Rustic Pear Gorgonzola Pizza

I make this pizza about three times a month. It's easy, and everyone loves it. If you have never grown rosemary, it is simple to grow in most climates. It even remains green throughout winter, so you can harvest year-round. Rosemary can be bought in grocery stores, but it is far more economical to grow your own. For this pizza, you can use a pre-made crust like Boboli, but I prefer to make my own. It is less salty and makes a bigger pizza.

Olive oil
Fresh rosemary, chopped
1 Bosc pear, sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced thin and carmelized
1 tub of crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
balsamic vinegar
one pizza crust

Brush crust with a little olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary. Cover with three-fourths of the gorgonzola cheese. Add pear slices and onions, and then top with remaining cheese. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar.
Bake at 350 degrees until topping is hot and crust is browned, about 15 minutes or so.

The Spiritual Side of Food

I know that I say this every year, but this year I resolve to become more aware of what I eat. Not to necessarily lose weight (although I wouldn't mind), or to buy all my food items at Whole Foods (can't afford to), but to simply be more mindful of what I prepare for my family and myself.
I read somewhere that all the food that we put in our mouths contains the energy that was used to prepare it. Therefore, if food is lovingly prepared, with care and positive intention, that food transmits this loving energy to those who consume it. Although I don't think that that we will immediately be filled with negative feelings each time we eat a McDonald's hamburger (I've been known to enjoy a Big Mac or two), we can strive to make food preparation an act of positive intention. An example of this is when your mother made you homemade chicken noodle soup when you were sick. Not only did the chicken broth and the vegetables feed you body with nutrients, there was a certain amount of mental comfort within that soup that helped you to heal. Think of the last time you prepared food with love. It may when you whipped up a bubbling hot lasagna for your friends, or added just a pinch of chili powder to a mug of steaming hot cocoa for you husband. It not only gave your loved ones a good feeling, it gave you a good feeling as well.
So I put forward this challenge; prepare at least one meal a week with positive intention. Think what you can cook from scratch with healthful ingredients that are raised and harvested in organic and humane ways. Dust off that old cookbook your grandmother left you, and attempt to bake a loaf of bread from scratch. Knead some raw honey into the dough and add a sprinkle of love. You and your family will thrive from it.

Interesting and yummy childhood recipes

Here are some great food recipes from my childhood.

• Tuna jello salad mold (See picture and recipe above) Although this sounds awful, it is great! I can sit down and eat about half of this in an afternoon (nothing to brag about!) My mom also makes a sauce for this consisting of lemon juice, sugar and mayonnaise. You could make this with low fat mayo and use Splenda to convince yourself that you are eating something healthy. This recipe comes from a 1973 Jello cookbook that my mom had - now I own. It has everything you every wanted to make with jello in it.
• Fluffernutter sandwiches You take two slices of white bread (preferably Wonder bread, or any other kind of white bread that you can roll into dough balls to store in your pocket to eat for later) and spread peanut butter on one side and Kraft marshmallow cream on the other. Squish together and enjoy!
• Banana, peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches (I think Elvis liked these) I personally can't stand them, but my mom always made them for my lunch.
• Fruit "salads" with marshmallows, nuts, Jello, and whipped cream My grandmother made Waldorf salad every holiday, and it is wonderful in all its green fluffy goodness! By the way, why were these called "salads"? Maybe another way to convince one that one is eating "healthy". Canned fruit does has some vitamins.

Everything is FOOD!

Hmm, it seems like 50 percent of my life revolves around food - what to cook, what to eat, what not to eat, etc. It's 3:00pm and I'm trying to figure out what to cook for dinner tonight. I really like Rachael Ray, so I looked up her website and found a recipe for Cheese Straws (very easy and uses only six ingredients. I thought I would have it with Veggie Chili (I use whatever is in the garden or whatever is in the freezer!) Find the recipe at http://www.rachaelraymag.com

pie - after

pie - after
Originally uploaded by buchanan_shelley.

Here is the "rustic" rhubarb pie baked.

pie - before

pie - before
Originally uploaded by buchanan_shelley.

Here's my first rhubarb pie of the season. Since we are overflowing with rhubarb this year, I've got to find something to do with all this rhubarb! Although this pie tastes really good (I added cinnamon for flavor), the crust is a little bit messy! I do not have a lot of patience for pastry perfection! So, my motto is - when it's not perfect, call it "rustic" ! (It will look a lot better baked.)

Homemade granola bars

Here is my first attempt at homemade granola bars. They turned out pretty good, but very sweet! Gus (my three year old) had some this morning and it was a hit! I was pretty excited, especially since my son is the king of picky eaters! For those who are interested, I found the recipe on http://southernfood.about.com. I modified the recipe a little bit to fit the ingredients that I had already in my pantry.
Tip: grease the pan you cook it in really well - the bars really stick when they cool off.

1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup melted butter
2/3 cup peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 1/2 - 4 cups muesli cereal
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/3 cup ground flax seed

Mix all ingredients together till mixture is sticky clumps. Press mixture into greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely and cut into bars.