Creamy Celeriac Soup with Chantrelles

We've had some good eating around here the last few days, if I do say so myself. Saturday was spicy lamb liver with these creamed onions (more or less). Yesterday I started from this braised pork butt recipe and got somewhere else entirely, which was delicious anyway. Today I had one celeriac bulb in my crisper next to a whole lot of chilled air, language school at supper time, and our veg/milk/egg delivery at 8pm, and that turned out even better than I expected too.

Not bad for nothing in the house there, Mother Hubbard.

Grace in service is missing in action

After feeding the Short Person this morning I brought two cups of coffee and climbed back into bed for some family time, and fell asleep. I dreamed that we moved, I'd told my husband to choose the new place without me, I hated it (it was sort of an attic crawl-space and our furniture wouldn't fit, for crying out loud!) but no one thought there was anything amiss and ignored my tears and distress. Dreams often present ridiculous situations, but the essence of this one revisited a conversation I'd had with my husband the afternoon prior. He said, I don't feel in control of my day or my week, so I feel out of control of my life. I said I felt the same, that I'd made all the decisions that got me here but now it feels like I'm living the wrong life while, from the outside, it looks pretty ideal.

Does anyone else feel this way?

I'm not the only one

Good to know, isn't it? Community, even the idea of it, can feel like such a bolster when you're slumping. I don't know if there's been a New Year's effect in the collective blogosphere diet, but here's another example of people going gluten free: Whole Health Source asked a whack of people to try three versions of a GF diet for the month of January, and his first group's results are in. They're not going to get into Nature with this, but it sure trends to the positive. As I've obliquely mentioned, I'm off the wagon lately. I feel it. I know what I've got to do but I'm stalling until after our mini-holiday this weekend.

Better late than never

Why didn't this Wellness Mama post on going grain-free for Lent pop up in my feed 2 weeks ago when I needed it? Okay, I still need it. Maybe someone else does too, so instead of reinventing the blogwheel here is a rundown at Kitchen Stewardship on the main grain-free diets and some resources on implementing such a thing in your own kitchen, and an on-line course with Cheeseslave on how to live through the transition to eating that way. The navel-gazing is, in my case, needed right now, but there are other demands on my attention and they're not being met well as I get up to speed in the kitchen. Here's a course at Well Grounded Life that combines a kick-start body cleanse with a bit of priority coaching and household cleanse. For cheap and easy you can't beat Real Food Whole Health's giveaway of a 3 month subscription to grain-free meal plans from Health, Home and Happiness.

Lent as a Heathen

I have to start here with a disclaimer: I'm not Catholic. I'm not even Christian. But I live in a very Catholic area, and I like the rhythm of the seasons and observances of the liturgical calendar that are celebrated here, much of which occurs outside the church. Accordingly, the sweet, greasy baked goods of Fasching punctually disappeared from the bakeries between Tuesday and Wednesday with the start of Lent. Many will forgo coffee, meat, or grains for the next 40 days. Their sacrifice is an exercise of devotion for Jesus' suffering, but also one of humility, simplicity, and concentration. The former cannot apply to me - at least in its intended sense - but the latter three could do me some good.

Love chocolate? Got a food processor?

I've been dying for chocolate lately. Not Snickers crappy chocolate-esque stuff, but real, dark, bitter chocolate. However, as Nourishing Days recently pointed out, if I crave sugar I'm probably not ready to add it back to my diet yet so I figured even my 3-ingredient fudge was out for now. Considering that I'm only halfway through my (admittedly wobbly) 30 days that's not surprising, but still sad for me. BUT! The rule is no added sugar of any kind. Reading a Slightly Indulgent post I was reminded of this panforte nero recipe I've been meaning to make for ages, and subsequently how sweet natural figs can be.

Whole 30 Days 6-11

We've been away, visiting my in-laws. My father-in-law looked pale but not too bad at all, considering his situation. He sounded awful though; the radiation treatments gave him a sunburn on his back and his esophagus. His esophagus. There is no after-burn ointment for the inside of your throat. He nibbles almost hourly but has no meal-sized appetite, so I am reassured to see that one of his favourite snacks is fresh beef broth with an egg from the neighbour's farm stirred through. He absented himself often from the usual kitchen-table visits to doze in his chair. I am grateful that his stretches of sleep are once again lengthening. The chemo is beginning to make him ill. Into this undiscussed direness hopped one blond two-year-old who spontaneously gives big little hugs, to say endearing things, dump toys hither and yon, and gleefully accept cake at all mealtimes and often in between. The generations need each other always, but it is never more obvious than in times of trouble.