1. For a while now I’ve had my kitchen, food, cooking, grocery shopping routine down. I can make a menu, shop for food, and crank out at-home meals without a hitch. I hope this blog in some strange way inspires you to do the same. I believe our health is rooted in what we feed, or don’t feed, our bodies. What I’ve been struggling with for some time though is the laundry – the LAUNDRY. So, I decided to inflict a little routine into the laundry. I used to have a routine with laundry, with a little help from the best male cook I know. Then we’d end up with a few horizontal surfaces covered with folded, clean clothes that didn’t make it to their respectable owners. I went to war with the laundry and for the most part (except for my the room where my sons live – they share a room) I am proud to say I am winning the war. With a routine, and very little deviation from that routine, we do not have piles of dirty laundry waiting to be washed, or piles of clean laundry waiting to be put away (except for the room where my sons live.) Next I need to inflict some routine in that said room. While laundry and cooking go hand in hand, as the much dreaded household duties of anyone with children, please realize: while dirty laundry may not affect your health directly, “dirty” food (ie largely processed or fast food) does. If you have to choose between cooking or laundry, go for the cooking~

2. Fall is here. October is here. Gone are the peaches, corn, cucumbers, blueberries, cherries, and tomatoes I enjoyed over the summer. When you eat seasonally, and try to eat locally, you realize at this time of year what a feast summertime holds. Sure, I can go to my local supermarket and still buy corn, cucumbers, blueberries, and tomatoes from gosh knows where, but I’m trying to live a bit differently this year for reasons of awareness and just plain old giving it a try. We have local apples now, a few bananas (not local), and I even bought a bag of California oranges yesterday (definitely not local but at least domestically in season.)

3. The past few weeks we’ve seen a huge amount of rain in our area. I keep thinking about heading out to my sad, raised vegetable garden and pulling out the tomato plants which produced very little this year. I keep thinking about planting garlic. Usually if I keep thinking about something I know there’s a reason and I try to act on my thoughts. Garlic spends about 9 months underground, during the chilly fall and cold winter. But, just like most other bulbs planted in the fall, garlic produces its fruit in June. Let me know if you have any tips about growing garlic and I’ll keep you posted if I plant any.

4. I’m in the middle of a recipe testing job and I must say I find recipe testing one of my favorite ways to trade my time and energy for money. Not only do I prepare recipes that are not in my repertoire, but I find I cook differently depending on what I’m testing. Last year I tested recipes for a Southern cookbook. I cooked my way through sweet potatoes, chicken, fish, beans, alligator, and turtle (farmed, not wild, for those of you raising an eyebrow). Many of the recipes were a unique cooking experience because as a rule we don’t eat much turtle or alligator here in this house on even an occasional basis. With my current testing job, the recipes are meat, poultry, and saturated fat- (cheese, whole-fat dairy, and coconut milk) free. I’m cooking fish, whole grains, and vegetables. The biggest difference between the two styles of cooking – Southern and meat-free – is the amount of time I spend standing at the cutting board and the color of the meals. For the Southern recipes I’d do a bit of chopping and put the food in the oven, pot, or grill. The meals were not always quick, and the time in the pot was sometime long, especially when preparing soups and stews. For the meat-free recipes, I chop, chop, chop, and with a pretty quick cooking method, such as a fast saute or quick roast, the finished dish is ready. I guess what I’m trying to say is this: eating more vegetables and whole grains is good for us all. If you are making an attempt to incorporate more veggies and colorful food into your meals, and you find yourself spending more time at the cutting board, don’t be alarmed or give up. This is the biggest difference I can see between a meat-based and non-meat-based diet. Practice will make your speed improve or if you’re like me just enjoy the time in the kitchen. Chopping can be a pleasing experience. What better way to get connected to our food.

5. I signed my book contract this past week so it’s official now. My publisher is expecting delivery of the manuscript in the spring. What a gift to test and write my own recipes, for a book showcasing traditional Kentucky ingredients from a 21st century Kentucky kitchen. I’ll throw in a bit of goetta and “mangoes” for regional appeal. If you have a goetta recipe, or any regional food stories, or recipes, from Central and Northern Kentucky,  please, please get in touch. Just to give you a flavor of where I am – I’m in the middle of typing my grandmother’s recipe for Bourbon Balls – a Kentucky staple on the cookie platter at Christmas time.