Philadelphia Flower Show 2014

We were fortunate enough to have gotten a pair of free tickets to the 2014 Philadelphia Flower Show.  It was touch and go as to whether or not we could find the time to actually go to the show, but a confluence of good timing on Saturday morning meant we could go as a family.  Buying one ticket for a princely sum isn't quite as expensive as having to purchase 2 or 3 tickets for the family.  Luck was with us a bit more, someone standing outside the ticket booth asked if we needed one ticket, $10! Into the show we went.  It was crowded, it always is, but the exhibit space is vast and the displays huge enough that they can be viewed from a distance.  

I read a review of the hits and misses of this year's show - most of the review was positive.  The flower show is almost 100 years old. It's the horticultural society's grand fund raiser and publicity awareness event.  It's a massive spectacular event that truly is the region's harbinger of the warmer season about to bloom.  A woman interviewed for the article that I read stated she's been attending the show since the 1950's - nearly 60 years.  I've been going for over 40 years, it's easy to make it a tradition in your life.  For me, the tradition is that the Flower Show is always this time of year and it just happens to be the week of my birthday.  As a birthday treat, the flower show has been a present to me or a present to myself.  Easy enough to have this be over a 40 year tradition in my life.

There are always displays to find that I want to replicate in my own garden.  This potter's artist and garden studio.  There was also a recycled shed and garden area, filled with a retaining wall made out of metal, stones, bottles.  Bottles converted into light sconces.  Plastic spoons turned into flowers and suns.  Tires as planters and shelves.

I also loved this Dutch tiny house and the burst of tulips, crocus and Hyacinth.   All flowers that I love love love.

 An Issiah Zagar mosaic - part of the recycled garden area, put together by the students of Saul Agricultural school in Roxbourgh.

And always on the look out for a sign of spring and bicycles - this display, while it was at the end of it's life cycle, was very pleasing to me.  A field of daffodils and a bike filled with flowers - yes please!

Scenes from a Mardi Gras Party

I attended an amazing Mardi Gras party at the home of one of my Collingswood friends, last weekend (Saturday, March 1st).  Even though I had been sick, I went the the soiree and had a GREAT time.  Drank a lot and felt it the next morning.  Ate a ton of crawfish and not much else, though I had eaten earlier in day, so I wasn't exactly starving at the time of the party.  Looking back at the photos, I wish I had partaken in some of the glorious foods.  I drank too many Hurricane punch drinks and Jack and Cokes instead!

Plenty of fun and photo opportunities and chances to catch up with some of my Collingswood friends without kids in tow.  This was an evening sorely needed.  The only thing to have made it better was if Liz could have joined me.  She had to work at an all night rehearsal.  Ah, the life of a two "career" family with kids...

Towards more mindful eating

Juicing with a Magic Bullet

 The winter in the North East of the country has taken quite a toll on almost everyone I know.  The never-ending Polar Vortex; 30 some inches of snow; and 8 missed days of work due to snow days; pot holes becoming so huge and fierce that they've swallowed whole trucks.  It is a crazy, cold, depressing winter.  Add in my recovery from a hysterectomy and battling mild-flu-like symptoms and recurring colds, well, it sure is the winter of my discontent.  It is little wonder that I'm struggling with my usual seasonal affect disorder depression along with a weight battle.  Liz and I are trying to be more mindful eaters - not quite adopting our Weight Watchers days, but trying hard to get back to that clean eating mind-set.

Super Juice - Orange, Apples, Shredded Carrots, Parsley and a splash of Apple Cider

Cutting out carbs - the breads, cakes, candies, treats and other gluten-rich sugary carbohydrates feels like a near-impossible task.  Liz just starting reading a book called 10 Days to Sugar Detox.  It's hard core: no sugar, grains, beans, alcohol or caffeine for 10 days.  I won't say I can't do it or won't do it, but I'm not so sure I want to do it in such a radical reset your eating clock kind of way.  Then again, one can try almost anything and see how it goes…I have been trying to be more conscious of what I eat and  how much. Along the lines of when we did Weight Watchers back in 2007 through 2009.  I mean, I was successful, losing all that weight.  Which makes me think about how negative I am in my head now and have been for a few years.  I know I'm no different than just about 90% of most women, constantly battling the demon voices in my head that says I hate myself, I'm fat, I'm lazy…If I and other women didn't feel this way, there would be no need for any of the "women's magazines" that clutter the supermarket check out aisle and fill the magazine racks at most hair salons or doctors offices.

Sautéed pork medallions in vermouth, Dijon mustard and herbs with steamed broccoli 

For a few weeks, I did really well and then my resolve wore out.  Starbucks got in a new line of bakery goodies, and for a buck, after 2 pm, you could try the new line of croissants, coffee cakes, and other delectable La Boulange baked goods.  I gave in twice! The treats are not so calorie and fat dense, but still my mindful eating became mindless dessert grazing.  You would think that since I got a diet boost with having the 3 or more pounds of fibroids removed from me that I'd be on my way to a more noticeable weight loss. Nope.  One week I lost another 3 pounds. Then a weekend of being nauseous left me at a weight number I've not seen in more than 3 years.  Of course it was mostly dehydration weight loss! This week, back to my usual number.  What I need to keep in mind is that I have kept over 55 pounds off of my body since March 2008.  That's not too bad.  However, what I tend to think about is the other 20 pounds or so that I had once lost and then put back.  Now I may have only been down 70-75 pounds for a hot minute, and I mostly was down 60 pounds at my best, but I also had a wonderful amount of muscle tone, which is long gone.  I know I can do it again it's just a matter of re-figuring out how...

Soy Sauce Marinated Pork, with braised red cabbage and yellow peppers; sticky brown rice and broccoli.  An easy to make meal that is very satisfying and fairly low-fat.  It's full of fiber and good nutrients.

Urban Farm and Urban Food Swaps

Last Saturday, January 25th, I took a ride into Philly and headed over to GreensGrow Farms, in Kennsington.  I'm going to teach a knife skills and knife sharpening class there on February 8th.  12 to 2 pm, $20, bring a dull knife and go home noticeably sharper!  I needed to do a dry run to check out the space.  In the 16-17 years that GreensGrow has been a working urban farm, I've never been to it.  I've wanted to go. I certainly know a lot about their mission all the wonderful things that they do for the surrounding community.  I love that they have taken what was once an urban, industrial "waste-land" and reclaimed the grounds, turning something undesirable into a viable food oasis in a food desert region. 

I've long been a fan of the fine work that the founders, Mary Seton Corboy and Tom Kereduk did and still do.  Seeing the farm in winter didn't diminish its specialness. A fresh coat of snow all over the neighborhood and winter tunnels brought a sparkle of life the the farm.  I visited on a "Winter CSA Day", the main green house store was bustling with people, busily picking out their winter crop shares.  A few vendors are on hand, pouring locally roasted coffees (ReAnimator Coffee Roasters); Girl Scouts were hawking thin mints and doe-see-doe's; local farms had fresh eggs, winter apples for sale and bags of heirloom cracked grits was on special offer to CSA members. I felt like Laura Ingalls Wilder dropped into the General Store after a hard winter on the plains and subsisting on hard-tack biscuits. A bit over-whelming with all that was available while being lovely and amazing.

I'm looking forward to my class with GreensGrow Farms.  It's been a wish of mine for a long while to branch out with my cooking classes.  Expanding the "brand" of The Bicycle-Chef and Collingswood Food Swappers.  I'm keen on having the knife skills class become one of many new ventures with Greensgrow.  

Monday night, January 27th brought me to the Free Library of Philadelphia, for the Philly Swappers winter swap.  Seems so long ago that I first attended one of their events, but it was only last April, a mere 7 months ago! And look at where the past 7 months has taken me!  My own food swap group, with four swaps to our credit; friends with many other swappers and groups; co-sponsor of swaps; attendee and mentor to other swappers just starting out.  How nice to be a part of an underground network of food happenings.

The Philly Swappers winter event was well-attended.  It seemed as though there were about 40 people participating.  Unlike the April event, this one was so calm and quiet.  There wasn't the hyper-kinetic frenzy I witnessed.  Sampling and checking out one another's wares was very civilized - so much so that I had that awkward girl at the school dance feeling again - not sure if anyone would approach me to ask me for a dance…I needn't worry. While the onlookers were subdued in their approach, my swap card quickly became full of potential "buyers" of my wares…Trading time picked up speed but never became a too much of a whirlwind of activity.  More than anything there was a steady and deliberateness that I rather enjoyed.  We all knew why were were here and what we wanted!

There was a wide variety of items: several high-end ice creams; wildly decadent flavored pop corns - I lucked out with a trade for Habanero Caramel Corn! So sweet and fiery! Jars of easy chills; packets of instant oatmeal with exotic mix-ins; artisan breads; organic pies and pie fillings; granola; jams; home-made chocolate hazelnut spread; and my favorite (but not in the luck of my draw this time) a vegan treat called "Millionaire's Bacon", which was coconut chips with a sweet, smokey meaty flavoring.  A taste so good that I can see that it should make the chef a millionaire with the recipe.  

I came home with all of my jars of Balsamic Fig Jam and Apple Cranberry Compote snapped up. In exchange I have two different cranberry chutney's; another fig jam; granola; pumpkin oatmeal cookies - devoured in two days; the oatmeal packets; quick bread; Meyer lemon marmalade; and a wonderful jar of apple pie filing.  There are other goodies here too. The larder is quite full of jars of put up goods.  

As my swaps grow, the ideas do too.  Collingswood Food Swappers next event is scheduled for Saturday, March 8th, early evening.  We'll be doing a "Spirits Swap" which will be infused liqueurs; home brews; cordials, bitters, tonics, etc. Along with a smattering of cocktail nibbles and treats.  Swaps may be all the rage and I intend to keep the interest piqued and lively.

Never Dull always Sharp

I'm delighted to share the news that I'll be teaching a knife sharpening and knife skills class on Saturday, February 8, 12 pm to 2 pm, at Greens Grow Farm in the Kensington/Fishtown area of of Philadelphia.  For only $20 and your dull knife you will go home SHARP!  That is, you will feel as your knife will become, and you will learn the best way to sharpen it, hold it, handle it and keep it in tip top shape.  I'll also teach some basic knife skill cuts.  Registration is now open, check out the link here.