All is well from the doctor! No progress yet, but that also isn’t expected this early.
I had a handful of trail mix as we left – and a whole bottle of water while we were there! Still so thirsty. #drinkingfortwo
For dinner tonight we had Wild Alaskan Cod. I’ve been buying both WA cod and salmon from the Whole Foods frozen section and this has been great for our dinners. Just get it out the night before. I would eat fish for dinner nearly every night if I could!
Only problem was tonight’s filets were so tiny! We cooked an extra one for my lunches and ended up eating it tonight too because the filets shrunk so much. Matt cooked them in a soy-brown sugar mixture diluted with a little water.
He also grilled two market pattypan squash to a char!
I was in charge of the bread 
(Also filling out hospital paperwork at the dining room table while he cooked).
Can we talk for a minute about organic butter? I am on my third brand – two national organic brands and one local grass-fed one and I HATE it! It tastes like a chemical to me – almost like nail polish and nothing like the sweet cream butter you find in restaurants. I don’t know if this is something about being grass-fed, or just not the classic non-organic diet, or maybe I’ve just had 3 oxidized kinds in a row, but I don’t know what to do about this. The butter literally ruined my toast with it’s flavor. Have any of you noticed this about organic butter?
Blasting Mumford & Sons “The Cave” and every version of Old Crow Med. Show’s “Wagon Wheel” that I can find on You Tube. Love those songs! Makes me excited for going back to beer festivals and things someday : )
I’ve been eating lots of trail mix lately; now I want more…
I love those songs too! That make me feel calm yet energized…I know it’s weird, but they do! Enjoy your evening. I’m glad all is well with you and the kiddo!
Yes Kath – the taste can be a LOT different. Think about the difference between butter and margarine. I can only cook/eat with butter and if I bite into anything with margarine, I can tell instantly and it gets thrown out.
I’ve had some luck with the Organic Valley butter, have you tried that yet? I also know that, like milk, the blends can differ based on location so my OV butter may taste different than what you can get.
The trick is to go slow and put it into things you wouldn’t notice as much – like baked goods or even subbing half and half until you’re used to it.
Let us know how you do.
I think I had OV once, but I can’t remember if that was the very first one or not. I’m almost out, so maybe I”ll try that next.
Organic Valley makes wonderful butter. During certain times of the year they also have a pastured variety (in a greenish box) which is also amazing. I haven’t had any chemical or nasty tastes at all!
Kerrygold butter is amazing. It’s not organic but it is grassfed. I also like OV pasture butter. Its what we buy most of the time.
I haven’t noticed that with the organic butter I buy – but, I may not be paying close attention!
Could it be the butter is cultured? I find a lot of the organic one’s are, and I’m not a fan.
Hmm I will have to check!
Kath – I highly recommend you try Kate’s butter (farm-fresh from Maine, I am so partial 🙂 ) It’s absolutely the best, even Martha Stewart taste testers agree http://www.kateshomemadebutter.com/
There is nothing like the fresh taste of REAL butter.
On another note, I got to see Mumford and Sons LIVE this Saturday in Portland, ME and they were incredible. I bet the baby likes the music tunes, too!
Thanks and fun!
YES! Best butter. But I have yet to wean myself from Kerrygold…
Kerrygold is the BEST butter. And could be organic..? All cows in Ireland live outside in the green fields..
I was going to suggest Kate’s Butter as well! It is delicious!
Have you tried steaming your fish? I like to put mine in the steamer and they stay the same size 🙂 I do notice that when I cook it in the pan.. they do shrink D:
We don’t have an official steamer, so I haven’t done that before. Can you just use a metal colander?
Hi! Yes, I have used a metal colander sitting inside a bigger pot with a little water at the bottom as a steamer. Don’t forget the lid. It works well when steaming tamales around Christmas and New Years.
Just thought I’d share.
ps. I have been following along for awhile and love your great ideas…
Eva
Thanks! Didn’t know if the fish would fit 🙂
i have been using ghee~ i love the taste!!
That squash looks so cool- like little flowers! There are so many varieties out there! I’ve gotta keep my eye out for that one.
I heard “Wagon Wheel” playing next door today and starting singing along – love that song! I think “Feel the Tide” is my favorite Mumford & Sons song.
Just saw Mumford & sons last week in new jersey, they were incredible! The cave was the encore so it was a definite highlight!!
Kerrygold is my personal favorite, make sure to buy the salted version though.
Have you tried earth balance coconut butter spread? It’s so good and tastes better than real butter, in my opinion!
No but I love coconut!
I taste tested that and I was shocked at how good it was! Tasted just like butter! I hear ghee is good. Maybe use that for buttering bread and the stuff your buying for cooking?
I love it!!!!
Wow, those really are small fish filets. I could see why you had to dip into the lunch reserves! That soy-brown sugar marinade sounds delicious!
I love Mumford & Sons!
I have to say I’ve never tried organic butter…but now I definitely think I don’t want to! Ha! My favorite butter is Land O’Lakes unsalted 🙂
How long have you been trying these different butters? Because I’m 25.5 weeks pregnant, and something I’ve noticed is that things are randomly tasting so FOUL! I’ve heard of getting the metallic taste in your mouth, but every now and then I’ll take a bite of something and it will just taste very off. I made these really yummy whole wheat, lemon, & zucchini muffins a few weeks ago that I enjoyed for breakfast the first two days. The third day, I took one bite and literally couldn’t eat anymore and thought something about it tasted…. rancid. It was such a shame, and they were only 48 hours old and couldn’t have been bad.
Well it’s been a long 9 months 🙂 maybe it is pregnancy
You could try making your own butter! I’ve actually never tried it, hehe.. but I do have a recipe for it which you could use organic cream for! I have never tried cod before, but I love trying different kinds of fish!
As always, the Great Harvest bread steals the show – I can’t wait to go home in about 2 weeks, where we have a Great Harvest! I can’t wait for the day that it becomes affordable for GH to come to Boston/NYC. I hope it happens!
There is a GH in Newtonville which is just outside of Boston!
Haven’t tried organic butter outside of a restaurant, where it tasted extra delicious.
I absolutely LOVE Old Crow Medicine Show – have you heard their new album? You will love the song “Ain’t It Enough!” We listened to the album at least 7+ times on our recent trip through the Rockies / Yellowstone / Grand Teton / etc. – also because I was bored, I looked into the process behind OCMS writing “Wagon Wheel” and its derivatives from Bob Dylan and Arthur Crudup / Big Bill Broonzy. The story is fascinating! It’s truly an American song.
Not sure I have noticed that with organic butter. I buy Kerrigold and it tastes amazing. Bright yellow, like gold! Worth the money, IMO.
Kerrygold is the best. I bought some from the Amish farmers & I didn’t care for it at all.
I’ll third the Kerrygold recommendation. Pastured, high in omega-3s, excellent flavor.
4th the kerrygold! absolutely delicious! i never understood how people liked butter until i tried it. im hooked now!
the soy-brown sugar mixture sounds perfect – love brown sugar based glazes, mmm, so good.
I’m currently helping cook for a family in the Hamptons for the summer, and the only kind we buy is organic Breakstone’s whipped butter (in a blue container). We’ve also noticed that other brands can have a strange taste (and sometimes color!) too.
Love Mumford & Sons — perfect summer soundtrack!
Mumford & Sons is so good! 🙂
Kerrygold is my fave! They sell it at Trader Joe’s.
So I had to go back through my old issues Vegetarian Times b/c I remember someone recommending a type of butter… The woman (Rachel Dowd) recommended “Organic Pastures” raw cultured butter… it’s from Cali though so I’m not sure you can get it in VA. LOVE Wagon Wheel!!!
a goregous dinner indeed 🙂
I always use organic butter–always unsalted–has never tasted off to me. I buy it at our local co-op and have tried several brands including Organic Valley. My favorite is Hope Valley, which I think is local.
Have you tried earth balance buttery spread? I know you want to buy organic grass fed but a vegan butter spread is a good option too. I’m vegetarian but I try to eat a vegan diet at least 90% of the time. I love the earth balance butter, it tastes creamy, sweet and buttery 🙂
I wish you expanding fish fillets and uteruses (uteri?).
Hi Kath:
I love your blog and am a longtime reader and occasional commenter. Your commitment to multiple daily posts is impressive. I want to thank you for inspiring me to eat real food, making me question where my food is coming from and stressing the importance of supporting locally. I live in NY where sadly, there is no Great Harvest but am in Denver at the moment and made it a point to buy 3 loaves of bread to take back home with me. Roasted red pepper swiss…oh my gosh, I’ve died and gone to bread heaven!
mmmm I haven’t had that kind before! thanks for reading 🙂
Thanks to your reminder of “Wagon Wheel,” I currently have it playing on repeat! I heard it at a friends house one time and loved it, but couldn’t remember the name of the song!
Kerrygold, kerrygold, kerrygold! Cheapest I can find is Trader Joe’s (and that’s usually 1/2 price anywhere else). I, too, had difficulty throughout my pregnancy with things suddenly tasting ‘off’ or disgusting, etc. And it would come and go … except chicken (unless it was deep fried. yeah.) which I could not eat at all! Don’t assume you don’t like it until you have weened the wee one. Even breastfeeding can mess up your taste buds. Good luck!
That glaze for the fish sounds yummy! I’d like it to try it sometime for sure 🙂
That looks amazing, enjoy!!
That’s so weird about the organic butter! I buy an organic Canadian brand, and I’ve never noticed anything “off” about it!
Great song choices!
Wagon Wheel is a favorite of my husband’s, which he always plays on his guitar.
I might be inclined to send you some fresh caught (by me) Alaska salmon for some GH bread! I also caught a couple 80 pound halibut this year, but no cod yet. I suppose the super fresh fish is worth the trade off for fresh produce? Haha.
A total great trade, but I don’t know if it’s wise for us to be individuals shipping such heavy products 🙂 The Alaska Great Harvest is fabulous!!
So I have heard! Unfortunately, I live several hundred miles away. Every once a while though, the school here will sell it as a fundraiser.
Oh bummer. They are the biggest and most successful store in the nation!
I think that’s why! They sell it all over. It’s a huge deal when GH “comes to town”. It’s $12 a loaf though. Hard to fork over that much, even if it is delicious. Although, “normal” bread runs about $5.
Ohhh Old Crow Medicine Show! A favorite for sure!! Are you going to their concert in C’ville on the 19th? (Might be cutting it a bit close to baby time! Last date night? lol)
I think I am going!! 🙂
I didn’t know they were coming!!
Yeah! You should come. The Lumineers are playing with them! Going to be a good one 🙂
We are working on it : )
“The Cave” is so good. Better than “Little Lion Man” if you ask me 🙂 We did our fair share of music-blasting on our weekend road trip…nothing better!
Kerrygold is one of our favorites and it’s grassfed. Always good, but a little $.
Do you guys have Homestead Creamery stuff there? We have it here and I know it’s in Roanoke and Lynchburg, I think, but their milk/cream/butter/ice cream is all delicious and it’s local.
We made our own not too long ago, too, and it was awesome! Just whip heavy cream until you have stiff whipped cream and keep going. The fat will separate from the buttermilk; then you just drain it, whip in salt (if you want salted butter) and form into a block or round. So, so good and easy.
Love Mumford and Old Crowe! We’re finally seeing Mumford this weekend – I’m so excited. And PS: We’ll be in Cville again this fall for The Avetts!
We do have Homestead, but I didn’t know they make butter
Yup, they do! The only stores that carry it here are Kroger and it’s usually in the case right by all their milk, cream, buttermilk, etc.
Our WF has the milk, so I’m hoping butter too. I’m going to try Kerrygold first based on recs, but I’ll definitely try this too
Kath do you think earth balance buttery spread is chemicals? My daughter and I were discussing this over the week end. I mentioned that you would know. THANKS for your reply.
I think the ingredients are OK. But I think butter is more natural 🙂 But obviously if you don’t eat animal products EB is a good option.
My daughter said she thought real butter was best too. I was just wondering if it was best to eat to keep cholestorl levels down. I forgot to ask you that ? Thanks Kath. Love your blog.
Unless you’re eating butter by the cupfull, or your doctor has told you to limit it, there isn’t a concern. Here’s an article with some myths: http://www.health.com/health/condition-article/0,,20259746,00.html
It seems to be working for me. 1st time my cholesterol levels have been normal. I think it is hereditary however I take a low dose med for it. No fast food etc for me. Thanks Kath. Appreciate all the replys. Your blog encourages me to keep eating better and better. 🙂
That pattypan squash looks great. I haven’t grilled any of my squash in thin slices like that…it’s given me some ideas… 😀
This is so beautiful!
http://therealfoodrunner.blogspot.com/
Your dinner looks really good, but I love your table and all the windows by it. I looks like it lets in so much light. I miss that 🙁
We just moved to the beach and are lucky to get lots of fresh fish from a friend who goes out on the boat every weekend. Grouper, snapper, trigger, tuna, flounder, and mahi. It’s been great to have in the freezer for quick meals but last week we had fish about 4 times and I was totally over it! For thick cuts that can handle it (like mahi) we make a spice blend and broil it…top comes out crunch, fish stays flaky and moist! Yum!
I use Organic Valley Pasture Butter. It’s made from 100% pasture raised cows, and is only available this time of year. It’s the sweetest, creamiest butter I’ve ever had. Since it’s only available until September, we’re trying to stock up!
Butter in America is really different than butter in Europe. I’m from Turkey and our butter is yellow and has a distinct smell and flavor, which comes from the actual flavor of the milk. I think the organic butters you mentioned are like our butters. If you are not used to the flavor, it will be very distinct to you.
I have an over abundance of white patty pan squash. Why oh why have I not thought to grill them. I have shredded them as in hash browns and they were amazing. i cooked them in coconut oil. I too was told to eat butter and was thrilled. Nothing tastes better than toast with fresh REAL butter. I wish I had a GH close by. I am dying to try the Cinnamon Chip Bread.
I personally would recommend making your own butter for the sweet cream taste. The way I’ve done it is to put heavy cream in a jar and then shake it. First it will become whipped cream and after that it should gather into a lump in the middle. You’ll hear the sloshing of the leftover watery liquid after the fat has consolidated, and that’s how you know it’s done! Peeking is a necessity throughout the process, though 🙂 I bet you could also do this with an electric hand beater, but I’ve never tried it. Good luck!
LOVE LOVE OCMS!! Wagon Wheel always puts me in a good mood.
I am not sure what is up with your butter. I have only had grass-fed butter once, & never noticed anything not-so-good about it.
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
Kerrygold is awesome!
A new(ish) reader to your blog here. Just have to say I <3 Mumford & Sons! My husband and I saw them in concert on Tuesday and the show was one of the best either of us has ever seen!!
I know I am a little late posting on this, but how did Matt make the sauce/glaze for the salmon? It looks delicious. I am always searching for ways to spice up our seasonings on meat and fish. Thanks!
Man, I don’t even remember! With pretty much any glaze, the trick is to have a flavorful liquid (like soy sauce/balsamic/beer/wine/broth) and something sweet (brown sugar/maple syrup) and maybe some other light seasonings. Just cook the fish in the liquid, remove from the pan, and then turn heat to high and stir continuously until it reduces to a thick syrup. Try to wait until the end to salt because the reduction will concentrate any salt you have in there.