The thought of saving our environment is a bit daunting when you think of all the things you have to do.  I was getting overwhelmed while reading a magazine about being “green”.  I thought,  “I can’t afford to put solar panels on my roof, or replace all our sheets with 100% organic, or stop driving my car!”  Then I thought about one thing I can control. I do my weekly grocery shopping at a number of places that put only one item in each plastic bag. I end up with 15 plastic bags per trip, many of which could have been easily consolidated.  I got to thinking about what all those bags do in the landfill after I’ve used them for 1 hour.  They likely sit there for years, adding nothing but pollution to the earth.  I thought about a fun easy way to eliminate many of those bags.  I found some stores that sell you reusable bags, which is great, but then I found some really fun canvas bags that the kids really loved.  We have made a commitment to bring the bags with us when we shop; it’s just our little way of helping ease the landfills of toxic ingredients that harm instead of help.
There are many places that give you wonderful ideas about easy ways to be green, just make sure that they are actually organic or recycled, instead of just mentioning that they may be good for the environment.  It’s easy to be sold a bill of goods, think you are helping, and get confused by all the controversy.
Also, get the kids involved.  This is their earth and we are passing it down to them more damaged then when we got here.  It’s my goal to do all I can to ease our footprint of waste in the environment.  Let’s make that commitment together.
Until next time, I’ll be keepin’ it Original!  Gina

I have been blessed in my life to be surrounded by good food. And not just good food, good people to share it with too!  I was raised by my mom’s side of the family, that included her parents, my Nonna and Nonno (may he rest in peace), her sister and brother, my aunt Jan, my uncle Johnny (may he rest in peace too), and a spattering of “uncles and aunts” a mile long.  It never failed, whenever there were two or more gathered together, there was always a ton of food.  My Nonna (You all know her as Momma) had a special way of making even strangers feel welcome at her table, and I was lucky enough to experience many a meal with someone who just needed an adoptive family to help them through.  When it was just us, no matter what else was going on, Nonna made a batch of her special, never-fail, good- for-the-everything, Chicken soup with Pastina.  I have come to regard those times as the most precious to me because as I grew up, moved away, came home for visits, called when I was sick, anytime I needed Nonna, I knew she would be waiting for me with soup.  It was so comforting.  She knew how to make me feel at home.  Recently, I arrived at her house, it was late and I had a van full of tired kids, I was worn out and needed Nonna.  She greeted us, set the table and ladled into bowls that rich wonderful gold medicine for the soul that I have grown to need like air.   It’s not just the soup; it’s what the soup stands for:  Unconditional love, acceptance, home, safety, comfort, and belonging.  I know that sounds crazy, but since I’ve grown up loving people through food, it makes sense to feel loved through that wonderful broth.  My kids are keeping up the tradition of cooking, and loving to see people happy with the things they have made for them.  I hope that sense of home never ends. I hope you can start traditions that will last a lifetime. Let me know if you have. Thanks for spending a moment with me, until next time I’ll be keepin’ it Original!    Gina

Chicken Soup

1 whole chicken, washed and cut up
1 turkey leg, neck or thigh
3 large sweet onions, chopped
¼ cup olive oil
6 medium carrots,
6 celery stalks
2 leeks
3-4 chicken bouillon cubes or soup base
6 quarts of water
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:

In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat oil and sauté two chopped onions and chicken parts until onion and chicken are browned, about 15-20 minutes. (Important: The longer the onion cooks in the chicken, the better the flavor.)  Add water, remaining onion, turkey, carrots, celery, leeks, salt and pepper.  Bring to boil, then simmer for about 2-3 hours, occasionally skimming off foam. When cooked, strain the stock into a container and discard solids, or cut solids up into pieces and add back to soup. Cool stock and skim the fat. Add pasta if desired. Serve with fresh-grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Another fun version of this gold goodness is…
Chicken Stock

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large stockpot. Add one onion, diced small.
Sauté about 3-4 pounds of hacked up chicken wings, back, necks and legs in the onion just until the chicken turns pale, about 5 minutes. (Hack the chicken in about 2-inch pieces with a cleaver or chef’s knife.)
Add two quarts of water and bring to a boil. Add your favorite vegetables: 2-3 each of carrots, celery and onions.  Simmer for about one hour. Strain the stock, cool it down and skim off the fat. Freeze the stock, or simmer up a big pot with your favorite soup pasta, like Orzo Pastina or Acini De Pepe. May it fill your body and your soul with the liquid gold of life!

Ingredients:
3 medium onion cut into medium dice
1 leek chopped
1 carrot cut in medium dice
4 celery stalks cut in medium dice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 whole chicken cut into pieces

2   quarts water

Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet and saute the chicken pieces and onion together until the chicken loses its color. Cover the pan and cook over low heat until the the flavorful juices are released, about 20 minutes. At this point add the water celery, carrot and leek and simmer for another 20 minutes.
Strain the stock into a container and discard the solids. Cool stock and skim the fat. (The stock can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for several months.)

They say variety is the spice of life. And in my case, they are right. Every week we get new recipes coming across our desk and they are as varied as they can be. Sometimes, we get one that really makes a mark on our lives. It’s just what we were looking for, just the right flavors, a great story attached, fun to make, all the ingredients for a great time in the kitchen. The fun really happens when we can involve the kids and that is just the case with my favorite recipe. It’s a little of this, and a little of that, all added in to make baking fun and educational. My Daughter Olivia, (5), absolutely LOVES to bake. I can’t pull out the mixer without her pulling up a chair. She drags her heavy wooden chair up to the counter and fights with her little sister about who can add this ingredient, and who gets to crack the eggs. There is no loss for jobs in the recipe, and no loss for a lesson either. The recipe is BLACK PEPPER COOKIES and they are the best things since sliced bread! They are packed full of spices, cloves, ginger, pepper, salt, and Olivia’s first and second favorite spices, vanilla and cinnamon. Teaching the girls the differences that spices make, how much to add, when to add and why you add, are very fun and important lessons that I love teaching them. One day, Olivia dragged her chair up to the counter and started opening all the spice lids. She systematically took off each lid, smelled it, stuck her little pinky in and tasted and then reacted about the differences. She loved nutmeg, was interested by oregano and thyme and did not like pepper all by itself. She loves learning and I love watching her explore the kitchen and what goes into making a recipe fabulous. So, please keep sending us your recipes, you are teaching the next generation that food doesn’t just come in a box and gets cooked in the microwave! We are bringing real food back to the kitchen. Until next time, I’ll be keepin’ it original!

Black Pepper Cookies

(Taste like a wonderfully chewy and soft ginger snap!)
Ingredients:

Mix Together Until Creamy:

2 cups sugar
1 ½ cups shortening (Crisco)

Add:

2 eggs
½ cup molasses (regular)

Sift Together:

4 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons cloves
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 teaspoons baking soda ADD AFTER ALL MIXED TOGETHER WELL
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add flour mixture into wet ingredients and mix well. Add baking soda last!
Roll dough into golf ball size balls and roll in sugar.
Bake on greased cookie sheet (do not press down) at 350 for 8 minutes.
Cookies will rise and when they begin to crack on top, they’re ready to come out.
Do not overcook. To keep cookies moist and chewy, place in plastic container or zip lock bag while they are still warm. Recipe makes about 36 cookies.

Jan’s Cook Notes: We made a few batches before we got the timing down pat. We would take them out just a little too late and they would end up a bit too overcooked and crispy. The real beauty of these gems is that they’re chewy and soft! Anyone can buy a hard ginger snap, right? A lot depends on your oven and whether or not you use convection or conventional bake. The good news is, they’re tasty even when they’re a little bit overcooked. But they’re magnificent if you can get the timing just right—and take them out