"sunny side up mama"

t-ball snacks

It seems that much more of my thought power is being put towards food, as of late.  I've always spent a great deal of time thinking about the food we eat, the place we buy it, who grows it, how it's packaged and shipped, prepared and stored....lots to think about!  But in the past month of transitioning into a gluten free diet much more time and effort has once again been inserted into this eating we do.

I have indulged in several new cook books and Celiac guides, all have given me ideas, creative hope and inspiration.  However, one book stands out, it's so good it nearly got consumed by the dog before I even knew it had been delivered (uhem!).  My dear cousin, who lives in Seattle (home to the Flying Apron Bakery), sent this cook book to me (Thanks Yinz).  It was love at first sight. 

This book has recipes that are simply made from real food, no starchy fillers that I have come accross yet and even little use of the "glues" like guar and xanthum gum.  We tend towards the dairy free around here and so does this book.

I have become very aware of how dependent on one grain I was until this dietary shift.  Once I began looking into what other grains are available a light bulb went off in my head.  I never again want to be so dependent on one product.  It is to this end, the diversity in diet, that I would recommend this book to anyone simply looking to cook creatively - expand your horizons because you want to learn something new in the kitchen, because it's good for your body and your creativity!  Have some fun in that kitchen, mix up the weekly menu, not because you must but for fun and health. 

My big boy is playing t.ball and my hubby is coaching.  Chaz and I are watching and cheering. We are making a family occasion out of this t.ball stuff I tell you. 

When it came to be our snack day a funny thing occured, my boy decided that mama made goodness (the stuff he loves to make and consume) was different, in some fashion, to what the other families had brought. 

I thought my heart might break.

A few days of snack discussions passed, thank goodness, and suddenly it was our day.  We got lots of the favorite cherries at the farmers market and worked together to make some really fantastic mini muffins, in two flavors, berry corn and maple berry, both from the Flying Apron's Gluten Free and Vegan Baking Book.  Each little snack was packed up in it's own little bag and off we went. 

Guess what........it was a hit!  They loved it, he loved it and I could eat it!

What are you loving in the kitchen these days?

strawberries to jam ~ farm to pantry

I'm always anxious for picking season to arrive, once again.  We love to pick, you name it, we pick it and love every second.  My memory banks are full of images from my childhood berry picking in the northwest, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries ......

Here on the central coast we are so fortunate to have many local farms, that generously share their fields with us each season.  My garden is also producing beautiful strawberries right now, but they never even make it to the kitchen sink, much less the canning jar.

So it is with jam, like many other facets of my life, the closer to home we can keep it the more satisfying it is, for me anyway. 

I love home made food.  I love the sun on my back in the farm fields.  I love the smile on my boys face. 

I love that Jerry Rutiz, himself, is there at the farm, happy to answer questions, point you towards the field and always busy on his bustling little farm.  This is exactly the way I like to conduct my grocery shopping, right from the source.

What can compare to farm animals and insect books for the children, while the adults do the paying?

So, speaking of paying, I have been asked many times about the price comparison of a store bought jar of jam to that of a homemade jar of jam. 

Let me first admit that number crunching, in my head, is a habit that I can not stop myself from engaging in.  Ask me how many dollars I could save each year if we were to drink regular half and half, opposed to the organic, and I can tell you.  That little 6 ounce yogurt packaged in it's own plastic container, the one that my boys really love to buy after swim class costs me $103 a year! I crunch the numbers, probably far too often, but it has become a little game I play, born out of necessity.

Anyhow back to the jar of jam, first I might say that this is like trying to compare apples and oranges. They just don't compare, that store bought and that mama-made-here-at-home variety.  But I did some number crunching in my head today and I am happy to report that I spend less on the ingredients to make the jam here at home, opposed to the jam I buy. This of course, does not include the time spent making it, but that is a labor of love, the way I want to spend my Sunday. 

This is jam from berries grown on the farm down the road, grown by a farmer whose face I would recognize anywhere, picked by my boys, washed and hulled by me and my husband over a cup of coffee, cooked and canned here at home with my favorite helpers flitting in and out and stored in my pantry shelves, in jars that my nearest and dearest sipped wine from at our wedding...  I believe in this food and that is priceless!

More about Rutiz Family Farm, farm-stand hours and u-pick crop availability found here.

Thank you to Jerry, and many other local farmers, for growing nourishing food and sharing your farms with us.  It is truly a gift to share with our children the whole picture, growth, harvest, preservation and of course the sweet memories in every bite!

buried in berries

Wishing you a sweet weekend!

See you back here on Monday.

today in the garden

~ strawberries are turning red and tasting sweet,

~peas are plentiful and satisfying little boy's constant need to snack,

~ textures and shapes are lovely,

~ ladybugs are busy,

~ praying mantids have hatched!

(mantid egg cases from our local nursery)

~ Oden warms his black coat in the sun, following rain showers,

~ A new garden bed waits patiently for me to snatch a bit of time,  line it with gopher wire,  fill it with soil and plant,

(Thanks Travis, for building me, yet another, garden)

~ poppies are still blooming and I am watching for the right time to collect their seed,

~ arugula is plentiful and yummy,

~ pumpkins, of three varieties, are up and growing fast,

~ tomatoes have almost outgrown their houses, and eagerly await thier fruitful home on the ranch,

~ potato planting number two is thriving in wine barrel planters,

and I am a happy "garden girl", as my boys call me!

Tell me, how does your garden grow?

 

barn visit ~ first of the season

A sure sign that summer is near, the return of our weekly visit to the barn.  One day a week we venture out to swim lessons. On the way home we generally make a few stops in the name of food.  It is lovely when the barn is open again and we can stop there for a picnic lunch, animal feeding, fresh fruit buying and later in the season - picking. 

I have a vivid memory of just one of these regular stops at the barn, sometime when Gavin was about two years old (he is now 6).  This particular day was just like the others, we were on our way from one place to the next, in need of a little break from the hustle and bustle of it all.  We pulled into the dirt lot, parked under the Sycamore tree over by the chicken coop,  unloaded our cloth shopping bags, picnic blanket, sun hats and water bottles and headed into the familiar setting.  What I remember so clearly was the way that young little Gavin entered, the barn yard if you will, with such a confident spring in his step - marching along to greet the animals as if they were his own.  Nothing out of the ordinary, except that I, really, noticed this time.  This place had become part of our weekly habit, a place that he could visit regularly enough to mark the passing of his time here on earth, with the seasons, weather, fruit, birth of new kids and lambs and then their growth along with his.  I as a mother realized how meaningful it is to have these little habitual routines throughout our days, and seasons.  It is within these small routines we find ways to infuse our children's lives with connection to the familiar and build confidence and joy.  So simple and yet very easy for this fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants mama to forget.

Cheers to a season of barn visits, berry and fruit picking, kids and lambs, and new adventures in familiar places!

What are your favorite places to frequent this season?

flower files ~ happy anniversary

to Megan and David! 

From time to time I simply can not resist dipping into the flower files to share a bit of eye candy with you.  I love these blossoms and all their bold springtime beauty!  Megan and David, Happy first Anniversary to you (a bit belated, I know).

Many thanks to:

~Megan and David for trusting me with their wedding blossoms and being a joy to work with.

~Christine Farah, for capturing the moment and sharing your stunning art of photography!

~Denner Winery for the beautiful location.

 

 

farmer's market fare

The Farmer's Market is bursting with fresh culinary inspiration!  Thank goodness that my necessary and fast changes in diet just so happened to coincide with spring, and all the yumminess that comes with a change in season.  I really lucked out!  There's something so home-town-charming about a weekly rhythm built around the farmer's market schedule.  We all look forward to the fresh good eats, fantastic small talk with neighbors, tid bits of information handed down from the farmers, sometimes a bit of music and always a feast for the eyes.

We have been loving, many nights in a row, a salad of: arugula, spinach, roasted beets and peas. Add kumquats and goat cheese, mmmm is all I can say.  Artichokes with garlic butter, Quinoa and a crepe with chives on the side made this into a springtime feast! 

While we are talking about food inspiration I should mention how much we have been loving the savory crepe recipe in Blackbird Bakery: Gluten Free cookbook by Karen Morgan.  In lieu of a more traditional bread, which I have not yet tackled, we have been wrapping all sorts of meals in crepes - great for a picnic dinner or lunch on the go.

This particular day we just barely skipped in, to gather our dinner makings, as the market was wrapping up and the tomatoes were nearly gone.  Yes, tomatoes, for real.  Asking about these beauties, worth their weight in gold, their grower told me with great humor in his tone; " these babies sleep well at 65 all night while we are in our house next door enjoying a crisp nights sleep at 40!"  I will tell you though, that a locally grown tomato, even if it comes from a heated house, is so, so tasty, firm, red, sweet...perfect!

Wishing you all a fantastic day and much market inspiration!

windy days & kite parades

With springtime comes windy days in these parts.  Windy days bring children, both young and old, to frolic with the wind....

This past Saturday we enjoyed a windy day indeed.  I will admit that though my name (Mariah) means "the wind" I am not always thrilled to be caught in the bluster.  However, I can certainly find great joy in a day celebrating springtime on the Central Coast.  We marched in the Kite Parade, with wonderful friends, followed by a picnic on the beach, where we played in the sand, enjoyed good company, and watched amazing kites.  Morro Bay Kite Festival is an annual event that is fast becoming a tradition for our little family. 

Kites of all shapes and sizes, amazing colors and styles, decorated the sky while dancing in the wind!  The professional kite handlers that exhibit at the festival absolutely captivate me.  I am awe struck by the way a kite can hold so silently still, in an upright and waiting position, until just the right moment to dart up into the sky where they perform the most intimate tango with their partner kite, all seamlessly choreographed to music.  I never would have dreamed kites could dance so beautifully. 

I leave you with the beginning of a poem we are enjoying, found in the book A Child's Seasonal Treasury

The Wind by Robert Louis Stevenson:

"I saw you toss the kite on high

And blow the birds about the sky;

And all around I heard you pass,

Like ladies skirts across the grass-

O wind, a-blowing all day long,

O wind that sings so loud a song!"........

 

Wishing you a lovely day!

 

the quilt ~ at last

Almost seven years ago now, I walked into a quilting store on Hawaii, asked a ton of questions, purchased some fabric and thread, and declared that I was making a quilt for my baby, who was due in a matter of months!  The kind lady who was helping me told me a story, the Hawaiians like to do that, and it went something like this; "A woman once bought some lovely fabric and set out to make a quilt for her unborn babe.  Fifty, yes fifty, years later she gave it to her son for his birthday!"  But, she ended by saying, "I am sure you will finish yours a bit quicker than that, and if not, your child will love it whenever it is done!"

So, here my boy is, six years old, wearing a wetsuit and riding a boogie board. Here I am, still quiliting on the beach!  This quilt was born on the beach.  I spent many hot, pregnant, afternoons in the shade of the Kiawe trees, listening to the soft sound of the waves lapping at the shore, as I quilted in anticipation of my first born baby's arrival.  I quilted for hours and hours...each stitch with careful intention and so much love for a child I had not yet held in my arms. Then Gavin was born, and though we spent many peaceful hours on the couch together in those first months, I never became a proficient hand-quilter-while-nursing kinda lady, oh I tried alright, but I didn't make much progress.

Long story short, as each holiday came and went it (the quilts progress) became a bit of a joke around here, and sometimes we had to recall the story of the sweet mama who gave the baby quilt to her son on his 50th!  But, my friends, I did it!  I finished the quilt, every stitch by hand at 1/2" intervals the entire quilt over, I finished it!  I handed it over with tears in my eyes and a big smile on my face.  There was very little fuss and fanfare about this gifting but we both knew it was a big moment indeed!

The Honu and wave design are a simple reminder of Gavin's Birth place as is the contour stitch pattern used in traditional Hawaiian quilts.  I have always admired the stunning island quilts and now have a really deep respect for the level of dedication it takes to finish these works of art.  It is no wonder the Hawaiians like to "talk story" and quilt the day away, that is what it takes, many days quilted away.

Gavin seems genuinely pleased to have the quilt in his possession, opposed to my project bag.  He has been around long enough now to have some experience with my crafting, and some with his own, and I do think that he truly appreciates all the love that has gone into the making.  Perhaps it is just as well that it took 6+ years to finish!