thanks in 2009 and looking forward to 2010
I must apologize if you read this before Thanksgiving but in the spirit of being thankful in 2009, I must repeat….. and thank those thankless food items that make our lives so much better.
The Fruit. For the bright and the dull, the sweet, the sour and the savory, the round and the obscure, the sugar filled, the soft, the hard and those with pits, the seeded and the aromatic. To the fruit that keeps us regular, to those that keep us healthy. I am thankful for the plentiful fruit that we have access to here in Santa Clarita, the fruit that shows up in our stores but is grown so far away. I appreciate the locally grown fruit too, the ones that our own farmers haul to the market, piece by piece by piece.
The Vegetables. Celery, Carrots, Artichokes, Asparagus, Green Beans, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Eggplant, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Kale, Cucumbers, Squash, Peas, Peppers, and Corn. Do I need to say more? I am thankful for the vitamins that these provide, their versatility and convenience, the fact that these vegetables fill us and sustain us and that they can be substituted and combined. I appreciate the diversity in colors, shapes and sizes and that vegetables are universally understood.
Dairy. From the farms to the trucks to the packagers to the stores and finally to the consumers, dairy products fill our bodies with protein, fat, carbohydrates, and vitamins. With cream, butter, milk, casein, cheese, whey and yogurt, I am grateful that these items exist to keep our bones strong, to nourish our young, to dampen cereal, to cream soups and potatoes, to moisten ingredients in recipes, to match meat in a sandwich, to snack or dine with, to help make rich as in a sauce, or simply for the taste of it. I am thankful for those dairy farmers who are still around and the creameries that make artisan cheese. I am grateful for the “anti cheese” or the non-dairy that my brain disdains but my lactose-intolerant body prefers.
Proteins in the form of chicken, lamb, beef, pork, duck, duck, goose, fish, and turkey, to name a few. I am thankful that I live in such a century that I do not have to hunt and fish, slaughter, skin, pluck, or drain any animal that I do not wish to. I appreciate the shiny counters above clean and clear glass encasing gorgeous specimens of meat and fish that give me inspiration for dishes and meals to serve my family and through my business. I am grateful for the selection and quantity available to me. I am grateful for these animals whose meat we enjoy.
I am thankful for carbohydrates including beans, grains, potatoes and rice. To the fillers of our culinary being, I salute you. For Thanksgiving would hardly exist with out sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, rice, bread, and pie crust. I am grateful to the corn and wheat farmers who labor to make the flours, meals, sugars, syrups and oils that make cooking and baking accessible to us all.
I am sure that there are other items that I have forgotten to thank like coffee and chocolate. To any food product that may not fit into a paragraph above, I apologize and appreciate your contribution to my thighs and waist line. The byproducts are working their magic on me – Fat, L-Triptophan and Caffeine. For these, I am not so thankful. Well, yes I am.
In 2010, I am making a resolution to enjoy my husband and family more, to take time to snuggle and cuddle and listen. I am also promising to take care of my body through balanced diet and exercise.
Thank you to the readers of the SceneInSCV and for Marlene and Ed Bernstein for further uniting this great community of the SCV. It has been my pleasure to write for you and look forward to a awesome 2010!
Yours in food – Dawn
Dawn’s newest and most successful culinary adverture is Dawn’s Dinners. Chef Dawn prepares fresh dinners for families in the Santa Clarita Valley. Chef Dawn also offers fresh frozen meals, complete with reheating instructions, ready to take home and defrost. Not only do families get healthy home-style cooked meals, but the meals are usually $25 for four people and $35 for six! Surf over to Chef Dawn’s website www.chefdawn.com where you can see what is on the menu for dinner tonight. When Chef Dawn is not cooking, which is rare, she enjoys spending time and camping with her amazing husband, four daughters, Truffles the dog and Puff and Custard, the dragons. Dawn volunteers at SCVi Charter School, Hadassah, Temple Beth Ami and Girl Scouts. Dawn is also a Licensed Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser and Notary Public.
Hey, I recently started reading your blog – thank you for the good work. As an FYI that it’s not displaying properly on the BlackBerry Browser (I have a Bold). Anyway, I am now on the RSS feed on my PC, so thanks again!
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