Home Ec

I love what I do! Sharing my passion for food and cooking with the community. The last couple of weeks, I've been relishing the time I shared with the Clark College Health 100: "Food and Your Health" students. Oh, what delicious fun we had! The students have been using my cookbook -- Shop, Cook, Eat: Outside of the Box for the past several weeks and their time spent with me was to help them step further OUTSIDE of the Box.

As much as I enjoyed our time together, it dawned on me and sadden me to realize that most of these young adults have never cooked.  Yet alone shopped in the grocery store.

I'm a child of the 70s. Probably the last generation before fast food and TV dinners replaced good home cooked meals. I grew up with a mother and grandmother who cooked and grocery shopped religiously. So I got to see first hand how it was done. Thank you mama and grandmama. As a reinforcement to what they taught me, I also took a Home Ec class in 7th grade. What ever happened to Home Ec classes? Have they been replaced with computer technology classes? I wonder.

I have fond memories of my time in the Home Ec classroom. There was a kitchenette were we practiced all sorts of basic cooking skills. Making chocolate chip cookies was always a sweet delight. There was a living space with a sewing machine and sewing items. I wasn't crazy about this area, but I did learn the very basics: how to stitch, sew on buttons, etc.

I wanna know...What happened to teaching our kids the very basic life skills (cooking, sewing, cleaning) at home? Is grocery shopping for real food a thing of the past? Is cooking from scratch a lost art? And, why did Home Ec get phased out of the curriculum?

For me cooking is an everyday essential skill. Instead of just pondering the questions, I'm doing what I can to help us return to the very basics. I'm on a mission to Bring Cooking Back and help folks step OUTSIDE of the prepared food Box!  The responsibility should not fall on only our school systems or on the shoulders of lil ol' me, but really starts at home.

Gettin' my walk on!

What a beautiful, crisp fall day it is! I just came in from getting my walk on. Those of you who've been following the blog from the beginning know that walking is how this journey of self-discovery/weight loss began in 2009. Whenever I'm feeling sluggish or need to rejuvenate -- I return to that place, that starting point. I'm a true believer in looking within for self-motivation. Chatting with loved ones, reading self-help books, and coming up with a game plan from trainers, are helpful tools and they all can play a role. At the end of the day, however, there's just me. So I lace up my tennis shoes, and put one foot in front of the other and try to figure it all out. How to maneuver from one point to another in this obstacle course called life.

For me walking is not so much about the physical exercise, but more about my mental health. Walking for me is cathartic. Taking in all the beautiful sights of nature, the fresh air, and just spending time with myself, thinking. Really thinking. Reflecting is what my walks are about. Walking does the mind and body good. So whenever I need a reboot, I get my walk on!

A Reason, A Season, A Lifetime

For the month of November, to honor Thanksgiving lots of folks post what they are thankful for on their Facebook pages. Of all the Facebook interactions I find this one worthy. So every other day or so I try to chime in. Here's what I wrote on Sunday: "I am thankful for the support and love of so many. They may have entered my life for a reason, season, or a lifetime. No matter, I'm grateful. Thank you for helping me along this amazing journey. Everyday I get to help someone in some way. Through words. Through actions. Through food.  

I'd like to expand on this post a little. People enter our lives for many reasons and sometimes they are meant to be in our lives forever. Forever is a mighty long time, however, and everyone is not meant to be in your life in that capacity. That's okay.

You may come out to your car after a movie and find your car battery is dead.  A Good Samaritan gives you a jump. A reason. You are working on a major project and someone with a necessary skill set or product comes along and donates their time and resources. A season. Then there are your loved ones -- family and friends who will be there with you through thick and thin. A lifetime.

We may not be in contact anymore for whatever reason. Our time together has expired. But I still appreciate you and what you brought to my life. It's the sum of my experiences, exchanges with others that make me who I am. Forever grateful, thankful for reasons, seasons, and a lifetime.

Outside of the Box: Soups

It was a SOUPer Sunday. Delicious, soul warming soups and family. As often the case when I teach these classes, it's not just about the food, but it's about the people. Food brings people together. The most beautiful thing -- a family of five-- with kids, ages 7,9, and 13 joined the class. Parents YOU have to get them started cooking early. Thank you for involving them Josh and Jennifer. More family...there was also a sister trio (The Baker's) in the house.

On the menu: To Die For Southwest Chicken Soup from my first cookbook, Bringing Cooking Back and Sweet Potato Bisque from my new cookbook Shop, Cook, Eat: Outside of the Box.

Good food. Good folks. Good times.

Again, I say I love what I do...Sharing my passion for real food and helping more and more people step OUTSIDE of the Box!

Clark College: Steps OUTSIDE of the Box - II

I'm beaming with pride. Over the course of two weeks, I held four grocery store tours/cooking classes and successfully helped 100 Clark College "Food and Your Health" students step OUTSIDE of the Box!

The store tours and cooking classes were the next steps in helping the students see just how simple shopping, cooking, and eating fresh, real food is. I even converted many of them into Brussels Sprouts lovers. How cool is that? Super-cool!

Thank you Clark College for believing in me and Chuck's Produce & Street Market for welcoming us into your beautiful store!

Clark College is OUTSIDE of the Box! 

Class # 3

Class #4