Have you ever left someone’s home after sharing a fabulous meal and said to yourself “I wish my home could smell as wonderful, or I wish I knew how to entertain with such ease, or warmth, or If only I knew how to cook like that!”? If you let those comparative thoughts or feelings stop you from trying, I’d like you to remember how you felt after experiencing the first few rounds of a new sport. Did you feel like less, when watching a person on the next court who had a relentless back-hand, or when the skier, who flew by you on the slope, exhibited extraordinary skill? I doubt it. Usually, we allow those people to inspire us. We use glimpses of proficiency to reinforce the notion that, if we make the act of practicing a priority then we too, could become more comfortable and knowing in that particular arena. Well, why should cooking and entertaining be any different?

Choosing to make quality home cooked meals a more regular part of daily or weekly life is one of the best ways to develop “cooking muscles,” which is what will give you the ease, confidence and ultimate ability that you admire in others. So, like with any sport or art, the only way to embellish your strength and endurance and to become self-trusting, is to “do” as often as possible. And, believe me, it’s a lot easier to become a great cook, then it is to consistently hit a golf ball down the middle of the fairway. (No joke….)

When new to entertaining, allow yourself to embrace the characteristics exhibited by those you admire, and be more “present” to the best parts of your experience, when in their homes. This is one of the best ways to learn more about yourself and about what makes you happy. Rather than setting out to do and be everything for others, ask yourself “What type of home life would make me feel the most comforted and the proudest to share?” Then, make yourself happy. Those around you will gladly come along for the ride! Cooking and entertaining is all about sharing your individual interpretation of deliciousness with those you care about. So, instead of worrying that you’re not like someone else, figure out how to bring more of YOU into your home-life, using the proficiency of others to inspire and guide you.

Listen, I know the economy stinks but picking up “free” wild chestnuts and giving them out as edible gifts is NOT a good idea! Seriously, a few days ago a friend of mine, living in California, emailed me in the middle of the night (4:08 am, to be exact) to ask for my help, stating in the subject line “URGENT!” This is what the email said:

Dear Lauren,

I was horrified to just hear from a dear friend of mine out here that the chestnuts we gave them – found on a hike- are poisonous horse chestnuts! We told them to roast them and intended to do the same. (I’d almost emailed you to ask for tips…now I wish I had!)  They ate some before they Googled it….I’m a wreck! I never in my life have I heard of such a thing. I grew up in White Plains, New York picking them off the ground…Those were wrapped in a spiny, prickly cover. The ones we found on our hike were much larger and wrapped in a soft paper-like cover. I’m trying to Google info but not sure which is true…one site says inedible, another says no…PLEASE, help me if you can…I’m horrified!

(My friend wants to be kept anonymous and I don’t blame her.)  

 Okaaay, can we talk??

The first thing you must know is “is this species edible?”

Eating something (or giving it as an edible gift) that’s not 100% familiar, especially when it grows wild in an open field is NEVER safe unless you’re a trained forager or if you happen upon an orchard that’s run by real people who are actually there to vouch for the edibility of their crop. And you can’t always trust the internet! When my friend did her “research” she was looking at cooking sites, wanting to know how best to prepare chestnuts and, as you would imagine, there are lots of sites devoted to helping people come to a delicious conclusion when working with a food that’s deemed safe (as edible chestnuts certainly are). BUT, had she looked up “edible versus inedible chestnuts” she would have quickly learned that “HORSE CHESTNUTS ARE POISONOUS!” 

So, the first clue, stated in her email: ” the ones I had growing up were wrapped in a spiny, prickly cover…and THESE were much larger and wrapped in a soft paper-like cover.” … should have been more than enough to do the research to find out if this particular species is safe for human (or animal) consumption.

I’m writing about this because you could be like my friend (like most Americans) who believe that “bigger is better.” While this might be true in some instances, when it comes to wild chestnuts, or wild anything, size has little if anything to do with edibility. 

In the end, all concerned were ok since the taste was apparently very bitter so only a small amount was ingested (although the son of the “gift recipients” had to have blood tests to determine if there was any internal damage). Having said this, had they gone to a cooking site and learned ways to incorporate these poisonous chestnuts into a dish that could/would mask their bitterness, all of these people could have been in a lot of trouble.

Oh…and as an aside. When we spoke, my friend told me that when she called Poison Control in California, they never answered the phone!! Can you believe that? Then, she called the national center for poison control and was told that because of “cut backs” there is a shortage of trained poison control personnel to answer the phones… Just unbelievable.

So, to help you to help yourself, here are a couple of websites, one is a listing of poisonous plants alphabetically (but you’ll need to know the specific name of the species; for example, the word “chestnuts” aren’t included but horse-chestnuts are.

 Here is a link that specifically deals with horse chestnut trees (also called Aesculus hippocastanum  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesculus_hippocastanum

Also, here’s a website hosted by an expert on foraging which has books dedicated to educating enthusiastic hikers everywhere: go to  www.wildmanstevebrill.com  (Although I, personally, would not take a subjective description or a photo in a book as gospel…)  

I commend my friend for wanting me to share this information with you because, as she said, “I want others to learn from my mistake, which could have had catastrophic effects. Hopefully, reading this will  make a positive difference to someone else.”

Anyway, be smart, be cautious, be safe!  

Tags: caution, edible or not, poison control, poisonous foods, wild chestnuts

No, no, this isn’t a blog about reducing the saturated fat in my cooking. I was just putting some thinly sliced prosciutto on a plate for our dinner tonight and I saw that there was a wide layer of fat surrounding almost every slice of meat which, to me, is not what I (or those at my table) want to eat so I simply cut it off with kitchen scissors. I’m writing about it because as I was snipping away I couldn’t help but think about all the snooty types who think they know everything about the dos and “don’t-dos” in the world of cooking and eating and about how they would hang me out to dry because I dared to remove the sacred fat. This also reminds me of how those same people (those I just mentioned) also get ALL bent out of shape when they see a cook rinse the skins off roasted peppers instead of allowing more of those acrid black specks to remain on the flesh. And let’s not forget when they (yup, the same folks) claim that “you can’t chop aromatics (onions, celery and garlic) a day ahead without sacrificing the integrity of their flavor!”… Sheesh.

With so much happening in the world, how can people get so upset over stupidness?

Listen, one of the greatest blessings provided by the art of home-cooking is that we all can (and should) custom make our taste, texture and esthetic experiences to suit ourselves and those we’re feeding. That’s the whole point!

So, this little note is just to give all of you non-snooty types a vote of confidence when you decide to cook according to who you are and what you want!

Go ahead—Cut off the fat!  

Tags: chopping vegetables, cutting fat, family cooking, personalized cooking, roasting peppers