Guest Blogger: Elizabeth and Benji

The Creative Kitchen loves Organic Valley and their MOOOOOOOOOarvelous line of dairy products! We’re big fans of their farmers, and all they do for our families and friends!

Elizabeth and Benji

Friends of Organic Valley

Facebook: www.facebook.com/OrganicValley

Website: www.organicvalley.coop

What is Organic Valley?

Organic Valley is America’s largest cooperative of organic farmers and one of the nation’s leading organic brands. Organized in 1988, it represents 1,766 farmers in 35 states. Focused on its founding mission of saving family farms through organic farming, Organic Valley produces a variety of organic foods, including organic milk, soy, cheese, butter, spreads, creams, eggs, produce and juice, which are sold in supermarkets, natural foods stores and food cooperatives nationwide. With its regional model, milk is produced, bottled and distributed right in the region where it is farmed to ensure fewer miles from farm to table and to support our local economies.

Who are Elizabeth and Benji?

Elizabeth is a busy working mom, and Benji is her #1 Home Test Kitchen Recipe Taster

What was your favorite food to eat as a child?

Dairy, anything dairy. My father grew up on a dairy farm on the coast of Maine. What a dab of butter and pinch of fresh herbs do for a side of humble boiled Kennebec Red potatoes! Butter, cheese, sour cream—you’ll still see it on my plate today—all farm fresh, organic, and (well, mostly) in moderation.

Do you have children if so what do you like to make for them or with them?

My son is an adventurous eater who’s curious about food. We spend a lot of time in the kitchen together. He’s a great stirrer, measurer and taster. Steamed broccoli and hummus remain one of his favorite snacks, and he loves onions and mushrooms sautéed in butter. We’re fortunate to have access to fresh off the docks seafood, such as clams, mussels, crabs, lobster and all kinds of fish. We’ve had a thing for fish tacos lately. Grilled fish, avocados, cilantro, and fresh corn topped with sour cream, yum.

What is your favorite childhood memory in the kitchen?

Making blueberry pancakes with my grandmother on the farm. We would use blueberries that we had picked the day before and she’d fire up a big cast iron pan that was too heavy for me to manage. I was allowed to use the spatula to flip. You can bet we served them with butter (yup, more dairy) and real maple syrup.

What was your favorite recipe to help make when you were a kid?

I liked making lasagna—it was fun to layer ingredients and sneak pinches of mozzarella in the process. I still do. My son and I make classic Bolognese lasagna in the fall and winter, and sometimes mix it up with roasted vegetables or switch gears entirely with a butternut squash, hazelnut and sage recipe we love. The secret is béchamel, lots of it.

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.