Dinner. (A.K.A. Delighting in Disaster)

While it is certainly improving, rare impossible is the moment in my house when everyone is simultaneously seated, still, focused, and pleasant. Evan and I wish we could have such moments, especially at meals, more often. While the blogging world seems to magnify mostly perfection and that one perfectly panached cupcake, I often wonder how often they are just displaying their one percent.  In my life, at least, that is the way it seems to be. (In case you were wondering, frosting is, in fact, my complete nemesis). Meal times certainly have their share of stress. Even when we try and calm minds with a prayer, two kids are bickering before it even begins, then admonishing at high decibels because the other feels that they did it wrong. Someone is sneaking food. Someone is sneaking boogers. We are snarking. One son is walking around the table in circles incessantly, drinks are spilled, food is spit, someone doesn't like sauce or food touching or anything green or how the chicken is cut--Oy!

Oddly, this ritual is desirable. Even when it is a mess, it is mine. After an especially intense and lengthy season of our lives with grad school and too much work, and too many late hours, I admire that we try hard to have dinner together as often as possible. (Did you know that only 28% of Americans had dinner together seven days a week in 2003?). This table, where I can look simultaneously at the three faces, who in only moments are outgrowing my lap, is my treat. These tinies are my terroir; my land and my soil.

Unsurprisingly, there may be much to be learned from how the french create and even sanctify family dinner. In French Kids Eat Everything, I love the Food Rules. In a conversation with her friend she is reminded that north americans only see food as a commodity or fuel and consume it constantly and unmindfully. They live to eat rather than eat to live. Living in it's broader and best sense, of course, means hearing, enjoying, tasting, experiencing, fellowshipping.  But, really, how probable is all that with three small children?

In the book Karen Le Billon makes the assertion that the French never eat without putting a tablecloth on the table. She describes the joy of getting the table "dressed" and says that doing so and lighting candles has a "hypnotic effect on (the children) who spoke in hushed tones throughout the entire meal." In my own house it is also true. The kids are much more eager and attentive when they get assigned to "make the table more beautiful"  If they must put the silverware on, they also love adding adornments of candles or flowers. They love making celebrations, having feasts, preparing picnics.

We have also been playing little games at the table that nurture quietness and attentiveness to the words of others. Sometimes it is "bat ears" where one person has to whisper and everyone else cups their hands over their ears facing outwards to catch the whisper. Sometimes we also play telephone, passing silly phrases from one to the next. In small ways these games help us capture little bits of silence.

I'm working harder at savoring, not scorning, all of the moments and even the mess because, as I'm also reminded while it is too easy to just see food as fuel, it is also a love story.

Lately our seeds are started and we are waiting about six more weeks for our garden to start producing. Meanwhile here's one night's worth of dinner.

Salad

• shaved carrots
• fried shallots  $1.00
• mixed greens 3 cups $3.00

Roasted peppers with polenta

• 1 red pepper $1
• two corn cobs $2.00
• 2 summer squash $1.50
• 4 large carrots $1.00
• sun dried tomato polenta make your own $0.75

Pesto

• 0.75 lbs of pecans $4.50 (Checking pine nuts in the store this week, they were up to $20/lb. The pinion trees are facing some harsh realities).
• 6 large handfuls of basil (free from garden or indoor pots) or $4.00
• 0.5 cups olive oil $0.50
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast $0.50
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Total cost: $19.75
Price per person: $3.29

Mix pesto first by combing all ingredients in a food processor.

Shave one carrot for the light salad. Cube the remaining carrots, squash, pepper, and corn into chunks. Set broiler to low and cook pepper and corn for 7 min and squash and carrots for 15 or until they come out slightly blackened.

Dice the scallions. Next pan fry the scallions until crispy and the polenta in 1/4 inch slices for 4-5 mn each slide with pesto in pan halfway through.

Serve the pesto cold on top of the hot polenta and vegetables with the salad greens and scallions on the side.

Enjoy!

PS: What ways have you found to make peace at your table?

Stone Soup Rocks!

New development. Starting in August, we have been homeschooling around here. My newest hat is first grade teacher. There are many reasons why this made sense for us right now. I'm sure I will bore you with all of them soon enough. It is more demanding, but also more rewarding then I ever thought possible. So, a ladle of some of what I am enjoying the most? Those impromptu lessons that you can savor right out of books. Those connections from fresh food to fork. Using dangerous appliances and sharp objects. And watching some little boys cooking and taking ownership over that domain.

A few days ago the boys were begging me to read our antique copy of Stone Soup. Many versions of this story exist, but the one we have with the most comical illustrations is by William Furstenberg and Hans Wilhelm.

If you have never heard of this story it is a morality tale all about how all the people in the town are too greedy to share their surplus of food with some unexpected traveling guests because they fear those which they do not know. (Where else do we begin making peace then around our own tables?) The guests outsmart and guilt the greedy and piggish (pun intended) townspeople into bringing out all their stores of food from the ridiculous places they have hidden them, inside the cupboards, in the well, under the bed. . So one by one the concealed items are brought forward and plopped into the water and the cooperative effort ends up making, of course, soup.

My kids love this story. And it's a punchy lesson for grownups too. So on that day, THE KIDS decided to make up their own recipe for Stone Soup. (Mama helped, a wee bit). And it just so happens to be quite frugal, so we thought we'd include it here.

In a large crock pot add:
A handful of smooth well washed rocks (a crazy paranoid science mom, who checks those things, says don't include any of these... because I am sure that you keep piles of asbestos in your kitchen).

• 2 tsp of salt
• Pepper to taste, but leave out the pepper if you are seven 
• 3 Tbsp of rosemary ~ $0.50
• 4 Tbsp of oregano ~ $0.50
• half a cabbage ~ $1.00
• 4 diced carrots ~$1.50
• 1/2 a white onion ~ $0.75
• 5 diced potatoes ~ $1.75
• 1 lb of cured ham ~ $5.50
• 2 cups of whole milk or cream ~$0.74

Enough water to just cover all the ingredients. Set to cook on lowest temperature. When 30 minutes to hour is left add the milk or cream.

We just cooked our rocks in our soup. If you are sneaky or paranoid you can "magically" take the rocks out while the kids aren't looking and use a separate pot. My kids were really convinced they would, and rather disappointed when they didn't, melt. But, nevertheless, they still cooked and ate with atypical zeal!

For a yummy addition check out these honey breadsticks.

• water
• 3 Tbsp honey ~ $0.66
• 2 Tbsp of olive oil ~$0.20
• 3/4 tsp of salt
• 2 cups of whole wheat flour$2.56
• 3 tsp of yeast ~ $0.50

Fresh homemade butter for serving: $2.25
Serves 8. Total = $18.41
or  $2.30/ person

Mill to Market

To my knowledge there are no working water grain mills in Oklahoma. However, in visiting family in Arkansas in recent years one theme that has emerged is learning about old mills. Talk about innovations in sustainable energy!

The constant thumping is a reminder of the wheel slapping the water and pulling in bucketfuls of water to spin and make the internal wheel grind up grain. Watching the internal mill turn is mesmerizing to kids and adults alike.

Image in Public Domain.

Just beyond Oklahoma, near Rogers, Arkansas you can visit the fully operational War Eagle Mill where a fully functional water wheel grain mill operates on a site where this was first done in 1832. The lumber mill that was also formerly here provided most of the lumber to build most of Northwest Arkansas. Lessons in trials and tenacity can be learned from this business that washed away in 1848, was a source of strategic conflict between the Confederate and Union army before the Confederates burned it to the ground in 1862, and burning again in 1924. Despite historic hardships, in 1974 the mill was rebuilt. Today the Roenigk family continues to recognize the importance of this historic and sustainable place and through their business provides a market for local organic farmers, while continuing to provide healthy whole grain options for family suppers.

Enjoy the restaurant above the scenic river, admire the architecture of the bridge, bring a fishing pole, learn about outhouses. And while you are there make sure to go and visit the adjacent Hobbs State Park and their wonderful nature center.

Some other mills that are fun to visit:

• The historic Inn at the Mill in Fayetville where you can see the site of the oldest business in Arkansas.

• The Old Mill in North Little Rock. While this site is purely a historical fabrication, it still provides a great visualization about how these old mills worked and what buildings built in this region in the early 1800s would have looked like. The faux wooden sculptures and elaborate bridges created by Dionico Rodriguez are quite amazing. It captivates the imagination and also has stunning grounds maintained by the local master gardener chapter. 

Where do you like to go, in Oklahoma, or otherwise to visit historical agro-businesses? What do you love about stone ground grains?

"Bats in a Cave" with Fruit Salad

Sometimes we play with our food and make cheesy object lesson recipes. (What, you don't?) So we made some meatballs and then decided to turn them into bats. It goes with our cave theme. With a little ketchup you can make anything smile, at least that's what four year old Connor thinks. We peeled the carrots to look like the bones in the phalanges of the bat's wings. And in case you have an utter lack of imagination, I should inform you that the breadsticks decorating the plate in various sizes are to make stalactites and stalagmites. (Obviously). And also that some bats really like to eat fruit, and incidentally so do we!

 

Make some rolls. Get an early start two hours before dinner. We used the River Cottage Cookbook French bread recipe and just cooked it in strips at 400 for 12 minutes. The kids had fun making them different sizes.
Cost for 1 loaf bread: 
~ $3.96

Meatballs with wraps

• 1 1b beef ~ $6.75
• 1/2  lb carrots ~ $0.68
• 3/4 small cabbage head ~ $1.93
• 1/3 c oatmeal or flour (I used oatmeal) ~ $0.36
• 2 eggs ~ $0.34
• 2 1/2 T soy sauce ~$0.10
• 3/4 tsp powdered ginger ~ $0.10
• 1/3 onion sautéed ~ $0.50
• Splotches of ketchup for face

First saute the onion. Mix raw beef with oatmeal,  eggs, ginger, soy sauce and sauteed onion. Form into golf ball size balls.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.


Peel the carrots and peel cabbage in whole sheets.
After the meat has cooked use two meatballs for body and head, cabbage sheet for wings, and carrots for arm bones.

$10.76

Fruit Salad

• 1/2 small seedless watermelon (about 4 lbs) ~ $3.00
• 3 medium apples ~ $1.20
• Handful Chocolate mint (in my herb garden)
• 1 TBSP lemon juice

Mix right before eating. Enjoy!
$4.20

Total Menu cost $18.92 or $3.19/ each