BUTTER GIRL GOES ORGANIC

      I love this eCard.    I know many were a little squeamish when I starting sharing my story...via the blogosphere over a year ago.       In this area that I call home, it was simply impossible to find grief support that felt comfortable to me.  There was the small group of ladies who were much older than myself; who were still tearfully sharing their grief regarding their spouses...who had been gone for years.  And then there was the therapist who simply nodded her head and said that everything I was feeling was perfectly normal.  Really?  That's not very helpful!  Somehow I stumbled upon the concept of blogging and this is where I would often declare my mantra...Better out than in!   My nutrition studies this last week have been all about detoxification. Our bodies accumulate toxins from our polluted environment, lifestyle habits, faulty diet, medications, too little activity and STRESS.      Much research...old and new,  has noted a direct correlatio

          Last weekend I drove to Ann Arbor, Michigan to attend a Fermentation Workshop.  When I shared what I was doing with my family, they said..."As in beer?"  Hahaha...no, not beer.  Although true, beer is a fermented beverage...which on occasion I do enjoy.  However, on this particular journey, I would be learning the art of fermenting veggies.  I shall leave beer fermentation for a later date.   Fermentation of our foods is a lost art.  It is something that our ancestors did many, many years before us.  I can remember as a little girl, my grandmother always having a large crock of pickles in her cellar.  Together we would go down her creaky basement stairs, lift off the plate that was sitting on top of the crock (usually weighted with a brick) and scoop out crispy, delicious pickles that we would then put on the table for our dinner.  Delish.    Unknown to me (and probably my grandmother), was that those pickles were full of living probiotics that 

       

Sadly, yesterday morning I received word that a my brother's mother-in-law had passed away.  With a tear in my eye, I headed to the kitchen.  The kitchen is where I often find my greatest comfort.    I wanted to prepare something for my brother's family, assuming that they would have a house full of family.  I pulled out my Kitchenaid mixer. (I would be lost without my Kitchenaid...it looks so battered and worn...after it's line of duty at the café.  Nonetheless, it is still ready and able to assist me in my culinary endeavors.)  I brought out bags of organic flour, sugars and spices.  I set out a stick of organic butter to soften on the counter.   It was time to revisit another treasured recipe from the café.  What my brother and his family needed was something from my kitchen that would warmly yell...love!  My larger-than-life cinnamon rolls!  I honestly don't think that I have made these delectable treats for over a year.  I hoped that I hadn't lost my t

      I have been so busy since my new botoxed and beautiful Butter Girl hit the streets on Friday, that I haven't been able to express an official Welcome to you.  Watching my stats (as you know I do!), I did see that many have already taken a peek.  I hope that you like this new place that will now be home for my Butter Girl!    I need to send a very BIG shout out to my dear friend Olivia Westfall, who patiently and tirelessly worked with me on this project.  I know there have been numerous times that she has chuckled and rolled her eyes, due to my lack of techie knowledge.  Hey...we all have our gifts and I guess that is not one of mine.  In reciprocation, I have challenged her to spend a day in the kitchen with me...as that is where I find myself the most confident and comfortable.  Bring your apron sister and we will see what you've got!   In all honesty, we had a great time working together on this project.  We have grown closer through the experience a

I have a problem.  I love snacks.  Crunchy snacks, not necessarily the sweet stuff.  Looking back, I remember a friend of mine that I worked with referring to my food intake as a "Cracker Diet".  "You and your cracker diet", she would say.  I would often pack my lunch with...cheese, crackers, yogurt and some sort of veggie...typically, carrots, because they are easy.    And I always had a stash of crackers in my desk.  Is that weird?  Not candy bars or candy...crackers.    Now with my nutrition studies, I guess you could say I am paranoid to eat my beloved crunchy snacks.  Now I know that the crackers that I used to enjoy are full of processed, not-good-for-you stuff.  Darn.  What's a girl to do?   Well, as Martha-ish as this sounds, I have found a very simple recipe for making my own crackers at home.  Please don't roll your eyes.  They are very, very easy to make and  now that I personally know what is in them, I can enjoy my crackers once aga

Toasty Coconut Goodness At this point in my life I have come to the conclusion...there are two distinct types of people.  Those who love and adore coconut and those whom I sadly call....Coconut Haters!   I have been a Coconut Lover my entire life.  Quite simply, I love it.  When we were little, (I'm embarrassed to share this...as hard as that is to believe!) my sister and I used to eat coconut by the bowl-full.  Now this is the embarrassing part...we called it hair!  There we were, two little girls sitting side-by-side enjoying what we called a bowl of glorious hair!  Dear lord!   I used to be married to a Coconut Hater.  Ex-husband #2.  Because of our conflicting love-hate coconut relationship, over time I guess you could say he became somewhat paranoid of my culinary creations.  Before putting food into his mouth, he would raise his eyebrows and say, "Is there coconut in this??"    "Why no honey", I would reply.  Knowing what I now know, I shoul

Last week I shared that the Easter bunny brought my family an uninvited guest…a mega, knock-you-on-your-bootie kind of flu virus.   Ugghhh.   Today, one week later I am still feeling the ill effects of this nasty Super Bug.   In these last few days of desperation, I have turned to my nutrition knowledge in the hopes of finding something/anything that would help me (and my family) to feel better…quickly!   Actually, what I found to be most helpful was the Kombucha tea that I picked up at Whole Foods last Monday before the flu bug set up camp at our house.   I have been drinking Kombucha for a while now and love the many health benefits the drink has to offer.   To my surprise, when I say the word Kombucha here in Logan County, I get a ‘komboo-what?’ kind of look.   This morning, disappointed to still be feeling ‘less than par’, I packed up and headed into Bellefontaine to get me a couple bottles of Kombucha.   Guess what.   It is not to be found.   Disappointe

Lovely cookies that I shared with my family...before the storm. This year my family had an uninvited guest for Easter...a horrible, incapacitating flu bug!  Oh my....it hit like a speeding train on Monday eve.  It could not be re-directed or stopped...it came crashing in to the station and wreaked havoc for 24 hours.  I have called it our Easter cleanse.  The most troubling part for me was that my young ones; who I had safely delivered back to their respecitve places on Sunday eve...were also 'on board' for this horrible ride.  I sat here and worried and fussed and there wasn't a lousy thing that I could do to help them.  I couldn't have made the drive to Athens to rescue my Zach if I had to.  Sigh.  We just had to endure the storm while in our separate locations.  Maybe this was for the best?  Somethings are best left unshared?  Thank goodness for technology and the ability to text each other..."Are you still out there?"  "OMG...thi