Not a post about food...

Adenocarcinoma - I hate that word...

Non-small cell carcinoma, stage 4, inoperable, all words that are on the list of words that I never want to hear again.

This past February my family heard all those words, and it sucked. My father was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, a form of lung cancer, and it was too late for him. There were options of chemotherapy, but it would only lengthen his life by the amount of time in treatment and
it would not be a quality time.

This type of cancer is not easily detected. My father complained for a couple of years about a cough, fatigue, some tightness in his lungs, etc. However, because he was a diabetic, heart patient (who smoked most of his life), he was checked for tumors and "spots" on his lungs and his complaints were chalked up to his lifestyle and history and rightly so. He was told to lose weight, take his medicine, and quit smoking.

It was not until his lungs filled with fluid several times, (at first diagnosed as pneumonia) that he was finally tested for a reason for the massive fluid.

Drains were surgically implanted, fluid was tested and pain meds were prescribed. When the tests came back, we heard snippets of a diagnosis, "with this type of cancer", "symptoms match stage 4 cancer", "in a patient with lung cancer", etc.

All these terms were mentioned in passing and never fully explained. Unfortunately my sister had already been down this road with her mother 18 months ago, and she caught on to what was happening and called hospice, set up camp in dad's house and prepared for the worst. When we finally were able to see a cancer specialist, the news was confirmed and our options were limited. We had questions. Why wasn't this caught sooner, given his symptoms and complaints? The doctor was very nice, compassionate, and realistic. He answered the questions we had, most of them I had downloaded from the American Cancer Society's website.

The American Cancer Society funds research to prevent cancer, to treat patients with cancer, and hopefully one day to cure cancer.

My father passed away about 6 weeks after diagnosis… the one thing that I can do is try to prevent anyone else ever hearing those terrible words “you have cancer”. 

Help me in my fight by visiting my website at www.cookingwithtrace.com and clicking on the Relay for Life banner at the top of the page. Plus you will get to see a picture of my father, sister, and some crazy fat red haired kid circa 1992… before I knew how to use hair products…

A Tribute...

As printed in "The Source" April 2013

There is a lot to be said for family. You can be away for a very long time and when you return it is like you were never gone. You can discover that heredity is pretty amazing, finding out the family members that you were not raised with have the same favorite foods, and some of the same pet peeves. I concluded my last trip home to Alabama with burying my biological father. Wendell Siniard was a self- made man, leaving school in the 3rd grade, never really learning to read or write. He was a successful electrician for many years and also owned/ran a restaurant on occasion. The last restaurant that he was associated with was the B&B Crossroads in rural Madison County, Alabama. He inherited the place from a friend and it was frequented by people from all walks of life. Computer technicians, Cotton Gin employees, field workers, farmers, retirees, and so much more all enjoyed the home cooking of the B&B.

You could always find grits, greens, fried catfish (locally caught), biscuits, cornbread, gravy, and if you were lucky you could pick the day when there was slow cooked pulled pork. Fall apart, smoky, sweet and delicious are all faint descriptions of the food made daily.

The food however was second to the familiar feeling you had walking in the door. Someone would greet you with ‘dear’ or ‘darlin’ and you would know you were in the right place.

At the services I could not tell you how many people spoke to me specifically about how they were
treated at the restaurant, even though he had not been involved with it in several years. It was nice to
hear that so many people were touched by this great man.

I would like to share with you his cornbread recipe.

Wendell’s Cornbread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Add ¼ bacon grease to cast iron skillet (preferably well-seasoned, maybe 30 years old?) place in oven to preheat as well (skillet and oil must be hot enough to sizzle when batter is poured in)

Mix together the following ingredients:

1 cup corn meal

1 cup flour

2 eggs

Enough butter milk to make a loose batter

Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and pour batter into hot pan… BE CAREFUL!

Bake for approximately 20 minutes until golden brown and delicious.

The bread should easily slide out of the pan or flip with a plate. Enjoy this with gravy, beans, chili, etc…
and the next morning when it is a little hard, pour milk over it and enjoy another southern favorite.



Please take the time to enjoy the family (biological or chosen) while you have the chance.

Trace

www.cookingwithtrace.com

Holidays in the kitchen...

Thanksgiving is over and I am assuming that everyone has recovered from their food coma... No? Well get ready, because now we have to contend with holiday parties, cookie exchanges, and still more holiday dinners.

Man, do we love to eat... I love the excitement of trying something new, as well as the feeling I get when I introduce a new food to a friend.

I, however, do not love the way I tend to overextend my belt, during this season... I mean that in the best possible way, but temptation is everywhere.

Fudge, cookies, cider, hot chocolate, turkey, ham, potatoes, rolls, and the hits just keep coming. 

How do you maintain a healthy relationship with food during this crazy time?

Relax! Do not associate food with love, friendship, respect, etc. Food is still fuel. Go out, have fun, get together to see each other and make sure we appreciate our friends and family, but it does not have to include bad food.

Have a treat, indulge your sweet tooth, but be aware of what you are putting into your gas tank (for some of us that is a little too accurate).

OMG... You over did it during the holidays???? How could you? Off with your head!

But seriously folks... What would happen? You put on a pound or two? I am sure it will be fine. Enjoy your holidays, don't fret too much and make choices going forward that you can accept.

Here are a couple holiday indulgences that are quick and easy:

3-2-1 Cake (This recipe is perfect for the office)

3 eggs

2 cups sour cream

1 cake mix

Mix all together and pour into an oiled/floured microwaveable bundt pan.

Microwave on a turn table for 15 minutes and remove from the microwave.

Cover the pan with a sturdy plate and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.

Turn the cake and plate over and the cake should come right out.

Garnish with whipped cream, fruit, chocolate syrup, etc. Enjoy

Primal friendly Grok rocks! (courtesy of Mark’s Daily Apple)

60% cacao Ghirardelli chocolate chips (this are very rich, dark chocolate)

Dried plums, (prunes) cut in half

Melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals (stirring every time) until melted.

Dip plums in the chocolate and place on parchment to cool.

These sound a little weird, but they are amazing. They are a decadent candy with two ingredients.

Now go celebrate! See you next year, unless the Mayans were right...

Connect with me at www.facebook.com/cookingwithtrace, or at www.cookingwithtrace.com

Happy holidays!

Hey it is Wednesday, the kids are hungry, feed them maybe? (thank you Carly Rae Jepsen)

I am tired… Between my youngest turning 9, a freshman in marching band, teaching elementary kids to cook, oh and that pesky 40 hours a week that I have to spend making money… I am plum tuckered out! 

What about you? Are you so busy that drive through, or frozen dinners are looking better and better? I do occasionally take the family out for dinner just because it would be too much work to go home, find something to cook, blah blah blah… but I usually have some quick and easy dinner ideas up my sleeve.

This week I made a Boston butt (that is a pork shoulder roast). I took the time on Sunday to put it in the oven on about 275 degrees (after a quick dry rub) and then I went about my business until the internal thermometer started ringing. It was done and chopped about 9 pm, but I was able to divide it out into lunch portions for my wife and I and then we also had a great meal last night by re-purposing the delicious swine. I basically tossed the chopped pieces with a spice rub and put it in the oven (400 degrees) for about 20 minutes, cooked some frozen vegetables and dinner was done. 

By the way did you know that you can play the card game WAR at the dinner table and count it as math homework? I lost every single hand…

My point is that if you take a few minutes to think about your week, and decide what you can do, then you can prepare ahead of time and save yourself some time!

You could cook a turkey while the game is one and then use it all week in different recipes, from soup to potpies, or the ever popular turkey sandwich.

Brisket, pork roast, pot roasts, chicken, turkey, and ham are all examples of meal planners. You can make a low investment on one afternoon, and then have some go to ideas for the busy times.

Quick prep Boston Butt:

7-9 pound pork shoulder (Boston Butt)

Tin foil

For the spice rub mix together:

½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup kosher salt,  ¼ cup paprika, 2 tablespoons granulated garlic,

1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or make your own version)

Preheat oven to 225 degrees

Rub spice mixture all over roast until it is covered completely. Place roast on rack in a foil covered pan. Place in oven for 9-10 hours (I sometimes cook them over night). The internal temperature should be between 180 and 200 degrees. At 180 the roast is done, tender, juicy and delicious, at 200 degrees the roast will shred in to pulled pork. Your choice!

Connect with my on Facebook www.facebook.com/cookingwithtrace or on my website at www.cookingwithtrace.com

Go cook something! Trace

Something new... Stir fry with cauliflower rice

I often challenge myself to step outside my comfort zone and try new things. Whether it is a new food, or a new activity, I want to be able to evolve and expand my horizons. My boys have been a little timid in the past and I think that seeing me try new things and struggle or fail occasionally helps build their self-esteem and I hope it makes them realize that they can continue to improve and mold themselves even into their adult years.

Recently I have tried several new foods; I attended “Edesia. A Palisade Culinary, Wine & Spirits Adventure”. What an adventure to try new foods, wines, and spirits. Head cheese, caviar, pork belly, patty pan squash, ceviche… and the list goes on. I enjoyed most of what I tried but I have to tell you the Passion Fruit Panna Cotta from Il Bistro was by far my favorite sampling.

I also tried kombucha for the first time this week. Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage, so it is heady, effervescent, and supposedly great for your health… I was not a fan. I bought a variety that was juice and kombucha with chia seeds. I was hoping for this great experience and of course I wanted to feel energized and healthy from the probiotic nectar. I was put off by the aroma, the yeast was overpowering and the flavor was reminiscent of a spoiled drink. I know that I am probably not sophisticated enough to truly enjoy this drink, but at least I gave it a shot.

My point is there is always going to be new things to try and I suggest you give it a shot, it will not always work out, but you never know you might find your next obsession.





Here is a recipe that has something new for you to try. Let me know what you think!

Chinese Stir Fry with Cauliflower Rice
A quick and healthy Asian inspired dish


INGREDIENTS
1 lb fresh cauliflower shredded
24 ounces California blend
1 lb chicken tenders
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoons cold water
salt and pepper to taste


INSTRUCTIONS
1. steam shredded cauliflower until just tender
2. cook California blend according to package
3. sauté chicken until done
4. mix soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil together set aside
5. Add chicken and California blend together and heat add soy sauce mixture
6. mix corn starch with cold water add to skillet stir to combine add bring to a boil
7. turn off mixture let rest 3-4 minutes, stir and serve over shredded cauliflower
8.
season with salt and pepper

I like this version because I can have a nice Asian inspired dish without the starch of the rice. Tasty, a little healthier, and easy to do!

Connect with me on my website at www.cookingwithtrace.com or on www.Facebook.com/cookingwithtrace
Now go cook something!
Trace

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Talk about fresh food...

Sooooo I was eatin' an apple today and a seed fell out. Not a big news story, not a little news story, just a little ol' seed. But wait...


What is up with that seed??? It has already sprouted..... Ohhhh, ahhhhh (you said that in your head didn't ya?)

So naturally I went out and filled a cup with dirt,



And planted that sucker. I am just guessing (because this little seed is an overachiever), that we will have apples by this time next week. I will be sure to update.

Happy Tuesday! Trace

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sunday experiments...

Today was busy, just like every weekend, we had basketball and basketball and then we had some basketball... Actually my wife and I did have a date night, thanks to Grandma for watching the boys Saturday night. We took a few minutes to take a picture or two and the we raced to see "The Vow".. let me just say that Channing Tatum kinda ruins it for every guy in the theatre. It was a good movie and we had a very nice time.

I love where we live.. the views are magnificent and the weather is great 95% of the time.

So on Sunday I wanted to make some thing new... I have been formulating a recipe for a couple of weeks and finally had the time. This is what I made:

Can you guess what it is? Give up? It is a chayote crisp. What the hell is a chayote? It is a mexican squash. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chayote, it is like a vegetable pear. It is crisp and juicy, but there is no sweetness. I have done a couple of things like dicing and adding to soup, last night I fried it like a potato, and I saw in this month's issue of Food Network Magazine, there is a recipe for chayote-jicama salad. My wonderful El Salvadorian friend looked at me like I was going to grow a second head when I told her my idea of the dessert. So I had to give it a try. I peeled, seeded and sliced the chayote in a basic apple slice shape (is that an actual description?), tossed with cinnamon sugar and topped with a simple topping (butter, cinnamon, sugar, old fashioned oats). Baked it at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes and it looked amazing.

The taste was very bland... :( So I added a little pancake syrup and a pinch of salt and that made a big difference. I will add more flavor prior to baking next time.

Now before you get all crazy on me.. there was some indications that it would work. Check out this urban legend.

I like it and will be trying to incorporate the vegetable in more dishes.

Second experiment of the day...

Leftovers part II... my wife made a delicious dinner a couple of nights ago, it was diced pork in a light bbq sauce. I heated the meat in a skillet with the sauce and added a wedge of Weight Watchers Jalapeno cream cheese.

I let the sauce reduce and then spooned on to whole wheat hot dog buns with a slice of slice cheese. Popped them into the broiler and served...

Judging by the speed in which my 13 year hoovered these sammies down.. I am thinking this may be a keeper.

I have some more ideas coming up and I hope you enjoyed these random thoughts...

Now go cook something!

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