A Fifteen Amsterdam Food Symposium

For the first time since I became an Ambassador, I will be celebrating Food Revolution Day outside of Lake County. This is so I can continue to learn and bring greater collaborative food education experiences BACK here to Chicagoland. 

Super Ambassador Terri Salminen and I have shared the dream of changing the world since we met in 2012. I invited her to teach with me in the kitchens of the Prairie Farm Corps last Summer, and now I have accepted the invitation to team up on her turf.

Terri has partnered with the corporate caterer Hutten Europe for a second year, engaged in her successful campaign entitled "A Focus on Food in the Workplace." More than 100 locations throughout the Netherlands will celebrate the importance of good, fresh food throughout a week of menus inspired by a combination of recipes from both Jamie and Hutton chefs. She and I will assist these chefs and serve their beautiful lunches from May 16th through May 20th at a number of internationally renowned corporations, hospitals and hotels.

Last but not least, here are the details surrounding Terri's grand finale FRD event planned in partnership with Hutton Europe:

Fifteen Food Symposium | Food Revolution Day 2016

Ambassador Terri has gathered dedicated chefs and food influentials to cook from the heart and get involved in Food Revolution Day.

Where:
Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Amsterdam

When:
Friday, May 20th 2016 11am-4pm

Who:
Students of all ages, parents and grandparents, health and hospitality professionals, as well as government officials will be invited to take part in the pop-up cooking school celebration of good food and basic cooking techniques.

How:
A festival of master classes and tips will be shared by a dynamic group of passionate chefs from the corporate workplace who will team up with Fifteen apprentices and graduates. Together with an international group of Food Revolution Ambassadors, head chef Michael Verswijveren of Fifteen Amsterdam, along with a team of nutritionists, food stylist and bloggers, the newest of Jamie Oliver's "Cook for Your Life" recipes will be demonstrated in a hands-on setup of twelve teams in the heart of Fifteen.

The following food influentials will team up with Fifteen apprentices and graduates in a Food Revolution line-up featuring Jamie's "Ten Recipes That Will Save Your Life." 

Thomas Stahlman, Ambassador & Chef - DIY oaty fruit cereal and other simple breakfast ideas.

FongYee Wong, Hutton Chef - Veggie noodle stir fry and Asian velvet techniques.

Damien Sawyer, Hutton Chef - Cheese omelette and spicy "shakshouka".
Damien Taylor, Hutten Chef - The making of risotto and two stocks.
Ramon Jorge Otto, Hutton Chef - Minestrone soup, knife skills and no waste cooking.
Jeroen Lips, Hutton Chef - Vegetable noodles with garlic and peppers. 
Bram Kanters, Hutton Chef - Pan-fried salmon and how to plate a main course. 
Guus Follings & Joris Hendriks, Hutton Chefs - Sunday roast, butchering a chicken, chicken broth and roast potatoes.
Frank Van Hurne, Hutton Chef - Simple hummus and other healthy spreads.

Hilary Metcalfe, Blogger - Green Salad and lemon dressing, the art of fermentation.

Michael Verswijveren, Head Chef Fifteen - Lamb curry with chickpeas.

Edwin Kwakernaak, Hutton Chef - Classic tomato spaghetti and how to dress pasta.

Vardit Kohn, Nutritionist - Vegetable filled wraps, salads for a meal. Real fast food on the go.

Can you imagine? Just close your eyes and savor the scene for a minute... 

I am getting soooooooooo hungry.

Imagine events similar to this... waterfalling and popping up all over the USA, all over the GLOBE, uniting family tables everywhere: the workplace cafeteria, the home kitchen and the school lunchroom... ALL in the name of good food education!

Join the Food Revolution! Jamie and his global team of ambassadors (there's over 2,000 of us now in 196 countries!) are getting ready to inspire YOU into growing, buying, cooking, eating more real food with the ones you love.

Sign up today at www.jamiesfoodrevolution.org.

Bring Life Closer for the Holidays

Dear Terri,

I think this might be my most favorite ambassador smash to date! We miss you and your family dearly & I feel more connected than ever to you this holiday season (even though we are oceans apart)!

Merry Christmas to you and yours - Your Dutch "Hangop" yogurt recipe is DELICIOUS! I will never forget making it with the Prairie Farm Corps last Summer for the first time!

Enjoy this lovely Christmas Ambassador Smash video - It was crazy fun to put together!

Someday, we'll ride bikes side by side and go to your market together just like we went to mine last July. I simply cannot wait to greet your dear friends and experience your part of the world. Until then, let's keep bringing life closer, one recipe at a time!

Much love and Christmas cheers! To the mullies we GO.........

xoxoL

Part 5 | #FoodRevontheFarm + The Kitchen Notebook

Dear Terri and Prairie Farm Corps crew,

It is so weird having you all gone. These are my favorite pictures from our celebration dinner cooking marathon and my last day with you guys harvesting vegetables for the Libertyville Farmer's Market.

Now that we have cooked and dug in the mud together, I just want to do it over and over again.

So that's what I have done. Made some videos so we can relive our Summer together whenever we want! HA! I dreamt of making these videos when I started meeting with Eric and Erin over a year ago in the yellow farmhouse. 

...Terri, how many times have we said "we've known each other from a past life"!?  

A JOFR Ambassador Avalanche | Terri + Lindsey Connect Continents 

I could write for days upon days about our 8 weeks together. Terri, I'm looking forward to writing more about the favorite recipes we cooked (I'm going to make these dishes with my kids!) over the next year from The Kitchen Notebook. It'll surely be something to keep us warm when the weather turns cold:) 

OH Crew, what fun we had cooking and eating together! Here is my mini film, made around music in hopes of capturing the magic that grew in each of us. It's my gift to each of the Prairie Farm Corps crew members, for the Liberty Prairie Foundation and for everyone around the globe who is inspired... 

to gather more often at our family tables together,

to cook more often from scratch,
and

to spread farm to table food education.

Prairie Farm Corps 2015 

I give HUGE big love to each and everyone one of the crew. I miss you dearly and I'll be thinking of our Summer together every time I cook, for you are now part of my connected and wonderfully cooked life.

To the mullies we go...

xoxoL

ps

Thank you Food Revolution for the honor of hosting the first #FoodRevTakeOver on Instagram. We had a blast sharing it all with YOU!

to the mullies with #52tries - meal planning in 2015

2015 is the year of my family table.

these lovely cookbooks are going to be my best friends for a while and i'm sure they'll get some new friends along the way.

i am striving to sit down with my family 3 days a week at our kitchen table for a shared, made-from-scratch meal. 

if i make more meals per week, great, if i make less, boo hoo... try better next time. 

no matter what i'm sharing it. unless my computer breaks.

i hope you'll join me - or at least be inspired to try you're own genius plan.

tuesdays = my #52tries weekly recap 

(if you're itching to see what's happening in real time, ride along with me on instagram, facebook & twitter)

each week, i'll compile and share my chalkboard scribble of a meal plan + the best pictures and notes of how it all went down the hatches. 

the good. 

the bad. 

the ugly. 

the gorgeous. 

the "i don't like it-ness" 

the love of food. 

oh gawd help me.

hold on to your butts, cuz i'm trying to get even more organized around three theme nights:

vegetarian/vegan (meatless... nuff said)

comfort food (cozy up and sigh as you stuff your face full of goodness)

food legacies (famous dishes from around the globe or stateside; let's travel back in time; cooking with famous chefs; food trends... i want to broaden my family's appreciation and understanding of FOOD (and my own of course!) and all the glorious culture that surrounds it... hello world).

here's how this meal planning ball got rolling and i want to introduce you to my team of besties that may try & make appearances over the next 52 weeks!

my sister katie 

we decided to begin connecting our kitchens over break. to cook the same recipe, take pics, perhaps make a video or two and see how it all shakes down in our mullies kitchens. i love her to death and as the co-inventor of our childhood fantasy land dubbed "the mullies," this is exactly where i want her to be with me since she lives in denver! she has two kids and i have three spanning 2 years to 10 years old. her husband loves to cook and eats everything; mine does not cook and is extremely picky like my kids. i am hoping her kids' thumbs up will inspire my kids to try a few more bites along the way when i push their culinary taste buds. i cannot wait to begin connecting our family tables and the evolution should be a hoot! 

my girlfriend tiffany, aka "bunny"

she was the genius who suggested i commit to a meal plan blog every week. it's our new year's resolution and this is how we're gonna keep it! meal planning is one of those things that is NOT hard, i simply have NO routine that i stick to and i'm trying to change that. she'll be cooking -vegan.all.day.all.night - along with me and we'll be sharing notes like mad hatters. she is one of my very best friends, my kindred life's sounding board who also lives in across town from my lovely sis. i tell you what, i would not be where.i.am.today without this fancy southern lady. she puts the chic in whatever she looks at (her camp1899 pinterest boards kill me) and i can't wait to cook & bake more vegetarian/vegan meals with her. link up with her on twitter for some bunny good inspiration. 

my "far and away" girlfriend terri + global food rev ambassador teammate

we facetime almost every week and email like we've known each other forever. she is my real life cookbook i conspire with! we brainstormed the other day and the meal planning really took shape into a more exciting, thematic structure. she is my mary poppins meets julia child from the netherlands, my heart's closest inspiration and mentor in the kitchen. it's like we share the same brain of energy and we soak each other up. i'm so lucky to be friends with this ridiculously talented executive & private chef and mother of 2. we are "cooking across continents" with each other and working to spread the food rev far and wide. link up with her on instagram, facebook and twitter for food inspiration that will blow your mind.

my girlfriend laura aka "chimmie" 

she is my hilarious, nutrition trained, beautiful soulmate who will be joining in on the meal planning fun. she's got two kids, i talk to her almost everyday and well, she's crazy awesome and real and i don't know what i would do without her in my life. she's just under and next to me in indiana and i can't wait for you to get to know her better. when we're not talking about food, we're talking about something crafty... watch out, us 2 chimmie-chonga-choo-choo's = nutballs. you can link up with her on instagram and get inspired.

my girlfriend christina + mundelein food rev teammate

not sure what i would do without this local lovely lady cake friend. check out her 2015 plan: she will use one cookbook per week to meal plan out of = so simple. i cannot WAIT to see what she and her husband will cook up each week with her two beautiful girls. you can find this talented stevenson high school family and consumer science teacher (gourmet foods and clothing design) on instagram. oh christina lets cook + cocktail this week!

ok ok, enough chatty kathy... let's get to it. 

week 1

salmon burgers + kale chips + glazed carrots = 5 thumbs up

via j. oliver's "comfort food" crab cakes + g. paltrow's "it's all good" salmon burgers

i combined oliver and paltrow's recipe like this:

1 lb salmon (my four patties were still a little frozen = good for processing according to paltrow)

3/4 c fresh cilantro

1/2 small red onion

zest of one lemon

2 T worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

combine above ingredients in a food processor.  pulse until well combined, but not a paste. place salmon combo into a bowl. and mix in:

a heaping 1/2 tsp of dry mustard powder

1 c gluten free panko breadcrumbs

1 T 21 spice blend (find at trader joes or costco)

1 egg

form into patties. size em to your liking.

fry in organic virgin coconut oil, 4 min's to a side (or until crispy and gorgeously brown).

acorn squash stuffed with baked ziti = 5 thumbs up

via the pollan family table

my family adores this simple "the pollan family table" baked ziti. i thought i was so clever in putting the ziti in the acorn squashes!!! well come to find out, mr emeril lagasse already thought of that, so hit this link and i won't have to type it all out for you. i pretty much did exactly what he did. so just do it. 

i love making my homemade tomato sauce (no fruit plums in this sauce. instead, this one had chopped kale ribs in the soffrito instead of celery, two red peppers, a yellow squash zucchini and baked acorn squash pulp. i anticipated i'd be the only one eating the squash with my pasta so i snuck a bunch in the sauce. i also pureed it until is was silky smooth with my handheld immersion blender. my family likes it better that way and it's extremely versatile with leftovers!

doesn't it make the most beautiful leftover lunch! my raw salad is simply sliced brussel sprouts + avocado + tomatoes + kale + homemade ranch.

hit and run tray baked chicken + side salad = 5 thumbs up

via jamie oliver's amazing iphone/ipad app and part of his #10healthymeals roundup. i just added some fingerling potatoes to the mix = easy peasy.

vegetarian chili = 1 thumbs up (only because i made it too hot darnit!)

via food revolution. 

those cute little round white things are called "bunapi" mushrooms... and i forgot to put them in... oops.

my family has the most ridiculously sensitive tastebuds ever to the "spicy". i'm not sure what i was thinking when i went to town on the cayenne pepper flakes. oops. 

we added plain sheep's milk yogurt (whole foods) to the bowls of chili to tame the heat. that's how i got the kids to eat it... poor chris took about four bites and was done. wouldn't even try the yogurt trick. to the moon alice...

lesson learned. i'll add just a pinch of cayenne next time. someday, someday they'll be able to handle a little heat. it's such AMAZING chili and i definitely will be making it again!

my vegetarian chili lasagna + ina garten's winter slaw = 4 thumbs up

slaw via ina's "make it ahead"

i tamed down the heat with this dish.  layered gluten free brown rice lasagna noodles + my leftover tomato sauce + aged manchego cheese (sheep's milk cheese). i like to use sharper, high quality manchego because then i don't have to add as much cheese to get the flavor i want. abbie was the only one who didn't like it.

layer:

sauce

noodles

chili

sauce

noodles

chili 

sauce

cheese

noodles

sauce

cheese

done

today starts a new week. 

i'll post my new chalkboard on instagram later today taters tots.

and i'll be seeing you mundelein/lake county locals at dakotah's farmer's market on saturday 9am-3pm. i'll be cooking and talking with you about your meal planning ideas around 10am-2pmish or until my food sampling runs out!

mark your calendars and start dreaming of the warm sunshine.

food revolution day is friday, may 15, 2015.

i can't hardly wait!!!

x+o=L

ps

begin again. 

every week. 

have you heard this song? 

"are we all just lost stars, trying to light up the dark?"

it's a little tuesday tune for you 

love.

santa's got a sweet spot for mamacita's holiday G-hoppers

watch me now - to the mullies with holiday G-hoppers on youtube

the kids and i cooked (or should i say mixed?) this craziness up together this past sunday, november 30. i finished editing the video on tuesday, december 2nd, our lovely 14 year wedding anniversary. 

it's a special video because of the sweet timing + it truly captures the energy, the fun and the unpredictable adventures we're having cooking together in the kitchen. this recipe was developed with gumption (no recipe to lead the way, just concepts i have learned over the last 2+ years of clean food experimenting). i'm so very proud of it.

enjoy and make this recipe stat... cuz eating these g-hoppers will surely hit your sweet spot.

~~~~~~~

it came upon a midnight clear...

when lindsey (santa's mamacita) took on the 52 new foods no-bake holiday cookie challenge, she immediately knew what delicious dessert concept she wanted to tweak.

she loved two types of ice cream: mint chocolate chip and pistachio.

her favorite birthday + college dessert = grasshopper pie (the house dessert at her northwestern KKG fraternity house).

mamacita's first idea was an ice cream xmas tree cookie. she envisioned rolling out the cacao dough, stamping out xmas trees, topping them with the holiday green ice cream and garnishing them with crushed dye-free candy cane... pretty and festive yummies. however, the xmas trees and icing seemed a bit tedious and not so easy peasy.

like a bolt of lighting, a glorious idea came to life: "what about mini grasshopper pies!?" alas, lindsey couldn't find dye-free candy cane, so, with santa's nice 52 new foods list in her head, she thought, "but of course!  i'll yank some gorgeous pomegranate seeds out from their fridgy-bed!" 

away to the kitchen, mamacita flew like a flash, donned her red apron and gathered her reindeer & stash. she sprang to her food processor, to her team gave a whistle, and away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

merry christmas to all (you filthy animals) and to all a good night!

to the mullies with holiday g-hoppers 

inspired by 52 new foods: avocados, pomegranates & raw cacao

raw cacao crust:

2 c raw almonds (soaked overnight, rinsed and drained)

2 c raw cashews (soaked overnight, rinsed and drained)

(click here to find out why i like to soak my nuts)

1.5 c organic raw cacao powder

12 pitted medjool dates (for the 12 days of christmas of course)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 c sun dried goji berries (soaked in water for 10 minutes to soften. rinse and drain)

1/2 c almond butter

1 tsp sea salt

raw g-hopper ice cream:

4 organic avocados

2 c organic coconut butter (i found my jar at AWH)

4 tsp pure mint extract

2 tsp vanilla

12 T (3/4 c) pure maple syrup or coconut nectar

large handful of fresh mint leaves (stems discarded)

pinch of sea salt

note #1: the raw cacao crust recipe is enough to fill either 2 full pans of mini g-hoppers or 1 pan of mini's and a pie crust. i made a french silk ice cream pie with it (we haven't taste tested yet, so i'll get back to you on that classic filling!) i have doubled the avocado recipe (the video shows us making a single batch as i.had.no.idea what the final product amount would be!) i figure with the holidays, you need the double batch amount! if not, just cut both of these recipes in half. 

note #2: not a fan of mint? well, i gotcha bunny! omit the mint leaves + extract and process in pistachios. play with your nut amount! i would start with a 1/2-1 cup and taste test from there. no need for salt probably either, as pistachios are salty indeed. also, i would also use a vitamix (or any powerful blender) if you would like it smooth vs chunky.

using a large bowled food processor, process the nuts together until you have a small, uniform mince. add in all ingredients and process until smooth and thick play-dough like consistency.  your kids will have a ball with naming this concoction...

clean the food processor.  add in all of the ice cream ingredients and process until smooth.  

assembly: using a 1 inch ice cream scooper, place balls of pie crust into each cup.  cover your finger with a plastic baggie and press to form a mini pie mould. (super funny stuff to do... i have such potty humor... and let's face it, kids think this is absolutely gross-hilarious!) clean your ice cream scooper (aka pooper scooper) and scoop out your g-hopper ice cream into each cacao cup.  smooth tops with a butter knife or spatula and garnish with crushed pistachios, pomegranates, crushed dye free red/white peppermint candy, mini chocolate chips... so many festive options!!! be creative!!!

FREEZE OVERNIGHT!!!!!!!  

~~~~~~~

i hope this post and the many other #52newfoods simple recipes this holiday season inspire you to get cooking just one day a week with your kids - the lovely & manageable premise of the 52 new foods challenge cookbook. 

the mullies kitchen = my training room and we're adding more weight every week!

note to self: don't fret or give up when those kitchen performance "plateaus" hit... it takes a bit for that new muscle memory to take hold (believe me, i know).

go food revolution + team 52 new foods = december's blog of the month!!!!!

happy happy no-bake holiday partying with your kids!

to the mullies we go...

xoxoL



ps

special props to my dear friend jenn who lovingly came up with "holiday hopper" and i added in the g (is for grasshopper) spot. silly, creative, foodie friends are the best.  love + thank you jenn!!

pps

a lot of peeps have been asking me who puts together these lovely videos.  i do.  just me and my iphone with just shy of 3 GB's of memory:)  here's the challenging part: i unfortunately only have a 16 GM phone (i can't even get the new apple update at this point) and i have to delete all pics and videos off my phone to have space for a new video undertaking.  so i know i can shoot about 1.5 GM's of photos and video before i begin editing through imovie (or else i don't have enough space to save the finished product to my phone and upload!)  aahhhhhhhhh!  needlesstosay, i have developed quite an easy process:  shoot what i'm doing in the moment = exactly how cooking with kids shakes out = thumbs ups + thumbs downs + endless comedy + love + a family cooking legacy + fun.

polenta pizza - a balancing act

most of the time, i find cooking fun, even cathartic at times, especially when i cook with my family and friends... and it's often quite hilarious when my kids join me.

however, it's getting my family to be joyful eaters that is so very horrifically frustrating at times.  i guess if i'm not always excited to cook, why should i expect them to always be happy to eat?  would i be excited to cook all the time if i could be guaranteed sheer dining pleasure at the kitchen table?  i often have dinner on the table late (sorry honey, that time thing is tricky dicky), and then when i do get it on the table, i simply adore the suspicious looks on my family's leary faces.  will my kids ever wax poetic about my cooking, and someday cook the cherished recipes with their own families?

i have some work to do if i'm gonna make the "tried and true" dream come true...

i'm cooking up food love for all of the up and down moments, regardless if i get love back or not.  it's the end game i'm after.  and so far, i'm getting more love than not, and that's what's keeping this crazytrain on the tracks.

here's our latest cooking escapade over polenta pizza.  i have never made polenta from scratch (just bought it prepackaged in a tube).  perhaps that's why my family has never eaten polenta and liked it.  it's my latest ambassador recipe smash with terri salminen, a dear friend, ambassador and chef from the netherlands.

terri's rosemary polenta and pizza gialla

i learned three very important things in this polenta making experience:

1- do NOT skip the cooling of the crust.  i didn't think it was important for my first attempt, so that resulted in a polenta "bake", with only the edges getting crusty = not pizza.
2- you MUST flip the pizza crust (i ignored this step) to really get it nice and crispy.  terri reminded me of this essential step (she spent a week recipe testing this badboy) and i cannot wait to try it again = think about your pan selection.
3- let the pizza rest at least 15-20 min out of the oven to let the polenta cool into a more solid, cohesive crust.  i thought i biffed the recipe up again, only to find a beautiful, solid crust had formed after we put the kids down to bed = you will love love love these leftovers.
4- shake it off if it doesn't turn out how you or your eaters expect.  for a recipe is just a set of directions for all of us to experience & make our own with gumption... i am making the pine nut and garlic pizza gialla next terri!!!

punkdisiliousness,
xoxoL

an ambassador smash - polenta pizza on youtube

ps

and here are more hot.off.the.press recipe notes from terri for our next batch!

"let your polenta cool really well — let’s say make it at lunch and put it in the refrigerator till dinner — When it has had time to cool, it also sets into a more solid “dough” — We have to coax the cornmeal to do what we want it to do. Oh and one more thing — the topping has to be light — otherwise when you pick up the pizza slice it breaks because of the weight of the filling."

thank you thank you terri, muah!

Happy 2nd Birthday Food Revolution!!!!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Video link
(if the link doesn't work on your mobile, check it out on your computer!)

there's no place i'd rather be... 

click clicking my heels over here and enjoying a lazy labor day morning with the family.

enjoy this super fun video and i hope that it gets you to hit "play" in the kitchen more often with your love bugs:)

happy happy birthday to my JOFF team and community - you guys LIGHT ME UP!

punkdisilliousness,

xxLS