Back To The Table

What an exciting, rewarding day. For months, I've been the lead of a project to create a cookbook encompassing the recipes from my co-workers. At FamilyCare we make up a diverse population with rich heritage and culture. My passion being food and cooking brought to mind a cookbook sharing our family recipes. Last year, at our holiday party I shared the idea with the president of the company. He loved the idea and invited me to his office to further discuss my idea.

Fast forward >>> Today, after months of hard work from the cookbook committee and others the first edition FamilyCare Cookbook "Back To The Table" was in the hands of employees right in time for the holidays. Each employee received a FREE copy. **At this time cookbooks are not for sale to the public.

Grateful. Honored. Proud.

Excerpt from "Bringing Cooking Back"

Tomorrow I will meet with a panel of four to see if we can incorporate my recipe ideas into their new program. It's an exciting opportunity. As I've been preparing for our meeting I've been fumbling through my cookbooks. I thought it would be nice to share with you the introductions from each.

Taken from "Bringing Cooking Back" by Chrisetta Mosley published November 2012

Introduction  

I love food. Good wholesome food. Not so-called food from a box or in a box. But, food, my late grandmother would recognize. Food that grows from the earth, free of preservatives, and will eventually rot. 

I prepare 99 percent of my meals at home. Honestly, I don’t know any other way. Cooking is natural for me. My mother cooked at home. My grandmother did too. I have fond memories of watching my mother in the kitchen lovingly preparing dinner for us. The aroma of freshly baked cornbread, butter beans, and fried chicken for Sunday dinner.

My love for food became a problem though when I ballooned up to 388 pounds. One too many pieces of cornbread, consumption of highly caloric processed food, with no exercise contributed to my progressive weight gain. I’m proud to say, however, I took control. Through conscious food choices, food preparation, and exercise to date, I’ve lost 170 pounds and counting.

A healthy lifestyle for me begins at home in my kitchen. Cooking at home is not only how I was raised, but it allows me to be in control of what I eat. I abused food for a long time by making poor food choices and overeating. Today, I no longer abuse food, I enjoy it to the fullest by eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, and adding zest to my dishes with seasonings.

I prepare, cook, and eat at home because the thought of a complete stranger preparing my food seems impersonal to me. Cooking is a labor of love. Creative, love. I chop, dice, mince, puree, grate, and stir with affection. I’m feeding my body, after all; that calls for the finest ingredients and loving preparation.

I’ve never bought into the fat-free, sugar-free, craze. Frankly, I don’t want to compromise the taste of my food by using substitutes. I use real cream, real butter, and yes, even sugar. My recipes call for these ingredients, I encourage you to use these ingredients too. Maybe some critics will say my meals don’t fall into the “healthy” category, but I’m confident preparing my food at home is much better than the alternative. Besides, I’ve lost 170 pounds -- my way.

I welcome you to make adjustments to my recipes to suit your taste and dietary needs. Perhaps you want to make my to Die For Southwestern Chicken Soup less spicy. Go ahead, omit the cayenne pepper. That’s the beauty of cooking at home. You’re in control. Once you become comfortable in the kitchen you’ll learn to experiment freely.

I’ve strayed away from my mother and grandmother’s recipes a bit, but the art of cooking was taught to me by them and will always stay with me. Today, I follow modern day cooks and add a few of my own twist to come up with good wholesome recipes.

I’m thankful for the women in my life for passing on their love for home cooked meals to me. Undoubtedly, I’m sharing the same love for food with my daughter as well.

What will your children remember from your kitchen? What recipes will you pass down?

My hope is that my recipes will inspire you to cook and enjoy meals at home. Perhaps you’ll allow your kids to join you in the kitchen, dine at the table, and unplug your electronics.

From my kitchen to yours -- healthy, happy eating!

Chrisetta

What's Happening in September

It's going to be a Sizzlin' September. You all know by now that I'm a huge proponent of home cooked food. I share my passion for food and cooking in a number of ways throughout the community. I dunno why but somehow I keep being asked to cater events. This month, I have three catering events, yes, catering events.

Hey, I don't want to block my blessings. So, If the universe wants me to cater, I'll cater. As of now, I'm offering my catering services to close friends and family. Subject to change just like the seasons.

I'm thrilled. Honored. Humbled. I've been asked by a friend of a friend to cater her wedding with 60 guests in late September. 
 
There's lots of prepping and cooking to do this month. Of course, I'll share photos.

9.08.13
Sunday, September 8:
Catering by Chrisetta Birthday -- PRIVATE

9.13.13 
Friday, September 13:
Catering by Chrisetta Poker Tournament -- PRIVATE

9.28.13
Saturday, September 28:
Catering by Chrisetta Wedding -- PRIVATE
--
9.25.13
Wednesday, September 25:
"5 or 50" Women's Sustainable Weight Loss & Healthy Lifestyle Group

No matter if you have "5 or 50" pounds to lose. It's time to start seeing yourself as beautiful, strong, capable and look beyond physical attributes. I'll facilitate the meeting and share my tips for staying motivated. This will be a safe, inspiring environment to share and grow.
Free
Open to everyone
No RSVP required

Time: 6- 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Cascade Park Community Library
Address: 600 NE 136th Ave.
Vancouver, WA 98683
360.256.7782

Like Bree Van deKamp

Folks who know me, know...It's all about the presentation. The ambiance. I'm a great hostess, so if you're coming by my place for a gathering. You're guaranteed to be spoiled and eat good. I love cooking and sharing my passion. I think for most people who cook, it's just natural to want to entertain. A good meal is better shared over conversation and laughter.


Entertaining is when you showcase not only the food, but you get to set everything up just so. Depending on the time of day or type of the occasion, here's a few things I do to create a feel-good atmosphere:

• Fresh cut flowers on the table and/or candles
• Fun or classy table runners depending on the food served
• Tableware -- I'm partial to white because it highlights the beauty of the food - I do stray though
• A bowl of seasonal fruit and/or some type of light snack
• Good eclectic music

We see food with our eyes first, then we smell, and finally we taste.  So, I don't slap anything together. I want the food to look appealing, inviting.  Those who have taken my cooking classes see it in action. It's all about presentation (kind of the case with everything for me). When in class, I showcase my food on beautiful platters and bowls. If sauce drips on the side of the bowl, I take time to wipe it off. It's the little details that make the experience, enjoyable and memorable.

I often joke that I'm kinda like Bree Van de Kamp from Desperate Housewives she was known for throwing the best gatherings/parties. She was so fussy, down right persnickety. Everything had to be just so. For a long time, when I watched the show, I so didn't like her character. I came to realize the reason I didn't like her much was because I'm just like her when it comes to entertaining. Everything has a place. Everything has to be just so.

Why cook?

I'm super-excited about my upcoming cookbook, Shop, Cook, Eat: Outside of the Box.


Here's a sneak peek of a section from the book:

You owe it to yourself to cook. Cooking at home in your kitchen using fresh,whole ingredients is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Remember, “You are what you eat.” So, fuel your body with fresh food prepared in your very own kitchen. Also, consider the following facts:

• Cooking gives you freedom. You are free from the boxed, processed foods and restaurant fare which can be low in nutrients and high in calories, sodium, and other additives. By cooking meals from scratch you take the guesswork out of reading packaged labels – you know exactly what ingredients are used.

• Preparing meals at home can save you money too, and in the long run -- time. You’ll want to set aside time in your schedule to grocery shop, prep, and cook. It’s easier than you think – you just have to make a plan and stick to it. Think of grocery shopping as a hunting/gathering adventure and you’re out to find the best ingredients at low prices.

• Cooking can be a social event. You can show off your culinary skills by providing a meal for friends, and perhaps enlist their help prepping the vegetables. There’s nothing like preparing and sharing a good meal with family and friends while chatting and laughing.

Cooking is a creative process so let loose and have fun! Use the recipes in this book as your guide and as you gain confidence. Feel free to experiment – that’s how some of the best dishes are created.

Never cooked much? No worries. This book is designed for any beginner in the kitchen and will show you how to shop, prepare, and cook delicious simple meals: Outside of the Box.

Happy shopping, cooking, and eating!


2012 © Chrisetta Mosley

Tradition, love, and recipes

My mom found it, while spring cleaning. We have been talking about it for a while. Oh, how we’ve longed for a cool, dense wedge of lemon pound cake. My deceased uncle was thought to be the last person in the family to have the recipe in his possession. My mom and I both have tried to duplicate the recipe, but have never quite mastered it. All the recipes we have tried never compared. Too much lemon. Not enough lemon. But, at last we’ve got the original family Lemon Pound Cake recipe.

I’ve been thinking and talking a lot about food lately. It’s ironic to me a culture so obsessed with food is so disconnected from it.  The only real connection we have to food is the act of -- eating.  More often than not, unfortunately, we eat from boxes or restaurants. Gone are the days of cooking. Really cooking. Like you know from scratch?  Peel the potatoes. Zest the lemons. Cut the whole fryer. Oops, I’m off on a tangent.

Think a minute about one of your favorite family dishes. Ever wonder who started making the dish? Does the dish have cultural significance? There's often stories tied to dishes and how they came about. Some recipes may have been by accident. Some creations very deliberate. Either way there's usually a story. A story from your mother's, mother. A story from your great aunt. It's more than food, it's tradition. It's love. If we stop preparing family recipes how will they live on?

I’m afraid at the rate we’re going: Eating from boxes and restaurants. We are in jeopardy of losing family dishes and recipes. Sure, I can go to the internet and find another recipe for Hot Water Cornbread, but it won’t be my great, great grandmother’s Hot Water Cornbread.  There’s a lot more than our health at stake by not preparing, cooking, and eating meals at home.

We are in jeopardy of losing generations of tradition. Pulling through a fast food restaurant and handing your child a bagged meal is quite different than cooking and enjoying a sit down meal at home. What will your children remember from your kitchen? What recipes will you pass down?

Cooking and eating is more than just a mindless past time. There is tradition and love in food and in recipes.

Now, that we've found the family Lemon Pound Cake recipe. I’ve made several copies of the original and retyped it for safe keeping. I gave my mom a copy, my daughter a copy, and our family Lemon Pound Cake recipe will live on. Good save, mom. Good save.

Bonus: On the other side of the page was a Zucchini Bread recipe.