This is my refrigerator. It is just shy of three years old. We’ve been careful to baby it, vacuuming underneath to ensure that no dog hair or dust build up taxed the motor. And I love it – the delicious water from the dispenser, the way it dependably keeps my food cold or frozen (depending on which half you are talking about).

However, while we were away, our refrigerator conked out. And after all the babying, all the joy I felt for this giant hunk of metal . . . It just failed us. So my husband, who came home a few days early for work, had to clean out rotten foods and unfrozen ice (among other things). Yuck.

But the biggest upset for me was losing the giant bag of strawberries that I recently picked, cleaned, hulled and froze for winter. I had intended to move them to our deep freezer in the basement but procrastinated. There was so much else to do. So instead of wonderfully, carefully frozen strawberries from a local farm, we will be strawberry-less all winter (or else have to buy some, but those never taste as good and it’s such a waste to lose all those berries).

Good news? The repair people will be here in the morning to fix the fridge. So at least we won’t be too long without one (we do have a mini-fridge running in the meantime though).

And I learned a very important lesson on following through. If I hadn’t hemmed and hawed about having to go downstairs to move the strawberries, we would still have their delicious goodness for the summer. No more procrastination.

Sometimes there are little lessons to be learned in both the kitchen and life. These little lessons sneak up on us like monsters in the night, leaving a lasting impression that cannot be ignored. In short, they are important.

Here are a few recent examples from my kitchen and life:

Lessons Learned:

• Beware the overspray. Don’t stand too close to the sink in public bathrooms.
• Takeout containers left in the car will begin to stink. Quickly.
• Paper cups from fast food joints aren’t meant to last…the bottom falls out.
• Hide the evidence after a snack attack otherwise everyone will know who polished off that delicious bag of Doritos.
• Leaving the pantry door open, revealing the giant bag of kibble to the two hungry beagles is ALWAYS a bad idea.
• If you think it’s spoiled, STOP EATING IT!
• Don’t send links in emails when you are sick. You will inevitably send the wrong one.

Ok, so, I need to complain.

I went to the Friendly’s in Danbury, Conn., with my husband and son (just over a year old) today for lunch. Figuring that it’s a good, family friendly restaurant, I thought it would be a good place for a treat for my boy. He’s been such a trooper about going to daycare for the first time over the past month that I feel like he deserves it.

Anyway, back to the rant.

We were seated right away (yay!) but by the bathroom (boo! but someone has to sit there, and it really doesn’t bother me that much). We weren’t given a children’s menu (boo! toddlers eat too) until about 15 minutes later when our waiter decided to finally greet us.

Yes. It took 15 minutes to greet us.

Now, I understand that they were busy. And I can appreciate that it might have taken him that long to take our order, but he’d been within feet of our table at least twice without saying anything.

Finally we got to order…another 5 or 10 minutes later. Ugh. Cheesy mac and franks for Will, a barbecue beef sandwich for me (hold the ranch!), and honey barbecue chicken fingers for my husband (and the waiter asked if he wanted double fries instead of coleslaw, which Shawn was very happy about).

Another 10 or 15 minutes go by and our food finally comes. (Are you seeing the time issue here?!?) Despite the fact that it was the waiter’s idea, Shawn’s plate came with coleslaw and fries instead of the double fries. Despite my very clear request, there was a big squirt of ranch dressing on my sandwich. And poor Will, for whom this treat was all about, got a plate of mac and cheese that looked like it was at least a day old.

I sent mine back, and Will just ate the franks…he wasn’t into the mac and cheese at all. Frankly, I cannot blame him. Shawn sucked it up. Their fries aren’t that good anyway.

The food was otherwise a mediocre ok, though Shawn’s honey barbecue tenders looked NOTHING like the photo in the menu (ahhhh, false advertising?).

What else bugged me? The fact that despite my name clearly being embossed on the debit card, the waiter handed my husband the receipt to sign, for one. The fact that my son’s food was so awful. The fact that the children’s portions are WAY too big and we weren’t even ASKED if we wanted to take it home. The fact that the options were devoid of vegetables. The fact that I practically had to beg for a refill on my drink.

Oh, and most of all. Friendly’s has raised their prices. They are now on par with other chains like Chili’s, Applebee’s and Ruby Tuesday’s. Well, if I am going to spend money on food like that, I would rather have something a slot above mediocre.

Rant ended.

Kale. Even the word is foreign to me. I grew up in a household where vegetables were of pretty simple varieties – corn, peas, green beans and the occasional zucchini. Brussels spouts were a delicacy and any lettuce other than iceberg was certainly special. I had a feeling there were more vegetables out there, but I couldn’t quite figure out what they were.

I’ve learned a lot since then. For instance, beet greens are not only edible but they really taste good as a bruschetta. And fiddlehead greens have a really unique taste and texture.

In any case, back to the kale. My husband loves Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana soup, so I decided to try making it at home. I searched the internet and found literally dozens of recipes for it. Each had things good and bad about them, so I used them as a guideline and drafted my own. It was received with rave reviews from both my husband and from the much harder to please stepson. It goes without saying that my son loved it.

ABOUT KALE:

Kale is a variety of cabbage. The kale I purchased had curly edged leaves, though there are other varieties with flat leaves and the such. Kale likes cooler weather and is grown widely in North America and Europe.

CHOOSING KALE:

Kale should have firm, deep green leaves that are free from spotting, wilting or discoloration.

STORING KALE:

Kale should be stored in cool places like the refrigerator crisper drawer, while wrapped in a lightly moist paper towel and stored in a plastic bag. It can also be frozen fresh

Zuppa Toscana
Serves 6-8

4 cups water
4 cups chicken broth
3 large potatoes, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 lb. spicy Italian sausage, browned and crumbled
1/2 lb. bacon, browned and crumbled
2 cups kale, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the water, broth, potatoes, garlic, and onion into a pot. Cook over high heat until the potatoes are fork tender.

Stir in the sausage and bacon and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in kale and heavy cream and season with salt and pepper. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.

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This is my post for Weekend Herb Blogging. Check out Kalyn’s Kitchen on Sunday for the weekly roundup of interesting herb and veggie related posts.

M.F.K. Fisher is a legend in the food world. She took food writing beyond the traditional limits and illuminated it, allowing it to be about more than just ingredients and recipes but about the sensual experience of enjoying fine food.

When I found out that there was a new collection of her writings being released – ones from publications like Vogue and the New York Times – I was elated and instantly decided that this week’s Hump Day Horizons at Food Bound would have to center around that. After all, it’s M.F.K. Fisher.

Read all about that book and some other interesting upcoming ones here.

. . . and here’s why: if there was an award for WORST cookie ever, this one would win hands (and rock hard clumps) down.

Yes, it’s true. Cucina Bella has bad recipe days too. I know, that is difficult to digest, but everyone has their moments. Even me.

Let me tell you how this all started. The SHF #17 theme is dairy so I put my thinking cap on and decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to make my son some homemade zwieback cookies.

But since he’s on a wheat-free, dairy-free, egg-free diet, I had to be sure to use alternative ingredients. Instead of milk, I used rice milk. Instead of butter, margarine. And instead of all-purpose flour, sweet rice flour.

I searched the web a bit and looked at several recipes for zwieback and mirrored my own after them. My ingredients were similar, but with a twist – I added vanilla and cinnamon for a bit extra flavor.

I mixed diligently. Then I kneaded with care. But the dough just wouldn’t form a ball, so I tossed in a bit extra water to help it along. Finally it bonded together . . . a little. Then I covered the ball and waited for it to rise. It didn’t. But I forged ahead and separated the dough into pieces and placed it on the cookie sheet. Then I waited for it to rise again. It didn’t. But I thought maybe it had and I just was too distracted to notice (I have a crawling 7 month old who has a penchant for getting to the front door to look out, after all).

Then I baked. Yes, I was still holding out hope that they would pull through and be the miracle cookie.

They didn’t. They weren’t.

So here is what I created: a fragrant, cracked rock exterior with a gelatinous interior. Can you say EWWWW?!?

I did put them through half of the second bake, but ultimately found that they just weren’t going to work for me. At all.

So now it’s back to the old drawing board for a killer recipe for Sugar High Friday, provided the recipe doesn’t create something that could crack a windshield or be used as a makeshift hockey puck.

At least I got some good pictures though.

I like to try new things and drag along who ever I can get to join me. So it was no surprise a few weeks back when I saw red bananas on sale and bought them. I took them home (with the rest of my groceries) brimming with excitement at the prospect of discovering this new fruit. Well, new to me at least.

The next day, I tried to peel the banana, finding the skin hard, the flesh harder. I took that to mean that it wasn’t ripe and placed it in an airtight Ziploc bag and inside a paper bag to ripen.

I waited a few days and pulled it out, ready to tear into the sweet mushy flesh. Sure enough, it was much softer so I proceeded to peel it and try a nibble. My husband had warned me that they are unusually sweet so I was ready, or so I thought.

My teeth sank in, sliding easily through the flesh and my mouth filled with intense dryness. There was no sweetness, no smooth taste. Instead, it stole all my saliva and left me stumbling for water.

Nonetheless, I thought, “Maybe it’s just me,” and pureed it with blueberries for my son. He took one bite and cried. And I totally understood what he was saying.

So ultimately, it was my two beagles – Snoopy and Scrappy – who ate the red banana-blueberry mush. And even they dashed for the water afterward, slopping through two bowls.

And they didn’t beg the next day. Gee I wonder why.

• Knives – Everyone should have a good knife set. And if you are really into cooking, that should be a great knife set. I have a set of Zwilling J.A.Henckles and they are good, reliable blades. But for the pro, something more along the lines of Global Knives is more appropriate. These sleek knives are lightweight and are perfectly balanced. I’ve used them once or twice, and they were superb.
• A Steamer Insert – This could possibly be the best invention since the fork. The steamer I have expands to fit into several different sized pots, which I love. Using a steamer to cook fresh vegetables really helps them to keep their color and, more importantly, their flavor.
• Silicone Spatulas - I love these. They don’t melt in high temperatures and are great for scraping the patina from the pan or just stirring in general. They are definitely an all-purpose tool.
• A Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer – I love my Kitchen Aid. I have the red Artisan series one (though I am a sucker for the pink Cook for the Cure Edition). Whether it’s fresh whipped cream, cookie dough or mashed potatoes, or whatever delight you might be conjuring, this powerful mixer helps you do it with ease.

Did you know that the typical ice cube tray holds about one ounce of food? Or that one pear makes roughly four ounces of pureed food? You wouldn’t believe all the baby food tidbits I could spew at you these days.

When I was pregnant with my son I heard about homemade baby food and started to look into it. I read a lot about making baby food at home online, and researched books on the subject, trying to pick the right one for us. I heard a lot of good things about Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron, but I also heard a lot of not-so-good things about it too. Better Baby Food by Daina Kalnins was also recommended, and since I own the follow up book (Better Food for Kids) I thought that would be the one. I checked it out in the book store, and it was alright. Although it’s a good book, it wasn’t the right one for me. I needed a book on homemade baby food that would really give me stupid-proof step-by-step instructions.

Then I discovered a new book on homemade baby food that had a very high rating on Amazon.com. Blender Baby Food by Nicole Young most closely matched what I wanted to know. As a first time mother, I was understandably worried about how to properly make homemade baby food.

So far, so good. The book really helped to alleviate my fears about making homemade baby food. I’ve discovered that Will isn’t a big fan of sweet potatoes or butternut squash, but we keep trying nonetheless. He does love pears and likes apples though. I like that the book tells you exactly how to prepare single item baby foods – the first foods that new eaters eat. It seemed like a lot of books just glazed over first foods with a few general and brief paragraphs. Sorry, but as a homemade baby food newbie, I need more.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for clear direction to prepare homemade baby food for your child’s first meals.

I never thought about pesticide residue that could be on my produce before I had Will. And while I thought it was odd that apples in the store were so shiny and glossy, and broccoli had that white patina, I just didn’t put one and one together.

But while I was pregnant I began learning more and more about organic produce and why pesticides are bad. I was surprised to learn about how supermarket produce can have so much pesticide on it, and that certain fruits and vegetables absorb pesticides. It’s a little scary, actually, and it’s really impacted how I look at supermarket fruits and vegetables.

If I could, I’d have a completely organic kitchen from meat to fruit to veggies…even milk and eggs. But let’s face it: that is an expensive endeavor and, while it is worth it, I just can’t afford it.

What I can afford is fruit and veggie wash to get the icky stuff — like pesticides — off of my food. I found one that I like at Trader Joe’s a month ago. It’s called Environne (www.vegiwash.com) and is about $4 for the bottle of concentrated fruit and vegetable cleaner.

For easy access, I mix up a lot of the Environee with water in a spray bottle and just keep it next to the sink. Then, when I need to clean pesticides off of our fruits and vegetables, I just spray-spray a bit and rinse the fruits and vegetables off. Easy as pie.

So, if you can’t afford to go completely organic, you don’t have to accept pesticide covered fruit and vegetables. Simply use a fruit and vegetable wash to rinse away the pesticides and keep your family eating well.