The USDA is on my list!

Image by edlabdesigner via Flickr

I woke up in an off mood today. I had to deal with my Grandfather’s wake yesterday afternoon, a late evening phone call from my mother reassuring me everyone was okay in case I caught the news (there was a shooting at the funeral home I had left just a few hours earlier), and then I came out of a dead sleep to my husband yelling at my toddler for daring to be chipper before the sun had fully risen. All told, not a set of circumstances that would help anyone be in a good mood. I got my son out of the room, hoping my husband would catch a bit more sleep and wake up in a better frame of mind. Fast forward a bit and I hear “Ohh Traci this is going to make you mad,” …never a good sign.

Turns out MSN ran this article today, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31719136/from/ET/, and like any husband who knows his wife Eric instantly spotted that it was sure to set me off.

When I first started college I was premed. Shortly into that first semester I realized that my future was looking a little more green then red and I happily began following a course load that should pave my way into environmental lobbying. My family viewed it as eccentric but even at that point I knew there was something wrong with how we grow, process and store our food. With the rise in illnesses, cancer, and problems like diabetes becoming a household word, we are looking to medication to band-aid the problem instead of our lifestyle to solve it.

Although I wanted to pursue a career in lobbying my moral fiber would never let me work on an agenda that could harm. I find it irresponsible and ethically detrimental to society for high ranking US officials to knowingly discuss selectively banning known neurotoxins. As a firm believer in the adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” I find it very disheartening that our government would seek to undermine their own label in the interests of big business. Many consumers, including myself, use that label to guide purchases that are better for our family. I for one will be very careful moving forward trusting a label that can so obviously be bought.

Ms. Robinson, I say shame on you!

Introducing Foodie Fridays

I love to cook... well most of the time! Someone recently asked me when I find the time between a two year old, working full time, my multitude of hobbies and the daily chaos that comes from raising a small family. It made me think about it because believe me there are days when cooking is the last thing I want to do, but on those days when I have time, when I catch sight of a new recipe that inspires me, on those days the kitchen becomes a haven instead of a prison.

Recently I came across a blog called the Big Red Kitchen and boy does this lady have some fabulous ideas. I tried out her Cream Cheese Sheet Cake for Mother’s Day (recipe below) and plan to find a reason to make her cinnamon rolls. I didn’t tweak either of the recipes to make them gluten free since I’m still getting my feet wet in that arena but the cake was awesome without any changes needed.

I plan to start posting my favorite recipes and those that I get asked for often under the tag Foodie Fridays, so stick around and see what I cook up! ☺

Big Red Kitchen's Cream Cheese Sheet Cake...mmmmmmm
1 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 1/4 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cups cake flour

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, cheese, and sugar for 3 minutes on high speed. Add vanilla then one egg at a time mixing well after each egg. Add flour and mix well. Pour batter into a greased 15x10x1 inch pan. Bake at 325° for 25 minutes or until cake springs back when touched. Frost immediately with this glaze:

Chocolate Glaze:
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a medium sauce pan combine sugar and milk and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 3 minutes. Do not stir! After three minutes add chocolate and butter and stir until blended. Pour and spread over cake. Place in freezer for 45 minutes.