The Journey

The Good Food Fairy wasn't always the "Good" Food fairy.  Becoming a mother--learning how to nurture children--was a learning process.  I thought, "When the baby comes out and is in my arms, then I will know what to do."  Well, he came out and I loved him, but I had no idea what to do!  It was a process, becoming acquainted with my new baby, learning what he needed and how he needed it.  Learning how to make him comfortable and feel loved and safe.  It never dawned on me that different bodies, like different cars, may require different foods or fuel for optimal functioning. 

Each child has taught me something different and it was my oldest son, almost 11 years-old now, my "Hummingbird" that taught me how to be a mother.  He taught me about child development milestones and gross motor skills, he taught me about patience and built up my physical endurance and he taught me about food.

He was a very good baby, EXTREMELY active, desired to be outdoors, would light up with people and was very smart.  I had nicknamed him Boonie.  Around 8 months old, when we were living in Italy, Boonie started shaking his head back and forth in a funny, repeated way.  Six months later, he started putting his ear directly on the speaker of musical toys and wasn't talking.  By 24 months, my Boonie was not talking still and was playing with toys in a repetitive, odd fashion.  He also liked turning the lights on and off.  I talked to two doctors about it and brought up autism, but they both said that boys talk late and that he was too social of a baby for autism.

That was October and in December, my husband and I were volunteering in the nursery one Sunday and I saw that my little guy wasn't doing what the other kids were doing.  He was wandering around the table at snack time taking raisins and goldfish off the other children's napkins instead of sitting down to their little table and he didn't sit and listen to the nursery leader when she gathered the children for songs and stories.  The next day I talked to my son's babysitter and asked her if she had observed differences between him and the other children.  She told me yes.  "He doesn't go outside anymore," she said, "and he used to play outside all the time."  She also described how he had become focused on certain sound making toys or spinner toys and would play with them over and over and over. "What should I do?"  I asked  I am grateful to this day that she said what she said: "Have a consultation with you pediatrician.  There might not be anything to worry about, but you would hate for there to be something wrong and to have not addressed it and gotten him the help he needs."

By now, my husband was at USC law school and I was working at the School of Medicine there.  We had a new pediatrician at one of USC's facilities and she told us, "There may be something wrong, there may not, but lets start with a speech and language assessment and go from there."  So I did.  I took him to our appointment at Children's Hospital.  The lady speech pathologist played with him, talked with him and finally sat down to conference with me.  She said, "He does have a speech delay, but I also have observed some autistic-like behaviors and I am referring you to the Lanterman Regional Center for further assessment.

At this point, I knew my sweet boy was not developmentally on track, but knew that he had been fully present and connected with me, but a wall--a barrier--had subtly materialized between us, and  I wanted tools to help me help him get out from behind that barrier.  I didn't know if this constituted autism, but knowledge is power and I was learning. 

California has a Regional Center program for those with special needs.  Once you are diagnosed with special needs or disabilities you are in the Regional Center system and you are in for life.  They coordinate and provide all your services by vendoring with various providers until the child  reaches the age of 3 at which time the school district takes over payment for those services that pertain to the child's education (speech therapy, occupational therapy, sensory integration, etc.).  The regional center continues to provide social therapies if still appropriate for that child.  My husband and I took my boy to the our assessment at the regional
center.  The lovely young psychologist had such a positive and pleasant air about her and immediately put me at ease.  Like the speech and language assessment, she played with Boonie using various toys, observed him playing, talked with him, gave him chalk and asked him to write a line on a small chalk board, etc. Then she sat down with us.  "I am giving him a diagnosis of mild autism," she said.  "I am making this diagnosis because he has behaviors that fall under the criteria for Autism:."  She explained what they were:  Communication impairment, sensory difficulties, and repetitive play primarily.  Like each professional before her that we had seen, she was very encouraging and optimistic.  She said, "I am giving him this diagnosis so that he can get services now, but things could change in one year, three years, five years.  When they reassess him at 6 years-old, they may say that he doesn't need an autism diagnosis anymore."  That gave me great hope.

That night I was on the phone with my mom.  She is an elementary school teacher in a low socioeconomic neighborhood.  She has seen it all: children who were drug babies, children with issues not assessed or children not advocated for.  She told me, "Just use the label for what you need it for, but treat Boonie like Boonie.  Do not treat him like a label.  I didn't raise you kids to be one thing or the other.  And he is just not that far off of a typical child."

So I quit my job and told my husband that we would have to make it work financially, because I needed to be at home to help our child.

To be cont'd...

Soccer Saturday and Korean BBQ Sliders

Ahhhhhh Saturday.  The morning sun rises, the foggy marine layer breaks and like any self-respecting SoCal mother, I am sitting at the soccer fields by 8:15 a.m..  Showered and lip stick on. It's my middle dude's game and at this level of play in his league, no one keeps score.  Except, of course, the Horseman, so called because he was born in the year of the horse, and every other little dude playing soccer on that field.  The Horseman (featured above) scored two goals today.  Way to go Horseman!

Then we head over across town to Soda's game with Coach Dad.  At this level, I am happy if he 1) stays on the field and 2) kicks the ball in the right direction.  Here is the highlight:

Soda has spotted an opportunity to score, and he's on it.  I am screaming like a crazy woman with her hair on fire.

He's goin'...

goin'... (I'm getting hoarse now)

he shoots and he scores! "Good job Soda!" I yell, "Next time, kick it in the other goal!"

So it wasn't our team's net.  But whose keeping score-really?

 

So you know how yesterday I said I'd be shredding last night's leftovers from the "Simply Roast Chicken" for homemade tacquitos?  Guess what?  I forgot the kids had a birthday party and we we're all invited. Which means The Good Food Fairy was off the hook for dinner.  We had a fabulous time at our friends house and ate some very tasty sliders (the mini hamburgers) which had a zinging sweet note.  

    

I thought I'd be stealth and do some undercover investigation (I asked the man bbqing) to find out what he put in his ground beef...and he told me a riveting foodie tale about watching his mother marinade short ribs with a traditional Korean marinade -- soy sauce, garlic, sesame seed oil and sugar.  He told me how he liked to see what she marinated her meats with but didn't like her being at home.  I then asked "Why did you not like your mother being home? and he said because in high school a guy doesn't want his mom at home, so he can, you know and I said "hang out?" and he said "yeah, and stuff" and I said, "well that's exactly why your mom was at home."  Of course my boys will never feel that way about me, right?!

 He marinated the ground beef with the traditional Korean BBQ marinade.  Does that mean he mixed it all in and let it sit wrapped in the fridge?  Dang it!  I didn't ask.  The mini patties were barbecued, served up on halved dinner rolls and topped with bacon, sauteed red onions and crumbled blue cheese!  Ohh la la.  After a day on the soccer fields the Korean BBQ sliders hit the spot.  The Good Food Fairy will just have to fly on to tomorrow where left over roast chicken will be waiting for it's tacquito transformation. 

Simply Roast Chicken

(*Prep time: 20 minutes; Cook time: 1 hr and 30 min.)

Not only do the boys love this dish, but this golden delicious bird is the gift that keeps on giving or the dinner that keeps on dinnering.  Tonight we feasted on chicken with warm tortillas, pico de gallo, grated cheddar and corn on the cob...tomorrow, I'll shred the left over meat and serve up some homemade taquitos with Spanish rice and guacamole!  And if I really have it together (no guarantees), I'll make some stock for an Italian stew.  We'll see where we're at with life on Sunday--it might be a frozen pizza.

First, locate an 8 x 8 glass baking or corning ware dish. 

Get the salt ready.  We're going to be massaging this chicken and our hands will get dirty, so it's best to have salt standing by in a small bowl accessible for double dipping.

Then go for a short stroll in the beautiful morning sun and pop in at your friend's house.  Have a short, pleasant chat with her and pick some lemons together.  Or, you know, go for a short drive in the beautiful morning sun an pop into the store and buy a few.  Either way, we need lemons.

O.k. Let's get down to business.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

And here is our pretty roaster. A roaster is a chicken between 3 1/2 and 7 lbs., about 8 months old and has a higher fat content than a fryer.  More fat, more flavor.  Now don't wig out, this is all in relative chicken terms.  Rinse it inside and out.

Pat it dry.

Start the chicken on its oil rub down.  I use techniques I gleaned from a past infant massage class.  Works like a charm.  Rub oil all over the skin--top and sides.  Use your fingers to scissor under the skin, stand the chicken on its neck end and pour oil underneath the skin. 

Using sea salt, we're gonna sorta brine the chicken without all that soaking in salt water stuff.  Rub salt all over the skin and under it directly onto the breast and thigh meat .
                       

                           

Cut two lemons in half.  Squeeze lemon juice all over the skin and again, underneath the skin. The acid of the lemon juice is what makes the skin of the chicken brown so nicely.

Cut a third lemon into eighths and stuff em' in.  Now our bird is ready for the oven...

in it goes, 350 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes give or take.  If you have a convection fan, turn it on.  It will circulate the warm air for even roasting and faster cooking.

When that beautiful aroma of roast chicken starts to waft through the house, go ahead and take a look.  It should be about 15 to 20 more minutes. Check for doneness clear juices by poking in between the breast and thigh. Yummy juices will trickle out.  Are they clear?  Yes?  Then it's time to come out of the oven. (160 degrees on an instant read thermometer)  Cover with foil and let the bird rest for at least 15 minutes.  By letting the bird rest, it will relax and reabsorb some of its juices.

Ring the dinner bell...it's time to eat!

RECIPE: SIMPLY ROAST CHICKEN
 *Gluten Free option
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hr & 30 minutes

• 4 - 6 lb. whole chicken (organic or free-range if possible)
• 3           lemons
• 2 - 3  T. olive oil (or as needed)
• 2 - 3 T. kosher or sea salt (or as needed)

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Locate a glass or ceramic baking dish that snugly fits the chicken.
2. PREP CHICKEN: Take the chicken out of its packaging.  Remove the neck and giblets from inside the chicken. RINSE the chicken thoroughly inside and out.  Place the chicken in baking dish and pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
3. Massage the the skin--top and sides--with roughly half of the olive oil.  Finger your way underneath the skin of the chicken, scissoring  to separate the skin from the meat.  Rub the remaining olive oil under the skin--over the breasts and thighs--and inside the cavity.
4. Massage the skin --top, sides and underneath--with the salt.  Rub a large pinch of salt in the cavity as well
5. Cut two lemons in half and douse the skin--top and sides, and along the rim of the chicken's cavity.  Stand the chicken on its end and, holding the skin open with one hand, squeeze lemon juice over the breasts and thighs underneath.
6. Set the chicken, breast side up, in the baking dish.  Cut the a third lemon into eighths and stuff them into the cavity of the chicken.
7. Roast for about 1 hour and 30 minutes (with convection on for even roasting).  Begin checking on it when you smell the chicken's roasting aroma.  
8. The chicken is finished roasting when it's juices run clear with no trace of pink.  To check juices, poke the chicken's skin with a paring knife or skewer between the thigh and breast.  Juices will spill out, they should be clear.
9. Cover the chicken with foil and let it rest and reabsorb its juices for 15 minutes.

Serving ideas: 1) Warm tortillas (corn tortillas for Gluten-free),  pico de gallo and shredded cheddar; 2) Brown rice and Italian green beans; 3) Mashed potatoes and spinach salad.

Gluten Free Pantry

This may look like an add for Bob's Red Mill, but it's not.  Bob is one of the only brands that has a dedicated Gluten Free line of flours.  I have found that I like a combination of four flours for my GF baking.  Here's what you'll need to buy or order to get started: 1) Brown Rice flour; 2) Garbanzo Fava flour or just Garbanzo flour, 3) Potato Flour (not starch) and 4) Tapioca Flour.  So here's what each flour does...

  



BROWN RICE FLOUR -- Brown rice flour is a whole grain flour and therefore, nutritious. It does not have a vegetal bite or after taste.  I use this for the bulk of flour in my GF baking recipes. Adds fiber, iron and protein.

GARBANZO FAVA FLOUR -- Garbanzo Fava or Garbanzo Flour is just that dried, ground garbanzo beans.  It does have a bit of a vegetal bite in baking that you have to be careful of, but adds a fair bit of protein.  I use this flour as a supplemental flour in baking for texture and protein,  breading chicken tenders and pizza crust.  Adds protein, fiber, iron and calcium.

POTATO FLOUR -- It gives sponge.  But a little Potato flour goes a long way, because as it stirs in, the starches get working and it thickens up.  This is also a good thickener for GF roux's.  Adds protein, fiber, Vitamin C and Iron.

TAPIOCA FLOUR -- Tapioca flour adds a lightness to help counteract the denseness that GF baking can tend towards.

Now round up at least four of these.  A big one for brown rice flour.  I bought these clear OGGI cannisters from Bed Bath and Beyond.  I use the 8" diameter x 8 " height for brown rice and 5 " dia x 8" height for the others.  With clear I can see what the flour is.  It was a nightmare with ceramic, I couldn't see anything.

Here's what gives rise to my GF baking!  Gluten is the elastic-like mesh that rises our common breads and pizzas when yeast or the like rise up underneath it.  I use aluminum free, to cut out as many heavy metals my kids ingest as possible.  With a kid on the autism spectrum, I'm just more vigilant about those things...use whatever you have.

 

Sweeteners.  Aren't they pretty?  For The Good Food Fairy's GF recipes you'll need maple syrup, honey, sugar and maple agave, if you can find it.  Agave comes from the Agave cactus.  Maple agave is much lighter on the maple flavor than maple syrup and sometimes using a liquid sweetener as opposed to sugar,  produces more of a moist crumb.

 

Now your ready to bake up some magic of your own!

"Magic" Moment # 1: GATORADE?

So we're driving.  The boys and I.  And it's a beautiful day, for our neck of the woods.  Bright, sunny, my oldest has the Beach Boys playing on the car speakers.  Just cruisin' home and my middle dude calls out over Wish they all could be Californian...

"IS THIS GATORADE?"   I yell back, "I DON'T KNOW," as there are a plethora of things in the car whose origins I know nothing about.  That's when Soda, the youngest, yells out, "NO, IT'S PEE!"

This exchange all taking place, mind you, at the top of our lungs over: ...wish they all could be Californian girrrrrllllssss...while I'm still driving.  Do I think much of it?  No, of course not, Soda thinks it's hilarious to drop this, his favorite word, into any conversation.  But then it dawns on me: Soda had been playing in the car for a mysterious amount of time yesterday...and a couple weeks ago, I caught him using a funnel he had found to facilitate his stream into the toilet...DANG IT TO ALL HECK!!!  Now, what to do.  I did what any mother of my generation would do...

I

 I checked the thermos to see if it was recyclable -- which it was -- emptied it's contents in the dirt...

Trotted it out to the Recyclables garbage can, went back into the house and  began to expound to Soda why we do not pee in a soccer thermos, put the lid back on and leave it in the car.  Ahhhhh, the magic moments!  It's what life's all about...right?