No sooner did I tell the universe last fall that I wanted to cook and needed dishes for my personal chef-catering business when Sherry, co-owner of weareblackwomen.com, gave me beautiful china and linens (one of her auction finds) for my first food gig.

Well, I received another unexpected windfall recently. My “cousin” Sis died suddenly and I inherited almost all of her belongings, simply because her son wanted them to go to someone who would treasure them. And that would be me.

What better gift to a kitchen buff than a crystal cake plate, four sets of dessert china or an assortment of crystal vases that I can barely lift? They are all beautiful things that Sis inherited from her parents, “Mom and Pop” Connors. Pop was a caterer and my dad worked for him while he was in college. Growing up, we’d make pop calls to the Connors’  house on Sundays after church. Mom Connors baked and always had on an apron.

I also distinctly remember a chocolate cake always sitting on her dining room table whenever we dropped in for a visit.

Growing up, my sisters and I would always give our own mother aprons for Mother’s Day, and before my windfall, I’d recently asked my children to do the same for me. I love aprons, and historically they’ve been used in many professions.

Inheriting Mom and Sis Connors’ aprons reminded me of how on every Mother’s Day I’m grateful to have my own mom around. I realize that Mom is getting up there in age and our times together are precious, so I don’t take one moment of our chats for granted. Just this morning, Mom called me all excited because my paternal grandmother, whom I refer to frequently in this blog as Muddie, had come to her in a dream. Mom said that Muddie told her how happy she was that I was catering, which for me indicates a big nod of approval from my ancestors. I always feel their presence when they approve of what I’m doing, which has happened countless times with Healthy Southern Comforts.

Oddly enough, about two weeks ago I had complained about never being able to find a clean apron when I needed one.

Now, thanks to Momma Sis, I have two dozen aprons, all hand-made and all very special.

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Today, the four of us bloggers at weareblackwomen.com decided to write about our own hair and our history with it.

My ancestry is African, Cherokee and Irish, all of which have blended to give me very curly hair. I hated when my kinkier-haired friends would say I had “good hair” because  right behind that statement would come the term “high yellow,” which I found to be even worse. We “new world Africans” come in different hues, thus our beautiful rainbow of colors.

Down through the years, I’ve worn my hair many different ways, from short to very long and right now, in between. My hair is straight at the roots and very tight and curly at the end. I’m comfortable with it in an  afro, which I have to train to stay put, or cut next to my scalp. When I was in my teens, I learned that if I washed it with vinegar and then pin -curled it, I could have an afro as big as the world. The only problem was that if a strong wind came along, it blew a part right down the middle and then I’d look like a clown.

But I was always good at doing hair. What’s interesting is that my two sisters and I all got different blends from the same two parents. While my sister Diane has dark brown and nearly straight hair, my other sister Brenda has blond, kinky hair. Her hair is so thick and long that our mom assigned me to combing it because Brenda was also tender-headed.

Although I’m not trained in hair professionally I could always cut and braid, and when I was in my 20s I did both for friends and family for a few dollars here and there.

All of my four daughters have different hair. The eldest, Ariel, has hair exactly like mine and she wears it shoulder length and natural. Khadija has thick, kinky hair that she wears in all different styles; straightened, long or short, in braids or in a  huge, wild ’fro. Rashidah also has kinky hair, which she wears natural and cut very short. And Yasmin has in-between hair, which she is growing out from very short like her sister’s. Right now, I braid her hair with extensions.

I’ve never allowed any of my daughters to use chemical relaxer because the products are very unhealthy, both physically and psychically.  And I tell them that all hair is good, because GOD gave it to us.

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The maternal women in my family all had very strict rules about food and we had to eat everything on our plates.  My mother insisted that we eat three square meals a day and breakfast was major.  She made us a hot breakfast everyday and we weren’t allowed to leave home without it.  Her mother,  my grandmother Susie was equally as strict and her food which was always wholesome and healthy was also very plain.  Mom’s was a little fancier and she always took great care in preparing her menus ahead of time every week.

These women had survived both World Wars and the Great Depression and wasting food was never an option.           My mom and Grandmother Susie were sympathetic to the picky tastes of children and each worked very hard to  prepare meals that we liked.  If Mom made liver for Dad, she made hamburgers for my two sisters and me because she knew there was no way that we’d  eat organ meat of any type. And Grandmother Susie made us bacon although she never ate  it.  But my step-grandmother whom we called Aunt Lena didn’t care if we liked her food or not.  Except – when it came to our evening treat,  which I’ll get to in a minute.

Aunt Lena had survived the Holocaust.  Her parents and her four sisters  had escaped from the Nazis in Eastern Europe and landed in Brooklyn, NY,  where she grew up in poverty. Although  she amassed great wealth later in her life and was very generous,  she always wanted to make certain that  her eight step-grandchildren were appreciative so,  the children ate what the grown folks ate, there was no discussion about it. When we visited her during the summer and didn’t eat what was served (like oatmeal for breakfast),  we got it again at the next meal – cold, so you know we learned to like it.  But at night  Aunt Lena lightened up and went for fun, allowing us to help create blender drinks that we loved as a treat. They included any fresh fruit from her orchards,  milk which was often powdered and ice cream.

We’ve carried this tradition to our own kitchen, but make healthier blender drinks for breakfast.  Instead of ice cream  we might use yogurt which contains acidophilus,  an immune booster which  also aids  the digestive track.  But bananas are even better than ice cream  to thicken the drink up  along with all types of other fruit. We use what ever is in season and our blender drinks have an orange or unfiltered apple (my preference) juice base.  We also add nutritional supplements like vitamins and Spirulina, which is made from sea algae and turns the drinks dark green.  Spirulina  is an excellent source of food that is high in nutrition, particularly protein and is available at health food stores.  It comes in either capsules, powder or tablets.  Just two grams of Spirulina taken daily can inhibit viruses and it also helps fight allergies. In a blender drink with fresh fruit,  it provides the essential nutrients the body needs.  In today’s fast-paced  environment,  blender drinks made with Spirulina are a great way to make sure that everyone in the family is nourished before they leave the house.

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1. Breakfast at Fatimah’s
2. Breakfast on the run
3. Breakfast for champions

Unlike collard greens, kale doesn’t need to cook as long. Boiling foods robs them of many of the nutrients, so here’s a quick way to stir-fry kale in olive oil and keep the dish flavorful. Although you can prep everything up to one hour ahead of serving and  store your ingredients in zip-lock bags, don’t cook it until right before you are ready to serve.

INGREDIENTS

One pound of fresh kale

1/4  cup Virgin olive oil

1/2  red onion

5   cloves of fresh garlic

1/ 2  cup of capers

Salt, pepper and oregano to taste.

Garnish with fresh vine ripe tomatoes cut into wedges.

DIRECTIONS

Wash and clean kale thoroughly, strip leaves from the stalks and finely chop. Set aside.

Skin and slice onion into wedges about the size of your thumb.

Heat olive oil in a wok or a cast iron frying pan.

Skin and finely chop garlic and cook on low heat until tender. Be careful not to burn it.

Toss in onions and cook down until nearly caramelized.

Add kale and toss the mixture until it is bright green.

Add capers, salt, pepper and oregano, then toss.

This dish is served best when the kale is still crisp. Don’t let the kale cook past bright green or it will be slimy instead of delightful.

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1. Chopped kale with capers

When it comes to the animals, I never thought I’d see my father – at one time a successful ob/gyn who practiced medicine in Philadelphia and who loved delivering babies- mucking out stalls, or feeding farm animals. But I guess he’s always been a country boy at heart and these days, there he is at 6 a.m. trekking through snow, ice and whatever else mother nature throws his way to feed his animals and collect eggs for breakfast. When he told us that we would eat blue eggs, we said he fibbed to us.

But guess what? There are blue eggs and they are delicious. But how many different ways are there to cook an egg? Since my children love eggs for breakfast, I decided to retreat back into my childhood mind’s eye and recreate some unique recipes, so they don’t get bored eating eggs that are scrambled, fried or in an omelet.  Two recipes come to mind that are creative and delicious: Scottish Eggs and Eggs in a Basket.  Both are delightful enough to please even the pickiest of eaters.

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1. Breakfast at Fatimah’s
2. Breakfast for champions
3. Breakfast on the run

For one thing, there wasn’t as much of a connection in the medical world between diet and nutrition. They followed an old-fashioned diet of meat, potatoes and green vegetables at dinner. They also had no clue about the need to eat whole grain starches like brown rice  instead of white rice or brown sugar and honey as opposed to white sugar.  Many of our ancestors grew their own vegetables for economical reasons and stayed away from frozen and fast foods. They also weren’t aware of the  ramifications of eating steroid-infused meats,  because the information wasn’t out there like it is today.

Today, commercial farms use many drugs like steroids to grow cattle and chickens faster than normal.  Unless you routinely purchase grass-fed cattle, or chickens that peck their grains from the ground, you are eating meats that never see the light of day.

Most supermarket-purchased meats have been killed cruelly, meaning the animals are kept inside, fed by machines and placed on conveyor belts for slaughter. A lot of the meat is infused with steroids to make them grow faster. Those steroids contribute to a condition that doctors call “Precocious Puberty,”  a medical term used to describe young  girls who develop earlier than normal. You may have noticed young  females developing breasts as early as the age of seven, when their development normally shouldn’t begin until they are  11 or 12.

Even some of the fish we buy at the supermarket is farm-raised, as opposed to caught from fresh water or the ocean. Although farm-raised fish doesn’t have the same toxins found in natural-water sources, it can be a problem because it’s infused with chemicals.  Some people have dropped eating flesh altogether, but  are then concerned about getting enough protein in the diet.

The alternative to becoming a full-fledged vegetarian and only eating beans and soy  is buying organic, grain-fed chicken and beef raised on farms that allow them to see the light of day.  Although they are more expensive, specialty markets sell organic-raised chickens that eat grain from the ground and cattle that eat real grass. This produces healthier food for us to put on the table, plus it tastes much better.

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With school just around the corner it’s essential to make sure that our children are rested and nourished properly. All kids – teens, especially – need to consume the right nutrients to make their brains function properly. Instilling healthy eating habits early in their lives is paramount to their success. Doctors say although there are no guarantees, doing this while they are young promises healthier outcomes for them as teens.

The Philadelphia based Food Trust  is a non-profit organization that serves as a think tank and advisor for the Philadelphia School District. It offers several informational programs to teach young people to both grow and cook healthy foods.  Several schools have teamed up with the Food Trust to teach young people how to make better decisions about their foods.

“The U.S. spends twice as much money on health care than any other nation, but the state of our health just doesn’t measure up,” says Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who finds these stats very troubling.  She also says that educating consumers about preventable maladies like childhood obesity are also on the President’s front-burner. The health-care overhaul must also include more preventive measures like teaching people – the young in particular – to  overcome their sedentary lifestyles and eat healthier.

When first lady Michelle Obama broke ground for the new 1,100-square-foot White House Victory Garden on the first day of spring, she inspired a new influx of community gardens across the country. It reminded me of my childhood summers spent in Ossining, N.Y., where my grandparents had fruit trees and a massive vegetable garden, where we’d help out in the summer.  Choosing dinner and picking it at night gave each of us a sense of responsibility for what went on the table and helped shape my appreciation for feeding my family fresh (as opposed to canned or frozen) vegetables.

Americans, who are among the fattest people on the planet, suffer from many preventable diseases because we eat far too much steroid-infused meat and not enough fresh, live food.  Organic produce at the supermarket often costs five times as much as chemically treated veggies. Besides, nothing can replace the taste of food that you picked just hours before it reaches the table.

By setting an example for the nation, the Obamas are inspiring Americans to become more self-sufficient and health-conscious. And teaching people how to better care for their families by growing their own food contributes to sustainability and will eventually help reduce the nation’s health-care burden.

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