You Have to Get Obsessed and Stay Obsessed (or turnip your pickle volume!)

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Thanks to John Irving (my favorite author) for the title of today’s post. Thanks to John and Brittany Denis at Sunset Harvest Farm for growing turnips! The small ones we have been getting have really been delicious and a revelation to me.

I haven’t used turnips since one Thanksgiving about 12 years ago when we decided to have a mixed pile of roasted root vegetables as a side dish. All we could get was a couple large, hard turnips, and I don’t think we knew so much what we were doing when we roasted them with some parsnips, carrots, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Texturally, they were not the greatest and add to that I came down with a nasty flu the next day, and turnips went completely off my radar!

Until now…because of my anti-inflammatory meal plan, we decided to get into a CSA plan (community supported agriculture). Every week, we have been getting some amazingly fresh vegetables from Sunset Harvest Farm

Since that time 12 years ago, I have read more cookbooks, looked up more recipes online, and learned many other cooking techniques. So when dill was given to us for a couple weeks in a row, and I had organic cucumbers, carrots, and turnips on hand, I started dabbling in quick pickles and as quick as they jar up, I became obsessed with flavors! You can pickle most anything that is a firm vegetable or fruit (yep…fruit. I recently saw a recipe for pickled pineapple and I’m looking forward to trying that soon). You don’t always need dill, but it helps–especially when you pickle with cucumbers.

All you need to do is make a brine, which is your choice of vinegars (lighter ones are better in my experience so far–think white, apple cider, rice wine vinegar), water, sugar (if you’re into sweet/sour) ,and kosher or sea salt. Then, add spices, pour over whatever you are pickling, and refrigerate for 24 hours to get the pickle party started, and keep for up to 3 months (some loss of crunch may occur).

My favorite non-cucumber pickles so far have been these Spicy-Sweet and Sour Pickled Turnips

A Constant Work in Progress

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This week, you can try some of the foods I have been making for myself on my new eating plan. I don’t like to call it a diet because it is negative. This is just another one of my new self-care treats–to feed myself better. I am allowing myself a little more spice in my anti-inflammatory routine because it doesn’t seem to bother me, and tastes soo good. The fresh foods are definitely helping me have more energy. Take a look, and see if there is anything you would like prepared for you this week.

I cook in the Dearborn area. Send me an email for details on my personal chef services and baked goods.

New Menu and What Happened

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Menu available cooked for you in the Dearborn Area.

Hi! It’s been a while. I’ve been out of the cooking game for a few months. Some of my followers on insta and FB have asked, but I thought I’d just put it here and then field questions later in those platforms.

Since last July, I’ve been up and down physically and mentally. You may recall a post from summer, called Business of 2, where I explained how we started this and who I was. I mentioned my struggles with anxiety and depression. Good news, I have been winning that war lately! Lots of self-care, a good therapist, and the correct meds have all played a part in my better mental outlook. I think it’s important to share this because someone else out there may be going through the same and I’m here to say, it’s better, it can be done, and yes, it will always be work.

Around the same time, I began having physical issues as well. Joint pain, fatigue, and muscle weakness were the major issues. Then, I developed frozen shoulder. All of these symptoms sent me on a quest through several doctors and physical therapy. Long story short, I had the shoulder operated on just before Christmas and have just finished about 3 months of physical therapy. The shoulder is better. The other issues are calmer, but not gone. Tentatively, it is diagnosed as Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease (UCTD). I say tentatively because it is an auto-immune disease that can take a long time to diagnose, and it has symptoms of  other auto-immune diseases like lupus and RA that can themselves take a long time to diagnose for certain. So, I have been learning to live with a body that doesn’t always do the things I want it to and may not be the same even from day-to-day.

One of my pieces of self-care has been a change in food. I’m working on an anti-inflammatory eating plan. Lots of whole foods, little processed foods, and learning to eat things I’ve never liked (cue my new favorite saying: Beets taste like dirt). This new plan will be reflected in the menus and I hope the choices make everyone feel their best!

A New Business Model

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Sometimes, the best laid plans…you know…

When I started cooking for people over a year ago, it was a small venture from my home and I thought it would just sail along. Well, being the sole person in charge is great in a perfect world. But the world is not, and that’s what makes it fun (or that’s what I tell myself). Sometimes, for things to flow along, we have to adjust.

So, this post is not my usual menu. It is ALL THE THINGS! This is the official re-launch of Rm Made. From now on, you can make kitchen appointments! Your food can be on your table, in your home, with everything cleaned up and taken care of for you. All you do is contact me AT LEAST 48 HOURS ahead of time, and I can be there for you.

What you see here are SUGGESTED MEALS I have made before for my clients. The pricing shown is based on food costs and time in the kitchen. For travel OUTSIDE of Dearborn, there is a travel and cooking fee applied based on where you are. Please take a minute to check out the menu options below, and let me know what I can do for you!

You can, as before, pick up the baked goods from me or have them dropped off.

As always, thank you for your support, and use the contact information to the right to find me.

Menu August 8-August 16, 2018

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The weekly menu is here with a new chicken marsala dish! Please give us one day ahead of when you’d like pick-up or delivery. This menu is good for the Dearborn, Michigan area. We will work with you on pick-up or delivery options. If you in the Detroit area, but out of the Dearborn area, a delivery charge will apply. Message us at rmp@rmmade.com , or visit us on Facebook at Rm Made 

Back to the good old days

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Sometimes I have too much time on my hands. I use that time to cook experimental food that I’ve seen made on whatever cooking show I just watched or read a recipe for on-line. I end up riffing on what I’ve seen because I’m that sort of cook. As a result, we don’t often have the same meal twice. We used to eat repeat meals when my kids lived at home because it was easy to make the things they enjoyed and asked me to make. I also didn’t have to think about it when we were too busy to stop for creative dinner. Lately, I’ve been trying to remember what we ate. I’ve been married and cooking for 30 years, so that’s a lot of time to recall.

This has resulted in me thinking about the ones we may miss. The new recipe here for chicken salad is one of those. I was looking for something that would be an easy dinner, good for a summer evening. This is great on croissants, sourdough bread, or right off the plate.

It’s different from the usual chicken salad (I think) for two reasons. One, it has the addition of tart dried cherries and carrots (adds crunch instead of the usual nuts) and two, I use yogurt for the creamy part (not a fan of mayonnaise at all). Not trying to do shameless ads here, but if you do try this, use a really good quality yogurt for best results. I used the new Oui brand from Yoplait in vanilla for 1/2 of the yogurt and Fage 0% fat for the other 1/2 cup. Sounds unusual, but trust me, it’s the right blend of sweet and savory!

My only regret is that I neglected to take a picture of the final result on the sourdough we enjoyed it on.

 

 

July 31- August 7 2018 Menu

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The new menu is here with dishes inspired by the flavors of Italy, India, and Poland! Cannelloni, Curry, and Kluski for you to try! Please give us one day ahead of when you’d like pick-up or delivery. Click pictures to open larger. This menu is good for the Dearborn, Michigan area. We will work with you on pick-up or delivery options. If you in the Detroit area, but out of the Dearborn area, a delivery charge will apply. Message us at rmp@rmmade.com , or visit us on Facebook at Rm Made 

 

Summer Days/Menu July 17-July 24, 2018

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Something about having been a teacher with the busy grind of days at school and then nights of planning and paper checking makes the days of summer seem like vast open spaces of nothingness. Super existential, right? But I think that’s why I love to do something totally relaxing and creative on those days. I feel like if you give me a tub of flour and a pile of eggs, I can do anything on those open summer days. For some reason, this is my favorite time of year to be making pasta. The fresh vegetables just make the possibilities endless. A fresh batch of pasta is like a canvas waiting to be filled with the color of the farm market. (It may also help that summer is a good time for chilled wine which pairs well with pasta…but that’s another story)

So, this week we have one of my new favorite pasta dishes. The bright lemony sauce screams summer sunshine and goes well with a glass of rosé and a salad. Won’t you give it a try?

If you are feeling a little like brunch for dinner (or brunch for brunch!) we also have our crepes back. These are served with a fruit compote of the freshest looking summer fruits from the market that day or with a savory blend of ricotta and spinach.

The new menu is here below!  Please give us one day ahead of when you’d like pick-up or delivery. Click pictures to open larger. This menu is good for the Dearborn, Michigan area. We will work with you on pick-up or delivery options. If you are out of the Dearborn area, a delivery charge will apply. Use the email address to the right on this page for ordering, or visit us on Facebook at Rm Made 

July 9-16, 2018 Menu

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The new menu is here! We are featuring cannelloni, cauliflower ‘grits,’ and a comforting chicken dish this week, as well as one last week of lemon bars. Please give us one day ahead of when you’d like pick-up or delivery. Click pictures to open larger. This menu is good for the Dearborn, Michigan area. We will work with you on pick-up or delivery options. If you are out of the Dearborn area, a delivery charge will apply. Use the email address to the right on this page for ordering, or visit us on Facebook at Rm Made