Heirloom Meals: Savoring Yesterday's Traditions Today

Wednesday February 29, 2012

Heirloom Meals Radio:
Domonic Biggi

Imagine growing up in a family business that was founded upon your grandmother's horseradish sauce?  Dominic Biggi can.  He recounts that his grandmother, Rose Biggi sold her sauce out of necessity - during the Great Depression to feed her family.  Tune it and hear how Beaverton Foods, a three generations old gourmet condiment company invented honey mustard and is the largest producer of non-refrigerated horseradish and specialty mustards in the United States. 

 

This is a true Heirloom Meals story - generational connections, old-fashioned values and a family recipe.

Listen to the radio show here!

Sunday February 26, 2012

Life at Boulderwood:
A Walk in the Woods

Today was truly the harbinger of spring. The air was slightly crisp but the sun strong. And there were teeny, tiny buds on most of the trees. Jim, Burt and I had a lovely afternoon walk in the woods. There's nothing better than nature at this time - the turnover period - when winter begins to yield to spring.

Monday February 13, 2012

Ms Murky Mondays:
Food is Love and Love is the Answer

On this Valentine's Eve, I wanted to share with you my philosophy about food and cooking.

Cooking is NOT competition.

Cooking is an expression of love.

Cooking is nourishment.

There is no greater joy than cooking for family, friends or lovers.

Having the people you love, love your food warms my soul.

When you believe food is love then everyday you share your love by cooking.

If everyone believed food is love, the combination of food and love is the answer to living a good life.

Happy Valentine's Day - Hope you all find the love!

 

Tuesday February 07, 2012

Ms Murky Mondays:
The Dragon’s Way

Over the last year I have been on new journey - not just with Heirloom Meals - but one of a healing/spiritual sort. Last year I had a number a minor but scary health scares.  From taking aspirin everyday as a prophylactic for migraine headaches, I developed an ulcer that caused heartburn; in seeking relief from chronic TMJ, I ended up feeling worse; and in general, I felt fat, logey and stressed.

What I realized from all of these things is I needed to pay attention to the signs or my intuition.  When something I was doing never really turned out right, my "A" student kept trying over and over.  And what I really needed to do was change what I was doing.  I also needed to care for myself.  I was told by the emergency room doctor that I was stressed - he said get a massage, take a vacation and drink some red wine.

None of the advice and coincidence of ailments have left my consciousness. I sought healers, and by elimination, found the ones that worked for me - a myotherapist masseuse, an osteopath, and a homeopathic MD.  I felt better but not great. While some stress was mitigated, I still carried it in parts of my body.  While I lost some weight, I knew that I could be on the slippery slope toward plumpness.

But, in being more open to the possibilities, the possibilities found me. I also learned a lot about me and being stuck - my massage therapist told me my hips were locked and they both literally and figuratively are what propel you forward.  She helped me unlock them and things started to happen.  Heirloom Meals started to really happen. But stress and anxiety were still with me.  My doctor said I needed to find a way to relax, meditate.  But what would work for me?  I tried yoga, didn't like it, walking, running, pilates, you name it.  And then it came to me...my osteopath's husband was teaching qigong and a program called Dragon's Way. At first, I dismissed it and then it just pursued me.  So, I put a class of six people together - my Jim, my best friend Jan who is also on a spiritual quest to health and happiness, my dear friend Donna who is recovering from breast cancer, my Mom and a new friend, Debbie. We are in week 2, and I am beginning to understand the wisdom of the meditative exercises and healing diet. And I thank my lucky stars!!

Ok - so now - we are in the year of the dragon - a year of transition, change and great opportunity.  

The program is called Dragon's Way, in the year of the dragon, coincidence?  I think not!

If you want to learn more you can buy the book,.