Nana Nana Hey Hey...Good Bye Teflon!

There has been a lot of talk over the years about our every day pots and pans.  It is no longer about how well they work for us but more about how are they for our health. Teflon has gotten a bad rap over the past years and there is a lot to be said to as why we should no longer be using it. Jeremy and I had an excellent set of pots and pans...all non-stick of course but before I just tossed them to the curb I wanted to wait until they were no longer usable. As I am an environmentalist first and foremost.

I mean let's get it straight, we LOVE our non-stick pans. They have made cooking and our life so much easier. Those of you might never care of the harmful effect Teflon has on our bodies and will continue to buy it, because let's face it...it is cheaper by far! What is Teflon you ask? First is is a chemical product first Patented and put to market by DuPont in the mid-40's. Teflon is the trademarked name for Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). It is the basis for all things non-stick. However, it can be linked as a carcinogen to some cancers, according to certain people in the EPA circle. I am attaching a link a couple of articles that I personally enjoyed reading.  Here are a couple good one's; Farewell to Teflon by Nora Ephron and  What Teflon Is and Why You Should Avoid It. I do encourage everyone to do their research on Teflon early and take into consideration when making your next pots and pans purchases.  That is exactly what Jeremy and I did as we slowly re-build our pots and pans set.

Here is what we found after a lot of research. We decided to go with Stainless Steel and I am sorry everyone needs a pan for eggs, but what will that pan be?  I was always super excited about Swiss Diamond. It was is billed as this non-stick surface made of crushed diamonds. However, to give the company credit they do not bill themselves as Teflon free to give them credit. Here is an interesting article that I found about talking about the negative side of Swiss Diamond and here is an article explaining the chemicals by Swiss Diamond.  Here is another review on Swiss Diamond cookware that you can read too.  I have a friend who LOVES her Swiss Diamond and I don't blame her.  If you are going to get non-stick...they might be the better of the brands out there.

Our stainless steel pots we went with the brand Zwillings. I am a huge fan of their knifes and I have to say that their pots and pans got great reviews. However, they are fairly new.  One line they just came out with is their Thermolon frying pay.  It is so new there isn't much out there about it, however the salesperson at our local cookware store tried it out and was really impressed!  Here is some information about Zwilling JA Henckels for all you non-stick lovers!

I hope all my research on the search for the one non-stick pan you will find helpful. To be honest these are very expensive pots and pans. Jeremy and I are slowly building up our new set, mixing and matching based on what is on sale. However, I am learning to cook and live with only a few pans in my life right now and I would rather it be that way then risk any type of health problem.

Peace and Love...Happy Shopping!

Wall Decor for Cy's Room

 

This weekend I did a little shopping. I finally purchased something for his wall.  I am not really going with any theme, just color. His room colors are blue, green, brown and white. I figure if I stick within those, I can put up anything.

I got this animal letter picture at Pottery barn Kids that says Explore in a white frame. Here is an image similar. What was great is that I got it on SALE!!!  My bestie Adrienne also gave me a beautiful picture (in a white frame) of the sunset in Santorini, Greece and I am going to put that above Cy's crib. I like the idea of photography maybe around his room. Pictures of far away places, etc. I am thankful my friend Adrienne is so good with photography that I am going to ask her to help me with some of that picture detail.

So, the designing process has begun!  I am so excited. Once I have all the furniture purchased and put in I will then decorate the walls and post pictures!

Peace and Love

Pesto! Pesto! Pesto!

Jeremy and I have never been fans of pesto.  Even when we traveled around Italy, we never ate it the entire time.  We just didn't like pesto - until recently, with a meal that we had with our neighbor Matt.  We literally call it the most legendary lunch of all time!  First, let me describe the lunch.  We had homemade pumpkin ravioli that Jeremy made with a brown butter sage and manchego pesto (pesto made by my neighbor Matt) and left over Flank Steak marinated overnight in a homemade chimchurri sauce.  Now...take a moment to picture the deliciousness. That was the beginning of a new love affair with pesto.

The key for me with pesto is using Manchego instead of Parmesean. For those non cheese enthusiasts, Manchego is a Spanish cheese from the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep. I prefer to use the 6 month aged cheese.  Here is neighbor Matt's Pesto recipe:

Everything (per Matt) should be equal parts:

• Fresh basil
• Pine Nuts or to save a little bit of money...walnuts
• Manchego
• 2 or 3 cloves of garlic

Matt told us to not use oil when you blend everything, and instead add it when you pull it out of the freezer. I freeze in separate parts.

Tonight, Jeremy and I snacked on the yummiest treat!  I toasted bread with a little olive oil, spread pesto and topped with a tomato. I also sauted up some sliced Japanese eggplant to add to the bread too.  Here is a picture to get your mouth watering!

This is made with everything grown in our garden, locally made (the bread) or homemade!!!  Picture perfect of summer plenty!

Dol Janchi Korean First Birthday Party

Dol or doljanchi is a Korean tradition that celebrates the birthday of a one-year-old baby. This ceremony blesses the child with a prosperous future and has taken on great significance in Korea. The birthday babies wear a hanbok and a traditional hat: a jobwai or gulle  for baby girls and a bokgeon or hogeon for baby boys.

History of Dol

In the past, the death rates for children were high and many children died before their first birthday, so it was an important milestone to the baby and parents. The whole village used to celebrate a baby's first birthday, sharing foods and wishing for long life and fortune for the baby.

Ritual and Food of Dol

Food plays a big part in a child’s dol janchi. Special dishes are served such as miyeok-guk a seaweed soup, tteok rice cake, and fruits. The highlight of the festivities occurs when it’s time for the dol jabi  ritual. During this time a low table is brought out for the baby with several items on it which represent the path the child’s future life will take if she or he grabs it. Typically the following items are used.

A pencil: Which means the child will be a scholarly academic.
Money: Which means the child will be wealthy.
A string: Which means the child will live a long life.
A bowl of rice: Which means the child will have food and shelter.

Cy celebrated his birthday on June 27th. We just found out the object he picked up....A PENCIL!

Pencil: Which means the child will be a scholarly academic.