Food and Travel

Jeff and I just took a four day trip to Astoria Oregon. It is a very historical place with lots of architecture that they are working hard to preserve. 

Astoria is a beautiful place, it sits on the Columbia River just around the corner from the Pacific ocean. On this trip we decided to do some critiquing of the local fare at all of the restaurants that we visited. We chose clam chowder to be the one dish that we tested at each place as it seems that every restaurant claims to have the best.

The first night Thursday we ate at a place called "The Silver Salmon" we tried to eat at Charlies Chowder but it wasn't open. The Silver Salmon was a very nice place with with interesting art on the walls, all done with crayons by customers during a 5 hour annual coloring contest. We were amazed at the talent. We had clam chowder to start and then Jeff had Fish and Chips which he liked very much and I had a Seafood Caesar Salad it had dungenous crab, shrimp and clams. It had the potential to be really good but was drenched in dressing. The clam chowder was delicious it was similar to New England style but with its own twist. It turned out to be our favorite chowder of the three we tried. But the meal was very expensive, the most expensive one we had during our four day stay.

The next morning We ate at The Coffee Girls Cafe inside the old Cannery at Pier 39. We actually drove out onto the pier, Jeff was a bit nervous about driving onto a old wooden pier but it seemed to hold up fine. This coffee house is the original one that served the cannery workers from as far back as the 1930's. Below is a picture of one of the girls that served up coffee and pie back then.

This place had a lot of history, we checked out the cannery museum after breakfast and it was very interesting. Jeff had a breakfast panini which he enjoyed very much with coffee. I had a bagel with cream cheese and locally smoked lox with red onion and house made fresh pickles. It was fabulous! I also had a Breve and it was very good. We would eat there again breakfast cost $25.00.
Check back for more on our visit later this week.

Memories

Its Pickling Time Again

At my house we make our own pickles. Jeff (my hubby) insists on having my Aunt Cara's bread and butter pickles on our pantry shelves at all times. So when we run out I have to make more. My Aunt Cara was one of the best cooks I have ever known. She worked as a cafeteria lady for many many years in Atmore Alabama. That was back when school lunches were made from scratch and consisted of real food. On summer trips during my childhood I remember huge meals served outside in the garden that consisted of biscuits, homemade fig preserves, boiled peanuts, fresh lima beans, fresh green beans, cornbread and chicken or ham. I'm sure there were greens but I didn't like them back then so I would snub my nose at them. On other visits I remember sitting on the back steps of my Aunt Neoma's boarding house shelling peas, or snapping beans for the meal she would be preparing that evening for her boarders. This was the same boarding house where my mother married my father in 1958. It was a wonderful time, those summer weeks spent in Atmore with my mothers family. 

Having these pickles on hand is a great way for me to keep those memories alive. Too bad I don't have her fig preserve recipe, my husband had the pleasure of tasting them many years a go and he wishes I could recreate them. They were the best he had ever had.

Did Your Senator Vote to Hide Your Right to Know!

GMO's   They're not going away!
Recently there was a bill voted on by the Senators of this country to take away our right to know when there are GMO's present in our food. It passed and is now on its way to the house and if it passes there it will end up on the President's desk.

 In case you are not familiar with GMO's or really don't understand how important an issue this is I would love to be the one that clues you in on this highly volatile subject.

The term GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. I could use this space to fill your head with all kinds of information about how they effect the food that is grown on this planet and the problems associated with them. But instead I am going to direct you to a pinterest board that really pulls it all together in one place. You can take your own sweet time and look at all of the pins that you would like to.

This board is full of great information please take the time to review it. Your health and your childrens/grandchildrens health depends on it. So does the health of our planet.

Here is the link to the pinterest board:
https://www.pinterest.com/bettymuse1114/no-gmo-4-america/?utm_campaign=category_rb&e_t=d2b9475d01fa4c808f9958726e75357c&utm_content=390335561392584648&utm_source=31&utm_term=1&utm_medium=2011

Fresh Veggies coming out of the Garden

On my home from work tonight I was thinking about dinner. I knew I had some left over roasted tomatoes and a jar of Peppadew peppers these really great little red peppers that grow in Africa. They come in a jar of sweet and tangy vinegar and are the total bomb. I love it when I find them on an olive bar, pared with some cheese and baba ganoush. But tonight I made a kind of Antipasta with the tomatoes (including some of the oil that they come in), the peppadew peppers, cubes of Kerry Gold extra sharp Reserve Cheddar then added cucumbers from the garden and put it all on top of salad greens from the garden as well and cubes of leftover grilled chicken breast. I sprinkled that with some white balsamic vinegar and added a side of garlic hummus. What a delicious light dinner for a warm summer night.

For Dessert I made a chocolate sauce with 1 cup of dark chocolate melting wafers and 1- 1/2 cups half and half. I warmed that slowly in a sauce pan until the chocolate was fully melted and then added 1 tsp vanilla, stirred that all up and poured it over fresh strawberries. Couldn't ask for a better finish.

Saying good bye to my raspberries but Hello to the Leaves!

I was lamenting over the fact that my raspberries are winding down and that my morning berry bowl that I had been enjoying was going to be put off for yet another year when I was reminded about how full of minerals those raspberry leaves are.

We all need minerals for good health but as we age we need even more.  Minerals are critical building blocks needed for optimum functioning of the nervous system, the immune system, and all muscles including the heart. The production of hormones also requires large amounts of minerals. During menopause 30 to 60 times more hormones are produced than at any other time of a woman's life. If the diet is not mineral-rich the deficit is drawn out of women's bones. This also effects men however it is less talked about. Getting the needed amount however can be challenging. Adding yet another bottle of tincture or pills to your morning regimen can be quite daunting. And these methods are not optimal ways of getting the amount of minerals we really need.

However if we add a glass of tea to our daily routine that's way more manageable and actually quite delicious. Raspberry leaf, stinging nettle, comfrey, red clover blossoms, and oatstraw are all high mineral herbs and are very good for menopausal women. Other ways to get your needed minerals:  Drink 1-2 cups nourishing herbal infusion each day like tea. Eat wild plants in salads, many can be taken from your garden or yard.  Dress your salads with olive oil, tamari, and 1-2 tablespoons of an herbal vinegar. These are easy to make at home; just add herbs to your favorite vinegar bottle and let sit for a week or two and you have herbal infused vinegar. Getting our mineral intake from natural sources like herbs is completely safe and we do not need to be overly concerned about getting too much. Our bodies utilize them much more effectively. 

Minerals are plentiful in well-balanced diets composed of organic whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, dairy products (especially yogurt), seafoods (especially seaweeds), and small amounts of meat. But if your diet is only partially organic, or if you limit it (by choice or necessity), or if you are menopausal, you need extra minerals.

So make your next glass of tea from one or more of the herbs I have mentioned and know that you are helping your body stay strong and healthy into your later years. You will need to place your herb/herbs into a heat proof container and pour warm to hot water over them. Let them steep for at least 8 hours this allows all of the minerals to be released along with any other nutrients the plant might contain. I like to steep mine overnight then add cold water to it and take to work with me to sip on throughout the day. It's ok to add lemon and sweetener to your tea they will not affect the nutrient content. See my post on Sugar and Sugar Substitutes to get a full understanding of the best sweeteners to use. 

The Big Salt Debate..Which ones are really ok!

The Big Salt Debate

From my book:

Healthy Food that Tastes Great! ……….                           

And everything you Really need to know about the Healthy way to feed your family

It's just a working title, I will probably change it before I have it published but for now it works. It says what I want to get across to readers.

As for Salt;

There is only one salt that we use in our home and its called Real Salt by a company called Redmond. As its name implies Redmond RealSalt® is-well, real salt. "Real salt, as opposed to what you might ask?"

Very simply, RealSalt® as opposed to the so-called "salt" most people unsuspectingly use. It may surprise many people, but in its natural form, salt is not sparkling white or free flowing. Actually, the "table salt" and many sea salts most people are familiar with have been bleached, refined, and mixed with anti-caking agents and iodine. Many so-called "table salts" also contain sugar, in the form of dextrose-meant to cover or disguise an otherwise harsh and bitter flavor. In fact, a quick glance at the ingredients label on most "table salt" products might surprise you! In addition to sodium chloride, you'll probably find calcium silicate or sodium silicoaluminate, dextrose, and potassium iodide. 

 

By contrast, Redmond RealSalt® is real salt-unrefined and natural, free from any additives or chemicals of any kind. Real Salt has colored specks in it that may cause some to ask what these specks are.  So, I went to their website and this is what I found.

Real Salt’s unique "pinkish" appearance and flecks of color come from more than 50 natural trace minerals, including iodine. By contrast, other so-called "table salts" are white because of bleaching and refining.  RealSalt® comes from an ancient salt deposit near the small town of Redmond, Utah, more than 150 miles south of the Great Salt Lake.

Today there are actually other forms of good salt available in health food stores and some gourmet stores. Examples are Himalayan Pink Salt, Grey Salt, Black Salt and others, Eden has a true sea salt. Just read the label and make sure the additives that I mentioned above are not present. 

What are the Health Benefits of Salt?

"Sodium is crucial for maintaining the health of every cell in the human system. It permeates the fluid between cells (often called the ‘extracellular fluid') and potassium exists mainly on the inside of the cells (in the ‘intracellular fluid')...If either of these minerals is deficient or in excess, cell permeability becomes compromised and the health of all the cells suffers.
 
Besides being a component of extracellular fluid that bathes every living cell, sodium is important in two other ‘salty oceans' in the body-our blood and our lymphatic fluid. It is also necessary for the production of hydrochloric acid, the digestive enzyme secreted by the stomach in order to digest protein. Along with potassium, sodium is required for the proper functioning of our nerves and the contraction of our muscles...
With the many crucial roles sodium plays, it's clear that if we had no sodium, we would cease to exist.


Ann Louise Gittleman author of Total Health in volume 2 notes that "Reducing sodium too much can be just as harmful as consuming large amounts of it. Too little can cause spasms, poor heart rhythms, sudden death and even increase the risk of heart attack in hypertensive patients." I was told several years ago when RealSalt® came on the market by a friend and health practitioner that I should change my whole family over to this salt as its actually beneficial to our health and as my husband was prone to high blood pressure I decided to give it a try. He and everyone in our family use this salt and he his blood pressure stays under control. So make sure to get your salt just be sure to choose the right one.