on-hand modern

on food + culture (food culture), part 2: how the olsons do food

in my last post, i talked about food culture: american food culture, family food culture, and wanting to make changes to our family's approach to food. and today i'm back with a list of 15 values and guidelines i'm cleverly calling:

how the olsons do food

so. it's a work in various stages of progress. some of the items on the list are things we are already good at. some of them need work. but all of them are important to me and match my vision for less stress and more joy re: food and family.

obviously, each family's approach to food and mealtime is a highly individualized thing, and what's important to me might not so much be important to you and your family, but i thought you might be curious to see?

(and as always, i'd love to hear your ideas/feedback.)

HOW THE OLSONS DO FOOD

1) food is important. prioritize and consciously make time for food--real food--that is minimally processed and prepared at home.

2) eat mindfully. pay attention to what you eat and how. enjoy it.

3) meals are a social experience. eat as a family as often as possible. (for us this means dinner is served at 7:00 instead of 5:00 or 6:00.)

4) related to above: no distractions at the table. this includes phones, books, magazines, toys, etc.

5) sit down to eat. at the table. no exceptions.

6) whenever possible, serve a vegetable as a first course instead of a side dish.

7) everyone in the family eats the same thing. no short-order cooking.

8) children are not required to eat everything on their plates, but they are strongly encouraged to try everything.

9) related to above: no whining or complaining at meals. if you can't say something nice about the food, just please don't say anything at all. cool?

10) a snack is served (at the table) between lunch and dinner, generally around 4:00 PM. no other snacking is allowed.

11) water is the only beverage appropriate for guzzling. if you are thirsty, drink water! milk and juice are foods, not beverages, and should be consumed sparingly and mindfully.

12) use cloth napkins (we use unpaper towels) to help combat a fast-food mindset. 

13) related to above: no plastic dishes.

14) everyone pitches in with meal prep and clean up. children have specific responsibilities, based on age-appropriateness and their interests.

15) when cooking, clean as you go. a disastrous mess of a kitchen is stressful while you're cooking. and at the end of a meal it's a major drag.

***

on food + culture (food culture)

hello, friends. time is short today, but i've been wanting to get some thoughts down on (virtual) paper about one of my favorite topics:

food.

well, let me revise that.

food is my favorite. the planning of it, the shopping for ingredients, and actual making of food? not so much.

for me, cooking and meal planning have historically been pretty stressful things. and that is something that needs to change. i just don't have room in my life for unnecessary stress. (does anybody?) i need a new approach to food, and that brings me to the topic of food culture, which is something i've been thinking a lot about lately.

american food culture--it's pretty much a mess. now don't get me wrong, i love my country. but, let's be honest, as a nation we eat like crap. diabetes, heart disease, overweight--they're all big problems here in the US, and the more i think about it, it's not so much because of what we eat--though that is a major contributor to our national health crisis (hello, processed foods, i'm looking at you)--but it's also very much about how we eat. and in a word, that's mindlessly.

the american approach to food is this: food should be convenient. it should require very little thought. and it should be prepared and consumed quickly, ideally while thinking about and/or doing something else (working at your desk, picking up carpool, running errands, watching tv).

we are world-class snackers, americans. we've been called a fast food nation, which is actually just code for thoughtless food nation. and you know what? that doesn't sit right with me. and maybe all of that is the reason why food and healthful eating and family mealtime have become so synonymous with stress for me. as an american, i've been conditioned to think of food as something i'm too busy for, something i don't really want to be bothered much by, something that should be squeezed in around all the other more important things i have to do--when really, it should be more of a priority than that.

and so i'm making it a priority. i'm changing the way i look at food, the way my family looks at food. i'm giving real thought to our family's food culture, and how i would like that to look.

now, before i get ahead of myself, let's be clear about one thing: my time and energy and brainpower are all very limited resources, which means there will have to be sacrifices. prioritizing our family's food culture and teaching myself and my children to have a healthier relationship with food (and with each other?) may mean things like later bedtimes (nooooo!) so we can eat together as a family more often and/or letting go of some of the afternoon activities we're used to so we have time to prepare a real midday meal (and actually enjoy it) instead of rushing on to the next thing.

sigh. it won't be easy. change never is. but i just keep coming back to this:

how much time and energy and thoughtful consideration does cultivating a healthy, rich, joyful family food culture (particularly where a larger societal food culture is found lacking) deserve?

answer: more than I have been giving it.

okay, more soon. in the meantime, here are a few links to some resources that i've found helpful/inspiring of late:

- Word of Wisdom Living blog
- French Kids Eat Everything by Karen Le Billon
- City Market (my friend just convinced me to make the drive downtown one day soon, and take the kids)

what do you think? i'd love to hear what you have to say on the subject of food culture, the slow food movement, healthy eating habits, or anything else related to food. and if you have any recommendations for additional reading i'd love to hear those too!

[food-related instagram photos by me: @cee_dee_oh]

***

my sister comes to KC + an unofficial restaurant guide

i forgot to post about my sister's visit to kansas city last month. (and the pictures of her are so classy and flattering!) ah, well, instead of a trip report, how about a short list? one which i shall cleverly entitle:

favorite places to eat whenever, but especially when we have family come to town--

oklahoma joe's bbq in mission (pictured)

yes, it's literally a restaurant inside a gas station. you'll love it. order the pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw on it, and FRIES. they're amazing. (fyi, there's almost always a line here, but don't worry, it moves fast.)

vietnam cafe

i've never tried anything but the beef pho (beef + noodle soup dish) here. i like mine extra spicy, so i load up on the jalapanos, hot sauce, and fresh basil. but leave out the extras and the kids will love it too.

dos reales mexican restaurant

this is our favorite neighborhood hangout. the fajitas are the thing here, but we also like to go on tuesdays and order a bunch of tacos at a dollar a piece. (where else can the whole family eat for $15, including tip?)

papa kenos pizzeria

this is a great place to feed a crowd. when we bring out-of-towners, we order the pizza that's roughly the size of a small planet and never fail to impress.

sheridans frozen custard

you can't go wrong here, but the lemon lush concrete (when it's available) is life-changing.

***

holiday baking: what's on your list?

you know what's better than baking? talking about baking. and, let's be honest, i'm more likely to do the latter than the former.

so. what are you making this year? what do you wish you were making? what do you wish someone would make for you?

[photo originally posted in 2009]

***

the thing about pumpkin chiffon pie

the thing about pumpkin chiffon pie is that it's tradition.

the thing about pumpkin chiffon pie is that if you use pre-made graham cracker crusts, it takes exactly the same amount of effort to make 4 pies as it does to make one. so always make the full recipe.

the thing about pumpkin chiffon pie is that when you look in the fridge and see FOUR PIES, you feel rich.

the thing about pumpkin chiffon pie is knowing that if someone were to drop by unexpectedly, you could say, "please come in. i have pie." and they would think you are awesome. even if you are still in your pajamas.

the thing about pumpkin chiffon pie is that when you wake up too early and can't get back to sleep, at least you have something to write about.

the thing about pumpkin chiffon pie is that it signals the start of the holiday season. and girls in red dresses.

the thing about pumpkin chiffon pie is how cute are these mini pies my sister made?

the thing about pumpkin chiffon pie is it's my 1950s entrepreneurial grandmother's recipe. my favorite vintage photo of her + the recipe are right here.

***

awesome homemade caramel corn

this caramel corn is light (ha, in texture not calories) and crisp, and you can really taste the butter and brown sugar. serve it in little brown kraft paper bags for a party. or eat it right out of the bowl while wearing your pajamas + watching dan in real life again. that's cool too.

the recipe makes two large cookie sheets. you could cut it in half if you like, or make the whole recipe and store some of it for later. up to you.

the original recipe is here, but this is how i do it:

Caramel Popcorn

1) preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

2) pop 2 bags of microwave popcorn.

3) pour contents of bags onto 2 cookie sheets (the kind with sides), taking care to remove any unpopped kernels.

4) in a large pot over medium heat, melt 2 sticks of butter. add 2 cups brown sugar, 1/2 cup corn syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.

5) bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.

6) as soon as mixture starts to boil, stop stirring. set the timer and boil for 4 minutes.

7) remove caramel from heat. add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon vanilla. stir to combine well.

8) drizzle 1/2 of caramel over each pan of popcorn. stir to coat.

9) bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

10) enjoy!

***

i believe in: God, traditions, and donuts

if you've been reading here for any length of time you've probably heard me talk about conference weekend + homemade spudnuts before, but (spoiler alert!) i'll probably keep talking about them because i believe in family traditions. be they simple or elaborate, big or small, silly or of a more serious nature--those things which we do consciously over and over again as families have value, bringing us together in a very real way and providing those shared experiences that, regularly and collectively, serve to strengthen our family bonds, create commonalities among (sometimes very different) family members, build understanding and familiarity across generations, and just generally bring an added level of richness and meaning to our lives.

i should say that i also believe in adapting our traditions as our families grow and evolve and our circumstances change, but for now--

sugary pastries twice a year it is!

[recipe here]

p.s. for my LDS-curious friends. :) in case you are wondering, there is no theological connection between LDS general conference and fried foods with holes in them. it's just a random thing we do, although family-specific traditions regarding food and that weekend seem to be pretty common among us mormons. my sister's family makes ebelskivers (puffy danish pancakes) and my sister-in-law's in-laws (did you follow that?) have a tradtion they fondly refer to as Bacon Fest. ha!

***

8 beginner tips for making a pretty cake

all my life i've wanted to learn how to make a real grown-up chocolate cake with layers and pretty frosting, just like the ones i imagine i'd see in a charming bakery shop window if only i actually shopped at charming bakeries, and, no, costco doesn't count. it's why i had kids, i think--so that one day one of them would ask for one for her 9th birthday, and i'd have to rise to the occasion or fail her as a mother, and yes, i'm being dramatic.

anyway.

look! we did it, olivia and i. it isn't perfect by any means, but for a first effort it's not bad. and, hey, under some very specific circumstances, unevenly distributed frosting might even be considered a good thing. (diabetic? you bet! on an all-sugar diet? you too! step right up, folks, and get your custom-frosted cake slice right here!)

okay. moving along--

making her birthday cake is a fun tradition to do together, and we'll continue to do it as long as her interest lasts. last year we made this simple (but still impressive, no?) 8-layer icebox cake. this year she wanted something a tiiiiiny bit more amibitious. we learned some things along the way (some of them a bit surprising, maybe?) and i thought i would share our tips for all you other aspiring makers of pretty layer cakes out there:

1) do yourself a favor and step away from the boxed cake mix. yes, i know that sounds snobby, and, listen, for a potluck church social for 100 people, a boxed cake mix will do just fine. but now i know why all my previous attempts to make a pretty frosted cake ended in a sorry, crumby mess. i was using boxed cake mixes! and here's the secret: aside from tasting only okay, they're simply not dense enough to stand up to the clumsy frosting attempts of a beginning cake decorator. use this recipe from Cook's Illustrated instead. i know, baking a cake like this from scratch is time-consuming and a tad involved, but believe me. it's worth it--from a flavor as well as a presentation perspective. trust me. you'll thank me later.

2) same thing goes for the frosting in a can. don't do it! it doesn't spread very well, compared to a homemade frosting. here's the recipe we used, and the flavor and consistency are miles above anything i've ever tried before.

3) also, while we're on the subject of frosting-in-a-can: totally misleading. no way is one of those enough to frost an entire layer cake. and why wasn't i smart enough to know that? i dunno. but now you are.

4) to properly frost a cake, both your cake and your frosting must be at room temperature. warm cake + cold frosting = disaster. but i'm sure you already knew that. still, it's worth noting.

5) a pretty cake needs a pretty cake stand. some people will tell you it's optional. they're wrong.

6) to protect your cake stand from inevitable drips and splatters, slide 3"-wide strips of parchment paper an inch or so under your bottom cake layer. remove them after applying your final coat of frosting, but before you pop the cake in the fridge to chill.

7) when frosting your cake, apply a thin coat first to seal in any crumbs. (but you're using the recipe i gave you, right? so you shouldn't have very many of those.) chill for 30 minutes before applying a thicker topcoat.

8) always spread the frosting in the same direction, turning your cake as you go. (this tip is my favorite and the key to a smooth finish.)

are you a baking expert? do you have tips of your own to share? i'd love to hear them--even if they seem totally obvious!

p.s. those strawberries on top (9 of them of course!) were 100% made by olivia and are a totally do-able kid project.

***

how to cook brown rice

a well-stocked pantry isn't my strong suit. k's always picking up this or that for me on the way home from work. but i almost always have brown rice on hand. i make a big batch about once a week or so and pull it out as needed for quick lunches or dinners.

as a healthier choice over white rice, it makes a lot of sense. but over the years, i've struggled with how to make it just right. too crunchy, too mushy (in my opinion, brown rice that resembles oatmeal is a bad thing), too gummy, too...burnt. after so many dismal failures, i quit buying it for a while. then one day, i got ambitious i guess and bought a do-or-die bag at costco. determined was i. and ultimately victorious.

here's my method:

3 cups rice (this is a large batch, you can make less)

4 1/2 cups water (most brown rice recipes call for 2 parts water to 1 part rice; i prefer a 1.5/1 ratio. less water to absorb = not too mushy rice)

kosher salt

in a large pot, combine rice, water, and salt. bring to boil over high heat. once water starts to boil, reduce heat to lowest setting. cover and let cook for 20 minutes. turn off heat but do not remove pot from burner. do not remove lid. let sit at least another 10-20 minutes (you can let it sit longer if you forget, but 10 minutes is the minimum). serve.

the result: perfectly-cooked pearls of brown rice in as little 40 minutes. i hope you try it!

***

brownie bite birthday "cake"

waaay too hot to bake yesterday, so we improvised with store-bought brownie bites topped with a dollop of barely-pink whipped cream.

***