Don’t be afraid of caring for Sourdough

Your bowl of sourdough starter is a very forgiving “puppydog”!

I have ignored mine for about a week now – and it sits waiting….   sometimes I think it is happy for the rest period, because it has been pretty active all summer helping make digestible pancakes, breads and even brownies!

Sourdough starter really can be made from flour and “thin air” and although to keep it really active you have to feed it (more flour) most everyday – it is very forgiving on your timing.

Follow my blog for more and check out the online and onsite sourdough classes  email me at natureconnects@live.com

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What is a Schnitzel?

Schnitzel is one of the most popular items on our menu but ……More and more, new people who come to our restaurant don’t recognize the word “schnitzel”.

The word (and recipe) seems to have been around since the early 1700’s.  It has its variations and we at The Lake Clear Lodge have ours – a special secret that I have not seen elsewhere or in any other recipes! (hint – we know how to get the egg “souffled” as in the definition below.  We have chicken schnitzels, veal schnitzels, pork schnitzels and even salmon schnitzels!!

Occasionally we offer the “SCHNITZEL BAR”   various schnitzels made from various meats and topped with various toppings! It is a yummy fun thing – especially around Oktoberfest time!  Wurst? yes we have it – have some as a tasting as an appetizer – but have the real deal schnitzel for a meal!

Here is Wikipedia’s definition/recipe…………

The dish is prepared from butterfly cut, about 4 mm thin and lightly hammered veal slices, slightly salted, and rolled in flour, whipped eggs and bread crumbs. The bread crumbs must not be pressed into the meat, so that they stay dry and can be “souffled”. Finally the Schnitzel is fried in a good proportion of lard or clarified butter at a temperature from 160 to 170 °C[9] until it is golden yellow. The Schnitzel must swim in the fat, otherwise it will not cook evenly: the fat cools too much and intrudes into the bread crumbs, moistening them. During the frying the Schnitzel is repeatedly slightly tossed around the pan. Also during the frying, fat can be scooped from the pan with a spoon and poured onto the meat. The Schnitzel is done after it turns golden yellow or brown.[10]

The dish is traditionally served in Austria with Kopfsalat (lettuce tossed with a sweetened vinaigrette dressing, optionally with chopped chives or onions), potato salad, cucumber salad, or parsley potatoes. Currently it is also served with rice, french fries or roasted potatoes. It is common to serve it with a slice of lemon, to give the bread crumbs more taste, and a sprout of parsley. “It has however become common in Northern Germany to serve it with lemon, cucumber slices, sardines and capers, to achieve a pleasant appearance”.[11]

Come on out and have a schnitzel – simple yet with a secret ! it is a favorite of children and adults alike

The Importance of the use of Broths to destress your body ecosystem

Sadly, broth seems gone from the American tradition even as science validates what grandmother knew – rich homemade bone broths can regenerate a weakened system, keep a healthy one strong and even help with keeping bone loss at bay.

Stock contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily—not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulfur and trace minerals. It contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons–stuff like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain. Broth and soup made with fish heads and carcasses provide iodine and thyroid-strengthening substances.

The Old World Kitchen specializes in appetizing Soups and Entrees made with nourishing and easy to digest Bone Broths – delivering rich food value for those that choose carry-in meals regularly or on occasion.

Chef Cathy produces real stock created from hormone-free NYS farm-raised produce as it is available. Beef, chicken and fish creations alternate according to seasonal supplies of fresh and natural ingredients.

If you haven’t the time or resources to make enough broth in your own kitchen, and if you have the need or desire to get the nutrition and taste benefits of rich bone broth in your meals – call Cathy for the help you need! Store some in the freezer for emergency health support or take it for supper to ‘grandmother’s’ house.

A simple broth soup may start a meal well.

Add vegetables, grain and/or legumes,

It becomes a sustaining main course

SOUP & SOURDOUGH take-away is available from the online store at http://www.OldWorldKitchen.net.

Choose from a menu of simple broth for a convalescent to a hearty, easy supper stew for the family

ALL made with traditional bone broth stock base

& a sprouted grain, sourdough, or gluten-free bisquit

SOUP & SOURDOUGH SUPPERS are perfect for:

* the nutritional requirements of housebound seniors
* busy and dedicated caregivers of elderly relatives
* tempting aroma & authentic taste for the sensitive palate
* tasty, nutrient-dense suppers for picky eaters
* satisfying, low-calorie comfort for those with special dietary needs
* quick pick me up or early suppers to sustain after-work activities
* comforting, easy to digest late suppers after a long day
* recovery support from illness or for weakened or stressed systems, as well as to maintain healthy systems
Broth-based soup does more than please the taste buds as convalescent care has proven.

When stock is cooled, it congeals due to the presence of gelatin. The use of gelatin as a therapeutic agent goes back to the ancient Chinese. As supplements and medicines occupy center-stage in health research today, so two hundred years ago gelatin held a position in the forefront of food therapy.

Although gelatin is not a complete protein, containing only the amino acids arginine and glycine in large amounts, its protein is immediately ready for use in tissue building making it particularly nourishing for children,  the convalescent and the elderly. Gelatin, heritage from the French and probably the first functional food, is easily digested and tolerated well by all systems. Gelatin is a hydrophilic colloid, which means that it attracts and holds liquids so crucial in diets of those on medications that cause dehydration. It helps digestion in everyone by naturally attracting digestive juices for assimilation of food.

Gelatin has been researched and used continuously for the three centuries that diet was a major form of therapy for all illness. Babies had fewer digestive problems when gelatin was added to their milk. It was found useful in patient convalescence from a long list of diseases including peptic ulcers, tuberculosis, diabetes, muscle diseases, infectious diseases, jaundice and cancer and early cookbooks dedicated whole chapters to its proper preparation.

Only stock made from bones and dairy products provides calcium in a form that the body can easily assimilate. Do your research on calcium supplements – we have been “putting sand in our gears” according to David Wolfe, a respected nutritionist and good foods advocate.

Broth is important because gelatin in properly made bone broth helps the body use protein in an efficient way – a rare protein-sparing nutriment when meat is a luxury item. For the malnourished, those with a limited food budget, caregivers and senior homes, this is an important dietary consideration because quality protein is as essential as it is costly.

An important source of minerals disappeared from the American diet when homemade stocks were pushed out by easier and cheaper imitations. This has provided enormous opportunities for long-term profit for all industrialized food processors.

The protein in food has receptors on the tongue called glutamates that the human body has recognized as the meat taste since Paleo times. In the 1950’s General Foods and other food conglomerates discovered that hydrolyzed proteins could mimic this meat taste naturally pursued for eons by humans as a nutrient-dense food source. Because these fake molecules artificially satisfied the tongue, soup became popular as a powdered base from a package or can – which are likely to contain the disrupting chemical we all know as MSG.

The food industry has worked for decades to conceal from the public that MSG causes a wide range of reaction, from temporary headaches to permanent brain damage. As early as 1957, scientists found mice blind and obese when MSG was administered; in 1969, MSG-induced lesions were found in the hypothalamus region of the brain. Decades of studies all point to MSG as toxic to the nervous system.

Order your nutrient rich foods from http://www.OldWorldKitchen.net

Lynn Cameron  is a guest writer for OldWorldKitchen.net, thanks for the article Lynn

A Guest describing our dinner experience!

I thank this guest – a person with a degree in Homeopathy – for writing these words. I can not express my gratitude enough – this is what I strive for in my signature cuisine.

“Dear Cathy,  This was he best meal I have ever had. From the soup, to the salad, to the vegetables served with he main course. he best way I can describe what I was tasting was “clean”.  I was all so clean and refreshing that I found myself slowing down to thoroughly taste my food. 

In a day and age where we all have forgotten how to slow down and live in the present, your food reminded me of how important our nourishment is for not only our vitality but for our spirit. Keep up the tremendous work!

M.D.

An Extra Special Quality of Food Cultures

Loving Your Cultures

I love my cultures and microbes that kick around my kitchen. In fact, I have gotten so used to them being around I made them a special cabinet. I called a friend the other day and told her that there was something about them I could not explain, it was just a feeling that I got when I was kneading my sourdough bread – now I know what! I even wrote this article years ago, only to modify it and reprint it. However many months later – I can “explain” what I “knew” then.

You may be familiar with some of the different style of “cultures” and creatures….

I “brew” water kefir, dairy kefir, ginger bug and kombucha and keep an active sourdough.  I make cultured veggies and the true cultured saurkraut. There is even more you can do with dairy and even more kinds of beverage cultures that I have not tried yet. When I started out I could pretty much only keep a couple at a time. You have to feed them and take care of them – at somewhat even intervals and they are all different. It is like having 5 fish tanks, all with different fish! But – it is so worth it!

Lets drop back a bit. If you have not tried culturing yet – you are literally in for a treat. If you have, this can move you to a slightly different level, if you have not “gotten it” already.  For a beginners article on culturing, and the why’s and where to start then read this article  – Making Local Foods Superfoods. 

So now I am even more “fired up” about cultured foods and As of this writing I am writing a series of culturing for health, so follow along if you would like to learn. Your family, your home and even your garden will thank you for taking the time – oh, and me too!

The punch line here?  Aside from helping our immune system, lining our guts with a protective layer etc etc etc … these “back to the source” little microbes are just that – a form of back to the source energy.  Probiotics are said to be able to contain ORMUS, something not easily defined and sometimes akin to magic.  Here is an excerpt from an interview on the potential of ORMUS with David Wolfe, since I just finished his Raw Food Certification course – it’s great to put that here.  And a link to more info about ORMUS energy and others that help us detox our bodies and our places in the world. 

And if you aren’t into all that – just try some veggies or beverages and see how good they make you feel.  I feel that they reconnect us to a part of nature that assists our healing, and science is there to back that up on many levels.

Happy Culturing!

 

 

 

Be sure to put Butter in your Tea and Coffee (with the why you may want to try this included)

Why might you ask – should I put butter in my coffee or tea?

Well I certainly didn’t think it up.  Nor am I taking the time to pass it along for no good reason.

But WOULD have thought of it – eventually….I love butter and coconut oil and have been eating alot lately (and finally losing weight I might add) and love the many benefits they give you, so when I listened to Dave Asprey talk about his “IQ improving coffee recipe ” taken from a Tibetan Butter tea recipe – my ears perked up.

It is said that nomads often drink up to 40 cups of Butter Tea a day and I mean – if it is good enough for the monks….why not me??

Image

It is said to:

1. Give you that morning energy without the crash

2. Provide Healthy fats that you probably don’t get otherwise

3. Prolong the fat burning stage that your body goes through in the AM

More Specific Benefits?

I can list them – but Dave says it better

http://www.bulletproofexec.com/category/coffee-2/

Here’s the original recipe – I think this is fairly new – but I am seeing all sorts of recipes out there, both for the coffee and the tea – and the ingredients are NOT created equal . . ..  and that is the whole point!  If you want the REAL benefits from this, spend the extra cents on the actual high end ingredients. Otherwise you get coffee beans with mold in them, butter that has less value (no way should you ever use margarine) and you really want raw milk butter.

Here is Dave’s recipe pdf – I recommend that you print it out.

Click to access BulletproofRecipeCard_Winter2013.pdf

And I also show the basic recipe here

Brew coffee

To a cup of coffee : Add 1-2 T of grassfed butter and 1-2 T of coconut oil (or MCT oil*)

Blend for 20 seconds unless you want to add a couple more things that I do.

For me – I still like a little cream too AND I add a shake of gelatin** – OK – I was not going to admit this but I allow myself a bit of sugar in my coffee.  I could recommend stevia or even maple syrup if you need a little sweetener.  I can say I find that I really need much less sweetner now…

If any of you know me very well you know I love promoting the benefits of bone broths. And this gelatin is a close second without simmering bones for days.  So I get a kick of unflavored gelatin in my coffee too.

now  ENJOY!!!

I actually think that regular coffee is now thin and lacking, so watch out, you may get hooked.

*  MCT oil   this is an oil extracted from coconut oil

**  Great Lakes gelatin, the green can  http://www.greatlakesgelatin.com/  or buy this at my store Old World Eatery

Tibetan Butter tea is traditionally made with yak milk and butter made from Yaks— um – well – go ahead if you can get it!  But do try to use the best butter you can get at the moment.

You can actually get this locally at a great restaurant in Plattsburgh,NY. The Himalayan Restaurant has it on their menu. They warn that it is an acquired taste.  But I argue that it is a healthy, educated taste.

How to make Tibetan Butter Tea

Boil 4 cups of water, add 2 (black ) tea bags and turn off heat to let it steep 5 minutes or so. Many recipes say to boil your tea but I thought you were not supposed to do that with tea so I just let it steep til its good and strong.

Take the tea bags / strain the leaves out

Add 1/4 t Himalayan salt

Add 1/4 cup half and half to your tea

Churn, whip, or blend (take your pick) the tea with the butter

Pour into your cup and enjoy.

If you try either of them, let me know what you think.

Another confession – I even add high quality chocolate powder and the superfood Maca most of the time to the coffee recipe above.

Link

A Healthy Breakfast Porridge Recipe

I’ll be highlighting breakfasts over the next month ..  want to know the way that truly healthy people ate for generations??  And even more importantly, how they PREPARED it – that is one of the keys!

Grain-free-Tropical-Banana-Pineapple-Breakfast-Porridge-11-475x317

FYI –  Breakfast cereal is one of the worst! Try this recipe instead.

More about Tierra Farms

Join Mountain Lake Coop – free, no dues, no hours

Tierra Farm, one of Mtn. Lake Wholeshare’s four wholesalers, has so many great things going for it that it’s hard to write briefly about these dedicated folks and their over 200 products.
  • They live their motto “Keepin’ it Real” by making everything they sell from wholly organic nuts, seeds, coffee, chocolate, fruits, and trail mixes.  All nut roasting is done in a certified peanut-free facility.
  • Since they compromise on nothing you can count on absolutely ALL of their ingredients being free of the dreaded GMOs (genetically modified organisms) – an issue of increasing importance.
  • Their recipes are made to order in small batches, so the taste, freshness and nutrient-density remains high.  You can taste it in their creations because the nuts, seeds & butters have not a hint of rancidity so that the volatile fatty acid nutriment they contain remains intact and perfect for human nutrition.
  • Their tropical products coffee and chocolate are ‘Certified Free Trade’, and they also carry an ‘Earth Kosher’ designation.
  • Nearly 3/4 of Tierra Farm’s power needs are solar generated and the company maintains a 60% recycling rate.
  • This employee-owned company in Upstate New York also runs a growing retail store near Albany, and they bulk ship free (to Eastern USA) w/ orders of $350.+

Mountain Lake Wholeshare Online meets wholesale requirements to order from Tierra Farms several times a month.  There’s an order closing Thursday, 21 Nov.; membership is free.  NOW is the time to get in on some true goodies for upcoming family feasts and holiday gift baskets – all at wholesale prices.  A short list of our personal favorites:  chocolate-covered EVERYTHING; dry-roasted nuts; white Turkish figs; pitted prunes; currents; triple berry granola; half-decaf coffee beans; spicy pistachios.

 

Free gluten e Summit Nov 11-13, 2013

what is the big deal gluten              Has the word gluten been invading your life?

It certainly has been in mine!  As most of you know, I cook for the public and it can be a challenge sometimes.
I know all of you may not deal with food directly – but this seems to be a hot health issue – so if you had not seen it – I just wanted you to know about the free Gluten e- summit starting November 11th.
They say they have some of the top experts presenting info – you can listen in when you get a few minutes, or can listen to a particular lecture that you might be interested in. They have a two day schedule of speakers.
I am not sure that all gluten in itself is bad?
And I know that traditional healthy populations have used REAL sourdoughs for centuries – to help break down gluten before we eat it – processed breads and yeast breads don’t do that!!
We have forgotten why and how to do that.  Part of my traditional food series will cover this process.  And why – if you love your breads and cakes – there is a process that you can re- learn –  to minimize the gluten’s “effects” and still enjoy bread style products.
I am awaiting to see what they say in the summit – as I enjoy a real piece of real sourdough bread with wonderful “grassfed” butter from a local farm!
Chef Cathy Hohmeyer, OTR