Creative use of Thanksgiving leftovers makes for real treats

So, Thanksgiving has come and gone and now you are left with the aftermath.

The pounds of turkey and mashed potatoes, the cranberry sauce, the stuffing and the tighter feeling around your middle when you put on your pants.

While you know how to solve the latter issues, the real trick is what to do with all of those leftovers: Time for a pantry raid!

If you have been following Walla Walla Table since the beginning of the year and taking good notes you should have a well-stocked larder. One of the first things I reach for after the holidays is some serious comfort food, and for me that means Mexican.

Enchiladas are a favorite in my family. We love them, the kids love them and they are a fantastic way to use up leftovers. If you are not into making your own tortillas, good ones can be found in stores. You should have your ranchero sauce ready to go in your freezer, so this is a no brainer. Heat your sauce, dip the tortillas in for 20 to 30 seconds, add your turkey – cheese is optional – roll them up … Continue Reading

Making Thanksgiving turkey isn’t an all-day affair

The best part about Thanksgiving is the turkey.

The worst part of Thanksgiving? The turkey.

It’s either dry and overcooked, or it’s spot on. The unfortunate thing is you never know what you are going to get, unless you have some know-how.

When I was a kid my mother did all of the major holidays, and she was really good at it. She would wake up at the crack of dawn and start cooking by 7 or 8 am. No joke. The turkey would cook all day. Most years it was really good, a few times we needed extra gravy … if you know what I mean.

When the time came for me to cook the turkey one year, I could not imagine myself standing in the kitchen all day long. So, like everything else I have ever done, I figured out a better way with … Continue Reading

Ins and outs of ‘organic’ and buying locally

In our ongoing discussion of where your food is coming from, I hope to provide some insight and “education,” as much as I hate to call it that. The goal is to dispel myths and rumors about the food you buy, in hopes of create better informed consumers who can make smart decisions about what foods are best for themselves and their families.

Myth 1: You should only buy organic

While organic is good, it is not the end all, be all. Some foods labeled “organic” as opposed to 100 percent organic, can contain up to 5 percent non-organic ingredients, such as fish oils, sausage casings from conventionally raised animals, saccharides and even colorings. So is it really “organic”? No

Foods grown organically can also be raised with pesticides, even though that is completely against what “organic” is all about. There are three levels of … Continue Reading

An American fall classic, and we ain’t talking World Series here

As we move into fall the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder. Admit it, what you really want is something to warm the body and soul without having to spend hours sitting watching and stirring pots and pans, right?

This week we bring you one of our favorite family recipes that is sure to excite even if the name does not.

This is a great meal that you can get a lot of mileage out of all week long and with very little effort.

It’s called pot roast. Yes, pot roast. Plain and simple.

It is one of the classic American dishes you either love or hate. Most of those I’ve had in my life have been rather blah, unfortunately.

But once I learned how to cook and do it properly, things seemed to change for the pot roast.

Gone were the dry chewy bits of meat and that rather bland sauce (aka “gravy”) and the … Continue Reading

School a chance to broaden lunch-from-home horizons

After reading the last installment of the Walla Walla Table, a friend commented that she loved the article but now felt guilty about what she had been doing for her kid’s school lunches. This is always my fear, that someone will feel that I am calling them out on things. Well, I kind of am, but in a positive way (I hope). I promise to not raise problems that I do not have a solution to, if you promise to not take things too seriously. It’s just food, people.

I promised some better suggestions for your kid’s lunch, so here we go with several recipes that will allow you to create better choices and save yourself time and frustration in coming weeks.

First question: Does it have to be a sandwich? Sandwiches are very popular lunch items as you can usually eat them on the go with no utensils required. And that means there are no utensils for kids to lose. Isn’t that why we are afraid of giving our kids utensils? Then again, giving kids a bit more responsibility — like making them responsible for bringing eating utensils back home — can open up a wider array of lunches you can send them off to school with. Go to … Continue Reading

Things to gnosh on about school lunches

Now that the kids are back in class, so are school lunches.

If you are a parent who makes your child’s lunch, bravo to you. And if you are a parent who wants to ensure your child eats a well-rounded meal with actual hot foods and pays for school lunches, bravo to you, too.

But there are a few things you should know about what it is that your kids are actually eating.

School lunches might as well be fast food, and for all intents and purposes, they are. It’s not the fault of the kitchen workers in our schools. It’s our fault, collectively, for allowing someone else to manage what our kids eat. Institutionalized, highly processed chicken nuggets, hot dogs … Continue Reading

Everybody, let’s get stoned …

No, you read the headline to this column correctly, but it’s not what you’re thinking. That’s not my bag, baby.

What I am talking about is the beautiful bounty of summer stone fruits that should be hitting your local farmers’ markets soon.

When I was a kid I LOVED summer. Long days, no school and all the great things in the world to eat. We had several fruit trees at our house where I grew up. The peach tree was my favorite. Peaches the size of softballs (really) and amazingly juicy and sweet.

My dad and I would wait with anticipation all year long for the peaches to grow. Then came the torture. Day after day of waiting until they were ripe. Really ripe. It was a game. We would go out there and I always thought they were ready, and my dad would always say, “Nope not yet. I think we need to give ‘em a few more days.” It killed me. I wanted to eat that darn thing NOW.

Finally, I would walk out one day and gently squeeze one to see if it was just soft to the touch, and the peach would fall off into my hand. I freaked. I thought my dad was going to kill me for picking it early. I ran inside washed it off and waited for him to get home from work.

I explained what happened and he would give me that straight face. “Well, you can’t put it back on that tree now, can you?” He’d cut it open, juice running everywhere and … Continue Reading

No need to also swelter in the kitchen during those hot days