Spelt Right Baking Co.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred Fifty-Five (Culinary Intuitiveness and a Recipe for Some Really Tasty Meatballs)

2012-02-27T09:12:00.008-05:00

Intuition comes in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes it is simply a sense about a person. “Hey, I like that guy!” or “That person gives me the creeps. Don’t know why. It’s just my intuition.”

Sometimes intuition manifests itself in more concrete forms – like in the ability to create a meal that tastes so good it engenders in each of its beneficiaries a sense of belonging.

I view this as CULINARY INTUITIVENESS or a Midas Touch for Taste.

Given that creating good food is one of my favorite pastimes, I am lucky to have a business partner and friend with culinary intuitiveness.

Is this a case of nature vs. nuture? Can someone be born with the ability to satisfy the palate? Or is it because Frank grew up Italian in Brooklyn? Or that he owned several restaurants with his brothers and wife? For whatever reason, it is clear that he has a Midas Touch for Taste.

Every recipe he has ever shared with me has been golden. While I endeavor to make a close second with careful attention to the ingredients and the instructions for chopping and sautéing, the flavors I create are good, but inevitably miss the mark. In my culinary attempts, I am like a student of a great painter. I might be able to paint discernable water lilies, but Monet I will never be.

Frank gives very clear instructions on the ingredients and process, but he simply cannot impart his culinary intuitiveness on others. That is his alone.

So here is Frank’s recipe for some of the best meatballs I have ever tasted. And, while my rendition of this simple masterpiece was good (and if you follow these instructions, yours will be too), the meal I created lacked the subtleties of the flavors that come solely with an intuition that by its nature cannot be shared.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground pork (Frank uses a center cut pork chop, bones it, and put its in the food processor until it is ground, but not mushy)
1 pound ground beef (Frank uses sirloin steak, bones it, and puts it in the food processor until it is ground, but not mushy)
3 medium size eggs
2 carrots
1-2 stalks of celery
1 onion
2-4 cloves of garlic
1/4 bunch Italian parsley
1.5 to 2TBL salt (or to taste)
1.5 to 2TBL pepper (or to taste)
2 TBL grated parmesan cheese (YIKES, this is what I forgot!!)
Half loaf of stale bread (I used Spelt Right bread)
1/2 cup of bread crumbs (I used Spelt Right bread crumbs)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil for frying

Chop the vegetable ingredients in small chucks and then place in food processor until they are chopped finely, but not mush. Put aside in a separate dish.

Place the ground meat and three cracked eggs in a separate dish.

Soak the bread in water to make it soft and then drain the water by squeezing the bread.

Combine all of the ingredients, including the salt, pepper and grated cheese and blend together with your hands. Form round balls with your hands a bit smaller than a golf ball.

In a deep pan heat enough olive oil so that the oil reaches half way up the meatball. Fry on each side until browned and cooked in the center. Drain on plate with paper towel. I also baked some of these in a baking dish covered with olive oil. The baked ones have less fat, but were not nearly as good. Crunchy = fried, mushy= baked. Your choice.

You can eat these alone garnished with a salad, or put in your favorite pasta sauce. Here’s a link to a post with Frank’s pasta sauce recipe (no need to add the ground beef if you are serving with meatballs)."

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred Fifty-Four (The Five Star Alfredo Sauce Recipe Scratched on a Paper Bag)

2012-02-20T23:06:00.028-05:00

You never know what you will find scratched on a paper bag.

My son, Spencer, and I were lucky to be the beneficiaries of a FIVE STAR alfredo recipe inked on said receptacle.

Spencer has been lobbying for fettuccine alfredo for several weeks. The problem is that he can't eat regular wheat without feeling really lousy, so going to an Italian restaurant is not an option.

Fortunately, we now live in NYC, one of the most gastronomically diverse cities in the world. And, we live close to one of the best neighborhoods for Italian provisions, Arthur Avenue in the Bronx.

Shall I admit that I have become slightly addicted to the seemingly infinite supply of homemade pastas, fresh mozzarella and ricotta, imported cheeses, locally cured meats, and sinful desserts? Not to mention the wine, cappuccino, and friendly conversation?

On this President's Day, the family set out on an excursion to buy Italian groceries to make the coveted alfredo sauce. Destination? Teitel Bros. on Arthur Avenue.

We were headed there not only for the cheeses and imported butter, but for the farro (emmer variety) pasta. Farro is a concept "deeply rooted in Italian tradition." The term "farro" is reserved for three cultivated hulled ancient wheat species, including einkorn (farro piccolo), emmer (farro medio), and spelt (farro grande). The beauty is that we know that Spencer can eat each of these varieties without getting the modern wheat blues.

As I was searching for the farro pasta hidden behind other tempting provisions, the owner Ed, asked what I was looking for. I reminded him that I'm the spelt lady, who was in the week before, and was looking for the farro we purchased the other day. "Ohhh, the lawyer, I remember," he said. He moved aside the bottles of olive oil, and opened the gateway to the Farro Pasta. I felt like a hoarder as I stacked 6 boxes in my arms. "The kid wants fettucine alfredo," I said as I tried to clarify that I was not chowing down all the pasta myself.

"Would you like a recipe?" Ed inquired. "Mike here is an expert. He owned a five star Italian restaurant in NJ. He has the best alfredo recipe." Spencer beamed at me as if we had just hit the jackpot. "Absolutely," I said. As I tried to scratch down the recipe, however, Ed, Mike, and now John saw that my attempts to keep up with the recitation of the recipe was becoming futile. Mike took over, got a paper bag, and a pen, and unlocked the key to the secret of a divine alfredo sauce (see photo above).

Good thing Spencer was around as a second set of ears. I did not quite get all of the directions straight and the writing on the paper bag was slightly cryptic. Between the two of us, mom and son, we were able to decipher the alfredo recipe. The result was close to divine. For fear that I might not recite the recipe as it should be, I will reveal only the secret ingredients (fresh ground nutmeg, Italian butter, and an egg yolk) and you will have to go to Teitel's yourself for the recipe and the magic.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred Fifty-Three (On Being Prepared)

2012-02-20T01:20:00.014-05:00

Sundays are my days to prepare the

meals for the week.

Regardless of what I have penciled in my calendar, the week inevitably takes twists and turns and morphs into something completely unrecognizable from that which appeared on my calendar.

Is it just me? Or, does this happen to everyone?

Sundays are kind of like my emergency preparedness day – my kitchen looks like we are anticipating an ice storm or tornado or worse, but really I am just preparing for another predictably unpredictable week, two very hungry kids after long days at school, and two very tired parents after grueling work days.

Usually Sunday’s pickings can be rationed through Wednesday, sometimes they last through Thursday.

By Friday, we start foraging for berries, insects, and roots – luckily Sunday is not too far around the corner.

(Making these meals is an adventure because NY offers a complete tapestry of food choices.) Above, I am shopping on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, the other "Little Italy" at Teitel's Italian Shop. I got some incredible cheeses and farro (cousin of spelt) pasta there and cut a few deals on prices buying in bulk.

So on that particular Sunday, I made Chicken Parmesan, Farro Pie (which was essentially baked ziti, but I varied the recipe with fresh mozzarella and farro pasta), and Walnut Pepper Pies made with Spelt Right Pizza Dough. I just threw together the chicken parmesan so have no recipe to share, but the Farro Pie, and Walnut Pepper Pies are worth replicating. Here is the linked recipe for the Walnut Pepper Pies. And the recipe for the Baked Farro Pie.

Ingredients:

One organic onion (finely chopped)

4-5 cloves of garlic (finely chopped or minced with salt)

1/4 – 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Pomi – crushed tomatoes – all natural, no citric acid – in a carton (no BPA in packaging) (GREAT PRICE AT ZEITEL'S MARKET)

One Pound Grass Fed Ground Beef (optional)

1-2 Teaspoons of Sea Salt

Ground pepper to taste

6-10 leaves of Fresh Basil (chopped finely). Can use dried basil

Two packages of FARRO pasta (from Zeitel's). I used ziti and spaghetti because I did not have enough ziti (if you do this, note the different cook times)

One small container of whole milk ricotta

One half to one pound of natural mozzarella (shredded or pulled apart)

Instructions:

Place chopped onion and garlic in olive oil in large stainless steel pan. Saute until onions are brown. Add ground beef. Saute until browned. Add Pomi tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Add one teaspoon of organic sugar if desired. Stir all ingredients. Cook on medium low for 20-25 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Add chopped basil.

In the meantime, boil and drain pasta according to instructions on panel. Rinse, and then toss with extra virgin olive oil to keep from sticking.

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a 9 inch glass baking dish, spread a little of the sauce on the bottom to keep the pasta from sticking. In the sauce pan, toss the pasta sauce and pasta. When thoroughly tossed, place the pasta in the baking dish. Spread ricotta on top. Then sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake until bubbling on top. Guaranteed to be hit with the kids.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred Fifty-Two (I should NEVER forget how much I love my kids!)

2012-02-07T23:27:00.009-05:00

It took an inquiry from Jim, a good friend visiting from Maine, to bring my attention to a poem that 9 year old Olivia had written. "Beth, did you see this?" "No, Jim. I haven't had time."

Then, I realized it was not because Olivia didn't try to show it to me, but that I scooted her away one too many times. "I'm too busy Olivia! Can you play in your room while mom makes dinner, does the dishes, does the laundry, cleans out the cat litter, works on her business, works on her business, works on her business." Gulp! In my rush to be everything, I neglected to see some of the most beautiful things right in front of my eyes. My children. Gulp, again!

Little Olivia is a force of her own. She is a talented writer, has a keen sense of justice ("it isn't fair!!!") and an independent mind. Do NOT expect silence if you cross Olivia. She will give you a piece of her mind...and then some.

But, she is also a kind hearted trooper. She has been trudging along since she was 5 watching as mom often disappeared for what seemed like endless moments into the morrows of her business - day after day, morrow after morrow. Sometimes, it just hurts. She told me so.

But, she also expresses how proud she is. "My mom invented something. She created Spelt Right." And, she says that with pride, even though under her breath she grumbles about that demanding sibling - the one that doesn't talk back, or poke fun, but the one that grabs mom's attention, moment after moment, day after day, 'morrow after 'morrow.

Like with any sibling rivalry, there is love there too. And, in the piece that Jim discovered crumpled on the couch, Olivia expressed her love for that sibling.

Here's her poem.

"Spelt....what is spelt? Spelt, is not smelt or some sort of felt, its a grain a healthy scrumptious grain. Spelt is easier to DYGEST and here is the rest. No more stomach aches and no more pain just as long as you eat this grain. How can I get spelt product? Here's how. Just go to wwww.speltrightbaking.com now!" Olivia

No recipe with this post. Just a hug and kiss and a squeeze for Olivia - today, tomorrow, and forever.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred Fifty-One (On Simple Things in Life and Turkey and Cheese in a Pocket)

2012-02-02T23:40:00.009-05:00

OK, it's true. The more I try to simplify my life, the more I fill in the holes with more to do. It's just who I am. Things don't change that easily. And. one thing that hasn't changed and likely never will is my obsession with feeding my family and friends and colleagues and neighbors well (and looking for simple solutions for busy lives). Look out neighborhood! I might show up with basket of goodies or some warm soup!!!

Here's a simple recipe. Perfect for school lunches or an after school snack. Turkey and cheese in a Spelt Right pocket. YUMM!

TURKEY AND CHEESE HUGGED BY SPELT RIGHT DOUGH

Ingredients: One Spelt Right Pizza dough fully thawed and proofed. (That means that it should fill the bag after it has risen). Your favorite cold meats and cheeses. Mayonnaise or other dressing if desired. We used all natural turkey and cheddar cheese.

Lightly oil (with EVOO) a stainless steel baking pan. Preheat oven to 375-400F

Cut dough into 6-8 equal pieces. Stretch dough to about 1/8 inch thick in circle. Place a fair amount of turkey and cheese or other filling on half of dough. Gently stretch over berries and pinch on ends (see pictures).Place on baking sheet; bake for 20-30 minutes until lightly browned on the bottom.

Can be served cold or reheated. My kids had these for lunch and after school snacks and loved them! As Olivia said, "this is not food; it is art."

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred Fifty (On Sweet Things in Life)

2012-01-21T23:43:00.006-05:00

OY VEH!!! Sometimes life just gets too complicated. That's when easy sweet recipes come to the rescue. Here is my rescue recipe.

LOW FAT SPELT BLUEBERRY/RASPBERRY TURN-OVERS

Ingredients:

One Spelt Right Pizza dough fully thawed and proofed. (That means that it should fill the bag after it has risen).

12-16 ounces of berries of your choice (either frozen or fresh). I used blueberries and raspberries.

1/4 cup VITA SPELT flour

1/4-1/2 cup organic cane sugar

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)

Lightly oil (with EVOO) a stainless steel baking pan. Preheat oven to 375-400F

Mix berries, flour, sugar, and cinnamon (if desired) in a small bowl. Set aside.

Cut dough into 6-8 equal pieces. Stretch dough to about 1/8 inch thick in circle. Heap the berry/flour/sugar mixture on one half of dough. Gently stretch over berries and pinch on ends (see pictures).

Place on baking sheet; bake for 20-30 minutes until lightly browned on the bottom. Can be served warm or cold. As an additionally remedy, serve with natural vanilla ice cream.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred Forty Nine (The Go To Girl)

2012-01-10T08:46:00.011-05:00

The Go To Girl

Sometimes the "go to girl" has to become the "gotta go girl"

Being the anchor, the fall back, the one on whom everyone relies comes with great rewards,

but also creates such a clamor that sometimes,

the voices, the calls, the requests must be muted.

Without the muting, all incoming signals become a deafening chaotic cacophony,

one that needs to be turned off,

even if only from one sunset to the next.

What good is the “go to girl” if

she hears only mumbles and sees only blurs.

And from the coveted one-day of silence and darkness emerges clarity in which

the “go to girl” returns for all but one day of the earth’s rotation around the sun, and

the “gotta go girl” slips away for her 364 day nap.

The “go to girl” has returned, refreshed, stronger, with a smile on her face and warmth in her heart, ready to be the “go to”

until it is time to “gotta go.”

This Go-to-Girl may need more than the just one day allotted in this attempt-to-be-poetic piece, but when she does "gotta go", she has left simple recipes for those whom rely on the next day's meal. Here is a simple "gotta go" recipe.

One Spelt Right Pizza Dough, fully thawed and risen. Gently work dough into a well oiled (with EVOO) stainless steel baking sheet (preferably with edges), cover with sauteed onions, garlic, and mushrooms (and whatever you have in the fridge). Top with fresh mozzarella and goat cheese and olives. Bake at 450 for 15-22 minutes, depending upon how brown and crispy you like the crust. Feed your loved ones, give them simple recipes, tell them you care, and then slip away just for a moment in time, so that you can return, refreshed, with a smile on your face, and ready to feed once again.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred Forty Eight (On Table and Chairs and Good Things to Eat)

2011-12-24T23:43:00.014-05:00

We forget sometimes that the simplest of things like a table, chairs and good things to eat can transform our sense of feeling at a loss to feeling completely at home. Transitions can be hard, but also invigorating. Sometimes, though, they just unsettle us, especially when we are used to certain routines, like sitting at the dining room table (in chairs) eating mom’s homemade dinners, and knowing where the tape is stored. The delivery of the table and chairs that fit our new tight space transformed our apartment from a living space to home. For this, we are thankful to our friends.

We just went through a huge transition – a good one, but a bit unsettling nonetheless. We (the parents) decided that it was time to make a move. We were aiming to be close to NYC to help me with Spelt Right, but the real key to our relocation was dependent upon where my life partner, love, and confidant landed a job. Somehow, the stars aligned and transported us to the heart of the City where we loved, left, and longed to return.

Once again, after a twenty-two year hiatus we are back in the Big Apple. This time, though, with a little more life experience, a few more educational degrees, too many possessions, and three offspring in tow.

This move from Maine to NYC is an unlikely transition for a family who was under no constraints to move. Yet, we decided it was time to shed some of our worldly possessions, test living in close quarters, and gain access to one of the greatest cities in the world. As Spencer said, “who needs t.v. when you have NYC unfolding in front of your eyes.” (We did keep one of our three t.v.'s)

We are thankful for the supports we have in this sweet apple: our family, business partners, colleagues, and friends – old and new. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, and Good Wishes for Any Holiday, or Any Day….

And, for our first meal, on our new table in our little apartment – a recipe from a great Italian chef – modified to be made gluten free. - Gluten Free Baked Ziti

Ingredients:

One organic onion (finely chopped)

4-5 cloves of garlic (finely chopped or minced with salt)

1/4 – 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Pomi – crushed tomatoes – all natural, no citric acid – in a carton (no BPA in packaging)

One Pound Grass Fed Ground Beef

1-2 Teaspoons of Sea Salt

Ground pepper to taste

6-10 leaves of Fresh Basil (chopped finely)

One package of gluten free (rice) ziti

One small container of whole milk ricotta

One half to one pound of mozzarella shredded

Instructions:

In the meantime, boil and drain pasta according to instructions on panel. Rinse, and then toss with extra virgin olive oil to keep from sticking.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Forty-Seven (Santa Sal - Tradition)

2011-12-16T09:48:00.010-05:00

Sal has the names of each of his children tattooed with pride on his arm. Maria, his ex-wife, is tattooed there too. Not only is she still present on his arm, but also in the front end of Sal’s Pastry Shoppe. Maria greets each customer with love and pride, as if each one is as precious as her offspring who are laboring in the back with their father. “Cannoli, tiramasu, struffoli? What would you like, honey? They are all delizioso; Sal and my sons make them.”

Sal, direct from Italy, has been baking for 40 of his 52 years. “Not no one knows how to make the bread or the pastries like Sal does.” This is not arrogance, it’s pride; it’s true; don’t mess with the maestro. Just as the famous Italian violinist Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) became one with his violin, Sal, of the same romantic origin, becomes one with his bread. “You must understand the dough; observe it; listen to it; feel it.” The message is clear. A recipe is meaningless without engaging all of yourself, all of your senses, and the sixth sense of intuition into the dough.

The back of the bakery is the training ground for Sal and Maria’s sons, Salvatore, Jr. and Dominic. Sal, Jr., the eldest, has taken on his father’s love of baking. In fact, Sal's Pastry Shoppe is owned by Sal, Jr. An impressive endeavor for a 20-something.

Better than any cake boss, he is the “Prince of Specialty Cakes”. The first time I met him, he honored me with a picture album of the works of art he creates for all occasions: playgrounds, sports fields, crosses, dradles, baby carriages, wedding cakes, all edible, all individual, all made with the precision of a mathematician. Uncle Frank beams, “the kid is a math whiz, you know.” Sal, Jr.’s math acumen is evident by the symmetry and artistry of his creations.

As we continue to knead the test batch of spelt bread, Dominic, the youngest says to me “Maine? That’s where you are from? I love Stephen King.” “Stephen King?” I inquire, “You must love to read, and love horror too?” “Yes, I am a writer.” Dominic’s revelation brings a smile to my face; it explains the drawing of caricatures in the office. Sal, Jr. drew a likeness of Dominic with the phrase “I AM A WRITER”. Dominic drew a picture of Sal, Jr. “I AM A BAKER.”

Dominic has written a few screenplays; some horror in the tradition of Stephen King; some comedy in the tradition of life. He studied at the New York Film Academy. “It’s hard to be recognized in that business.” Dominic said. “Yes, Dominic,” I replied, “It’s hard to be recognized in any business.” But, Dominic, Sal Jr., Uncle Frank and I all have something to learn from Sal, Sr., we just need to keep working at it – using all of our senses – becoming one with what we do.

Sal’s Pastry Shoppe, a beautifully complex tiny world, spins with family, love, passion, tradition, and hard work. Whether creating tiramasu, spelt bread, 12 layer cakes, or screenplays, a few things remain true, we must persevere, hold on to our dreams, hope for a little luck, and being thankful for those who spin into our tiny worlds to help us keep our passions alive.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Forty-Six (The Art of Multi-Tasking)

2011-11-13T11:19:00.005-05:00

Recipe for Disaster a/k/a The Art of Multi-Tasking

I may not be known for many things, but I am known (within my circles) for being a master at multi-tasking. 1992: Graduate from law school, have the first baby, take bar exam all within a month. 1997: Have second baby, settle a case, and forget the third task. 2002: Help ailing father, do jury trial and lose, have third baby within 1 month. (No sympathy from the jury for waddling into court!) 2011: move business, move family, help ailing mother, visit sister in mid-west, deal with new diagnosis of hemophilia within a month.

And, somewhere along the way, I just wanted to make a simple dinner for two . But, this multi-tasker failed to remember that putting the oven on broil and leaving the room to do what we all must do in the water closet is not a good idea.

Luckily for my keen sense of smell, “Is something burning?” and excellent hearing "Is that the fire alarm?" the failure of my multi-tasking skills did not lead to a house fire. We simply got a slightly burned Spelt Right pizza for dinner, which, when all said and done, wasn’t a bad meal for someone with too much on her plate.

I will not give you this RECIPE for disaster. This is one you can figure out or avoid on your own.

Two essential ingredients: Spelt Right Pizza Dough and a Fire Extinguisher.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Forty-Five (Breaking the Fast for Yom Kippur)

2011-10-14T22:44:00.019-04:00

This is a guest post by my very dear friend, Anna Collins.

The Perfect Meal to Break the Fast

This year on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in the Jewish calendar, I fasted as required by tradition. Then, I broke my fast with spelt. Let me be more exact -- I broke my fast with the most delicious slice of Spelt Right pizza one could imagine -- a slice filled with the flavors of mushrooms, garlic, three types of cheese, and fresh basil.

It was also a slice filled with something more -- something that cannot be easily described.

I do not find fasting to be an easy task, but it is something I look forward to because it is transformative. Modern life is a rushed enterprise, even if one fails to embrace its speed and works to rebel against its multi-tasking nature. Fasting forces one to observe one's struggle with modernity from the outside, looking in. As I fast, I becomes aware of my humanity, my frailty, and my dependence on the things that are easy to take for granted in a society still far more privileged than most.

This year on Yom Kippur, when it was time to break the fast, I found myself with a slice of spelt pizza in my hands. This was not just any slice. This was a slice made by a dear friend, someone who has treated me and my family as extended family. As I ate that slice of pizza, I thought about our friendship -- its history, its dynamics, its future. I also thought about how fortunate I am to know my friend. We may have our differences, but we care for each other. That is something I will not take for granted.

Today, as I consider the moment I broke the fast, I realize something else. In some parts of the world, my friend and I would not be able to easily share a meal. Some would consider our cultural heritage too conflicting. My friend is of Christian Middle-Eastern decent, and I am native Russian Jewish. The fact that I broke the fast with food she made is powerful, perhaps even transformative. It is hard to name the key ingredient in that slice -- words are not enough to describe it. Perhaps the word "humanity" is a good start.

Here is recipe for humanity.

One Spelt Right Pizza Dough Fully Thawed and Risen
Extra virgin olive oil
4-5 cloves of fresh garlic
8-12 ounces mushrooms (sliced)
2 ounces chevre soft goat cheese
12-16 ounces mozzarella cheese (shredded)
2 ounces grated fresh parmesan cheese
8-10 leaves fresh basil
Sea Salt

Pre-heat oven to 450 F.

Lightly oil pizza pan with EVOO. Stretch Spelt Right Pizza Dough over pan. Drizzle dough with EVOO and garlic ground with salt (I do this with a mortar and pestle). Spread with hands. Put in oven for about 5 minutes just firm up the crust. In the meantime, saute sliced mushrooms and more garlic and salt in EVOO until browned. Set aside. Take crust out of oven and top with shredded mozzarella, grated parmesan, and small dollops of goat cheese. Next add the mushrooms spreading evenly. Top with with 6-10 leaves of fresh chopped (not too fine) basil. Bake for 15-20 minutes until crust is light brown on the bottom.

Remove from oven. Slice for family. Tempt friend who is fasting and save extra large piece for her. Place extra large piece in aluminum foil, wrap carefully, and give to Anna with a kind admonition not to eat until sundown.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Forty-Four (On the Meaning of Life-Blood and One Incredible Banana Bread)

2011-10-10T22:53:00.004-04:00

So I have been stressing a bit lately. What’s new? Most of it is a self-imposed choice of wanting to climb very high mountains, forge new territories, and occasionally get some sleep.

Sometimes, however, genetics just get in the way. This time, it is not only personality traits, but also blood clotting traits. No one really wants to talk about this stuff. Blood. It is kind of taboo. But, blood has become the focus of my life. Recently, I was diagnosed with two different blood-clotting disorders – Von Willebrand Disease and Factor XI deficiency. Factor XI is also known as hemophilia C. At first the “H” word made me shutter, but now it has transformed me into the guardian of my blood-line – the entire tangle of my family emanating from my father’s side. My children, my siblings, their children, my cousins, their children. It is all genetics. It is like unraveling a mystery.

These newly discovered diagnoses explain years of mystery. Like why, during certain times of my life, I was so drained, I felt I did not have one more speck of energy to move on. Or, why I chose to have all of my babies 5 years apart. Or, why I ended up in the ER hemorrhaging after a simple tooth extraction. Or, why my father never healed after surgery, which led to his demise a year later. Or, why my aunt died within hours of surgery. Or, why my oldest sister is always covered with bruises.

All of us were literally drained of our life-blood. It is all genetics, but no one knew. Until, now, that is.

I recently have been told that I have been very lucky. But, it’s also taboo to talk too much about luck. So, I will leave it at that. (But, I will mention briefly that I am lucky to live in Southern Maine, home to not only lobsters and great coastlines, but also a phenomenal Hemophilia Treatment Center at Maine Med.)

But, now that I am the guardian of this information, I have a responsibility to carry the torch, lead the way, make new discoveries and help those within my blood-line, especially, my youngest, who carries on the tradition of my lineage. She’s only 9, and wishes to disclaim this inheritance, but unfortunately, she can’t. Fortunately, though, she also has me, with the knowledge, no shame, and the ability to keep her out of harm’s way.

So not only will I continue to teach this fierce 9 year old how to be strong, and to care for herself, and to look for signs, I am also teaching her how to be self-sufficient and climb her own mountains.

Spelt Banana Bread Made By One Strong 9 Year Old

During this recent tumultuous time, my littlest tyke really wanted to bake one day, but this baker entrepreneur mother was quite worn out. So, with my encouragement, she and her big brother baked all on their own and made some incredible banana bread.

It was the perfect snack for a mom who was feeling slightly tired, but no longer drained of her life-blood.

Incredible Spelt Banana Bread

1/2 cup soft butter

1 cup organic sugar

2TBL organic black strap molasses

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups whole grain VITA SPELT flour

1 teaspoon aluminum free baking soda

1/4 cup orange juice

2-3 ripe bananas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar, beat in eggs. Add dry ingredients, and then mix in mashed bananas, applesauce and orange juice. Mix well. Bake in 9 x 12 well butter glass pan, or in loaf pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes in glass pan or 45 min-1hr in loaf pan. ENJOY every life-filled moment!

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Forty-Three (Chicken Scarpariello, Unlikely Sage Style)

2011-09-30T00:28:00.000-04:00

“It’s better to be blind and be shown the way, then to bluff one’s way into a dark abyss and fall from a cliff.’ Anonymous –(from a person who should be famous).

So was the advice from a friend after I explained my dilemma of being completely ignorant about the topic of conversation of a recent dinner party. In other words, “listen and you shall learn, but don’t feign knowledge of the unknown, lest you wish to play the fool.”

Again, I am the beneficiary of some great advice from a not-so-famous person with many big ideas with no venue to expound.

Until now, that is….

The Lunch Box Chronicles is happy to announce that it will occasionally offer words of wisdom and recipes from an unlikely sage who also happens to be a great cook.

In addition to being at a loss for words at the dinner party, I was at a loss of ideas for making dinner a few days later. Plan of Action? Make a call to the unlikely sage. Get a recipe. Problem solved.

Chicken Scarpariello

Some simple advice was procured “Make Scarpareillo, The Shoemaker’s Dish in Italy. You Can’t Go Wrong.”

He was right. I didn’t go wrong. This was magnificent. And it is even better a few days later.

INGREDIENTS

3-4 Tbs. Olive oil

3 Links Sweet Italian sausage (about 1 lb)

2 Lb. Boneless breast of chicken (though this is usually made with chicken in the bone)

1 Medium yellow onion, finely diced

3-4 red potatoes cut in small cubes

4 –8 Cloves garlic, peeled, and chopped

1/2 pound of mushrooms sliced

1 Cup dry white wine

2 Tbs. Fresh basil, finely chopped

Salt & freshly ground black pepper 

(Could have used red pepper flakes, pickled cherry peppers, lemon, org and lemon, but did not in this recipe)

Preparation:

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, then add just enough olive oil to cover the bottom. Add the sausages and cut up chicken and sauté, regulating the heat to reduce spattering. Turn regularly until they’ve browned; about 8 minutes. Remove and reserve.

In separate skillet, add the onions, garlic and mushrooms, sauté until browned. Add slightly boiled chopped potatoes and sauté until done.

Raise the heat to high in the meat skillet, and add the wine. Boil for about 2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen any bits of chicken and sausage that have caramelized on the bottom of the pan. Add the onion, garlic, mushroom, potato mixture. Continue to simmer. Salt and Pepper to taste. Add chopped basil as the end.

Serve over polenta and with Spelt Right rosemary bread crisps.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Forty-Two (Special Person Day: Banana, Applesauce, Orange Juice Spelt Cake)

2011-09-29T22:00:00.002-04:00

This special recipe is for special person day.

Last week we had special person day for the 4^th graders at Olivia’s school.

She had a hard time choosing between her dad and me, but finally came to the conclusion that we both warranted a “special person” title. I felt privileged! As special people, we were treated to a personalized reading session, a tour of the classroom, and being served treats by our daughter. I was moved that the feature in Olivia’s Newspaper was about Spelt Right Baking Company. Despite her protestations about the time I spend on the company, there seems to be a special place in her heart for this family endeavor.

All in all it was a pretty special day.

Here is the cake we made for special person’s day.

Banana, applesauce, orange juice spelt cake. So moist!

1/2 cup soft butter

1 cup brown sugar (we use organic)

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups whole grain VITA SPELT flour
1 teaspoon aluminum free baking soda

1/4 cup orange juice

1-2 ripe bananas

1/2-3/4 cup applesauce (we used this because we ran out of bananas and it turned out to be a fantastic modification to the recipe)

A Day To Remember: A Friend, A Nation, A Cause

2011-09-11T23:07:00.001-04:00

As with a year ago, I have a little to say about cooking or baking, but rather I reflect upon a day that will forever be engraved in the US History books as a day that 21st Century Americans lost their sense of invincibility. It is also a day in which the absolute good and the absolute evil of humankind collided. And, finally, as a day in which I lost a friend, one whom I had not seen for years, but whose family made a lasting impact on my life.

I was but one beneficiary of many of the generosity of the Goodrich Family of Bennington, VT. Parents Don and Sally, and siblings Foster and Kim, lost their child/brother, Peter, to the events of 9/11. Before and since that time, however, the world has benefited from the Goodriches' generosity, sense of humanity, and kindness. The world, yet, was hit another blow with loss of Sally in December 2010. She led a strong fight, but cancer eventually took her body. Her soul remains in the many whom she has nurtured and guided. I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones who has had this angel touch my life.

To read more about this remarkable family, please see The Peter M. Goodrich Foundation website.

Peace to All.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred Forty One (Back-to-School One Day Special: Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies with Splash of Kahlua)

2011-09-02T08:47:00.000-04:00

BACK-TO-SCHOOL creates an urgency to buy new clothes, sharpen pencils, and make cookies!

Yet, this back-to-school mode was of the “one day only”variety, kind of like a quick sale.

"One Day Sale – Get A Pair of 50 Dollar Jeans for Only 10 Dollars – butONE DAY ONLY! Hurry in quickly,before you lose your chance!"

That was our back-to-school event. One day only.

Hurry in quickly, or nothing will get done around the house, includingmaking those cookies for school lunches. But why worry about schoollunches? We won’t need them foranother 4 days, because the kids are on vacation again.

Not only is this schedule throwing off my equilibrium, itjust ain’t fair!

Although Hurricane Irene did not pack a hard punch inour town, her impact is nonetheless being felt. School opening was delayed for a day, which meant that theelementary schoolers were back to school for a day on Thursday until vacationstarted again Friday. No schoolagain until Tuesday.

This Labor Day schedule is causing more labor for me. What’s the point, really? Please? Why the false start?

No time to complain; just make the cookies before the kidsget home and vacation starts - again.

Here’s a delicious recipe made with100% whole grain – my guess is that they will be devoured just in time forschool to start – again.

Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies with a Splash of Kahlua

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter - REAL BUTTER softened

1 and 1/2 cups organic cane sugar (this stuff has sooo muchflavor)

2 TBL pure molasses

1/2 teaspoon baking SODA

2 eggs

1 teaspoon REAL VANILLA – (I used 1 TBL Kaluha because I wasout of vanilla)

2 1/2 cups organic whole spelt flour

12 ounces all natural chocolate chips (semi-sweet)

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, beat butter untilsmooth. Add sugar and molasses. Keep beating until smooth, add in eggs and vanilla. Keep mixing. In separate smaller bowl, mix together spelt flours andbaking soda. Beatflour mixture into butter mixture, slowly adding in the flour. Stir in chocolate pieces.

Whole Grain Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons about 2 inches apart onungreased cookie sheet. Bake in375 oven for about 10 minutes. Becausethese are spelt, they tend to flatten out. Done when edges are slightly brown. Transfer to a wire rack forcooling. YUM!!

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Forty (On the Edge: Food for A Crowd)

2011-08-28T10:18:00.001-04:00

We have had so many kids around the house this weekend that I have lost count - maybe 5 or 6 or 7.

The number keeps fluctuating. We have two young overnight guests due to their parents being on vacation, and sundry other tykes who roam through the neighborhood and weave in and out of our house.

The big topic for the overnight guests is will they ever get to go home again given all the anxiety around Hurricane Irene.

Regardless of the uncertainty of the hurricane, one thing that I know for sure is that I need to keep feeding them.

In all this making and baking, I forgot what we had for yesterday's lunch, but for dinner I made homemade pizza and grilled chicken with rice, sliced cucumbers with rice vinegar, and salad with homemade balsamic dressing. Breakfast this morning was spelt waffles (with a little rum, because I ran out of vanilla). For lunch, I made an incredible vegan dish and forced the most skeptical of the younger crew to "just TRY it!" For the most part, they liked it, though I did witness a few selective fork maneuvers in which certain "green things" were strategically left at the edge of the dish.

Tonight was a potpourri of leftovers as I was tapped out energy. The "green stuff again?" one desperate 9 year old pleaded. "Yep, kid, along with the left over grilled chicken and Spelt Right pizza from last night." I did manage to find a few scraps of greens for a new salad.

As for the Green Stuff, it really is a marvelous recipe:

Eggplant, Zucchini, Yellow Squash and Chick Pea Stew

Ingredients:

1 large onion (finely to coarsely chopped)

1/4-1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 16 ounce can of organic chic peas (garbanzo beans)(rinsed and drained)

3 cups of water

1 large eggplant

1 medium sized zucchini

1 medium sized summer squash

10-12 cherry tomatoes, sliced in fours

1 1/2- 2 teaspoons of sea salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

Place onions and oil in saucepan. Cook until onions are golden brown. Add drained chick peas and water. Cook for approximately 5 minutes.

Peel eggplant and cut into 1 inch cubes. Cut up summer squash and zucchini. Cut up tomatoes. Add vegetables to chick pea mixture. Add seasonings. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally until eggplant and vegetables are tender. May be served hot or cold.

Serve with rice and try to hide the green stuff.

Delicious Dish Despite the Green Stuff

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Thirty-Nine (Spelt Pizza So Good: It Must Be Censored)

2011-08-27T16:26:00.000-04:00

Here are two incredible recipes for Spelt Right Pizza - split in half made on one special dough.

One half was made with the tomato meat sauce recipe provided in Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hunderd Thirty-Eight and topped with fresh mozzarella balls and shredded mozzarella/provolone mix.

The other half was adorned with fresh basil and fresh tomatoes from our neighbor and friends, Kendra (of Whimsy fame) and Will's phenomenal sprawling garden, plus garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and fresh mozzarella balls.

This stuff was so crazy good that Will, also known as Billy Sweet the Chimney Sweep, described the pleasure of eating it in a term that must be censored from this blog.

But, I totally get it. Sometimes, really good food, especially that made with your own hands (the pizza dough), and grown with your sweat (the veggies), and created by your own soul (the pizza), engenders such a sense of euphoria that the rest of the world melts away, and just for a moment, you are one with that culinary pleasure.

Quick Recipe - Thaw and Rise Spelt Right Pizza, Pre-heat oven to 450. Lightly oil pan with EVOO. Gently stretch dough on to stainless steel baking pan. Top half with meat sauce and mozzarella. Top other half with olive oil infused with crushed garlic and sea salt, sliced fresh mozzarella, slice fresh tomatoes, and cut leaves of fresh basil. Bake until crust is crispy.

Eat slowly and enjoy every passing moment.

Lunch Box Chronicles Day One Hundred Thirty-Eight (On Being Blunt - One Stunning Sauce on Spelt Pasta)

2011-08-26T14:48:00.001-04:00

Blunt: adjective

3. (of a person or remark) Uncompromisingly forthright

Synonyms:

candid, forthright, frank….

Once in a while, everyone needs someone who is blunt…

Candid, Forthright, Frank….

I have the tendency to think that I can “do it all”: build a business, manage a family, drive six hours at a clip, meet customers with a smile, hang out with friends, practice law, save the world…

But, there are the details I often forget – the details that I preach to others, but fail to practice myself – like getting enough rest, eating the right foods, taking iron and vitamins, slowing down just enough to get a glance in the mirror to gauge whether I am about to pass out or if I am ready to sprint.

I would like to think that I am Wonder Woman, but fiction is just fiction. I lack super-human strength, the ability to fly, super-speed, and super agility, though sometimes, I do have super-stamina….until I crash….

And, when the crash happens, I am lucky to have a frank person in my life who becomes very blunt….

“You need to rest kid; the car runs only if it has gas in the tank.”

I heeded the frank advice, gave myself a few days to rest, and made a delicious recipe offered by one blunt ally in order to put a little gas in the tank.

RECIPE - Homemade Grass Fed Ground Beef and Tomato Sauce Over Spelt Pasta

Ingredients:

One organic onion (finely chopped)

4-5 cloves of garlic (finely chopped or minced with salt)

1/4 – 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Pomi – crushed tomatoes – all natural, no citric acid – in a carton (no BPA in packaging)

One Pound Grass Fed Ground Beef (from Maine)

1-2 Teaspoons of Sea Salt

Ground pepper to taste

6-10 leaves of Fresh Basil (chopped finely) (compliments of my neighbor Kendra)

One Package Vita Spelt Pasta

Put chopped onion and garlic in olive oil in large stainless steel pan. Saute until onions are brown. Add ground beef. Saute until browned. Add Pomi tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Add one teaspoon of organic sugar if desired. Stir all ingredients. Cook on medium low for 20-25 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Add chopped basil.

Make pasta according to instructions. Drain. Put back in pan with 1 cup meet sauce. Lightly toss. Put pasta on platter. Cover with delicious sauce. Garnish with fresh basil. Tonight, we will be putting the sauce over some Spelt Right Pizza Dough...blogpost to follow.

Response on the pasta dish from the five children roaming my not-so-quiet house? "YUMMMM!!"

Lunch Box Chronicles Day One Hundred Thirty-Seven (On The Need To Metamorphose)

2011-08-14T23:08:00.000-04:00

Metamorphose (v. to change the form or nature of; transform)

That’s want I want to do. Metamorphose. Not like the salesman in Kafka’s Metamorphosis that turned into a cockroach. But rather, sometimes, I wish I could just turn into my cat. I get so grumble-y at this fur-ball. No worries, no cares. He comfortably nests into the clean basket of laundry without a modicum of consciousness that he just created another 2 hours of laundry. No sense of parenting, work, cleaning, business development, dinner making, nothing, nothing. He just exists for the sake of existing. Day, night? Nothing matters. Three a.m., saunter in through the bedroom porch slider, meow for the sake of meowing, scratch at the bedroom door to get out, scratch and cry again to get in. Eat, sip on water, play with a mouse or two. Not a care. Not a worry.

I am through! I said to my husband tonight, I want the cats out. His response? “You want to get rid of this?”

Uggh, ok, I'm not that heartless, but I am tired. Instead of doing away with the fur ball, perhaps I can just metamorphose.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Thirty-Six (Vegan Eggplant-Chick Pea Stew, Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice)

2011-08-14T20:23:00.003-04:00

This is one of my favorite VEGAN recipes. It is adapted from “A Taste of Lebanon” by Mary Salloum.

While there is not an ounce of spelt in this recipe, the Middle Eastern treat of combining cinnamon and olive oil surfaces not only in this delicious recipe but also in our Cinnamon Raisin Royale Spelt Right Bagels.

Eggplant-Chick Pea Stew (Bitinjan mah Hommous)

Ingredients:

1 large onion (finely to coarsely chopped)

1/4-1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 16 ounce can of organic chic peas (garbanzo beans)(rinsed and drained)

3 1/2 cups of water

1 large eggplant

1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/4 cup of tomato paste

Place onions and oil in saucepan. Cook until onions are golden brown. Add drained chick peas and water. Cook for approximately 5 minutes.

Peel eggplant and cut into 1 inch cubes. Add to chick pea mixture. Add seasonings and tomato paste. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally until eggplant is tender. May be served hot or cold. Serve with brown rice.

I make my brown rice, by sautéing 2-3 gloves of garlic (mashed with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt) in about 3 TBL of olive oil, added 1 cup of brown rice and continuing sautéing until rice is slightly crisp. Then add 2 cups of hot to boiling water. Bring rice to boil, then lower heat and let simmer until done (about 1/2 hour). Watch carefully because it might need more water.

This was a perfect easy dish after a busy Sunday doing a demo of Spelt Right Pizza at the Whole Foods in Portland.

It is possible, yet sometimes challenging, to make great meals for your kids despite a busy schedule. While this may not look like a meal enjoyed by kids, my 9 year old devoured it with the request for a second helping.

Hope you enjoy this as much as we do. PS, the wine is for me, not the kid.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Thirty-Five (Spelt Right Pizza - The Perfect Time Traveler for Any Generation)

2011-08-10T14:13:00.000-04:00

This is a collaborative piece from Gen Y’er (or millennial) and recent college grad, aspiring musician – Edward Sturtevant, Bates ’10, and Baby-Boomer – food entrepreneur, non musician, Beth George, Bates ‘85

"The creation of a meal with new found ingredients is like composing a piece of music with new tones, notes, and tempo.

You see, as a songwriter and band member for the Time Travelers, I am constantly pursuing what new, fresh, and effective elements to incorporate into my music. Artists, whether in the recording studio, a painters loft, or family kitchen are constantly striving to find “the next big thing” - the new captivating sound, the unique hue, or that subtle yet powerful taste that offers the audience a divine moment of perfection

This creative spirit flows to all of our senses – including –our sense of taste. When dancing with new (and healthful) ingredients, we are playing a song for our taste buds and harmonizing with needs of our bodies.

On a mission to create art with food, I took the most basic element of the much-celebrated pizza: the dough, and replaced it with a new alternative: Spelt Right pizza dough, hoping (with a little trepidation) to open my eyes to more creative food choices, and my palette to a more nutritious, delicious dinnertime.

This was a bit of challenge for my roommates and me. The folks at Spelt Right Baking requested us to be to be mindful of the food we were consuming AND to create it ourselves. In essence, were asked to be the composers of a symphony for Spelt Right dough – treating each topping as a member of an orchestra.

Like a conductor with his baton, I started directing the ensemble – each ingredient an instrument in its own right – My roommates soon became the musicians playing the instruments. Each new combination of toppings became a new song –

- Goat cheese, tomato, red onion, and mozzarella (Gotta Get Your Goat)

- Cheddar cheese, ham, broccoli, and mozzarella with tomato sauce (No Vegan For Me)

- Mozzarella, red peppers, red onion, and bacon, with tomato sauce (Girl Put Your Pepper On)

As each pizza was carefully composed, and soulfully performed, we became more focused on the food and less on the process. My roommates and I soon lost our roles as conductors and orchestra as we became distracted by the melodic aroma of baking spelt dough, melting cheese, savory onions, and sizzling bacon. We became focused on one thing only: devouring the pizza.

The results of the finished piece were delectable. Dare I say, music to our taste buds?. With each bite, I savored the textured softness and wholesome sweetness of the spelt dough.

Despite our original trepidation, the making of these pizzas was SO EASY. We simply switched the bland wheat dough for this incredible spelt dough.

Great taste and good for you? How could the choice be any easier?

My recommendation? Indulge yourself, with the sumptuous symphony starting with Spelt Right Pizza."

- Edward Sturtevant

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Thirty-Four (Happy Birthday to Me!!)

2011-08-10T10:17:00.001-04:00

Having entered into August, the month of this Lioness's birth, I was finally the beneficiary of an incredible spelt birthday cake made by our in-house cake boss, Spencer, who has recently reached the ripe age of 14.

He pondered for several days on the perfect cake for mom's big 48th....He concluded that A GERMAN CHOCOLATE SPELT CAKE made with organic spelt flour and organic sugar would be fitting. Unbelievably rich and complicated!!!

This cake and the process that went into it brought us full circle to the reason we have become such a foodie family.

Spelt German Chocolate Cake

Ingredients (adapted from AllRecipes.com)

1/2 cup water
4 (1 ounce) squares German sweet chocolate
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups organic cane sugar
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups Vita Spelt organic white spelt flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 egg whites
1 cup organic cane sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon butter
1 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 3 - 9 inch round pans. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a small saucepan, heat water and 4 ounces chocolate until melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
In a large bowl, cream 1 cup butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in 4 egg yolks one at a time. Blend in the melted chocolate mixture and vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated.
In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter, then quickly fold in remaining whites until no streaks remain.
Pour into 3 - 9 inch pans Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto wire rack.
To make the Filling: In a saucepan combine 1 cup sugar, evaporated milk, 1/2 cup butter, and 3 egg yolks. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut, pecans and vanilla. Cool until thick enough to spread.
Spread filling between layers and on top of cake. In a small saucepan, melt shortening and 1 ounce of chocolate. Stir until smooth and drizzle down the sides of the cake.

Although the cake should have taken about 2 hours to make, it took Spencer nearly 6 given we don't even have an electric mixer (it broke somewhere along the way), and he had no help from adults.

Tim put together a wonderful last minute birthday gathering at Gritty's on Exchange Street in Portland. The photo is the cake perched on a ledge overlooking Wharf Street from back side of Gritty's.

Typical of planning though, Tim was right on time, but I was an hour and a half late with Spencer and Olivia in tow. It turns out, that while Spencer had a great time making the cake, he forgot to feed his own body during the process, and had such a protein low it was as if we were full circle back to where we started 7 years ago with this diet change.

Both of us quickly realized that the melt down was simply a lack of eating - and we called Tim to order a Gritty's burger for Spencer upon his arrival.

With Spencer fed, friends imbibed, and kids clamoring, we had a wonderful time. "Happy Birthday day to me...."

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Thirty-Three (Studies Recommend Spelt as Part of Healthy Diet)

2011-07-30T22:07:00.001-04:00

Recently, an on-line customer informed me she eats Spelt Right products because diet change, which includes spelt, has helped her reduce the symptoms of metabolic syndrome which is related to insulin resistance. She said that, on the recommendation of her endocrinologist, she went off of white starchy flours and on to ancient grains like spelt and quinoa. As a result, she lost 30 pounds.

I have heard similar stories, but this piqued my curiosity.

I started researching and found an interesting article in the Annals of the New York Academy of Science, entitled Adjuvant Diet to Improve Hormonal and Metabolic Factors Affecting Breast Cancer Prognosis. This article contains some incredible information based upon various studies.

It a nutshell, it states what we many of us know, but hate to admit. Americans (and others adopting the "Western Diet") eat a lot of junk, don't exercise much, and are getting sick as a result. The good news is that there are ways to turn this around. One is to eat better, and one of the recommendations is to eat spelt.

The abstract of this relatively lengthy article states that “western lifestyle, characterized by reduced physical activity and a diet rich in fat, refined carbohydrates, and animal protein is associated with high prevalence of overweight, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and high plasma levels of several growth factors and sex hormones….[T]hese factors are associated with breast cancer risk and, in breast cancer patients, with increased risk of recurrences. Recent trials have proven that such metabolic and endocrine imbalance can be favorably modified through comprehensive dietary modification, shifting from Western to Mediterranean and macrobiotic diet.” (emphasis added)

Among the other dietary recommendations, the article suggests that breast cancer patients “reduce high glycemic index and high insulinemic index foods, such as refined flours, potatoes, white rice, corn flakes, sugar, and milk, using instead whole grain cereals (unrefined rice, barley, millet, oat, spelt, quinoa)

So, yes, I can say with confidence (and based upon experience) spelt is good for you.

And, if you want some great tasting spelt, try Spelt Right.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Thirty-Two (Word of the Day: Anodyne)

2011-07-29T00:13:00.002-04:00

Anodyne - one of the words introduced at a CLE - continuing legal education course I took this week. (I still bounce between the dual worlds of lawyer and entrepreneur).

Anodyne - n. a drug that relieves pain; analgesic; anything that alleviates mental distress; adj. capable of relieving pain or distress.

Yes, I could use an anodyne.

Being an entrepreneur is STRESSFUL. My brain feels it; my neck feels it; my soul feels it. But thankfully, there are some human anodynes in my life who make this peregrination (oooohhh, I love big words) more palatable.

My anodynes are folks who say, "I might not get it, but I'm here for you" or "Yes, I get it. I've been there. It IS hard, but you can do it. If it were easy, every one would do it." But, they go one step further; they not only offer words of encouragement and inspiration, they act. Not only do they say, "How can I help," they roll up their sleeves and get in the thick of it. They brainstorm on ideas; they find suppliers; they find bakers; they find funders. They say, it is ok, because I believe in you.

They are what differentiates well wishers from anchors. They are the people I love. And I hope that someday I can offer my personal anodynes ranging in age from 9 to 85, a little relief of their own. I hope one day I can offer them the fruits of my labor - for the lack of a better word - a lasting legacy.

So, at the risk of being a little self serving, I offer this Spelt Right pizza recipe as an anodyne to the stresses of just being. Whatta Pizza!

Ingredients, one Spelt Right Pizza Dough, fully thawed and risen. Sauce of your choice. Shredded mozzarella and provolone, black olives, mushrooms sauteed in olive oil and garlic, onions, fresh tomatoes, and whatever else serves to ease your pain. Work dough gently into a lightly oiled baking pan. Assemble as you would any pizza. Bake at 450 for 12-20 minutes..check the crust! Let cool slightly. Indulge. Feel no pain.

Lunch Box Chronicles Day One Hundred Thirty-One (Blabbing vs. Blogging)

2011-07-19T00:59:00.001-04:00

It was recently suggested that in order to promote marketing for Spelt Right and relay my passion behind this business, I should blog more.

I should do a lot of things more...like sleep more, exercise more, clean more, do my books more, play with my kids more, listen to my husband more.

But, there are also things that I need to do less, and one, as mentioned by my business partner, I need to blab less and blog more. Clever juxtaposition, but true. Blog more, blab less.

I need to complain less too, and worry less, and work less, but what this simply reveals is that there is a lot less and a lot more to life. Perhaps, I just need to count more - count my blessings, count my friends, count my family, and count the endless number of four leaf clovers that grow in our yard.

With all of the great people in my life, despite all of the mores and all of the lesses, there is one guess - and that is "I guess that I am lucky."

As Joan Armatrading sang "I am so lucky that I'm as lucky as me." Just have to keep reminding myself of that....

Lunch Box Chronicles Day One Hundred Thirty (Lord of the Flies 14 Year Old Birthday Party)

2011-07-19T00:16:00.004-04:00

Themed birthday parties are the craze - My Little Pony for pre-schoolers, Glee Sing-a-Longs for Middle School Girls, 80s Rock Oldies for High Schoolers, but for middle school boys - YOU DON'T NEED A THEME....Chaos simply prevails - Dare I say, "Lord of the Flies" absent cannibalism was our unplanned theme for Spencer's 14th birthday.

I should have known that we were heading in that direction when Spencer mentioned that he simply wanted to invite friends to BURN their middle school homework. And, Tim added fuel to the fire when he gifted Spencer a real CROSS BOW. Mother Nature continued with the theme when she mysteriously planted a HORNETS NEST in a bush which the kids proceeded to trounce with pitch folks, hard rakes, and shovels.

It was chaos!

It was amazing to watch my young cake boss who expertly created his own spelt birthday cake earlier in the day transform into a member of a roaming gang within a few hours. With flames rising, arrows careening, and angry wasps swarming, it was nothing short of miraculous that there were no major injuries. At the conclusion of the chaos, there were only a few scrapes, loads of mosquito bites, and happy full bellies.

Luckily, these boys were not stranded on a deserted island with nothing to eat. Instead, they had at their disposal endless amounts of Spelt Right pizza and the heavenly spelt chocolate cake made by a devilish kid.

It was a long three hours. One that I do not wish to repeat, BUT....

as Shakespeare reminds us "All's well that ends well."

Spelt Right Pizza Dough - Perfect for Birthday Parties- Theme or No Theme

Heavenly Spelt Right Pizza for a Devilish Crowd

Someday we will convince Spencer to turn over the recipe for these divine cakes

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Twenty Nine (Happy Belated Birthday Emma)

2011-07-18T22:05:00.002-04:00

It's been awhile since I have written as I have been working diligently to find the perfect partners to help Spelt Right grow while making our bagels and breads the best ever. Life has been challenging - not challenging in a life or death sense - but challenging in a balancing the many pieces of a perpetually busy life sense. Good thing I have good people in my life to reign me in at times.

My time this summer has been split between home and AWAY. The kids' birthdays are one way to anchor me and those anchors have been one of my links to sanity.

Our cake boss days continue - Spencer has been on a cake making mission. He made one in early June for his older sister's birthday - Emma - 19 years vibrant.

As always, the cake was quite amazing - soft, tasty, chocolatey - simply out of this world...On a recent business trip, I brought a piece of cake to my business associate from AWAY. Perhaps not the best move.....We have created another addict to spelt chocolate cake - his simple request each time I return on a business trip - BRING A PIECE OF THE SPELT CHOCOLATE CAKE.

Enough on cakes and more on birthdays - I am very proud of my 19 year old. She did a stellar job her first year in college, and now is doing a stellar job as an intern at the VIA advertising agency in Portland. I like to take some credit that perhaps she learned some of her work ethic from her mom while making bagels at Spelt Right during the past three summers- but maybe I am taking a little too much credit.

Perhaps, this kid, now woman....is just stellar. Happy Belated Birthday Emma.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Twenty-Eight (Kick-Ass Pizza)

2011-07-06T23:50:00.001-04:00

OK, this might not be the proper vernacular for a mommy-type blog, but I just have to say it. Spelt Right makes a kick ass pizza dough - and Whole Foods Portland makes a super kick ass - pesto pizza with Spelt Right dough known as the Penobscot.

This is so good it should be illegal!

Having just delivered a boat load of spelt pizza dough to Whole Foods, I was inspired to order a pizza on the way home after running errands.

The picture Tim took is a little bizarre. It makes the pizza look like it is glowing. Could this pizza possibly have a divine purpose? Is radioactive? Or is it simply just kick-ass? In my humble opinion ----- a little of each.

Divine Kick Ass Spelt Pizza from Whole Foods - Portland

Lunch Box Chronicles Day One Hundred Twenty-Seven (Country Inns, Bears, Dogs, and Really Nice People)

2011-07-01T00:25:00.002-04:00

CALL and SPEAK to a REALLY NICE PERSON! 800-444-9245

You know a place has to be good, really good when your nine year old remembers the favorite place she visited when she was a whopping 7.

Olivia told me exactly where she wanted to go on vacation. “For a really special vacation, I want to go back to that place where there are really nice people, a dog named Teddy Bear, a game room, a pool and Jacuzzi, a movie room, and a really great breakfast and it is right near Story Land.”

Now, this might sound like one of those all inclusive glitzy resorts, but really it is just home away from home – a great big house with everything you would want in your own house, and an extra set of parents to boot – Linnea and Rod are super hosts. When you call, you will speak with one of them – some really nice people!!!

If you are looking for the perfect safe and comfortable place to bring your kids, I highly recommend the Old Field House Country Inn in Intervale, NH. One visit and you will be hooked. The living room is a perfect place for the adults to relax and share stories, while the kids gallivant in the floor below between the game and movie rooms. Soon, all guests become friends, playing games together, eating together, sharing stories, playing with the resident dog – Teddy Bear, and ooohing and awwwing the resident black bear – now duly named Teddy Dog.

THE OLD FIELD HOUSE COUNTRY INN, INTERVALE NH

Olivia and I love this place. We visited 2 years ago, brought some of our Spelt Right bagels to share, and enjoyed all that the Old Field House Inn had to offer. We were surprised when we returned two years later that Rod and Linnea remembered Olivia (who could forget?), and our Spelt Right bagels and story, and asked us about our entrepreneurial adventures over the past two years. It was like visiting old friends and catching up. Pretty remarkable!

So, if you want to get away from the stresses of being home, but have the feeling like you are home AND you would like to meet a bear named DOG and a dog named BEAR, we highly recommend a trek to a place slightly off the beaten path. As Longfellow recommended, take the road less traveled....

TEDDY DOG - THE RESIDENT BLACK BEAR CUB AT THE OLD FIELD HOUSE INN

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Twenty-Six (On Turning Nine Twice)

2011-06-28T23:23:00.001-04:00

Olivia’s 2^nd Ninth Birthday

Turning 9 is awesome, especially if you get to turn 9 twice.

Olivia has had a tumultuous year between switching schools and having many transitions at home. Age 8 will be memorable for her, but not for warm and fuzzy reasons.

Mom was distracted often – trying to get her business to rise like a helium balloon, but often feeling the lead weight drag the balloon and her down with it – and dodging the pin that is ever present to burst that balloon.

Grandma suffered many health challenges and moved in and then moved out of our house.

Mom was distracted again – making some major transitions in her business plans while managing Grandma’s health crises, and cleaning out and selling Grandmas’s house.

Dad was doing all he could do to support all of the chaos, while maintaining a sense of semblance.

Emma was tucked safely away in college, able to avoid much of the fracas.

And, Spencer dealt with the stress in a creative sweet fashion: he has become the in-house cake-boss. He often spends free time planning the next cake he will make.

Cake-bosses are handy when you need to have two birthdays for turning 9 because your parents barely could swing a real birthday party on your real birthday (See Lunch Box Chronicle Day One Hundred Twenty-Two) and it took them more than a month to fit in a wild kid party.

But really, what is in a date? Isn’t it about the feeling, the hope, the joy of being born and then celebrating that birth whenever and where ever. That leads me to think, we should celebrate our birthdays every day, forget just once or twice a year. But, in order to keep our girth in check, we should reserve the cakes for just 10 or 12 of the celebrations,

Hopefully, Olivia’s 9^th year will be less tumultuous than her 8^th year. By the looks of the picture, she is off to a good start.

And for the spelt cake recipe……we will have to wait for 13 year old Spencer to disclose his secrets!

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Twenty-Five (Let Food Be Thy Medicine)

2011-06-06T16:34:00.000-04:00

http://www.themotherhoodblog.com/2011/06/let-food-be-thy-medicine-guest-post-by.html

MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2011

Let Food Be Thy Medicine: Guest-post by Beth George of Spelt Right Baking Company

In today’s guest-post, Beth George, co-founder and owner of Spelt Right Baking, tells the story of how one mother's desire to help her son grew into a new business that helps many.

*This is a story Beth has told many times, and much of this article appears word-for-word on the Spelt Right Baking's "About" page. We are happy to re-publish the origin of Spelt Right here, at The MotherHood, because we believe in Beth and Tim's mission to raise awareness along with the bread they bake.

Photo courtesy of Bates College and Beth George.

Transformative is the best way to describe the diet change in our family.

We certainly are not perfect. It's tough to find all-organic foods, especially in Maine where we live, but the changes we've made are significant: we don't buy foods made with industrial wheat and other industrial grains, or artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. We've also eliminatedhydrogenated oils, MSG (monosodium glutamate), HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup), and anything that reeks of highly refined or altered foods.

It has improved our lives beyond expectation.

As stated by the great philosopher Hippocrates in 460 BC, “Let Food Be Thy Medicine; Let Medicine Be Thy Food.”

Our son, who is now 13, use to experience significant health and behavioral problems, and was diagnosed between the ages of four and seven, with ADHD, Asperger’s, Pervasive Developmental Disorder and a host of other disorders. He also had frequent ear infections and a compromised immune system. Sometimes he would flap his hands, moan, and get red-hot ears; he might rock, become extremely agitated or hyperactive. At times, though, he was quite calm, introspective and manageable.

At the time he was diagnosed, I was practicing law as a child advocate attorney representing hundreds of children in the system—in juvenile courts, in state custody, and in special education. I witnessed a misdirected, overburdened, over-budgeted, and ineffective system. The kids had tons of resources thrown at them but things were not improving. I was shocked by the number of kids being diagnosed with various disorders and systematically placed on drugs, with no quantifiable improvement. Most were recidivists in the juvenile system and many, within a few years, made their way into the adult criminal system.

I witnessed a system that was/is broken and I wanted to change it—the problem being that systems are hard to change. The issue hit home when my son, our middle child, was being diagnosed similarly to the kids for whom I advocated. I knew that I had to stop the train with him or my child could become embroiled in the same, ineffective system.

LOOKING FOR ANSWERS

I was not convinced of the accuracy of the diagnoses, and was skeptical about the recommendation to test psychotropic drugs on our son. We wanted to find out what was triggering the physical and emotional reactions in him and resisted the proposed drug therapy. I started out by reading the current research and talking to other parents, which led me to consider my son's problems as possibly a reaction to specific foods.

One doctor we had consulted recommended that we try non-wheat breads. I had seen a loaf of spelt bread at my nanny's apartment and asked why she was eating it. She told me that it was wheat-free bread, and that she felt better eating it compared to 'regular' bread. (This was pre-2006 when the FDA had not yet required that all spelt products contain the phrase "Contains: wheat".Spelt is not a wheat-free food.*)

I thought I would buy some for my son. It was good and he had no adverse reactions to it, but it fell apart easily—which made him cry at school. So, I decided to try and make my own spelt bread that tasted good and would not fall apart.

By the time my son was nine, we moved beyond bread and had completely changed his diet, eliminating all artificial additives, preservatives and colors.

The results were profound.

After implementing a regulated, but very satisfying diet, my son's life was completely turned around. He is now free of any diagnoses and is in the gifted program in middle school. He is one of the nicest, most creative and grounded thirteen-year old boys I know. Additionally, he is a budding chef and baker, and can make just about anything from scratch.

This is nothing short of remarkable given that he could barely sit at a desk just a few years before.

A BUSINESS IS BORN

In the process of helping my son, I have helped myself, and have learned how to help others.

In 2007, as a result of the need to find better food for our son, I and my husband, Tim Kane (vice president of a local college) created an all-natural baking company,Spelt Right Baking. pizza dough—ever! (Currently all our products are available online.)

Also since 2007, I have been writing, talking, and baking my way to get attention for this very important issue: to educate others on the critical importance of healthy, nutritious foods for our mental and emotional well-being.

In the course of growing our business, we have heard from so many of our customers about their own health challenges, including diabetes, insulin resistance, Lyme Disease, arthritis, migraines, heart and artery disease, skin issues, obesity, behavior problems, and how they have been able to improve their health through diet change, including a switch from industrial grains to heirloom grains like spelt.

We have come to the conclusion that America does not face a health crisis, but rather a nutrition crisis.

I think about the money that the government could save (just in the educational system alone) if people simply fed their kids better foods. I am convinced that the special education and juvenile justice systems would become less burdened, not to mention the health care costs of the general public.

SHARE YOUR STORY WITH US

We would love to hear the stories of other families that have found health and sanity through diet change.

You can post on our blog: http://speltrightbaking.blogspot.com/ or email me directly beth@speltrightbaking.com.

Thank you and be well!

Beth George, co-founder and owner, Spelt Right Baking

0 COMMENTS:

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Twenty-Four (On the Meaning of Chicken Soup)

2011-05-26T00:25:00.001-04:00

Whether we admit it or not, we all need comfort. The need comes in all shapes and sizes. The need may emanate from a cold drizzly spring that has haunted Maine, or from boo-boos and a runny nose on a 9 year old, or from too much homework for a 13 year old, or just from feeling overwhelmed as the 47 year old daughter of an 85 year old mother who needs have become greater than the daughter could honestly manage. And sometimes that comfort simply cannot be found in others, but needs to be created from scratch. My youngest honed right in on that need the other day. "Mom, I would like chicken soup." "Really, honey? I let you stay home from school, but I have soooo much to do....clean out grandma's house, deliver some bagels, do some business planning...making chicken soup is going to take time." "But, Mom," she pleaded, "Really, I need chicken soup." The request was reasonable, almost brilliant, and I decided that the comfort for the day needed to made from scratch.

BETH'S EVOLVING CHICKEN SOUP RECIPE
My soup recipes are unscientific, but time tested. I always start with olive oil, chopped onions, and crushed garlic (with salt) in the bottom of the pan. After the onions soften and are slightly browned, I add chopped carrots and potatoes. I then follow with whatever chicken is on hand (frozen chicken breasts this time). I add more oil if necessary. Next comes the kitchen sink - i.e., whatever I can find in the fridge or freezer. This time: sliced mushrooms, fresh asparagus, and frozen green beans. Spinach is also good. Keep sauteing, adding enough oil to keep from sticking. Add a small amount of water to make dark broth. Then add as much water as will fit in the pan. Spice as you like. I used chopped parsley, sea salt, pepper, and basil. Keep cooking until chicken is done, veggies are soft, and broth is flavorful.

Serve with Spelt Right bread.

The end result: A comforting meal for those in need of comfort.

Be well, cook with your family. Your children will remember this far more than the multitude of plastic gifts we give them.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Twenty-Three (A NY Bagel, Really??)

2011-05-03T00:48:00.002-04:00

OK, this one is not a recipe, but rather an observation, or perhaps, a rant, about the state of what we call food in the U.S. On a recent trip to NYC to introduce our healthful SPELT RIGHT bagels, breads, and pizza dough to people in the BIG APPLE with health challenges (diabetes, insulin resistance, inflammatory diseases, etc.) and to spread the word about good nutrition (ok, I am a bit of a proselytiser here), I happened upon a very curious object.

Please see the picture.

The colors drew me in and I felt compelled to buy it. I just had to show this to my son Spencer, whose health and behavior were so adversely impacted by foods with common wheat (the typical NY bagel), and other foods with wild food colors (the not-so-typical NY bagel). Once we cleared his diet of anything that eked of this bagel (including foods with common wheat and foods with artificial additives) this dear child transformed from being uncomfortable and out of control, to healthy, happy, and easy going. Food is IT!!! It's one thing we all share in common....the desire to be fed well.

This THING is representative of the sad state of affairs we call a health crisis in the country. Hey folks, it's a nutrition crisis!!! A little sense goes a long way.

BTW, this colorful monstrosity is now like a museum piece! Without any shellac whatsoever, this braid of artificial color and bleached/bromated flour is now like a stone. It also contains bromates which are really bad for you!!!

Imagine what you would have felt like if this colorful sphere ended up in your stomach?? Perhaps the quintessential lead weight? You might even say, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing...or, even took a bite."

My solution....eat spelt, your body will thank you.....You will have no regrets!!

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Twenty-Two (A Restraining Order to Protect Cake Batter - Happy Birthday O)

2011-04-13T02:46:00.005-04:00

Turning 9 is monumental, especially if you were just 8 the day before. Yesterday, I let both my kids play hooky. It was supposed to be a stress reliever for all of us in honor of O's birthday - and the fact that Grandma's ER visit and brief stay at a nursing care facility the day before taught us what Dorothy learned some time ago "There is no place like home."

O had the privilege of going to her favorite Japanese restaurant and dragging her mom to Chuck E. Cheese for some 9 year old madness. Spencer got to skip school in the name of making a cake for his sister's birthday. My dear friend Kitty was relegated to Grandma watch duty - due to Grandma's sprained ankle.

Perhaps, Spencer should just give up school and start a restaurant. He has contracted kitchen fever. No longer is he the secondary sous chef or the kid who gets to crack the eggs. He is the 13 year old man in charge of the kitchen - reeling orders at anyone who dares to cross his path. "Kitty, get me the onions please - time to make dinner." "Mom, the cake pans please?" "Olivia, outta my way....I'm in charge." This sometimes does not bode well for the now 9 year old who also wants to be in charge.

I can't even guess the recipe Spencer used/created for Olivia's birthday cake. It was a stunning ALL NATURAL red velvet spelt cake with real butter cream frosting (no confectioner's sugar here....I was completely baffled that he made frosting with granulated sugar...but it was awesome.) I do know that after Spencer made this wonderful cake, we ran out of butter, sugar, and are now low on Vita Spelt.

Somewhere in the making of this grand cake, the intentions got lost....Olivia wanted a swipe of the batter on her finger: Spencer insisted that the only hands in the bowls would be his; I ran to my third floor office for cover, locking two doors behind me. Alas, to no avail. The kids know how to break in, and Olivia came up crying about the cruelty of not getting to eat batter, and Spencer followed later demanding a "restraining order" against his sister so the cake could be finished, or else there would be no birthday celebration at all.

A "restraining order" regarding cake batter? Has this lawyer, turned baking entrepreneur had too much influence on her kids????? Have we lost the meaning of the cake???

As the madness ensued, I attempted to maintain some sense of semblance as I was making business plans regarding something or other....I felt for my business partner on the other end of the telephone line, as I bounced between the concept of supermarket orders and the need for a restraining order to protect cake batter.

Olivia's Red Velvet Spelt Birthday Cake created by Spencer

Somehow, without a restraining order, the cake did get baked, and I managed to grocery shop for birthday fare, and make grilled chicken, seared steak, Spelt Right pizza and fitayers, salad, salad dressing and rice (thank you Kitty)....just in time for our expected guests - Kitty, Donna and her two kids and our unexpected guests, my brother and his adult daughter, Caitlyn. My friends were in awe at the amount of food I made...."Way too much," they said.. I knew better...especially with Spencer, the chef, and Alan my brother in the house. The dinner was devoured, plates wiped clean. Thank goodness for the loving dad, spouse, son-in-law, brother-in-law and overall good mensch Tim who made the kitchen spotless after the celebration and all the shenanigans.

The Birthday song, along with the beautiful cake, topped off the evening, and reminded us the meaning of the cake - a family's love for a NOW nine year old girl with a little batter on her finger, and no retraining orders on her record.

Happy Birthday Olivia. We love you.

The sweet end to a raucous day

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Twenty-One (Green and White Spelt Right Pizza - in honor of the coming of spring)

2011-04-04T00:50:00.000-04:00

I was very lucky to be invited by my good friend Kitty to a performance by Jazz/Blues Great Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters at One Longfellow Square in Portland. The music transformative...the pre-show dinner, divine!

We made a green and white pizza on Spelt Right dough. This Spelt Right dough is absolutely the best savory dough on the market....I might be a bit biased because I created the recipe, BUT, seriously it is so darn good that once you have it, you will not want to go back to the boring pasty wheaty dough. I promise!

Green and white in honor of a winter that won't quit and a spring that is fighting furiously to break through. This is what we see as we peek out our windows in Southern Maine: green and white.

And, so we made a pizza in honor of the season of purgatory - neither here nor there, neither spring nor winter, just some white and green, or green and white, depending upon your perspective.

Ingredients: GREEN chard, mushrooms, fresh garlic, salt and pepper to taste, EVOO, WHITE mozzarella and provolone grated cheese. One SPELT RIGHT pizza dough.

Instructions: Fully thaw and rise Spelt Right pizza dough in its bag. Chop chard, mushrooms, garlic. Saute in EVOO until slightly limp, but not soft. Lightly oil a stainless steel baking pan. Stretch dough on pan until it full covers pan. Sprinkle cheese over dough, top with veggies. Bake at 450F oven for 15 minutes or until done.

RESULT: A divine moment in purgatory.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Twenty (Spelt Coffee Cake the Answer to an April Fool's Snowstorm):

2011-04-02T00:18:00.001-04:00

It just AIN'T fair. Finally, we saw a glimpse of spring. The brown beaten wet grass in our front lawn and the last remnants of polluted snow banks littered with tar and sand all sang the notes of spring to us. We could hear it! The kids even got to take out their bikes for a day or two. The cats started choosing the out-of-doors, rather than their litter box, to deposit their cat duties. It was glorious!

But, that all changed. April 1, 2011, the day that makes us all FOOLS, brought us a whopper of a snowstorm. School was cancelled, roads were too slick to drive anywhere, and Olivia - now almost 9 - was BORED out of her mind.

"Ahh, honey, please let me get just a little more shut eye...we can rest, stay in, keep on our jammies." No doing for this kid. She was BORED, is BORED, and will forever be BORED, unless we figure something for her to do.

Well, I was NOT going outside. I've had it. I am not built for cold, but for some reason, I was born into a 4 season climate with long winters, and moved to 4 season climate with longer winters. What's the matter with me? I need to go south. It is in my blood.

So, what to do? Well, this almost 9 year old is an excellent reader, and an even better speller. Just ask her? How to you spell...PHENOMENAL...well, she'll tell you, and then tell you some more.

I said, let's make cookies...She suggested something better. COFFEE CAKE...."O.K., Olivia, you get out the cookbook, follow the directions, and get to work." And, that is what she did. We modified the recipe just a bit to use spelt instead of wheat, and to make our own sour milk with milk and fresh squeezed lemon. The result was an absolutely decadent coffee cake - phenomenal in fact. The problem is our family of 5 ate the entire cake (with a few pieces to spare for some special friends) in less than a day. Great cake, but we'll make this baby only once a year. Too much sugar and fat for our daily intake...but once in a while, especially on such a FOOLISHLY snowy April's day, it is the perfect treat.

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups VITA SPELT organic white spelt flour
1 cup organic VITA SPELT whole spelt flour
1 and 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2/3 cup BUTTER
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon all spice
2 beaten eggs
1 and 1/3 cups of milk with 1-2TBL freshly squeezed lemon juice (let sit for at least 5 minutes)
1 cup chopped nuts (we used a mix of pecans and walnuts)
1-2 TBL organic molasses (optional)

Butter a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Set aside.
In a medium bowl. combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Set aside 3/4 of a cup for topping.
Stir in baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and all spice into remaining crumb mixture.
In another bowl, combine the eggs, milk and lemon. Add wet mixture to dry and mix together. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Combine nuts with reserved crumb mixture, drizzle in molasses. Mix together in crumb form and then sprinkle over batter.
Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

ENJOY!!! Eat as you watch the snow gently coat the escaping vestige of spring.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Nineteen: ADHD and Hyperactivity in Kids. Help us Spread the Word!

2011-03-31T13:29:00.019-04:00

Great news! The FDA has just announced that it is considering banning certain food dyes (specifically Red 40 and Yellow 5), because of a possible connection between the consumption of these additives and hyperactivity in children.

Of course, this isn't news to us.

We've been talking/writing/blogging about this issue for years ever since our son began experiencing health and behavioral problems when he was 3 or 4 years old.

Those of you who have followed our son's story know that he is now a healthy, thriving 13-year old. But that wasn't always the case. When he was younger, his health and behavioral issues were so severe that doctors suggested he had everything from ADHD to Asperger's Syndrome.

And every diagnosis came with a drug solution. HOGWASH!

We weren't buying it. Instead, we started paying close attention to the relationship between what he ate, and how he behaved. It took us several years to figure it all out, but by eliminating artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners, along with removing industrial wheat from his diet (and adding in spelt), we were able to completely turn his health and behavior around.

No drugs. Just good - and real - food.

So we couldn't be happier to hear that the FDA is finally catching up with Spelt Right on the issue of synthetic food additives and their negative effects on our kids.

This is such an important issue - Please help us spread the word!

Also, check out some of our past articles on the relationship between synthetic food additives and hyperactivity in kids.

Down East Article on Spelt Right and Its Mission

http://www.feastnh.com/articles/900538-236/womans-use-of-spelt-in-sons-diet.html?CSAuthResp=1234%3A%3A5000%3A1%3A24%3Aapproved%3A0F4585785573305EC4153626DBD917C5

So, here is picture of the kid, now 13, additive free for 6 years, always

drug free, all natural diet, and one of the sweetest brightest folks I know.

He is an incredible chef. Last night's dinner was made completely

by Spencer. Marinated beef tips with a reduction sauce, sauteed tofu,

tons of garlic, fresh veggies, special homemade sauces, all in a stir fry.

Diet change has been worth every moment.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Eighteen (On Being GOOD)

2011-03-24T23:12:00.004-04:00

Scanning world events, I remind myself that I have very little to complain about. Japan and its honorable people have been swallowed by a big wave; the unleashing of nuclear radiation is an unimaginable horror; the turmoil in the Middle East continues with airstrikes against Libya and the unending wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The world is turning upside down. Those of us sensitive to its woes feel the sting even if we are not personally experiencing it.

And despite all of these horrors and feeling the sting only from afar, I am thankful for a moment with a bit of normalcy, a moment when you feel the world is o.k., just because there are good people and good events and good things to eat.

GOOD. That is how a friend described me today, and that simple description made me smile, while temporarily placing my personal challenges aside and keeping the onslaught of world events at bay.

GOOD is GOOD. It is important to reflect and appreciate that GOOD people exist even in the midst of world chaos and personal struggles. The GOODNESS magnifies the more it is shared.

It is the GOOD in others that strengthens us during challenging times and the GOOD that we can offer others that can help ease their pain.

Today, I received two very special gifts from some very GOOD people. One is a gift certificate for a massage with my favorite Masseuse from two folks in the banking industry who have watched as I have tried, sometimes with success, but mostly with many roadblocks, to build this passion I call Spelt Right Baking Co. The other, a much bigger gift, was a life boat, and a line of oxygen, to help me stay afloat while I enter unchartered territory to grow this business that has become my obsession. For all of these, I am thankful.

Today's very GOOD recipe. Grilled veggies inside of a Spelt Right Pizza Dough Bun. Fully thaw and rise a Spelt Right Pizza Dough Cut into 8 equal balls. Slightly flatten balls, coat lightly with EVOO, and place on grill. Once browned on one side, flip and brown the other. Make sure bread is baked through through. Grill vegetables to your preference, add goat cheese. Yum.

And appreciate that GOOD FOOD is EXTRA GOOD when made with Spelt Right. For the health benefits of SPELT, please check out this link.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred and Seventeen (On Saving the World)

2011-03-11T01:32:00.001-05:00

In a world in which nothing seems predictable, from civil wars in the Middle East, to union busting in Wisconsin, rising oil and gas prices, and millions of kids going hungry, I often shut my eyes and wonder if I can, just in a small way, make the world a better place. It sounds so trivial, but it is real...can improving just one life, once in a while, make the world just that much better?

I have to believe it is so, or else, the meaning of existence would not mean much at all...So, how is it that some of us have the curse that we feel compelled to make the world a better place, and other of us, can just exist, being satisfied that we survive day-to-day without harming anyone in our path? I am one of the cursed...I am driven by the need to "do good" on some level in my life.

For many years, I represented 100s of kids, kids in trouble with the law, kids struggling in school, kids who parents tried, but simply couldn't withstand the rigors of parenting. There was a lot of pain, a lot of lecturing, a lot of re-shaping, and too much disappointment. There would be a team of social workers, psychologists, teachers, probation officers and lawyers working with these kids and families, but sometimes, the dysfunction was so hard wired, or the damage from the abuse so irreversible that, no matter our best efforts, the kids would fall through the cracks, and eventually become adults who also fell through the cracks. I started to feel as if each child's pain became my own. Ten years into it, I left to maintain my protective shell and to help my own family.

Years later, after leaving that world, I occasionally have a fleeting encounter with my past. Was that young victim a past client of mine? Is so-in-so now in prison? And, how many babies did she lose to state custody? But, sometimes, a glimmer of what it means to make a difference walks through the door.

And, indeed that is what happened this week when I was sitting in the bakery. After a steady stream of walk-ins, one tall well-dressed man walked in the bakery. "Beth?" He said, "Yes?" I answered. He continued, "You may not remember me, but you represented my son several years ago when he was a teenager." "Oh yes," I said, "How is he doing?" He continued, "He is doing wonderfully; after the dark period in which you represented him, he turned himself around, got into college, did really well, and now works in finance. I just wanted to say thank you and wish you good luck with your business ventures." Slightly stunned, I said "You are welcome; and please tell your son, I say congratulations and if he ever wants to invest in his attorney, I have a great business." We both said good-bye with a smile and a nod.

I guess one small gesture can make a world of difference, even if it just for one kid.

And, with this, I offer a way to help you make someone's life better, just for a fleeting moment....by making a damn good Spelt Right Pizza. The way I prepared this crust was one of the best I can remember.

Ingredients: One Spelt Right Pizza Dough, fully thawed and risen, stretched out on a stainless steel pan oiled with extra virgin olive oil. Preheat oven to 450F. Let dough rest in a warm place while on the pan. It gives it a lighter crispier texture. Top with your favorite toppings. I used Frank's Pasta Sauce, made in Cranston, RI., Hannaford Mozzarella Cheese, sauteed mushrooms, and Trader Joe's Calamata Olive Tapenade. Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending upon how you like your crust.

Critique: A pizza that has the possibility to make the world a better place. Enjoy. Stop and smell the roses and the pizza.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Sixteen (Saturday Night Boredom Fever)

2011-02-26T23:17:00.003-05:00

The snow is unending this winter. I can't believe I complained about the hot weather this summer....if only I could turn back the clock!

Venturing outside, unless you are a polar bear, simply isn't fun. The kids have been going a little stir crazy so we have been trying to entertain them. Unfortunately, the cheap craft from Target didn't work ..... and a ride to LLBean can take you only so far....and t.v. is getting boring....

The kids were mulling over some ideas...."What can we DO???? We are SOOOO Bored!!" Well, I wasn't feeling particularly creative as I have been in the throws of planning my whirlwind trip to NYC, praying that there will not be flight delays.

I have been promising my friend Frank that I would make him fitayers, but have broken my many promises to ship some, so I said I would make them for the trip. The problem is that it is Sunday night, the trip is Monday morning, and there not a fitayer was in sight. I decided to get to work.

As I started to prep for the culinary quest, Spencer and Olivia both chimed in "Can we help?" Wow, I thought, how awesome is that? I've trained these kids right. They think cooking is fun! The 8 year old Olivia got to work chopping onions with only a tear or two shed, and Spencer de-stemmed and chopped the spinach. Olivia then went to work on squeezing the fresh lemons and Spencer to crushing the fresh garlic.

Not sure if it was the good will and love flowing through the preparation, but we made the best tasting fitayers yet. Tim's response, "Wow, these are so light and tasty."

Recipes: Spinach, Onion, and Feta Cheese Fitayers and Grass Fed Beef, Onion, and Mint Fitayers.

Ingredients for Spinach Fitayers: One Fully Thawed and Risen (in bag) Spelt Right Pizza Dough, one package fresh spinach, one onion, 2 large lemons, 2-4 TBL Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1-2 TBL dried mint, salt and pepper to taste.

Ingredients for Beef Fitayers: One Fully Thawed and Risen Spelt Right Pizza Dough, one pound grass fed ground beef from Cold Spring Ranch one onion, 3-4 cloves garlic, 2-3 TBL extra virgin olive oil, 1-2 TBL dried mint, salt and pepper to taste.

If you don't have an 8 year old and a 13 year old on hand to help, you will need to do the following:

SPINACH FITAYERS: rinse, spin, de-stem, and chop spinach, chop onions very finely, place in bowl with squeezed lemon, olive oil, and spices, toss together. Shape 8-10 rounds on lightly oiled stainless steel baking pan (preferably with edges), place dollop of spinach mix in center, add crumbled feta cheese if desired, shape into triangles. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes until bottoms are golden brown.

GROUND BEEF FITAYERS: chop onions and garlic finely, saute in EVOO over medium heat until onions are soft, add ground beef, add spices to taste (the mint adds a really nice flavor). Cook until meat is done. Set aside. Shape 8-10 rounds on lightly oiled stainless steel baking pan (preferably with edges), place dollop of meat in center, shape into triangles. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes until bottoms are golden brown.

I'm not sure why these tasted extra special, but I think it had to do with the extra special help I received in preparing them.

Try cooking with your kids....it's more rewarding than you might think, and it provides lessons that they will be able to use for a life time.

bil-hanā' wa ash-shifā' (Bon Appetit!)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred and Fifteen (Zucchini, Yellow Squash Vegan Pizza!)

2011-02-24T00:56:00.003-05:00

Garlic - It makes the world go round. Not only does this beautiful allium make just about every savory food taste better, but it also has some incredible healthful benefits - helping alleviate arthritis symptoms being one of them.

Here is a perfect garlicky vegan pizza. Ingredients: One Spelt Right Pizza Dough fully thawed and risen in its bag, one onion thinly sliced, 3-6 cloves of garlic (depending upon your taste and who wants to smell your breath), EVOO, 1-2 zucchini, 1-2 yellow squash, 5-6 mushrooms, sliced On stove top, caramelize onions by sauteing them in about 1 TBL of EVOO until caramelized (sounds a little circuitous). Set aside onions on plate. In same pan, add more EVOO, sliced vegetables, and salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 450. Roll out or stretch pizza dough to full size. Place on lightly oiled stainless steel pan. Top with sauteed toppings. Bake for 10-20 minutes. Enjoy!

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred And Fourteen (The Healing Power of Food)

2011-02-11T23:33:00.000-05:00

This mass of hand made food was my response to feeling helpless. A good friend of mine recently was injured pretty badly. I wanted to have the power to heal her. To make the boo boo go away. To stop the pain. To start all over again. But, I don't have that power. All I have are my words of sympathy and support. And, my ability to cook and cook and cook. So, that's what I did. I cooked, and baked. I made fillings, all sorts, from vegan to ground beef from to sweet to savory, and I rolled and stuffed them in my favorite Spelt Right dough.

My sense of needing to do something rubbed off a bit on Spencer, who made the lovely round shaped rolls, which are a variation of garlic bread. He combined crush fresh garlic, Kosher salt, and extra virgin olive oil, and rolled them in the dough. They were delicious.

My mother looked at the feast and asked if we were having a throng of guests. "No," I said, "Just making some food for the family and a friend or two."

I brought over the fixins' the next day to my friend and her family. While the food did not heal the breaks or bruises, I hope they were filled with just the right amount of love to make the pain go away, at least for the moment of the first taste.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred and Thirteen (Upside Down Shepard's Pie)

2011-02-05T22:24:00.000-05:00

It's great when you can ask your 13 year old to make dinner, give him a few instructions, and then come home to an almost perfect dinner....a little upside down. Spencer took his hand at making Shepard's Pie. As what we now understand as a visual spatial learner (one who needs to see the whole picture), Spencer requested that I just tell him what I would like him to make, and then give him the instructions. I started with the instructions first, "now chop the onions first"....and he quickly informed me that it was like telling him to identify an animal by taking out one of its organs. OK, then...here it is. "We are making Shepard's Pie, that is sauteed beef, frozen corn, and mashed potatoes made in a total of three layers then baked." "OK," he insisted, "I can do it." I did write down the order....meat, corn, potatoes.

After Tim and I left the house to do a few errands, Spencer started on his handiwork (with 85 year old Grandma in the background....just in case....)

Spencer first peeled and cut up about 4-5 potatoes and put in a pot to boil. He then chopped an onion and crushed a few cloves of garlic with salt and pepper, sauteed in extra virgin olive oil, and then added a pound of ground beef (we like to use local grass fed when we can get it), along with spices to taste. After the potatoes were soft, he drained the water and mashed them with real butter, milk, salt and pepper.

Here is where reading directions from Mom might have helped. He then put the meat in a long casserole dish, covered it with potatoes, and then added the corn. Baked at 350 until everything was hot.

It was delicious - great simple flavors - but a little upside down.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred and Twelve (Homemade Spelt Pasta)

2011-01-31T01:17:00.001-05:00

Spencer and I were two lucky folks last week to come home to some homemade spelt pasta made by Tim, Grandma Helen, and Olivia. Made with Vita Spelt flour, eggs, water, salt, and Grandma Joan's hand cranked pasta maker which is at least 50 years old. Here are some photos. Recipe and instructions to follow.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred and Eleven (Egg and Cheese Fitayers with Spelt Right Pizza Dough)

2011-01-22T22:17:00.005-05:00

Our camera is on the blitz so we are resorting to Blackberry photos for this blog. Please bear with us. At some point, a quality camera will appear - perhaps a gift from heaven??

In any event, this morning, the family seemed a bit at a loss for breakfast ideas. I was slow to get out of bed, not really liking to face the cold (which is not good thing if you live in Maine in the winter), and as I dragged myself down the stairs, I heard the familiar mantra...."Maaaaummmm, I'm hungry!" Soon, it seemed like there was a chorus singing those words even though there were no more than two kids in the house.

"Quick," I said to Spencer "Get out the eggs, milk, Cabot cheddar, salt, pepper, dried dill, and Spelt Right Pizza Dough." The kid knows the drill, is pretty quick on his feet, and went right to work. Spencer mixed the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and dill in bowl, while I cut and shaped the pizza dough(which had been thawing in the fridge for a few days) into eight equal rounds. In a matter of no time, we had all of the fixins' ready to make egg and cheese fitayars.

Directions: Preheat oven to 400-450. Prepare scrambled eggs how you like them prepared. We mixed eggs, milk, dried dill, salt, and pepper, and then added cheese. Use a fully thawed and risen Spelt Right Pizza Dough, cut into eight equal pieces, place on lightly oiled stainless steel baking pan, stretch dough to about 1/4 inch thick, put egg and cheese mixture on it. Fold into triangles. Here are step-by-step directions for making fitayers. Bake for about 10 minutes. Watch these carefully, because they are easy to over-bake. We made two batches, so that we have enough for the week. We froze the extras and will use them during the week. They can be microwaved or put in a toaster oven to reheat.

These are great for busy mornings. You will also see that we made one with just pizza cheese. That is for an afternoon snack. YUM.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Ten (A Perfect Lunch with A Perfect View)

2011-01-18T15:20:00.002-05:00

View from Spelt Right Baking Co., Yarmouth, Maine

Spelt Right Artisan Bread with Rosemont Market Torta

This is my Yarmouth, Maine bliss. Relaxing for a moment at the bakery, looking at the serene view as a Nor'easter creates a tapestry on the Royal River, and eating some of the best food on the planet, all created right here in Yarmouth, Maine: Freshly baked artisan spelt bread from Spelt Right Baking topped with Goat Cheese, Pesto, and Red Pepper Torta from Rosemont Market.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Nine (A Call for Guest Bloggers!!!)

2011-01-17T22:53:00.006-05:00

OK, it's not that I am out of recipes, but my creativity is waning a bit.

For any Facebookers, or Bloggers, or Blogger-Wannabes out there, here's your chance to see your work on the little screen.

I need recipes, or at least, ideas -and-PICTURES! for by blog!

If you send me a picture in which you have created something pretty appetizing with a Spelt Right Bagel, Spelt Right Bread, or Spelt Right Pizza Dough along with a recipe or a close approximation of a recipe, I will either ship to you or give you in person a FREE BAG of Spelt Right Bagels.

This offer is good until February 15, 2011 and his open to the first 15 submissions. Send your submissions to info@speltrightbaking.com

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Eight (Everything Emma Spelt Right Bagel with herb chevre and fried egg)

2011-01-15T22:54:00.000-05:00

Three simple ingredients, one delicious breakfast or lunch or snack! Spelt Right Everything Emma bagel, toasted to perfection, with herb chevre goat cheese, and a fried egg. Salt and Pepper to taste. This meal is packed with so much protein (7 grams from the bagel, 4-6 grams from the egg, and 5 grams from the cheese) that you will be satisfied for many hours after eating this. If you want to add a little green, add some wilted spinach on top.....Oh, yum, simply yum!!!

Everything Emma Spelt Right Bagel Basking in the Sun

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Seven (Salt Free Options at Spelt Right)

2011-01-11T12:53:00.000-05:00

For day One-Hundred and Seven, we are not offering a recipe, BUT we are offering greater options for those with health challenges. We have heard from many customers that they would like a low or no salt option for breads. While we can not offer this in all of our products, we are working on a few specially designed products for those who need low or no sodium diets.

We currently have a SPELT RYE bread with NO SALT. These are beautifully nutritious breads - organic spelt flour, organic rye, water, extra virgin olive oil, and yeast. That's it!!!

We can adjust other breads to the no salt option as well. The beauty of our no salt breads is that we are NOT substituting other ingredients (like sugar or fat) to add flavor. Rather, we are using time honored traditions of bread making to make the best loaves possible.

Please stop by the bakery between 8am - 1pm Monday - Friday (81 Bridge St. Yarmouth, ME) in the old mill on the river, OR call ahead to purchase at other hours (if we are in the bakery, we are open).

Please email us or blog us with your requests for which variety of bread you would like to have salt free. Soon, we will offer these on-line and, in good time, in the stores.

So, here's to good health.....

Beth and the crew

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Six (Three Times Two is Six - Hexagon Heaven: Spelt Right Dessert Fitayers)

2011-01-10T16:30:00.002-05:00

Hexagon Heaven - I love these triangles and six of them make a heavenly hexagon. We had a wonderful Spelt Right Pizza Party with our neighbors and friends. It was a relaxing time after a very hectic holiday season. After making about 8 pizzas, we had one dough ball left....so we got creative. Inside those beautiful triangles are ingredients ranging from sweet to savory. Some are typical pizza ingredients folded into a triangle. Two of those geometric shapes contain none other than my favorite combinations - chocolate with something special!

Ingredients: One Spelt Right pizza dough, Ghiradelli semi sweet and white chocolate chunks, raspberry jelly fresh pear, sliced thinly. After eating a real meal of Spelt Right pizza with sauce and cheese and meat and veggies, give your belly and little break, drink some more wine, and then make Spelt Right dessert fitayers!

Instructions: Preheat oven to 400-450. Use a pizza stone if you know how to. If not, use a lightly oiled stainless steel baking pan. Cut the dough into eight even balls, stretch out, fill center with chocolates and fruit of choice, make triangles (here are the directions for making triangles), and bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool a bit before digging in because you will get singed by the very hot melted chocolate. Yum, yum, and yum, says the triangle. Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum says the hexagon.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Five: New Year's Resolution: "Give PEACE-ZA LaChance"

2011-01-01T23:53:00.002-05:00

It's been a month since I have posted on Lunch Box Chronicles. So goes my attempt to post a recipe a day. The reality is that LIFE is just too busy; sometimes self imposed craziness; sometimes just random craziness. But the beauty of this blog is that I make up the rules! So, I am still going to post 365 Recipes or Rants, but it is definitely going to take more than a year. Be patient! Some great recipes and recipe ideas are yet to come.

Speaking of which....holidays are always a fun time to try something new and celebrating New Year's with friends is a good time to explore some great food combinations.....like mixing spelt pizza making with fondue creating. My favorite of the evening was a chocolate strawberry raspberry fondue cheese cinnamon and hot pepper flakes fitaya pizza thing. OMG! The flavors were amazing.

Steve's face says it all. Our New Year's Resolution? "Give Peace-za LaChance"

Ingredients:
Spelt Right Pizza Dough - fully thawed and risen. A dough ball can make 8 fitaya triangles or flat pizzas
Freshly cut strawberries
A few fresh raspberries
Milk chocolate Guittard all natural chips (with REAL...as opposed to FAKE vanilla)
Ground Cinnamon
Red Hot Pepper Flakes
Fondue Cheese (Swiss and Gruyere) - buy it premixed

Instructions:

Divide the dough into 8 equal sized balls. Stretch or roll out pizza dough to about 1/4 inch thick on a lightly oiled baking sheet, place about 8-10 chocolate chips on dough, about two sliced strawberries, two or three raspberries, sprinkle with cinnamon and hot pepper, and add a small amount of cheese. Form into a triangle. Here's a link for specific triangle making instructions. Repeat until all doughs are filled. Place on lightly oiled stainless steal baking pan. Bake at 400-450 until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool a little before eating!! Enjoy the bursts of flavor!!! And, GIVE PEACE-ZA LACHANCE.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Four (Meatloaf with Spelt Right Bread Crumbs)

2010-12-01T22:59:00.000-05:00

Life is very hectic in our world. But, I shouldn't complain because it is all self imposed. People say to me, "I don't know how you do it all." I respond with a shrug and simply that I don't do it all. I have great partners in this venture - my spouse being one. Also, we are pretty good at throwing together quick meals and the kids do pitch in. Here is a meal based upon some left overs and a little creativity. Meatloaf with spelt stuffing.

Ingredients: One pound ground beef (we prefer local grass fed), one onion chopped finely, 2 eggs, 1 cup of bread crumbs (we made by food processing non-seeded Spelt Right bagels that were a few days old and then baking them in 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes), minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Mix all ingredients together. Press into small oven proof dish that has been lightly covered with olive oil. Cut meat loaf in triangles. Drizzle with oil or pat with real butter. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes.

Serve with applesauce and salad or side of your choice.

Rating: EVERYONE gave it a two thumbs up!

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Four (Halloween Spelt Right)

2010-11-19T23:16:00.000-05:00

You say, "Pray tell, what in the world is that picture?"

That picture sums up the story of our lives over the past few years. We HAD to remove junk from our diet - all the artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives, not to mention the industrial wheat and funky modern foods. But, what's a family with kids to do at Halloween? KIDS HAVE TO GO TRICK OR TREATING or else they will just explode.

Our Spelt Right Solution: Make some pretty cool jack-o-lanterns with a pretty cool dad, AND, go trick or treating and try not to sneak any pieces while mom concocts some homemade all natural candy at home (sorry no recipe today....I make it on on the go.) AND, then take out the cardboard and hot glue guns and make your very own Candy Land with all that junky candy. The real trick is trying not to sneak a piece....(most of it tastes a bit like plastic)

To the right is Olivia's creation. She created a complete amusement park for her Littlest Pet Shop creatures. This activity lasts for about a week until we can't stand the mess any more.

Oh yeah, and dinner on Halloween? Spelt Right Pizza, of course.

Moooohaaahaaaahaaaa

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Three (Spelt Right Focaccia Crisps)

2010-11-15T23:04:00.000-05:00

Crispy Spelt Right Focaccia Strips.

These are so YUM. You can make them at home.

All you have to do is stop by the Spelt Right Bakery, 81 Bridge Street, Yarmouth, Maine. Hours M-F 8am-1pm.

Pick up a bag of sliced Spelt Right Rosemary Focaccia, don't eat all of them before you get home (maybe you should buy two bags and keep one in the trunk).

When you get home, heat oven to 450, place focaccia strips on stainless steel baking pan, drizzle strips with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and maybe a little extra sea salt or Kosher salt. Flip over when one side is crisp. Ready when both sides are crisp. Let cool....Eat as a snack, with cheese or dip, or in soup.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Two (Chicken Pot Pie with Spelt Crust)

2010-11-15T22:49:00.000-05:00

Yum! A perfect meal for a fall day. Life has gotten very busy here with school and business happenings. It feels like there is no time to make a good meal...except when you use the barter system and train your kids to cook! Look what we made after a very busy day.

Chicken Pot Pie made with Mainely Poultry Chicken - (received from a bread trade), onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, green beans, garlic and olive oil, all sauteed together, added water, white wine, salt and pepper to taste. Thickened with a roux of butter and spelt flour.

Olivia came up with the idea for the meal, Spencer started the chopping of the vegetables while I was on my way home, Spencer and I finished up the sauteing and making of the inside, and Olivia got her hands into the dough to help make the spelt pie crust with Vita Spelt, Olive Oil, Safflower Oil, Water, and Salt. If you want the step-by-step directions, let me know. BTW, the meal was PERFECT!!!

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred-One (The Good Egg Rocks!)

2010-11-09T21:36:00.001-05:00

We have been so busy growing Spelt Right that we have little time to make creative foods with our own meals. Thank goodness for class act restaurants like the Pepper Club/Good Egg...and good friends like Mary. Each time I drop off bagels, Mary and I have a nice chat about the workings of business...the joys, the challenges...you know the scoop. We also sometimes discuss JUST FOOD. On one trip, Mary and I were discussing ways to serve our wonderful Spelt Right Rosemary Focaccia with a Good Egg Special Breakfast. Mary came up with the perfect combination:

Pepperclub/Good Egg Cafe Special: Scrambled eggs with red onion and Romesco (roasted red pepper, garlic, almond and smoked paprika and olive oil) AND a split and toasted SPELT RIGHT Focaccia!

More focaccia will be delivered on Wednesday.....Special to start again on Thursday....

Picture to follow......in the meantime, here is a link to the Pepper Club/Good Egg Cafe

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred!! (Farmers' Market Fare and Spelt Right now Open for Retail)

2010-10-31T18:30:00.000-04:00

Everything on this plate came from the Scarborough Farmers' Market. We are sad that this is the last day and we are sorry that we did not participate more, but it has been a kind of hectic year as we build Spelt Right.

The salad and potatoes are from Alewives Brook Farm in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
The grass fed beef from Wright's Haven Farm.
The Spelt Focaccia Strips from Spelt Right Baking
ALL VERY YUM, HEALTHFUL, SIMPLE TO PREPARE, and MEMORABLE.

By the way, Spelt Right Baking now has RETAIL hours at the bakery - 81 Bridge Street, Yarmouth, Maine from 8am - 1pm Monday-Friday. Stop by for some free samples and mention this blog and get a free cup of Wicked Joe Coffee.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day Ninety-Nine (Lunch Box in a Hurry!)

2010-10-18T22:10:00.000-04:00

We had a hectic morning! What's new? But for this entrepreneurial baking family, it was a bit stressful because we had no sandwich bread (I left it all at the bakery!) for school lunches and our little one was visiting a school in which there is a no peanut policy. Sooo....we needed lunch for a VERY HUNGRY 13 yr old and a no peanut 8 year old. Hallelujah....the heavens were smiling at us as I had thawed a Spelt Right pizza dough the night before. We made some ham and cheese fitayas along with some mini pizzas. Here is a link to an earlier post for the recipe and directions for the ham and cheese. YUM, YUM, YUM. You can also make these with turkey and cheese, or just cheese and cheese.

Spelt Right Baking Co.

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred Fifty-Five (Culinary Intuitiveness and a Recipe for Some Really Tasty Meatballs)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred Fifty-Four (The Five Star Alfredo Sauce Recipe Scratched on a Paper Bag)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred Fifty-Three (On Being Prepared)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred Fifty-Two (I should NEVER forget how much I love my kids!)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred Fifty-One (On Simple Things in Life and Turkey and Cheese in a Pocket)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred Fifty (On Sweet Things in Life)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred Forty Nine (The Go To Girl)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred Forty Eight (On Table and Chairs and Good Things to Eat)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Forty-Seven (Santa Sal - Tradition)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Forty-Six (The Art of Multi-Tasking)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Forty-Five (Breaking the Fast for Yom Kippur)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Forty-Four (On the Meaning of Life-Blood and One Incredible Banana Bread)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Forty-Three (Chicken Scarpariello, Unlikely Sage Style)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Forty-Two (Special Person Day: Banana, Applesauce, Orange Juice Spelt Cake)

A Day To Remember: A Friend, A Nation, A Cause

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred Forty One (Back-to-School One Day Special: Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies with Splash of Kahlua)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Forty (On the Edge: Food for A Crowd)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Thirty-Nine (Spelt Pizza So Good: It Must Be Censored)

Lunch Box Chronicles Day One Hundred Thirty-Eight (On Being Blunt - One Stunning Sauce on Spelt Pasta)

Blunt: adjective

Lunch Box Chronicles Day One Hundred Thirty-Seven (On The Need To Metamorphose)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Thirty-Six (Vegan Eggplant-Chick Pea Stew, Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Thirty-Five (Spelt Right Pizza - The Perfect Time Traveler for Any Generation)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Thirty-Four (Happy Birthday to Me!!)

Ingredients (adapted from AllRecipes.com)

Directions

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Thirty-Three (Studies Recommend Spelt as Part of Healthy Diet)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Thirty-Two (Word of the Day: Anodyne)

Lunch Box Chronicles Day One Hundred Thirty-One (Blabbing vs. Blogging)

Lunch Box Chronicles Day One Hundred Thirty (Lord of the Flies 14 Year Old Birthday Party)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Twenty Nine (Happy Belated Birthday Emma)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Twenty-Eight (Kick-Ass Pizza)

Lunch Box Chronicles Day One Hundred Twenty-Seven (Country Inns, Bears, Dogs, and Really Nice People)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Twenty-Six (On Turning Nine Twice)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Twenty-Five (Let Food Be Thy Medicine)

MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2011

Let Food Be Thy Medicine: Guest-post by Beth George of Spelt Right Baking Company

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Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Twenty-Four (On the Meaning of Chicken Soup)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Twenty-Three (A NY Bagel, Really??)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Twenty-Two (A Restraining Order to Protect Cake Batter - Happy Birthday O)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Twenty-One (Green and White Spelt Right Pizza - in honor of the coming of spring)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Twenty (Spelt Coffee Cake the Answer to an April Fool's Snowstorm):

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Nineteen: ADHD and Hyperactivity in Kids. Help us Spread the Word!

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Eighteen (On Being GOOD)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred and Seventeen (On Saving the World)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Sixteen (Saturday Night Boredom Fever)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred and Fifteen (Zucchini, Yellow Squash Vegan Pizza!)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred And Fourteen (The Healing Power of Food)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred and Thirteen (Upside Down Shepard's Pie)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred and Twelve (Homemade Spelt Pasta)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One Hundred and Eleven (Egg and Cheese Fitayers with Spelt Right Pizza Dough)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Ten (A Perfect Lunch with A Perfect View)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Nine (A Call for Guest Bloggers!!!)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Eight (Everything Emma Spelt Right Bagel with herb chevre and fried egg)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Seven (Salt Free Options at Spelt Right)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Six (Three Times Two is Six - Hexagon Heaven: Spelt Right Dessert Fitayers)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred Five: New Year's Resolution: "Give PEACE-ZA LaChance"

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Four (Meatloaf with Spelt Right Bread Crumbs)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Four (Halloween Spelt Right)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Three (Spelt Right Focaccia Crisps)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred and Two (Chicken Pot Pie with Spelt Crust)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred-One (The Good Egg Rocks!)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day One-Hundred!! (Farmers' Market Fare and Spelt Right now Open for Retail)

Lunch Box Chronicles: Day Ninety-Nine (Lunch Box in a Hurry!)