The closer the cow, the tastier the meat...

59/100

Today I made a fantastic brisket. Wow that was an amazingly boring sentence. However, the brisket is fantastic, boring sentence aside. It is a thing of beauty. I love meat. Sometimes I feel bad about that. I feel like if I were more responsible about the planet I wouldn't eat meat. And I try to cut back on my meat eating, but it is so good. Right now, in my fridge, I have lamb, organic grass fed ground beef, brisket and chicken breasts. That's a lot of meat for one person. I think that comes from growing up cooking for a family. I miss that. A lot. So if I invite you to dinner... COME for crying out loud. It isn't work for me and it makes me all happy to have someone to cook for that appreciates my cooking. I've lived with people who haven't appreciated my cooking *chuckle* I stopped cooking. Which is a shame. Because I truly love to cook.

Back in college, I used to be a vegetarian. I was relatively happy as a vegetarian, although I did eat fish, eggs and cheese. I don't eat cheese now, as it makes my stomach hurt. And really? I remember the day I decided not to be a vegetarian. I was going to Mexico, knew it would be difficult to be a vegetarian there and decided to go to Burger King. This was 20 years ago mind you. I loved that burger. It had been over 2 years since I had eaten red meat. My body was miserable later, but I remember thinking, my god I love meat.

Having made this brisket, I realize the importance of good quality meat. It is worth the extra money for organic beef. Whole Foods shows the farm where the meat is raised and harvested. I feel good about buying my meat there. Having bought cheap meat at Costco before, now I look at that long cooler full of meat that is stretched out across three isles and I know I don't want to participate in that sort of factory beef. If I am going to eat meat, the least I can do is buy sustainable beef. I'd love to buy a side of beef from a local farmer, but it costs around $600 and I can't afford that right now. Eventually! In the meantime, I buy from farmer's markets, Central Market and Whole  Foods (called Whole Paycheck by those in the know). Maybe I am just buying my meat there to make myself feel less guilty, but I really believe their meat is better. There is a small butcher shop near where I live, I keep thinking I will go and check it out but haven't yet. I tried the butcher that promotes local beef, but I wasn't impressed with their meat.

In the end? I believe in being more organic, eating food that is grown within 100 miles of my home and supporting local farmers who are growing fruit, vegetables and raising chickens and selling eggs. The food tastes better and I feel better supporting my local community. I admit I still buy tomatoes out of season, even though they have absolutely NO taste. I still buy bananas. I still buy other vegetables out of season... but when possible, I choose local and I choose organic.

Next year? I want to have a garden. I have plenty of space for one... I just wish I was better at tending and managing a garden... well... next year is the year I find out. I'm starting with strawberries and going from there! I plan on canning my food, I've gotten quite good at it, and having fresh veggies into the winter next year. We'll see how that goes, but I'm already reading about it! Plus I know a great lawn guy who is fantastic with plants... He doesn't have to know yet that he'll be helping me! *lol*

Peace,

Marykate

An ode to organic and my mom...

42/100

I get my eggs from a family across the street. The yolks are deep orange. The chickens run around their yard. I don't even know if they have a coop. Yesterday? When I picked up my eggs, one of the shells was blue. The rest were a variety of crazy sizes and shades of brown shells with chicken dirt on them and hay. Honestly? If you made me an egg from some farm factory horror farm where chickens have their beaks cut and their legs grow into the wire mesh cages, I can't say I would know. Taste wise? These organic eggs taste similar to factory ones. You can tell the difference in the yolks because the yolks are rich and a bit larger than store bought eggs. Factory chickens are force-fed corn, grain and feed full of other dead chickens. I'm not even exaggerating. However, those pristine white eggs fry up like the organic ones I pick up from next door. Except the factory eggs cost about $1.85 a dozen. The  organic ones  across the street? Cost me $4. And I will pay it. Because those chickens? Roam around happily clucking and being chickens. 

Somewhere in the 1950s our country decided tv dinners and drive thru restaurants were awesome! Cool! The food of the future. A lot of people have made movies about it like "Food, Inc", and written books like "the Omnivore's Dilemma" so I'll spare you a full on lecture. All I know is that whenever I am able,  I choose organic if I can afford it. It's criminal that food raised organically is more expensive than factory food, but then, we pay for that cheaper food in so many ways... but I'm really trying not to lecture in this blog. I'm sharing my own issues with organic food. Sometimes I can't justify the expense of organic, but when I can? I do.

And while I might not be able to tell the difference between the organic egg and the factory egg all scrambled up, and while I eat factory eggs and other food when I go out to breakfast or dinner, there is something to be said about knowing where my food comes from. I *like* knowing who is feeding the animals I am choosing to eat, how the animals I am choosing to eat are treated and slaughtered. I try not to eat or buy from a factory system because they have taken away 'seasons' for fruits and vegetables, they've created 'monster' chickens with breasts so big the chickens can't walk because their breasts grow so rapidly they never learn to balance on their tiny legs, they've genetically modified corn to the point where it is almost impossible to get unaltered corn and because every dollar I give them is support for a non-sustainable way of living that will tear apart our culture.The worst part about it, is that they control the media to the point where they even control many of the organic labelled products and use guilt to 'convince' me that it is 'wise' to spend more on organic food that isn't organic! It's hard navigating shopping sometimes. It's why I love farmer's markets. Sadly, those aren't as common once October hits...

I don't know what it is going to take to find a more sustainable way of living. To knock us out of our plastic covered, boneless, hermetically sealed packages of food that somewhat resemble meat. In most cases? It is meat from cows from all over the world. Look on your package. If you buy ground beef? There is a good chance if you aren't buying from someone like "Laura's Lean Ground Beef" that beef is from Australia, Mexico, South America and *maybe* the US. I guess I can only start with myself.

Each day and each choice I make about what I am eating gives me the opportunity to live a more sustainable life. No, I can't always eat organically. But I can choose, when possible, restaurants that serve organic meat. I can also choose to eat less meat and pay more for organic meat when I do buy it. I can also, next year, start a garden. And who knows... maybe after the winter? I'll get my own chickens and let them wander around my yard... 

My mother used to have a huge garden. She'd grow all kinds of fruits and vegetables and can them or freeze them. We'd enjoy the benefits all winter long. I sit here tonight admiring my mom in so many ways. And tonight? I miss her just a little. Because I have to learn all these things on my own and I can't call her and ask her how. Luckily, I have her notes and her cookbooks. Now... if I just had her green thumb.

Peace,

MaryKate

Chicken on the Egg

12.5/100

Quick recipe post... it isn't full of photos, but just in case you want to grill chicken on the egg... It just turned out so moist, flavorful and perfectly done I wanted to share what I did! I often dread boneless skinless breasts on the grill because usually? Someone has cooked the dickens out of the chickens (wow...that is so corny but I couldn't help it). However, the egg held in the moisture and even though I could have taken it off the grill earlier, it was still super moist and slightly smoky.

I started with organic chicken skinless/boneless breasts and lit the Big Green Egg...

It was just me, so I made two. I rubbed them with dry spice (Dizzy Pig Tsunami Spice) and let them set while I let the grill warm up...

Took a while for me to get the grill going and solid at around 350. It went up as high as 400 and at times hovered at 300... Eventually it settled in at around 360 or so... It's a vague science... I'm learning! *laughter*

I put a small amount of oil in pie pan where the chicken was waiting to be grilled. I just put the oil over the rub. Also? I used saffola oil - high smoking temp. and is extremely stable at high heats.

I placed the chicken directly on the grill and DID NOT TOUCH THEM for 15 minutes. When I went to turn them? They didn't stick and turned perfectly. They were registering about 100 - 115 degrees... I cooked them until they reached 170 - 180 and took them off the grill and let them sit for about 5 minutes.

The juices were clear and they looked beauteous!

I then sliced one and took a bite. It was delish! Absolutely moist, cooked fully (I could have taken it off the grill a few minutes earlier) and the outside was slightly smokey with grill marks as a nice added bonus. I didn't, however, like the rub I used. It was high in sugar and while it formed a nice crispy outside coating? It was really too sweet for me... I'll be giving this Dizzy Pig away and seek something else I like better for the chicken. HOWEVER I have to say I LOVE some of their other spice rubs... I will be buying more of the ones I like and featuring them later, but this one was just too sugary for me! 

Here it is sliced and ready to eat! Which I did. I am saving one of the breasts... if it makes it to Monday without being eaten? I see a bento box in its future!

*laughter*

Peace,

MaryKate