What's for dinner MawMaw? Well, nothin' fancy, just savory roasted chicken, smashed sweet potatoes, a big fresh garden salad, homemade dill rye bread, home canned stewed tomatoes, applesauce cake.....

The cook with her two biggest fans

When trying to think of a name for this blog I kept coming back to what my Grandma and my Aunt used to say whenever I asked them what they were makin' for dinner Sunday night back in Virginia when I was growin' up and going to college.  Both women, in addition to teaching me a lot about life in general, also managed to inspire in me, through instruction and example, a passion for good, wholesome food that would bring together and deeply satisfy family, friends, and strangers that quickly became friends after sharing our bounty at the big table on Westwood Avenue in Charlottesville.  My Aunt Theresa, to whom I still owe so many of my "secrets" of culinary creativity and success, was always (and still is) in charge of making Thanksgiving dinner for our family of about a dozen or so hungry relatives.  Whenever I brought a friend or boyfriend to our annual Thanksgiving feast, she/he was truly speechless when sitting down to what we took for granted as a normal thanksgiving meal, about 20 different, diverse dishes, all exceptionally delicious and impossible to fit all on my plate at once.  Every year she would mix it up a bit, different yet still mouth watering versions of the same basic, seasonal, farm-to-table dish, items such as Saffron Stewed Tomatoes, Blood Orange and Pomegranate Yams, Hickory Smoked Oyster Stuffing, Garlic and Ramp Mashed Red Potatoes, Fontina Truffled Mac and Cheese, Curried Deviled eggs (wait, maybe those were at Easter...), Pumpkin Corn Pudding, and old fashioned home-canned green beans with bacon and butter!  I didn't realize until I was much older that these beans (which I thought were the green part of my meal therefore the healthiest) were probably higher in fat and sugar than the pecan pie I had for dessert!

My Slow Cooker Spanish Smoked Paprika Stew

Until my grandmother passed away when I was a 4th year (senior) at the University of Virginia, almost every Sunday I was invited to her and my PawPaw's home, and either she or my aunt Theresa would "whip up" something amazing and fulfilling that always left me feeling ready to tackle the week ahead of studying, clinicals, meetings, exams, and the inevitably complex relationships in which we find ourselves those formative four years of our lives.   

Whenever I asked MawMaw or Theresa what we were having for dinner, they would always say: "oh, nothin' fancy, just maple glazed short ribs w/ gorgonzola dipping sauce, chipotle boiled collards w/ shrimp and grits, and fresh picked strawberries and spinach.  Oh, and my great aunt "Momma Hoy's" famous creamy coconut cake for dessert"...you know, nothin' fancy:)

So, I have become a lover of good food, of fun food.  Planning recipes, experimenting with combinations of ingredients and flavors and themes, usually using my husband and friends as guinea pigs, is an activity that I love only second to and sometimes just as much as running, my other passion and free-time hobby.

Local Vineyard in Southern Oregon in the Autumn

My husband the grill-master and his slow-cooked smoky black beans! mmmmmm.......:)

I also believe in the power of food to calm, to nurture, to heal, to strengthen.  I became a nurse and then a nurse practitioner since I couldn't think of anything more exciting or rewarding than devoting my professional life to bringing health to others, individuals and communities.  My personal cooking is how I express my commitment to respecting and celebrating that gift of life and health that I am so blessed to have and share with others. 

Sharing a homegrown picnic with friends after a bike ride through the Shenandoah Valley

Apple and Pear Country!

We are very fortunate to live in a little mountain town in Southern Oregon where we are literally surrounded by small farms that provide year round fresh, low-spray or organic, produce, meats, nuts and grains. Our farmer's markets are a convenient and community-minded way to connect with the passionate growers of the amazing bounty of this region.  We also enjoy the luxury of living so close to the Pacific Northwest coast, so fresh seafood, especially local Salmon and Steelhead, are abundant! My style of cooking involves bringing these gifts of the garden, farm and sea into my kitchen and then seeing what new, yummy and healthful creation I can come up with to feed those I love.

The Oregon Coast

Port Orford docks, fresh caught fish for dinner every night!

This blog is not paleo, vegan, Atkins, South Beach, or any other genre of popular diet or cooking, however most of the recipes will be predominantly healthy, nutrient packed, gluten free, low in dairy and lactose, and full of macro and micronutrients that will help power you up for your week of work, caring for your family, or participating in your favorite recreational or competitive activity.  My husband is an ultra-runner, and I have been dabbling with the greater than marathon distance myself this past year, and we have found that by focusing on treating our bodies and our souls with the types of meals I will be sharing in the blog, we have an increased sense of well-being, more energy, endurance, and just happiness at the end of the day when its time to give the plates to the Beagle to lick her heart away....:)

Sigh....makes it all worth it when you sit down to a meal like this!

My first recipe: Tangy Kale Chips  

These spring and winter garden beauties make a healthy mid-day snack or dinner appetizer.  They are good for taking hiking or on long bike rides, since they have filling fiber, some protein from the soy in the miso paste, and sodium to help you rehydrate, especially if you sweat a lot like me!  They take about 15 minutes to prepare and then you can leave them in the oven while you are folding laundry, playing with your kids, going for a run, doing anything that takes about and hour or so.....

Health Benefits of this Magical Green Food Snack:

High in Vitamins A, K, C, iron, and calcium.

High in fiber.

Good source of Omega 3, anti-inflammatory fat.

Good source of  antioxidants. 

Extremely yummy....can't have just one! 

Ingredients:

One large bunch of dark green fresh spot free, preferably organic, Dinosaur Kale (also called Lacinato Kale)
2-3 teaspoons of red wine vinegar
2-3 tablespoons of fresh yellow miso paste
4 tablespoons of extra Virgin Olive Oil (I LOVE Hickory Smoked Olive Oil from the Temecula Olive Oil Company:  http://www.temeculaoliveoil.com/index.php/olive-oils/hickory-smoked-olive-oil.html)
Himalayan or Celtic Sea Salt (ok, it doesn't really matter where your salt is from here... you just want good fresh ground, large grain sea salt)
a sprinkle or dash or dusting of fresh ground black pepper

Instructions: 
1) Preheat your oven to 175-200 degrees F.
2) Cover two large baking/cookie sheets with parchment paper
2) Remove the larger, tough stems from the kale, tear or chop the leaves into 2-3" pieces, then rinse them well in a salad spinner.
3) Whisk together the vinegar, miso, olive oil (in that order)
4)  Toss the kale and dressing together in a large non reactive bowl until all the kale pieces are shiny and the dressing is evenly coating the greens.
5)  Divide the prepared kale in two on the baking sheets, spread out trying to get the leaves in a single layer as much as possible, then sprinkle with a moderate amount of fresh ground sea salt and a tiny eety bit of pepper.
6) Place in the Preheated oven and leave there for 1 to 1/2 hours, no longer!
7) Remove and let cool for about 10 minutes then gently pour into a bowl and munch until your heart's content. 

Places we have traveled that have helped inspire and inform my cooking!

 I am a cookbook junkie, my most important kitchen "tool" is the cookbook stand my mom gave us for our wedding! (and the ipad stand my husband gave me since so many awesome recipes are now online)

 Also, check out my first cookbook, you can view and download or buy it from Lulu.com: 

http://www.lulu.com/shop/heather-stadnisky-pediatric-nurse-practitioner/mom-appetit%C3%A9/paperback/product-15147180.html

Coming Next: Chai Chicken and Sweet Potato Bowl with Garlicky Spinach, Coconut and Toasted Filberts