Thanks and Stuff(ing)

Five years ago today, my best friend and work husband, Ken, died in a motorcycle accident. I still miss him terribly. We became inseparable after only knowing each other for about 24 hours. It was an awesome friendship that ended after only 6 months. He is buried very close to my house, so I often do my run through the cemetery and leave a stone on his grave. And yell at him for leaving me so soon. I did that this morning.
I am grateful that I had Ken Fisher in my life for even that short time.

Last night, I met my high school friends for dinner. They all come home for the holiday, and we try to have one night to see each other. It was wonderful. We spent some time lamenting hot flashes and other maladies, but mostly just laughed and talked. Our lives have taken us all in many different directions, but I feel like we have all gotten better as we have aged. I treasure that one evening, those few hours.
I am grateful to have Lynn Grossman, Gayle Rosen, Judy Saltzburg and Rachel Selekman in my life, and hope to have them there for a very long time.

For Thanksgiving, my kids and I went to Dad and Linda's apartment up here in Penn Valley. Linda got a free range turkey from a farm in Maryland, and Dad made his famous oyster stuffing. Linda also made cranberry relish and her delicious apple pie. I was in charge of the rest.
I love Thanksgiving food. I could made an endless array of side dishes, but I had to keep it in check, because there were only five of us. Will wanted the mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows toasted on top, so I did a small pan of them. I mean really, who doesn't love that stuff? Nicole wanted the roasted root vegetables. Turnips, parsnips and rutabagas, tossed in olive oil and a whole bunch of stuff I found in my cabinet: salt, pepper, garlic cloves, chipotle chili flakes, mixed dried herbs...I diced them small and cooked them a long time so they got all sweet and caramelized.
As much as I like oyster stuffing, I still love my good old sausage stuffing, so I made some of that. And this year, I did something new for a green vegetable. I shredded Brussels sprouts and then blanched and refreshed them, so they were nice and green and still a bit crunchy. I added dried cranberries, orange zest and made a little dressing of orange juice, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and salt. At the very end, I hit it with a bit of aged balsamic vinegar to give a little sweet zing, but not too much to turn it brown. Even the kids ate it!
The turkey was the best I've had since the all locally sourced meal we made at my brothers a few years ago. It was flavorful and juicy and didn't taste like cardboard.
So now let me say that I am grateful for my family, the cute dogs, and the turkey.

Lisa went to her family's gathering. We have agreed that we would never put demands on each other to try to compromise any traditions, and they have always had a big meal. Her brother Gerry does most of the cooking, and her niece Amy makes some really good desserts. I just ate the last forkful of the banana cream pie stuff.
I am grateful for Lisa Patti and her whole family, and that banana stuff..

I try to be grateful every day. For the sunrise and the stars at night. For the birds on my feeder. For my job, the people around me, the good things in the world. I wake up grateful every day that the universe brought Lisa to me. But I am always a LITTLE more grateful when the thanks is surrounded by good food. I wish you all days of gratitude and food.

Challah New Year

Last week we celebrated Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. As I get older, I have, for many reasons, become more of a spiritualist. Simply put, I don't go to synagogue anymore. I find my religion in a more personal, less organized fashion. We can talk about that some other time, ok? We'll all get together, have a few drinks, and talk about our beliefs. Today, however, we are talking about bread.
I have always celebrated holidays with my children through food. For as long as I can remember, I have made challah with my kids. Anything involving dough is fun to do with kids, but challah is so much fun, because you can play with the dough-stretching it, making long cords, and then braiding them. On Rosh Hashanah, it is traditional to make the challah round, signifying the circular nature of life, so we make a long braid, then snail it up into a round loaf.
Years ago, long before the age of the internet search, I found a recipe for the bread in a Jewish cookbook. I always found the challah heavy and tough, but never thought about looking for a new recipe. This year, I decided to utilize that magical search engine called Google, figuring I could find something and then play with it. I mashed a few recipes together, and this is what I came up with:

makes one medium sized loaf

3/4 tsp. yeast
2/3 cup+ 1 TB warm water
pinch of sugar
1/3 cup unbleached AP flour
2TB vegetable oil
2TB honey
1 large egg, at room temp
pinch of salt
2+ cups unbleached AP flour

In the bowl of a mixer, combine yeast, warm water and the pinch of sugar. Allow the yeast to start to bubble a bit, then add the 1/3 cup of flour and mix a bit with a dough hook. Let rise for about 5-10 minutes. With the mixer running on slow speed, add the oil, the honey and the egg and let combine. Add the salt and the flour until a ball forms, that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Let the mixer knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Turn the dough out onto the table, add a bit of flour if needed and knead a bit by hand into a nice ball. Place the dough ball into a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until it doubles in bulk. This is the hard part; having patience.
When the dough has doubled, take out of the bowl and punch down. Divide into three ball and roll each into a long cord, then braid them together. Don't worry if the dough breaks, just smush it back together. Once you have the braid, stretch that out as long as possible, then spiral it into a circle, starting from the outside and working to the center. Place the bread on a sprayed metal sheet, or a stone, and sit back and allow to rise again.
Once the bread has risen (again about 20 minutes), brush with some beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sea salt if you like. Bake in a 350 oven until brown on top and it makes a hollow sound when you tap it on the bottom. Of course, I didn't set the timer...I guess we're talking like 10-15 minutes here.
Here are some pictures of the girls and their beautiful creation. It's great now that I have kids old enough to do all the work..

It was absolutely delicious. And it's a really easy and fun thing to do with your kids.
I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. I cast some of this special bread on the water, and asked for another year. I think I'm off to a good start. Shana Tova, my friends.

Glutenous Maximus

Quickly, tell me everything you know about gluten....
Yeah, that's what I thought. Everyone is talking about it, but very few people really know what it is. Lucky you, you're about to find out.

The name GLUTEN comes from the Latin word meaning glue, and in a way, that's what it does, help hold things together. Gluten is actually a composite of two proteins, that is found in most grains, like wheat, barley and rye. Less commonly used grains, like spelt and faro also contain gluten. Found in flour derived from these grains, especially wheat, it is what gives elasticity to dough, making it chewy. When bread dough is kneaded, the gluten proteins form a chain throughout the dough. The longer you knead, the more elastic and chewy the dough. Ever made or bought a ball of pizza dough, and tried to roll it out into a pizza, only to have it keep springing back? That's the gluten. Bread flours are made from hard wheat, which is higher in gluten. Soft wheat is used for making pastry. Cake flour is lower in gluten, and when fats are mixed with the flour (like for pie crust or puff pastry) it inhibits the production of the gluten chains.

Gluten is also used all over the world as a source of protein. When extracted from the wheat, it can be formed and cooked to produce things like Seitan, which is used by vegetarians as a mock meat in dishes. It is in beer and soy sauce. Gluten is also used as a stabilizer in many foods from ketchup to ice cream. Ice cream? Seriously?

All right, let's get down to the sticky subject of gluten intolerance versus a true gluten allergy, and celiac disease. Gluten. Sticky subject. Oh man, I just made a pun and it took me like a full minute to realize it...I must be sleepy.
Food sensitivities are divided into two categories: intolerance and allergy. A food allergy is an abnormal reaction to food, triggered by the immune system. They are categorized as the "common allergies"-eggs, soy, milk, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish. Most children will outgrow many of these allergies as adults, but some stay for life. The most severe allergies are the nuts and shellfish.
As for wheat and gluten, there are arguments in the scientific community that it isn't the gluten that causes the reaction, it is another protein. Others say it isn't gluten, it is simply wheat to which people are allergic. It's confusing, and to add to the confusion, it's possible that there is a form of non-celiac gluten intolerance that is a true allergy and not actual celiac disease. Celiac disease is an immune reaction, mediated by our T-cells, that also has an autoimmune element..
Now, intolerance. This is usually what people have when they tell you they are "allergic" to something. I am not allergic to dairy, I am lactose intolerant, so for the good of humanity (especially those within a few foot radius) I stay away from things like ice cream and cream sauces. Intolerance to foods causes gastrointestinal problems: bloating, gas, nausea, diarrhea, nausea. Allergies are life threatening. Put it this way, if you don't carry an EpiPen, you are not allergic to it.
I hope this was in some way educational. If nothing else, at least now maybe some of you will understand the difference between intolerance and allergy, and celiac. I am actually going to attempt to cut out gluten for awhile, and see if it makes a difference for me. Lately, I have been having many of the symptoms that are listed for gluten intolerance: hives, rashes, headaches, joint pains and lethargy. I have been blaming it on menopause. Maybe it's just gluten.
I'll keep you posted, friends.

A Happy Day in Summit, NJ

I had a really nice time today, and I want to tell you about it.
About a month ago, one of my Georgetown buddies, Lisa Dworkin, called me and asked if I would help her with a bridal shower she was throwing for her niece. She wanted to make it more interesting and hands-on than just a bunch of women and young ladies oohing and aahing over gifts and eating lunch. She had a friend who did the flowers for the event (they were so pretty) giving a little demo on flower arrangement, and asked if I would do some cooking with the girls. Nothing too involved, no chopping and sautéing, just something they could make and eat at the party, and maybe make again the next time they were entertaining.
I said yes, of course. Not only did I think it would be fun, but I'd get to see Lisa, her beautiful home, and some people I haven't seen in a long time. The last time I saw the bride-to-be, Kristina, she was two years old, a flower girl at Lisa and Jamie's wedding. She didn't remember me (of course), but her mother, Roberta did. It was such a nice reunion.
Ok, let's get to the food. My challenge, as I mentioned, was to make it simple, delicious, and something they could recreate at home. The first step in simplicity was to find one store that would stock all of the ingredients necessary, so there would be no running around. Guess where I went? Well, if you've read my blog before, you know. Yep, Trader Joe's. I stopped by my local one on the way home from work one day, and just wandered around, getting ideas, and drinking little cups of free coffee. I have to say, they make it pretty easy to come up with hors' d'oeuvres ideas, there is so much neat stuff from which to choose. I made up a shopping list and sent it up to Lisa, who had her brother go to their local TJ's and get it all. Oh, and while he was there, I had him pick me up some Charles Shaw wine (AKA Three Buck Chuck) since it's the only TJ's anywhere near me that sells it. Yay, 6 bottles of wine for less than $20! Look, I'm off topic already..

Here's what we made:
 Honeyed Goat Cheese on Fig and Olive Crisps, topped with Sweet and Spicy Pecans
Doesn't get much easier than this. The cheese is a creamy goat, so it spreads easily on the crackers. They are very thin and fragile, so you have to use a bit of care. Topped with the pecan, you get a great combination of sweet, salty and spicy in your mouth. They were a big hit.

Sorry, the pictures aren't that great. I couldn't figure out why, until the end of the day, when one of the girls suggested that maybe the lens on my phone was dirty. Duh...

The next one was Hot and Sweet Peppers (sometimes called Peppadews) stuffed with Marinated Fresh Mozzarella Balls
Really easy, too. Just drain the mozzarella, and toss with some good olive oil, a little fresh basil and some salt and pepper. I got the ciliegine size, the little ones. Drain the peppers, and stuff the little balls in. You can also use blue cheese, Gorgonzola, or just about any soft cheese.

Last but definitely not least, we did Korean Style Chicken Sausage with Sweet Chili Sauce
I'm pretty sure this was the most popular one! The sausage is made with ginger, black sesame seeds, a little soy and pepper, and is precooked. All we had to do was slice it into pieces, toss it in some of the sweet chili sauce, put it on an oven tray lined with foil, and broil until it got a little brown and bubbly.
Again, a great combination of sweet and spicy.

I think everyone enjoyed themselves in the kitchen, and I hope they all read the blog and make the food again! Lisa was a wonderful hostess. Everything was perfect, and it was a beautiful, albeit hot and steamy day. I'm posting some pictures of her lovely home, hopefully she won't mind.

Kristina, I know you will be a beautiful bride. Don't worry! And Roberta, remember, just breathe. Think of things that make you smile. I'll be there at the wedding in spirit, making you laugh..
Ladies, I hope I have some new blog followers now. Tell your friends! Tell your family!
Thanks for reading again, y'all.

(The bride is the one on my right. Look at how beautiful all these girls are. :-)

 



A New Beginning

Hi. I've been really stuck in a rut blogwise, pretty much because I haven't been cooking all that much. Lisa and I have salads for dinner almost every night of the week. I know that's primarily because it's summer, but I haven't made anything picture worthy, or that isn't something about which I have already enlightened you.
So...I've been thinking about things I want to do with my life, how to combine my passions. I've been reading and watching a lot of historical fiction-type things recently, and it's gotten me interested in knowing more about what people ate, and how it got from field to table during these time periods. In other words, Culinary History. Now, since most colleges and universities don't have a culinary history department (not even culinary schools) I'm pretty much limited to blog posts. Consider that a win for you! I hope you find it as interesting as I do. And if you don't, please let me know.
Here we go.
My recent guilty pleasure is Outlander. I am both reading the books and watching the program on Starz. Once you get past the thick, almost unintelligible Scottish accents, it's a good show. Nothing heavy, just entertainment, with a smattering of history thrown in for good measure. And Jamie, the male lead, is seriously easy on the eyes. There are lots of scenes shot in the kitchen showing the food prep, and dinner being served. Very quick synopsis: a British nurse and her husband are having a second honeymoon in Scotland right after the end of WWII. They happen upon a circle of stones, and witness a Druid ceremony. Claire, the female lead, returns to the stones the following morning, and is somehow sucked through one of the stones and transported back to 1743. She is an Englishwoman trapped in a Scotland that is on the verge of the Jacobite rising of 1745, trying to return a Stuart king to the throne of Great Britain. Suffice it to say, they don't trust her very much. Ok, enough of the show. Start watching it. It's good.
Let's get to the food. Scotland itself is has a wide variety of meat, fish and fowl. Because of the damp climate, wheat doesn't grow well, so the basic grain staples are oats and barley, which were the base for bread and porridges. In the 18th century, lands were controlled by the feudal lords, or Lairds, so you were pretty well limited to hunting, foraging and farming only on those lands. Those who lived at the manor house were obviously eating better than the peasants. (Ain't that always the way) In addition to the farmed meats (beef, poultry), there were wild boar, stag, grouse to hunt. If you lived along the coast, there was fish and shellfish, and the rivers were full of salmon. Spices were exclusively used by the wealthy.
The kitchens of these great manors were staffed by a cadre of cooks, exclusively female. The fires were burning in the hearth 24 hours a day. Food was cooked on a spit over the flames, or on a "girdle" or griddle. Breads were baked in wood burning ovens. Meals consisted of many courses, and utilized all the available produce, dairy and meats of the area. Meanwhile, the poor folk were boiling oats and root vegetables with milk or weak broth...
Ok, let's talk about the elephant in the room. HAGGIS. Yummers. Don't know what haggis is? Oh...can't wait to tell you! It's oats, sheep's liver, heart and lungs, suet, spices and broth, combined and stuffed into a sheep's stomach, then roasted or boiled. For those of you who are Philly born people, it makes scrapple look like foie gras. Would I try it? Probably. Here's a picture:

On second thought, I would probably have to be well lubed with some single malt whisky to eat that mess...

Scottish cuisine has become much more elegant since the 1700's, but the Scots retain a fierce pride in their tradition. The Scottish breakfast is still a tribute to cholesterol, full of eggs and a variety of meats and sausages. Haggis is still made whenever there is any sort of tribute to Burns. Oats still abound in recipes.

Scotland is pretty far up on my bucket list of places to visit. The food, the drink, the countryside. I have very dim memories of a family trip when I was about 14. All I can really recall is that it was incredibly windy and chilly. Of course, I couldn't warm myself up with whisky then...

So, was this interesting? Educational? Let me know. I think we're going to wander off to 15th century England next, since I have read all of Philippa Gregory's books, and just finished watching "The White Queen". See you soon.



An Oily Enemy

Well kids, tonight you get some learnin' and no cookin'. Sorry, but this has been eating at me for awhile now (pardon the pun), and I think I should share. Everyone may not agree with me, as I am only using information I have gathered from hours of scouring the internet, and my own personal feeling about anything that has been treated chemically. So, if you trust me implicitly, or just have nothing better to do....read on, my friends.
This evenings diatribe is about Canola Oil. That's right, that stuff that is marketed to be a healthy cooking oil, because it is low in saturated fat, and high in wonderful stuff like Omega-3 fatty acids. It's everywhere, it's affordable, it's Canadian. What could be bad?
OH my. Here we go. First of all, let's look at the name. Corn oil comes from corn. Olive oil comes from olives. Soybean oil comes from soybeans. Canola oil comes from...no no no there is no such thing as a canola. Canola is an acronym. It stands for "CANadian Oil, Low Acid". Yummy.
Ever heard of a Rape? No, silly, not that. Canola oil is derived from rapeseed oil. The rape plant is a member of the mustard family. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am a HUGE fan of mustard. Mustard seed, mustard greens, any kind of mustard. Cabbage, horseradish, and turnips are also in the rape family.
Rapeseed oil was originally used as an industrial lubricant. It wasn't edible. It was cheap, but it had two things going against it, as far as being a food: it had high amounts of Erucic acid, a fatty acid that can cause heart damage, and it had Glucosinolates, bitter compounds that made it taste bad. Oh wait, I forgot to tell you, it's also an excellent insect repellent. Oh wait, did I forget to tell you, it's also used to make mustard gas. Please don't make me get into that.
Ok, let's focus on the key word in the last paragraph. CHEAP. It's cheap to manufacture. So the Canadians said, "hey, let's find a way to make this shit edible, and market it to those dopes in the lower 48." They used selective breeding techniques, AKA Genetic Modification, to reduce the bitter, inedible crap. Guess who the leader in this GMO paradise was? Yep. Monsanto.
Have you thrown your bottle of oil away yet? I've got more. Let me tell you a bit about how it is made. The best oils are cold processed. It is a simple process to extract the oils from the fruit/vegetable without compromising the quality of the oil, or the taste. Think of  olive oil. If it were exposed to high heat during the extraction, the polyunsaturated fats would oxidize, and become rancid. With canola oil, a toxic solvent called Hexane is used to extract the oil from the rapeseed. Trace amounts of this can still be found in the oil. Additionally, because the oil gets stinky during this process, it also has to be deodorized. Yummy. And just to make it worse, all this high heat processing can cause the formation of trans fats. Artificial trans fats are bad. Really bad. Boo hiss.
Now, there actually is organic canola oil. If you can find it. Good luck with that. Let me know where you get it.
Let's talk nutrional analysis. Because it is so highly refined, canola oil is low in essential nutrients. yes, it is low in saturated fat, and relatively high in polyunsaturated fats.It has Omega-6 and Omega-3. It has a good level of monounsaturated fats, which are good guys. They are also found in olive oil. Let's talk about those polyunsaturated fats for a minute, though. Yes, they are the good guys, but we don't need a lot of them on a daily basis. Having a lot of canola oil in your diet would give you much more than you need, and could possibly become harmful over time. And those wonderful Omega-3s? Well, they are ALA (alpha lineolic acid). This is the plant form of Omega-3, and is useless unless it can be converted into EPA or DHA, which are the animal form. (think salmon). The human body is not very efficient in converting ALA to EPA, so much of that touted health benefit actually is wasted. My advice? Eat good fatty fish a couple of times a week, or use a fish oil supplement.

I have stopped using any oil in my restaurant that has canola oil. It just makes sense to me. I pay a little more for my fryer oil and cooking oil, but that's how I roll. And I  never buy the stuff at home.

Did you make it this far? Thank you! I like to teach you how to make good tasting, beautiful, healthy food, but I also want to keep you informed and educated.
I will post some food very soon. I've pretty much just been wallowing in tomatoes. What a great year it has been so far. I eat them three meals a day.

Ok, I'll leave you with a pretty food picture. Be well, my friends. Enjoy summer. Talk at you again soon.

Been a Long Time..

I wish I could say that I have a good excuse for not blogging for the past (holy cow has it almost been a) year, but the best I can do is say that I am sorry. It's not that I haven't been cooking, because obviously I have. So I will do my best to catch up for at least the past 6 months..
Let's start with New Year's Eve. Oysters on the half shell, then Lobster Risotto with Saffron and Asparagus. For dessert, I made these cool little Peanut Butter Mousse Cups with Chocolate Ganache. They were cool, because they were made with tofu, not cream! If I could remember where I put the recipe, I'd post it now. But since I'm flying by the seat of my pants here, I'll do it later, ok?

 

The next food event worth talking about was Valentine's Day. I'm not much of a celebrator of  Hallmark type holidays, but it is fun to cook some nice stuff for your sweetie, if you have one. Now, my sweetie doesn't eat meat, so that kind of limits me. My usual Valentine standbys are beef and lamb, sometimes even duck breast. But, I do have another favorite for that meal-sea scallops. And February is blood orange season, so that's a pair made in heaven. When I make scallops, I usually do a really nice smooth potato puree. This time, however, I decided to use cauliflower. Mashed cauliflower is a beautiful thing, and so painfully easy. Just steam or boil it, and you can mash it with a fork. I add just a bit of butter, salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg and lemon juice. The sauce for the scallops was just the juice from the blood oranges, some vermouth (I never have white wine in the house so use vermouth whenever I need that little zing) chopped shallots and finished it with butter. We pretty much always eat healthy, so sometimes I just have to break out the butter. My brother sent me this bottle of some magic balsamic vinegar from Italy that is aged just long enough to make it like syrup, and that's what is drizzled on the plate. The sweetness of that vinegar, the tart of the citrus, the creamy richness of the scallops and the cauliflower, and the crunch of the asparagus. Oh man, it was perfect.

Ok, that's all I've got for now. I promise I'll be back again very soon. It's time to start grilling, and summer produce is just around the corner. I'm repainting the deck, and as soon as we get it all put back together, I'll get on that grill.
I hope you haven't completely forgotten about me. I still love y'all.
Local strawberries should be ready for the picking in a week or so. Look for an all strawberry yumminess menu coming.
Thanks for sticking with me, gang. Now go cook something, would ya?


Vegetarians-Avert Your Eyes

I went to a pig roast. I carved the pig. The end.

No really, let me tell you about it, before Lisa sees me posting all these pictures...
Anyone who knows me, knows that I love pigs. Honestly, I think they are cute, smart, fantastic animals, and I would own one or two if I had a farm. (to go with my goats)
I do, however, also respect their use as a food source. As I have mentioned before, I think bacon should be a deity, with me serving as high priestess. BBQ is an art form. I am a student of charcuterie. Sorry, I love me some pork products...

Lisa invited me to go to her brother's 50th birthday bash in Easton, PA, which just happened to also be a pig roast. I said an enthusiastic yes to that. I got to meet her wonderful family. One of her cousins has a boyfriend who is Filipino, and he and his family do traditional Filipino pig roasts. They arrived at Anthony's house around 6:30 last Saturday morning, and laid out a bbq pit in the yard. They had a pig that weighed about 65 pounds. They picked it up from a farm in Bucks County, cleaned and prepared, stuffed it with garlic and herbs, and sewed it up. A rotisserie set up was built for them at the local tech school so they had everything they needed. If I remember correctly, they said they brought about 150 pounds of charcoal briquettes for the day. The fire was built, and the heat moved into a ring around the perimeter of the pig on the spit. The motor started the piggy turning, the first beers were poured, and the long day of roasting began..

Well, we arrived around 3 in the afternoon. The pig was starting to look golden, but still had a few hours to go. I met the family, got myself a red cup of beer, and struck up a conversation with Pat and his brother Chris who were the pitmasters. I learned that traditional Filipino pig is rubbed with soy, and stuffed with lemongrass and taro, but since this group was pretty much 100 percent Italian, they did it with garlic and herbs. This is what it was looking like:

 

 

 

I know, I know, not the easiest thing to look at..

By about 5:30, it was time to remove our friend from the coals and let it sit for a bit before carving..

To go with the pork, the guys had brought a dish that looked like a pork lo mein (that's how they described it) and some lumpia, which are like a little beef and vegetable spring roll.

Somehow, I got roped into carving the pig. Luckily, Lisa had left for a few minutes to go pick up her father. She's not much for the meat eating, and certainly not much for watching her girlfriend dismember a pig...

Anyway, it was juicy, flavorful, wonderful...all those superlatives. It was great. The skin was crispy, the meat was succulent. It's not something you get to eat very often, so it was a nice treat. As much as I enjoyed my dinner, I much more enjoyed getting to meet Lisa's family. It's really nice to be around a large, close family. I feel honored and excited to be accepted into the Patti/Grossman clan.

 

Well, that's all for today. Time to start preparing for Thanksgivukkah. See y'all soon.

 

Who Knew?

According to HuffPost, today, October 3rd, is National Kale Day. Well, technically, it's the first Wednesday in October. I didn't get the memo. Thank goodness someone saw fit to post this valuable tidbit of information on the Facebook for me, or I would have missed it completely!

Actually, pretty much any day can be Kale Day in my world. And this is my favorite season in which to eat kale. Kale is one of those wonderful, healthy, versatile leafy greens that grows almost all year round. If you plant kale, there are two growing seasons, spring and fall. Or, just go to the store or farmer's market and buy it. Purple kale is considered more ornamental, green kale, more edible. You know, I think I've talked about kale before, but since I like it so much, you get to hear it again. Kale, my friends, has: more vitamin C than an orange, a ton of vitamin A, and contains alpha-linoleic acid, an omega-3 that's good for your brain, your heart, and can help reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes.

It's also easy to prepare in a myriad of ways. (love that word) You can use it as a side dish, simply sautéed with garlic, or mix it into brown rice, quinoa, risotto, pasta...One of my favorite ways to eat it is in soup. I make a wicked sausage, white bean and kale soup. You can do this with any kind of sausage, sweet or hot, pork or turkey. You can cut the sausage into pieces, or take it out of the casing. I start with the sausage, and let it sweat out a little of the fat, then add some diced onion and minced garlic. Then, chicken broth and a can of diced tomatoes, and a can or two of rinsed cannellini or navy beans. You can use fresh or dried herbs. I'm a big fan of thyme, but a little dried oregano is nice, too. And a bay leaf. Then add some chopped kale. It doesn't really have to simmer for too long, maybe 30-40 minutes. I also like to add a shot or two of hot sauce. You can reduce it to whatever consistency you like. Then, when serving, grate or shred some fresh parmesan or locatelli cheese on top and have a piece of crusty bread to dip in.

Really, I would have made this to take a picture of on this October evening, but it's 80 degrees here. You'll be seeing lots of soup in the coming months, as soon as it starts to chill out.

Go buy kale. You can even get it all cleaned and chopped in packages. Enjoy, and we'll be back here again soon, gang.

Another Beautiful Dish

Once again, I have rooted through the cabinets and refrigerator, added some fresh produce, and created magic. Well, if not magic, dinner. Trying to keep things on the light side (light on the calories AND the wallet) keeps me on my creative toes. Nicole and I are trying to eat a little healthier, and this just fit the bill.

I keep bags of dried beans in the cabinet, and have been meaning to use some, so the other night, I soaked about a third of a bag of navy beans. If you are using dried beans, the first thing you do is sort through them, because sometimes there are small stones or pieces of dirt. Then, rinse them under cold water and put them in a container, fill with twice the amount of water to beans, and leave them to soak overnight, or for a few hours. Then, drain them, put them in a pot with fresh water, maybe a bay leaf or bouquet garni (look it up, lol) and bring them to a boil. Reduce to a low boil and cook until the beans are soft, but not mushy. Drain and cool.

Next, I had some corn, still from the farm. I cooked it lightly, then stripped the kernels from the cob. There are still good tomatoes around, so I happened to have some grape tomatoes, which I cut in half lengthwise. Some peeled and diced cucumber, some chopped romaine lettuce, and now it's starting to look like a salad. (Yes, I know that totally wasn't a sentence, but I'm tired, so get over it)

I had bought a couple boneless chicken breasts, and I marinated them in Italian dressing. Don't be too proud to use Italian dressing from the bottle, just watch the sodium in the really cheapo brands. I would have grilled the chicken, but it was pouring right at dinnertime, so I seared them in a pan instead. I let them cool a little and then diced them and put everything in a big mixing bowl and added some more Italian dressing, a little fresh ground pepper, and some red pepper flakes, because Nicole is on a hot pepper kick. Nicole, by the way, is my daughter. Did you not know that? Shame on you. Here's Nicole:

 She is my turtle.
No, seriously, she is my beautiful daughter and I love her like crazy, even though she is a terrible sloppy mess.

Oh, ok, I know, you want to see dinner. Here you go:

Nice, huh?
Ok, time to give the dog a bath. My life is one nonstop party.
Bye now..

 

Sheryl Crow, Honky Tonks and Tennessee BBQ

I went to Nashville, Tennessee last weekend. Yep, just like that. Actually, I got very lucky. My girlfriend, Lisa, entered a contest through Facebook to win a trip to Nashville to meet Sheryl Crow and have a preview of her new album at her house. Meeting Sheryl Crow has been number 1 one Lisa's bucket list for as long as she can remember.

She won the grand prize.

At first, she didn't believe it was true. She thought the email was a hoax. She thought the guy calling from Warner Records was a fake. I mean, wouldn't you? But it wasn't a fake out. It was real. Round trip airfare to Nashville, two nights in the Hermitage Hotel, one of the nicest hotels in the whole country, a ride to Sheryl Crow's house and a chance to meet her and hear her music. It would be a gigantic understatement to say that she was floating on a cloud as we boarded the airplane and headed off to Tennessee.

Before I talk about food, let me just show you a couple of pictures of the Hermitage, and our room.

 

Not too shabby, huh? Downstairs in the hotel was their restaurant, The Capitol Grille, which is not associated with the chain of the same name. We didn't get a chance to eat there, but the hotel runs not one, but two of their own farms, where they do everything from grow their own produce to raise their own grass fed cattle and other animals. On the next trip, I will definitely have dinner. We did have room service breakfast, and they do make a mean bowl of Irish oats with fruit!

 

 

Thursday evening, they sent a huge tour bus to pick us up (about a dozen of us) and take us to Sheryl Crow's house. She lives on the outskirts of Nashville, up a long driveway. We had to leave our phones in the bus, so I don't have any pictures of the whole experience. I think the main purpose was to keep anyone from possibly recording any of the music, since the album wasn't released yet. Anyway, we were escorted into the "barn." Um, yeah. Barn. Granted, the horse stables were in the back, so technically it was still a barn. In the front area, there was a beautiful sitting area with the huge fireplace and a bar. Waiting for us was a choice of beer, wine, bourbon, or Sheryl's signature watermelon margarita. That was all kinds of yummy. Later, I had a bourbon and soda. I mean, when in Rome...there were also stationary and passed hors' d'oeuvres, all very good. We got to wander in the back and say hi to the horses (or hey, if you're looking for a bad pun). She has about 6 or 7. After about an hour of mingling, meeting record company people, and other winners of various contests, we were ushered upstairs to what she has made into an intimate concert venue and recording studio. The walls are lined (I mean lined!) with her guitars, both acoustic and electric. We were in the front row, about 5 feet away from her. Lisa was one of only two grand prize winners! There were about 40 people there, I guess, most from the recording industry. She was introduced and sat with a guy who asked questions about the songs on the new album. We listened to some of them from the recording, saw two videos, and got to hear her and the band play 3 or 4 others. It was amazing. Buy the album, she is a great country singer.

 

When she was finished talking and playing, we were ushered back downstairs, where there was a fresh round of new food choices and plenty more to drink. They had set up a photo screen and meeting area in the stables, and Lisa and I were the first to go in and meet Sheryl. She is so very nice. And so very tiny! After all the meeting and photos, she came out and mingled, drinking a longneck beer. Gotta love how real she is..

 

 

When we got back to the hotel, there was a gift left for Lisa from Southern Living and the Hermitage, who were co sponsors of the contest. A book on the history of the hotel and it's 100th anniversary, a small batch bottle of Jack Daniels made especially for the hotel, and two packs of heirloom tomato seeds from the farm. So cool.

 

 

How can you possibly top that night? Friday we had no plans, so walked around downtown Nashville. It's pretty small, so you can walk just about anywhere. We didn't really have the money to go into any of the museums, but we wandered around and saw the Ryman Auditorium (where the Grand Old Opry was originally staged), the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Capitol building, Printer's Alley (which reminds me of Bourbon Street), and then down to Broadway, which is really the main drag. It's where the shops, bars, restaurants and honky tonks are. I love that name, honky tonk. Just a small, often grubby little bar with a stage, where at any time of day, there is live music. We bought some souvenirs, some cowboy boots, and noticed a sign saying that Keith Urban would be playing, FREE, in three different honky tonks that evening. Well, hell, there's tonight's activity! So we went back, rested, and then headed back to Broadway. We made some friends on Thursday who recommended we eat at Jack's BBQ, the best in town. Lisa is not a big meat eater, but very sweetly indulged my need to eat barbecue. To eat a Jack's, you begin by standing in line. For you Philly folk, it is similar to Jim's steaks- stand in line, order, get food, pay, then find a table. As we were standing in line, we heard the two people behind us talking about possibly going across the street to eat at another BBQ place. So, I, being the shy person I am, turned around and asked them which they thought was better for us touristas to eat. They agreed we should stay in line at Jack's, no questions asked. Anyway, we struck up a conversation. Lisa Manning is one of the DJ's for a local radio station, and was going to be escorting Keith from one venue to the next, through the cattle chute they had set up on the street. She introduced us to her boyfriend, Charlie Daniels, Jr. As in Charlie Daniels. As in mad fiddle player and country star. Yep, the hits just keep on coming for us! We all sat together for dinner, and talked about life in Nashville and all that. This is Jack's BBQ:

I had the pulled pork. The brisket looked great, but I was really in the mood for the pork.

 

 After dinner, they went off to check up on Keith's progress, and Lisa and I ensconced ourselves along the cattle chute. Let me tell you, people in Nashville know how to wait patiently for something. No pushing, shoving, cursing, rudeness of any sort. The security guards were nice. The cops were nice. In fact, one cop leaned over to me as he was making an opening in the chute right next to where I was standing and said, "Keep an eye out, Steven Tyler is coming through here any minute now." Really. Steven Tyler. AND Keith Urban. Right in front of me.

 

Well, Keith was spectacular. He just moseyed down the cattle chute, saying  hi and waving and smiling. The crowd was really respectful. He is beautiful.

 That's Keith with Lisa Manning, our new friend

 Yes, that's Steven Tyler thrashing about



Isn't he pretty?

 

Saturday was pretty uneventful. We stayed in the hotel room until we had to check out, wearing those soft, incredible bathrobes. Then, the long trip home..

 

So let's recap, shall we? A flight to Nashville, a 5 diamond hotel, Sheryl Crow and her band, AT HER HOUSE, great BBQ, new friends, Keith Urban, Steven Tyler (who, by the way, is just as small and freaky looking in person) and a mini vacation with my love. Not so bad for two girls who don't have two dimes to rub together. But sometimes, great things DO happen to good people.

 



Go "Fig"ure

Yep, once again I got lost in the day to day routine and didn't take the time to blog. I am lame. Sorry. I really want to get into writing a couple times a week, so you all fall so deeply in love with my writing that you mount a campaign to see my work in some magazine or paper. I'm ready to become a writer, folks...

Ok, so let's talk about one of the nicest treats the end of summer brings. Figs. Down in Rock Hall, MD, there are a few really big fig trees. At the end of August, the Halin family all comes together at Silly Manor (that's Dad and Linda's house) for some relaxation and scotch drinking. Once during the visit, to escape the menagerie of kids and dogs, the womenfolk go fig picking. Right down the street from dad's house is an enormous fig tree, and Linda has a friend who has another big tree.

Picking figs is something that pretty much requires a hazmat suit, but it's usually a blazing hot summer day, so we are wearing shorts and tshirts. Fig trees are full of bugs. The fruit is a tasty treat for all kinds of flying, creeping, biting and stinging things. The reward is worth the discomfort. Also, the riper figs tend to be up higher, so someone has to climb into and up the tree. That's often the smallest person. Me. Yay. Wait, let's get back to stinging things. Ever heard the one about the wasp and the fig? Um..there's no punch line. It's a true story. There is a certain type of wasp called a "fig wasp." You see, the fig needs someone to pollinate it, and the wasp needs a place to live and make babies. I know, it sounds gross, but hang on, it's going to be ok.

The fig is basically an inside out flower, so to get it pollinated, it needs something to carry the pollen inside it. At the bottom of the fruit is an opening, called an ostiole. The female wasp, who has pollen on her from another fig, flies over and crawls up the ostiole. On her way in, she loses her wings and antennae. (It's a narrow little tunnel.) Her goal is to lay eggs. Now, there are two different kinds of figs on every tree. There are male figs, called Caprifigs, and female figs, called Edible Figs. If the wasp gets into a caprifig, it is suited for egg laying, and that's what she does. Those larvae develop into male and female wasps. The males never get wings, and just spend their lives digging tunnels for the female wasps to get out, loaded with pollen and in search of another fig. If the female gets into an edible fig, she won't be able to lay eggs, and will die, but not before pollinating the inside, which will develop seeds. I know, you are totally skeeved by now, aren't you? And wondering if the crunchy inside of your figs and prosciutto or Newton cookie is really dead wasp?
IT'S NOT. Y'see, this is where the symbiosis, or mutualism, comes into play again. As the pollinated fig grows, it emits an enzyme called ficin which completely digests the wasp. Seriously. All gone. No more wasp. Oh, and if you are really worried about eating bugs, you better just stop eating all commercially processed food. Just sayin...

Now, let's get back to our figs, after we've picked them. We are lucky in our family, because Lisa (my sister-in-law) is not only a talented author and potter, she also loves to put up jams and preserves. She makes a kickin' fig jam. So let's talk about it, shall we?

As I mentioned, first we pick the figs.

 

Well, that's a pretty butterfly and some unripe figs, but it's pretty. Then, Lisa cuts them and puts them in a stainless bowl, and macerates them in a little sugar. That will help pull the natural syrup out of the fruit.

 

This is what they look like after they sit overnight. Then she puts them in a heavy bottom pot, adds the zest and juice of a lemon, some balsamic vinegar, and some fresh black pepper. She added the pepper to give it a little zing. You can find the exact recipe and methodology on HER blog, ljcbluemuse.blogspot.com. She is a canning whiz and has a lot of recipes posted.

 

She puts the fig jam up in small jars. It is amazing with just about anything: on toast, on a cheese plate with sharp and stinky cheeses and salami, as a condiment for roast pork or duck.

 



 

 



Summer is coming to an end. My son has started his freshman year at Temple University, and my daughter is anxiously (NOT) awaiting her first day of school. I will hang on to the last of the warm days, corn, tomatoes, peaches, and the sweet sound of cicadas singing me to sleep. I will miss my favorite season, but have already started thinking about the fall foods that are just around the corner.

And on a chilly night to come, I can open a bottle of wine, put out some cheese and meats and crackers, and crack open a jar of Lisa's fig jam. I'll close my eyes, and see sunset on the bay, Linda's beautiful zinnias, and the hummingbirds at the nectar feeder. And start counting the days until next summer.