mine once said, in her family the spices were salt and pepper. 

As an adult, this was a great symbol of freedom, I had control over what I ate and didn't have to eat leftovers if I didn't want to.  I like cooking with other spices in addition to salt and pepper.

Recently, I've figured out that there are a handful of recipes that I can make and still stomach them two or three meals later.  This is progress. As a busy mom and a picky eater (also trying to watch my weight and how much I spend) - this can be complex.

*Italian Beef.  I don't know if it's actually Italian (probably not) but it involves pepperocini and guardinara (in the slow cooker). 
*Chili - My husband makes great chili - which is good on potatoes and as nachos later.
*Pulled pork - I just made pulled pork last week.  There are a handful of things I want to change next time (brining the pork) but it was pretty good and re-heats well.
*Chicken Pot Pie (you can use a pre-made pie shell and leftover chicken, frozen veggies)
*Beef with Broccoli (more difficult than you would think)
*Pad Thai - this is not made in a slow cooker - and can be sort of labor intensive.  I'll post the recipe sometime, it's really good.

Most of these are meat based, but most can be adjusted to be meat free or dairy free.

The only downside to all of this is that while my husband and I can agree on these meals - my kids are not fans.   We're still working on more vegetables and trying new things - but they seem to be a chip off the old block in terms of discerning tastes.  Ah well.  I'd rather not make a separate meal for them, but in the midst of compromises - it happens.

Food

Food has been an stressful thing for my family of origin. It's not the only stressful thing, but somehow it's up there in terms of conflict and stress.

I suppose I always knew this, but recently I've come to an increased awareness of it.  It should be simple, right? It's just food.  It's just money.

I think being aware of why things are the way they are, and accepting that - we can figure out how things can change (if they can change).

Money is where it started, as most things start with finances.  Growing up my Mom was responsible for grocery shopping and meal planning.  My Mom was a stay at home homemaker.  Money was very tight as our family kept growing on one income (four kids under the age of five, five kids under the age of eight).

Money spent on groceries must have been something my Mom could control. 

The other day, I was at the grocery store and I remembered that my Mom used to sort the food on the conveyor belt before checking out.  I was trying to figure out why she would do this.  (I would ask her why here in the present, but she would probably say she either doesn't remember doing that, or doesn't know why she did that.  So my impressions get to work for us both.)

I think she would group the crackers or vegetables together because later she would go through the receipt - line by line.  Making sure everything she bought was on the list and needed.  And probably checking the price to see how prices had gone up.

This would have happened only when she had energy.   I can't imagine how exhausting having so many young kids might be.  She also suffered from undiagnosed depression, which also would have impacted this process.

As a result, where corners could be cut, they were cut.  We never went hungry, and we always had "balanced" meals.  Not necessarily low sodium meals - lots of food from cans.

But if my Mom could buy stewed tomatoes for $.05 cents less than diced tomatoes, she would.  And she would drive to multiple stores to get the best prices. I do the same thing- but as an adult I'm aware of the cost of time, gas and other factors.  Is it really worth two gallons of gas (and the illusive environmental impact) to drive and save $.30 on a can of tomatoes?

So I think it had a lot to do with control, and with feeling successful about feeding our family.  I see commercials or tips for parents to save money on groceries - and I confess, a part of me cringes.  Saving money is a good thing. But there is a point where the quality of life suffers.  I am not saying that our quality of life suffered - but the goal is making the best tasting meals, that everyone likes, for the least amount of money - something's going to give. 
_________________________________________________
Cooking is also a skill.  Just like painting a wall, writing a paper, fixing a vacuum cleaner.  Cooking is not a "natural" talent for everyone - just because a person is a certain gender, or has a certain ethnic identity doesn't mean they will be able to cook. And it's not just cooking - again - it's cooking on a strict budget, for eight people, with a variety of tastes. My Mom had (has) some dishes she makes very well.  And my Dad did cook some of the time. 

But no matter how she felt, my Mom made dinner, for all of us.  And sometimes she was more successful than other times. And going out to eat was way too expensive. Going out was rare - so rare that I remember heated disagreements with my siblings about where we would go.  Since going out was so elusive, you wanted to make sure you went somewhere you wanted to go. 

So as adults, we have all this baggage that informs discussions and gatherings around food.  And to top it off, now some of us have food allergies or other dietary needs.  Not that anyone should be blamed for developing food allergies - it's just another thing to try and consider that makes meals much more difficult.

And just like with any group of adults - some people don't care for certain types of ethnic food, or had a bad experience at a particular restaurant chain, etc.

It makes discussing and negotiating food issues difficult. 
________________________________________________
I visited my family earlier this month.  The visit went well.  I had been sick the week before, and May is a notoriously busy month for me.  I sent my Mom an email talking about potential plans, discussing what I would be willing to make.  I didn't explicitly say that I would get groceries while I was there (with whatever they might have in their pantry) but I was planning on it. And that's usually how the routine goes - I go out and get coffee each day while I'm there (my parents have a coffeemaker?  ha!).  And I get groceries to help out - and to have a bit of my own say/control.

I arrived at my parents' house, and find out that instead my parent's would make another dish (one that I hadn't particularly liked as a child.  Did I mention I was a picky eater??)

So I had a choice, at that point, to flip out (which I probably would have done twenty years ago) or to go with the flow.

I talked about it with my Mom later - not getting angry, just curious asking her what her thought process had been.  She had seen my e-mail, and immediately thought of a reason that the meal I suggested wouldn't work ( a food allergy that as far as I know no one has) but instead of talking with me about it she just decided to make something else. 

This is pretty classic behavior for my Mom, for the record. 

Throughout the conversation, I just felt good about being able to explain my request without getting angry and confrontational.  And to make a request that in the future, she and I need to be able to discuss this type of thing.

With that said, however, food in my family of origin is pretty much like a hole in the road - it's there and not going anywhere.  I get to decide how to react, and how to make sure my needs are met.  And let the rest go.

Visions of Sugar Plums

I made Sugar Plums this year, after I saw them on a food network show some weeks ago.

Much like "Turkish Delight" from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, sometimes the desserts sound much better than they actually taste.

The sugar plums I made taste quite good if you are prepared for what they are.  And, from what I can tell, they're pretty good for you as well.

They have three different kinds of dried fruit (plums, apricots and figs), some almonds, a little powdered sugar and they're rolled in sanding sugar.  The fennel seed and cardamom add some kick to what would be simple fruit. Dried fruit has lots of fiber and vitamin c. 

They're a traditional dish from a Victorian Christmas, where fresh fruit was difficult to come by during this season.  Refined sugar would have also been hard to find during the mid-nineteenth century.

I have some photos, but they don't look terribly attractive or appetizing. At all.  So I'll leave it to your imagination of what fruitcake looks like (evidently, fruitcake is made from similar ingredients). 

I will include this photo of the festivus pole my kids painted from a table leg.  It started out just being something they painted for their dad for Christmas, but knowing festivus traditions as I do, I thought a festivus pole would make a wonderful edition for our family.  I think we will also skip the "airing of grievances" this year.  We may have feats of strength yet.

Happy holidays everyone!  Have a peaceful holiday, whatever you may celebrate.

What's in our food

One of my sisters went with us on our vacation, and her help was invaluable.  She has also recently discovered that she is lactose intolerant.  Believe it or not, this puts her in the majority.  Most people across the world (aside from Northern Europeans) have some form of lactose intolerance after childhood.  Yet cow's milk is prevalent throughout American culture/cuisine (at least). 

It was interesting trying to find restaurants/places to eat with lots of options in addition to meals prepared with milk, cheese, butter or cream cheese.  Try it sometime - it's actually pretty difficult. Desserts in particular are usually made with butter or cream (or both).  Lots of restaurants have "melts" - sandwiches with cheese, salads with cheese, etc.  It's true, you can request cheese not be added...but that's another step to the process. 

Another friend of the family is allergic to soy.  This is another ingredient that seems to be in everything!  You wouldn't think that soy would be included in pre-made cakes, chips, etc.  But as you look at labels of various processed foods...it's there.

The tension between what's convenient, and what assumptions the majority makes has always been fascinating to me.  I would have never thought about asking some fast food restaurants if they fry things with butter - but now that I'm conscious of it - I might.  I've also never thought of asking if soy is included in a list of ingredients. 

I believe it is worthwhile to ask what is in the food we eat, and also where it comes from. 

Jello!

I visited my parents a few weeks ago, and found this *gem* of a book.  If you saw this link about "mormon food", you know that most Utah mormons have at least fifteen Jello recipes!  I couldn't find a date on this book, I believe it's from the late 1960s.

My Mom did make jello (gelatin) when I was growing up - but I don't think she's made jello for at least fifteen years. And never with shredded carrots or tuna. 

Persimmon Pudding

I tried harvesting the persimmons in our backyard again this year.  For 1/4th of a cup of persimmon pulp, it was very messy. 

I ended up purchasing store bought frozen persimmon pulp.  (It was pretty exciting to find it at the grocery store).  Someday, I will make this dish with the persimmons from our backyard, but not this year!

I snipped this recipe off of another place on the internet - and it was very good!  The pudding smelled like pumpkin pie while baking, and the texture is like a soft brownie. It goes well with whipped cream.

Persimmon Pudding*
Preheat the oven to 325 °F.  I used a glass baking dish 9 x 13.
In a large bowl combine:                  

2 Cups flour          
2 tsp. baking powder  
½ tsp. baking soda      
1 tsp. salt
1/8th tsp. ground cloves 
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

Thoroughly mix these dry ingredients with a whisk.

In another large bowl combine:

2 Cups persimmon pulp
1 ¾  Cups sugar 
¾ Stick softened butter
3 Cups milk
2 large eggs

Cream  together butter and sugar, then milk, eggs and persimmon pulp.  Then slowly beat in the dry ingredients. 
Some slight lumpiness from the persimmon pulp or butter is expected. 

Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake in the oven for about an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean and the edges get slightly caramelized.  When removed from the oven, they usually fall and pull the caramelized edges inward. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

*best with American or Midwestern persimmons - not Asian persimmons.

No pitch-in this year

Remember when I was complaining about the office pitch-in some years ago?

Thankfully this year it's already December 8th, and no mention. It would be well under way by this point. I'm not saying anything.

I don't want to seem like a scrooge - but I'm happy that we're not going through with it this year. I wish I could say everyone was donating to a food pantry or something - but no.

Simply no holiday cookies or special cheese dip.

I have to admit, there's a part of me that misses the tradition - but part of me is happy to let it go - this year.

TVP veggie chili

TVP is Texturized Vegetable Protein

I was a vegetarian for three years back in high school.  Despite being a vegetarian (still eating cheese and eggs) all that time, I had never heard of TVP.

I learned about it only recently at a dinner party with friends.  They had made these yummy enchiladas with tvp. The tvp almost tasted like chicken, which is quite a feat.  They are skilled vegetarians - and I think had been vegan at some point.

I  went out on a limb yesterday and made veggie chili with tvp.  I used veggie broth to reconstitute the tvp.  The texture was more like ground beef (in the chili) than chicken. I'm sure that skill comes with practice.

While tvp might have been hard to find at some point, I found it at my local grocery store in the pasta/grain aisle (next to the corn meal).

The result tasted great!  I took the chili to a gathering where there was also regular chili - lots  of people could not tell the difference. In fact, my veggie chili was originally mis-labeled as the beef chili.  I sincerely hope no one's diet has been thrown off. 

Sadly, I do not have a  photo of my veggie chili - it is all gone.

I doubt tvp is terribly local - as it is a processed food of sorts.  But otherwise, it's not terribly expensive and very filling.  And, since it's made with soy - very good for you.

PS. Usually beer (Guinness) is a great base for chili - but for this chili we used veggie broth instead. 

Here were my ingredients for an extra large crock pot:

2 cans of tomatoes
2 cans of black beans
2 cans of kidney beans
2 cups of tvp -texturized vegetable protein, reconstituted
1 box/can of veggie broth
1 onion
2 green peppers
olive oil (to saute onion and green pepper)
crushed corn chips (if needed to thicken)

Spices:
salt, pepper
ground cumin
paprika
dried jalepeno flakes
cayenne pepper (to taste)

Basically, I chopped up the onion and green pepper and sauteed them in olive oil.  Then I put all the spices in with the onion and green pepper until the onion was clear and the green pepper was cooked.  I put all the cans of ingredients in the crock pot with the onions and green peppers (and spices).  Then, I reconstituted  the tvp with two cups of boiling veggie broth.  There are instructions on the bags of tvp. I then added the tvp to the chili and let it simmer overnight.  I did have to add crushed corn chips to thicken the chili - probably around two handfuls of corn chips.

Grocery Store Eggs vs. Locally produced Eggs

I read The Omnivore's Dilemma last year for book club. It was a great book and thought-provoking.  I think it is important to think about where we get our food, and the impact that our food has on the environment.

Our local farmer's market sells eggs.  Typically, the eggs sell out before we get there (10:30 in the morning or so). 

One of the assertions in the book was that the quality of the eggs raised at a local farm might be different.  They would have a darker yellow yolk and taste differently. There was a particular farm that Pollan visited that raised/sold these types of eggs.

I haven't tried a taste test yet between the two versions: the eggs I bought in the grocery store and the eggs I bought at the farmer's market. 

For me, I perceive that the eggs from the farmer's market (with their brown eggshells) taste better. When I use the eggs in food that I prepare, I feel it tastes better.  But is that my perception?  Would I be able to tell the difference if I didn't know which egg was which?

I don't have a better photo than this one.  The egg on the left is from the locally owned free range farm. The egg on the right was bought from the grocery store - presumably some form of caged chicken egg producing operation.  The color of the yolk (again, it's not a great photo) is almost identical.  Also, the yolk on the right seems to be a bit larger (I didn't actually measure the diameter).

I may try the blind taste test, I might not.  I was just interested in trying this experiment.  After reading Pollan's book, I was assuming that the difference would be obvious in almost all eggs.  It's more nuanced than that.

I will still buy eggs from the farmer's market - I am still conscious of the food I eat and prepare and where it comes from.  This post isn't meant to change that. I

t does reinforce my need to continue to investigate and be skeptical of what I read.  To research for myself - from all different types of sources.  I don't think anyone in the local food movement has suggested otherwise.  I encourage my readers to research these types of things for themselves as well. I believe blindly accepting any point of view, however logical or valid the point of view may be - is not always the best way to go. 

Rhubarb

My father in law loves rhubarb. If you haven't had rhubarb before, it looks like celery, but tastes very tangy and a little sweet. *

We have two rhubarb plants in our garden. This year, due to all the rain) the rhubarb is thriving and has stayed alive longer than usual (usually rhubarb is done around July).

This is one of the recipes I found from an Mennonite cookbook. A Wooden Spoon Baking Memoir by Marilyn Moore

Rhubarb Crisp
Crumb crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
8 Tbsp. butter

Filling:
4 cups sliced rhubarb
1 pkg. strawberry gelatin

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Prepare crumb crust mixing flour and sugar. (I recommend using a Cuisinart if you have one.) Cut in butter.
3. Place one half of the crumb crust in an 8 x 8 x 2 baking dish. Pat into an even layer.
4. Prepare filling. Spread rhubarb slices over crumb layer. Sprinkle gelatin powder over rhubarb.
5. Sprinkle remaining crumb crust evenly.
6. Bake 45 minutes or until crust is brown and filling is bubbly. Cool.

This recipe works well with vanilla ice cream!

*PS. You can eat rhubarb raw but I don't recommend it. It tastes much better baked in pies, crisps and in jam or jelly.

writing on hands

I have a well-known poor memory for some things - particularly conversations and interactions. Also for people's names. I remember faces pretty well, but the names are sometimes lost. I come by it honestly.

(As an aside, I think genetics or something must play into this - some people seem to be better at different types of recollection. I don't often get lost, and I *do* typically remember birthdays; I did before social networking reminders. I have friends who are easily lost, but who remember conversations from years ago almost word for word).

Throughout high school and college, I would write things on my hand to remember them. Perhaps it wasn't the best way to remind myself, but it usually worked. And it was fairly common for teenagers who were my age - I was certainly not the only person who did that.

I wrote on my hand despite infrequent warnings from well-meaning teachers or other adults that I/we could get ink poisoning (is that even possible??).

I stopped writing on my hand at my first "real" job, where I felt I had to look more professional. And I've survived since that time. I wonder if teenagers still write on their hands? Everyone has blackberries now, text and e-mail alerts. So my guess is that they do not.

It's not terribly attractive or effective (if you wash your hands multiple times during the day, you have to re-write whatever phrase it was you needed to remember). And one would think something like "homework" would be a standing order.

Needless to say, there is a food pantry drive at work. I am 100% supportive of the food pantry. Due to the economy, a lot of people and families are hurting. I don't think charity should happen only at the holidays. I will observe, the reminders, e-mails and signs peppered throughout the building are a bit much. Adults are going to give, or they won't give.

Yet despite the multiple e-mail reminders, I kept forgetting to bring in my food donation. I had it planned out. I knew what we would donate. But somehow between getting ready for work in the morning and getting my coffee - it would slip my mind.

Friends, I seriously considered writing "food" on my hand to remember. Perhaps my forgetting was my sub-conscious reaction to any pressure to donate to a charity (I am not someone who responds well to pressure tactics - I'll respond the opposite way, most of the time).

The point is now moot, since I remembered to bring in the food donation this morning.

I was simply remembering when I used to write on my hand to remind myself of things. And grateful that I didn't have to stoop to that level this time.

Tastes like bagels

One of the parts of parenthood that I'm getting used to is that despite one's best intentions, some conflicts still occur.

I had every intention of raising four year olds who would eat all sorts of vegetables, from asparagus to zucchini. I was not going to be the mom who struggled trying to get her children to eat their veggies. I've read lots of books. I've tried recipes from lots of books. And yet here we are.

Turns out they are just as (picky) discerning as I was as a child.

Needless to say, we still ask them to try everything on their plates. They don't have to clear their plates, they don't have to eat cold mac and cheese in the morning, but they at least need to try various foods.

It was stunning at their last checkup, when the doctor asked my son what his favorite food was, he said beans. I thought - who are you, and what have you done with my son??!? But he does appear to like green beans, the fresh green beans that we steam with a little olive oil and salt.

My husband made couscous the other night. It took awhile before anyone was hungry, but eventually the statement was made, "we can't go outside until you eat your couscous". My daughter tried it, and exclaimed "it tastes like bagels!"

I'll explain. My son likes bagels, a lot. So whenever he tries something and likes it, he says it tastes like bagels - whether or not it actually tastes like a bagel.

With each new food we introduce (and re-introduce), and remind them that they have tried before and liked the last time they tried it...we work towards a more diverse mealtime. Maybe someday we'll be able to try falafel.

Kasha

One of my all time favorite breakfast foods is cracked wheat. It must be the Ukrainian in me. I was shocked, while in Russia, to find this dish called something else (kasha). From what my host family said, there are five different types of kasha (which wikipedia supports). I knew about wheat, corn and oats, but not the others.

Cracked wheat is pretty much like mainlining fiber.

My parents had lots of wheat lying around, so they would use a home grinder to make flour (or cracked wheat). You can also buy pre-cracked wheat packaged at most grocery stores here in the states (I've been able to find it there).

The worst part about it is that it takes around twenty minutes to cook, which is around nineteen minutes and thirty seconds too long for me in the mornings. Like oatmeal, it can also be messy.

You can add honey or jam (with cream) but I prefer plain old granulated sugar and milk.

Not sure why I was thinking about cracked wheat or kasha this morning, but I was. Now I'm wondering if my kids would try it.

Host Family

At some point, I will have to write some in depth posts about my study in Russia, my amazing family, my life-altering experiences, etc.

This is not that post (but one may be forthcoming).

On msn I saw an article about a foreign exchange student that was starved with the caption "Would you send your kids abroad"?

Well, I don't know about what happened there.

I do know, with my host family and our group of American college students - most everyone GAINED fifteen pounds. Not only is Russian food wonderful - it's also full of fat. Most everything is cooked in butter or "macla" - oil. They have this wonderful sour cream "smetana" - that is so different from typical bland American sour cream. They must put some sort of lard in it or something - it just tastes more rich.

To describe a dish I remember - perogis (potato dumplings, like ravoli) served with grilled onions (grilled in butter) - with smetana on the side.

Because of the generous living allowance given to the families, typically meat was on the menu. Each night. Woe to any vegetarians who want to try and stick it out for four months. There were options - but most of the food there is heavily meat based.

The family was only on the hook for two meals (breakfast and dinner) but most of the conservative matriarchs in the families didn't trust any food made outside the home. This translated, for one of my friends into being sent to school "the university" with "buterboards" (sandwiches) - salami and cheese.

These same conservative matriarchs were incredibly concerned that we ate enough, that when we returned to the States, that our families would know that we had been well fed. I believe it's a cultural thing. It just makes me laugh - we were all very fortunate that our host families took the "host" and "family" labels very seriously.