Chronic malnutrition, or the lack of proper nutrition over time directly contributes to three times as many child deaths as food scarcity. Yet surprisingly, you don’t really hear about this hidden crisis through the morning news, Twitter or headlines of major newspapers.
When I was growing up in Mississippi – it was good Southern food… but I also grew up with a Greek family when other kids were eating fried okra, we were eating steamed artichokes. So I think it played a big part in my healthy cooking.
I think the biggest thing is clean as you go. Wash all your knives, cutting boards, dishes, when you are done cooking, not look at a sink full of dishes after you are done. Cleaning as you go helps keep away cross contamination and you avoid having food borne bacteria.
It’s fun to pick a cuisine and say I’m going to research Ethiopian food, and see what it’s all about. You find that there are a lot of similarities in cuisines from around the world and a lot of similar flavors.
I would like a food/lifestyle show. We’re not sure what that is yet. I want to be able to share what I do and how I raise my family. I feel like I have a story to tell. I enjoy talking and listening, sharing ideas and sharing advice.
I’ve been experimenting more and more with LN2, liquid nitrogen. I’ve used it in battle on ‘Iron Chef America,’ but have also made some great ice creams at home for my family. Since it freezes basically on contact, you can have ice cream ready in mere minutes.
When I’m home, the heart and soul of our family is in the kitchen. Growing up, my parents both worked, so dinnertime was for family – the TV was off. I think it’s important to grab that time and really make it special, even after a tough day.
In my family, we let our boys have a say in what veggie side they want for dinner that night. We list off a handful of options and get them excited about helping to plan the dinner menu. They’re much more inclined to finish their plates when they’ve helped decide what goes on them.
When I was growing up in Mississippi – it was good Southern food… but I also grew up with a Greek family when other kids were eating fried okra, we were eating steamed artichokes. So I think it played a big part in my healthy cooking.