crying over cheese

It was slightly ridiculous and it made me smile at the time but there I was, driving the boy home after his so busy day yesterday and he was “starving, Mum” . I suggested he dig around in his lunchbox and find something to eat. And he did – yogurt tube, yogurt drink, slurped up apple sauce and jello (more on that in a minute) and then came the test. The seemingly innocuous tube of string cheese. He got it open and wrestled with it for a bit. His dad had shown him the day before how to peel it off into strings so the boy was trying to engineer something. A giraffe it turns out. I waited. He got it into strings and took a tentative bite with me watching surreptitiously via the rear view mirror. He gave me a sideways thumb (neutral). Then he said, “wait” and slightly moved his thumb upwards towards the good zone. And then he started slurping up his cheese strings “hey, I’m eating this like noodles”. And that, dear readers, brought tears to my eyes. The slightly ridiculous part, crying over my kid playing with string cheese. But they are happy tears. Blessed tears. Tears for being in a place we’ve fought so long to get to.

playing in his first chess tournament

And I’ve had several days of these kinds of tears. Saturday morning when the boy ate 2 pancakes and told me “you make good pancakes, Mum”. Sunday, when he ate ¾ of a waffle and a slice of bacon and got a tub of snack pack jello as a reward. Jello. Yes, jello! Why is this such a big deal? Well, to a child who has issues with food, jello is a big deal. It wobbles. It’s slippery. It has terrified my boy at several birthday parties, and I’ve watched him try to refuse politely, waving his hands, saying “no thank you”, guessing inside he was screaming “get this away from me”. But Saturday, he took a tentative lick, then a small spooned dab, and then proceeded to eat the whole tub. I chose one of his favourite flavours – blue raspberry – to get him started but now he’s tried mixed berry as well. Strawberry and orange are up next. The wins are coming faster now. A whole meatloaf mini muffin at yesterday’s lunchtime food therapy session. Stir fried broccoli and small roasted potatoes last week. But I don’t get to see those wins yet – only reported via email and in the empty food cups returned home at the end of the day. It’s a process.

I’m just so grateful for his lovely and patient and wise food therapists. For finding them in the first place. Who knew there were people who specialize in this? I didn’t until February this year. I’m grateful for my friends who rejoice with me when I tell them the boy ate cereal with milk or pancakes and don’t laugh at me for being so excited. They’ve walked this road with me too, supported me, listened to me and now they celebrate with me. As do all the people who work with our boy at school and at before and after school care. But mostly I so grateful for my boy, who trusts us to help him.

And it is helping. All this has not only brought new foods into his life, he eats more consistently now. He has more of an appetite now that he isn’t so scared of food. He’s sleeping better, no more night time waking in a panic, running in to our room. Better eating and sleeping means better behaviour most of the time and for him, an easier time at self-regulating. So everyone around him is more relaxed, he’s more relaxed and happier. That’s the best part. He’s a happier boy these days. That is the best win.

cause for celebration

It has been a good couple of weeks around our house. Sunny weather tempted us outside, to the garden center and into the garden, digging, planting, dreaming of warm days outside but this week the rain came back. Like most, I’m refusing to put back the winter layers so huddle under blankets waiting for more sunshine.

 The boy had great success this week with his food. He’s up to half an egg (scrambled) and yesterday managed a whole bowl of cereal with milk. On top of the pancake win a couple of weeks ago and I’m starting to feel a bit optimistic that one day, we will all be able to eat the same meal for lunch or dinner sometimes.

And in general, the past few weeks have been easier all around. The level of rushing here and there hasn’t changed but the boy seems happier and more able to regulate his moods, and day by day we are better able to read him and help him before things go sideways.

His most recent adventure is fencing lessons. I admit it was with much trepidation I signed him up for 6 sessions. But the opportunity was not to be missed – lessons in a time frame that worked for us, an instructor with much fencing experience on the world stage, and the focus on eye-hand co ordination, balance and core control all with the hook of sword play to interest the boy all seemed to align. So I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. The first lesson went well although it is always hard to tell from our non-communicative boy. He told me all about the 3 types of swords and that they don’t have a button on the end but something else that sounds exactly like a button.  Deep down inside I think I’m a bit jealous – I admit to wanting to learn to fence and shoot bows and arrows. Is there a yearning to be a warrior woman? The closest I get is warrior pose in the occasional yoga class.

 

Spring means the start of field hockey as well, another sport with sticks. This year I’m running around the field with the boys to help the coach corral the 13 boys. So I’m really hoping for sunny Friday afternoons for the next several weeks.
 

With all the running around, dinner has been fairly uninspired. For the most part it has been easy to throw together meals – eggs on toast, soup, salads, sausages, pork or halibut burgers, etc. A few weeks ago I got inspired to make some treats for a friend’s new dog. So I baked up some doggie treats following this recipe from Cesar the Dog Whisperer and reports are that the dog loved them. I made them squirrel shaped as I don’t have a small bone cookie cutter – the options were sheep, snail, pig or squirrel. The boy and I both thought squirrel would be the best.

Here is how I made them:

Cesar’s Basic Dog Biscuit (from here)

2 ½ c whole wheat flour (1 used about 1 ¾ c spelt flour and ¾ c oat flour)

½ tsp salt

1 egg

½ c chicken stock

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Heat the chicken stock. Add the stock to the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Knead until a dough forms (~ 3 minutes) and then roll out to about ½” thick. Cut into shapes using a cookie cutter. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for about 30 minutes.

 

cookies packed for shipping

 

broccoli love

I guess it was fitting that the week we added raw broccoli to the boy's food list (he likes raw veggies much better than cooked), I found a broccoli recipe that we adults love. LOVE. I even, this week, made a huge batch for a potluck and it got rave reviews there as well.

I prefer the florets slightly smaller than I made them here so that is how I make it now

Usually, my broccoli consumption is entirely dependant on a pairing with cheese of some sort, as in broccoli in cheddar sauce or as broccoli cauliflower in blue cheese sauce over rice (a Delia Smith recipe from her How to Cook series that I made for years). This one comes from Molly at remedial eating and is delicious. The first time I made it, it was inhaled so I doubled up on the broccoli for the second time out and we got enough for leftovers.

Asian Broccoli with Cashews (adapted very slightly from remedial eating)
2 lbs of broccoli, cut into florets and the stalks cut into half inch pieces
1 tbsp red miso (the original calls for 2 tbsp white miso which I didn't have)
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
2-4 tsp grated ginger (this is optional, I left it out for the potluck and it was still wonderful)
1 c roasted, salted cashews, chopped coarsely
1/4 c toasted sesame seeds
1 bunch scallions, white and light green parts only, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the broccoli in salted water for about 6 minutes and then drain well. While the broccoli is cooking, add miso, rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce and ginger to a small jar. Shake well to mix.

When the broccoli is drained, add it to a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the broccoli and mix well with hands or salad tongs. Add cashews, sesame seeds and spring onions and mix again. Serve warm or cold.

Asian broccoli served with bento pork - a great combination

It's been a while

Sorry for dropping off the screen for so long. We've been busy with stuff - work, school, homework, soccer, swimming, loose teeth ( a certain boy has lost 2 so far this week), birthdays, parties, etc.

felt Christmas decorations

shark birthday cake for boy's 8th birthday

pals test paper boats at the beach

warrier boy at the beach

But mostly what has been consuming my thoughts and any spare energy I have is something that came onto our radar last summer. A couple of lovely people working with our boy at his school suggested that our boy might be on the autism spectrum, so began a new path for us. We recently had the "official" determination in the form of an assessment which did confirm that our boy is indeed on the spectrum. What used to be called aspergers and now is part of the autism spectrum disorder. As with anything, this brings positives (provincial funding for support for our boy and an upgrade in support at school) and negatives. So far, to be fair, most of the negatives are in my head as most people we've opened up to about this have been so understanding and helpful and supportive. With the benefit of financial support, we decided to tackle one of our long standing issues with the boy - his eating. We found an exceptional group of women whose job it is to help children with eating issues. And in the few weeks since we started the therapy, we have been amazed by our boy's progress.

It has been, fingers crossed, mostly good days lately. As we get to know what works with the boy and what doesn't we are navigating our way through. And spring is on its way!

corned beef hash

It wasn't something I planned on doing, but standing in the butcher shop a few weeks back, I spied a lump of meat labelled corned beef. And feeling in an adventurous mood, I picked it up. I got home and googled how to do it and was taken aback at the preparation. It isn't hard, but the instruction to brine something for 10 days is a bit of a surprise when you don't know what is involved. I went with Alton Brown's recipe for corned beef, when in doubt he's a good go to.

Corned Beef (adapted slightly from Alton Brown)

8 cups water

1 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cinnamon stick, broken into several pieces

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

8 whole cloves

8 whole allspice berries

2 bay leaves, crumbled

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 (3 pound) beef brisket, trimmed

2 lbs ice

1 small onion, quartered

1 large carrot, coarsely chopped

1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped

 

In a large saucepan or stock pot, add the water, salt, sugar and spices and cook over high heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from the heat, add the ice and let cool. To a large zip lock bag, add the meat and the brine solution. Put the bag into a container and place in the fridge for 10 days, checking periodically to make sure the meat is submerged in the brine solution. (Note: the recipe calls for salt peter which I didn't have, which keeps the meat pink. Mine stayed pinkish with out it).

 

After 10 days, remove the meat from the brine and rinse well in cool water. In a pot just big enough to hold the meat, add the meat, onion, carrot and celery and enough water to cover the meat completely. Bring to a boil over high heat and then simmer over low heat for 2 1/2 - 3 hours or until the meat is tender. Slice thinly (if your meat doesn't fall apart) and serve.

 

I served the corned beef with roasted potatoes and carrots for supper. Then a couple of nights later I made corned beef hash with the leftovers.

 

 

Corned Beef Hash (inspired by a variety of sources and the memory of one my mum used to make)

4 c frozen hash brown potatoes

 1 lb of corned beef, diced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 medium red pepper, diced

a handful of button mushrooms, sliced

1 tbsp dijon mustard

2 small dill pickles, diced

1 tsp of worchestershire sauce

1/2 c vegetable stock

 

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil and add the onions and peppers over medium high heat. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the mustard, pickles, worchestershire sauce, potatoes, corned beef and stock and let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring every so often to keep everything from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add more stock if the mixture gets too dry. Serve with or without a fried egg on top. It is completely worth brining your own corned beef to make corned beef hash. Delicious.

 

 

keep on tryin'

So one of my challenges now is, to see if I can limit the amount of refined sugar and chocolate in our boy's diet.Of course, chocolate is it's own food group for him so this will be a challenge. And we got the suggestion the week before Hallowe'en.

our bald eagle takes flight?

So I didn't start right away. I mean I know parents who take their kids trick or treats away from them and sub in no sugar, no chocolate organic candy but I'm not that organized and my boy knows, to the piece, what he got in his bag and would not be on board with me taking anything but the twizzlers away. So I'm starting now. My first experiment is with granola bars. These are a big part of his food intake right now and I'm not proud of that but for me it is a way of getting cereal into him. So I rootled around google the other day and found this recipe and thought I would give it a go. I have yet to have the boy's take on whether they fly or not, but my husband likes them.

Chewy Granola Bars (adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie)
1 c rolled oats
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 c rice krispie cereal
1/4 c plus 2 tbsp oat flour (I used ground rolled oats)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 c brown rice syrup
1 pack stevia
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp applesauce
1 handful each of chopped dried cherries, cocoa nibs and mini marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.
Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well. Pour the mixture into a parchment lined, well greased 8x8 pan and squish the mixture very flat (with a can). Bake for 18 minutes, then squish down again. Refrigerate for 10 minutes before cutting. Keep refrigerated to set.

back in the swing

Erm - we were having a few technical difficulties over here, as in our hard drive packed up and left on holidays and we had to get a replacement. Still, we had a lovely, sunny summer with picnics at the beach and lots of fruit galettes. And crepes. Have you read Molly's ode to crepes? I love the way she makes everything she writes about seem so doable. So I have - made crepes several times this summer. Usually of a weekend morning, if fact, one morning, after hearing me putter around in the kitchen, my husband was most put out when it turned out, on that particular morning, that I hadn't been making crepes. So the crepe recipe is a hit. Also a hit has been Deb's burst tomato, corn and zucchini galette. We've had it most weeks since she posted the recipe, sometimes more than once. Hopefully, I'll remember this recipe next summer.

And one night, I had the galette filling and a stack of crepes in the fridge, so I combined the two. It was a lovely idea and made a delicious patio dinner outside, with the wasps. We didn't let them join in with us, though.

Molly's Crepes from remedial eating
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup flour, unbleached all-purpose or whole wheat
1 1/4 cup milk, ideally 2% or higher
3 tablespoons salted butter

Add the eggs to a mixing bowl, along with the salt and sugar. Whisk well, for about 30 seconds. Add half of the flour and half of the milk and whisk until no lumps remain. Then add the rest of the flour and milk and whisk again until no lumps remain. Melt the butter in your crepe pan. Pour 2 tbsp into your crepe batter and reserve the rest to grease your crepe pan. Use a 1/3 or 1/4 c measure to bring the crepe batter to the pan, swirl the batter until the bottom of the pan is covered and cook until the edges start to curl and brown. Flip and cook until slightly brown. Transfer to a plate and continue cooking until all the batter is gone. The crepes keep in the fridge for a few days, layered between sheets of wax paper and well wrapped in plastic wrap.You can also freeze them.

Filling - burst tomato, zucchini and corn from smitten kitchen
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon coarse Kosher
3 cups grape tomatoes
1 ear corn, cut from the cob (about 1 cup)
1 small zucchini, diced (or substitute 1 medium eggplant, diced and roasted)
1/2 bundle green onions, thinly sliced
10 basil leaves, sliced thinly
1/2 cup grated parmesan

In a saute pan, heat the oil. Add the tomatoes and salt and heat over medium high heat until the tomatoes have burst. Add the zucchini and cook for about 2 minutes, lowering the heat slightly. Add the corn and cook for another minute. Take the mixture off the heat and add the onions and basil.

To assemble the crepes, sprinkle a couple of pinches of parmesan over 1/4 of the crepe (triangle), add a couple of tablespoons of filling and then fold the crepe over the filling (in half, then in quarters). Continue until all the crepes or filling are used up. Place the filled crepes on a baking sheet and heat in a 350 deg F oven for about 10 minutes until the crepes are warmed through and the cheese is melted. Serve with a thin bechamel if desired.