Posting in my Jammies

Cous Cous and Wild Rice Salad

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Just sitting here thinking of all of the things I need to be doing. I am about to log off of the computer for a while but as it is the first official day of a new year and new decade, I am also hopeful for changes in the year to come.

This past year I lost 50 pounds and learned more than I ever imagined about eating in balance and how to nourish my body and mind. I had the great fortune of stumbling upon a free food journaling site NutriMirror.com which allows me to still carry on my love affair with food while becoming healthy and learning the fine art of moderation.

As if the gift of good health isn't enough, in September of last year, the kind people at NutriMirror gave me a forum to post my weekly food column SERVING up a SMILE, which is delivered each Tuesday.

The icing on the cake is the formal annoucement that I, along with my good friend Kel (of Kel's Closet) have been commissioned to author books for NutriMirror. My book will be (of course!) about Loving the Foods that Love Us Back. Kel is a hell of a lifestyle expert and her book about living in balance will surely be a must read.

Both of Kel and I were giddy contributors in NutriMirror's first book Balanced Days, Balanced Lives which is due out in March 2010. Pictured above is a sneak peek at the one of the recipes that I contributed for baked apples; as seen through the eyes of their talented food stylist team m.o.m.(no, I do not really bring THAT to my husband in bed!). Also see m.o.m. on flikr.

With all of the positive changes in the air, I cannot help but be optimistic about 2010. It is amazing what can be accomplished when one has obtained good health!  I am excited about food in ways that I have never been before.  Expect some bright, colorful and new ideas to be coming out of the Country Tart's kitchen.

Today's recipe is the Cous Cous and Wild Rice Salad (click for recipe) pictured above. Nutrient-rich, colorful and what a happy way to welcome in healthful changes in the upcoming year.

So, I have a book to write. I also have laundry to put away. Since it's nearly 3:00 in the afternoon, I think I'll start by getting dressed.

Happy New Year everyone.

All the best,
Lynn, a.k.a., The Country Tart

Duck, Duck, Goose (and Quinoa)

I said I'd work an ancient grain into my Christmas dinner! See above, as I stuff quinoa into our Christmas goose. Actually it was a duck, but thanks to the John Denver & the Muppets version of Christmas is Coming, our three year old daughter had her heart set on a goose.  $14 for a duck or $60 for a goose?  Hmmm, how about a duck we call  a goose?  Good deal. 

True to Country Tart form, I am wearing the lovely "High Maintenance Camo" shirt (that my oldest daughter gave me for Christmas) while I thoroughly violate this poor bird with my fist.  I told you I was a country tart. 



















Above is the Apple Chestnut Quinoa Stuffing that I promised.

I had some left over (really, a duck cavity is only SO big). Thanks Donna for the kick-ass Le Crueset dishes! Pictured is stuffing before cooking. It was roasted in the oven until the top turned a lovely golden brown.

Foreground: the duck. Background: Joe's smoked pork loin, stuffed with proscuitto, fontina & sundried tomato pesto (don't fret; the recipe for that is coming tomorrow).   Seriously good holiday meal.

Dinner on the smoker.

Almost done.

This is Joe, my other half.  He's a great cook and can work magic around a smoker.   The applewood he used for smoking was from an old apple tree that had fallen during a storm two summers ago.  He had cleaned it up for the woman whose yard it had fallen in (and brought it home in pieces to dry out).  The seasoned wood filled the backyard with sweet smoke all afternoon long.

The duck and quinoa stuffing. It was the kind of "good" that one enjoys without questioning whether or not it is good for you . It WAS a "love you back" food that was good and good for you.. All the guests had a serving of the stuffing and not one person scrunched their nose and asked "what is this?" I didn't see any left on anybody's plate either. That's what loving the food that loves you back is all about.

Whatever you celebrate, Happy Holidays to you and yours from the Country Tart. ~