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Mariooch mange Cabooch

Vallata, Italy where my family originated

As Father’s day is fast approaching, I can’t help but think about my father who passed three years ago. When I was little he used to call me Mariooch, hence the name of my blog “Mariooch’s Kitchen”. He would quite often say, “Mariooch mange cabooch”. I never really knew what it meant as a kid, I thought it was some endearing Italian phrase, but came to find out years later he was really saying “Mary eats cabbage.” Cabooch is not Italian for cabbage anyway, but it was his way of being funny. When I think about it, it makes me laugh.

A little about my father. His number one best attribute was being a good listener, and never, ever did he talk over you. He would only let you speak until you determined on your own, with his kind fatherly guidance, what you needed to do. This is a trait I truly try to adopt in my life. After all, I am a mom, and as a mom our children will come to us for advice, we have to be open to just listening, and sometimes through that process they figure things out on their own. Nine times out of ten we sit around the kitchen table (hopefully sans electronics but not always) with lots of yummy food present. Listening is an art, and can be a valuable learned skill.

It’s only apropos that I share his tomato sauce recipe. He was the Italian in the family and would be in the kitchen a lot making meatballs, tomato sauce, eggplant parmesan – all his specialties. It was so fun to watch him cook because I think he felt connected in some way to his roots as he cooked. His “Spaghetti Sauce” recipe as he called it, was given to my dad from my mom’s best friend, so it’s quite different from Mariooch’s Homemade Tomato Sauce If you are blessed to have your parents (and your grandparents), take the time to write down some of their recipes. I’ll post his recipe this week. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads!

Go Green!

Lately, kale has been our go to green! We add it to our shakes to power-up before a workout. We add it to our sandwiches to give it a little crunch, and our all-time favorite way to eat kale is in a salad. It is the foundation upon which we build a hearty and healthy salad adding lots of powerfoods like: chick peas, cranraisins, corn, tomatoes, lemon, and of course kale. And, cheese is always an added ingredient because it provides much needed calcium, and it balances out all the flavors. The chick peas add lots of protein, so you don’t feel hungry after this salad. Here is the link to Curly Kale Salad

Kale is a super food adding lots of vitamin K, C, calcium, iron & fiber in one crunchy bite. It’s a powerful antioxidant too. Eating healthy meals takes some planning, but make the extra effort and you will reap the multiple benefits: feeling better, stronger, & having more energy for your kids this summer. Go green! Can I get a Kale yeah!

Red and blue make purple

Two powerhouse fruits: Blueberries & Pomegranate combined to make one delicious purple shake! I use the Blueberry Pomegranate juice by Naked Brands, sold in the UK and US. This particular drink is yummy on it’s own, but I like to blend it in my shake. I have previously noted in a post the multiple health benefits of Blueberries, so let’s talk about the Pomegranate.

This gorgeous ruby red fruit with a cute, tiny little crown has been around since ancient times. This fruit should have a crown. considering all the broad spectrum health benefits it carries with it! A little history first, it is grown all over the world and has been cultivated in some parts of California and Arizona. It is drought-tolerant. I did a little research and “Granada” and pomegranates are interchangeable, “Granada” means pomegranate in Spanish. Interestingly enough, I traveled to Granada, Spain and visited the palace of Alhambra and the mosaics there and around the city of Granada, Spain have the fruit displayed on them. Walking through the streets of Granada, you will see pomegranates growing. It makes for such a picturesque sight to walk through the streets of this old city and see the lush green trees with this red fruit amidst the old buildings and Moorish architecture. Obviously, Spain is mainly known for the abundance of olive trees growing along the side of the road, literally everywhere you turn. While in Spain we visited, Malaga, Sevilla, Granada and spent some time at the “sunny coast” Costa del Sol.

There is some connection between the word garnet (the gorgeous red gem) and pomegranate. Garnet is the root word in pomegranate, and obviously the red gem and the red fruit have some resemblance. I am starting to sound like the father from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, “give me any word and I’ll find the root word…” One of my favorite movies.

I think in the US there has been a big buzz about Pomegranates due to the multiple health benefits derived from them. They are a powerful antioxidant and high in Vitamin C & K. They may have some heart health benefits and are good for your skin. Also, they may actually make you run faster, and aide in muscle recovery. See this article from Oxygen Magazine. Pomegranate power My daughter is a pro at eating these. She scores the outer shell and soaks the pomegranates in a bowl of cold water. Then breaks the pomegranate apart, and eventually the seeds will sink to the bottom and the white pulp, which you do not eat will float to the top. You can spit the seeds out, once you get out all the juice. Red hands are a definite after this messy, sweet yet sometimes bitter snack! Here is the link to the shake Blueberry Pomegranate Shake
Costa del Sol, Spain

Tea with a zing!

The lazy days of summer can get pretty steamy, but there is nothing more refreshing than an ice cold glass of ginger tea. I boil water in my kettle, and make decaffeinated tea in my teapot, and add a few tablespoons of honey and grate a tablespoon or so of fresh ginger to give it a zing. Once completely cooled, I chill it in the frig in a glass pitcher for a few hours, then serve with ice. The best way to peel the ginger, is to scrape it with the side of a spoon, then grate it using a lemon zester. Cool and refreshing and with a little zing! Scientific research has revealed that ginger has antioxidant effects as well as anti-inflammatory effects. This tastes just as good hot!