Poached garlic

Marsha invited me over for a cooking play date and we made poached garlic. I had never heard of it before she made the invitation, but apparently it has been around for a while. Nate wrote about it in a Focaccia with Poached Garlic recipe on House of Annie back in 2007! In fact, the focaccia looks like a great way to use the garlic, which does not have a long shelf life. I have already used some in a salad dressing, but I have a few cloves left over and I think they need to be used this weekend.

The recipe we followed was easy – peel the garlic, put it in a small saucepan and cover with olive oil, bring to a simmer and cook until garlic cloves are tender. Remove cloves to an airtight jar and allow oil to cool. Pour cooled oil over the cloves and refrigerate until ready to use. Easy. We used organic garlic from Trader Joes, and peeling cloves with a friend is not that onerous.

Back before I had kids, I remember my friend Karen telling me I should be sure to join the local Parent’s Club when I was pregnant, because they would bring me dinner when my child was born. Magical. Totally reminded me of how my Mom and Grandma Fran operated – when someone was sick, or not well, or needed a boost, they would be the first to offer to bring dinner. With families spread so far and wide these days, the local Parent’s Club assumption of this role is helpful to those new parents who find themselves away from their support structure.

Once I had been in the Parent’s Club for a while, I volunteered to run the In A Pinch program.I remember several years after giving up that volunteer job, a parent approached me and said she still remembered how I had organized meals when her twins were born! And the best small world story is that I discovered, after a few years of living in my house, that a woman down the street was one of the volunteers I really counted on when running the program.

I love taking meals to others; I find it a very fulfilling way to serve. Depending on the situation, and time of year, I tailor a menu to fit their needs. New mom? Brownies, everyone needs chocolate. Hot summer night? A couple of prepared salads and a loaf of crusty bread. The meals we received last week included chili with homemade cornbread, meatloaf with pasta, and lemon pasta with shrimp and herb salad.

Sometimes it is nice to take a meal to someone who is having a challenging week – maybe they started back to work after the birth of their child, maybe they have a spouse traveling and they are holding down the fort. Of course, taking meals to someone who is sick or who has a sick family member is always thoughtful and generous. If you are thinking about taking dinner to a family you know, here are a couple things to keep in mind:

1. Find out if the recipients have any allergies or dislikes. It would be awful to show up with a homemade lasagna for a family that is dairy and wheat intolerant.

2. Find out what time the family typically eats, and plan to bring the dinner before that time.

3. Ask how many adults will be on hand for the meal. Especially with new babies, I have found that sometimes there can be a relative on hand to help the family (just not with dinner)

4. If you want your containers back, be sure to label them, or let the recipient know you will be back the next day to pick them up. Provide a large bag to hold them all.

5. Dinner usually consists of a protein, a starch, and some sort of vegetable. And none of it needs to be cooked by you! If cooking is not your thing, check out the deli counter of your local grocery store and put together a dinner of roast chicken along with a few side salads. Or bring the makings for a picnic – fresh bread, sliced cheese and salami, along with fresh fruit for dessert.

Bringing dinner to a family in their moment of need is more than just how tasty the food is (certainly, if you have a great recipe you want to make, do it!). It is about making the family feel comfortable, cared for, and part of a larger community. It is removing a big thing off the daily to-do list, “What is for dinner.” And in some cases, bringing dinner to a family might allow the group to sit together for the first time in days and reconnect.

Photo courtesy of Smath on Flickr.

1. Yogurt, granola and fresh berries, baby carrots
2. Crackers, cheese and grapes, sliced tomatoes
3. Pitas with hummus, cucumber slices, kiwi
4. Pancakes with syrup, hard boiled egg, fruit salad
5. Mini Bagels with cream cheese, apple slices
6. Pasta salad (with peanut dressing, or your child’s favorite), shredded carrots, bell peppers
7. Quinoa salad with tomatoes, basil and avocado, orange sections
8. Bean and cheese burrito, jicama and cherry tomatoes
9. Tortilla with cheese slices, edamame, strawberries
10. Chicken noodle soup, whole grain crackers, carrot and celery sticks, watermelon

And here are some gadgets you might consider having in your lunch-making arsenal:

Laptop Lunchbox

Lunchbot (get the Uno and the Duo for the most flexibility)

Thermos Food Container (this one has a spoon that hides inside the lid)

Stainless water bottle

Last week I had the opportunity to test drive the new Lunchbots, stainless steel containers with lids for packing lunch or snacks. Jacqueline Linder, the founder of Lunchbots, responded to my request right away and sent over a Lunchbot Duo for my evaluation.

On their site, Jacqueline explains that she started the company after learning more about the harmful effects of plastics and the desire to remove plastics from her household. Everything about the Lunchbots is manufactured from food-safe stainless steel, even the lids and dividers. 

Using my test subjects (my two kids!), I packed lunches in the Lunchbot several days last week. My first thought was that the Lunchbot is too small. When I was packing lunches, I had trouble fitting food in, and especially for my son, ensuring that there was enough food. My daughter loved the compact size, and her lunch fit in very nicely. 

The pictures above show my daughter’s usual bento-box, compared to the Lunchbot, which is almost the same size. The other picture is the box I use for my son’s lunch, which is quite a bit larger. On the day I packed my son’s lunch in the Lunchbot, I only packed 1/2 of what I normally do. However, with the use of silicon muffin cups, I was able to stack food and squeeze in a little more.

My friend Deborah writes a great blog, Lunch In a Box, and this bento-style Lunchbot would be perfect for her method of lunch packing. Bento packing is a special art, involving filler foods and creative shapes, which the Lunchbot is great for. And bento-boxes come in specific sizes, based on the age of the child and caloric needs. 

Pros:

• Easy to clean, dishwasher safe
• Lid is easy to remove, but fits snug
• Reasonably priced ($14.99 retail)
• Fun colors

Cons:

• Not water tight
• No insulated bag, and stainless steel will get hot in the summer
• Divider in Duo model is fixed, limiting packing possibilities
• Small, most suitable for young kids

Recommendation:

If you are concerned about plastics, this could be the box for you. The size is nice for most grade school children, and would be the perfect snack box for anyone. The stainless steel is attractive, durable and easy to clean, and the price is reasonable. For summer use, I would recommend an insulated bag to keep the lunch cool.

Update: I just exchanged email with Jacqueline and she explains that she uses two boxes for her son’s lunch – one Lunchbot Uno with a sandwich, wrap, or sushi, and then a Lunchbot Duo with fruit and snacks. Both of these go into his lunchbag along with a reusable water bottle. Great plan and gets around my concern about not having enough space for my son’s lunch!

Villagio Inn at night

We enjoy staying at the Villagio Inn & Spa, right in downtown Yountville. The Villagio itself is a gorgeous property, Italian in style, with lovely walkways, small villa-like buildings, and rooms with private balconies. The comfort of the rooms immediately sets us at ease, and we always enjoy the fireplace and huge bathtub, no matter the weather outside.

Immediately across the street are no less than 5 excellent places to eat (Bistro Jeanty, Redd and Bouchon are three of our favorites), and the Inn is just a short walk from The French Laundry (reservations are now available through OpenTable, check here for tips & tricks). On our last visit, we tried Redd, and enjoyed their 5 course tasting menu, which they present with a twist – you must order it for the entire table, and for the two of us, they brought out 10 different tastes, so that my husband and I were able to try twice as many of their outstanding offerings!

In the mornings, after a visit to the gym next door, we enjoy a delicious champagne breakfast

Dinner at Redd

Yountville is located right off the St Helena Highway, not far from the Silverado Trail, and in that part of Napa, we enjoy visiting Consentino, Robert Sinsky, and Nickel & Nickel. In order to not totally wreck our taste buds for dinner, we limit ourselves to three wineries and usually focus on reds, unless an outstanding white or sparkling is on the tasting menu. And we are always up for bringing a bottle or two home to try sometime in the future.

When not wine tasting, Yountville has excellent paths for long walks and bike rides, and unique boutiques for my retail-therapy needs. I come home from each romantic visit to the Villagio relaxed and renewed!

Pickle exhibit

I was walking inside the Pavilion, to familiarize myself with the various exhibits, when Michelle Fuerst from Pickles

Pickles in little cups

In between pu

Pork on bread

Actually, everything I tried on both Saturday and Sunday was excellent, I think because it was all made with a good deal of attention to the final product. That is what Slow Food is all about, and frankly, it works for me!

More pictures from my Slow Food adventure…..

Laptop Lunch Box

I cooked Annie’s Shells&Cheese (check out the free loot on their website) and put those into two wide-mouth thermoses. Into their Laptop Lunchboxes, I put carrots, blueberries and grapes, Back to Nature Classic Round crackers and Bear Naked Organic Trail Mix. At the meet, I purchased Gatorade for both. And, I am pleased to say, everyone seemed well fed and happy. Double bonus, both placed very well in their events!

When traveling, we often use our Laptop Lunchboxes, but this was the first time we pulled them out for a dinner picnic. They worked great, fit into the cooler well, and each kid had their own.

Do you use Laptop Lunchboxes? If so, what is your favorite non-lunch use?

Photo courtesy of Laptop Lunches 

Crispy Potato Tacos

After inhaling these well-named tacos, I cruised on over to the Healdsburg Bakery booth and absconded with a morning bun and jam pocket. Those were for snacking on later. And, I could not forget a little jaunt through Sur La Table (Kitchen Gadget Girl heaven!), before stopping at Boriana’s for a custard bombolini. That I ate on the way back to the conference….