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Archive for Traditions

{Repost} Making, and Keeping, Traditions

Posted on November 29, 2016
by Elana Natker, MS, RD

This post originally appeared last year. While the organization mentioned has changed its name to Britepaths, the mission and need remain the same. Please consider donating this Giving Tuesday.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. This year I spent it at my sister’s house with her family, my mom, and lots of friends. We ate until we were stuffed, waited a while and ate some more. The next day there were plenty of leftovers for another Thanksgiving meal (“second Thanksgiving” is secretly my favorite dinner). We have our favorite foods and even our not-so-favorite (I’m thinking of you, pecan pie) which we can easily pass up because there’s a lot of other, tastier stuff to go around (ahh…cherry pie!).

What I love about Thanksgiving most of all is the tradition. Yes, traveling can be a hassle, especially with kids and all the gear they require. We eat too much and sleep too little. But it’s all worth it for the memories, the connections and the familiar scents from the kitchen.

But sometimes, “tradition” translates to “responsibility,” or worse, “burden.” I felt a smidgen of this when I was a young professional, living on my own for the first time. My entry-level job barely paid the rent, but the holiday season meant trips back home and presents to buy and extra tipping. For a while my holidays came with a little black cloud (let’s call it “credit card debt”) that I hoped a Christmas bonus that may or may not materialize would go directly to help make that cloud go away.

My holiday burden was nothing compared to a parent with kids depending on them. To this parent, the holidays mean trying to keep tradition alive even when it seems impossible. This is especially true for households already living from paycheck to paycheck, with income levels “too high” to be eligible for assistance. Many times these families were doing OK until circumstances led to a downward spiral, things like a job loss, divorce, injury or serious diagnosis. These families don’t necessarily need ongoing support, but they do need help to get back on their feet at minimum, and most certainly a little extra help around the holidays. And their kids…they need a sense of normalcy.

This year, my family started what I hope will be a new tradition. Through a local program called Our Daily Bread, families in Fairfax County are matched with a sponsor to provide essentials for a holiday dinner. As a dietitian, I can’t imagine not having a delicious meal at Thanksgiving, not to mention the aromas and togetherness and family time it can bring. That’s why we sponsored a family of six and provided them with provisions to cook their own Thanksgiving dinner. It was so easy: I was matched with a family, called the main contact, asked about food allergies and preferences, and arranged a drop-off. I knew I found a great match when I asked the mom if she wanted a pre-made meal, but she said no: she’d like the ingredients so she could make the Thanksgiving meal together with her kids.

Food insecurity isn’t a problem “out there” or in a city far, far away. It’s here. It’s everywhere. It may affect your child’s classmate. Or your favorite store clerk. It may be your coworker, who hides his debt behind a facade. A full 14 percent of households in the U.S. were food insecure last year. That’s 48.1 million people, 15.3 million of which are children.

“Finding the courage to ask for help is tremendously hard. Having no one answer that call is heartbreaking. This Giving Tuesday, please find a way to make someone’s holidays a little brighter.”

favorite foods, kids and toddlers, Traditions

Crandall, Crandi and Cranberries – A Thanksgiving Story

Posted on November 24, 2016
by Elana Natker, MS, RD

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday – but it wasn’t always. That’s because yeah, while Thanksgiving is all about family and giving thanks, it’s really all about food. Although my preferences have changed over the years, when I was younger I didn’t like any of the traditional Thanksgiving foods (except for dessert – mmm…warm apple pie!) In my teen years I remember my mom’s Thanksgiving table included the usual turkey (yuck), stuffing (never liked it), and a smattering of unusual side dishes (Israeli salad? Not exactly what the Pilgrims ate). After whining and complaining as my mom was planning the next Thanksgiving she offered to make one side just for me. “Green beans,” I told her. Green beans with what, she asked? “Just green beans. Steamed.” She shrugged, but she made it. And I ate it. That, and pie.

Years later the Thanksgiving hosting duties were shifted to my older sister, who gave a gourmet twist to Thanksgiving. We didn’t have just turkey, but picked-from-the-farm, homemade-brined, cooked-on-The Big-Green-Egg organic turkey (luckily by then my aversion to turkey was a thing of the past. My brother-in-law’s turkey is soooo gooood!) Sides were multicolored cauliflower, brussels sprouts with pancetta and shallots, homemade stuffing with chestnuts and fresh herbs, cranberry chutney. And that was just what my sister and her husband made. The multi-family and -friend feast was a potluck, and everyone was encouraged to bring their favorite food. My husband’s contribution? Canned cranberries.

Our joke was that we needed to give some balance to the gourmet-ified Thanksgiving, but the truth is canned cranberries – in all its ridged and sliced glory – is a key element of my husband’s Thanksgiving tradition. It starts with the perfect can of Ocean Spray jellied cranberries (store-brand or frou-frou versions need not apply!), carefully opening the lid and letting the gelatinous contents fall out in one audible “thwap” in a perfect can-shaped form, then sliced uniformly into round full moons, and displayed lovingly on a plate.

The best part – when the canned cranberries and the cranberry chutney were served side-by-side on the buffet, guess which went faster? Yup. Don’t mess with tradition.

One year another guest took it upon him or herself to plate the cranberries, deciding to “pretty” it up with some fork-fluffing. The look on my husband’s crestfallen face was priceless. After that, we guarded the can until the timing was perfect to unleash the cran-goodness.

Last year we had some fun with my sister: we dressed up a can of cranberries like a Pilgrim, named him Crandall, and documented his journey from can-to-plate.

All buckled up – safety first, of course!

No time to visit the relatives!

Almost there!

As with most traditions, Thanksgiving has evolved for my immediate family. We now rotate years, going to my sister’s house every other year and my husband’s family in the opposite year. This year was also a change for my sister as she took a year off (after 11 straight years of hosting duties) and flew to the nearest tropical island with her family. Can you blame her?

So this year, in our absence, we sent Crandi. So far, she seems to be having a blast.

All packed up and ready to go, passport in hand

Enjoying some sushi pre-flight

Watching in-flight TV (a cooking show, naturally)

Rum punch upon arrival. Vacation has begun!

It’s Thanksgiving – and it’s all about family, food, and having a bit of fun.

My sister, her family, and Crandi

Happy Thanksgiving! Go ahead…play with your food.

Traditions

The One Dish That Brings Everyone Together

Posted on December 22, 2015
by Elana Natker, MS, RD

pizza-3ways

It’s the holiday season, and while some debate whether turkey or ham is the ideal dinner, there’s one entree that sticks in my mind this season: pizza.

OK, so pizza is basically a year-round food for us. But come holiday season in particular, pizza has special meaning. It’s a meal I cook with my niece and nephew (and now my own kids) before Thanksgiving takes over the kitchen at my sister’s house, and it’s a dish I make every time my in-laws come at Christmastime.

What I love about pizza is that it’s democratic – everyone has a vote and every vote counts. I’ve been known to make a single pizza with 4 different toppings – one in each quadrant to suit people’s preferences. One child will only eat cheese, whereas another likes pepperoni. I like goat cheese which my husband can’t stand, so he gets regular pizza cheese on his. One pizza, four ways – everyone wins!

I also love pizza because it’s a great way to serve up vegetables. When I was living on my own after college, I ate plenty of fruits but couldn’t think of a tasty, easy and cost-effective way to make sure I ate enough vegetables. So I turned to pizza – I took a dough, added sauce then piled on whatever veggies I felt like, such as bell peppers, mushrooms and broccoli. Add some cheese, cook it up and enjoy. Leftovers were delicious for brown-bag lunches (also economical) or another day’s dinner.

I’ve been making homemade pizza now for (gulp) 20+ years. Here are my tips for perfecting your homemade pizzas:

Invest in a Pizza Stone

While a stone is not required, it’s certainly less expensive than purchasing a pizza oven – and gives you many of the same results. Pizza stones give you a crispy crust without overcooking the cheese and toppings. Keep the stone in the oven as it preheats, at least for 60 minutes before putting your pizza on it. I actually keep my stones (I have two) in my oven all the time. And never wash your pizza stone with soap! Just scrape it with a pan scraper once it’s cooled.

Use Raw Dough

Sure you can make your own, but chances are you can also find balls of raw dough in the deli section of your local grocery store. Trader Joe’s has some good ones (though I must say, the whole wheat dough is too dense for me and my family). Or, if you have a favorite neighborhood pizza place, ask if you can buy a ball of fresh dough directly from them.

Let the Dough Come to Room Temperature First

Cold dough is very elastic and will contract when you try to roll it out, meaning you’ll have to keep fighting the dough to stretch it out.

Use Any Sauce You Want … But Not Too Much

Too much sauce can make the dough soggy and drippy. Leave about a ¾-inch space from the edge to make a pizza parlor-style crust.

Sprinkle Toppings Evenly

And, pay more attention to the edges than the center. As the pizza cooks, the toppings will gravitate toward the center. The center also takes the longest to cook.

Oil the Crust

Lightly brush olive oil on the crust before baking. It gives the crust a really tasty crispness.

Here are some of my favorite pizza toppings, using a plain dough and tomato sauce base, and topped with pizza cheese (shredded blend of 4 or 5 cheeses, or just use mozzarella). But feel free to experiment with your own ideas – that’s half the fun!

  • Kale & bacon
  • Clam (canned works great) with red onions and bacon
  • Veggie medley: green peppers, yellow onion, olives and mushrooms
  • Mushroom medley: button, baby bella, shittake, oyster and enoki mushrooms
  • Meatball with green peppers, onions and mushrooms
  • Broccoli, sundried tomatoes and goat cheese (instead of pizza cheese)

What are some of your favorites? Please share in the comments!

favorite foods, Traditions

Making, and Keeping, Traditions

Posted on December 1, 2015
by Elana Natker, MS, RD

2015-churchill-quote

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. This year I spent it at my sister’s house with her family, my mom, and lots of friends. We ate until we were stuffed, waited a while and ate some more. The next day there were plenty of leftovers for another Thanksgiving meal (“second Thanksgiving” is secretly my favorite dinner). We have our favorite foods and even our not-so-favorite (I’m thinking of you, pecan pie) which we can easily pass up because there’s a lot of other, tastier stuff to go around (ahh…cherry pie!).

What I love about Thanksgiving most of all is the tradition. Yes, traveling can be a hassle, especially with kids and all the gear they require. We eat too much and sleep too little. But it’s all worth it for the memories, the connections and the familiar scents from the kitchen.

But sometimes, “tradition” translates to “responsibility,” or worse, “burden.” I felt a smidgen of this when I was a young professional, living on my own for the first time. My entry-level job barely paid the rent, but the holiday season meant trips back home and presents to buy and extra tipping. For a while my holidays came with a little black cloud (let’s call it “credit card debt”) that I hoped a Christmas bonus that may or may not materialize would go directly to help make that cloud go away.

My holiday burden was nothing compared to a parent with kids depending on them. To this parent, the holidays mean trying to keep tradition alive even when it seems impossible. This is especially true for households already living from paycheck to paycheck, with income levels “too high” to be eligible for assistance. Many times these families were doing OK until circumstances led to a downward spiral, things like a job loss, divorce, injury or serious diagnosis. These families don’t necessarily need ongoing support, but they do need help to get back on their feet at minimum, and most certainly a little extra help around the holidays. And their kids…they need a sense of normalcy.

This year, my family started what I hope will be a new tradition. Through a local program called Our Daily Bread, families in Fairfax County are matched with a sponsor to provide essentials for a holiday dinner. As a dietitian, I can’t imagine not having a delicious meal at Thanksgiving, not to mention the aromas and togetherness and family time it can bring. That’s why we sponsored a family of six and provided them with provisions to cook their own Thanksgiving dinner. It was so easy: I was matched with a family, called the main contact, asked about food allergies and preferences, and arranged a drop-off. I knew I found a great match when I asked the mom if she wanted a pre-made meal, but she said no: she’d like the ingredients so she could make the Thanksgiving meal together with her kids.

Food insecurity isn’t a problem “out there” or in a city far, far away. It’s here. It’s everywhere. It may affect your child’s classmate. Or your favorite store clerk. It may be your coworker, who hides his debt behind a facade. A full 14 percent of households in the U.S. were food insecure last year. That’s 48.1 million people, 15.3 million of which are children.

Finding the courage to ask for help is tremendously hard. Having no one answer that call is heartbreaking. This Giving Tuesday, please find a way to make someone’s holidays a little brighter.

givingtuesday_logo2013-final1-1024x85

favorite foods, kids and toddlers, Traditions

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