Elbow

I have cooking elbow.  My right elbow and forearm have been issuing communication/protest for a couple of months now.  Vinny thinks it all started with knitting way. way back.  I know that it has been exacerbated by my computer use, recent hair pulling, and more recent, marathon cooking.

This morning I made my third pot roast in three days.  No further roasts are planned.  If more folks get sick next week, I will come up with another dish.  This is very much like me.  When I like/enjoy something I do it obsessively (without thinking).  Soon enough I tire of it and move onto the next thing.

I also made another batch of Brussels sprouts with bacon and kimchee.  And a pan of date walnut bars (half will go to the sickies getting the pot roast).

Sag loved yesterday's pork.  He has been enjoying pulled pork sandwiches with mayo.  Gem is still under the weather.  We have leftovers to cover dinners so I am going to give this elbow some rest and, finally, settle down with a book (never happened yesterday).

Peace and love.

P.S.  Gem wants to read Animal Farm.  I'm picking it up for him at the library in the next few days.  Poignant squeeze of the heart.  This is the first time he wants to read a book I read while at Hunter (for school).

Nom nom

I am learning.  I am figuring out that when I slow cook meat, it does not take as long as the recipes say for the meat to be done.  Tonight's pork was supposed to cook on low between 8-10 hours.  Around the seven hours-plus mark I popped the cooker open and stuck a thermometer in the roast.  It zipped right up to 180º (which was 10º to 20º higher than what I was looking for) so I shut it off.

The meat is tender and succulent.  It may be too spicy for Gem, but I think Sag will like it (seasoned with Chili Powder and Arizona Dreaming).  Since Cap doesn't eat red meat, I am putting half of it in the freezer.

Peace and pork.

Oh my shiva

I have a great appreciation for alchemy.  In life, as well as, in the kitchen (where so much of my life seems to be happening lately).

This afternoon I roasted some plum tomatoes in the oven.  I don't know why, but they were the best I've ever made.  So so so so delicious.

Haven't made it to my book.  The pork was done early, ran the cookies down to Kelly, texting with Donna to catch up...now Gem is feeling cold-y.  It's going to be a quiet evening.

Peace.

P.S.  Looking forward to watching The Americans tonight!

Cook cook cook

A quickie because I have been in the kitchen all day and want to read for an hour before things start back up for dinner.

Bone broth with ginger and garlic.  Sag has a cold but he didn't like this.  Too oily, he said.  Crap.  Plying him with other fluids.

The flu is knocking down our friends left and right.  I'm making three pot roasts in three days...recovery from these particular strains is slow and appetites are returning before the strength to cook.  Tucking desserts into the care packages, too.  Today, banana-coconut cookies.

I am trying to eat more fish...I made Sally's tuna salad again.  This is such a great recipe.  Yum.

There's a pork roast coming out of the slow cooker in a couple of hours.  I can't remember if the kids like this iteration or not.  Trying to get better about writing notes on recipes...though I cannot rely on my brain to remember to read the notes.

(On the tuna salad recipe I made a note that I used 1/2 a lemon rather than the 1 called for.  Totally missed it today, used the whole lemon and it's edible, but it really was too much lemon for me.)

Off to my book, UnWholly.

Peace.

Tuesday tidbits

Kate gave me a print of one of her photographs.  I love its melancholy, yet hopeful, beauty.  It reminds me of her, and always will.

A Tweedledum...or Tweedledee shot of me.  I was curious to see if my "skinny" jeans would fit yet.  I don't think "fit" is apt, but I did get them on.  I feel like I'm wearing a denim pair of Spanx.  And definitely having a Phylicia Rashad moment which only Jennifer would understand and she doesn't read the blog.  Basically, what rolls cannot be contained are pushed up over the top.
 

Danielle gave me this pretty pendant and the gift of picking out books for myself at our indie bookshop.  This was made by a local artisan who has an Etsy shop, but also sells her wares at the bookstore.

The tub and its grouting are bleached and somewhat scrubbed (I'll admit it, I three-quarters-assed it). the pork roast is rubbed and back in the fridge...I need to get a pot roast prepped and in the oven for a flu-struck family before I get over to Vinny's for treatment.

Peace.

The loot

My sweet partner knew exactly what I would love: my first jar of truffle salt and a debut novel which has been quite the critical sensation.  He also made us latkes for dinner.

Peace and love.

Portlandia, anyone?

Here's a little something to break up the quiet.  (Thanks to Wendy for the patio prod.)

More bday

A slice of nut and seed bread with olivada and the remote.  Last night's Downton was eventful and really sad.  Lots-of-tissues sad.  Last night's episode of Girls was fantastic.

I love that Kate thought this green bread was beautiful.  But, I just can't...I mean, I can, I'm eating it, but...ugh.

He woke up with a sore throat.  Today's a mellow out day, but it's also a screen-free one for the kids.  There's been some pissing and moaning, but there have also been moments of rediscovery and peace.

His "corner office".  On the one hand, I know that no amount of budgeting and tightening up the purse strings will bring about our dream space with which to do what we want (not in this region of the country, anyway)...but on the other, I refuse to give up.  Every penny, every effort, can count towards something.

Please ignore the broken window shades that populate these rooms/pics.  We pretty much do.  The wet ceiling is still there.  The plumber is coming back out tomorrow.  But, today, today is a quiet day in my honor, and I appreciate it.

Peace.

47 = prime

 +

 =

These are the zucchini rolls Tiina made.  They are stuffed with artichoke hearts, garlic and a nut...I think almond.  For my the first course of my birthday, I paired a couple of cold zucchini rolls with a dollop of leftover basil aioli made with homemade olive oil mayo.  Yum.  Leftover deviled eggs chasers were involved.

I thought a walk in the woods would happen today, but the snow and sleet and threats of sickness may just do those plans in.  The call for cozy is so strong that I am going to cancel my probably-was-going-to-happen birthday session with Vinny this evening (seeing him tomorrow anyway).

Reading, catching up on my Sunday night shows...chilling (oh, the pun of it all) without guilt is sounding really good right now.

47 is a prime number and I am looking forward to what this primal year brings me.  I also look forward to digging a bit deeper to bring about more prime for myself.

Peace.

Quickie

I am about to my feet up after nearly six hours in the kitchen.  I nibbled on party leftovers (yum) while I cooked and washed and cooked and washed...and am now stuffed.

I made a double batch of zucchini noodles with garlic and oil, carrot tofu scramble, rogan josh with beef (lamb eluded us at both the farmer's market and the supermarket)...and a new recipe, Date Walnut Bars.

It's a keeper.  These tasted remarkably like chocolate chip cookies.  I subbed maple syrup for the agave and next time I think I will decrease the amount because these bars were very sweet.  Loved the nubby texture, it was quite satisfying.

Peace.

Party of four

Whoosh.

After a day of cooking (Cap was awesome and did the cleaning), the little birthday potluck that could happened.

It was lovely, it was small (party of four), and it went so fast.  Felt like the blink of an eye.

I was grateful for so much: the scrumptious bites, the company of friends, the very real warmth of our home on another bitterly cold winter night.

I only took a few pics right before my guests started to arrive.  And a couple of dessert.  I spaced on taking pics of what my friends brought (Brussels sprouts with pine nuts and zucchini rolls with artichoke).

Nut and Seed Bread with Olivada.  I had a very interesting few minutes when I sliced into this beautiful loaf about twenty minutes before dinner.

I was thrilled with how the bread looked when it came out of the oven this morning.  I moved right along to preparing other dishes.  In fact, I forgot to remove it from the tin.

When I finally sliced into it, I was shocked at the bright green color inside.  I thought it was mold while knowing there was no way it could be mold.  Thank goodness for the internet.  I googled and discovered that sunflower seeds can react to baking soda and turn green!

Sure enough, it tasted fine and slathered with black olive spread, I could ignore the smudges of pesto green.  Alchemy.

I fried capers for the first time today.  Capers are one of my new food loves...frying really changes them.  Again, alchemy.  They were transformed into something else...crispy, salty, less briny.

 

I think these were my favorite tonight (very hard to choose we had such good food): Deviled Eggs with Basil Aioli and Capers.  Layers of flavor, layers of texture.  Colorful, pretty, yum.

For dessert, I made the Raspberry Brownie Bites.  They were a hit.  These are so delightful to the eyes and tasty, tasty, tasty.  As you can see, there was wine and tea, as well.

I am really tired.  I wanted to get these pics up, but, man, I am terribly inarticulate tonight.  Apologies...I will return with clearer mind.

Peace.

Joy

This essay brought tears to my eyes.  My first Zadie Smith.  I have been interested in reading her for years, now more so.

Garlic roasted sweet potatoes

I was wiped yesterday and subsisted on leftovers.  I fed the kids leftovers for dinner, protein and veg.  It was so dang cold in the kitchen this afternoon, I was happy to turn the oven on for some belated sweet potato roasting.

I tend to gush over Nom Nom Paleo and Well Fed/Melicious, but clearly, I like the recipes at Everyday Paleo.  The Sausage Frittata recipe is, I think, a stroke of brilliance.  Sarah's recipes are very home-y and comforting (Tuna Stuffed Eggs, yes).  I have been enjoying the heck out of her Yummy Greek Meatballs this week (the combo of Kalamata olives and dried apricot another bit of genius).

Sarah's recipe for Garlic Roasted Sweet Potato is simple and sweet.  While the experience of eating them did not live up to the divine aroma that filled the apartment beforehand, they were satisfying.  And did I mention sweet?  I don't know if my taste buds have done some more sugar-free shifting, or what, but these sweet spuds lived up to their name.

Peace.

Lesson learned

Of course, sometimes, things go way wrong in the kitchen.  As much as I appreciate the science behind cooking and baking, I am not naturally drawn to it and, therefore, know little about it.  This is why I generally stick close to recipes, especially when I am making something for the first time.

But, I am a free spirit and optimist at heart and every now and again I am tickled by an idea and leap.  Without pause, without looking, without minding anything.

Which is how I made an Apple Date Cake that looked like this:

Where to start...I will make this again.  My mother used to bake an apple cake.  I loved it.  Kelly made an apple cake for Kate's birthday last Fall that brought it all back for me...and now I am semi-haunted.  Though this cake did not hold together, the apple cake-ness of it has grabbed my heart.

While making this cake, I was happy to pull out a Japanese grater that I don't often use, but love.  It's handy for grating things like daikon (that's what I remember my mom using it for, most).  I thought it would be good for the grated apple called for in this recipe since a bit of mush/wetness wouldn't hurt to moisten a cake.

Okay.  The recipe.  Here it is.  (This blogger's photos and aesthetic are pretty drool-worthy in my opinion.  I would not blame you for getting lost and maybe never finding your way back here.)

This is not a Paleo recipe and calls for 1 cup of garbanzo flour, in addition to 1 cup of almond meal and some potato starch (the almond meal is Paleo, the potato starch may or may not be Paleo, there's some division on white potatoes, but I have been consuming white potato in very small amounts).  My first thought was to replace the garbanzo flour (which is definitely not Paleo, I am avoiding legumes) with another cup of almond meal.

But, then, I thought a "balance" with another Paleo flour would work better and decided to sub in 1 cup of coconut flour.  And, that was my mistake.  Apparently, coconut flour sucks up a ton of liquid when used in baking.

I could kind of tell, as I was scooping the dough into the pan, that this cake was going to be dry.  It was very sandy in texture.  The thought to add an egg or two tickled the outer edges of my mind, but I decided to see what would happen...trust in the process thus far.

It looked nice (albeit dry) coming out of the oven...

After it cooled, I cut the first slice out (sorry for the very golden photo)...

Though the flavors were there, and the bits baked around the dates, in particular, held together and were moist, it was a dry, crumbly mess (and so unlike the cake photographed in Scandi Home's post).

I will try this recipe again.  Next time I will use 2 cups of almond meal.  And if that doesn't work well, I may try using some coconut flour and add eggs.  Stay tuned.

Peace and love in learning.

Do do do

Not surprisingly, Sag is much more relaxed doing geometry exercises than straight computation equations.  Doing naturally engages him where figuring comes a bit harder.  (Math work has become very challenging and time-consuming for him lately.)

After wavering a bit, I've decided to go ahead with my birthday gathering tomorrow evening.  Lots of folks are sick...it will be a cold night...but timing is kind of everything when it comes to birthdays and scheduling with friends who have kids/families.

I wasn't feeling great myself, yesterday, but my immune system has powered through, it seems.  Feeling much better today.  Once the kids get through their schooling stuff and I finish up my party favor playlist (which I'd be happy to send to anyone, just let me know), I will move along to doing some cleaning and food prep.

What I am making for the shindig: deviled eggs with basil aioli and capers, nut and seed bread, olivada, raspberry brownie bites and sesame kelp noodles (with the Winter Faire sauce).

I've meal planned and made a grocery list for next week (Sat - Fri meal planning seems to be what works for us right now).  I have no formula yet, but have intuitively aimed to buy and spend less.  (And the list is looking good...shorter and less meat to buy!)

Practical practices beginning to form (sorry to those of you for whom this stuff is head-scratchingly obvious):

• choose recipes/dishes based on what we already have in the pantry/fridge.  

• choose recipes which have ingredients in common so, for example, a can of coconut milk can be split amongst two dishes that need half a can each.

• pay attention to the freezer and stay on top of what can and should be used (both ingredients and leftovers), as well as, tossed...before shopping for more.

• rotate meat recipes on a wider scale (the yields tend to be bigger which means less variety during the week); repeat yummy, new veg recipes more frequently to gain practice/efficiency in making them.

I am encouraged by how things have unfolded in this aspect of my life.  I am hoping to turn my attention to developing a meaningful and sustained Qigong practice next month...without losing steam in the Paleo eating/planning/shopping arena.  Fingers crossed.

Peace.

Cold

It's gotten a bit arctic 'round these parts.  Yesterday Gem and I walked around the corner to Kate's for a 12+ Minecraft gathering and we wondered how long it took for frostbite to set in on an exposed face.  (He had a nice time and I enjoyed some tea and chat with homeschooling peeps.)

Flu and colds are bouncing around.  So far, our immune systems are kicking butt.  Magic Ginger tea, wholesome food, enjoying fun and peace...the balance tipped a bit towards rest.

I have just one bit of cooking planned for today...these Garlic Roasted Sweet Potatoes.  I feel a bit cold-y so I have shelved my plans to run errands (library, bookstore for gifts, tea with a friend who, as it turned out, is feeling unwell herself).  I am going to meal plan and make a shopping list for tomorrow.  I will also finalize my birthday party food ideas.

Then, I am going to turn my attention to this pile of books which keeps growing.  I started Speak a couple of days ago so will finish that, first.  Maybe I will spend Sunday with Flight Behavior.

In the meantime, I am also devising a birthday favor playlist...

Peace.

And it starts

I got my first birthday present in the mail today!  Woo hoo!  I am not ashamed to admit it: I am a grown woman who loves her birthday and loves receiving presents.  Just call me Sally.  When it comes to my birthday I am all, "gimme gimme gimme, get, get, get".

I am pretty sure who sent this to me, but there was no note...a mystery...  (I really wanted to read this, yay!)

I am thrilled to have been made aware of kelp noodles during this Paleo eating year.  It's pretty nifty on its own merits (a whole food preserved with a salt derived from seaweed, shelf stable for six months, a fun crunchy texture, a raw food which requires no cooking, flavorless...absolutely no fishy/briny-ness), but for someone looking for an alternative to "regular"/rice/corn/quinoa pasta?  This stuff is a game changer.

One of the tastiest plates of cold sesame noodles I've ever had was at a Winter Faire at one of the Waldorf Schools the kids went to for preschool or Kindergarten in Sacramento.  The recipe was reprinted in the school newsletter and I have held onto my clipping for years despite the fact that we no longer cooked/prepared gluten noodles (or anything) at home.

I made cold sesame noodles with rice noodles once and it was a disaster.  I may have made them with rice pasta once.  I held onto the recipe even as it became more clear that it was unlikely I'd ever make this dish again.  That's how good this recipe was.

Enter kelp noodles.  The first time, Cap prepared them because my back was hurting.  He followed the recipe I had found on Elana's Pantry.  It was good.  I will be forever grateful for the introduction to kelp noodles.  Also, for nudging me into my first foray with ume plum vinegar.  This week, I made the noodles with the Winter Faire recipe.  Oh my.  So, so good.  I'm sorry I don't have time to type out the recipe right now.  I will someday.

(The photo above is how they looked right out of the fridge as leftovers.  I could have waited for them to get creamier as they warmed to room temp, but I was hungry.  Still tasty.)

I flipped through my recipe book this morning to start thinking about what I want to make for my birthday party.  A small cozy of friends will come over for a potluck.  I came across this recipe for grain-free, sugar-free, vegan cookies and realized I could use up another of the ripe bananas.  These are comforting, lovely cookies.  A great recipe.

Peace and love.

Brussels sprouts and banana bread

Mise-en-place makes me happy.  A morning Americano makes me happy, too.

I ditched my plans to go to Trader Joe's this morning.  I want to conserve money and realized that we don't need anything from there for the week.

Instead, I gave my attention to making Brussels sprouts with bacon and kimchi (I did not follow the recipe exactly).  And was rewarded mightily.  It was satisfying to the senses and soul every step of the way.  Yum.

I also decided to bake the kids a loaf of banana bread.  This is a favorite of theirs that, more often than not, strikes me as having just a few too many steps to make it "go to".  But, we had ripe bananas and I am focusing on using what we have/spending less/wasting less...it was a happy convergence.

The apartment smells lovely, that sweet and warm banana bread aroma hanging in the air.  Off to make some lunches, then an appointment with Vinny.  Then, back to the kitchen for some dinner prep and, perhaps, a Paleo loaf of fruit bread.

Peace.

Mellow monday

A quiet and mellow, lovely day.  Cap is up at the university doing an all day workshop for educators who are taking a professional day on the MLK holiday.  The kids, dog and I have been enjoying a peaceful and productive morning at home.

I made this frittata again.  It is so easy and tasty.  The Italian sausage our farmer's market meat guy makes is so incredibly flavorful and well seasoned that the frittata, with its ten eggs and single sweet potato requires no further seasoning!

If Gem spies spare lemon while I am cooking, he has taken to making strawberry lemonade.  I can appreciate making one thing you love over and over again and perfecting the craft.  The extent of my cooking well into adulthood was my excellent scrambled eggs.  The adorable meter went off the charts yesterday when he made his drink a little paper umbrella, to boot.

My dinner plate last night.  Sausage-sweet potato frittata, zucchini noodles aglio et olio, roasted broccoli and a dollop of baba ganoush.  So, so good.  

(I have been keeping close track of our spending this month and our grocery bill is really high.  Way over the budget I set for groceries a year or two ago.  Now that I have a good flow going for meal planning, shopping and cooking, it is time to make adjustments and generate new protocols to shrink that line item by, gulp, 40% or so.  Alternately, I can look at other categories of spending to see if there is trimming to be done.  Lastly, the kids are bigger and that is an adjustment I hadn't calculated for, but need to...food and clothing budget going up!)

He's going home tonight.  It is always really nice to have him around.

Peace and love.

P.S.  A mellow poppy song to go with the day...

It never ends (the bad and the good)

This brought to you from the departments of the-excitement-never-ends and it's-always-something.  Last night this blister of water appeared on the ceiling of the kids' bedroom.  It was about twelve inches wide.

Cap punctured and drained it and then covered the wet section of ceiling.  It looked pretty good first thing this morning...

but, by noon, the plastic was pooching from the weight of leaking water.  Cap spent time rearranging that area of the room to temporarily accommodate the situation and we will likely take the opportunity next weekend to rearrange the room further to make way for some changes we have in mind (namely a desk).  That is, if all repairs have been completed by next weekend.

Let's talk about food.  I made Tuna Stuffed Eggs today.  This is a great little recipe.  It's simple and quick (once the eggs are boiled, cooled and peeled) and I liked how the protein factor is boosted with the addition of tuna to what is essentially deviled eggs.  I was stoked to use my homemade mayo (could not taste the olive oil) and opted to add chopped new pickle from the farmer's market.  I think these could use a touch of salt, but of course, to each her own.

It made me very happy to pull out my made in the USA Fiestaware egg plate.  I love eggs so much, I love having a plate just for eggs.

I also made these Raspberry Brownie Bites.  What.  A.  Treat.  I've been having a hankering for "sweets" lately and noticed when I was organizing my recipes no shortage of yummy possibilities.  These are raw and pretty simple to put together.  I love how pretty they are.  The best part, though, is popping one in your mouth.  The triple threat of juicy berry, sweet (coconut) cream and choco goo is a very successful melange of textures and flavor.  The brownie-flavored "crust" is rustic and next time I will make the discs smaller and thinner.  This Paleo girl is very grateful for this recipe.  (I subbed coconut nectar for the agave and next time may skip the sweetener entirely.  The dates pack a sweet punch in the brownie bit.

Off to make one more dish, the sausage frittata, before the Patriots game tonight.

Peace.

From the kitchen

Between meal planning, making the week's shopping list (note to self: consider making a master list/template on the laptop), taking stock of what's in the fridge and pantry and then making some stuff, it feels like my whole day was about food.  Not good, not bad, just...what it was.

Ratatouille had been on the agenda last weekend, but I was in no shape to tackle all that chopping and standing at the stove.  So today I deconstructed that plan and made zucchini noodles aglio et olio and baba ganoush.

Both recipes (as well as the one for mayo) came from Melissa ("Melicious") Joulwan's lovely cookbook, Well Fed.

Zucchini noodles.  I'm not gonna lie.  I first heard about making zucchini "pasta" years ago and summarily dismissed it.  Partly because the concept of "Paleo" was still way down the pike, partly because I wasn't a huge fan of zucchini.  (Except for Evie's chocolate zucchini bread...I was definitely a fan of that.)

Zucchini noodles.  I'm not gonna lie.  You're going to need this (or something a lot like it) in order to make them even remotely noodle-y.  It took me months and months to finally decide to buy one.  It's a pretty amazing gadget.  I recommend.

Well Fed's Zucchini Noodles Aglio Et Olio?  I'm not gonna lie.  Really, really good.  The dish is packed with flavor and it is spot on.  The melded savory heat of the garlic and red pepper flakes as the olive oil-ed noodles slide into your mouth.  Yum.  (Interestingly, you really don't taste the zucchini.)

I heart baba ganoush big time.  It is one of my favorite things to eat, but I don't often make it because the recipes I have encountered were too cumbersome/complicated.  Until now (squeee!)  Right place, right time...the technique used to cook the eggplant in this recipe was super simple and easy because, in part, I am no longer afraid to use the broiler and, in part, because we have this cast iron grill pan.  (Great for apartment dwellers who cannot easily grill outdoors.)

I am very happy.  This is, again, an incredibly flavorful rendition of a dish (I am finding that Well Fed recipes are serious about layers and depth of flavor).  No more desperate purchases of one dimensional pre-packaged baba from the supermarket or paying nearly $10 for a single portion of good stuff from the local Turkish restaurant.

Paleo mayo.  Five ingredients, time/patience, and a blender is all you need.  (Turned out I also needed a helping hand.  The act of holding the spouted Pyrex above shoulder-level for more than a few seconds seriously annoyed my back.  If Cap hadn't been able to help, I would have climbed atop a step ladder.)

If you have never made mayo, it's a trip.  The ingredients are liquid, liquid, liquid whirling in the blender...and somewhere between two and three minutes alchemy kicks in...suddenly the liquid emulsifies and you have a thick, creamy solid (the texture is wonderful...pillowy...or if redolent was a sensation...unlike any mayo from a store-bought jar).  You have homemade mayonnaise.

This mayo is called Olive Oil Mayo and since Melicious has the recipe with a video tutorial on her website I will happily link to it.  Even with the non-extra virgin olive oil, I found it to taste like "olive" (not overpowering, but not exactly subtle, either).  I think Nom Nom Paleo makes mayo with avocado and macadamia nut oils.  I will try that in the future though I am guessing that olive oil is the most economical choice.

I am planning one dish this week, Tuna Stuffed Eggs, that calls for mayo.  Cue Mr. Burns...excellent!  Looking forward to making other yummies with mayo in the coming weeks.

Peace and adventures in cooking...