Hello friends! It’s late and I just pulled in from another trip to Joshua Tree (we’re addicted!) and either have the worst case of allergies ever or picked up a cold. So, I’m going to bed. But I promise to update this tomorrow with an actual menu for the week. But in case there are diligent meal planners out there dying to post their menus in the comments, wanted you to have a place to do so! So, please share your menus if you already have them done!

As for my menu, I promise to get it up here tomorrow! 😉

UPDATE 9:30 pm on Monday: I still haven’t planned the menu for the week. This does not bode well! 😉 As soon as it’s pulled together, I will get it up! Thanks to those who are sharing menus, you’re the best!

UPDATE 10:01 am on Wednesday: Well, here we are, halfway through the week and still no menu! I love that a few of you are still posting, despite the fact I’m a slacker AND it was a holiday weekend. Bravo to you!

The end of the school year is apparently kicking my butt. I’m hoping to swing by the store today and I think this week we’ll probably have meals like BLTs, Malibu Melts and other super easy stuff.

UPDATE 8:08 pm on Thursday: Oh my goodness, I typed the update yesterday and then never even hit publish! Needless to say there is not a meal plan coming. But this might be my favorite weekly menu post ever.

xo

Today on the podcast I share my favorite pasta cooking tip along with a great pasta recipe. Afterwards comes the really good part – I chat with award-winning food writer, cookbook author and yogurt expert Cheryl Sternman Rule. Cheryl is fabulous and she shares all kinds of fantastic yogurt tips and recipes with us today. It’s a must listen! Cheryl’s done all kinds of cool things, from getting a masters from Harvard, attending culinary school, working at the Department of Justice as well as doing a Peace Corps stint in Africa. What hasn’t Cheryl done?! The best part about Cheryl, though, is her warmth and approachability and I’m sure you’ll fall in love with her just as I have. Thanks for being on the show, Cheryl!

Shownotes:

• Cheryl’s book Yogurt Culture: A Global Look at How to Make, Eat, Sip and Chill the World’s Creamiest, Healthiest Food
• Cheryl’s book Ripe: A Fresh, Colorful Approach to Fruits and Vegetables
• Cheryl’s yogurt website Team Yogurt
• Cheryl’s blog 5-Second Rule
• Cheryl’s main website for everything wonderful she works on
• Cheryl’s Sour Cherry Yogurt Cake with Pistachio-Cardamom Crush
• Master Homemade Yogurt Recipe from Yogurt Culture
• NPR article about heirloom yogurt starters, a topic Cheryl touches on in the show
• Fraiche in Palo Alto
• No. 3, aka Green Noodles recipe

It’s easy to listen to the show!

• Via the web: Just click play below!
• Via an app: For iPhone and iPad, subscribe to the This Week for Dinner Podcast on iTunes and listen to it through the purple Podcasts app. For Android devices, use the Stitcher, Podcast Addict or Pocket Casts apps. In all cases, launch the app, then search for This Week for Dinner Podcast. The benefit of using an app: once downloaded, you can listen to the show without an Internet connection.

Other Stuff!

• If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a rating and/or review on iTunes!
• Big thank you to d&m for providing the music for the podcast!
• Cheryl’s Headshot Photo Credit: Danielle Tsi

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Hi friends! Okay, I have several carry-over items from last week’s menu because I never made it to the grocery store. KISS OF DEATH. This week is gonna be different!

MONDAY:
– Grilled Salmon with rice and broccoli

TUESDAY:
– Sausage, Pepper & Onion Hoagies

WEDNESDAY:
– Steak Salad
– Roasted potatoes

THURSDAY:
– Leftovers

FRIDAY:
– Veggie omelets

SATURDAY:
– Boys on their own! I’m going camping with the girls in Joshua Tree (yes, again!)

SUNDAY:
– Boys on their own!

You know the drill…share those menus! I can’t tell you how grateful I am for each and every menu that is shared in the comments each and every week. You guys are the best!

It’s been one year since I returned home from my trip to Malawi with ONE and Heifer International. One year since I dropped my kids off at school on my first full day back then fled to my car and wept. One year since I could not figure out how to process all that I had seen and learned. Over that year I have thought a lot about the experiences I had in Malawi and talked with many people about the trip. As I’ve grappled with a way to explain it all, I think I have finally found the word that encapsulates what our visit to Malawi was all about: connectedness.

I did a quick Internet search on the word connectedness and found on Wikipedia that in mathematics “connectedness” is used to refer to properties meaning “all in one piece.” Bingo. That’s it. This entire world and all the people in it, all in one piece.

I wrote many posts last year about the trip but never finished sharing everything that I wanted to. I probably never will share it all, but today, one year later, I want to offer a few highlights that represent connectedness.

Connectedness happened…when a woman named Josephine in a remote village in Malawi gave her phone number to me, embraced me like a family member, and shared the amazing work she does organizing village savings & loan groups that give people the opportunity to lift one another through pooling resources. Her work is transformative.

Connectedness happened…when the women in Josephine’s savings & loan group decorated the folding table set up for the meeting with a tablecloth and vase of flowers, as women do pretty much anywhere there is a group of them surrounding a table.

Connectedness happened…when we visited a hospital in Monkey Bay and unexpectedly entered a pediatric room with two children inside, one a toddler, who was all smiles, and another older child whose body was visibly affected by malaria, even in sleep. The child’s father sat at the bedside with a look so worn and heartbroken I felt we had entered, uninvited, into a harrowing yet equally sacred space.

Connectedness happened…when we saw first hand the impact that the Global Fund (where all of (RED)‘s funds go) and PEPFAR have had in saving lives. So many lives.

Connectedness happened…when we took a boat ride on the Shire river through the Liwonde National Park, home to some 2,000 hippos and countless crocodiles, living in a pristine, untouched body of water. All I could think about on that boat was how desperately I want for the people of Malawi to experience development and prosperity, but that I hope we as humans can evolve and creatively find new ways to develop that won’t destroy these natural resources like we have done pretty much everywhere else.

Connectedness happened…when we sat with a group of HIV-positive mothers holding their HIV-free babies, babies saved by CRT therapy that is stopping HIV transmission from mother to child. It is nothing short of miraculous. PEPFAR’s goal of working towards an AIDS-free generation is about to happen and it is a thing to behold.

Connectedness happened…when a farmer named Mr. Mtika showed us his family’s new kitchen, a separate structure from their home complete with a clay oven that burns wood more efficiently than an open fire. Mr. Mtika mentioned that their family uses one-third of the wood they used to, allowing them to reduce their carbon footprint. The Mtikas don’t even have electricity and Mr. Mtika is acutely aware of climate change and his impact on it. (I’ll just let that sink in for a moment…)

Connectedness happened…when we visited a small labor and delivery room in a medical clinic on the shores of Lake Malawi. They explained the clinic did not have the resources for c-section operations and emergent patients must travel 30-40 minutes over bumpy roads to get necessary surgery. Under those circumstances I would most certainly not have my youngest son in my life today. The sorrows that room had seen we could only begin to imagine.

Connectedness happened…when we spotted a herd of elephants, with strikingly dark grey skin, walking through the forest.

Connectedness happened…when the man from whom we purchased hand-carved wooden jewelry and key chains on the beach of Lake Malawi emailed us weeks after the trip, to tell us that he and his family are doing well, how happy he was to have our support that day and that he hopes we will not forget him.

Connectedness happened…when, time and time again, we stepped off of the bus into a new community and were welcomed with smiles, songs, embraces and love. Genuine love.

Connectedness. That what it is all about. That’s why all of this matters, why ONE and Heifer International took a group of writers halfway across the world to see the issues, the problems, the solutions, the impact of foreign assistance, so we can continue to spread the word, to reaffirm our connectedness, the very fact that we are all in one piece.

As part of our trip we had the opportunity to meet with Oliver Pierson, Resident Country Director at Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and Patrick Kadewa, Systems Operations and Power Trading Manager, Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM), as well as take a tour of the National Control Center for ESCOM. As a follow up to the trip I had the chance to interview the CEO of MCC, Dana Hyde. To refresh, MCC is an organization created by Congress in 2004 with strong bipartisan support to fight poverty by providing U.S. government foreign assistance in really smart and targeted ways. All countries that work with MCC are extensively vetted and each project takes 18-24 months to come to fruition. In addition, each country receives a scorecard, which you can (and should) check out here.

Dana and I talked extensively about why Americans should care about foreign aid. Dana pointed out that foreign assistance is not only the right thing to do and reflects our country’s values, but it is also in America’s best self interest to provide it to poverty-stricken areas of the world. Dana outlined three ways that U.S. foreign assistance has an impact, all three things that MCC is very good at targeting:

1. Economic: The untold story of our government’s assistance is that, when done right, it can help provide markets and opportunity for trading partners for American business. We live in a global economy and aid helps with the growth of other economies, which in turn fuels our own.
2. National Security: Extreme poverty leads to instability, so investments in fighting extreme poverty reduces the need for investing in security. (Dana referenced comments by Defense Secretary Gates from early in this administration about this very issue – click here to read his thoughts on the matter, which are awesome and make so much sense.)
3. Shared values and a moral perspective. This one is self explanatory – assistance is, quite simply, the right thing to do.

So, I’ve shared my stories and experiences. Dana has explained why foreign assistance is good for everyone. Now what?

Believe it or not you and I can have an impact. There is always the option of donating money to different causes and organizations like Heifer International and supporting programs like (RED). But your voice is also as powerful as your checkbook. Organizations like ONE and the US Global Leadership Coalition are constantly informing citizens about legislation and actions we as citizens can take to make sure our government continues to fund foreign assistance programs.

For example, just today I received a text from ONE letting me know that the Global Food Security Act (S. 1252) is coming up for vote in the House. By responding to the text, ONE automatically connects me with my representative. That’s all it takes, a phone call to say you support the legislation! (Click here to find your representative!)

Malawi will forever hold a unique place in my heart. I hope to return. My daughters write letters to Mr. and Mrs. Mtika’s daughters, who are the same age as they are. I hope these girls can stay connected and meet in person one day. But beyond Malawi, I hope that the fire I felt after that trip to tell the world how intimately and beautifully we are all connected never fades. (This is to say that if you ever ask about my trip to Malawi, get comfortable.)

Malawi, you truly are the warm heart of Africa. Thank you for sharing your sorrows, your joys, your people, your love.

I traveled to Malawi as an expense-paid guest of The ONE Campaign (www.one.org) and Heifer International (www.heifer.org). We visited to see the economic progress””and the lives changed””made possible by U.S.-funded programs and Heifer International’s donor-supported programs.

ONE is a campaigning and advocacy organization of more than 6 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Not politically partisan, ONE raises public awareness and presses political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency in poverty-fighting programs. ONE is not a grant-making organization and does not solicit funding from the public or receive government funding.

Heifer International’s mission is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. For more than 70 years, Heifer International has provided livestock and environmentally sound agricultural training to improve the lives of those who struggle daily for reliable sources of food and income. Heifer is currently working in more than 30 countries, including the United States, to help families and communities become more self-reliant.

It’s Thursday, which means a new podcast episode! Today I kick things off with various tips for cooking popcorn, including my most favorite technique, along with a delicious and easy recipe for using that perfectly popped popcorn. Afterwards I talk with Justin Warner, a self-taught chef, the winner of the eighth season of Food Network Star and the author of The Laws of Cooking: And How to Break Them (Flatiron Books, 2015). In addition,  Justin also served as chef and co-owner of Michelin-rated restaurant Do or Dine in Brooklyn, and he continues to be a frequent guest on Food Network and hosts Foodie Call. Justin talks about what he loved about owning a restaurant, shares a few of his favorite recipes and offers up a kitchen tip that I am especially excited about. I met Justin a few months ago on my trip to General Mills, where we bonded over cereal and 90s rap music. It was great to chat with him again! Enjoy the show!

Shownotes:

• The Laws of Cooking: And How to Break Them (Justin’s book)
• Foodie Call, Justin’s web series on Food Network
• Furikake seasonings
• Food service containers
• Whirley Pop
• How to cook popcorn on the stove without a whirley pop
• Brenda’s Mom’s Caramel Popcorn Recipe (in the microwave)
• My scaled down version of Brenda’s Mom’s recipe

It’s easy to listen to the show!

• Via the web: Just click play below!
• Via an app: For iPhone and iPad, subscribe to the This Week for Dinner Podcast on iTunes and listen to it through the purple Podcasts app. For Android devices, use the Stitcher, Podcast Addict or Pocket Casts apps. In all cases, launch the app, then search for This Week for Dinner Podcast. The benefit of using an app: once downloaded, you can listen to the show without an Internet connection.

Other Stuff!

• If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a rating and/or review on iTunes!
• Big thank you to d&m for providing the music for the podcast!
• Justin Warner photo credit: Daniel Krieger

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Email | RSS

Hello, everyone! Last week was so nice. I got the grocery shopping done on the weekend and made dinner all week. I do have a couple carry over items from last week, which is also nice because I already have the ingredients! Hopefully this week will go as well!

MONDAY:
– Adobo Chicken
– Beans and rice

TUESDAY:
– Chicken Caesar Wraps

WEDNESDAY:
– Veggie Omelets

THURSDAY:
– Leftovers

FRIDAY:
– Grilled Salmon with rice and broccoli

SATURDAY:
– Take out night

SUNDAY:
– Sausage, Pepper & Onion Hoagies

As usual, please pretty please share your menu plans for the week! Thank you and have a great week!

It’s time for another podcast! Today I share my secret tip for cutting brownies (okay, it’s not that secret and you can find it on the blog, but whatever…it’s such a good tip it needs repeating!). In addition I interview NYC-based family photographer Ahna Tessler. Ahna is a mother of four-year-old twins and wife to a 35-year-old man. 😉  Ahna’s background is in comedy and screenwriting but she found it was kind of hard to work the stand-up circuit with 67,000 diapers to change and two noses that needed constant wiping. Photography has given her the opportunity to explore the beauty, humor and grit of human interaction on a new stage”¦ the family. Her most recent project with Babble, Motherhood in Focus, was so beautiful that I just had to get her on the show to talk more about it. And, of course, get her to share her favorite recipe and a few food memories about her own mother, memories that take an unexpected turn!

Shownotes:

• Grandma Blomquist’s Brownies (although, all of the brownie recipes on my site are awesome!)
• Ahna’s Photography Website
• Motherhood in Focus on Ahna’s website
• Motherhood in Focus kick-off post on Babble
• Short video about the Motherhood in Focus project (that will make you tear up!)
• Meredith Carroll on Babble
• Ahna’s pictures where she photoshopped herself into family photos

It’s easy to listen to the show!

• Via the web: Just click play below!
• Via an app: For iPhone and iPad, subscribe to the This Week for Dinner Podcast on iTunes and listen to it through the purple Podcasts app. For Android devices, use the Stitcher, Podcast Addict or Pocket Casts apps. In all cases, launch the app, then search for This Week for Dinner Podcast. The benefit of using an app: once downloaded, you can listen to the show without an Internet connection.

Other Stuff!

• If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a rating and/or review on iTunes!
• Big thank you to d&m for providing the music for the podcast!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Email | RSS

It’s been a great Mother’s Day around here with a lot of lazing about for me, just the way I like it! Luckily I planned my weekly menu yesterday so, throwing this together wasn’t a big deal today. I even have the grocery shopping done, yay!

MONDAY:
– Pat’s Asian Chicken Salad

TUESDAY:
– Chili

WEDNESDAY:
– Adobo Chicken
– Beans and rice

THURSDAY:
– Leftovers

FRIDAY:
– Chicken Caesar Wraps

SATURDAY:
– Takeout night

SUNDAY:
– Tortilla Soup

As usual, be sure to tell us in the comments what you have cooking this week! And Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing women out there who influence the world for good!

It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for the weekly podcast! Today I share a tip for how I make homemade carnitas that requires almost no effort, with a really fabulous result. Afterwards I have a nice long chat with Dawn Jackson Blatner, RDN. Dawn is a registered dietician that works for the Chicago Cubs and also recently won the ABC reality TV show My Diet is Better Than Yours. I am lucky to count Dawn as a friend and absolutely loved having her on the show. She shares a bit about her experience on My Diet is Better Than Yours, how her philosophy around flexitarian eating came to be, tips and tricks for having a healthy yet doable diet, strategies for feeding kids, the “C.R.A.P.” you should avoid, why she thinks potatoes have gotten a bad rap, and a great kitchen tip that will simplify your life. Also, recipes. Lots and lots of great recipes. I love this episode and I’m sure you will, too!

Shownotes:

• Los Tacos (my favorite Mexican restaurant in North County San Diego)
• Homemade Slow Cooker Carnitas
• Dawn’s website where you can find all her great stuff
• Dawn’s Superfood Swap Starter Kit (to tide you over until her book comes out in December 2016)
• The Flexitarian Diet, Dawn’s first book
• Recipe for Cauliflower Macaroni & Cheese
• Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes (Jane’s recipe)
• One of Dawn’s Massaged Kale Salad Recipes
• Dawn’s 7-Minute Egg Technique (see #7)
• Dawn’s Avocado Toast
• Dawn’s Ultimate Taco Topper
• Parks & Recreation Season 6 Episode 11 “Farmer’s Market” (where chard is sexy)

It’s easy to listen to the show!

• Via the web: Just click play below!
• Via an app: For iPhone and iPad, subscribe to the This Week for Dinner Podcast on iTunes and listen to it through the purple Podcasts app. For Android devices, use the Stitcher, Podcast Addict or Pocket Casts apps. In all cases, launch the app, then search for This Week for Dinner Podcast. The benefit of using an app: once downloaded, you can listen to the show without an Internet connection.

Other Stuff!

• If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a rating and/or review on iTunes!
• Big thank you to d&m for providing the music for the podcast!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Email | RSS

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, which means two things for me. First, I am planning on not cooking this Sunday, or even parenting much at all (that’s how I like my Mother’s Day, nice and lazy). Second, I’m teaming up with Fair Trade USA once again to celebrate the amazing women farmers of fair trade! I think this might be my 4th Fair Trade Mother’s Day recipe and giveaway…I’ve lost track! Anyway, since it’s not Mother’s Day quite yet, I am still in the kitchen and today I’ve cooked up a batch of double chocolate coconut cookies that I am certain you will love.

But before we get to the recipe we need to meet a farmer. And do a giveaway, which includes tons of awesome fair trade goodies. Let’s go!

This year Fair Trade is focusing on the women of fair trade through their #FairHer campaign. Like ONE, another non-profit organization I work with frequently, Fair Trade recognizes how important it is to help women in order to tackle poverty. In fact, you can’t tackle poverty without focusing on women. And the work Fair Trade does empowers women in many ways, especially given that women produce more than 50% of the world’s food (ummmm…btw…they only own 2% of the land).

To make this all a little more real, I’d like you to meet one of those women farmers, Virginia Jimenez, a sugar cane farmer & member of the CORA Cooperative, a Fair Trade Certified organic sugar producer in Paraguay. Gimenez has been involved with sugar cane all her life, as both her father and late husband were sugar cane producers. Her late husband, Mario Miranda, joined CORA in 2010 and died a year later. Gimenez, a mother of four, has taken over as the CORA-affiliated producer.

Here are a few of Virginia’s thoughts: “For us, the access to machinery that CORA provides is key for our annual production [note: according to CORA, they are able to lend the use of machinery at low or no cost by using some of the Fair Trade premium fund]. I also like the ideals behind CORA. Their strict rules are good for our society. For example, the controls regarding the use of child labor is very good. The safety workshops have also been great help. And the idea of producing organic sugar cane without chemicals is very important. My husband believed strongly in this. If we were able to increase our earnings, whether from sales or from the premium fund, I would like to see our health services improved. We do not have medical attention here on a daily basis. If a poisonous snake bites someone, we have to go really far.”

So, keep an eye out for that fair trade symbol on the food you buy. It’s helping wonderful women like Virginia. A sincere thank you to Virginia for sharing her story and thoughts with us!

I mentioned a giveaway, didn’t I? Fair Trade USA sent me a package of goodies to provide inspiration for today’s recipe, and one of you lucky people will receive the same package! It just might be their best one yet. Click here to read about all of the products included!

Here’s how to enter the giveaway! (Comments must be posted by Midnight PT 5/11/16):

• Simply leave a comment on this post! That’s it!
• Bonus entry: Follow Fair Trade Certified on Facebook (leave a separate comment for bonus entry, if you already follow just let us know!)
• Bonus entry: Join the This Week for Dinner email newsletter list! (leave a separate comment for bonus entry, if you already subscribe just let us know!)

I think it’s time to get cooking with all these yummy fair trade ingredients!

Today’s cookies may not be fancy but they are pretty much perfect. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, these chocolate cookies are filled with dark chocolate and coconut, one of my favorite flavor combinations. And there are so many ingredients in these cookies that can go fair trade, from the sugar to the vanilla to the chocolate! For this batch I used Guittard’s organic semisweet chocolate baking wafers, which are my favorite chocolate chips to use in any cookie recipe. I also used Lake Champlain’s organic unsweetened cocoa, another fabulous chocolate source that I can’t get enough of.

Enjoy! And Happy Mother’s Day!

Double Chocolate Coconut Cookies

 

Print

Prep time

12 mins

Cook time

14 mins

Total time

26 mins

 

Author: Jane Maynard

Serves: 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1½ cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Generous ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut (I love wide sliced)
• 1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips (I love Guittard's baking wafers)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
2. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, mix together the butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed for approximately 5 minutes. (Yes, 5 MINUTES...you want it to mix for a long time.)
3. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium speed for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Place a sifter over the bowl and add the salt, baking powder, baking soda, flour and cocoa powder to the sifter, then sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix on low until just mixed.
5. Add coconut and chocolate chips and mix with a large spoon until evenly distributed.
6. Place dough in 2-tablespoon dough balls on a cookie sheet, leaving a few inches between each cookie.
7. Bake for about 12-14 minutes. The cookies shouldn't look wet beneath the surface (if that makes sense).
8. When you take them out of the oven, drop the pan flat onto the counter or stovetop to force the cookies to settle.
9. Let cool a few minutes before eating. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Dough balls can also be frozen and cookies cooked from a frozen state, you just may need to add 1 or 2 minutes to the cook time.

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