Thursday July 1, 2010
You know how little children will give another child a toy so they can have the one the other child is playing with? Well, I’m about to share lots of food pictures with you in hopes that you will tell me what you’ve been eating. 
Some parts of me are just not very grown up yet.
I’ve been coping pretty well with cooking allergy friendly food until the dog days of summer hit. And suddenly I’m so tired of cooking slow food international. I want to throw some hamburgers on the grill or better yet some hot dogs so I don’t even have to form hamburger patties. But I can’t. Liam loves hamburger but with not being able to put anything on it at all, it’s a pretty dry bite and he ends up gagging. But if I have to put rice with roast beef and gravy down in my planner one more time in the next seven days I’m going to croak.
Here are a few things I’ve been able to throw in to break up the big cooking days at least a little. Please tell me what you’ve had fun doing this summer. Even if it’s not allergy friendly, it may spark my brain with an idea for a substitute.
This has quickly become our favorite chicken breast recipe hands down. I know italian dressing is a quick marinade and I still like it, but it almost always has some form of soy or dairy in it. You can find the recipe here.
Tuesday night we celebrated summer with these yummy bacon potato bundles.
Peel potatoes and cut into wedges and put on a sheet of tinfoil. Add slices of peppers and onions generously. One of these days I am going to remember to throw in some fresh mushrooms. Top with two slices of bacon and sprinkle liberally with garlic salt and Lawrys seasoned salt. How I do love the people at Lawrys for not adding MSG. In the original recipe, you grill these then top them with cheese and grill just long enough to melt the cheese on them. Since Liam can’t have cheese I’ve forgotten to add it and we don’t even miss it. That’s saying a lot with a cheese addict like me. Just the same, cheese is amazing here. The bacon grease drips down into the potatoes and gives this bundle an mmmmmm, mmmmmm, mmmmmmmmmm flavor. Since Liam reacts to the nitrites in bacon, we’ve found wonderful, organic bacon at Whole Foods that tastes like meat instead of pig fat. And me, the tolerates bacon person, has fallen in love. We add a little bit of olive oil because this bacon doesn’t have much fat and our potatoes were turning out a little dry. Pair this with any salad and find your tastebuds tingly with delight.
“Hats off to summer!” It’s what the boys and I yell while we wave our popsicles in the air at pool time, too.
Roasted marshmallows are the perfect dessert.
One hot, hot Saturday when “the men” were all working on the front walk in the afternoon sun, I was trying to think up a new smoothie concoction. Instead, I ended up with grape milkshakes. I have grape juice concentrate in the freezer that I don’t like and wondered what it would taste like with icecream. So I mixed the two together, added a touch of honey to Liam’s to disguise the goat milk flavor, and “the men fell in love. With me, too.
That along with some ryvietas and hummus made a perfect lunch break. Except Liam had to eat leftover rice instead. When we were in Ireland we learned about ryvietas. You can find them here, just with different names sometimes. It’s a thick, hard cracker that is just perfect topped with mayo, slices of peppers and tomatoes and cheese. Oh, my. Even David the meat lover thinks they are perfect.
And then of course there was David’s birthday meal which I would love to replicate every other day if I’d have that in-house chef I was referring to you know.
Steak kabobs over rice with hummus on the side, ceasar salad with my aunt Janice’s marvelous homemade dressing, and toasted bread with bruschetta. Definitely not happening every day, at least not the full version of it. This has got to be the most economical way to make steak. I used a 3/4 lb for all four of us and we were all stuffed! I used this marinade for the steak and popped the vegetables in, too, for the last five minutes or so.
Last night I was lucky enough to have plenty of safe leftovers for Liam so the rest of us had egg sandwiches. Now that is my kind of cooking. Bread toasted in butter topped with sauteed onions, zucchini relish, habanero peppers, eggs, and cheese.
Someone please inspire me. The simpler the better.
Mercy, you make me hungry and it’s only breakfast. We’ve been having stir frys lately. Yesterday we had cornbread and beans which always feels so cheap but the children love it. I pour bbq sauce over beans from a can and heat it up. We put it on the corn bread like gravy. Last evening I sauted chicken breast with corn,black beans and red peppers, We ate it over lettuce with fresh salsa.
Happy July!
inspire you? good grief, it’s only 8:30 in the morning, and I’m hungry for all sorts of things I would never consider for breakfast after looking at all this awesome food! ;O)
can I come to your house for supper tonight? my inspiration is waning too….
happy July 1!!
~Rb
Oh.my.word. Michelle. Your food looks WOW! So gorgeous and delicious!
I feel so inspired by you, but ~ giggle ~ ‘fraid you won’t be able to say that about me!
The not grown up parts here are thinking simple means chicken nuggets and frozen pizzas. 🙂
I love the hydrangeas on your table ~ a fav of mine~ and your house looks so pretty.
I was just reminded of how much effort goes into every little bite for your Liam.
There are so many different kinds of h.a.r.d. on our plates…pun not intended. really.
Each one of us needs words of encouragement and life breathed into our spirits,
of course from Our Sustainer,
but also from the those around us and the OTHER relationships that HE created us for.
When it comes to food allergies, I don’t know what to say…except. I care. And you ARE doing a great job.
Happy first of July! <3
For smoothies, we like an orange some pineapple, and a frozen banana. Put in the blender with some ice and 3/4 cup water. Blend and add 3-4 leaves of kale and some stevia if desired. Blend well and pour into 2 pretty glasses. Enjoy! It’s very good and healthy for you.
Your food looks so yummy! I think I am the most uninspired cook right now. Just ask Phil. Almost every day I lament that I just don’t have a clue what to make. It seems like we have the same things over and over. I don’t like to make steaming hot food, when my hubby works out in the steaming hot sun all day, so we usually have hamburgers, hotdogs, tacos, taco salad, stromboli, tuna salad sandwiches, chicken salad sandwiches, pb&j, sloppy joes, and then it starts over again… 🙂
Your meals look mighty good! Liam is a lucky little boy with a mama like you. 🙂 You have inspired me with the grape smoothies! I have tons of grape juice that turned out to be weak and we don’t use it. Can’t wait to try that!
I can’t even think of what we’ve been eating! Must not be anything too exciting here. 🙂 Lots of tomato sandwiches, squash casserole, chicken on the grill topped with cheese, mushrooms and tomatoes…there’s a recipe I’ve been wanting to try for loaded baked potatoes and the meat is chicken. I’ll have to find it again, might be a Liam friendly one. 🙂
Have you ever put rice in Liam’s burger and add some tomato juice to make it more moist as a finished product? If I’m making them out of venison (It’s dry without)I usually do oatmeal, but don’t know if that is an option or not…I think rice would work to, although it may not look as nice…or one of my friends uses a meatloaf recipe to make burgers- she uses allot of dry venison as well and it makes them allot better! Your food looks fabulous, wish I had the knack to make an everyday meal look like a celebration of summer! You GO!!
ok, I’d say your food is VERY grownup!! My simple summer meals are brat sandwishes with salad (simple veggie salad), ham/turkeyburgers on the grill and ice cream sandwiches. I eat differently then the others around here and I am beginning to feel guilty about that. I have salad/yogurt/diet cereal/fruit…….
One simple meal I make is roast in a crockpot, veggies and seasonings added. We eat gobs of canned greenbean’s (I mix bacon, cheese etc at times) fresh fruit and whatever is in season during the summer. Meals cooked like yours above are quiet rare here at summer time. I can get fancy in the kitchen, just not with food. 😉 Planning meals, serving meals and eating them are fun, cooking is a whole other story….
@tea_lady –
I tried corn bread and beans the other night and it was an epic failure. Liam’s cornbread recipe is HARD to make turn out and this time it was worse than ever. I think only 2-3 slices were edible. I did it w/ stew beans though b/c the barbecued beans aren’t an option for him.
@foreveranoatneygirl –
You sure may, but I better run to the grocery store first. 🙂
@down_onthefarm –
Thanks! That was kind of you. I can’t even tell you how much I’d love to throw some chicken nuggets in a pan sometimes.
@rose36 –
Sounds yummy. Liam can’t have anything citrus. Our favorite smoothie is strawberry/peach/blueberry with some milk or yogurt and ice.
@Lenni724 –
That sounds like FUN food to me. I miss tomato more during the summertime. Oh, my. I’m so hungry for taco salad. I need to just do it and cook something else for Liam.
@Carsonsmom2 –
I want to come to your house!!! Tomatos and squash casserole????? Oh, yummy!!!
@DelLar –
I don’t put anything in his hamburger b/c he can’t have tomato. Any other ideas?
@seekinHISwisdom –
I love brat sandwiches (but never make them). A friend of mine brought them when Liam was a baby. She grilled the brats then sauteed onions and dumped everything in the crockpot. They were delicious!
have you ever tried a black bean burger? I found a recipe on halelujah acres web site (a place in NC that is SUPER healthy). it sounded good and people raved over it, but I never got around to trying it. can he have ham slices? (from lunch meat ham, cut thick) Sunday my SIL took them and marinated in Italian dressing for 2-3 hours and then grilled them. Tasted DE-licious! I made something the other night that I loved, fry 2 pieces bacon, take out and saute grated squash and onions, then put bacon back in and eat over black eyed peas. (i did add cheese 🙂 ). I am getting hungry too….. maybe I will eat right today 🙂
Wish I had some “kosher” recipes to share with you. 🙁 Let’s see, this week I made fettucine alfredo w/sauteed onions, mushrooms, chicken, zuchini & yellow squash. Another night it was squash casserole and cuke & tomato salad. The food you have here looks so delicious!! It’s amazing that bacon can be dry enough that oil has to be added. I love tin foil meals. Why don’t we make them oftener? Hope you find some great summer family friendly recipes! 🙂
Well, along with everyone else, I am getting hungry! 🙂 You do a fabulous job cooking for Liam!!
Since Eric works outside in the heat, he doesn’t like a huge meal in the evening. (which is better for all of us) HB’s, hotdogs, Mexican Ck Sandwiches, tinfoils pockets with all kinds of things in them, salads of all kinds since my girls like them as well as us. Quesadillas, soft tacos, grilled ham slices… Now with a list like this, I should be able to think of something to make for supper! 🙂
umm….i am hungry now, looking at your food! 🙂 those kabobs look GREAT! My husband would love those. Can’t wait till we have fresh veggies from the garden to use.
Sorry I can’t add any ideas for you.
http://www.hacres.com/recipes/cards/black-bean-burgers-by-connie here is that recipe
This all looked so good bout ate the comp. screen! I’ll have to try some of these things. One of the best parts of summer is grilling.
Michelle, this is cruel and unusual punishment, posting all these pictures before lunchtime..or even breakfast!! I am inspired, tho. 🙂
Inspire you? With meals like this, my simple would sound “unappetizing” 🙂 I am going to show these pictures to my girls, in hopes they get inspired. 🙂 The food looks so good, but what makes it more appealing to me, is the attractive way you plate and present it. Great Job!!
Purple cows.. we were in a dairy bar in Va. Beach and ordered these… vanilla ice cream, and grape juice. Kyle was 5 and has never forgotten. We loved them.
Do you realize, Michelle, that Liam’s food allergies are a bit of a blessing in disguise? Foods like goat milk and nitrate free meat are so much better for you! And like it or not, “cooking slow food international” IS the way God intended our food to be made. So, hey, I don’t doubt that it gets drastically wearisome, but there’s a little tidbit of inspiration while you’re in your rut!
You have some really lucky men at your house! Your food looks absolutely delicious!!
Blessings to you as you walk through the challenge of food allergies …..I know it has to be tiresome at times, and yet, by the looks of it, you’re doing an awesome job!
Ok, here’s our fav. chicken recipe…
Smokey Mtn. Chicken
Slice onions thin and put a layer in the bottom of a 7×11 pan. Sprinkle with Lawry’s.
Put chicken breasts (or thighs, legs, whatever) on top.
Mix together:
1/2 c. ketchup, 1/4 c. maple syrup or brown sugar (I add a half tsp. of maple flav. if I use sugar), 2 Tbl. mustard, 1/4 c. vinegar and pour over top.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour.
Soo yummy! No idea if this is Liam friendly, but it’s amazingly good and the kids fight for the onions on the bottom. 🙂
It looks like you’ve gotten lots of good ideas already. We’ve been enjoying grilled chix breast, then stirfry peppers and onions and make quesadillas with the leftover chicken. The other Sunday I made a chili sauce and put it in the crockpot then we ate it on baked potatoes. I don’t know what you’d do about the tomato juice…hmm. And grilled subs…I wrap them in foil and grill them. It’s also fun to do a packet of veggies in Italian dressing on the side for anyone who wants to add them to the sandwiches. Tonight is Jamie’s b-day meal, so he ordered grilled pork chops, potato wedges, broccoli w/ cheese, butterhorns, cake and watermelon.
Happy cookin’!
Well,you could use his milk as the liquid in burgers…i use milk actually more than tomato juice…beef broth? basiclly you need just any liqiud for the rice/oatmeal/bread crumbs to soak up so that it is juicy once it is cooked.
About hamburgers for Liam. Add some goat milk, seasoning (even if it is just salt and pepper) and a little olive oil to his burger. Form it fairly thin and poach it. Skillet with just!!! enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and cover with a small sauce pan lid. Be sure to flip like normal. Once it is alomst as done as you want it, take the lid off and pour out the water and make sure both side get brown. The milk and oil help keep it softer. I would think that making him a batch of burgers and freezing them to have to pull out with your others or even hot dogs would be fairly easy. But I know, it is so so wearing to forever be making food like this.
No pictures, but we are living on grilled chicken breasts on salad with fresh whole grain bread on the side. Marinade…I never use a recipe, just throw in a little of this and a little of that. Olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, garlic scapes or just plain garlic, fresh herbs. I do a big pack of them on the grill and we eat them all week.
I’m definitely going to have to try the bacon packs.
your food looks so yummy and so so elegant! i am eyeballing those steak kabobs, and when i don’t know what to cook next week, I am coming back to read these comments again.
And you’re the one who doesn’t cook. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
@cuz_He_lives –
I can agree with you that cutting nitrates and preservatives has probably been a blessing in disguise, but it is not “healthier” to be intolerant of citrus fruits, ALL dairy, tomatoes, oatmeal, and eggs plus a lot of other things. So it’s a little hard to look at the way I cook and say flippantly, “Oh, this is so much better for us.”
@qawzse789 –
I thought a purple cow was when you make a rootbeer float but use grape pop instead? Funny. “I never saw a purple cow, I never hope to meet one, But this one thing I surely know, I’d rather meet than be one!” We used to chant that every time we ate purple cows when we were kids. 🙂
@Carsonsmom2 –
I think it would work except for the ketchup. Sounds yummy though!
@DelLar –
@VirginiaDawn –
Hmmm, I never thought about using milk in his burgers. I’ll have to try that. I did notice that he can eat a hamburger better when I pan fry it very slowly (as opposed to grilling) so that it cooks in its own juice. I have FINALLY found a few things I can get him to eat from the freezer, but I know already that hamburgers would not be one of them. Apparently his food is dryer after it’s been frozen. For awhile I could not get him to eat anything that had been frozen. Now I can make a bigger batch of things like rice w/ roast beef and gray, rice w/ hamburger gravy, his very strange pasta concoction, and hoppin John. I try to make sure there is plenty of the liquid part of things then add applesauce or milk to it when I reheat it.
@lazonya75 –
I love that idea of grilling a bunch of chicken breast and using them in menus all week. I’m going to have to try that. I love grilled food but David does the grilling here and he is a die-hard charcoal fan so it can take kind of long and sometimes it feels like our evening is shot just by cooking.
@twofus_1 –
That is not the true core of the eternal argument. 😉
Yummy! You gave me my supper menu for this evening. I’m wondering if it would work to put the marinated ch icken breasts in the potato/bacon packets? Or would the potatoes get done long before the chicken?
I wasn’t suggesting you be flippant about it, only that there are some positives to be found within a very difficult situation. As for not being “healthier” to be allergic to all dairy, he can handle goat milk, right? There are plenty of us for whom our bodies are naturally created to not be able to digest diary. Goat’s milk is known to be a more alkaline milk, while cow’s is more acidic. He’s still getting the protein, just in a different manner than the rest of us. So, again, if he is able to handle goat milk, he’s likely farther ahead than the rest of us.
As for citrus fruits, yes, they are high in vit C, but they are also high in natural sugar which spikes blood sugar levels.
Oatmeal is a bit boggling to me. Have you tried soaking the oatmeal to neutralize the phytic acid in it? It certainly helps digestion. Here’s a link about that, if you care to check it out. http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/04/whole-grains-grinding-soaking.html
And I’m assuming you’ve even tried free range eggs on him and he’s still allergic to those? They are certainly very different than the “normal” kinds of eggs.
Be encouraged, you’re doing a great job caring for and loving Liam (and your family as a whole). I’m sure it’s harder to recognize sometimes b/c it is much more demanding for you than most others. I see it! and admire the effort you put into your family, and your desire to accept and enjoy where God has you now.
Michelle, your food is beautiful!! Sadly, I have no new wonderful food recipes to share. I am stuck in a rut of chicken and rice, roast with potatoes and carrots, hamburger/potatoes/green bean casserole, and pasta primaveras.
Michelle, YOU are inspiring! OK, this is coming from a mommy who has been dealing w/ sick children all week and cooking is a huge mountain when you don’t know what to fix that the sick ones can (or will) eat. I’m thinking that tonight will be fresh potatoes baked in foil on the grill along with whatever seasonings I think my children would like.
Have you ever come across The Holland Grill brand seasonings? They are all MSG free, and no nitrites that I can see. They have the Carolina mix, Rump Shake :), and Greek mix. Although the Greek has soy protein in, but I couldn’t find it in the others. Any place that sells Holland grills would have it, and maybe farm supply stores. They are good!
A side note: Adam cutting the bacon with scissors made me laugh. How like a 6 yr. old whose food has to be ‘perfect’!
@smilesbymiles – My favorite meatloaf recipe has milk in it and it freezes really well. You can replace to egg in meatloaf ( and other stuff) with applesauce which also freezes really well. It is never dried out when baked. If I were to try making burgers to freeze for him I would use 1 lb of beef, 1/4 c applesauce, 1/2 -2/3 c milk, 1/2 c of bread crumbs ( the flopped cornbread would work quite well), plus salt pepper onion celery whatever he can have. That is the “conversion” of my meatloaf. 🙂
@millerseven –
I don’t know if it would work or not. When I do chicken, we grill the chicken separately to get that great smoky grilled flavor and then I add olive oil (or you could use butter) to the potato / veggie packets.
@RallyJan –
I have never seen those seasonings. I’ll have to look for them. I’d love to find a few blends he can use.
@VirginiaDawn –
Can I just hug you? I have tried and flopped meatloaf and gave up on ever trying it again. I used flaxmeal instead of eggs and instant mashed potatoes instead of the oatmeal. It was ok, but pretty dry and he can’t have ketchup. Why in the world did I never think of using his bread for bread crumbs either??? I will definitely be making this soon!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!
Just to let you know that I grilled the chichen just a little bit on each side and then put it in the tinfoils along with the bacon, potatoes, peppers and onions. It was really yummy and everyone enjoyed having their own little meal! I will make this combo again!
Do you mind sharing your tea recipe? Brand, how much sugar…thanks!
P.S. If it’s a secret recipe, that’s fine! 😉
@yurietruly –
Oh, sure, I’ll do that. You sort of have to experiment a little bit because different water makes tea taste differently; but the gist of it stays the same. Since I’ve moved to our area, I cook 8 c of water until it is almost boiling. Remove from heat and add 4 family size tea bags. Let it brew for almost an hour. Fill at least a gallon size container (I like a 6 qt better) with lots and lots of ice. Add 1 1/3 c. sugar (don’t look, just do it!). Pour the brewed tea over the sugar and stir til the sugar dissolves. Squeeze the tea bags a little bit. If it’s too strong, add some cold water to the tea bags and then pour it in with the tea.
I think our water must be really wierd b/c this is not how I used to make tea at all. In fact, if I tried this at my mom’s house it would be completely bitter. At her house we would cook 4 c of hot water and only let the tea brew for about 5 – 10 minutes. Then instead of squeezing the tea bags, we’d fill it til it was nearly at the 4 c line (with the tea bags in it) and add that. I can make delicious tea here, but at her house, the tea still gets a better tea flavor. I don’t get it. Our water is a little hard but not terribly so I’m not sure what the oddness factor is here. She has city water.
Oh, and tea tastes differently based on a lot of things. Like, it always tastes better when you make it in stainless steel or glass as opposed to plastic. Seriously. I like my 6 qt stainless steel kettle best. And the ice makes a difference, too. The very best tea ever is made with a huge bag of ice like the kind you buy in stores. I only use that for special occasions though. The second best is to use cool whip containers to make ice. I can always taste regular ice cubes and let me tell you, regular ice maker ice from a frig freezer makes awful tea. 🙂 I usually use 4 of the smaller cool whip containers or 2 -3 larger ones and chop them up with an ice pick.
And yes, I know I obsess about iced tea a little bit like some people obsess over their coffee. 🙂 I’ve been making it since I was 6 so maybe that’s why.
Have fun and come tell me how it turned out!
Hey . . . I heard from Mj that you’ve been eating muesli. =) Does that fit into your little boy’s diet or just yours? Anyway, I know I’ve been to your site before, but had to come back and check it out when she said that you said you know me. I’ve been racking my brain, but I can’t come up with anything that sparks a memory. Oh dear, don’t tell me I’m getting *that* old already. Anyway, would love to know how and when and where we’ve met before . . . and are you sure you’ve got the right person in mind. 😉
~shelly at gratitudejournal.blogspot.com
Don’t know what all Liam can have, but I definitely empathise with the “bored and un-inspired” struggles due to trying to cook for the allergic among us! One thing we had recently (no recipe–just winged it) was a Shepherd’s Pie. I used left-over mashed potatoes (made with goat’s milk and a bit of salt and pepper–and a non-diary butter substitute that had soy in it so you’d have to come up with something else) as the topping, and grated goat’s cheese on them, along with paprika for some color since the goat’s cheese is pale. For the filling it was fried burger, onions, some green beans, left-over rice that was in the fridge, and some grated cabbage and carrots that had started to get a little strong for fresh eating. Also threw in some coconut oil (extra virgin) because that is so healthy for skin, and the whole body, actually . . . and helped it keep the stuff from sticking . . . Seasoned it to taste . . . won rave reviews from everyone. We also recently had pulled pork made using one of the few BBQ sauces my son can have (Montgomery Inn) since I’d been able to stock up on it on sale. Served with rice, and diced avacodo with fresh lime juice and cracked salt . . . Hope some of those ideas help a bit . . . . you aren’t alone!!
Also, can he have buckwheat?? (NOT in the wheat family, despite the name). I learned to like it in Ukraine. We get the organic stuff from EDEN by the case to help keep the price down. I basically cook according to the directions on the package back–the stuff is much better if you make sure to salt the water while cooking it. I use “Real Salt”. We then add pepper and more salt and those who can add butter, and those who can’t, add butter substiute. We also like to eat fried eggs with it, and while that evidently wouldn’t work for Liam, maybe if you sweetened it with goat’s milk and sweetner . . . ? Buckwheat is very healthy for you, so it’s a good food to learn to like.
It can also be used in stir fries–I don’t remember exactly how the one team member fixed it, but she several times used our left-over buckwheat from breakfast to make supper in the evenings . . . I recall one that she had stir-fried some garlic, celery, and not sure what all else and added it to the buckwheat. . . it was amazingly YUMMY after working hard at the orphanage!
Thanks for the inspiration for cooking in the season I least feel like cooking! I made the potato bacon bundles tonight and they were a big hit at our house. I make tinfoils similar to that sometimes with a lean ground beef patty and just mix seasonings in instead of the usual egg and other things to hold it together. We all loved the extra pizazz the bacon and cheese gave this recipe. I’m not sure what all you have to stay away from for your son but here’s a thai recipe from my in-laws who spent time in Thailand. I get pork loin sliced thin, marinate in a mixture of soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, and pork seasoning. You can put it on skewers and grill and serve with rice. We’ve added our own variation and get it sliced a little thicker, same marinade and serve on a good crusty bun with bbq sauce and a pickle for a good summery sandwich. This is getting too long but thanks again!
You’re making me HUNGRY! It all looks so yummy…..
@yurietruly –
Oh, and I forgot to say I always use Lipton tea bags. I kind of forget other kinds even exist. 🙂
@FOREVERLANE –
The Muesli fits into mine. I have had so much trouble with low blood sugar and I feel so, so wonderful on it. I can hardly believe the difference. And no, I’m not convinced I have the right person in mind but I think so. Mj said that Katie Stoltzfus from Blackville is your grandma and that’s when I was sure I had to know you. I lived in Blackville til I was nearly 13. Is your mom’s name Marian? If it is, I remember sitting in the bathroom stall next to you and peeking over at your shoes and being SO jealous that your mom let you wear those big, chunky heels b/c my mom said I wasn’t big enough yet. 🙂 How’s that for a random memory?
@happymom4 –
Thanks. We use coconut oil a lot for Belizean dishes. Liam can’t have barbecue sauce b/c of the tomato but I did make a pork rub that I have tried with rice. I’ll have to try the buckwheat b/c yes, he can have it. I use it in pancakes sometimes and they are so yummy. I never knew you could just cook it and eat it by itself.
@smilesbymiles – Don’t use the buckwheat flour . . . use the “groats” or whatever it’s called if you cook it to eat..
Also, buckwheat and eggs make a great breakfast for someone with low blood sugar issues it seems. We have that at our house too–it does seem to work better for me though than it does for my Dd who also has issues, so your mileage may vary. (mmv)
Someone, you would think that God had a vegetable/fruit that you could use as a substitute for tomatoes,wouldn’t you? Hmmm.
Yeah, you must have the right person in mind~’cause I do fit your description, big, chunky heels and the mother who let me have them. That’s so funny that someone was jealous of them tho. =) Who are your parents or grandparents and did you go to Calvary church? Maybe that would help me out. It’s embarrassing that I don’t have a memory of you, ’cause I usually think I have a good memory of childhood people and places. Maybe something will trigger soon! =) I’d enjoy meeting you again now!
@FOREVERLANE –
I did go to Calvary church. My parents are James and Betty (ask Jane to help you remember). 🙂 I know. It would be fun meeting you, too. I would never have put the pieces together if it wouldn’t have been for Mj saying your grandma’s name.