I'm five...or six...or seven. It's 6:00 AM on December 25th and I'm awake but I'm the only one awake. I go knock on the door of my grandparents' bedroom, then my mother's, and then my great aunt. The adults don't really want to get up, but they don't keep me waiting for too long. I don't go downstairs. I know the rules. We can get up this early to see what Santa Claus brought but I have to wait till my grandfather goes downstairs to check to "see if Santa Claus has been here." To this day, I'm not sure what that was really about. As far as I know, he only turned on the lights before I was allowed to come downstairs.
The Christmas tree was surrounded by all manner of wrapped and be-ribboned (is that a word?) packages.
While the adults finished brushing their hair and teeth (why bother with that when there are presents to open???). I was permitted my stocking which was hung by a gold hook on the mantle piece and filled with small, wrapped presents AND an apple and a big orange in the toe of the stocking.
I resented that fruit in the bottom of the stocking. I mean, afterall, it was taking up precious present space and I could get an orange out of the refrigerator anytime I wanted -- and, I wasn't terribly fond of oranges anyway. So, I always casually tossed it aside and my grandmother would put it back in the refrigerator.
Evenutally I learned that Christmas was the only time of the year when my grandparents got an orange as neither one came from a privileged background. No more resentment about the Christmas orange after learning about that and another lesson from the grandparents who left such a profound impact upon my life.
My grandparents are still alive -- both aged 90 right now -- and living in their own home with my mother, their oldest daughter.
I doubt they meant the orange in the stocking to be a lesson in gratitude for their grandchildren but it was for me. This reminds me that we can never truly understand the impact we have on others even when we are not interacting with them directly.
Another Christmas come and gone -- another remembrance of that orange in my stocking from so many years ago.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Cookie Making: A Retrospective
One dark and stormy night...no, that's another story...When I was a little girl, I was surrounded by my female relatives: grandmother, great aunts, aunts, first cousins, second cousins, third cousins, and women who weren't blood relations but were addressed with the title of "aunt". When the holidays came, they cooked and cooked and cooked. It started before Thanksgiving with the annual night of cranberry sauce-making (a messy affair) and just went on from there. Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas dinner differed only by one factor: dessert. Thanksgiving was for pies and Christmas was for cookies. The dessert worlds were not allowed to collide!!!
Sometime around the second week of December, the Christmas cookie making process would begin. I don't remember the order but the baking consisted of a number of different kinds of cookies with the crowning glory being the "Gingies" which were a large soft gingerbread cookie that was rolled, cut, baked, cooled and frosted. This whole shebang took three nights to pull off. The first night was the mixing of the dough which needed a night to rest. The second night involved the rolling, cutting and baking after which the cookies were set on the dining room table on large sheets of waxed paper to cool and then on the third night, we tackled the decorating.
The decorating of the Gingies was a very elaborate process. Several colors of icing were mixed: red, green, yellow, blue and white. The icing was confectioner's sugar with a bit of milk and vanilla. At our disposal were different colored sugars, sprinkles and small silver balls that were like BB's and were used to top the christmas trees and as the clapper for the bells. After the base icing was applied, next came the sugar and sprinkles. Then, someone with a good steady hand would take up the charge of outlining the cookies with white icing in a pastry bag. The santa was especially heavy on the outlining. He needed to be completely outlined and given a beard. The cookies were beautiful and delicious and to this day, I've not encountered anything like them anywhere else. I still make them although not every year. The memory of making those cookies is one the strongest Christmas memories I have from my childhood.
The cookies were packed up in old tins with waxed paper and sequestered to the basement of the house. Each day during the holiday season, enough cookies were procured for the day. Of course, I also took extra trips to the basement and helped myself.
When I was 14, my mother remarried and set up house with her new husband. My mother was a fiend for cooking and would often binge on making particular things. How well I remember the "chocolate mousse summer"!!!! She could get crazed over cookie making at Christmas. Whereas my grandmother ritualistically made the same few, but excellent, recipes each year, my mother would try scads of new recipes and her basement was full of a wild assortment of all kinds of treats. I am not kidding when I say that one year there must have been a dozen different types of cookies stashed in the basement, all in large quantities. And, they were all pretty good. Two in particular stand out in my mind: cream wafers and the brazil nut cookies. I have the recipes for both of them. The cream wafers were a buttery, simple sandwich cookie with a yummy cream center. The brazil nut cookies were a complex, layered cookie that involved a buttery crust, a creamy orange filling, and a nut topping.
After I married, I was then exposed to my mother-in-law's repertoire. Her cooking style followed my grandmother's: a set of tried and true recipes that she'd been making for years. Her iced butter cookies were TO DIE FOR. And, then there were the peanut butter balls...lord, have mercy, I went wild over those too. And, from those years, I acquired those recipes and still make them.
So, this last weekend of cookie making with my SO and his gang, I channeled all of these memories and influences as I moved through the process of producing Peanut Butter Kiss cookies (thanks to my aunt), iced butter cookies and peanut butter balls (thanks to my former mother-in-law), chocolate chip cookies (thanks to my grandmother), and something new, lemon bars for my SO (thanks to my mother for teaching me to always break tradition at least a bit).
My SO complimented me late on Saturday afternoon when the gang was leaving, each with a large container of cookies, on how everything had gotten done and worked out well. I smiled and said, "Thanks...I've been to this rodeo before."
Of course, you can see that the thanks belongs to all those dear women who showed me how, each with their own process and style. I am so grateful to have had all of those experiences.
Sometime around the second week of December, the Christmas cookie making process would begin. I don't remember the order but the baking consisted of a number of different kinds of cookies with the crowning glory being the "Gingies" which were a large soft gingerbread cookie that was rolled, cut, baked, cooled and frosted. This whole shebang took three nights to pull off. The first night was the mixing of the dough which needed a night to rest. The second night involved the rolling, cutting and baking after which the cookies were set on the dining room table on large sheets of waxed paper to cool and then on the third night, we tackled the decorating.
The decorating of the Gingies was a very elaborate process. Several colors of icing were mixed: red, green, yellow, blue and white. The icing was confectioner's sugar with a bit of milk and vanilla. At our disposal were different colored sugars, sprinkles and small silver balls that were like BB's and were used to top the christmas trees and as the clapper for the bells. After the base icing was applied, next came the sugar and sprinkles. Then, someone with a good steady hand would take up the charge of outlining the cookies with white icing in a pastry bag. The santa was especially heavy on the outlining. He needed to be completely outlined and given a beard. The cookies were beautiful and delicious and to this day, I've not encountered anything like them anywhere else. I still make them although not every year. The memory of making those cookies is one the strongest Christmas memories I have from my childhood.
The cookies were packed up in old tins with waxed paper and sequestered to the basement of the house. Each day during the holiday season, enough cookies were procured for the day. Of course, I also took extra trips to the basement and helped myself.
When I was 14, my mother remarried and set up house with her new husband. My mother was a fiend for cooking and would often binge on making particular things. How well I remember the "chocolate mousse summer"!!!! She could get crazed over cookie making at Christmas. Whereas my grandmother ritualistically made the same few, but excellent, recipes each year, my mother would try scads of new recipes and her basement was full of a wild assortment of all kinds of treats. I am not kidding when I say that one year there must have been a dozen different types of cookies stashed in the basement, all in large quantities. And, they were all pretty good. Two in particular stand out in my mind: cream wafers and the brazil nut cookies. I have the recipes for both of them. The cream wafers were a buttery, simple sandwich cookie with a yummy cream center. The brazil nut cookies were a complex, layered cookie that involved a buttery crust, a creamy orange filling, and a nut topping.
After I married, I was then exposed to my mother-in-law's repertoire. Her cooking style followed my grandmother's: a set of tried and true recipes that she'd been making for years. Her iced butter cookies were TO DIE FOR. And, then there were the peanut butter balls...lord, have mercy, I went wild over those too. And, from those years, I acquired those recipes and still make them.
So, this last weekend of cookie making with my SO and his gang, I channeled all of these memories and influences as I moved through the process of producing Peanut Butter Kiss cookies (thanks to my aunt), iced butter cookies and peanut butter balls (thanks to my former mother-in-law), chocolate chip cookies (thanks to my grandmother), and something new, lemon bars for my SO (thanks to my mother for teaching me to always break tradition at least a bit).
My SO complimented me late on Saturday afternoon when the gang was leaving, each with a large container of cookies, on how everything had gotten done and worked out well. I smiled and said, "Thanks...I've been to this rodeo before."
Of course, you can see that the thanks belongs to all those dear women who showed me how, each with their own process and style. I am so grateful to have had all of those experiences.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
One and One Make Three
If you've been to San Francisco, you probably have seen this scene of the sea lions lounging together on the pier -- comfortably piled alongside and almost on top of one another.
Last night, my SO and I were putting together a couple of large pans of lasagna together for the weekend and at one point he said something like, "I'm probably in your way." My answer was, "no, you are never in my way". The moment reminded me of the sea lions. Maybe it looks like they are in each other's way but they know that they are not. They know it's the way it's meant to be.
One of the reasons this blog exists is it's a way for me to talk about my cooking experiences and cooking with someone else is an entirely different experience than cooking alone. I've done a lot of cooking alone and because of it, I have acquired some skill and knowledge. Unfortunately, sometimes people will shy away from cooking with me because of it. If they only knew that deep in my heart, what I want most is someone to cook with me. Everytime I step into the kitchen, I learn something and with someone else there, it doubles the opportunity for that and the fun quotient goes way up.
This weekend we will be making a lot of Christmas cookies which I love to do as a group. Some friends and I got together several years in a row and had a system for doing this. Then, we all had life changes and we were no longer able to do this. I miss them and our cookie days. One year I made ugly aprons for everyone (the worst fabric I could find from the discount table at the fabric store and I made them reversible so everyone really got two ugly aprons!) and that was really fun too.
So, I'm looking forward to making new memories this year. We've got a big line up of cookies coming: Chocolate Chips, Sugar, Peanut Blossoms, Lemon Bars, and my favorite, Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls. I wish I'd had time to whip up some ugly aprons -- note to self: make ugly aprons sometime during 2010 so I will have a stash ready to go next year. I've got my Christmas CDs all organized and ready to go though.
Never enough time to do all the things you want to do, is there?
Thursday, December 3, 2009
The Pizza Interview You've Been Waiting For
Behold! This is a pizza ready for the grill made by my own SO:
A number of years ago, he had his own pizza shop -- I bring you THE pizza interview you've all been waiting for:
(1) What made you decide to try your hand at having a pizza parlor?
I was working for an engineering firm that was struggling in a declining market. With the addition of my son to the family, I also was looking for a way to move closer to family. I knew I was going to need a change. By providing pizzas that you bake at home, it reduced overhead costs, which was good because I didn't have the financial resources.
(2) I love the concept of having the pies prepared so that they could be baked at home -- how did you come up with that idea and how did you develop the recipe for the dough?
I actually had visited a similar pizza shop. They were very protective of their recipe for dough, which was understandable. I would like to say it was an original idea, but it was "borrowed". The area that I was from was a more rural area. Many people had never had pizza at home unless it was leftovers from a "sitdown" pizza parlor or a carryout pizza. What they had at home was always semi-soggy or warmed up. I wanted to give the option for them to pick up a pizza while they were "in town" running errands and they could cook it in 20 minutes when they were ready. The pizza would also keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days if they didn't want it the day they picked it up. The quest for the dough recipe was a trial and error process that took place in a friends kitchen. Many, many attempts were failures. It turned out that a bread dough was the best for cooking in a traditional home oven. The real secret is that I always, always, ALWAYS, butter the exposed crust. Who doesn't like buttered bread? I also use fresh ingredients and three different cheeses to add to the taste. The name of the shop was "Garden Fresh Pizza". I hoped to evoke the concept of veggies other than just the typical pizza ingredients. I think it was an idea ahead of it's time. The concept might have a greater opportunity for success in today's health conscience environment.
(3) What is your favorite pizza?
Actually my favorite is not a pizza but instead a stromboli. A stromboli is the same ingredients as pizza except that everything is completely enclosed in the crust. Of coarse the entire outside was brushed with butter and sprinkled with parmesan cheese.
(4) I understand that you've started experimenting with cooking the pizza on the grill -- what are your thoughts about doing it that way versus the oven?
This is as a result of my girlfriend buying a pan for this purpose. It gives a different taste from a pizza cooked in the oven. Be sure to cook on low heat to allow the upper crust to brown before the bottom burns.
(5) What is the best thing about pizza?
The variety of what you can make. It can be the appetizer, the main part of the meal or the dessert. You can use almost ANYTHING from the traditional ingredients to fresh veggies to fruit as toppings. As a dessert you modify the dough to be a little sweeter and use fruit, chocolate or anything that strikes your sweet tooth.
6) What was the most fun part of having the pizza parlor?
Several things come to mind. Getting to have pizza or stromboli anytime. Also, my son always wanting to grab a handful of cheese from the cheese bucket. I asked him if he remembered the pizza shop and he said he thought he did. He was two years old at the time.
(7) How do you make your sauce?
I make it thick and to my taste. When we would go out for pizza, my kids always ask for "light on the sauce" because it is so thin that the ingredients slide off the slice. They never ask for "light on the sauce" when they have mine. It is a combination of tomato sauce and tomato paste to which I add Italian herb seasoning to taste.
(8) Who are your pizza heroes?
Pizza was something I had never tasted until I was probably 12 years old, so I really didn't have a point of reference of a "pizza hero". The first pizza I ever had, I believe, was Pizza Hut. At that time, all that was available was their thin crust. I knew it had to be better with something other than cardboard for a crust. In relation to my own business, I did have one customer that was a "hero". Since I also didn't deliver, this customer loved the pizza that I made so much, he would send a taxi to pick one up and deliver it to him. To him the cost didn't matter.
(9) What does making a pizza teach someone about life?
There is nothing "wrong" that can be used, that you can imagine. It embraces the variety of life, allowing you to use whatever you like, just use your imagination. But as a side note - stick to what you know. I really wasn't prepared for the problems associated with the food industry, i.e. labor, being open every day, etc. My children always want my pizza, and my girlfriend encourages my kitchen forays. It is a pleasure to be enticed to still venture into my pizza making mode. I don't take to many "shortcuts" and they seem to appreciate the effort.
TBD: We sure do appreciate the effort! This pizza is great and such a treat. The butter on the crust is oh-so-yum-yum good...:-)
A number of years ago, he had his own pizza shop -- I bring you THE pizza interview you've all been waiting for:
(1) What made you decide to try your hand at having a pizza parlor?
I was working for an engineering firm that was struggling in a declining market. With the addition of my son to the family, I also was looking for a way to move closer to family. I knew I was going to need a change. By providing pizzas that you bake at home, it reduced overhead costs, which was good because I didn't have the financial resources.
(2) I love the concept of having the pies prepared so that they could be baked at home -- how did you come up with that idea and how did you develop the recipe for the dough?
I actually had visited a similar pizza shop. They were very protective of their recipe for dough, which was understandable. I would like to say it was an original idea, but it was "borrowed". The area that I was from was a more rural area. Many people had never had pizza at home unless it was leftovers from a "sitdown" pizza parlor or a carryout pizza. What they had at home was always semi-soggy or warmed up. I wanted to give the option for them to pick up a pizza while they were "in town" running errands and they could cook it in 20 minutes when they were ready. The pizza would also keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days if they didn't want it the day they picked it up. The quest for the dough recipe was a trial and error process that took place in a friends kitchen. Many, many attempts were failures. It turned out that a bread dough was the best for cooking in a traditional home oven. The real secret is that I always, always, ALWAYS, butter the exposed crust. Who doesn't like buttered bread? I also use fresh ingredients and three different cheeses to add to the taste. The name of the shop was "Garden Fresh Pizza". I hoped to evoke the concept of veggies other than just the typical pizza ingredients. I think it was an idea ahead of it's time. The concept might have a greater opportunity for success in today's health conscience environment.
(3) What is your favorite pizza?
Actually my favorite is not a pizza but instead a stromboli. A stromboli is the same ingredients as pizza except that everything is completely enclosed in the crust. Of coarse the entire outside was brushed with butter and sprinkled with parmesan cheese.
(4) I understand that you've started experimenting with cooking the pizza on the grill -- what are your thoughts about doing it that way versus the oven?
This is as a result of my girlfriend buying a pan for this purpose. It gives a different taste from a pizza cooked in the oven. Be sure to cook on low heat to allow the upper crust to brown before the bottom burns.
(5) What is the best thing about pizza?
The variety of what you can make. It can be the appetizer, the main part of the meal or the dessert. You can use almost ANYTHING from the traditional ingredients to fresh veggies to fruit as toppings. As a dessert you modify the dough to be a little sweeter and use fruit, chocolate or anything that strikes your sweet tooth.
6) What was the most fun part of having the pizza parlor?
Several things come to mind. Getting to have pizza or stromboli anytime. Also, my son always wanting to grab a handful of cheese from the cheese bucket. I asked him if he remembered the pizza shop and he said he thought he did. He was two years old at the time.
(7) How do you make your sauce?
I make it thick and to my taste. When we would go out for pizza, my kids always ask for "light on the sauce" because it is so thin that the ingredients slide off the slice. They never ask for "light on the sauce" when they have mine. It is a combination of tomato sauce and tomato paste to which I add Italian herb seasoning to taste.
(8) Who are your pizza heroes?
Pizza was something I had never tasted until I was probably 12 years old, so I really didn't have a point of reference of a "pizza hero". The first pizza I ever had, I believe, was Pizza Hut. At that time, all that was available was their thin crust. I knew it had to be better with something other than cardboard for a crust. In relation to my own business, I did have one customer that was a "hero". Since I also didn't deliver, this customer loved the pizza that I made so much, he would send a taxi to pick one up and deliver it to him. To him the cost didn't matter.
(9) What does making a pizza teach someone about life?
There is nothing "wrong" that can be used, that you can imagine. It embraces the variety of life, allowing you to use whatever you like, just use your imagination. But as a side note - stick to what you know. I really wasn't prepared for the problems associated with the food industry, i.e. labor, being open every day, etc. My children always want my pizza, and my girlfriend encourages my kitchen forays. It is a pleasure to be enticed to still venture into my pizza making mode. I don't take to many "shortcuts" and they seem to appreciate the effort.
TBD: We sure do appreciate the effort! This pizza is great and such a treat. The butter on the crust is oh-so-yum-yum good...:-)
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Looking Forward
Another Thanksgiving come and gone. Sorry there are no pictures of the PIES (I only got two made the night before) or the deep-fried turkey -- I guess I'm a bad blogger because when I'm in production mode, I don't think too much about blogging. Well, actually, I think about it but I dismiss it so I can keep my focus on what I'm doing. Suffice it to say that everything came out pretty well. There are still a few leftovers -- including pie! Yesterday we changed things up an had pizza. Not just any old pizza: homemade pizza!!! Yummo.
Now, it's time to focus on the next round of holidays. And, at the same time, it occurs to me that January is only a month away. Last year I went on a major tear in December to get read for 2009. I had my car detailed, house deep-cleaned, windows washed, etc. As I look around this year, there's not that much heavy-lifting to do in regards to my house. Now, I have the pleasure of thinking about things like "what do I want to learn next year? Where do I want to go?"
So, here's a draft list of the things I want to learn/explore in 2010:
1. Work diligently on my cookbook -- this will be slow going because I want it to be fun. If put myself on some kind of schedule or deadline, it will just be work. If I pick it up and put it down as it feels good, it will stay playful and fun.
2. Replace some of the junky food habits I have with some better ones such as swapping out chocolate for fresh dates (my five pound box of dates from The Date People came last week -- Yum!).
3. Be more creative with my farm share next year. For starters, I wished I had recorded what I got each week so that I could better plan next year. I remember the week I got about 8 cucumbers. It's good to be prepared for something like that.
4. Fall in love with my Green Star Juicer. I've had it for about two years now. These things are not cheap! It's supposed to be the best. I have to make time to get comfortable with it. My attempts thus far have been disappointing.
5. Cut back on accumulating cookbooks and dig into what I have.
6. Relax.
Before I go this morning, here's a question for you: Who inspires you?"
Sir Winston Churchill inspires me. Often this quote comes to my mind:
"Never give in -- never, never, never in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour & good sense. Never yield to force; Never yield to the apparently overwhelming insight of the enemy."
Now, it's time to focus on the next round of holidays. And, at the same time, it occurs to me that January is only a month away. Last year I went on a major tear in December to get read for 2009. I had my car detailed, house deep-cleaned, windows washed, etc. As I look around this year, there's not that much heavy-lifting to do in regards to my house. Now, I have the pleasure of thinking about things like "what do I want to learn next year? Where do I want to go?"
So, here's a draft list of the things I want to learn/explore in 2010:
1. Work diligently on my cookbook -- this will be slow going because I want it to be fun. If put myself on some kind of schedule or deadline, it will just be work. If I pick it up and put it down as it feels good, it will stay playful and fun.
2. Replace some of the junky food habits I have with some better ones such as swapping out chocolate for fresh dates (my five pound box of dates from The Date People came last week -- Yum!).
3. Be more creative with my farm share next year. For starters, I wished I had recorded what I got each week so that I could better plan next year. I remember the week I got about 8 cucumbers. It's good to be prepared for something like that.
4. Fall in love with my Green Star Juicer. I've had it for about two years now. These things are not cheap! It's supposed to be the best. I have to make time to get comfortable with it. My attempts thus far have been disappointing.
5. Cut back on accumulating cookbooks and dig into what I have.
6. Relax.
Before I go this morning, here's a question for you: Who inspires you?"
Sir Winston Churchill inspires me. Often this quote comes to my mind:
"Never give in -- never, never, never in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour & good sense. Never yield to force; Never yield to the apparently overwhelming insight of the enemy."
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Pies R Us
Ready...set...go...first up Sour Cherry...next Pumpkin...and then onto the Coconut.
Can I get this all done tonight?
Can I get this all done tonight?
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
What's One Miracle You've Experienced?
I have to pick just one?
I'm going to cheat and pick two: (1) My Sour Cherry Pie recipe that I'm making this week; and (2) don't hate me for this one -- being a regular exerciser for over 7 years.
I was just thinking this morning at the gym that pretty soon it will be 8 years and that is getting close to a decade. Geez...you'd think I'd look like a supermodel or something -- uh, not even close. But, part of the miracle is that as an exerciser, I'm less critical of my body. I guess all the weight training and exercising has put me more in the mindset of being in partnership with my body rather than at odds.
The subset miracle about the exercising is that I found out this morning that my shoulders, which are usually the weakest area for a woman, are comparatively very strong (did the trainer use the word "abnormal"?). I guess it should not be a surprise because I love to train shoulders more than anything!!! I love the shoulder press best of all.
So, here I am with this body -- almost 47 now -- many imperfections going on, everyday is different between water weight, hormones, etc. and our culture tells me to look down on myself because I don't look like people on tv. I'm not saying I'm immune to falling prey to the allure of wanting to shop in the 5-7-9 shop. It does get to me sometimes. But, there are many moments like this morning when I'm so grateful that it brings tears to my eyes that I have a body that gets me around and works with me to do the things I have to do and want to do. There's no getting back the fleeting features of my body in my 20's. I rail against the idea that we spend so much of our lives now being middle-aged and then old and not having a beautiful, young body any longer, but that is really blowing against the wind.
Thank you, Body, for putting up with me. I haven't always been good to you, but everyday you try your best for me.
I'm going to cheat and pick two: (1) My Sour Cherry Pie recipe that I'm making this week; and (2) don't hate me for this one -- being a regular exerciser for over 7 years.
I was just thinking this morning at the gym that pretty soon it will be 8 years and that is getting close to a decade. Geez...you'd think I'd look like a supermodel or something -- uh, not even close. But, part of the miracle is that as an exerciser, I'm less critical of my body. I guess all the weight training and exercising has put me more in the mindset of being in partnership with my body rather than at odds.
The subset miracle about the exercising is that I found out this morning that my shoulders, which are usually the weakest area for a woman, are comparatively very strong (did the trainer use the word "abnormal"?). I guess it should not be a surprise because I love to train shoulders more than anything!!! I love the shoulder press best of all.
So, here I am with this body -- almost 47 now -- many imperfections going on, everyday is different between water weight, hormones, etc. and our culture tells me to look down on myself because I don't look like people on tv. I'm not saying I'm immune to falling prey to the allure of wanting to shop in the 5-7-9 shop. It does get to me sometimes. But, there are many moments like this morning when I'm so grateful that it brings tears to my eyes that I have a body that gets me around and works with me to do the things I have to do and want to do. There's no getting back the fleeting features of my body in my 20's. I rail against the idea that we spend so much of our lives now being middle-aged and then old and not having a beautiful, young body any longer, but that is really blowing against the wind.
Thank you, Body, for putting up with me. I haven't always been good to you, but everyday you try your best for me.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Karen Called, Said Your Turkey is Ready for Pick up
Tomorrow I pick up the fresh turkey for Thursday. Also, tomorrow, the fresh dates from the little farm in California are set to arrive. Yesterday we went to the grocery store to get various things still needed for the holiday. I dug out my bread machine tonight as there is a request for homemade raisin bread. And, I dug out my favorite cherry (as in "sour cherry") pie recipe. The wine is already selected. I checked the tablecloth, candlesticks, etc. Things are looking good for Thursday.
Why do I have to work? Why can't I just stay home and play in my kitchen? Why, why, why??? If I could, I'm sure I would pierce a few more things and let my hair go really wild...
I have made a decision and it's a timely one: I think Thanksgiving is the best holiday of all! It doesn't showcase my favorite foods (I'd give Easter the edge there because of the ham, potato salad, and of course, the chocolate), but it's a holiday that everyone can appreciate. Case in point, I went to get my nails done tonight and the nail tech was asking me a lot of questions about what am I cooking, who is coming, etc. and she's only been in this country for about a year and a half -- raised on the other side of the world, speaking a different language up until the last 18 months, completely different culture and yes, she is into Thanksgiving. She's got her meal planned and is good to go. I don't think this would be the case with any of the other holidays commonly celebrated here.
One thing I will be rolling out on Thursday is my pickled eggplant. It's been curing for two months in an antique crock that I have just for this purpose. The eggplant were first salted for a day, then soaked in vinegar for a day, then seasoned with chopped garlic, oregano, hot pepper and black pepper and covered in olive oil. It's a very old-fashioned process, but it's relatively easy. And, I have a fan base for this stuff. I packed up a box and sent it off to some friends last week so it's in time for the holiday.
Stay tuned for a report later this week -- did I mention the turkey is going to be deep-fried?
Why do I have to work? Why can't I just stay home and play in my kitchen? Why, why, why??? If I could, I'm sure I would pierce a few more things and let my hair go really wild...
I have made a decision and it's a timely one: I think Thanksgiving is the best holiday of all! It doesn't showcase my favorite foods (I'd give Easter the edge there because of the ham, potato salad, and of course, the chocolate), but it's a holiday that everyone can appreciate. Case in point, I went to get my nails done tonight and the nail tech was asking me a lot of questions about what am I cooking, who is coming, etc. and she's only been in this country for about a year and a half -- raised on the other side of the world, speaking a different language up until the last 18 months, completely different culture and yes, she is into Thanksgiving. She's got her meal planned and is good to go. I don't think this would be the case with any of the other holidays commonly celebrated here.
One thing I will be rolling out on Thursday is my pickled eggplant. It's been curing for two months in an antique crock that I have just for this purpose. The eggplant were first salted for a day, then soaked in vinegar for a day, then seasoned with chopped garlic, oregano, hot pepper and black pepper and covered in olive oil. It's a very old-fashioned process, but it's relatively easy. And, I have a fan base for this stuff. I packed up a box and sent it off to some friends last week so it's in time for the holiday.
Stay tuned for a report later this week -- did I mention the turkey is going to be deep-fried?
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Cookbook Junkie on the Loose
In terms of how many cookbooks I have and in life in general, when is enough enough???
Just last week, I was reading a post from a favorite blog and the author mentioned a couple of cookbooks that were FAVORITES. Since I respect this author, I had to go check the books out and then, fell right into the rabbit hole and before I knew it, the books were on their way.
I have a lot of cookbooks already (right now somewhere around the 900 range) and often think, what more is there to know? When is enough, enough?
So, the books came and what I think of as "the lovely thing" happened. To my delight, one of them turned out to be a book that quickly recognized that I "needed". Yes, it has something to say to me that I hadn't heard before or maybe just wasn't paying attention. That book is "The Zuni Cafe Cookbook"(you can order it from Amazon here).
I had a chance this morning to peruse the recipes (a perfect thing to do at 6:00
AM on Sunday morning when you can't fall back asleep, by the way). The very first thing I want to make is a nice light soup of Asparagus & Rice with Pancetta and Black Pepper. It's sounds better for the springtime so perhaps first will be the fabulous roast chicken recipe with a bread salad. There's a lot of information on salting meat prior to cooking which has promise.
Meanwhile, in real life, I've been tackling the mountain of produce that had accumulated after Thursday's last farm share pickup. There were three bags of stuff to contend with along with what was already piling up. Three...heads...of...cabbage...it's sort of like, "lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" In any event, all the greens were sauteed with garlic and hot pepper in olive oil, the broccoflower and cauliflower were steamed, and the field greens lightly dressed for starters. Necessity being the mother of invention, I moved into the mode of dealing with a number of little winter squashes that ganged up on me. The tiny butternut squashes were roasted in the crockpot and then the flesh was scooped out for soup. There wasn't enough so I added in the remains of a roasted acorn squash from last week and then, the topper, I pulled out of the freezer a large roasted yam that I'd cooked the month before which I felt didn't have the proper flavor for pie but could be a player in the soup. At the same time, I was experimenting with Pennsey's vegetable soup base for the broth and when it was all still lacking in flavor, a large glug of sherry went into the mix. On the side, I sauteed some apple slices in butter till they were brown and soft and the finished soup was presented topped with the apple slices and a splash of minced parsely.
The little waxy potatoes were roasted with some small purple potatoes and onions in olive oil yesterday and went nicely with a pork tenderloin and another experiment, Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage with Cranberries. Such was dinner last night that ended with a simple pumpkin spice cake.
Sorry there are no pictures, but I was cooking for production and not so much for pleasure. Perhaps I will get a picture of the kale chips that I'm dehydrating right now in my fancy new commerical dehydrator (a most excellent early Xmas present from my SO).
As I sit here this morning, in the next couple of days, life will change. I am picking up the fresh turkey tomorrow or Tuesday and my first batch of fresh dates from The Date People is set to arrive on Tuesday. And, somewhere in the mix, I suspect my mini-donut pan will arrive (talk about an impulse buy).
Philosophically this week, I've been thinking a lot about kindness and what it means to be kind. For starters, I have to be kind to myself. I thought about that a lot this morning before I started writing this post. I thought about being kind to my body by not treating it like a trash can that should just accept whatever garbage I feel like throwing into it. Now that I'm not in my 20's or 30's, I find that my body is more like a fussy machine that requires careful maintenance like a high end automobile.
Now, all this food writing has made my stomach growl. After all that, I think I will go make a protein shake.
Just last week, I was reading a post from a favorite blog and the author mentioned a couple of cookbooks that were FAVORITES. Since I respect this author, I had to go check the books out and then, fell right into the rabbit hole and before I knew it, the books were on their way.
I have a lot of cookbooks already (right now somewhere around the 900 range) and often think, what more is there to know? When is enough, enough?
So, the books came and what I think of as "the lovely thing" happened. To my delight, one of them turned out to be a book that quickly recognized that I "needed". Yes, it has something to say to me that I hadn't heard before or maybe just wasn't paying attention. That book is "The Zuni Cafe Cookbook"(you can order it from Amazon here).
I had a chance this morning to peruse the recipes (a perfect thing to do at 6:00
AM on Sunday morning when you can't fall back asleep, by the way). The very first thing I want to make is a nice light soup of Asparagus & Rice with Pancetta and Black Pepper. It's sounds better for the springtime so perhaps first will be the fabulous roast chicken recipe with a bread salad. There's a lot of information on salting meat prior to cooking which has promise.
Meanwhile, in real life, I've been tackling the mountain of produce that had accumulated after Thursday's last farm share pickup. There were three bags of stuff to contend with along with what was already piling up. Three...heads...of...cabbage...it's sort of like, "lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" In any event, all the greens were sauteed with garlic and hot pepper in olive oil, the broccoflower and cauliflower were steamed, and the field greens lightly dressed for starters. Necessity being the mother of invention, I moved into the mode of dealing with a number of little winter squashes that ganged up on me. The tiny butternut squashes were roasted in the crockpot and then the flesh was scooped out for soup. There wasn't enough so I added in the remains of a roasted acorn squash from last week and then, the topper, I pulled out of the freezer a large roasted yam that I'd cooked the month before which I felt didn't have the proper flavor for pie but could be a player in the soup. At the same time, I was experimenting with Pennsey's vegetable soup base for the broth and when it was all still lacking in flavor, a large glug of sherry went into the mix. On the side, I sauteed some apple slices in butter till they were brown and soft and the finished soup was presented topped with the apple slices and a splash of minced parsely.
The little waxy potatoes were roasted with some small purple potatoes and onions in olive oil yesterday and went nicely with a pork tenderloin and another experiment, Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage with Cranberries. Such was dinner last night that ended with a simple pumpkin spice cake.
Sorry there are no pictures, but I was cooking for production and not so much for pleasure. Perhaps I will get a picture of the kale chips that I'm dehydrating right now in my fancy new commerical dehydrator (a most excellent early Xmas present from my SO).
As I sit here this morning, in the next couple of days, life will change. I am picking up the fresh turkey tomorrow or Tuesday and my first batch of fresh dates from The Date People is set to arrive on Tuesday. And, somewhere in the mix, I suspect my mini-donut pan will arrive (talk about an impulse buy).
Philosophically this week, I've been thinking a lot about kindness and what it means to be kind. For starters, I have to be kind to myself. I thought about that a lot this morning before I started writing this post. I thought about being kind to my body by not treating it like a trash can that should just accept whatever garbage I feel like throwing into it. Now that I'm not in my 20's or 30's, I find that my body is more like a fussy machine that requires careful maintenance like a high end automobile.
Now, all this food writing has made my stomach growl. After all that, I think I will go make a protein shake.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Thanksgiving Calisthenics
OK, time to get warmed up and ready for the giving of thanks!
Today's pre-Thanksgiving exercise is "Who could you thank that perhaps you haven't before?" (stolen from Cafe Gratitude).
My answer: I have thanked this person before, but not in a long time, so the thank you is long overdue. It is my friend, Mary Ann. She is always in my corner and has gone above and beyond for me more times than I can count or maybe even care to admit. There is nothing that I cannot tell her and I'd trust her with anything.
I am so grateful to have her in my life AND she has had an enormous influence on me in the kitchen. In fact, when she taught cooking, I apprenticed with her which was fun, tiring and always resulted in me deep-frying little pieces of things like fried bananas.
Now, a confession: it took a long time for me to see the importance of gratitude. It is not something that came naturally to me. Maybe that's typical when you are younger anyway -- you tend to take things for granted. At times in my life when I have struggled, sometimes I would get the advice to "count your blessings" but I still didn't understand what that did for you. Then, a few years ago, I happened to be at a seminar and a speaker that I had never heard of before revealed the secret about gratitude: when you are focusing on gratitude, you are in the present moment and when you are in the present moment and the point of power is always in the present moment. So, there you go.
Now, who could you thank that perhaps you haven't before?
Today's pre-Thanksgiving exercise is "Who could you thank that perhaps you haven't before?" (stolen from Cafe Gratitude).
My answer: I have thanked this person before, but not in a long time, so the thank you is long overdue. It is my friend, Mary Ann. She is always in my corner and has gone above and beyond for me more times than I can count or maybe even care to admit. There is nothing that I cannot tell her and I'd trust her with anything.
I am so grateful to have her in my life AND she has had an enormous influence on me in the kitchen. In fact, when she taught cooking, I apprenticed with her which was fun, tiring and always resulted in me deep-frying little pieces of things like fried bananas.
Now, a confession: it took a long time for me to see the importance of gratitude. It is not something that came naturally to me. Maybe that's typical when you are younger anyway -- you tend to take things for granted. At times in my life when I have struggled, sometimes I would get the advice to "count your blessings" but I still didn't understand what that did for you. Then, a few years ago, I happened to be at a seminar and a speaker that I had never heard of before revealed the secret about gratitude: when you are focusing on gratitude, you are in the present moment and when you are in the present moment and the point of power is always in the present moment. So, there you go.
Now, who could you thank that perhaps you haven't before?
Monday, November 16, 2009
Shopping for a Thanksgiving Turkey
We are deep-frying a turkey this year. This will be a new experience for me and I'm looking forward to it. I should also add that the whole Thanksgiving event is very special this year because I will be with my SO and his son and daughter for the first time.
Of course, I want to add some little special touches to the day and when I got an email from my CSA, One Straw Farm, informing the members of the opportunity for a fresh, hormone and antibiotic free grass fed turkey, I jumped at the chance. So, instead of going to the supermarket and buying a commercially grown and processed bird, I called the farm to discuss my turkey.
I ended up having an interesting and rather lengthy conversation with Karen Albright of Albright Farms and 30 minutes later, I put down the deposit over the phone and finalized my turkey commitment.
Karen impressed me in her description of the commitment she and her husband have regarding every aspect of the animal's life. At some point in the conversation she said that they do everything the hard way -- the hard way being the best way for the animal and the consumer. It may not make them rich, but they are operating with the highest integrity.
The turkey will cost me more. It's almost three times the price of what I could pay at the supermarket. But, Thanksgiving is special and what Albright Farms is doing is special. In keeping with the spirit of this blog, by going this route, I'm demonstrating my appreciation for my circumstances and for what the Albrights are doing at the same time.
Of course, I want to add some little special touches to the day and when I got an email from my CSA, One Straw Farm, informing the members of the opportunity for a fresh, hormone and antibiotic free grass fed turkey, I jumped at the chance. So, instead of going to the supermarket and buying a commercially grown and processed bird, I called the farm to discuss my turkey.
I ended up having an interesting and rather lengthy conversation with Karen Albright of Albright Farms and 30 minutes later, I put down the deposit over the phone and finalized my turkey commitment.
Karen impressed me in her description of the commitment she and her husband have regarding every aspect of the animal's life. At some point in the conversation she said that they do everything the hard way -- the hard way being the best way for the animal and the consumer. It may not make them rich, but they are operating with the highest integrity.
The turkey will cost me more. It's almost three times the price of what I could pay at the supermarket. But, Thanksgiving is special and what Albright Farms is doing is special. In keeping with the spirit of this blog, by going this route, I'm demonstrating my appreciation for my circumstances and for what the Albrights are doing at the same time.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Why "The Broken Dishes"?
Legend has it that the great zen monk (Achaan Chan) would hold up a tea cup and say, "To me this cup is already broken" as a reflection upon impermanence. The implication is that we are to learn how to embrace and accept that things will be broken or lost, so that we can appreciate the preciousness of what comes to us and goes from us. We'd know that whatever comes to us is always a precious and temporary gift.
It seems to me, then, the next step is to cherish our precious and temporary gifts whether they are people, places or things. Here is where the point of view of this blog begins about my own culinary passion. I seek out and treasure things done with integrity and respect whether it be for how food stuffs are produced, exploring new or old ways of doing things, or paying homage to others with a similar point of view. These, then, are my "broken dishes".
It seems to me, then, the next step is to cherish our precious and temporary gifts whether they are people, places or things. Here is where the point of view of this blog begins about my own culinary passion. I seek out and treasure things done with integrity and respect whether it be for how food stuffs are produced, exploring new or old ways of doing things, or paying homage to others with a similar point of view. These, then, are my "broken dishes".
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