Claire's List

1. My family knows that I am obsessed with vegetables at dinner.  My boys have eaten broccoli almost every night of their short lives. 

2.  I let my kids drink some juice.  Never pop.  They are huge milk drinkers.

3. I grew up on a farm.  My parents grew almost every thing we ate.  My mom canned everything, and I still love pickled beets.  My favorite food memories are of the smell of soup cooking on the stove and whole wheat bread baking in the oven.

4. I love chicken.  I can make chicken more ways than anyone that I know.  My favorite type of chicken is my dad's BBQ chicken.

5.  I can't live without a good sharp knife and my freezer.  I always try to have a few emergency meals ready to go so that in a pinch, I can defrost it and still get a homemade dinner on the table or give it to someone in need. 

6.  The best part of food is sharing it with others and creating wonderful warm memories to go with the meal.

7.  I love fresh basil, cilantro, cinnamon, balsamic vinegar, BBQ sauce and good fresh veggies. But not all together.

8.  If I have worked extra long hours, I feel like I should be able to eat an unlimited amount of cookies.  Cookies make it all better.  If I work extra hard the following night as well, we might order takeout that night.  Sometimes it's nice when someone else cooks.

9.  I have always loved trying new things.  In high school my sisters and I had a vinegar tasting with the neighbor kids.  That was kind of where my mom drew the line.  It made her crazy when we wasted food while trying something new, and the vinegar tasting was so bad no one could eat it.

10.  After a huge party with Crock Pot Baked Potatoes complete with toppings and salad bar, my coworkers call me the Crock Pot Queen. I really cannot figure out why the crock pot doesn't work at Laura's house. 

11. I love farm stands.  My husband accepts that we have to stop at all of them. We have tried garlic in Gilroy, apples in upstate New York, tomatoes still hot from the sun, and peaches so ripe that the juice runs down your arm when you bite into it.

12. Everything is better with cinnamon.  Except pickled beets.

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/preserve-harvest-pickled-beets.html