Tag Archives: summer

Back-to-School, Back-to-Love

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Morning routine drawn, happy pictures taken and my bright, beautiful 5-year old headed off for her first day of Kindergarten. As my husband said on repeat as we drove him to work immediately following “That was big. Whatever just happened was really big”. And he is right in bigger ways than either of us could have expressed on that short drive.

You have a baby and in those moments when you are at a loss, when they are inconsolable and you are beyond sleep deprived in some other orbit from the rest of the world, you find yourself longing for the first day of school when someone, anyone other than you, will be in their attendance for 8 hours at a time.

In many ways, I knew she wouldn’t cry or fuss on the first day. She was too darn excited. Four days earlier she actually had a meltdown because school had not started yet. Other than a ‘shy moment’ when we introduced ourselves to the school principal, she slid onto that blue kindergarten carpet without issue. Just a few feet away I was using all my effort to hold back the water in my eyes and kept wishing to drop my sunglasses on my face so as to not distract her with my own flooding emotions.

A lot has happened since she graduated from preschool a few months ago and the result has left her relatively unaware while I am still in recovery. It started when she had a seizure in May that lead to an ER visit. “Febrile seizures” they said, followed by: “Chances are she may never have another. Just make sure to reduce her fever when she is sick.”

We went home and life continued almost entirely unaltered other than a story to tell about the horror of watching your child go from simply sick to seizing followed by a hysterical ambulance ride and how touched we were by the supportive community that rose up to help us. We told the story from a place of relief– chances are she may never have one again. That phrase helped me sleep at night with her blissfully in the other room.

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But, that phrase was not for our family. Within a few weeks, she had another seizure. This time it was without a fever although that arrived a few hours later. Basically, instead of a fever indicating she may get a seizure, the seizure was the warning of a nasty bug that lasted over a week. Then she had another seizure in the middle of the night a few hours after we returned from the ER. That was how our summer began.

I was undone. Suddenly, my semi-lax parenting style that I felt allowed her plenty of space to grow and my lack of concern when she got sick hey- it helps build her immune system, right!? were tossed out the window. I felt hyper-aware of everything, completely on top of her and uncomfortable with myself much less our relationship.

The following weeks of summer followed suit as I spent more time with my children, yet in a state of anxiety and fear. Attempting to do whatever next thing I could think of to keep her from another seizure or to distract myself from the awful feeling inside. While she didn’t have another one during the summer, it was hardly because of my worry and stress.

Then we went on a trip. A big one for us. Two and a half weeks that involved flying across the country to drive up and down the East Coast. In the first eight days, we drove for six. Typically about 2-3 hours per day that we attempted to overlap with our toddler’s nap, but we started learning the hard lesson that small children aren’t nearly as motivated to sit blissfully looking out at scenery listening to self-help books on tape as we were. Our love of road-tripping that shaped our 20’s and early 30’s was vanishing fast.

Did I mention, throughout it I was an emotional mess? Everything felt big and wrong and icky. Tantrums from either child felt larger than I could bear. And every transition from car to house to car to hotel was more dramatic than it needed to be. I attempted to relax on the days that were ‘relaxing’ but threats to my children seemed all around. Watching my daughter in the pool, with her new love of putting her head underwater had me sitting on standby with eyes locked on her every twitch, ready to rescue her. I had never felt this way and suddenly my empathy for the helicopter parenting style soared. I was torturing myself.

At the end of our time in the Poconos, we planned one more trip around the lake on Great Grandpop’s Golf Cart that my children were obsessed with. My daughter ran into the cabin where I had been packing and said “Mama- we want YOU to drive the Golf Cart”. Half teasing, I said “Oh, I have never driven a Golf Cart before. Should I be nervous?”

Her wide eyes looked up at me and with a slight giggle she said:

“Mama, YOU can feel anyway you want.”

photo 2 (1)At that moment, I was no longer looking at my child, but rather an angel with a specific message. YOU CAN FEEL ANYWAY YOU WANT. I knew I wasn’t nervous about driving a Golf Cart, I was nervous something would happen to this sweet girl in front of me who was walking around with a piece of my heart inside of hers. Her words shot through my entire being and I suddenly felt willing to heal from our summer. Willing to feel something other than fear. I craved feeling the joy she clearly held and I finally let her love infect me.

That was the first step, opening up to feeling differently, feeling better. Then a couple of days later my husband and I had one of those ‘serious’ should we invest a chunk of change in my business or not conversations and somewhere in there it came out that I was blaming myself for our daughter’s seizures. That I couldn’t control them. That I failed to keep her safe.

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As the words poured out, I didn’t realize the truth they had held deep within me. My husband grabbed me and said “It was not your fault.” over and over until I was a puddled of tears letting all the self-blame come spilling over.

The logical side of me knew that I didn’t cause her to be sick, much less cause her to seize. In the moment of each seizure I had risen to the occasion in the best way I could, pulled together and present for her shaking yet stiff body as I frantically whispered to her I am with you and please come back to me. Eventually, her body would crumble into my arms both of us defeated. Meanwhile, that ego-based creature deep within gnawing at my soul that wants to control everything, told me something false: I had failed my child. With my husband’s words, I felt the next step. I was starting to let go. It was not my fault. 

playing + building sandcastles

Playing + building sandcastles

Soon after our ‘big trip’ finally became a vacation as we found ourselves with toes deep in the sand, the sun drenching us as we played in the ocean or pool together. We experienced a place we never knew existed with inviting warm water, blindingly white beaches and the perfect balance of breeze. The rawness was slowly washing away and I found myself a layer deeper, somehow exfoliated by emotions that had spent the summer overwhelming me.

Returning home to the back-to-school countdown, I finally felt refreshed and ready to deal with whatever the new year has in store.

Will my daughter have a seizure again? Maybe. Maybe not.

Will she be in a school that will take care of her and will do their best for her if she has a seizure? Yes.

Will she get sick? Probably.

Will I blame myself? I hope not, because that will mean I once again am trying to control the uncontrollable.

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Letting the sun warm my sweet toddler and I as we sailed around.

Dropping my daughter at school that first day was very different than I anticipated just a few months ago. Our summer brought lessons of letting go, releasing self-blame and allowing love to win. I hope to remember these lessons throughout the next 13 years of her education, because as my sweet angel told me I can feel anyway I want.    

With Love,

Lilly

Summer Foods that Hydrate

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Please welcome guest blogger Stefanie Davis for another post on healthy summer eating! 

Summer is here with lots of fun in the sun to be had! Drinking plenty of water is essential to maintain health in this hot season. Water is essential as our primary source of hydration, but food can also be an enjoyable and delicious way to staying cool!  Fresh seasonal fruits and vegetable are available in abundance just waiting to be enjoyed and savored! (The health benefits of eating seasonally can be reviewed here.  Increasing your produce intake improves your body’s hydration and offers natural sugars and electrolytes that replenish your body with what it needs during times of heat and perspiration.

Here are 10 of some of the best foods to help beat the heat of Summer!
(Follow the link for RECIPES)
1. Cucumbers
2. Celery
3. Tomatoes
4. Cauliflower
5. Watermelon
6. Spinach
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Now go have more Summer fun with yummy hydrating recipes in tow! XO

SAsignature

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Hi there, I’m Stefanie from Simple Acres blog. I am a wife to a hard workin’ man, mommy to 3 “littles”, 10 year Registered Dietitian, writer, artist and hopeful inspirer! My passion is to bring the journey of simplicity to others through focusing on the things that really matter….the ones you love, the dreams you BELIEVE, and living in the moment with true JOY! As a RD I believe in  body love and acceptance, intuitive eating and savoring and nourishing the body with wholesome foods! I’m excited to be able to grace the pages of Lilly’s Table and look forward to joining you more as your new personal Dietitian! Please come visit me at Simple Acres and come to know me more personally on my facebook fan page, instagram and twitter! Dovidenia. XO

Declare Your Food Independence

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Are you a patriot of the food revolution or a
loyalist to the Standard American Diet? 

Food Loyalist [food loiuh-list]
noun
1. a person who is loyala supporter of the sovereign or of the existing food system especially during this time of revolt.

Food Patriot [food pey-tree-uh t] 
noun
1.  a person who loves, supports, and defends his or her local food system and its delicious, sustainable interests with devotion.

As a nation, we have passively given our own diet to a very large system that no longer has our land, our families, our ideology, or even our health at heart.

Our craving to eat ‘right’ is often cleverly disguised by marketing that flashes claims of heart-healthy, fat-free, free-range, sugar-free, gluten-free or natural with very little nourishment or sustenance. This Standard American Diet (SAD) has been on the menu for decades and WE the people are the ones suffering with the growing list of diet related diseases, syndromes and deaths.

For years, I have felt the paradox of a holiday that celebrates our collective ability to stand up for what we believe in, meanwhile the ‘American’ food that shapes nearly every backyard party is some of the most suppressive, industrially processed food that we could possibly consume.

Hot dogs. Burgers. Buns. Sugar-laden ketchup. Trans-fat mayonnaise. And plastic tasting vegetables dipped in white mystery sauces.

Why do we celebrate our freedom with this type of ‘cuisine’? 

We are not to a point where the Standard American Diet is comprised of real food that nourishes us, that offers fair work to those who produce it, and that is grown within our own local economies. The SAD is not a sustainable food system that will protect us and our children into the future.

Passively consuming the SAD lifestyle should no longer feel like an option for you. It is time to rise up and be a Food Patriot, not a Loyalist. Vote with your food dollars. For every quarter you spend on local + real food, instead of corporate food products, you are sending a clear message that you are ready to embrace your own food freedom.

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I invite you to rebel against the S.A.D. I invite you to
celebrate food with truth! 

As we prepare to watch fireworks and celebrate the bravery of the Declaration of Independence, why not take a break from corporate food for one holiday?

Why not take a courageous stance against a food system that could care less if you lived, died or suffered from what you consume?

Take the 4th of July and claim your right to food that is made on our own land, more precisely on the land as close to you as possible.

Here are my four favorite dishes that are a perfect way to revolt against the food status quo

Grilled Sweet Potato Fries + Yogurt Ranch Dip
Grilled Potato Salad
Watermelon Salad
Pulled Pork Sliders

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In addition, here are FOUR ways to celebrate the 4th without the S.A.D. weighing you down: 

  • Shop at a Farmers Market this week! Gather whatever veggie goodness is available and toss it into a beautiful salad, skewer it on to kebabs or grill them whole to stack on to buns.
  • Want meat? Find a local butcher or rancher and see if they sell hot dogs, sausages, burgers or even big slabs of pork (perfect for the Pork Sliders mentioned above!)
  • Find a local bakery! Yes, the bill will most likely cost more than the $2 or less bags than the addictive white flour buns, but I have a feeling you will be in for a treat, especially if you find a new bakery to love in the future.
  • Dessert can be as simple as these Red, White + Blue Berry Necklaces (see photo below) or popsicles made from a puree of whatever local fruit you can find and pour it into the molds.

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Needle + thread bring together strawberries, cherries, blueberries + blackberries for a playful 4th of July dessert!

 

Simplify and defy the food of the 4th of July!

What is on your menu that will blow up the typical ‘American’ party food?

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Celebrate food,

Chef Lilly

Summer Virtual Progressive Dinner Conclusion…

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Thank you to each beautiful blogger this week who made this Summer Virtual Progressive Dinner exactly what we all needed to see: inspiring, delicious and packed with all of the essential summer produce from my new Summer Meal Planning Worksheet! If you have yet to download it, please do so now, just sign up for my Seasonal Bite newsletter in the top righthand corner on this page and you will receive two downloads– print both of them out for the easiest, smoothest summer meal planning you have ever done.

YOU ARE INVITED TO ANOTHER PARTY! This one is LIVE and VIRTUAL. On Friday June 19th, at 6pm MT, I will be leading you through the Meal Planning Worksheet. Within a short period of time, you will have a weekly meal plan based entirely on your family, the season and the goodness available in your kitchen. You will also be set up with the tools you need to meal plan on a regular basis– whether you are a member of Lilly’s Table or not.

Join the party! Even if you cannot make it live, sign up, because I will be sending out the recording for you to get the entire scoop on the slickest new way to seasonally meal plan.

However, if you do attend live, you will be entered into a prize for further meal planning services from me (hint, hint– it will include some one-on-one attention from yours truly!) and I will be answering all of your questions live, too!

The longest day of the year and the celebration of Summer Solstice is happening on Sunday! This Summer Virtual Progressive Dinner was the perfect way to set the stage for the beautiful possibilities with all of the luscious veggies and fruits that summer provides.SeasonalVegHead_Drinks-2

Whether you need a way to quench your thirst throughout the day with the Peach Cucumber Basil Infused Water or you want to get an outdoor affair started easily with the Watermelon Rum Fizz, Jaime at the Seasonal Veg Head has the recipes for you.

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The Grilled Halloumi + Zucchini Herb Salad from Nourish Real Food can be a simple week night main dish, too. Especially with a crusty French bread, grilled corn on the cob, or a favorite steamed grain. This salad proves how simple summer cooking can really be.

Finally, Lynn’s Kir Royale is just about the easiest, yet elegant, summer dessert I can imagine. I have been threatening to not buy ice cream this summer and instead just make it from scratch. Her sherbet is the true inspiration I need to make my not-buying-store-bought-ice cream a reality.kir royale 5

Many sincere thanks to each contributor to this week’s Summer Virtual Progressive Dinner, this week was shaped by your creativity and deliciousness.

Don’t forget to sign up for the Summer Meal Planning Hangout!

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,

Chef Lilly

Spring into Summer with a Virtual Progressive Dinner!

progressive dinner pic

Progressive Dinners have always been on my list of fantasy parties. Seriously, I remember hearing about it as a kid and thinking now that would be fabulous way to dine + celebrate since you travel from house to house getting new food in each spot.

Since then I have been involved in a couple of wild progressive dinners. During one, my sister threw a huge Alice in Wonderland affair and I cooked for each mystery stop along the way. Wild Mushroom Dips and Figs Wrapped in Proscuitto drenched in Lemon-Honey are my memories of that costume shindig.

More recently I coordinated a city-wide Progressive Dinner for Tucson Food Day including stops at an urban farm featuring pecans, goat cheese & chiles, the main dish was at the local mercado where our Farmers Market is held and finally at a historic restaurant where we served dessert involving mesquite cookies & freshly gleaned fruit. The food was not only local, but much of it was native including tepary beans, Sonoran white wheat, chile peppers and more.

With my love of progressive dinners and a whole shiny new reason to celebrate, I thought why not do a progressive dinner… virtually!? That way YOU can participate no matter where you are located, because it is featuring four of my favorite bloggers throughout North America sharing dishes that revolve around my latest new offering on Lilly’s Table:

The Essential Summer Meal Plan Worksheet

This sparkly, easy to download, gift is a simple meal planning worksheet that guides you through brainstorming and  creating your meal plan for the week. It is how I do all of my family’s meal planning at home because it allows me to build our weekly food around:

  • the seasons
  • our favorite dishes
  • all the good food already in our kitchen waiting for new inspiration.
  • our crazy, ever-changing schedule

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In addition, the Summer Meal Plan Worksheet will help you:
  • create batch dishes to store for future meals
  • schedule all the best timing for your dinners
  • plan the head chef for each meal (great way to involve the whole fam)
  • sit down to a blissful seasonal meal with your family on a daily basis

As an added treat, it is not only functional… it is pretty. Which means, you will be more likely to hang it up on your fridge as it accompanies you through your week of food.

Want it?! Simply sign up in the top right hand corner of this blog post where it says: Seasonal Bite.

Virtual Summer Progressive Dinner

Within the Summer Meal Plan Worksheet is a handy list of the Essential Summer Produce to guide you through all of the produce that I do not want you to miss before fall starts to cool us down. To celebrate all of the goodness on that list, I decided to get a little help from four of my favorite food bloggers.

Allow me to introduce you to our virtual hostesses for our Summer Progressive Dinner this week:

Whenever I have a party, as guests arrive I make sure they have something delightful in their hands whether they drink alcohol or not. Jaime of the Seasonal Veg Head will be starting us off with a sip of summer.

For the first official course, Lacy of Laughing Lemon Pie will be providing us with a dish that melts summer together into the perfect bite.

I will be providing the main dish, please join me here on Wednesday.

A salad from Sara of Nourished Real Food will delight you with its simplicity and ode to summer.

And finally, Lynn of Order in the Kitchen will bring us a dessert that you can make in several variations all season long.

Please visit each beautiful blog this week to see the recipe and dish they are sharing!

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,

Chef Lilly

 

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Sign up above for the Seasonal Bite newsletter to receive the Summer Meal Planning Worksheet download!

Just Beet It Chocolate Cookies

IMG_4222We are in the middle of a sugar-break in my home. I invited you to join me and a few of you did (yay sugar-free buddies!), but considering not ALL of you decided to go on the sugar break with me, I am guessing you are still eating the sweet stuff. Am I right?

Of course, Valentine’s Day is looming and I thought- darn it, I must share a heart-filled treat with you and I absolutely cannot wait until this sugar cleanse is complete (which is thankfully before V-day!) Especially, because you may need to go grocery shopping sometime soon.

Whenever I write recipes or meal plans I have this hard rule: No writing while hungry. Writing about food while hungry is surprisingly much worse than shopping on an empty stomach. We have all done it and it isn’t pretty. For me, it is as if I have entered a shopping time warp and all the food is glowing a bit too brightly and my hands are grabbing and pulling things off the shelves that I don’t even like to eat. If I am smart I will grab a sandwich or snack-y item and then aimlessly nibble while wandering through the store keeping my eyes averted from the bright food products. It is rarely my finest hour. Don’t do it. Friends don’t let friends shop on an empty stomach. 

Nonetheless, when I thought, I must write to my buddies about this perfect little Valentine cookie that one can eat joyfully for breakfast, snack or dessert, suddenly that obnoxious little voice said: How the hell do you plan to write about cookies when you cannot under any circumstance currently consider eating it?
You will not survive this sugar-break.
You will be eating cookies before you are able to edit the post.
You are doomed to fail this sugar-break. 

Trying to stay calm, I told that little voice, I am not missing chocolate nearly as much as I am missing brie cheese slathered across my homemade sourdough with a glass of red wine. So, there! You mean little voice. Yes, did I mention there is no dairy, caffeine, alcohol or grains on this sugar break. But, who am I kidding, it is late, the kids are in bed and these Chocolate Beet Cookies would really, really hit the spot.

We shall see who is correct. Clearly I must hurry and wrap up this post before that little meanie wins this one.

Here are the facts, this recipe is flexible and I have made these cookies up & down the sweet scale. I personally prefer them less-sweet and skip the brown sugar. That way I can better justify them at snack time or even breakfast. But, if you add the brown sugar, maybe coconut sugar or your favorite sweetener, the flavor will become more intense & dessert like. Basically, if you have a sweet tooth– add your favorite sweetener. If you have been on a sugar-break, you won’t need it because quite frankly that is the bonus of not eating sugar: everything tastes crazy sweet after.

And why the beets, you ask?

During the World War II rations, Red Velvet Cake contained beets to give the pink hue, rather than the red food dye. When I heard that I started adding beets and chocolate to my Smoothies and even this Red Velvet Granola. I love the blushing hue, the hint of nutrients and maybe I get a bit excited about the slight shock factor for non-beet lovers: it ain’t food dye folks, it’s beets! 

Just a couple more fun facts and then you can have the recipe: If you use vegan cocoa & chocolate these can be entirely vegan delights. If you are making them gluten-free be sure to purchase oats that specify they are actually gluten-free.

Indulge! Actually, make these for a friend who is coming off a sugar-break and needs a Valentines Day treat, but also needs to ease back in slowly. Make the low-sugar version and your friend will think they are fully loaded.

Chocolate Beet Cookies

¾ lb beet, enough to make 1 cup puree
¾ cup date, if not soft, soak in hot water
2 cups rolled oats
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½ cup cocoa, vegan if necessary
½ cup coconut, shredded, unsweetened
½ cup brown sugar or coconut sugar, optional, omit for a less sweet cookie
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup coconut oil, warmed to a liquid or olive oil
½ cup chocolate chips, semi-sweet, or minced vegan chocolate bar

Place the unpeeled beets in a saucepan covered with water. Cut any large beets in half or quarters. Simmer until the beets can be easily stabbed with a fork. Run under cold water until they are cool enough to handle and then peel away the skins. Meanwhile, soak the dates in hot water if they are not already soft.

While the beets are cooking, in a separate bowl, toss together the rolled oats, almond meal, cocoa, coconut flakes, brown sugar (if using), baking powder and salt.

Preheat the oven to 350. Place the beets in a food processor or blender with the dates, vanilla and coconut oil. Blend until it is a thick magenta puree. Fold the beet puree with the dry ingredients and chocolate chips/chunks until well combined. Dollop onto a baking sheet in 2 tablespoon mounds. Press down for a flatter cookie or leave round for a soft-centered delight.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until the tops are dry and bottoms appear dry and have a slight color.

To add this recipe to your weekly meal plan or to have on-going access to the two recipes listed above, simply subscribe to Lilly’s Table and receive a new seasonal meal plan every Thursday.

Happy Valentine’s Day Cutie-Pies!

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,

Chef Lilly

PS- I WON! No, cookies were consumed during the writing and editing of this blog post. 😉

Lilly’s Table turns Four!

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Juliette is holding up four fingers celebrating four years!

Midnight September 5th, 2010, our four-month old daughter was thankfully asleep as my husband and I poured small glasses of champagne to toast the first live meal plan of Lilly’s Table. The journey to get to that point was an eye-opening experience and since then there have been many more crazy adventures. I just took a peak at that first weekly meal plan and tried not to cringe, instead I forgave myself for all that I did not know and for everything that was still undone.

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The First Week of Lilly’s Table!

For those of you who have not been with me since that exciting day, let me give you a quick sum up of all that has happened since. My husband graduated with a PhD in Physics, accepted a job at the University of Arizona, we moved to Tucson, my daughter and I began to meet wonderful neighbors and then I discovered the national Food Day. Next thing I knew, I signed up to coordinate Food Day there, which included a three course progressive dinner along the Santa Cruz River (which by the way only flows occasionally during monsoon season).

After the excitement of that first Food Day, I started teaching cooking classes to daycare providers through the Tucson Community Food Bank’s Farm-to-Child program and then signed up to do another year of Food Day. For our second year, the incredible Food Day community decided one event on one day wasn’t enough and so we developed Tucson Food Week which included festivals, classes, and a pop-up picnic.

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I am on the mic, chatting to our first Tucson Food Day crowd as they eat dessert.

Then I became pregnant. I appeared on local TV to talk about the 2012 Tucson Food Week while doing my best to hide morning sickness… which doesn’t feel terribly different from being nervous in front of a camera apparently. 😉 I also followed up with a spot on the local Radio station KXCI, where I spoke not only about Food Week, but Lilly’s Table. It was awesome.

With the end of 2012 came news of another move, fortunately back to Colorado. I had fallen madly in love with Tucson, but was blissful to come back to the open arms of friends with plenty of kids just about the same age as ours. In an unexpected turn, we bought a home in a tiny town and a few week’s later welcomed our baby boy.

I have been close to my children and my computer since that move well over a year ago. I try not to feel exhausted just writing about all of this. Rather, I want to feel excited knowing that midnight toast with my husband, that tiny sip of champagne was the first of so many possibilities. The meal planning service hasn’t quite grown into it’s full potential. Although, I am tempted to argue I was a bit distracted: community events and babies clearly need a bit of assistance. But, what I put in to my children and the community of Tucson I receive exponentially back in love, appreciation and my own growth.

Regardless of whether Lilly’s Table has grown, I am incredibly grateful for every single member. And throughout all of the drama and distractions I remained ever faithful to the weekly meal plan and I have never missed a week. I cannot say the same about this blog and my supposed-to-be weekly newsletter, but it is my hope to add more to the schedule that resonates even deeper with you as a reader.

Which means…. I want to talk to YOU!

One of my greatest lessons from Tucson Food Day was discovering that community and celebration are essential. There are so many food organizations, farms, restaurants and more doing amazing work. Our mission during Food Day was to bring them altogether to celebrate. To high five and celebrate how we are the change we wish to see in the food world.

It is my mission to continue that. It is my mission to empower the celebration of food. I am now on the hunt, exploring ways to bring joy and good food to every table.

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Because here is the deal, even with four years under my belt as an ‘Executive Meal Planner’ and an ‘Executive Mama’, I typically feel I have no idea what the hell I am doing. Not because I am failing miserable, but because there are constant surprises, changes, growth, struggles and most of all… POSSIBILITIES.

That last word has been breathing in and out of me almost daily since moving back to Colorado. Life is brimming over with possibilities… most of which I do not know or understand yet.

So, back to today. Please be a part of the next four years of Lilly’s Table. My heart is exploding with all that could happen, but I need to hear from you. What do you want from me?

More stories?
More recipes?
More tasting parties?
More supper clubs?
Mama focused meal plans?
Kid’s lunch plans?
So. Many. Possibilities!

How can I best EMPOWER you, your family, your friends, your school to CELEBRATE FOOD?

Tell me what you hope to see unfold and I will do my best to deliver. All we have left friends are possibilities and love. Always love.

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Celebrate food,

Chef Lilly

PS- As of LT’s fourth anniversary I have decided to change my tagline from “Live well” to “Celebrate food”. Let me know what you think!?

Eggplant Napoleons and 4 Steps for Perfect Eggplant

IMG_9325Eggplant is one of those vegetables that easily fall into the love/hate realm. I am an eggplant lover, my husband, not so much. That being said, he is a good sport and I do my best to make irresistible  dishes. Since I am such a big fan, I can’t really say exactly why someone would be less than joyful to eat eggplant, but my best guess is that eggplant dances on the bitter side. And I am here to offer you solutions! It is a bit step-by-step, but if you skip a one that is okay, too:

1. Dine in season. I know, Eggplant Parmesan sounds like a great idea for a mid-December holiday meal, but that is asking for trouble. I have noticed, the bitterness is more subtle the sooner the veg is picked off the vine. This is probably reason #228 as to why one should eat food according to the season. Just in case you needed a few more reasons.

2. Pick a good one. If you are shopping in the summer or early fall (aka eggplant season) this should be an easy task. Start with a shiny eggplant in one of the glorious shades it arrives: deep purple, rosy, white, green and everything in between. Other than big brown patches, the color can be anywhere on this lovely spectrum. Pick up the prettiest one you can find, rotate and examine it for any bruising or obvious damage. Now gently press your finger into the flesh. It should be firm and your efforts should not indent it. (Unless you were being too aggressive, in which case: stop that, gentle my friend, gentle.)

3. Check out the seeds. This is where the bitterness often hides. When you slice into the fruit if the seeds appear large and ornery then it was probably very mature when it was picked. It is still good but, you will want to follow the next step. If the seeds are diminutive and less obvious such as in a smaller, younger eggplant then do not bother with the next step unless you need to remove excess liquid. Which is also a good idea if you plan to introduce any oil to your dish.

4. Salty osmosis. I don’t remember much from my high school chemistry class, but when it comes to food I have occasional flashbacks. Osmosis is one of them and I geek out on it a bit. Basically, a generous sprinkle all over the cut flesh of the eggplant will draw out excess liquid… including the bitterness! There are other advantages to this step, because eggplant operates like a thirsty sponge, when you draw out some of the liquid it collapses the cells and when you add oil to it to roast, grill or sauté you will not need to use as much oil. Even if you love fat, using too much can get costly so this is a great strategy. Want a bit more about eggplant and osmosis– this article is helpful.

To get your osmosis going: first, cut the eggplant it whatever shape you need. For the Eggplant Napoleon recipe below you will want slices. Once you have salted the eggplant, let it rest at least 10 minutes, but up to an hour is even better. You will notice a dark, brownish liquid seeping out. This is good! When you are ready to use the eggplant, give it a quick rinse without soaking it with the water. Then with a clean towel, gentle press and dry it. The eggplant is now ready for show time.

This Eggplant Napoleon recipe gives all the enthusiasm of the more classic Eggplant Parmesan (which I also love) but with a bit less oil, less ingredients, no gluten or starch and not even a sauce to worry about, just fresh tomatoes, herbs and cheese. I like to use a fresh mozzarella, but that is hardly required, firm mozzarella, provolone and even smoked versions of those cheeses could all work. Occasionally, I will do a fresh ricotta, but I still like to top it with some mozzarella, because I love when it gets that golden, nearly crisp topping.

Eggplant Napoleon
serves: 2 main dishes, or 3-4 as a side dish

2 pounds of eggplant (preferably the big, round, short ones)
1 teaspoon salt
4 ounces mozzarella
2 tomatoes
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2 tablespoons olive oil (more if needed)

Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on each side and spread it out in a colander for at least 10 minutes. Longer if you have time, up to an hour.

Preheat the oven to 425.

Slice the mozzarella and tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices. Wash and tear the basil into pieces.

Rinse the eggplant and pat dry or press in between a towel until no longer moist. Drizzle a baking dish with olive oil. Spread the eggplant slices throughout, not overlapping. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip and bake 5 more minutes until they are just starting to become golden. Pull from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375.

Now, assemble your napoleons:
Start with the base eggplant- I choose the largest rounds available for the best base. Top with a tomato, few pieces of basil and then a slice of cheese. Repeat until all of the eggplant is used, with the smallest rounds last. Finish the top with a slice of cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until a knife easily slices into the eggplant and the cheese is golden.

What is your favorite eggplant recipe? Please tell me in the comments below.

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,

Chef Lilly