LRM - 2022 Fall Issue

For foodies who care about culture and clean living

LIFE RECIPE MAGAZINE TRIBAL

Beef Barbacoa

– The First Barbeque page 26

INSIDE

Stunning Photos

Indigenous Dishes Mysteries of the World

COMING IN WINTER

Wild Wintery Dishes

Exotic Tales

Photo Contest

Photo by Jim Desmond.

Autumn photo by Scott Rowley.

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Fall ’22 Issue: Classic New England Shore Dinner

Wild Rice with Creamed Sweet Spuds

Duck Roasted in Molasses

Wilted Leeks

Winter ‘22/23 Issue:

Irma’s Brisket & GF Gravy

Winter Waldorf Salad

Sourdough Starter

Spring ’23 Issue: Lavender Ice Cream

The Power-of-One (Ingredients-on-the-grill)

Everything BUT the Bagel

Easiest Sourdough Bread

Summer ‘23 Issue: Fun & Fit Fair Fare (Great State Fairs)

Superfood Salad

Sun Tea and the Busy Bee

Pat’s Healing Vegan (and/or Chicken) Soup

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LIFE RECIPE MAGAZINE

Worldly recipes for foodies who care about culture and lean living

CREW

Producer & Editor-in-Chief

Chief Financial Officer

Creative/Marketing/IT Director

Culinary Expert & Private Chef

Pastry & Baking Expert

Staff Illustrator

Advertising/Social Media Coordinator

Web Developer

European Counterpart Cookbook Author/Teacher

Pat Friedman

Cindy Smith, mma, mba

Scott Rowley

Jim Desmond

Kathy Vazquez-Pond

Mary Jane Lawal/Fils-Aimé

Greta Staknyte

Scott Design

Tatjana Kezic ´

CONTRIBUTORS

Ji m Desmond

Tatianah Kezic

Gillie Sutherland

Annah Tsukanova

Pat Friedman

Roxane Davis

Tatianh Kezic

Mary Jane Lawal Fils-Aim’

Max Friedman

Vay Ly

Carribbean

Croatia

England

Ukraine

USA Thanks Giving: from the first tables

Harvest: maine potatoes

Baker’s Nook: spice cookies

Lead Gardening Contributor

Italian American: gen z

Chinese Corn Milk

ADVISORY TEAM

SCORE Southern Maine Mentor

Director of the Women’s Business Center at Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI)

Whit Ford

Sarah Guerette

Letter from the Editor

MOST of us up here in New England proudly claim that Fall is our favorite season. But it’s more like three seasons wrapped in one. Right up through October it has hit 90 degrees (32 Celsius) in the Northeast U.S., especially nowadays. Then, there’s that brief, ethereal smidgen of time – where the trees’ foliage becomes a riotous tapestry of colors, textures and shapes – all commanding attention at once. It’s breathtaking. Those autumn leaves flit and tumble downward, along with the temperatures. Then December traces the earth with frost, evokes scents of woodstoves, and soon blankets the world as we know it with deep, blue-white snow dunes as far as the eye can see.

Fall, like all else that is fleeting, makes it even more worthwhile.

That’s why this issue’s theme is TRIBAL: Indigenous, traditional, and old-time family recipes are featured here by worldwide chefs and hardworking home cooks. So you’ll see some more high-caloric meals than normally in this magazine. It’s comfort food that goes way back. So serve and eat guiltlessly but mindfully.

The delicious contrast of these modern food creators, serving up traditional recipes, will thrill your senses and inspire your next gathering.

So grill it, bake it, broil it, steam, stir-fry, roast, or simmer your way through Fall 2022. But follow our lead by serving it up with a sense of rustic elegance, (a Life Recipe Magazine tagline). And don’t forget to support your friendly neighborhood farmers markets all through

Table of Contents

FOOD • CULTURE

37

CLEAN LIVING

These medieval spice cookies were first designed on a distant Adriatic isle and remain a European favorite today.

11

BAKERY FEE

36 KLATCH

COF

Decadent Mocha-Cinnamon Café au Lait. One sip of this autumn coffee drink, and you’ll crave it year-round.

26 CARIBBEAN

8

THE first barbeque. Myths debunked. Recipe created, styled, photographed and served here just for you. How hot is that?

CROATIA

Stunning, super-healthy fish recipe that goes back thousands of years. Bountiful sea, in a bowl.

12 ENGLAND ITALIAN AMERICAN 22 NEPAL

Yorkshire Pudding from Yorkshire natives. Pure rustic elegance. I call for the last one!

Gen-Z home cook delivers a healthy lifestyle in every step of his nutritious stuffed peppers and chicken Parmesan.

38

Hushed secrets from the Himalayans are revealed here – not to mention their steamy, mouth-watering make at home dumplings. Epic.

18 UKRAINE

An amazing couple from Kiev shares the REAL borscht recipe with you, along with the story behind it. 34 USA

A tribute to the first people and four traditional fall dishes perfectly replicated to create a real Thanks-Giving meal.

15 33

30

Hands down, the easiest and most wickedly delicious, deviled eggs you’ll ever make or eat!

(THE) DEVILED EGG FORAGE

Humility makes you beautiful. Just ask this stunning mushroom-turnedcaprice-salad masterpiece.

GARDEN

Make your own herbed candles, for home or super cool holiday gifts. Age old Caribbean traditions meld with modern craftswomanship.

— This layered harvest salad is a simple reminder of how easy it is to turn your veggies into va-va-VOOM.

HARVEST

Ever visit a real Maine potato farm? Here’s the next best thing, along with a recipe for easy, no-fail one-pan potatoes. 24

29

MAIZE

A veritable Cornucopia of corn – from the world over. Exclusive recipes and photos, sure, that’s what we do!

MOCKTAIL BAR

Dare to try a taste of this sleek and lustrous corn milk; by the second sip, you’re hooked.

16 OLIVES

A rare look inside a multi-generational family olive grove. Sprawled over a distant isle and cooled by sea breezes.

croatia

Healthy Hint:

“All in all, it is a tasty and healthy traditional Dalmatian dishes always cold-pressed olive oil, onion, and, of course, fish.”

Dish Photos by Tatjana Kezic

Perfect Hvarska Gregada

The Croatian fish “gregada”, from the island of Hvar, is definitely a “vintage” dish of Dalmatian cuisine. It is considered to be one of the oldest fish dishes – one that is extremely delicious yet easy to prepare.

In the past, people were limited to using seasonal products from their local area, which resulted in traditional recipes being simple but creative, which prevented people from getting bored of eating the same thing over and over again.

When someone mentions this dish, my mind automatically flies to the journey of fisherman Paško and Nikola in the novel “Ribanje i ribarsko prigovaranje”(Fishing and Fishermen’s Talk), written by Petar Hektorović.

In this travel novel, dating back to 1566, the above-mentioned author sails to the islands of Hvar, Brač and Šolta, filling long hours on the boat with stories, fishing and preparation of simple fish meals.

At that time potatoes didn’t exist in Europe and “gregada” consisted solely of fish, onion and oil.

To quote a great gastronomic expert and author, Veljko Barbieri: “Quick-witted and skilful fishermen had already started to prepare a fish dish for our lord Petar - the famous Hvar “gregada” -which, with the addition of boiled potatoes, has survived all the way to this day. The feast ended with cheese, bread and Paprenjak cookies – a medieval honey-based sweet that is still considered a symbol of Hvar’s cuisine and also a symbol of a journey that will never again happen in our gastronomical history.” (note: free translation)

Petar Hektorović came from Stari Grad, and it makes me believe that it was in that town that “gregada” was first made. Stari Grad is the oldest Croatian town, dating back to the 4th century B.C..

Petar Hektorović built his own house – the impressive Tvrdalj (castle) – in the 16th century, complete with a beautiful pond and dove-cot. Today it is a museum. Most of the preserved houses are from the 16th century as well.

For all fish lovers, “gregada” is definitely a mouthwatering dish. And, as is the case with every traditional meal, the flavours are balanced to perfection.

Now I’ll show you how to make perfect Gregada in less than an hour.

All in all, it is a tasty and healthy meal, like most traditional Dalmatian dishes are, because the base is always cold-pressed olive oil, onion, lemon, garlic, parsley and, of course, fish.

Once you add potatoes to it, it becomes an excellent meal to serve at social gatherings.

You can serve it with fresh corn bread, to mop up the leftover sauce, and iceberg lettuce. (JUMP TO RECIPE)

To make the whole experience even richer and to get that sense of old Hvar dinners, prepare some Paprenjaci cookies to end the feast on a sweet note. (JUMP TO RECIPE)

healthy meal, like most are, because the base is onion, lemon, garlic, parsley

Perfect Hvarska Gregada

Ingredients

1 ⁄2 to 2 kilos of white fish. It is best to combine a few different types of fish*

few prawns and crabs

5-6 medium-large potatoes, cut into 1⁄2 cm slices (we don’t want the taste of potatoes to prevail over the taste of the fish)

5-6 big onions, sliced in rings

6 garlic cloves, cut into thin circles

100 mL of olive oil

200 mL of white wine

1 bunch of parsley, chopped

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper

LINK TO EASY CONVERSION CHART

method servings 4

1. Clean the fish and cut into chunks.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot and shortly fry the garlic and onions until the get a yellowish hue.

3. Place potato slices at the bottom of the pot, pour water over them, and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Place the fish chunks over the potatoes, add prawns and crabs, then pour the wine and water over it so the fish is covered.

5. Add parsley, bay leaves, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

6. Leave it all to boil, then reduce the temperature and continue to cook for another 15 to 20 minutes with the lid on. Check every now and then to make sure the fish doesn’t get overcooked.

7. When the stew is done, leave it covered for 10 more minutes and then serve it warm.

* To achieve the beautiful delicate flavour I mentioned, it is best to use fish “od kamena”.Fish “od kamena” is every white fish that lives in the parts of the sea where the seabed is covered with stones, and it is considered to be fish of the highest quality. I suggest you combine 4-5 types of white fish, add a shrimp or two, and forget about the boring “gregada”. Use fish that is dense in texture, which makes it ideal for cooking “gregada”. Fish like Dentex, Sea bass, Gilt-head, sea-bream or grouper are perfect (of course, you can use smaller fish as well). There’s only one rule though: do not stir the contents of the pot; only shake it a bit from side-to-side during cooking.

To me, cooking represents a trip into a world of imagination, a journey to another dimension where time doesn’t exist. Almost like a game, I harmonize flavours and aromas, colours and textures - balancing, improvising, going overboard, breaking rules ...

It’s a step away from everyday life. A process that changes minute by minute. A world away from my main profession as an economist. All that cooking raises levels of oxytocin, the love hormone. How can I resist? I was born in Karlovac (northern Croatian) and studied Economics at the University of Zagreb. Love led me to Split and freed up a new energy from within, as with every one of the many travels I have been on with my husband and children where I got to try new flavours and aromas, learn new recipes and integrate them into my own everyday cooking.

-Tatjana Kezic, Cookbook Author, Culinary Teacher & Recipe Blogger

Blog: platesnplanes.com • lnstagram: @plates_planes

THE ULTIMATE NEVER-PEELAN-EGG-AGAIN

DEVILED EGGS

If nothing else in this magazine tickles you, this trick shows how to slide your hardboiled eggs right out of the shell. No more splintered shell-peeling nightmares, no more trying to find the membrane under running water… now you have every reason to go back to making this classic American throw-back appetizer – and any other recipe calling for hard boiled eggs – it’s EGG-CELENT!

Ingredients

6 eggs, preferably free range, or even better local and farm raised

2 tablespoons mayonnaise or ranch dressing

1 rounded teaspoon chives, fresh or dried. I use some of each, for a little razzle-dazzle in texture and appearance

½ capful A1 sauce (Do not hold the bottle over the egg mixture)

½ teaspoon mustard

Dash of celery salt if available (Works great in tuna salad, also)

Dash of Pink Himalayan, or any salt, finely ground

Dash of tri-color peppercorn, or any black pepper, finely ground

½ teaspoon onion powder – I can’t live without it

method servings 4

1. Bring eggs to temperature awhile.

2. Place whole eggs in a small-medium pot of lightly simmering water – just enough to cover the eggs by about an inch. The cold-water technique is inferior to starting them in hot water.

3. Add a capful of white vinegar to the water. This helps prevent cracking. Poking a hole is unnecessary.

4. Then turn on heat to med-high and roll them in a boil for 10-12 minutes. Do use a timer.

5. Plunge into ice water. This prevents the big “dimple” at the bottom of your eggs.

6. Once the eggs have nearly cooled, giving yourself plenty of elbow room and space on a chopping board, firmly and carefully bring a large knife straight down through the egg. It will easily split in half.

7. Gently use a spoon to separate the egg from the shell, which should pop out with little help.

8. I slice them in the center horizontally rather than vertically… they seem more approachable and fun.

9. Using the help of the teaspoon, when needed, gently pop out the yolks into a medium size glass or metal bowl. Then add the rest of the ingredients, reserving some chives for garnish.

10. Using a fork, stir together ingredients completely; break up all the bits. If too dry, add a tad more mayo.

11. Taste – JUST a bit – because you will want to eat all of it! And there is only just enough to fill these delicate eggs whites for your guests. You will likely not need any more seasoning; I find this to be a perfect flavor blend for delicate eggs.

12. Using all the gentle care you can, spoon and tuck the filling into the egg. Make sure that they don’t get top-heavy, fill the hole and then if you have extra, add a little to the top. Don’t press down or you’ll break the egg white.

13. Garnish lightly with fresh chives.

14. If desired, dot VERY LIGHTLY with Turkish Paprika, or for more zing, a little cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to top the filling. It takes so little to ruin the flavors of the dish that I avoid this step. The only way to get this wrong is just by not making enough! They magically disappear. Double this recipe for 24 irresistibly stuffed halves. Pack well when traveling with these darlings to your next potluck dinner.

Recipe & Photos by Pat Friedman

england

Healthy Hint:

Gillie shares the belief that “the are, the healthier we are, and Eating locally, seasonally, and like medicine for us. Even those unhealthy, like the Yorkshire

and with joy, is nourishment for

Pudding,

Dish Photos by Gillie Sutherland

Yorkshire’s Yorkshire Pudding

The first recipe for “dripping pudding” was published back in 1737, in a book called “The Whole Duty of a Woman,” a guide for women with rules, directions, and observations on a lady’s conduct and behaviour.

My Mother and I laugh about this as we prepare our Sunday Lunch together, at the heart of which is the good old Yorkshire pudding. My Mother has worked for as long as I can remember, she certainly passed on some of her feminist values to me, and as we cook, my Father is doing the ironing, so I’m guessing we may have a slightly different take on the “duty of a woman” than they did back then.

Still, the tradition of a Sunday roast remains, and the star of the show is always the Yorkshire pudding.

Historically, the Yorkshire pudding was served at the beginning of the meal. Using simple and easilyaccessible ingredients, when meat was a lot more scarce than it is now, it was served with gravy as a starter to fill up the hungry Yorkshiremen, who had most likely been working down the mines all day.

Nowadays, it is most often an accompaniment to the Roast Beef Dinner, and although there are some popular ready-made versions, nothing beats the home-made Yorkshire pudding, and in households across England, fights ensue over who gets the last one.

The secret is all in the small details, like not over-mixing the batter, and making sure you don’t open the oven while they are

Gillie Sutherland grew up in the North of England, born in Leeds, Yorkshire, where she first developed her passion for food, cooking from the age of 3 with her mother, Anne, a life-long foodie and amateur chef.

As part of her work over the last 30 years in health and wellbeing, Gillie learned everything there was to learn about nutrition – particularly about Mindful Eating – and the importance of having a healthy relationship with food.

www.beHappyFit.co.uk

“the closer to nature we this applies to how we eat. and instinctively, food becomes those foods we may consider Pudding, eaten mindfully, for the soul.”

Yorkshire’s Yorkshire Pudding (cont.)

cooking, and the timing - that’s very much an instinctual matter, and will depend on your oven, so it’s ideal if you can see through the oven door to watch how they are rising.

Some of our best tips have come from the famous Yorkshire chef James Martin, who hosts a show called Saturday Kitchen. Even though I’ve lived away from home for 30 years, my Mum and I always share our love for James and his show from wherever I am in the world.

Ingredients

200 grams flour

3 eggs

300 ml milk

4 tablespoons melted goose fat (or rendered chicken fat)

Salt & pepper to taste

LINK TO EASY CONVERSION CHART

method

servings 8-12

1. Sift the plain flour into a large bowl and season with salt and pepper

2. Stir in 3 lightly whisked eggs, one at a time, and mix with the flour.

3. Slowly add the milk and whisk until you have a smooth batter.

4. Chill the batter in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, but no longer than 12 hours.

5. Heat the oven to 220C / 180 for a fan oven/ Gas Mark 7 for 5 minutes.

6. Spoon the melted goose fat evenly into the holes of a 12-hole muffin tray.

7. Carefully ladle/pour the batter mix into the holes of the tray.

8. Bake for 30 minutes, until they have risen and are a nice golden-brown colour.

9. Plate up the rest of the meal (traditionally Roast Beef and vegetables), together with the Yorkshire Pudding, and pour over some home-made gravy made with the juices from the meat and the water from the cooked vegetables. Ideally, the pudding will have a hole in the middle, into which you can pour the gravy. Eat with pure joy and guilt-free pleasure, preferably around a large table with loved ones, and accompanied by a glass of good red wine.

Easy-as-Pie Applesauce

Ever since I was making my son Max’s homemade, homegrown baby food, applesauce has been a an annual presence in our hearts, minds and Mason jars. It’s incredibly easy to make this applesauce, and the fragrance through the house will linger, like a hug that you wish would never end.

Lightly light a candle in the kitchen for good luck, be mindful of the moment and the how lucky we are to bring home fresh foods to cook with love. Apples are very symbolic of Rosh Hashanah, (LEARN MORE), the Jewish New Year, a time to celebrate.

method

yield 6-8 cups

1. Peel, cord and roughly chop 6 larger or 8 smaller apples. Chop into roughly the same size chunks.

2. In a medium pot, put 2 inches much maximum of water.

3. Add sweetener of your choice, equivalent to ½ cup sugar. Stir. Turn heat on medium.

4. Place the apples into the water.

5. Let simmer/steam, partially covered – almost to a low boil –for 15-20 minutes.

6. Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon or less of salt, just to bring out all the natural flavors and to help them manifest themselves. Soon, it will be abundantly clear that all the apples are broken down, and that much of the water has evaporated. It will still be quite wet, but you don’t want there to be much excess liquid. Then take it aside, and cool for a few minutes.

7. Using a blending wand, or a simple handheld masher, mix until it is that the consistency that you like. I like it to be applesauce a saucy, but with s little lumpy bumpy too!

8. Serve warm, or store in the fridge for up to 8 weeks in tightlysealed Mason jars

Opting for a bodacious, bi-colored heirloom tomato adds bling to the classic red tomatoes found in most Caprice salads. Mainly, the largest and meatiest tomato that you can find, is the one to use here. When choosing your portobello mushrooms, select moist and supple, not slimy or damaged. Handle gently.

Ingredients

2 large portobello mushrooms

1 very large tomato

Fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced thickly, enough to cover the tomato

Fresh basil leaves

Balsamic vinaigrette for a thinner sauce, or balsamic reduction for a thicker sauce

4-6 full leaves of radicchio lettuce

FORAGE

Healthy Hint:

These are not plants, but fungi which sort of behave like plants. The cap and stem are actually the “fruit” or “flower” of the many colorful species. When foraging, beware the similarities between healthy and toxic species

(mushroomexam.com/mushroom_look_alikes.html)

method

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Using a sharp paring knife, swiftly and evenly slide your knife around the tip of the mushroom’s rim.

3. Gently clean off impurities. Remove the stem without puncturing the bottom.

servings 2

4. Coat gently in olive oil. Ignore the recipes out there suggesting that you brush on the oil. The “cuticle,” or outer layer of a mushroom’s skin is rather delicate, and it just doesn’t look as nice when portions of it are dented, scratched or scraped off.

5. Turn oiled mushroom caps upside down on a cookie sheet. Minimize any extra oil.

6. Roast for 7 minutes.

7. Remove. Turn right-side up.

8. Place a bunch of basil onto the center of each oiled cap. The basil’s natural oils will leave a fantastic note of freshness within the earthy ‘shroom. Spray lightly with oil.

9. Continue cooking for 5 minutes.

10. Check. If the center is becoming fully blackish in color, then take them out. Let cool.

11. Plate the portobellos onto beds of radicchio lettuce.

12. Slice the tomato with a focus on the two widest, thickest and even center slices. Place on top.

13. Slice your low fat mozzarella – preferably imported from Italy or made locally – by running your knife under cool water, and slide it through the cheese into thick even slices. Place on top.

14. Sprinkle the top with as much fresh basil as you like.

15. Drizzle with a simple balsamic vinaigrette if you prefer a thinner sauce. Or warm the vinaigrette for time in a pan on the stove if you want a thicker reduction.

16. Slice a small wedge to showcase the layers’ delicious beauty.

Recipe & Photos by Pat Friedman

OLIVES FROM TREE TO PRESS

EDITOR’S NOTE: Fragrant, silvery green breezes rustle through vibrant olive trees all over Croatia. It’s a well-earned source of great national pride – and a healthy Mediterranean cuisine. Folks commonly bring their backyard olives to local press houses for their own fruity and delicious brand of olive oil. I quickly became swept up in the olive oil craze while I was living there, soon becoming uninterested in cooking with anything else. (With the exception of coconut oil in its proper place.)

But this multi-generational grove is on the stunning Adriatic Island Brač. I became fascinated with Koraljka immediately upon meeting her – she’s a force of grace and strength and intellect, and I hope to pick with them some October day. Her story goes like this, translated from German:

“Our Olive Oil from Island Brač is made by my family, the Mastnaks. (I am Koraljka, a radiologist; my husband Boris, an internal rheumatologist; our son Viktor, a surgeon; and our other son Bastian, a dentistry student.]

Our special relationship with olive trees began in our earliest childhood. In our family, no meal, whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner, was served without precious and healthy olive oil. Our teacher Hippocrates, known

*Editor’s Note:

Dalmatia is the southern region of Croatia, also encompassing vast swaths of stunning Adriatic Islands. According to britannica.com, ‘The first recorded inhabitants of Dalmatia were Illyrians (the name Dalmatia probably comes from the name of an Illyrian tribe, the Delmata, an Indo-European people who overran the northwestern part of the Balkan Peninsula beginning about 1000 BCE)’.

as the “Father of Medicine,” recommended the usage of olive oil not only for a better wound healing but generally for a long and healthy life.

As enthusiastic olive oil users and doctors, we have decided to produce extra virgin olive oil on our nearly 100 year-old olive grove, thriving in a highly natural and eco-friendly cultivation. The goal is to guarantee a high quality, native product for tasty pleasure on the one hand and good health

Photo by Pat Friedman

on the other hand.

Our olive grove is located on the sunny, southern west hills of the island Brač, close to village Ložišća and Bobovišća, in the region of Dalmatia*.

The olive trees belong to the autochthonous type‚ Oblica‘, which means oval in Croatian. Typically, these trees have middle sized fruits and their leaves show a darker green. Hot and dry summers without artificial irrigation on the island force the olive trees into a stress situation whereupon they react with a higher production of polyphenols to

survive and defend themselves against insects and fungi. Furthermore, the antioxidant concentration in the olives is even higher the sooner the ripening process is interrupted –so our method is to pick the olives in an earlier stage when they are still green or some of them turning brown.

The profits of high valuable olive oil with this method of production and our demanded quality standards is relatively low and varies around 8-14%. This means we must pick approximately 100kg (220+ pounds) of olives, to get 10L (2.5 gallons) of olive oil. Should we pick them green or black? bitter or ripe? What taste do we prefer? Those questions play an important role in the local, native olive oil production. Our technique provides oil with a high quantity of valuable antioxidants such as polyphenols, tocopherols and

squalene’s, which all benefit your health by preventing or slowing damage to human cells caused by free radicals. During the harvesting time members of our family and friends gather on the island and spend a week all together picking olives by hand, having picnics, enjoying the last warm days of the year and take the baskets full of olives to the mill in the evening, where they are cold-pressed entirely. The same evening, we can already dip some bread in our own extra virgin olive oil – that not only serves good for frying and tastes

great — but is evidently known for its health benefits such as preventing heart diseases, lowering the risks of strokes, combating cancer and reducing inflammation.

ukraine

Editor’s Note:

Anna made this Editor’s dream come true, her family’s traditional Ukrainian Borscht recipe Ukrainian life – expressly for Life Recipe Magazine. to Ukraine, it’s more than a national dish, it’s “…addition to UNESCO’s action for Ukraine. war in Ukraine, UNESCO has initiated a series the fields of culture, education, as well as the accordance with UNESCO’s mandate. This initiative of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Cultural Heritage is consistent with this commitment populations affected by war. Tap UNESCO for and beautiful dish:

Borscht

In Ukraine, we have a funny rule about the consistency of the borsch – only if the soup spoon can stand in your pot – this is a truly borsch!

Traditionally, we add to the served borsch 1 spoon of sour cream and a little bit of chopped garlic. Borsch is even more tasty second day after you cooked it, really.

We say “SMACHNOGO!” to each other before eating.

Ingredients

3.5 liters water and/or meat broth

2 red beetroots (beets)

2 carrots

2 onions

6-7 potatoes

½ cabbage

3 soup spoons of tomato paste

1 can haricot beans

sour cream (1 generous teaspoon atop each served bowl)

fresh garlic to taste

LINK TO EASY CONVERSION CHART

method

servings 6-8

1. Boil the red beetroots before adding to the borscht.

2. Separately, bring water/meat broth to a boil in a large soup pot.

3. Add cubed potatoes and sliced white cabbage.

4. Next, we need to sauté (fry a little bit) the sliced carrots and onions.

5. To the sauté pan, add the tomato paste and mix.

6. Fold the sauté into the borscht.

7. Slice the red beetroots.

8. Add the beets and the haricot beans to the borscht.

9. Salt, pepper … and it is ready.

“SMACHNOGO!”

true, by taking the time to share recipe – and a window into daily Magazine. Borscht is so significant it’s recently been deemed an Ukraine. Since the beginning of the series of emergency measures in the protection of journalists, in initiative of the Member States

Safeguarding of the Intangible commitment of UNESCO in favor of for a deeper look into this precious

Annah Tsukanova, from Kiev, Ukraine, is a featured home chef and storyteller for Life Recipe Magazine. She is not only an accomplished and energetic accountant with 16 years’ history of achievement in accounting, but she also skated solo for the Kiev Ballet on Ice for 10 years. Since 2014, she’s been and remains the founder and leader of LANGUAGE OF KINDNESS, a charity foundation supporting people impacted by war: Medical equipment supply, military combat shock/trainer certification, and psychological assistance courses for anti-terrorist

For Ukraine it’s of course borscht and vareniki (potato dumplings), dishes which include in their ingredients and cooking types traditions of the East and West – which met each other and with time created Ukraine – a country of multiple cultures and traditions.

Each nation which participated in the creation of the Ukrainian nation brought together, to create Ukrainian borscht, something from all of them.

History brings to us a daughter of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, named Anna, future queen of the France who brings borscht to her dad; she cooked it first added the red beetroot for the colour and taste.

Someone added a meat, especially veal, and someone added haricot beans, someone tomatoes, someone fruits even! Some Ukrainians adding a dried plumps in borscht?! Yes, yes! All these contributions from different nationalities have made it what it is today. Similar to the melting pot called America, isn’t it? That’s just one reason modern Ukrainians and Americans are the same.

The country Ukraine existed on this land within her borders already more than 1,000 years – and over the ages – many recipes of the borscht appeared, maybe as many as there are nationalities which Ukraine includes within the country border of Europe and East. (It is to the East, namely Turkey, that Ukraine owes the appearance of the most favorite dish of Ukrainians, after borscht, of course, vareniki.)

Vareniki means freedom; it was born like very traditional dish from the East, thankful to free Ukrainians named Cossacks. It became the dish that every housewife wanted to master. Vareniki with cherries is popular, but if you don’t like cherries you can make them savory by putting onion, cabbage, potatoes, or cheese.

All this is freedom and mix of history and traditions makes up modern Ukraine, now in the unspeakable fight for her freedom and independence. And who knows, maybe this struggle will give birth to new dishes and new recipes?

More Ukrainian TraditionalDishes

1. Holubsti / Seasoned beef, veggies and rice-stuffed cabbage with tomato sauce.

2. Deruny / Fluffy, crispy breakfast potato “pancakes.”

3. Salo / Cured pork fat with surprising health benefits.

4. Banush / Smooth corn porridge, often bedecked with a mushroom sauce, crispy bacon bits and crumbly/creamy sheep’s milk cheese.

5. Ukrainian Pierogis / Potato & cheese-filled pillows of love.

6. Uzvar / Original holiday (mocktail) drink made of dried fruits & berries soaked in boiling water, cooled and sweetened with honey.

7. Kiev Cake / Light layered cake, jam, meringue, chocolate cream frosting & hazelnuts.

The best way to tell the story of Ukraine is through our national meals.

Written by Eugene Stepanenko, husband of Hannahh the talented contributor, and a well-known Ukrainian stage – and film – director, screenwriter, producer, teacher and TV-host. [He’s also a founder of Pirogov First Voluntary Mobile Hospital.] The hospital’s humanitarian missions assist military and civilian populations in the conflict zone. During 1.5 years of operation, the hospital assisted about 4,500 patients.

Mariupol – Before

Mariupol – After

Editor’s Note:

My son Max and I picked apples every autumn for 15 years, since he was a newborn on my back, exploring acres of sprawling, sweet-scented orchards. Then –we’d beeline home to simmer up some applesauce on the stove. From the countless field trips that I led while teaching K-8, we learned that – as Max shows in the photo – apples are not to be yanked down from the tree with the leaf clusters attached. Each ripe fruit should be selected, grabbed onto, and turned upward with a twist, leaving on the stem but not the leaves. This promises for next year’s apples. Sustainable harvesting and respectful stewardship are always key to the promise of future crops, no matter what you’re harvesting. (Worth noting, is that when harvesting certain annual plants, like sweet peas, you DO take the leaf cluster with it: it keeps the peas alive longer, and the plant is not producing next year.)

Orchard apples, Malus pumila, are quite possibly one of the perfect plants on Earth. The adage, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” is timeless. Just like the memories that apples can make.

italian american /gen-z

Healthy Hint:

To reduce carb intake, I eliminate pasta as a side. If you are in the mood to serve this over pasta as is traditional, I recommend Barilla® Protein+ Grain & Legume Pasta Spaghetti to maintain flavor without negating the health benefits of this dish.

Stealth-Healthy Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Peppers

TAP HERE for our family applesauce recipe.

This is a great option for anyone looking to eat on a budget, avoid timeconsuming recipes, and create delicious yet healthy dishes. This recipe is a spin-off of a classic Italian / meets American favorite. I utilized fresh, healthy ingredients and alternatives to substitute for fattening components. At the heart of this creation is a homemade, organic tomato sauce to dress the organic chicken breasts. For a satisfying crunch-factor, I substitute traditional panko breadcrumbs with cauliflower crumbs for an equally delicious yet healthier meal. The bell pepper beds perfectly contain the delicious Chicken Parmesan, tied together with a delectable mozzarella/ parmesan medley. One of the biggest benefits of this recipe is its scalability. If you are interested in meal-prepping, this recipe is easy to fill your fridge with meals that won’t break the bank, and will nourish you for days to come.

Ingredients

6 Thinly sliced chicken breasts

5 free-range organic eggs

3 large multi-colored bell peppers

1 bunch Italian parsley

½ bunch oregano

3 cloves minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

6 oz Ronili Foods Cauli Crunch

Taste of Italy Premium

Cauliflower Crumbs

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

8 oz sliced mozzarella cheese

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

5 cups chopped tomatoes

½ medium onion, minced

½ cup olive oil

½ cup water

Optional: Barilla® Protein+ Grain & Legume Pasta Spaghetti

LINK TO EASY CONVERSION CHART

method

1. Pre-heat oven to 425° F.

servings 6-8

2. Coat bottom of pot with olive oil, cook onions with salt and pepper on medium-high for 5-10 minutes.

3. Add red pepper flakes, black pepper, tomato paste and minced garlic and let simmer on medium-low for 5 minutes, st irring constantly and sort of “frying” the paste while infusing it with the aromatics.

4. Chop and crush tomatoes into the pot. They can also be quickly blended in a Cuisinart. Adding a little salt brings out the tomatoes’ flavor and moisture.

5. Add parsley and oregano, reserving a bit to garnish.

6. Simmer on low for another 15-30 minutes. Mix often for best consistency.

7. Into a medium bowl, crack eggs and add garlic, salt, pepper, and chopped parsley. Whisk until eggs are fully beaten.

8. In a separate mixing bowl, pour cauliflower crumbs.

9. Soak chicken in the egg mixture, then one at a time, roll chicken breasts in cauliflower crumbs until surfaces are covered.

10. Coat large nonstick pan with oil heated but not yet smoking over med-high heat, then place “breaded” chicken breasts and sear briefly, just until golden brown on all sides. Do not cook all the way through – they will soon be baking in the oven. Set aside.

11. Cut bell peppers into halves, as shown, to include the stems. Clean out seeds and the “pith” (white matter inside the pepper).

12. Place peppers into lightly oiled roasting pan.

13. Coat each of the peppers’ insides with 2 tablespoons of the tomato sauce.

14. Cut chicken into 1-2 inch squares, layering the chicken pieces into the peppers with mozzarella, parmesan and the sauce. Top with mozzarella, and tuck edges into the peppers to contain ingredients.

15. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese has fully melted. Sprinkle with herbs for a fresh hit of color and flavor.

16. Optionally serve onto a decorative smear of the remaining tomato sauce and/or pasta, for an Italian accent… Buon appetito!

Ever since I was a little boy, my parents taught me the importance of local, fresh, and healthy ingredients. Between my mom’s salads from the garden and being exposed to exotic cuisines from around the world, I grew up with a fundamental understanding of the connection between food and culture in the world around me. Now, as a busy college student and full-time employee of a commercial construction company, the value of healthy living has never been clearer to me. It is a challenge to create healthy dishes on a budget that are unique enough to keep my palate interested. My recipes reflect these priorities, which I feel many people try to strive to meet.

Max Friedman

a-MAIZE-ing

Sweet Fresh Corn off the Cobb – All year long

Flash-freeze all through winter the tender corn, that you easily cut off the cob, like so: When you can get your hand on fresh, local or nearest farmers market corn on the cob, if it’s not in your own garden, buy a bunch at peak season! Always use decorum when checking the tip to see that the kernels are small, fresh, bright, and juicy. Just check a bit, without violating the plant. Try touching only the plants that you plan to buy.

method

yield 1 ear = 1 serving cut Boil corn for 5 minutes and remove from water. Clear your space and elbow room.

Use a large cutting board and sharp heavy handled knife. Prepare the corn by holding it straight up on it’s (root) end until it’s steady, then gently but deftly - and always with a sense of authority – SLIDE the knife down in columns, straight from the top to the bottom without stopping. The knife will, after the first few tries, “find” its place at the root of the kernels. Once you get the hang of it you realize the corn easily falls out in complete kernels. It’s like a pro golf swing, just like holding a little bird, I was once taught by Pete Hatfield at the Augusta CC.

Don’t touch these sweet little buds! Gently slide them into ½ filled, flattened zip loc bags of various sizes. Seal tightly. Lay flat in the freezer. “Fuhgeddaboudit it!”

Later, when the glorious, golden harvest afternoons bow down to the encroaching cold nights, retrieve a bag or two and you’ll never know the difference! Do not microwave – a general rule - just take them out to room temperature (1-3hours) before warming up gently and briefly with some butter, salt and pepper on the stove in a small pan on low to medium-low heat.

Or use as a healthy addition to your chunky chowders, spicy soups and luscious stews on those long, chilly nights.

Recipe by Pat Friedman

Editor’s Note:

Untangling the Maze Myth –What’s more alluring than wandering through carved, wild patterns among earthen ears of corn that rise on phantom-like stalks and crackle high overhead … while trying to find your way out before dark?

Only perhaps an ancient Greek labyrinth, the birthchild of these fascinating creations.

In the UK, these have evolved into 1700’s “hedge mazes” to incorporate corn fields, thus, “maize mazes.” In the U.S., debate remains whether the first complete corn maze was developed in 1993 in Annville, Pennsylvania, or by others documented 10 years earlier. But the mystique is a fantastic way to explore the roots of an ancient food and culture, at the fleeting end of harvesttime’s warmer days.

For fascinating photos and folklore, Link (HERE)

“For life, there must be corn and Mother Earth, but Mother — Carmen Lozano (Kichwa), Ecuador

“For life, there must be corn and Mother Earth, but Mother — Carmen Lozano (Kichwa), Ecuador

Maize Maze

Healthy Hint:

Butter, in small amounts, actually benefits cooked vegetables’ enzymes for better absorption. A nutritionist told me this years ago, and more research proves that by eating veggies without any fat, your body will absorb too few of the plants’ vitamins and micronutrients.

Scandalously GF Corn Muffins

These corn muffins are THE most perfectly tender and insanely delicious kind I’ve had anywhere – even in places where it’s a local staple. (Oh – they happen to be gluten- free. The absence of glutenous flour will only be noticeable on your shrinking waistline, not your mouthwatering palate.)

Whenever working with GF ingredients, always look at moisture content. Err on the side of a little more moisture.

Dry Ingredients

2 cups gluten-free cornmeal

2 cups gluten-free flour mix

2 teaspoons baking powder

1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda

Dash salt

Wet Ingredients

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk (or any milk replacement)

8 tablespoons melted butter, or combined butter/oil

3 tablespoons honey for the recipe

1-2 tablespoons honey for drizzling onto warm muffins, if desired.

LINK TO EASY CONVERSION CHART

Editor’s Note:

All of the following flours have gluten:

• Enriched flour with added vitamins and minerals.

• Farina, milled wheat usually used in hot cereals.

• Graham flour, a course whole-wheat flour.

• Self-rising flour, also called phosphate flour.

• Semolina, the part of milled wheat used in pasta and couscous. (Source: Mayo Clinic)

method

1. Preheat oven to 425°

yield 6-8 muffins

2. Mix dry ingredients well in a medium bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients.

4. Stir the wet into the dry ingredients just until batter is well-blended.

5. Pour 2 ⁄ 3 full into medium sized, lightly-oiled (I use coconut spray) muffin pan.

6. For less crispy edges, line with paper.

7. Bake for 9-10 minutes; or a few minutes longer, just until a toothpick comes out clean.

8. Cool for 5-10 minutes before inverting pan onto a clean board; tap the back of the pan with a spoon; don’t force them out. Serve with butter, jam, or simply as is. Or, use it to mop up the vintage Croatian fish dish in this Issue, for which the recipe was designed.

Store in the freezer for 2 weeks. Do not microwave. Defrost on the countertop when time allows. Wrap them in foil and warm in a low oven, for the full monte.

Corn Farmer

Mexican Street Corn

Lady With Corn

Recipe by Pat Friedman

Mother Earth must be healthy.” Mother Earth must be healthy.”

carribean

Photo by Jim Desmond

Beef Barbacoa — the first barbeque

Widespread beliefs about the origins of this dish vary greatly: Most people have the misunderstanding that this originated in Mexico. It did made its way up there eventually and remains a popular dish there. The origins were found to lie in southern Dominican Republic — where the Taíno people named this form of cooking with their word in Arawak — “barbaca,” leading to Barbeque (BBQ). Evidence of the term exists by indigenous people throughout the West Indies and even going as far south as Venezuela. Either way, you’ll find this dish to be extremely authentic, and muy bien,

The “first barbeque” was held underground. Digging a deep hole in the dirt and lining it with a hot-coal fire then laying sturdy green leaves, like agave, they would slow-roast beef or wild game, birds, even fish. Once covered, it would roast all night. But you can make it easily at home using this top-shelf recipe created for Life Recipe Magazine.

ingredients:

2 Lbs. beef roast (chuck, round or other long-cooking cuts), trimmed of excess fat and silver skin

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered

1 bulb (not a clove – a full bulb of cloves) garlic, peeled

3-4 dried guajillo chilies, stemmed and seeded (This appx. 3-inch pepper with a smooth and purple-reddish skin is commonly found dried-whole. Can be replaced with “standard” thin red chili peppers, which deliver about the same amount of heat.)

3-4 dried ancho chilies, stemmed and seeded (Anchos are also a commonly found dried indigenous pepper of the “less-spicy variety,” pablano. Can be replaced with poblano, chipotle, or a combination.)

2 Tbsp. dried Mexican oregano

2 Tbsp. ground cumin

2 Tbsp. ground smoked paprika

32 oz. beef stock

Kosher salt to taste (you can always add but you can’t detract.)

Ground black pepper to taste, after having tasted.

Olive oil; to rub roast and then to line the pan for searing.

LINK TO EASY CONVERSION CHART

BBQ - Photo – Refael Hoyos

Beef Barbacoa — the first barbeque (cont.)

method servings 4

1. Start by preheating an oven to 300 degrees F.

2. Into a medium sauce pot on medium heat, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, paprika and beef stock.

3. Lightly toast the dried chilies over a flame or in a hot pan. Once lightly toasted and cool enough to handle, remove the stems and seeds from the chilies and discard.

4. Add the chilies to the pot, along with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. (A “pinch” is under 1 8 teaspoon.)

5. Simmer the braising liquid for 30 minutes.

6. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

7. Carefully pour the contents into a blender (NOTE!! NEVER PUT MORE THAN 1 ⁄ 3 OF A BLENDER WITH HOT OR WARM CONTENTS. BATCHES SAVE BURNS.)

8. Blend high 30 seconds.

9. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the braising liquid back into the sauce pot.

10. Check the seasoning then set it aside.

11. Preheat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

12. Rub some olive oil onto the beef roast and season liberally with salt and pepper.

13. Add a few tablespoons olive oil to the preheated Dutch oven, then sear the roast. Once the beef is browned on all sides, add the strained braising liquid to the Dutch oven until the roast is almost fully submerged. Bring to a simmer, cover, then place into the preheated oven for approximately three hours or until fork tender.

14. Once the beef is very tender, carefully transfer the Dutch oven onto a trivet.

15. Using tongs or two forks, gently shred the beef into the sauce.

16. Serve with warm tortillas and toppings of your choice – commonly chopped onions, cilantro and crumbled cheese. But you know what you want to add to your own, homemade C lassic Barbeque Tacos designed by Chef Jim.

Born in New York, Chef Jim grew up helping in his family’s delicatessen, and at an early age, began his career in the restaurant industry washing dishes and peeling vegetables. Eventually, his experience earned him a cook position on a Hawaiian Islands cruise ship. After several years of preparing meals for hundreds of guests, he felt the need to serve his country and enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard. Chef Jim prepared and served countless meals on land and at sea for admirals, dignitaries, and crew members while he dedicated over 12 years of activeduty service. His creative mindset and passion for food then drew him to the Art Institute of California, Orange County, where he graduated with honors, obtaining his degree in Culinary Arts.

Chef Jim spent the last seven years perfecting his culinary technique by working as a private chef and high-profile event caterer throughout Southern California. His comprehensive knowledge of local, and international cuisine, paired with his lifelong passion for pleasing people with amazing food is what makes him the culinary pro he is today.

Classic Barbeque Tacos – Photo Jeswin Thomas

Photo by Jim Desmond

THE MOCKTAIL BAR

Cool & Silky Chinese Corn Milk Recipe by Chef-Owner Val Ly

This simple, sweet, aromatic delight is hugely popular in the far East; sometimes a large batch is made especially for the hardworking cooks as a cherished treat. Once you’ve tried a sip or two, you will be saying, “SHUCKS! I want more!”

INGREDIENTS

1 dozen ears sweet corn

2 cups water

1 cup sugar

1 can coconut milk

LINK TO EASY CONVERSION CHART

method servings 1

1. Shuck corn and use a vegetable peeler to shred off all the corn.

2. In a medium pan, boil the water and sugar.

3. Add corn and reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

4. Incorporate the coconut milk until you achieve a smooth, even consistency.

5. Let cool.

6. Serve with a straw or small spoon.

Chef-Owner Val Ly

Chinese new year 2022 - YEAR OF THE TIGERPexels Ricardo Esquivel

Photo by Pat Friedman

HARVEST

One-Pan Wonder Spuds

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. I’d add that motherhood is the mother of invention. For easy, fast, nutritional, comforting, all-compatible side dishes, and for pennies apiece? Spuds are a no-brainer. They keep well in the fridge as leftovers, then sliced in half and repurposed into a hearty pantry-hash topped with a glistening, poached egg, enough to warm a chilly morning – within a bowl on your lap.

Ingredients

1 small bag rainbow (or any variety) of small potatoes *

1 onion, peeled and whole

1 rounded teaspoon steak seasoning

1 rounded teaspoon onion powder

2-3 lg cloves of fresh garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil (grapeseed and other healthy, hi-heat yielding oils like coconut work the same)

1-2 tablespoons butter (optional) if opt-out, double the oil

1 teaspoon fresh and/or dried herbs to finish

Salt & pepper to taste

3-4 cups water or broth

LINK TO EASY CONVERSION CHART

*Healthy Hint:

method 4 serving

1. Put potatoes and onion – all whole – into a medium pan on mediumhigh heat, with water or broth enough to cover them by no more than two inches.

2. Bring to a low boil. Continue boiling for 15 minutes, or until JUST fork-tender. There should be little water left, if any. Drain.

3. Return pan of potatoes to stove, reduce to medium heat.

4. Melt butter and oil together in the center of the pan, and roll the potatoes around in it. They’re so happy!

5. Add spices and herbs: reserving half for the last minute.

6. Leave the seasoned spuds alone for 5 minutes; let them cook fully on one side until they start to brown and shrivel a bit. Only then, turn/ roll around and give them another 5-7 minutes or until they’re soft and puffy on the inside and slightly dimpled, chewy and crunchy on the outside. The timing will vary, but it’s tough to kill these guys. They’re happy!

7. Toss in the remaining herbs/spices.

8. Serve right out of the pan as perfect, rustic side dish with any meal. Cleanup is a snap, too.

Recipe by Pat Friedman

Small potatoes are harvested before they are mature; usually at about an inch in diameter. Some varieties, called Creamers, are popular for being so tasty, versatile and yep—low in calories. Fiber, Vitamin C, “good carbs” and nutrients are found in these misunderstood little tubers.

MAINE POTATO PICKING CHILDHOOD

My name is Roxane Davis, and one of my fondest memories as a child growing up in a small Aroostook County town was the yearly potato harvest.

All of the neighborhood children looked forward to this event, and as the time drew closer would proudly announce who they were picking for, and how much they would earn per barrel picked. Participating in the harvest was, of course, optional, but most of us were happy to earn our own money and made huge plans about all the things we were going to buy with our earnings. Not to mention, we’d earn at least three whole weeks off from school!

As a young child, I loved the idea of earning a whole .20 per each barrel I filled. Times were certainly different and the cost of goods a were whole lot cheaper than they are today! Every year we would start at a higher rate, and by the time I finished my yearly potato picking we were earning about .50 per barrel. My mother was our ‘banker’ and kept track of all of our earnings. She also went through all of our clothes while we were out picking and made lists of the items we needed. At the end of the harvest, we would use our money to purchase those items, plus one ‘toy’ of our choice, then the rest went into our respective bank accounts to earn interest.

Our mother would wake us, have a hot breakfast on the table, pack our lunch boxes, and have us out the door at 5:00 am every morning. I remember the radio would be tuned to the Potato Pickers’ Special and mom would listen for any cancellations or delays.

So, what was so fun about getting up at 4:00

in the morning, dressing in old work clothes, and standing outside in the cold early morning just as the sun was peeking over the horizon, to wait for the ‘picker truck’ to pick us up? NOTHING!

It was cold, especially in the early mornings. By dinner time it was usually warmer, but some days even then it would be cold. The best way to keep warm would be to work fast. All of us were really good pickers, and had a great work ethic. The worst of us (usually me!) would pick at least 45-50 barrels, while the best of us (my brother) would pick 100+ barrels each day.

Just knowing that at the end of t hat six-day workweek we would have our very own paycheck … thrilling! It made it totally worth it. In those days the farmer’s wife actually drove around to pick us up, and dropped us off again at the end of the day. We rode in the back of a pickup with a wooden home-made cover for shelter. Boards lining the three inside edges were placed for sitting. We just crawled over the tailgate to get in. The laughing, joking, and camaraderie that happened in the back of that pickup was priceless! We were all in this together, and we all had high hopes and aspirations.

The work itself was grueling. The farmer would supply you with your basket to use for the season on the first day. It was yours for the duration. You kept it with you and brought it home every night. The baskets would all be piled on the ground on the first day and each picker could choose whichever basket he or she wanted. All of us kids would try to get the biggest one we could, of course. (Mine is way bigger than yours!) Then it was off to the field to your ‘section’ to await the digger. -Continued…

Potato Picking

MAINE POTATO PICKING CHILDHOOD (cont.)

it was off to the field to your ‘section’ to await the digger. After a short while your body would ache because you chose the biggest basket you could, and now had to lift it full of potatoes repeatedly to fill the barrels.

When the harvest was finished for our farmer, we were done! We always had a few days before we had to be back in school, and we totally enjoyed that ‘vacation’ time! Mom would bring us shopping, each with our list in hand, and we had the best time choosing clothing and toys!

This little yearly blip of time in my life is precious to me. The values of friendships, monies earned and budgeted, and work ethics developed, were priceless to me and to many who also share this experience. It has impacted future endeavors, and has lasted a lifetime.

Mrs. Davis is a retired Teacher of the Deaf, and now works her own health and clean living business from her home. She is originally from the small town of Woodland in Aroostook County, Maine. Mrs. Davis currently resides with her husband in Waterville, Maine. She picked potatoes every fall from the age of 9 years until she graduated high school.

Editor’s note:

A great Maine claim to fame is our famous, high quality potatoes. A glance at the great state’s map depicts 3 clear “Maine’s:” Southern Maine, populated and bustling with coastal communities, meanders its way north, and becomes the mid-section of the state – bedecked with endless lakes, raging streams and dramatic mountains, which at last give way to … “THE COUNTY.” It sounds formidable; Aroostook County is so far north that some of it is geographically “farther north” than some of Canada. It’s POTATO-VILLE. Miles, as far as the eye can see, of flat agribusiness going on much as it has for generations, though keeping younger farmers is a widespread challenge.

From melt-in-your-mouth Maine Potato Donuts, to the oh-yes-we-do Mashed Maine Potato Pizza, a barrel of great recipes are HERE

Canada

Canada

Roxane M. Davis, M.Ed.

Photo Permission by: Margaret Chase Smith Library

GARDEN OF YOUTH

Natural Herb Scented Candles

Provided

by Mary Jane Lawal

First you will need to gather your supplies. Most of the things you will need you can find at any hobby shop. Heat resistant container – be creative!

SUPPLIES

Wax Wick

Herbs and essential oil for candle making

Double boiler to melt the wax*

Glue

Sticks (I use wooden shish-kabob sticks)

steps

1. Use a dab of glue and glue the wick to the center of your candle container.

2. Once the glue sets twist the wick over wooden stick to hold it in the center of the container.

3. Put wax in double boiler on a low heat and when it starts to melt add your dry herbs. The longer they steep the stronger the scent will be.

4. You can add essential oil scent if you prefer or in addition to the natural scent of the herbs.

5. You can strain the herbs from the wax or you can leave them in for some color. Carefully pour the wax in the container.

6. Use another wooden stick to push any herbs away from the wick since you don’t want them to catch fire when you light your candle.

Editor’s note:

I was in grade school all the way through graduation with Mary Jane (“Chicky,”) our talented Haitian candle contributor, and mother of 5 amazing kids including Jacquie, shown here. A busy phlebotomist, Chicky took the time and incredible artistic risk to make this Editor’s dream realized: a hand made candle of fresh herbs. She/they did more than deliver – they created something so gorgeous that Life Recipe Magazine is featuring a complete gallery of the photos, as another way of thanking our Subscribers.

Pat’s Double-Take Garden Salad

Recipe and photo by Pat Friedman

How better to showcase nature’s bounty, then with a standout layered salad? Sky’s the limit for which plants you choose. Just make a bed of shredded/choppedsmall greens (I add a layer of finely sliced green cabbage for super crunch factor.) Layering takes time, a steady hand, but a creative spirit. What’s in the pantry? To this one I add pistachio nuts, dried cherries, and fresh basil as elegant, textural toppers. Make it Mediterranean-diet healthy: quality olive oil, fresh lemon, salt & pepper are all you ever need on a salad. Oh – and a focus on gratitude for the growers and the Earth providing this bounty for us.

Mary Jane & Daughter showcase

united states

Editor’s Note:

OCTOBER 10, 2022, is now Indigenous People’s Day in America, (formerly known exclusively as “Columbus Day,” in observance of Christopher Columbus’ landing in America on Oct. 12, 1492.) For the past 50 years, this formerlymisnamed occasion has been celebrated so widely that for many folks, it’s become a popular U.S.A. holiday with paid day/s off. But people around the U.S. have been hotly asserting the fact that “Columbus Day” was not a day when Columbus “discovered” America. Rather, he “discovered” that America had long since been discovered, inhabited, and developed for about 10,000 years, by people living in harmony with nature and a vast, gorgeous tapestry of tradition.

One of America’s biggest – if not THE biggest holiday – each year, is Thanksgiving Day on the 4th Thursday in November. What’s been long-forgotten by most U.S. families over time, who have been breaking bread and slicing Butterballs in remembrance of those Pilgrims (the invading British colonists) who landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 – is that the regional inhabitants at the time – the Wampanoag tribes – had already been living there for about 10,000 years.

Healthy Hint:

FIRE IN THE HOLE! What would a TRIBAL theme be, without mention of the very first coastal Americans? They collected briny bivalves like oysters, mussels and clams, built hot-stone firepits in the ground and steamed the shellfish to perfection (later, with corn and potatoes), under a bed of seaweed. Up here in New England, U.S.A., we take our “clam-bakes” (and similar “lobster-feeds”) very seriously. They happen on sea-glass strewn island beaches of the North Atlantic – much in the same style of the first ones. But they can be easily replicated on a stovetop at home, like mine, served to a lovely 3-generation family of neighbors as the nights begin to cool.

Classic Shore Dinner

Thanks Giving from the First Table

Unthinkable oppression against the American Natives followed. Half a century passed, with America’s first people having to exist insufferable circumstances; forcibly removed from their hard-earned, long-standing homesteads to live on small reservations without necessities and without even the right to practice their deep-seeded cultures. That tyranny continued as law, all the way to 1978. The real irony is that the Pilgrims first came to America to escape their own persecution for following their own religious and cultural beliefs elsewhere.

Now, the vast majority of U.S. food magazines feature Thanksgiving “dinner” each year with the same bowl of mashed potatoes slathered in gravy, aside artificially pumped-up turkeys that seem to have become a sort of bloated, culinary mascot. Instead, these Land and Sea recipes are my best attempt at sharing what the research proves to be much closer to the real thing, from the table of the Indigenous Americans, on that fateful day. For those of you reading this, who will bow heads this Thanksgiving to say a few words of gratitude,

hopefully you include thanks for everyone at the table –yours, and theirs.

Duck Roasted in Molasses

Wilted Leeks Wild Rice & Creamed Sweet Potatoes

Female Scout

COFFEE KLATCH

Café au Lait … OLE’!

Take a spin on a classic French coffee drink, give it a south of the border twist, and add a little chocolate. Café au Lait is French for “coffee with milk.” Generally this is a straight 1:1 coffee-to-steamed-milk recipe. (Latte’s are 1:2.)

This is a great alternative to making lattes at home if you do not have or want to use espresso. NOTE: Espresso, which is an expressed coffee, is pronounced ESS-PRESS-OH.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups bold, strong coffee

2 cups milk mixture (I use a blend of lowfat milk, farmer’s chocolate milk and oat milk)

½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or your mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and/or clove)

1 cinnamon stick for flavoring the milk

2 cinnamon sticks for garnish

Dash cayenne if desired (a “dash” = less than 1/8 teaspoon – and this should be measured away from your other ingredients.)

LINK TO EASY CONVERSION CHART

method

servings 1

1. The point of this luxurious drink is the experience, not just the beverage.

2. While brewing the coffee:

3. Warm the milk mixture with spices and a cinnamon stick, in a small pot on med-low heat.

4. Stir often for 7-10 minutes, until it’s fully steaming, but not scalded or boiling.

5. Remove spiced milk from the heat, transport into a mixer or deep bowl. You can use a hand-held milk steamer like this. Using an immersion blender works exceptionally well.

6. Blend low to medium-low for at least five minutes, until a supple but firm foam has developed. The faint, beautiful hue is a knockout.

7. Pour coffee into two cups, halfway

8. Carefully tablespoon on top the layer of hot, steamy milk. Allow for some bubbles to sit on top, but this is not cappuccino to be piled high with dense foam.

9. Serve with cinnamon sticks, and the power of calmness in a cup.

Editor’s note: — Origins of Coffee • Despite widespread myths and misconceptions about the origins of coffee, the truth lies on the Ethiopian Plateau. But it was the goats, not the ancestors, who get the credit. The yeomen knew that when the goats ate those red beans, the herd soon became “frisky.” And who doesn’t want that? Eventually, the method was developed, from the stubborn little bean to the steaming mug now craved the world over.

For the best little goat-body-slam vid-clip … and tons of REAL info on coffee, LEARN

Recipe and photo by Pat Friedman

BAKERY

Paprenjoci: Divine, Medieval Spice Cookies

By Tantjana Kezic’

I just cannot help but mention the Starogrojski Hvarski (version of the ancient cookie) Paprenjok.

As its name shows, this particular recipe is from the Adriatic island of Hvar. Despite the name, there is no pepper in this recipe. “Papor” in this case doesn’t stand for pepper, but for the combination of 3 spices: cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. Today, Paprenjok is a symbol of Hvar and has become a traditional Dalmatian treat.

The old story says that mothers and wives made this ambitious, yet regal recipe for their sons and husbands who went off on a long sail. Paprenjoci can last for 2 months as a nice treat and, interestingly enough, as a natural barometer: they become soft before a southerly wind and rain, and tough before a northerly wind and a sunny day.

The recipe was preserved with tremendous love and care. The creativity of Hvar’s people is shown in these fragrant cookies’ delicate modeling and decorating. Paprenjoci are cut into shapes like fish, starfish, seahorses, anchor – and then decorated in a filigree style.

Ingredients • cookies

500 g flour

100 mL Prošek (not Italian Prosecco, but a thicker, syrupy and sweet, dessert-style wine made from dried grapes, notably in the Dalmatia region of Croatia.)

100 mL olive oil

250 g honey

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp saffron

1 tsp baking soda

Ingredients • frosting

1 egg white

150 g powdered sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

LINK TO EASY CONVERSION CHART

method yield 12-18 cookies

1. In a large pot, bring olive oil, Prošek and honey to a boil.

2. Add all the spices and slowly sift in flour with baking soda to make dough. It should be smooth and dense.

3. Roll out the dough, make it ½ cm thick, and make differently shaped Paprenjok with cookie cutters.

4. Bake in a shallow baking tray for 20 minutes at 180º C.

decorating

1. Time (Do not rush!)

2. Whisk the egg a little with fork and add all the sugar.

3. Stir until smooth, then add lemon juice and stir it again.

4. The mixture should be sticky and look like syrup.

5. Put it in a piping bag and decorate each Paprenjok by drizzling the icing over it.

6. Leave aside for few hours to dry.

Photo by Scott Rowley

nepal

Timeless MOMO ( म:म:) Recipe by Madhav Raj Dahal

“MOMO”is perhaps the most favorite Nepali dish. Though it’s been around since the 1300’s, its popularity around the world is now growing widely. Its origins are said to be found in the Katmandu (“cat-man-doo”) valley, later making its way to China, Tibet and even Japan. This authentic, multi-generational Nepalese family rendition is crafted and photographed expressly for the readers of Life Recipe Magazine. These juicy, exquisitely flavorful sweethearts can be steamed, as in this recipe, (or steam-fried, or deep-fried).

These are easy to make, once you get the hang of it. But there is a bit of a trick to wrapping this exotic “dumpling.” Here is a quick YouTube video on the process, by DIY with Bhabana: LEARN MORE

NOTE: Wonton wrappers are not ideal to use; wontons are one of many types of dumplings. You should readily find the softer, rounded, thinnest dumpling wrappers you can, in stores and online. (Or, it takes only flour, water and salt to make your own.)

Ingredients • masala sauce

5 Lbs. of chopped, steamed fresh tomatoes

2 Lbs. of freeze-dried peanuts (or white sesame seeds)

One bunch of chopped fresh cilantro

2 tsp. cumin powder

1 tsp. turmeric powder

Some peeled garlic

Salt as you like

Chili powder, as spicy as you like

Ingredients • dumplings

2 Lbs. ground meat (traditionally yak or goat, but you may use chicken, lamb, turkey, or beef) For mixed vegetables instead, slice very finely.

1 bunch of finely chopped cilantro

2 tsp. turmeric powder

5 tsp. Century Momo Masala (available on Amazon or Nepali and Indian stores, or you can mix your own, using the recipe below)*

1-2 chopped onions

Fresh garlic

3-4 tsp. ginger paste

Fresh chili or chili powder for your desired level of heat

5 tsp. melted butter, unsalted

Salt to taste, if desired

1 pkg. round dumpling wrappers

LINK TO EASY CONVERSION CHART

-Continued…

3 layer steamer -

Photo by Madhav

Timeless MOMO ( म:म:) (cont.)

method servings 6-8

MASALA SAUCE:

NOTE: this masala sauce is for dipping; it is NOT the dried Century Momo Masala ingredient found within the dumplings.

1. In a large frying pan or cooking pot, heat 4-5 teaspoons oil

2. Pour in masala ingredients and simmer until properly cooked through.

3. Blend until smooth. Keep warm and put aside.

DUMPLINGS:

1. Place all ingredients except wrappers into a large bowl and mix thoroughly with a bit of water.

2. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.

3. Have a small bowl of water ready to wet fingers.

4. Place wrapper in your palm and put no more than two teaspoons of the mix into each.

5. Apply a bit of water to your finger to wet the inside edge of wrapper.

6. Fold the top into small pinches, while turning around evenly, like a pinwheel.

7. Then take both of the remaining edges, bring together, and twist firmly.

8. Make sure the mix is fully contained inside the wrappers.

9. Boil water in the bottom of steamer. (Or your homemade stovetop “steamer.”)

10. Placed the momo dumplings on top, not touching one another.

11. Do not block entire hole in any steamers, because hot vapor comes from the bottom.

12. Steam 15 to 18 minutes until ready, when they appear a warm yellow-brown color. NOTE: the first ones will be ready sooner than the rest…

13. When ready to eat these fabulous, juicy creations, serve warm with a side of the masala sauce.

Editor’s Note:

This breathtaking, landlocked country between China and India is steeped in its own distinct heritage, natural wonders and amazing people serving delicious, indigenous recipes. • Home to the singular Mount Everest (8 of the world’s top 10 tallest peaks are in Nepal, “the ceiling of the world”), here you will also find the world’s deepest lake, the highest lake, the highest valley, and the deepest gorge. Extreme adventurers, this is your go-to! • Though some say Buddhism started in India, the actual birthplace of (Lord) Buddha is in Nepal, in province Lumbini, at the foot of the Himalayan Mountains. Today, 506 million people practice Buddhism across Asia and the world. • All over Nepal, “Namaste” is the standard greeting. It’s rooted in Sanskrit and it means thank you, hello, and goodbye... but the translation is “I salute the God in you.” It is commonly greeted among people in Nepal with palms pressed together and foreheads bowed. • You will find 125 languages spoken in this country of countless, awesome wonders. MOMO is merely one of those treasures that you can share, no matter how far you are from the gorgeous mysteries of Nepal.

Photo by Madhav

Photos by Madhav