My grandparents ran the store on Chene Street for 25 years before a chain of A & P stores moved into Detroit

My mom’s house – the upstairs apartment offered access to store’s roof where she watched passersby

At first, seeing the house evoked melancholy thoughts of lives lived and eras long gone. But then I recalled the stories my mom tells of living on Chene Street, sneaking into the grocery store, walking to school, and most importantly, learning life lessons from her grandmother, whom she affectionately referred to as “Babcia Upstairs” (Babcia is “grandmother” in Polish).

My grandmother and grandfather in front of the Chene Street store

According to my mother, Babcia (pronounced Bop-cha) defined what it meant to be a “lady” in 1950′s America. She dressed to kill, spoke softly, shined her shoes and always wore rouge, no matter if she was staying in or going out.

A young Babcia and Dziadzia Upstairs with their family. My grandfather is on the left.

In my mother’s eyes Babcia was free from imperfections, always generous, never angry and more than loving. Loving enough to forgive my six-year-old, impish mother her faults, including defacing personal property.

The story goes that Babcia purchased a new dresser set made of beautiful hardwood. My mother took a tube of bright red lipstick, settled herself on the floor next to the wall and transformed one side of the dresser into a canvas for drawings and letters. My mother created a masterpiece – a lipstick masterpiece that lodged itself so profoundly into the wood grain no amount of soap would wash it away. Her parents scolded her and threatened a spanking, but Babcia stepped in. Gazing at her brand new dresser, now covered in a child’s scrawl, she said, “I will have Gloria’s drawings on my dresser forever. She made it beautiful.” That’s how Babcia taught my mother about forgiveness and true love.

That’s my mom right up front (with Bruce, Roger, and Roman). She looks impish, doesn’t she?

One summer evening, my mother spent the night at the upstairs apartment. From her place in a spare bed, she watched Babcia walk down the moonlit hallway. As Babcia turned to enter her bedroom, the moon shone just bright enough to illuminate her form beneath a thin night dress, revealing a truth about Babcia my mom never knew: her legs were deformed, severely bowed, and she walked with a limp. Babcia suffered from Paget’s disease, a painful disorder causing misshapen bones, fractures, and arthritis. Even so, she never complained. That night Babcia taught my mother many lessons, mainly about perseverance, confidence, and the importance of seeing a person as she truly is, not as she appears to be.

As a child, I often heard my mom and her sisters, Francine and Vivian, refer to each other as “Lala.” I knew it was a nickname–a nickname my mother gave me at times–but I never understood its origin. Babcia started it. “Lala” is a term of endearment, meaning “doll” in Polish.

Lala with her brothers, Frank and Bruce

Babcia uttered the phrase, “Lala, mind” often as she instructed my mother in a task or wanted her to listen closely, like when she made golumpkis. Babcia meticulously removed the center vein of each cabbage leaf with a paring knife, a task my mother found too tedious, too slow. “Lala, mind,” Babcia said as she showed her how to roll the ground beef and rice into a neat little package, always encouraging, always instilling confidence.

My mother made golumpkis for me and my brothers on occasion. When she did, her eyes brightened with the impish light of her six-year-old self as she talked of Babcia Upstairs, happy times, eras gone by, and lives lived well.

Babcia’s Golumpkis (with a few twists from her great-granddaughter)

For the Tomato Sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 1/2 quarts crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Cabbage Rolls:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 vidalia onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato paste
Two generous splashes of dry red wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 pound turkey sausage, casings removed (I used local sweet Italian sausage)
1 egg
6 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped finely
2 cups white rice, cooked
1 large head green cabbage

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the sauce:

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and sugar; simmer, until the sauce thickens, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.

For the filling:

In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Sauté the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, until soft. Stir in the tomato paste, the splashes of wine, thyme, and 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce, mix to incorporate and then take it off the heat. Combine the ground meat in a large mixing bowl. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the egg, the cooked rice, and the sauteed onion mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper again. Use your hands to combine the mixture.

For the cabbage:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage and set aside. Cut the core out with a sharp knife and pop the whole head of cabbage into the boiling water. Blanch and remove leaves with tongs as soon as they become pliable. Keep doing this until you have 12 to 14 decent-sized leaves. Run the leaves under cold water.

Cut out the hard, center vein from each leaf, so they will be easier to roll up. Take the outer leaves you set aside earlier and line them on the bottom of a glass, 9 x 13 pan (this helps the bottoms not to burn in the oven).

Make the rolls:

Put about 1/3 cup of the meat filling in the center of each cabbage leaf . Fold in the sides and roll up the cabbage to enclose the filling and create a seam. Place the cabbage rolls in rows, seam-side down, in the glass pan.

Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls. Bake for 1 hour until the meat is cooked.

Happy Mother’s Day, Lala!

The Savannah Inn, Lewes, Delaware

Charming. . .

. . .yet modern

While strolling through the town of Lewes, Mr. Rache and I spotted a deli and trattoria aptly named Touch of Italy. Everything about the place – the ambiance, the furnishings – made me feel nostalgic, even though this was my first visit. Maybe it’s because we were greeted by a young man in a paper hat and welcomed like regulars by the rest of the staff. We ordered a pizza to go and enjoyed a glass of house red at the bar while we waited.

I’ve never had a better house red.

Touch of Italy is more than charming. It’s the perfect juxtaposition of casual old-style deli and more refined eatery. Prosciutto di Parma hangs from the ceiling, pretty cookies sparkle on refrigerated shelves, and hunks of rich Parmesan Reggiano and other Italian cheeses decorate the deli case.

Walking into the front door is like stepping into a small, family-owned deli in 1950s New York

So much glorious cheese

Olives, artichokes, house-made mozzarella, olives, broccoli rabe. I. can’t. go. on.

After enjoying our late night glass of wine, we went to our room to savor every bite of freshly baked and perfectly seasoned pizza.

The pizza in question with house made mozzarella, sausage, roasted red peppers and onions

Impressed, we went back the next day for lunch, enjoying salad, soup, and another pizza.

Caprese Salad with house made mozzarella. No, tomatoes are not in season yet, but these tomatoes were tasty and this salad was worth the non-local splurge

Pasta figioli with sausage and white beans

Smoked mozzarella (house made, of course), broccoli rabe (perfectly cooked) and sausage. Simple goodness.

If you’re down at the beach this summer, visit Touch of Italy for take-out, desserts, or a leisurely dinner with good friends. And expect to want to go back before you even leave.

These pastries, cookies and desserts are made at their bakery location a few miles away

Macaroons dipped in chocolate

I’m smiling because there’s half a pizza, six macaroons, and eight chocolate cream cheese cookies in my to go bag

Touch of Italy

101 2nd Street

Lewes, DE 19958

Drinking tequila and eating tacos at a chain restaurant is a weird way to celebrate Mexico’s underdog victory over the French during the Franco-Mexican War, but in America we need very little reason to throw a party.

I need very little reason to eat (authentic) Mexican food whenever I can get it. No Mexican dish speaks to me more than carnitas, meaning “little meats.” Usually a pork butt or shoulder cooked in lard, carnitas is a dish offering layers of satisfying elements – crispy, yet succulent; greasy, yet clean-flavored; simple, yet rich.

My recipe for carnitas in the crock pot is less than traditional but tastes authentic (and better than anything on the menu at Chili’s). I like mine with corn tortillas, some onion, a squeeze of lime, and good salsa.

Local pork butt fromWhole Foods

Cinco de Mayo Carnitas in the Crock Pot

1 3-4 pound local pork butt (bone-in)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large white onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon cumin

2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon chipotle powder

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (canned), seeds removed and minced

3 tablespoons adobo sauce from the canned chipotle peppers

2 cups chicken stock (or water)

Corn tortillas

Lime wedges

Whatever toppings you like

Salsa, lime, onions, and white cheddar cheese – my favorite simple toppings

Generously salt and pepper all sides of the pork butt, then slather with the adobo sauce and the minced garlic. Mix together the cumin, smoked paprika, and chipotle powder. Rub these seasonings into the pork butt. Place the sliced onion, minced chipotle peppers and chicken stock in the bottom of a crock pot. Place the pork butt on top.

Ready to go

Turn the crock pot on low and cook for 6 to 8 hours or until the pork is fall-off-the-bone tender. Remove from the crock pot and shred with a fork.

Ready for shredding

Place the shredded meat onto a baking sheet and douse with a few spoonfuls of the cooking liquid. Broil for 5 to 7 minutes, until the meat is crispy and browned on the edges.

Ready for the broiler

Serve with corn tortillas and your favorite toppings. (Oh, and don’t let those onions left in the crock pot go to waste!)

Happy Cinco de Mayo! (Make this instead of going to Chili’s. Please.)

It’s Jules’ birthday! Go, Jules, GO!

I met Jules right here on the blogs. We went from virtual friends to real life friends quickly, bonding over a mutual love of avocado egg rolls, writing and beer.

To honor her on the occasion of her birth (and to commemorate the end of National Poetry Month) her blogging buddies and I composed Jules-themed haikus (remember writing those simple, three line poems in elementary school?).

I’m raising my champagne glass and donning my blinged-out mustache glasses just for you, Jules! Let’s party!

>>>

Between chipmunk cheeks

Mouth wishes happy day ‘neath

Cool mustache glasses

Happy, happy birthday to the ever-delightful Jules <3

~Nicki from The Middlest Sister

Bacon, Booze and Gifts
Happy, Happy Day to You!
Can I have some cake?

Chipmunks Dance and Sing
This is the day Jules arrived
To love them with Verve

Uncle Jesse lives
Through your pooch and John Stamos
Whoa, don’t touch the hair

I am horrible
At writing haikus for Jules
Points for the attempt?

>>>

bleaching her mustache

for strangers and three husbands

bacon and wine joy

~Renzzzzz from Renée Schuls-Jacobson’s Blog

Pink bubbles spring forth
another year dances by
Raise a glass to Jules

Bringing sexy back
Blonde ambition and chipmunks
Vodka drinks and pie

Justin Timberlake
(forgetting my next line now)
JT on my brain

I’m on a payphone
Trying to call sweet Adam
Tattoos and ripped abs

Justin, Adam, Me
Holding pink champagne up high
Bubbly birthday cheers.

Happy 29th birthday, JD!!

~Darla from She’s A Maineiac

>>>

Hey there birthday queen
Don’t weigh yourself down with cake
Pour those glasses full

Still close to thirty
But forty will be here soon
Better have a drink

~Andrea from Maybe It’s Just Me 

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summer sunshine smile

singing angel’s voice, hey wait

is that a mustache?

~”Debbie” from Hippie Cahier

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Little did she know,

Chipmunks regarded her as

Their own blog mascot.

~Emily from The Waiting

>>>

~Angie from Childhood Relived

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I buy you champagne
I buy you cheese and bacon
No more mustaches.

I’ve seen you naked.
I must say “Whoa, Go Jules Go!”
Love, your first husband.

~The Venerable Peppermeister from PEPPERMEISTER!

>>>

No longer jailbait

Happy Birthday blogger bud

I’ll bring the vodka

~The Hedonist over at The Food and Wine Hedonist

Bacon and vodka,

Birthday party revelry.

Chipmunks leap and dance.

~Peg from Peg-o-Leg’s Ramblings

>>>

Kiddie-pool of booze.
Uncle Jesse in ‘stache-specs.
Birthday: Done up right.

Eminent blogger;
Singer; a new promotion.
Well, so far so good.

Is your birthday mine?
Happy day, doppelganger!
(Now, who’s dress is this?)

~B-Man of  The Byronic Man

>>>

Vingt piasses dans mes poches
Je chasse, je cherche l’avantage
C’est crissement génial.

~Le Clown from A Clown on Fire

>>>

I can think of no better way to end this post than by introducing you to the woman that started it all.

Introducing Babs, Jules’ mom and expert fitted sheet folder. . .

Celebrate with us! Leave a haiku in the comments, if you wish. (It’s not hard to write one. Only three lines – first line is five syllables, second is seven, and the last is five again.) Cheers!

I can’t really talk about it, so pictures will have to suffice:

I got in the car. . .

Wearing these. . .

And drove here. . .

To pick up this. . .

Just because dessert is made at my “neighborhood bar and grill” does not mean it’s local. I am so sorry. To redeem myself, here’s proof that I couldn’t even finish it all. . .

I jumped off the locavore bandwagon and I regret it. Can you ever forgive me?

Why don’t we ALL ‘fess up? Where do you go when a craving hits? (And are pajama pants involved?)

I started on the car first. I don’t think it’s been cleaned since last summer, because the amount of sand I dislodged from the front seat could have built a sizable sand castle.

Next up was my closet. I say “my” closet, but really, I share it with Mr. Rache. It’s not very big, so I keep my summer and spring things in two other closets–that’s THREE closets in total. I thought this amount of clothing was out of hand, so I bagged up the items I haven’t worn in over a year to donate to one of our local clothing banks. Twelve bags later, my closet was pristine. Yes, twelve bags. I was ashamed and proud at the same time.

The next item on my spring cleaning agenda was the garage. With a firm resolve I opened the door, gazed inside, lost my resolve and slammed the door shut.

Instead, I went through my piles and piles of books. Some of them reside neatly on the living room bookshelf, while others are mounded on my night stand, and even more are placed haphazardly on the floor of my office. Because I’ve recently discovered 2nd and Charles, a used bookstore that takes my old books and gives me credit toward new books, I knew I needed to purge, lest I be overrun.

Sorting books is exhausting work. So is spring cleaning. That’s why I treated myself to some Strawberry Wine Granita.  I can’t wait to make this with fresh strawberries, which should make an appearance in my neck of the woods soon.

Strawberry Wine Granita

2 1/4 cups strawberry wine (I used the rest of a local bottle the lovely Misty from Misty’s Laws gifted me. Thanks, Misty!)

2 tablespoons sugar

Juice of  1 lemon

Zest of  1 lemon

Chill a 9 x 13 pan for while you get the ingredients together. Mix all ingredients together in the pan, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.  Chill overnight, covered.

This is the lazy way. If you want to do it the non-lazy way, you can fluff the mixture with a fork every 30 to 60 minutes.

This is what fork fluffing looks like

This method will give you a fluffier granita with smaller ice crystals. I just let mine go overnight and enjoyed the end result just as much.

So tell me, do you “spring clean”? Do you die a little inside whenever you let go of a book? How often do you clean out YOUR closet?

Bright, light, and tart – like a snow cone for grownups.

The results show that a small community of people CAN spur on change. This week especially, when my hometown of Boston withstood loss and faced fear, I am reminded that every day people, like you and me, make a difference. We care. We love. We help. We matter.

If you haven’t had a chance to contact Congress, you can still make a difference:

Click here to tell Congress to protect federal nutritional programs

Also, a HUGE thank you to Nicole for inspiring change, empowering people to do good, and sharing awesome quotes like this one:

For now I ask no more than the justice of eating. ~Pablo Neruda

Pegged as what?

Insane and nutso.

And a darn good hot pepper eater.

Peg from Peg-o-Leg’s Ramblings is featuring my Peppermeister Roulette video for her series, “Freshly Pegged: THIS one should have been Freshly Pressed.” For those of you not in the WordPress world, being Freshly Pressed is a big deal. The intelligent, creative, hard-working editors at WordPress choose a few posts each day to highlight on their extra special Freshly Pressed page. It’s quite an honor.

It’s also quite an honor to be featured on Freshly Pegged.

And even more of an honor to be referred to as insane and nutso by Peg. When the video first debuted on my blog, Peg made this characteristically hilarious comment:

I can’t believe you did that. You are inSANE! I can’t even do one, teeny, schmeazly jalapeno. You are my hero and/or you need psychiatric help.

If I tried eating those, I would be totally red and blotchy, and would have snot running down my face. How could you still look great while doing that? (What little of you I could see peaking beyond that freakishly large thumb that was blocking practically the whole, entire lens.)

Her comment pretty much sums up what you’ll see on the video, so head on over to Peg-o-Leg’s Ramblings to take a look at an insane, nutso video of me eating hot peppers.*

I’ll be your pepper hero, Peg!  

*You may want to take some dramamine in preparation for the fine camerawork.

Hungry isn’t a word most would use to describe America. Instead, people use words like wealthy and great.

But 50 million people in this wealthy and great nation are hungry, meaning 1 in 4 children are “food insecure” and do not know where they will find their next meal.

One culprit here is poverty: 15.7 million children (21.6%) in America live in poverty. Many American mothers and fathers cannot afford to feed their children nutritious, whole foods, instead resorting to cheaper, processed and packaged goods.  Since 1980, the cost of fruits and vegetables has gone up 40%, but the price of processed foods has gone down 40% (mostly due to crop subsidies for corn and soy but that is another post all together).

The most nutritious foods in the grocery store, such as fresh produce, are the most expensive.

As I was thinking about this post, I talked to some friends about this very issue. One friend grew up right at the poverty line for a portion of his life, often eating saltines and peanut butter for breakfast and lunch. He said, “There was never enough food, but isn’t that a first world problem?” Interesting statement. Yes, most of our children are not starving, reduced to bloated bellies and bones. But in this country, we have plenty of food, yet 50 million of our citizens do not have enough to eat. And the food they do eat is cheap–filled with chemicals, sodium, corn syrup, and fat. While they may not be starving, they are slowly wasting away due to poor nutrition and poor health (obesity and all its risk factors are directly related to poor nutrition).*

How are members of America’s working poor, living at or below the poverty line supposed to care for their families? Many of them qualify for government food assistance (SNAP benefits). In fact, nearly half of American children will receive SNAP benefits at some point in their lives. In 2011, the average monthly SNAP benefit per person was $4.38 a day.* That’s less than $5 for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

I went to the grocery store with $5 in my pocket to see if I could buy ingredients for a nutritious meal. Instead I came out with a bunch of canned goods and a heavy heart. I noticed the most attractive (especially for picky kids) but least nutritious meals were surprisingly inexpensive.

While you and I know that frozen dinners and Hot Pockets are not the best choice for dinner, many don’t. They only know that for less than a dollar a meal, their kids’ bellies will be full.

So what can we do? How can we change the status-quo and make sure our nation’s hungry have access to nutritious food?

As a group of change-agents we can:

• Tell Congress to protect federal nutritional programs. It only takes 20 seconds.
• Educate ourselves. Watch A Place at the Table to learn more about your fellow Americans and food insecurity. Here’s the trailer but you can watch the entire film on Amazon, iTunes, or look for a screening in your local area.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

 Margaret Mead

>>>

If you’re struggling to put food on the table or just want to eat yummy and nutritious food for a fair price, check out these recipe links:

Spinach and Spring Onion Frittata or Ham and Cheese Frittata

Red Lentil Stew

Four Tomato Chicken Pasta

Three Bean Chili (omit the meat and beer in order to make this economical; it’s just as good and lasts for days!)

Thai Inspired Vegetable Soup

Roasted Tomato Sauce with Pasta (SOLE Food Kitchen is an excellent blog for eating fresh on a strict budget.)

Chiles Rellenos Egg Bake (from Andrea’s Garden Cooking)

*All statistics found at Share Our Strength / No Kid Hungry, another resource for learning more and getting involved.

]]> http://rachels-table.com/2013/04/08/blogging-against-hunger/feed/ 37 rachelocal FBAH Logo Lean Pockets IMG_4928[1] http://rachels-table.com/2013/03/29/happy-csa-day-weeks-8-and-9/ http://rachels-table.com/2013/03/29/happy-csa-day-weeks-8-and-9/#comments Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:30:55 +0000 rachelocal http://rachels-table.com/?p=3092 ]]> I know I JUST posted Week 7′s CSA recipe this week, but I need to catch up. After all, I picked up Week 10′s box Tuesday. I’m sad to say that means only two weeks left. On the other hand, my summer share starts in May. I’m VERY excited to see what wonderful things the Lancaster Farm Fresh farmers grow for me!

Carrots–glorious, delicious carrots–were a staple of this winter’s CSA. It seems as if they’ve been replaced by their paler twin–parsnips. I love parsnips. I’ve mashed larger, older parsnips with sweet potatoes and topped with goat cheese (so good!). But these parsnips are delicate and tender and perfect for roasting.

So I took a remarkably large beet (from week 8), a few potatoes, and some parsnips and turned them into hash. Topped with farm fresh eggs, this recipe is a delicious and beautiful way to do breakfast for dinner.

I even had leftovers the next morning–dinner for breakfast, I guess?

Lovely root veggies

Beet, Parsnip, and Potato Hash

3 Yukon Gold potatoes (medium sized), peeled and diced into 1/4 inch cubes

1 giant beet, peeled and diced into 1/4 inch cubes

2 parsnips, peeled and diced into 1/4 inch cubes

5 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and roughly chopped

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 sweet onion, diced

Perfect little cubes

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. On a large sheet pan, toss the beets, potatoes, and parsnips with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or more if you like), 1/4 teaspoon pepper, thyme, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes or until tender. Turn with a spatula ten minutes into cooking time.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet on medium high. Add the onions and saute over medium low until caramelized, about 13 minutes.

When the beets, potatoes, and parsnips are tender and slightly brown, add them to the onions. Saute until browned even more, about 5 minutes.

Divide hash into four bowls or plates and top with a fried egg. (Poached eggs would be lovely, too.)

Root veggies and caramelized onions – a dynamic duo

Hash perfect for any meal

Local, farm fresh eggs–one of my favorite things

So tell me, what’s your favorite breakfast for dinner meal?