Back to Butter: A Traditional Foods Cookbook - Nourishing Recipes Inspired by Our Ancestors
Authors: Molly Chester,Sally Schrecengost
“Back to Butter
takes us back to school on what we need to know to begin to restore the health of our families. With wisdom, compassion, and expertise, Molly and Sandy inspire us, helping us to navigate the changing landscape of food and health. Keep this book tucked away in your kitchen so you can turn to it, like a good friend, for insight, inspiration, and information.”
—Robyn O’Brien, author of
The Unhealthy Truth
and founder of the AllergyKids Foundation
“This book is daring, inviting, and simply offered. Join Molly and Sandy as part of their family, and begin a mighty journey.”
—Arash Jacob, D.O., healer
“Molly Chester and Sandy Schrecengost make eating logical and intuitive, empowering us to return to our roots. It’s difficult to argue with the wisdom of nature and traditional whole foods. The knowledge contained in this book is life changing and may profoundly affect our health.”
—Maggie Ney, N.D., co-director of the Women’s Clinic, Akasha Center for Integrative Medicine, CA
“Molly and Sandy’s recipes are among some of my very favorites. Not only do their recipes work, but they are filled with flavors your whole family will love. With food to nourish the mind, body, and soul,
Back to Butter
will become a treasured favorite.”
—Carrie Vitt, author of
Deliciously Organic
and founder of
deliciouslyorganic.net
“It used to be that every great cook knew the importance of using butter and other traditional ingredients. For nearly half a century, however, this was lost.
Back to Butter
is like a sigh of relief—an old friend has finally returned home.”
—Joette Calabrese, homeopath, public speaker, and author
“In
Back to Butter
, authors Molly and Sandy deliver a candid and heartfelt approach to addressing some fundamental questions: What is real food and how should it be prepared? And what are the advantages of nourishing oneself in this manner? The recipes and advice are carefully thought out to reflect the wisdom of our ancestors, with the book’s photography further accentuating these important words. This book is a labor of love, both in writing and in living a lifestyle.”
—Raymond Silkman, D.D.S.
“If there’s one thing I wish all my patients knew, it’s that healthy eating is one of the most critical, basic things we can do to promote good health, offering both immediate and long-term health benefits.
Back to Butter
is a rich resource in this regard, packed with wonderful, mouthwatering recipes, beautiful photographs, and pure, unadulterated nourishment.”
—Greg Merti, M.D.
“I’ve often wondered how we went so far astray with the simple act of feeding ourselves. Unearthing the path to finding our way back to simple nourishment is like hacking through a forest of odd diets, claims, and products.
Back to Butter
cuts through the clutter to present a road to sane eating rooted in traditional diets.”
—Evan Kleiman, chef, author, and radio host of L.A.’s
Good Food
“I love to cook. And I love fresh, natural ingredients—no processed foods on my table! Finally, a wonderful, beautiful cookbook that helps me put it all together.”
—Ruth Graham, Christian author and speaker
Apricot Lane Farms, Moorepark, CA
A TRADITIONAL FOODS COOKBOOK
N
OURISHING
R
ECIPES
I
NSPIRED BY
O
UR
A
NCESTORS
MOLLY CHESTER & SANDY SCHRECENGOST
FOREWORD BY BECK
PART 1: THE TRADITIONAL FOODS PANTRY
CHAPTER
4 : Nuts, Seeds, Beans & Grains
PART 2: TRADITIONAL FOODS RECIPES
CHAPTER
13: Save Room for Dessert!
Most people associate the name Beck with music, and not just any music, but trailblazing choices that carve new paths and remember classic beats. I do, too, but I also know my friend Beck, the one who understands food in a way that’s reflective of the authenticity found in his art. I value his perspective and greatly appreciate his support of our work.
—
Molly
From Beck:
A few years ago, Molly told me she was thinking about starting a farm. She had found a property outside of town and was considering taking on a new life. I wasn’t surprised. It seemed like a natural progression from her work with food, a way of getting closer to the source.
Now she has written this book with Sandy, bringing together their experiences and what they’ve learned. Taking on a farm is tough work and the land has its own rules. These days, seeing the workings of nature firsthand is an experience afforded to very few. It’s a perspective far removed from the shopper in the supermarket.
Food traditions are a reminder that there are always things to rediscover. In places like Spain or Japan, traditional foods are preserved and celebrated. You don’t have to look hard to find people enjoying the same cuisine they’ve been eating for centuries. Traveling, it’s apparent that the culture is in the food, the past is alive on the table. Molly and Sandy have been looking back at these traditions, and with this book, offer them back to us so we can appreciate them once again.
It’s not working, folks! We’re feeling bad, and we’re looking worse. Angry, diabetic, and depressed, we’re disconnected from our food supply, and it’s badly damaged our instincts. We’re drowning in a sea of packaged products, antacids, and pain relievers, and something must be done.
The good news is there’s a way out. It’s a path that starts with taking responsibility for our own health, implementing sound, sensible nutrition into our lives, and (gasp!) returning to good ol’ butter. My mom (and coauthor) and I have navigated our way back on track, and this book seeks to help you do the same.
I’m guessing that feeding your family is frustrating right now because it just doesn’t make any sense. Simple things such as dairy, meat, and bread may be making you overweight, sick, depressed, and addicted. I (Molly) was there. I suffered under diagnoses such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and GERD (acid reflux), yet despite all efforts, my symptoms remained. I recall questioning, while in my mid-twenties, why I was so incredibly exhausted. Maybe you can relate. My life became increasingly rigid with vegetarianism, wheatgrass shots, and coffee enemas. Why was simple nourishment so unbearably complicated?
A few years later, while in culinary school, I purchased a book called
Nourishing Traditions
by Sally Fallon that pushed me toward an entirely different food paradigm. That book is a traditional foods encyclopedia of sorts, stressing the importance of nutrient-dense foods such as grass-fed meats, full-fat (raw) dairy, pastured eggs, and healthy fats. She shared “radical” ideas, including butter actually being incredibly good for you, and coconut oil and lard, too. These bastardized saturated fats were actually considered superfoods to our ancestors, as well as in long-lived traditional cultures around the world. Ms. Fallon’s recipes, which included ingredients such as liver and chicken feet, defied yet intrigued my plant-based past.