T.G.F.L. (Thank Goodness For Lemons)

One of my favorite flavor twists for summer cocktails is lemon. Its tart, sour, refreshing, and easily cuts the punch of hard alcohol. So of course, when Ianna and I decided we wanted to experiment with lemon flavorings for this month, I knew I had to have a lemon inspired cocktail night with some old girlfriends. We started out with some fresh lemons and limes, some free organic honey from a neighbor, a bottle of lemon lime soda, a jug of lemonade, and a fifth of (uh oh! brand placement...) Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey Liquor. There are of course, other options that come close, like Wild Turkey American Honey or other Honey Liqueurs. Whatever you prefer to use will probably work great, but I'm stayin' loyal to Mr. Daniels on this one. The regular Southern style whiskey will work fine, but the honey flavor varieties add just enough unexpected sweetness to some pretty stiff drinks. The two ideas below are just a couple of favorites from our lemon cocktail night of experimentation. Cheers!

HONEY BOMBS

Ever had a Jager Bomb or an Irish Car Bomb? These Honey Bombs draw a little inspiration from those. If you've never had a Bomb drink, you're in for a treat. With any of these, you have a glass of beer, energy drink, or soda, and a shot of liquor that you drop into the larger glass. Right after dropping the shot in, you drink the whole glass as fast as you can. Yes, its kind of a drinking game, of sorts... Bottoms up! :D

-Large Glass
  -One part Lemonade
  -Two parts Lemon Lime soda

-One tall shot of Honey Whiskey

Its easy, just drop your little Honey Bomb into your lemonade glass, and drink!

 Although you might let up a sweet little belch a minute or two later, its still pretty fun.... And be careful not to make a mess!

WHISKEY-ADE

1/2 cup ice
Honey
Two shots of Honey Whiskey
One Shot of Lemonade
4-6 oz. Lemon Lime soda
Lemon Juice
Twists of Lemon

Place ice in your glass, preferably a tall one, and drizzle a bit of honey over the ice. Pour in the Honey Whiskey, Lemonade, and Soda. Squeeze in some juice from fresh lemons and garnish your glass with some fancy twists of lemon. Its a pretty stiff drink, but is tart and refreshing, and perfect for a summer evening. Stir, and enjoy responsibly in good company ;D

-H.BOMB

Vegan Coconut Lemon Mousse

 

Summertime brings so many great things, such as warm weather, cool water, and appetites that seek refreshing flavors. Appropriately, we present to you with a refreshing dessert that features June's flavor: lemon.

In this flavor of the month recipe, I decided to whip up a coconut lemon mousse, layered with blueberries. This recipe is fully vegan, and is a perfect alternative if you are looking to steer clear of dairy. This recipe does take a little preparation work, but worry not, it is super easy! Here is what you will need:

Ingredients:

-1 can of coconut milk (Do not get the fat free kind)

-1/2 cup powdered sugar (Use more or less, depending on your sweet tooth preference)

-1/4 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed or from a bottle...I used freshly squeezed)

-2 tsp. lemon zest (grated lemon rind)

-Blueberries (or any other fruit you wish to layer with the mousse)

                *An electric mixer is needed for this!

Instructions:

-Place the can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight so the thicker coconut cream can separate from the liquid.

-After the can of coconut milk has sat in the fridge overnight, carefully open the can and scoop out the thicker cream that has settled on top into a mixing bowl. You can save the thin coconut syrup leftovers for other recipes that need a coconut flavor.

-Using the mixer,  beat the coconut cream on the low setting, increasing the speed as the milk thickens. 

-Once the milk has thickened to form a light, mousse like texture, add the powered sugar and continue mixing. Next, slowly add the lemon juice and lemon zest.

-Continue mixing until the desired mousse consistency is reached. 

-Layer blueberries and mousse in a bowl or glass. 

-I decided to chill my glass for a little while after I layered the ingredients so the mousse got even thicker and colder, but this is totally up to you.

Whipped coconut milk also makes a great addition to a variety of other dishes, such as a topping for ice cream or pie, so you can enjoy it a number of different ways, with or without lemon flavoring! 

Please, check back soon to see what other lemony recipe treats we have.

-Ianna

Take Out and Give Back

Have you ever bought something from a resale shop, and once you get home you find that there is an extra little goodie that was left inside of it? Like a cool pin or a crisp dollar bill? I bet it makes you feel like a little kid who had just uncovered some buried treasure. Or maybe a little like...

Courtesy of reactiongifs.com

Well, I have been collecting the fortunes from my fortune cookies for years now, and although I just can't bring myself to throw them away, I know the perfect way to pass them on: to turn them into buried treasure. 

For the past few days, I have been working on my annual closet clean out. I am constantly having to make room for the new by donating the old to thrift stores so someone else can enjoy what I once did. I thought the perfect way to pass on a little fortune and positivity, was to put my fortune slips in the pockets of clothing items that I am giving away. I know that one of my favorite parts of Chinese food, is the future-telling dessert. Those wise words and lucky numbers just always seem to make my day a little brighter. I guess what I am hoping by hiding them in the pockets of my donated clothing, is that it will make someone else's day a little brighter too. So, if you regularly save these mementos from your Chinese take-out, maybe it's time to pass them on?

-Ianna

Lemon Rasta Shrimp

Every summer I make a to do list for myself, and this year one of my challenges for myself is to cook as often as possible for people I love. So, for my first attempt at some lemon inspired eats, I decided to make a shrimp and rice dinner for my two new roommates who have allowed me to move into their small apartment. To show some appreciation and love, I cooked  my two friends a spin on a dish that another friend prepared for myself and others just a few months ago for "family dinner night". This dinner features some tangy shrimp marinated in lemon, lime, and spices, with some rasta inspired multi colored veggies, all served with some fragrant jasmine rice. I got my shrimp from the seafood section at my local grocery store, although there was no one I could find to inquire as to the source of it...maybe next week though! Since I used precooked shrimp, the process was a bit streamlined, so take note of that if you plan to use fresh or frozen shrimp. On the bright side of things, I got all my lemons for free from a kind neighbor who has more lemons than he or I know what to do with.

Because the shrimp have to marinate and absorb all the lemony goodness, leave yourself at least one hour for preparation.

INGREDIENTS

1/2-1/3 lb. cooked baby shrimp (depending on how many you want to feed, about 1/2 lb was good for me and two others)

2-3 large lemons

5-6 limes

3-4 cloves of garlic, diced

salt & pepper

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1 large red bell pepper, sliced

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

yellow cherry tomatoes

small bunch of green onions, chopped

jasmine rice (or your favorite rice), prepared to package instructions

YOU ALSO NEED

glass baking dish

foil

pot for rice

Begin by rinsing off the cooked shrimp, and putting them in your clean baking dish. Squeeze the juice from at least 2 lemons and 4-5 limes over the shrimp, depending on your tastes (we will use the rest at the end when its finished for garnishing). Add the diced garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover with a small sheet of aluminum foil, and forget about in the fridge for about 30 minutes while you prep the veggies and rice. 

Prepare the jasmine rice according to the package directions, usually about a 1:2 ratio of rice:water for about 30-40 minutes. Slice up the bell pepper and onions which will bake with the shrimp, and preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Once 30 minutes or so has passed, take the shrimp dish out of the refrigerator and throw in your sliced veggies. Recover with the foil and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Because we use precooked for this recipe, only the veggies need to steam cook in the lemon mixture, but if you decide to use fresh or frozen shrimp you will need to adjust your cooking times. 

After baking the shrimp and veggies together, remove from oven. This will probably be around when your rice is done as well, so check on that too. Garnish the shrimp and veggie dish with some colorful yellow cherry tomatoes, chopped green onions, and any extra lemon and lime wedges left over. I served the rice up in colorful bowls with the shrimp and veggie mix piled on top, topped with wedges of lemon and lime for some extra TANG.

This was a light citrus inspired dinner perfect for a relaxing summer evening with friends. Even though I had originally only planned to prepare for three, we actually had enough for one extra meal, which was delivered hot, via bicycle to a friend working hard around the corner in time for his dinner break. In my double challenge for myself not only to just cook with lemon, but also to intentionally cook yummy for others, I think I came out in the end accomplished. Three times over, even!

-H. BOMB

A Sweet Display of Sour

Just having a little fun arranging flowers, and painting with light.

As many of you know, a new month at Love Handling Food brings with it a new "Flavor of the Month", and Helaina and I are particularly excited about this month's flavor: lemon.

Lemon is easily one of both Helaina and my favorite flavors to cook and create with. It adds a burst of fantastic zest to a variety of dishes such as vegetables, meats, and of course, desserts. It also lends an aesthetic appeal to many creations. 

  

To introduce June's lemon flavor, I decided to create a floral arrangement that incorporated this citrus. I went to the store and picked up beautiful orange and red tipped roses, in addition to some wonderfully scented, fuchsia colored delphiniums. I then purchased a bag of lemons, and set home to get trimming and arranging.

A trick for this arrangement idea, is to use a vase within a vase. The inner vase holds the floral arrangement, while the space between the outer and inner vase holds the round lemon slices. Using a vase within a vase also prevents the acidic lemon juice from quickly degrading how long the cut flowers last, and it helps to hold the lemons in place.

Once the arrangement is made, I poured water in both the vase holding the flowers, and the vase holding the lemons. The water really helps to keep the lemon slices looking fresh for a longer amount of time.

 

As you can see, lemons can be used for much more than cooking. What sorts of arrangements and other uses for lemons can you come up with?

-Ianna

Little Tastes of Paradise: The Mira Mesa Farmer's Market

Since graduating college, and traveling all around Europe for over a month, Helaina and I are now living back in our home towns. Rest assured though, we are still going to keep this blog running, and visit and collaborate with each other when we can!

Here at Love Handling Food, we really love fresh, quality foods and drinks. One of the best places that you can find these, is none other than your local farmer's market. On top of the quality ingredients that you can purchase at these markets, we also like being able to support the local producers rather than the corporate grocery chains. Now that I am back living in San Diego, a goal of mine is to visit many of the farmer's markets around the city.

To begin, I thought it best to first visit the market in my own neighborhood. Every Tuesday from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm, is the Mira Mesa Farmer's Market. Held in the parking lot of Mira Mesa High School, there is an abundance of great buys to be found. I took my dad along for the foodie adventure, and he was especially pleased at the freshly prepared food options at a decent price, and I was especially pleased that I was convincing him to try something other than Denny's for a change. We had a range of choices from fresh seafood that included mussels and oyster plates, to authentic Thai food. It was the Filipino food stand that lured us in though, offering rather largely portioned combo plates for $7.00. For that price, we were able to get a whole plate of thin, pancit noodles with veggies and chicken that were flavored with lemon juice, in addition to a chicken or pork kebab straight from the BBQ and many pieces of lumpia, prepared right in front of us. For those of you who have not been lucky enough yet to try Filipino food, lumpia is best described as little tastes of paradise. They are fried spring rolls, and are typically stuffed with pork, minced onions, carrots, and a bouquet of delicious spices, perfectly paired with a sweet and sour dipping sauce.

After satisfying our appetites with that delicious Filipino cuisine, I wanted to take a look around the market, as I was on a hunt for some fresh produce to take home with me. As we made our rounds, though, I found that this market held much more than fruit and vegetable stands. There were crafts! There was art! There was an array of potted plants to make any gardener's heart jump for joy!

I stopped to admire some beautiful orchids, when much to my excitement, I saw a stand that held a very wide variety of potted herbs. I suppose it would be appropriate to tell you another goal of mine now that I am back in San Diego: to have a pallet garden on my porch. Who says that you can't still garden if you're living in an apartment? I went over to the herb stand, and for $2.00 a pot, I was able to buy basil, thyme, rosemary, and a twilight chili pepper plant. I was especially intrigued by the pepper plant, because it produces tiny peppers, that turn from purple, to yellow, then orange, and then red when mature. Although this plant is typically used more for its ornamental purposes, I'm sure a few of the peppers can still add a mild spice to many dishes. I am very excited to see how my garden progresses, and am returning next week to pick up some more plant additions. The man who sold me my starting plants even told me he would have a potted cherry tomato plant for me next week!

I still have to pick up a couple of pallets...but for now this table will do!

Once I gathered my four pots that were just waiting to be placed out on my porch, it was then time to pick out the produce I wanted to buy, and wow, I am so delighted with my choices. I purchased (and I am not exaggerating) the best strawberries I have ever had. They were perfectly ripe, and tasted like tangy, sugary candies of the earth. I also bought some broccoli, green beans, and tomatoes that were still on the vine. My most unusual buy, though, was the tropical fruit, cherimoya, which is also known as a custard apple. This fruit had green, scaly skin, and white, creamy flesh. The woman who ran the stand taught me that the cherimoya is native to South America. Although I had never tried it before, its look and texture reminded me greatly of another tropical fruit that I had tried on the island of Antigua, called soursap. Its taste was nothing like soursap though, which has a very sour, yet sweet flavor. If there was any good way to describe the taste of the cherimoya, I would say it was a mix of mango and coconut, but a lot more mild in flavor compared to the two.

I left the Mira Mesa Farmer's Market with a full stomach, and full hopes. I was ready to get growing, and get cooking.

Please, do check back if you're interested in reading reviews on other San Diego farmer's markets, or just are curious about the pallet garden's progress.

-Ianna

One Border, Two Sides

As you might be able to tell by now, I have a very love-hate relationship with some foods and food practices. Some things sit very heavy on my conscience, and some days I feel helpless in my pursuit of environmental and social food justice (and slowly learning I'm not superwoman). But the important thing I suppose is to keep going, to keep talking, and keep fighting. Like any right we enjoy today, our brothers and sisters before us fought long and difficult battles to secure those privileges we can sometimes now take for granted. But today, we think of these things as rather commonplace and do not always appreciate the struggle it took to secure these rights. 

Where am I going with this? 

Found on weknowmemes.com, 13 January 2012

Perhaps what I mean to say is best summarized by an illustration of what I observed recently as I drove through what some folks refer to as the Salad Bowl of the World - the Salinas Valley of Central California. This is a drive I have done countless times commuting from my home town south of San Luis Obispo to my college town in Santa Cruz, but on this particular day I was more moved, and disturbed, than ever before by what I saw. Perhaps it was the gloomy storming weather that day; perhaps it was all that National Public Radio I was listening to. Perhaps it was the white unmarked bus that looked like it was chauffeuring a load of prisoners to do some highway clean-up as I sometimes see in California... Upon approaching it though, I realized the bus was not filled with prisoners, but with hooded and masked fieldworkers on their way to a day of work in the artichoke fields.
  
It was scary. I had an unsettled feeling when I looked at this bus of laborers on their way to work.  It is no secret by any means that the bulk of America’s agriculture is supported by masses of migrant laborers coming in from Mexico every year. This sets up a stage for numerous problems.
Obviously, there is a lot of controversy around illegal immigration and pathways to citizenship in America. How does a nation already faced with enormous debt and unemployment deal with a growing population of immigrants presumably living in the grey area of our laws? How do we reconcile the fact that politically and socially we still tend to exclude certain ethnic or racial groups, yet economically our nation's food supply largely depends on (sometimes illegal) migrant labor? Because many of these laborers are not  American citizens they do not enjoy the same labor rights we do. These include wages, breaks, overtime, all those other kinds of rules and regulations meant to protect laborers from exploitative bosses looking to cut corners. Additionally, because they lack citizenship, they risk persecution and deportation if they stand up for or challenge their rights. The meager pay they do earn is not nearly enough income to entice most American citizens, who are guaranteed a federal minimum wage and basic labor rights. Therefore, although the observation of “they come in and take our jobs,” is basically true on a superficial level, it is just not enough to explain what is going on else here, and finger pointing is getting us no where.

Why do we accept the slave-like conditions the majority of farm and field laborers must endure? Decent pay, basic rights, and reasonable working conditions for this type of labor are not often topics of dinner discussion, but perhaps they should be. These are the contested rights that I am concerned with when I talk about the long hard fight for equality in America. The way I see it, if there is a profession that deserves respect, decent wages, and expanded labor rights, it is the one which produces the food supply we all depend on. Instead, we not only forget these people do back breaking work for very little pay, we demonize them for taking jobs that honestly very few people are actually willing do. Last fall I watched a news piece about a blueberry farmer who wanted to create more jobs for the unemployed Americans in his area, and posted ads for job openings on his farm with the state board of labor and other local entities. This farmer wanted to give seasonal jobs to the local unemployed instead of drawing from the migrant masses from Mexico, as so many other in his position do. Much to his surprise, and despite the growing number of unemployed adults, almost no one responded to him other than a handful of black (or African-, if you prefer) Americans. Almost no one was willing to work so hard for so little.  

While it is easy to scapegoat these masses for taking potential positions of employment from Americans, we must first remember that these are jobs no one seems to want in the first place, as some research by United Farm Workers has shown (The Economist, 12/16/2010). The wages earned by farmers and laborers are grossly disproportionate to the labor required, and are far below minimum wage in most circumstances. Secondly, let us remember that because these migrant laborers do not have the rights of citizens, they are one of the most vulnerable populations to extreme exploitation. I do not mean to say that every farmer that employs migrant laborers from Mexico is evil, or wants exploit their workers. Farm work is expensive, our government mismanages the way subsidies are dispersed, and farmers often are left with few choices on how they will employ enough cheap labor necessary to maintain their farm. But this does not change the fact that effectively, “slave” labor still occurs in America today, and unfortunately it is largely accepted and rarely discussed.  

Let us remember, only 150 years ago, it was another vulnerable population, without the protections of rights of American citizens, who were forced to do back breaking work in the fields all day for no pay. Have we really come so far? This labor was also crucial to the economy, and was a hotly contested issue when some brave Americans began to support their freedom and rights. Even today many Americans think these people do not deserve the equal rights of citizens, and reject the idea of granting migrant labor increased protection. But has such fierce immigration policy really changed anything? 

If we begin thinking of the bodies in our fields as people- as persons, mothers and fathers, young people without the opportunity of education- instead of as “illegals” or “aliens” we will be off to a good start. Thinking of real people as subhuman in this way is not productive for innovative thought, the struggle for equality, or any dream of a better tomorrow. In fact, thinking in this way effectively, and dangerously, puts us back in the 1860s all over again. It is true that the times have indeed changed, and no struggle is completely identical to another, but there are multiple parallels when you begin thinking about the scenario in a different way. The struggle to abolish slavery only gained momentum once a few privileged Americans began to think of those laborers as fellow humans, and spoke out against those injustices. 

How do we, today, remind the American public that migrant laborers are in fact human beings, and should be seen as and treated as so? Demanding, advocating for, and supporting the expansion of their rights, as well as a bit of reflection on what the causes of our current situation are, will be crucial in this endeavor. There are many Americans who feel that these people have no right to be living and working in our country undocumented, but even they might agree with me that the system needs to be reformed. Borders are effectively imaginary lines in the sand, but people are mobile, and we have to deal with this. Seeing as throwing away taxpayer money on increasing boarder "security" is not actually keeping anyone out,  turning the other cheek on this issue clearly is no longer an option and we must look for new solutions. 

I envision a future food system that does not depend on exploitable migrant labor to sustain itself. I envision a system that can feed itself and be maintained by fairly compensated labor. Some may think I am being far too idealistic and optimistic at this point, but I think these are important dreams to have. The struggle for fair labor practices and rights for migrant workers will be a long and very hard fight, but it starts somewhere, and it starts as a dream.


-H. BOMB 


TO LEARN MORE:


Brie Mazurek, "A Fair Deal for California's Farm Workers," Civil Eats, 4/10/2012. 
http://civileats.com/2012/04/10/a-fair-deal-for-californias-farm-workers/

"Feilds of Tears," The Economist, 12/16/2010. http://www.economist.com/node/17722932

John Robbins, "Why Are Twinkies Cheaper Than Carrots?" Huff Post, 6/1/2012. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-robbins/farm-bill_b_1553955.html

Linda Levine, Congressional Research Service, 11/9/2009. http://www.nationalaglawcenter.org/assets/crs/RL30395.pdf

United Farm Workers. http://ufw.org/