In the kitchen....

the dough for our stromboli tonight
dough rolled out thin - then the filling

one of my favorite kitchen "maidens" from wheat berries to flour

I've been having a challenging, yet fun time in the kitchen with my middle daughter. We began doing supper together a couple of months ago four nights a week.

My mom is an excellent cook, my "mamaw" (mom's mom) was an excellent cook, however when I got married and was living away from home for the first time I knew next to nothing about cooking. I must've been too busy with work and softball. As far as cooking I could boil water to make hot dogs and boil water for Kraft mac & cheese. I knew how to make scrambled eggs. I knew how to bake many different types of cookies. My experience was limited!

We all make certain vows before we even become parents. One of mine was that my daughters would know how to do more than boil water (which I still boil over, kind of a tradition with me :o)
When I began to work with and train my oldest daughter in the kitchen I learned many lessons, not cooking lessons mind you, but lessons in patience and letting go of control. I was a tad bit territorial with my kitchen, I thought things had to be done the way I did them no matter the result and I was not very patient. I look back and TREASURE those times and lessons with her where I was the student also as the Lord taught me lessons of the spirit.

If any of you have ever sampled my oldest daughters cooking, you know she has far surpassed her instructor. I am thankful!

Now it was time to do this with middle girl and I am still learning lessons as I teach her. She can thank her sister and the Lord for not having to deal with as much as she could have had to endure! I am having fun with her and trying not to get too frustrated, staying more relaxed about things and watching her grown in expertise and confidence. I can tell you she knows how to do more than boil water now.

For about two years we have been eating very differently - so many things shaped our decisions to change things in our diets. Mostly of course losing a loved one and examining our lives and how we eat, live, sleep, exercise, etc. One of the first things we did gradually was change our sugar - no more white sugar. We have worked with evaporated cane juice, rapadura, turbinado and honey. It is amazing how easy this transition was. I was apprehensive at first about how things would taste, I worry no longer and it is so much healthier. Also was getting rid of white flour, totally. We use a kitchen grinder and grind wheat berries, rye berries, popcorn, nuts, etc to make much healthier flours. Raw cookies? Oh, they are yummy and only three ingredients! We invested in a grinder, dehydrator and good counter top mixer.

Oils, we also changed. If you google good fats to have in your kitchen you will find a wealth of info on extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil and pasture fed real cow butter are the top three normally.

I thought the old adage that if it is good for you it will taste horrible was going to be true - BUT it's not. Our food is yummy and good for us, I am thankful for the knowledge. My oldest daughter also did alot of research that she shared on getting MSG out of your diet and read up on fermented foods, bone broth and all the good nutrients they hold. Normally you can find something strange yet good in our fridge, just ask for a sample, we love to share.

I am thankful for this vessel, this body that the Lord created for me - we all need to take good care of them.