All Things Considered: Kids Enjoy White House Harvest
In April 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama planted a kitchen garden on the White House’s South Lawn. Now, in her first-ever book, American Grown, Mrs. Obama invites you inside the White House Kitchen Garden and shares its inspiring story, from the first planting to the latest harvest.
Hear about her worries as a novice gardener — would the new plants even grow? Learn about her struggles and her joys as lettuce, corn, tomatoes, collards and kale, sweet potatoes and rhubarb flourished in the freshly tilled soil. Get an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at every season of the garden’s growth, with striking original photographs that bring its story to life.
Try the unique recipes created by top White House chefs and made with ingredients freshly-picked from the White House garden. And learn from the White House Garden team about how you can help plant your own backyard, school or community garden
A Summertime Grilling Guide from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift
Buy BOOK
The first dishes which were prepared from “A Summertime Grilling Guide from The Splendid Table” were met with huge success from my family and friends at the cabin. As I have stated, the cabin is really a one bedroom cottage so the working conditions are small and the utensils that are present are usually passed down from families or friends, picked up at the Goodwill, thrift shops or yard sales. Since we remodeled the kitchen 2 years ago using my sister’s cabinets, counter top and sink (a re-model that my Mom, Pat and I did ourselves), the working space for food prep is much larger but still small compared to most. (see kitchen picture) The kitchen features a very small refrigerator and freezer because it is the only one that would fit into the small corner space. This causes much anguish for my mother, who is used to a much larger refrigerator. She still can’t get used to putting the milk container in the space on the door.
So, the family and friends were warned last week of this undertaking and not quite sure of what to expect. The most they usually have gotten from me in the past is burgers or steak with grilled potatoes, grilled carrots and corn. I usually delegate the salad because of all the slicing and dicing. Thus, the essential BBQ Chicken, Grilled Asparagus and Spring Onions, Tijuana Cole Slaw and the Cucumber Yogurt salad was definitely a step up from what they normally are served.
The journey began humorously at the grocery store with me asking a couple if a jalepeno chile was the same as the jalepeno pepper. I just wanted to be sure I was buying the correct ingredients. They graciously helped me out probably wondering how I was ever going to get through a recipe if I couldn’t even buy a pepper. The remaining items on the grocery list were relatively easy and quick.
Today, I will cover the Tijuana Cole Slaw. This was WONDERFUL! This salad would be perfect for any summer get together or cookout. The salad goes together very quickly. From start to finish it took me about 25 minutes, which is 5 minutes longer than it says in the book. Note: I am not a gourmet chef like Lynne or Sally thus my knife skills are probably a bit slower and I am reading instructions as I am going along. This is the first cole slaw I have encountered which is dressed with Ranch dressing instead of a Mayo/Vinegar mixture. That is probably what made it a bit surprising, refreshing and so good. I will say that you should make sure you get a good quality Ranch dressing since that is holding the entire slaw together. Since we had 8 people at the cabin, I had to double the recipe. It double very easy.
Notice in the picture that I found the only souvenir from my trip to Ixtapa, which somehow migrated out to the lake. The little Mexican dishes were perfect for staging the photo so I could share the results but were not used for serving (as I was told they are stricktly for décor, and not food). What do I know? I probably would have served the slaw on those dishes thinking I have finally prepared a dish worthy of their use. If you have any ideas of what to do with useless decorative bowls, please share them with me below-
The result was a light and refreshing salad that would complement any hot summer day!
David Edin dedin@mpr.org
Merchandise Manager
Share
What Money Can’t Buy by Michael Sandel
Patt Morrison: In Our Market-Driven Society, is There Anything that Money Can’t Buy?
The Daily Circuit: Michael Sandel on ‘What Money Can’t Buy’
Should we allow companies to pay for the right to pollute the atmosphere? Should we pay children to read books or to get good grades?
These are just a few of the ethical questions Michael J. Sandel attempts to answer in his new book called “What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets.”
Share
Patt Morrison: Understanding the Calorie in an “eat more” World
What is a calorie? The concept seems so simple, yet calories cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted, and it’s their over and under consumption that creates the majority of health problems around the globe. When it comes down to it, they are tricky to understand.
Share
The Madeleine Brand Show: Author of ‘God’s Hotel’ explains the practice of ‘slow medicine’
Until recently, Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco operated much like an almshouse during the Middle Ages. It served several purposes, providing a place for people who had fallen on hard times, while also offering extended, low-tech care.
The patients at Laguna Honda could stay for weeks, months, and sometimes even years. Dr. Victoria Sweet describes the practice as “slow medicine.” She spent 20 years there after only intending to stay for two months.
Now she has written a book about her experience called “God’s Hotel.”
Share
<.html>