Winter sometimes requires a little ingenuity to keep one from feeling cooped up. Though it is my daughter that inspires some of my crazy ideas, my spirit has also been benefiting from the fun. So far, this winter has been one of the mildest I can remember so I can’t complain. Perhaps it is because of the frequent sun and 40 degree spells that I still have the energy to make the major snow days a fun treat.

Last week, after a big snowfall, we played reindeer and pulled the girls about a half mile in their sleds to a local coffee shop where we wrapped our hands around warm drinks before heading home. It was a memorable winter adventure and a fantastic workout.

Today, we had another snow storm bringing about 7 inches in 8 hours. While retrieving Mini Whipped from school, Baby Whipped fell asleep in her car seat. Since the “transfer” to crib normally doesn’t work, I decided we needed to find a way to spend more time in the car. I announced that we were having a picnic for lunch.

Mini Whipped was curious and excited. We found a drive-thru, headed to lake Michigan and parked our car as close to the water as we could. Perhaps most exciting of all, Mini Whipped was allowed to sit in the front seat. We talked about how the marina water became frozen when the big lake was not, we watched the dozens of Canada geese sleeping on the ice and we wrote our names in the condensation that formed on the windows. It was fun. Really fun. Though today was our first winter car picnic, it will not be our last.

We just enjoyed our traditional Greek New Year’s cake, Vasilopita. I added a little flair this time with the 2012 “stencil” before dusting the yellow cake with confectioner’s sugar. This year, I wasn’t worried about receiving the piece of cake with the hidden, lucky coin baked inside. This year, I am making my own luck. My new year’s resolution is to change my wavelength. Let me explain…

For a number of reasons, 2011 was a noteworthy year for us. On Valentine’s Day, Baby Whipped was born. I was not able to take much of a maternity leave and as I adjusted to the new balancing act of two children, I also had the busiest year on record at my consulting business. Similarly, my husband had a busy year at work, which included more travel than in the past three years. Throw in a number of broken appliances, Mini Whipped starting preschool and a sprinkling of family problems and you have all the ingredients that cooked up our memorable year.

Though there were many good times in 2011, we have not had time to reflect on them or enjoy them for long. Our lives have been reduced to minutes. At times, a few red lights brought anxiety as the lost moments felt as if they brought noticeable consequences to necessary productivity.  Every inch of the day has been accounted for in order to try to keep our ship afloat. The less urgent needs have been continually pushed to the back burner causing an attic overflowing with “stuff,” phone calls unreturned, and a long list of chores that were put off for a “later” that never came.

My husband recently made a good analogy. Financially, we are fortunate that we do not live paycheck to paycheck. But, we spend every ounce of our energy in a similar fashion leaving no reserves. Our normal schedule has been so exhausting that we end each day too tired to even think. When unexpected challenges arose (like repeated appliance problems or our car breaking down while driving on the highway), I went into a tailspin. I didn’t have a thread of coping energy left.

This tight schedule and daily cycle has created a wavelength that must change. I imagine the monitor of a hospital that measures pulse but instead of only pulse, this screen displays daily energy expenditure, big thoughts, meditations, and regular movements. My pattern has become filled with jagged lines, a few high spikes and a number of quick, sharp downturns.  There are no more rolling hills and valleys, no uplifting waves of blue sky thinking and no slow climbing arches of meditation.

A few months back, I was fortunate to hear Ferran Adria speak. He is a famous chef with a brilliant mind who discussed, through his Spanish translator, his thoughts on creativity, generosity of spirit and pushing boundaries. As he philosophized about how one must make time and space for the ultimate creativity, I felt my mind soaring like an eagle over the edge of a clif. It was exhilirating. It was a feeling I hadn’t enjoyed in a long time. With a renewed taste of that freedom and mental space, I realized that something had to change. The next day, I made some big decisions. I began to make changes that would help me and my family find some energy reserves again. And, these changes will offer me time now and then to find my blue sky – a world where rationality has no place.

My plan for 2012 is to change my wavelength. I am aiming for a few broad, high reaching, rolling waves to accompany the fast and busy ups and downs of motherhood and daily work. Breaking inertia is always hard so I know that it will not be easy.

If I have not lost your attention with this long post, I thank you for reading. Writing a blog is a often like standing in a bright spotlight delivering a monologue to an unknown audience. To make it more of a conversation, perhaps you would like to share your hopes, dreams or simple resolutions for the coming year?

From looking at this unassuming facade, it is hard to know that miracles are happening just inside the door. My family visited the LakeView Pantry last week to drop off a donation and we are still in awe of all that is done in this small building to help those in need.

Writing a food blog is so enjoyable for me and I know I am fortunate to have the resources to do it. Sometimes, I feel a bit of hestitation about how much time is spent cooking, photographing, talking and sharing about our abundance of delicious foods when I know that so many people do not know where their next meal is coming from.

In the same way that I am drawn to the consumption of food and drink, I am drawn to food-related causes. Our family began donating to money to the Lakeview Pantry a few years ago. With two little kids, we have not been able to volunteer as I would have liked. This holiday, Mini Whipped is 3 1/2 and we decided that it was time to introduce her to charity and help her understand our good fortune.

The kind people at the Lakeview Pantry agreed to give us a tour when we dropped off our donation. My husband and I explained to Mini Whipped what a food pantry is and that we were going to give some of our money to them to help those that are less fortunate. We had Mini Whipped bring her purse with some of her money (piggy bank funds and birthday gifts) but we told her that she could decide if she wanted to give money to the pantry or not.

Inside the bustling pantry (it was a food pick up day), we all found more wonder than we ever could have imagined. We learned that the Lakeview food pantry gives away more than 1.8 million pounds of food a year! Volunteers were moving to and fro stacking food, cleaning and helping pantry customers.

What really touched me was how this organization is not just offering nourishment to those without food, they are offering a serving of dignity along with it. Bouquets of flowers laid on the counter along with the groceries. A room filled with non-food items was set up like a store – clothing and toys hanging neatly for easy browsing. Dog food is available so that people can keep their pets during their hard times. Baby care necessities were stacked up in the lower level.  There is even a special storage shelf designated for food items that don’t require any cooking equipment for those who have no access to simple kitchen tools like can openers.

At the end of our visit, we wrote a check and gave our donation. Though Mini Whipped was a typical 3-year old and somewhat antsy during part of our tour, something clearly sunk in. She opened her Hello Kitty wallet and produced a $20 bill that she handed over to our new friend June who works at the pantry.

It is nice when your parenting turns out the way you hoped! We have continued to talk about the Lakeview Pantry and Mini Whipped has explained to a few people what she learned. We were also invited to volunteer since children as young as 3 can help sort cans of food. In 2012, we will make it a point to continue to visit and lend a hand.

Our trip to the Lakeview Pantry was much more powerful than I anticipated. I am working on plans for the new year to forge partnerships with organizations that tackle food-related problems. And, I have decided that regularly exposing my children to things outside their circle of comfort is a priority.

If you are in the Chicago area and interested in helping the Lakeview Pantry, you can find information on their website here. If you would like to volunteer, contact Erin Stephens, Director of Volunteers (erin @ lakeviewpantry.org, 773.525.1777 x15). To donate money, you can make a secure transaction through our website or send a check payable to Lakeview Pantry. Additionally, they always accept non-perishable goods Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Baby Banana 1: Grandma Banana?

Grandma Banana: Yes, my darling.

Baby Banana 1: Are we going to grow up to be just like you?

Grandma Banana: No litte one. You are as big as you are ever going to get.

Baby Banana 2: But, will our skin get speckled like yours?

Grandma Banana: Well, normally it would my dears, but today is your special day. There will be no time for your skin to change.

Baby Banana 3: What is our special day Grams?

Grandma Banana: Today, you are all going to the preschool with the twenty other siblings that were born in your bunch. And, you are going to bring smiles to all the little children’s faces at snack time. You are very special wee ones. Many have not before seen your kind.

Baby Banana 3: Are you coming too?

Grandma Banana: No sweet ones. I will be staying here on the counter for a couple more days.

Baby Banana 1 (sniffling): But, but, Grandma, if you aren’t going to bring smile to the kids’ faces, what will become of you?

Grandma Banana: Oh piffle, don’t you cry now. I am headed for the grandest honor of all. (Grandma Banana tries to stand up a touch straighter, showing her pride.)

Baby Banana 2: What is the grandest of all?

Grandma Banana: I will stay on the counter just a few more days while my skin continues to age and my insides grow soft and sweet. Then, I will become banana bread! And that, my lovelies, will bring smiles to all – both young and old.

Baby Bananas 1, 2 & 3 (in a whisper):  whoooooaaaaa

Grandma Banana: Now run along, here come the people. Get back with your bunch and get ready for your ride to school. Make us proud! Don’t roughhouse on the way there, we don’t want any more bruising. And, when the time comes, let your peels down easy.

1. I have been impressed with First Slice Cafe since the first meal I ordered at their location on Ravenswood and Montrose. As a diner, you will be pleased with the quality of their ingredients, the health conscious yet interesting menu and their huge repertoire of homemade pies! If you don’t look past the menu, you won’t even know that you are supporting a much grander mission through the purchase of your food. First Slice serves the same delicious food to Chicago’s neediest, serving up hearty portions on the city’s streets.

First Slice also has a weekly meal program where families can buy weekly meals to take home. You can subscribe to receive three gourmet entrees a week plus a number of side dishes – all nourishing, balanced, and prepared from local organic ingredients. According to the First Slice website, one family subscription feeds 20 homeless people.

“What does it mean to give the first slice of the pie to those who are used to living on crusts? It means dignity—often for the first time. It means hope. It means the possibility of not only sustenance but joy. And you can help.”

I have been a subscriber of the First Slice meal program. Yes, I love to cook. But, with our busy lives, if I can have “help” three days a week from First Slice and support those in need? For me, that’s an awesome option.

(Photo of First Slice Pie Cafe Courtesy of Jen Kuang-Chang)

2. I Wish This Was: Civic Input On-Site
I have written about this project on Facebook but I just can’t stop thinking about it. With social media and online tools, people have a voice and can encourage change more than ever before. This project is a wonderful example of a physical, palpable initiative to help citizens communicate their wishes.

3. Lakeview Pantry
I have been a donor and supporter of the Lakeview pantry for a number of years. I feel so blessed to have the time and resources to not only put food on my table every day but to photograph it and write about it for fun. I always try to stay conscious of this good fortune and help those in my community without such luck. Lakeview Pantry is a wonderful Chicago organization. If you are interested in helping, find out more here.

Thank you to those who continue to visit despite my infrequent recipes and ideas. I have been cooking, eating and photographing with the intention of posting. But, as often happens during summer, I choose to spend all extra time outside playing in the yard, gardening, swimming or drinking cold beer on the porch rather than working on the computer.

Today, I come to you with a quick tip. Do you have a fruit fly problem? I seem to have brought an entire community of them into the house last week on some extra ripe bananas I bought for making baby food. Luckily, I remember a trick my dear friend Stephanie taught me. Remove the fruit that is causing the problem or put ripe fruit in the refrigerator. Leave a cup of apple cider vinegar on the counter for a day or two. Done deal. Fruit flies go for the last swim and your kitchen is fruit fly free.

Our sweet, little Baby Whipped took her first bites last week and proved that she is indeed one of our clan. From birth, she has been a good eater and has deliciously ample thighs to prove it. We all gathered last week with video cameras and anticipation as we mixed up her first bowl of baby cereal and introduced her to a spoon.

She was a natural. Immediately, the chubby fingers reached for the bites to assist in moving the spoon into her mouth as fast as possible. I am excitedly dusting off the blender, remembering baby food recipes and eagerly awaiting the many “food firsts” coming down the pike for our littlest.

I have always felt that my dislike for raw tomatoes was imprinted somewhere on one of my chromosomes. When I met my husband, I was shocked to find out that he had the exact same tomato tasting parameters. We can eat all tomato sauces and foods with a cooked tomato base. We can even stand to eat plan tomatoes if they are just slightly roasted in the oven. Oddly enough, some fresh salsa with onion, cilantro and lime is not only palatable but enjoyable. But, just the thought of biting into a plain, raw, fresh tomato revs up my gag reflex.

Since my husband and most of my siblings have the same aversion, I have always assumed it is a genetic thing based on a chemical reaction to something in raw tomatoes. The best we can tell is that it resides in the slimy, seed-holding stuff. However, it is NOT just the texture as many propose because I really like other slimy things like jello, tapioca and oysters. I don’t know what it is but as much as I love food, raw tomatoes are my kryptonite.

I have always wanted to like tomatoes. They are beautiful and good for you and my brain can tell that they should taste good. Every few years I try them again in an attempt to find peace with my tomato problem. Or, I find myself in a social situation where I must eat them or risk offending a host. A family friend we visited while traveling in Provence once served my husband and me a first course of ONLY sliced tomatoes. Since there was no hiding them under the nonexistent lettuce or moving them around the plate, we gulped a lot of wine to wash it down. And, I admit I have hid tomatoes in my napkin and then furtively disposed of them in the bathroom.

Just before coming on vacation to Greece, I started reading The Man Who Ate Everything. At the beginning the author lists all the foods he hates and then claims that you can learn to like anything if you eat it ten days in a row. My husband and I have bravely decided to take the challenge. We figured that if you can’t learn to like raw tomatoes in Corfu, where you can pluck them straight from the garden, then there is no hope.

Day 1 was obviously not easy. We took a deep breath and ate a large bite. I fought back the gag reflex, chewed and hoped that this experiment was not for naught. Day 2 was surprisingly a touch easier. On Days 3 and 4, there was no longer a gag reflex though when offered a small, grape tomato (especially burst-y with the “stuff”), I had to turn away.

We forgot to eat our daily dose the following day and considered it intermission. To make up for it, on Day 5 we ordered a sandwich for lunch filled with raw tomatoes, feta, onions and olives. It was a game changer. We actually liked it. Of course, most things taste good surrounded by feta and olives and onion could be one of the factors in fresh salsa that eliminates the bad reaction. So, I wasn’t convinced I had become a tomato lover.

Days 6 and 7 we ate bites of tomato straight from the garden. No gag reflex. We sort of liked them. When I was alone in the kitchen facing the plate of tomatoes, I even took another and chewed it up and ate it. Yes, I liked it. Day 8 was a slight backtrack with a restaurant tomato. The warm, garden tomatoes were more meaty and went down easier.

And now, we find ourselves at present. There are two days left. We have made great progress. I am still skeptical about the future. Is this like building muscles? Will my ability to eat raw tomatoes atrophy when I am back home if I don’t keep “practicing?” I hope not. What I truly wish is that Jeffrey Steingarten knew what he was talking about and that this is just the beginning for me and raw tomatoes. Wish me luck…

We are always working to make food fun around here. Mini Whipped is at her best when we keep her challenged and engaged – less time for her terrible threes to surface (whoever said it was terrible twos got it wrong in my book.) Sometimes the most simple, creative activities can turn an afternoon around.

We all know that food presentation matters and is a huge part of an eating experience. So, it should be no surprise that the more fun a presentation is to a kid, the more likely she is to have fun eating it. Try breaking out your cookie cutters and making Jell-o shapes with your wee ones. Then, arrange the cut outs together and make up stories to go along with your “scenes.”  Jello might not be the healthiest snack but it sure isn’t the worst either. And it scores very high points for entertainment value.

Yesterday was Earth Day, which seemed like the perfect time to try dying eggs with natural ingredients. For years I had read about onion skins, violets, red cabbage, turmeric and beet juice. Because I hadn’t planned ahead, I had to make do with the ingredients I had on hand. Per my usual recipe and project development method, I scanned a number of articles online about the subject at hand and then decided to wing it.

Since I had to hard boil the eggs still, it seemed like a good idea to just boil the eggs in the colored water. So, I added eggs to one pan, dumped a can of beets with their juice on top, filled with water just to cover and added a tablespoon of vinegar. In the other pan, I sprinkled in about a tablespoon of turmeric with a tablespoon of vinegar.

First, I brought each pan to a boil. This is when my first disappointment occurred. My new range has a power boil setting, which I used for the turmeric eggs. Two of them must have gotten too hot too fast and cracked.  I turned down the heat after each pot boiled and kept the eggs at a simmer for 15 minutes. The turmeric eggs were a beautiful yellow so I plunged them into a cold bath and put most of them back in the egg carton and into the fridge to await the Easter bunny.

The beet eggs were not very pink so I strained the red juice, added ice and decided to keep the eggs in the juice in the fridge overnight for extra color.  They were on their way to being a pretty pink. At the last minute, I decided I would shoot for a few orange eggs and tossed a couple yellow turmeric eggs into the beet juice. Bad idea.

Mini Whipped and I opened the beet juice container this morning and found a bunch of brown eggs. The turmeric is so strong, it colored all the pink eggs enough to turn them in to a light brown. I could have just purchased brown eggs from the store and let the chickens do the work! (see photo below – those WERE white eggs at the start) Mini Whipped began whimpering, “I wanted pink eggs…”

I distracted her by saying we should peel open the cracked eggs. It worked… inside we found interesting marbled colors on the egg white.  Mini Whipped cheered up, “Oh Mom, I see pink INSIDE. That is enough for me.”  If only this toddler was so amenable all the time.