Kids these days... are pretty awesome

Dear people who don't have children,



If that is your choice, I support your decision.


And if you really wanted children, but haven't been able to, I'm sorry.

I never thought I would have a child. I was far too selfish when I was young, and in fact, when I got pregnant at age 24, three months after I was married, I was told by a friend that I better I hope I don't have a girl, because I would be bad at raising one. I don't know if that's true; it certainly was a risk. OTOH, I think having a child forced me to grow up and get my priorities in line. Turns out unconditional love can do that.

I've done the best I can, and who knows, maybe I'm not that great. It has been one exciting bumpy journey. I think my daughter is pretty amazing, fun, and interesting. Parenting is the toughest job I've ever had, but there is nothing more rewarding. When you're having a hard day or when you simply need a reminder about what is important in life, I invite you to reach out to a child. It really does take a village, and 'kids these days' are pretty awesome if you bother to get to know them. They represent our future, and I think there is good reason to hold out hope.

I am blessed to have lots of terrific kids in my life: I'm so impressed by my friends' children, my nephews, my cousins' kids, and the kids at my church. Thank goodness for the joy they bring, and the hope they represent.

How (not) to make lemon pasta

Can't win every race, but gotta keep trying. Plus I still have lots of lemons. It is exactly for the reason of the surplus lemons, that I had tonight what will be known as the lemon pasta disaster of 2012. Or hopefully will be soon forgotten when my next experiment goes awry.

I still stand by the idea- to make a lemon pasta dish. I got eight lemons in my fruit share, so I felt the need to move beyond just iced tea with lemon (though in retrospect that would've been far tastier). I had a basic idea for an olive oil lemon with basil spaghetti (using gluten free pasta) and looked up a few recipes on the Internet. I settled on one that was simple- cook the pasta, and in a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and add salt and pepper with some fresh basil sliced thin and shaved parmesian cheese. Sounds like a delicious light summer meal, right? Perhaps if it is well executed. Alas...

The first issue is that these lemons are amazing. They are extra lemony and extra juicy, which you would think would be a good thing- and it would if you remember to adjust to taste before whisking the ingredients together. Recipes, which I usually never follow, are based on grocery store produce. Apparently for lemons that means dry with a hint of lemon flavor. But I thought because they were so good, I'd add the fresh juice from two lemons, not just the one it called for. Rookie mistake.

Second issue and the major error- you were supposed to drain the pasta, saving some of the pasta water to add back in as needed after you tossed it in the lemony mixture. But I panicked when I realized I was straining it and not capturing the pasta water, so I quick-like-lighting inverted the strainer back over the bowl with the lemony stuff. Too fast. It was still very very wet, and so essentially the cheese melted into the starchy lemon water, which coated the pasta, like lemony slime. Totally gross.

I considered not sharing my failure. For starters, it makes me look a bit ridiculous. But you know, the reality is that sometimes stuff just doesn't work out the way you planned. It doesn't make it a bad idea, it just is what it is. Messy, and fun, and a reason to eat chocolate for the main course. You gotta be willing to laugh at yourself, and learn from your mistakes.

Home, cookin'

Recently returned from an extended business trip (plus a weekend in New York). Posted below are some pictures of the tastier foods I enjoyed while on the road. And yes, these were all as good as they looked. Most are from the weekend in New York. I feel pretty blessed.

Dear gazpacho, I'm not sure how to spell you, but you were delicious.

Poached salmon salad with quinoa, I remember you well.

The simplest dessert of berries, creme fresh, and maple syrup with macerated berries

Mr. Giant Macaroni, I know you aren't real, but you make me smile

Beauties from Georgetown Cupcakes

And yet, it's good to be home. To sleep in my own bed, to wake up and brew some coffee, and start my day. Today, I surveyed the bounty from my organic fruit and veggie CSA, to decide what I wanted to make and eat at home.

For breakfast, scrambled eggs with green peppers, onions, and tomatoes with a wedge of cheddar cheese tucked in.

An afternoon appetizer of an Italian guacamole of sorts- one ripe avocado, mashed with the juice of half a fresh lemon, and crushed red peppers added to taste. Served with thick yellow corn chips.

For a late lunch, ratatouille, made with tomatoes, two kinds of green peppers, onion, garlic, eggplant, salt, pepper, basil.

Finally, a juicy white nectarine, sweet and creamy; it required nothing additional to make it the perfect dessert.


Tastes of summer. Tastes of comfort. Tastes of home. Contented sigh.

Oh the Places You'll Go

So I always do three things before I travel to somewhere new. Especially if its somewhere I'm excited about going.

1) Do my research. Right now, I have three library books about New York City that I've already finished reviewing, as well as two books I've borrowed from friends, along with a question I posted on Facebook, just to make sure I'm aware of the must-sees. My brain works best assuming this may be my only opportunity to go there, so I need to know what I absolutely don't want to miss. For example, what if I missed the Rick Springfield museum just because I didn't bother to do enough research about where I was going. (No worries, there is no such museum in NYC, but I only know this because I was thorough).

2) Stress out a little about all the mundane stuff I need to get done beforehand, like will I get enough laundry done, or will I need to buy socks in Manhattan... How I need to clean the kitchen and bathrooms because I don't like coming home to a messy house... and how I need to put together a comprehensive list of all the things that I need to have someone do while I'm gone, and the stuff I need to remember to pack.(like the dance tickets!)

and

3) Get super excited. Pack a notebook and my camera to record the adventures. Look up gluten-free friendly restaurants (which reminds me- I need to make it to Hello Cupcake when I'm in DC). Try to remember I really won't have time to see it all, so just keep a list of possibilities handy (organized by geography and open hours).

It's really that simple. I feel pretty lucky that I get to do this- even when it's organized around trying to get a ton of work done in a very short period of time, and when only a few hours in the evening and the weekends are free time. I try to count my blessings for these opportunities to explore, to get to know new people and places, and to learn.

Sauteed greens, 10 ways

Dealing with an abundance of CSA vegetables is a good problem to have. Though it can be a challenge; especially on weeks where I need to travel for work. In just a few days, I need to go to two clinical sites on the East Coast. Plus I had a busy weekend,  which leaves me with little time to prep and cook food.

Not sure what I was going to make, so I just chopped up a bunch of the veggies to use later. Celery and carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, and here: amaranth, yellow kale, and mild white onion.

The next day, I sauteed the onions in some olive oil for a few minutes, and then added the leafy greens and sprinkled salt on them. When the onions started to look translucent and the greens were wilting, I pulled it off the heat.

 This mix is now ready to use in several possible meals:

1. Stir into red or white pasta sauce with roasted garlic & serve over cooked pasta
2. Add cumin and peppers, and layer with cheese and black beans in quesadillas
3. Add to sausage and white beans
4. Mix with sauteed curried squash and coconut milk, served over rice
5. Add to risotto, with basil, mushrooms and Parmesan cheese
6. Use it to top a pizza. I like it with pesto and goat cheese.
7. Add it to crisp bacon and precooked diced potatoes as a base for frittatta.
8. Makes a delicious filling in a grilled cheese sandwhich
9. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, top with blue cheese and walnuts, for an interesting side dish. And...
10. Make into galettes. (I didn't know what they were either.) They're basically like a savory pancake; they're easy to make and they freeze well in portions to eat later. I made them for brunch today.

To make gallettes:
I mixed 3/4 cup rice flour with 3/4 cup almond milk and two eggs. (You can use regular flour and milk; that's just what I had on hand.) Stir in a 2 or 3 tablespoons of fresh chopped herbs. I used basil, Italian flat leaf parsley, and lemon thyme. Then just stir in about a cup of the sauteed greens mixture. Don't worry, it looks kinda sketchy, but it'll taste good. Trust me.



Cook in non-stick pan with melted butter, just like pancakes. They're best served warm with melted butter. Go ahead, try something new!

Let them eat cake!

Today was a fun packed day! Spent part one with my daughter and my cousin's two youngest kids at Riverfest in Anoka. We lucked out and got the longest pontoon ride on the Rum and Mississippi rivers  with the city councilman, because it was his boat and he re-routed us to pick up the city manager and a photographer to take extra pictures of the ride. It was a glorious, ridiculously hot day. Perfect for being on the water.

Flash forward to fun day- part two, where I attended a Bastille Day party at Theresa and Michael's house on the Rum River. I'm not precisely sure what we were celebrating; I think it had to do with freedom for the French working class. I know it involved lots of food.

Theresa and Michael

As in, lots of really good food. Not all of it French. There was beef tenderloin, roasted veggies, carrots and yellow beans with dill...

And did I mention the chilled roasted red-pepper soup with avocado cream? Yummmm!

 And interesting conversations with good friends. This is Kari. She rocks, in case you didn't know.

And the piece de resistance... flourless chocolate cake and champagne! I don't think that's what Marie Antionette was talking about when she said 'let them eat cake'. But I'm telling you that if she had this kinda spread available to the masses, history would tell a slightly different tale.

It ain't your mama's potato salad

My mom makes the world's best potato salad. I'm not kidding. Whenever we have a family get-together in the summer, she must bring the potato salad. It's like a requirement. I guess that makes it her signature summer dish. Which is one of the reasons I don't have any desire to create a 'signature dish', because I don't ever want anyone to tell me there is one particular thing I always need to  bring. I don't need those kind of constraints. But she doesn't seem to mind. I guess it IS a high compliment. 

When I moved away from home after college, I moved far. Like Las Vegas far. And I didn't really know how to cook. I think this happens sometimes when you're raised in a house where someone else (mom) is already good at cooking and the rest of the family doesn't want to be experimented on, when they know they can play it safe and get good food. So I didn't have a clue how to make potato salad, and one day I decided I would impress my (then) boyfriend, by making the world's best potato salad. So I called my mom and asked for her recipe.


"Well," she said. "I don't really use a recipe."

I was astonished. "What do you mean you don't use a recipe? How do you know how many potatoes to use, and how much onion to put in?"

Like a Jedi-warrior cook she tells me, "You just know. And you make adjustments until it looks right."

I probably should've hung up and ran to the grocery store deli, but instead I had her tell me the ingredients she uses, along with her guestimates as to quantities. I took fast and furious notes, thanked her, and hung up.  First problem. We didn't have any celery. But we did have green pepper. It's green and crunchy, right?  Mistake. Then I didn't realize you need to cut the potato pieces in equal sizes, so when I tested a small piece and it was perfect, it didn't occur to me that the large pieces would be crunchy. Needless to say, it was nasty. As in, it got immediately tossed in the garbage.

Fast forward to years later, when I seem to have worked out most of the kinks in my cooking. Don't get me wrong- I still have flops. But generally it is not for reasons as ignorant as the great potato salad debacle. One thing I did decide to do, was to accept that I was meant to make up my own potato salad recipe & to not even try to replicate the world's best.

So here is my version. And in the spirit of Mom, I don't have any measurements for you.

Cook some new potatoes (cut in same-size pieces) in salted water, and boil 2 eggs.  I cheat, and use this egg timer to know when they are perfectly cooked.

Rinse in cold water, and drain. Leave skins on the potatoes. Peel and chop the eggs. Add quite a bit of salt and some cracked black pepper, plus chopped mild onion and celery (no substitutes please). Throw in some minced herbs: parsley, rosemary, & chives. Add real mayo and spicy mustard to taste.

Stir. Chill in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

It is some pretty good stuff. But not SO good that everyone is going to make you bring it to the family reunion and your cousin's kid's birthday party and the neighborhood potluck every year.

Enchiladas, made for sharing

Craving enchiladas today, thanks to a Facebook post I read from my friend Alicia the other day.

Alicia is amazing- she has like twenty kids (five, actually), and writes articles for examiner.com, and is super crafty, and makes everything from scratch. Probably even water. On top of that, her family has many diet restrictions and allergies, so that makes cooking for a crew even more challenging. I know how hard it can be to cook for two people- one a vegetarian, the other gluten-free (me), so when she posts about cooking, I pay attention.

Which brings me to the enchiladas she talked about making for her family a couple days ago. Instead of chicken, she used white beans and mushrooms and a whole bunch of other tasty sounding fillings, and made a white sauce with spices, from scratch. It sounded amazing.

If you were paying attention earlier this week, you'd notice that when I made the grilled pizza with onion and mushrooms, I reserved one of the packets of those grilled mushrooms and onions and roasted garlic. I had a plan. I don't always have a plan, but this time I did.

Tonight I mixed those grilled veggies with a can of white beans and green chiles, and added chiptople and adobo seasonings. I added this filling to corn tortillas with some shredded cheese, rolled into enchiladas, and topped with Rick Bayless' red chile enchilada sauce, and more white cheese.

It was super easy. Baked in the oven for fifteen minutes at 400 degrees; it was way better than any fast food would've been (though probably not as good as Alicia's enchiladas in white sauce.)


And a little later when my friend Kari dropped by to drop something off, she got to have some. It's fun to be able to offer up good food to spontaneous visitors. It reminds me of how my Grandma Regal would always have a just-made loaf of banana bread or something to offer, even if she wasn't expecting anyone over. It is one of my goals in life to be ready and always open to welcoming people into my home. I can't promise a fancy setting or gourmet food (or even that I'll be wearing make-up), but when I am ready to give a little something of myself at a moments notice, that makes me very happy. And hopefully it brings a little joy into others' lives as well.

Good things, made easy

I love pizza. I love grilled food. Therefore I love grilled pizza. This is me. Excited about making grilled pizza.

Had some mushrooms and green onions and roasted garlic on hand, so I chopped them up. Along with some basil from my patio. You must have fresh basil and garlic on a pizza. I think it's a law.

It's OK to take shortcuts when it comes to making dinners on a worknight. We all have the benefit of knowing that Martha Stewart didn't always get it right. Sure, you can insist on making your pizza sauce from scratch, but that won't keep you from going to jail if you do insider trading. You gotta keep your priorities straight. So feel free to use jarred sauce and pre-made crust.

I wrapped all the chopped veggies in some tinfoil, added olive oil and salt and let them cook while I prepped the pizza.  Then it was assembly time. I topped it with montery jack goat cheese, because these were pretty mild veggies, so it needed something creamy and tangy. You just need to know it doesn't melt the same as cow cheese, so be careful not to burn your pizza because you're waiting for it to look like normal pizza.

When I experiment, I usually think of things that would make it even better. Sausage and fennel would've been amazing, but I didn't have any on hand. So, I relaxed, kicked back, and enjoyed the bird seranade from my backyard deck, while I waited for the pizza to finish cooking.

And it was a good thing.

Camping with great food and great friends

Ever since I was a little girl, I've enjoyed camping. It's cliche, but it really is like 'getting away from it all'. Spending time in nature with family or friends is always a good thing. And even a simple hotdog tastes better when it's made outside.








Every July for the past several years, I've joined a group of my college friends at a campground that's  not too far from the Cities, El Rancho Manana, in Richmond, MN. I almost didn't make it this year; the dates got switched around, and it would have been easy to stay back to tackle all the tasks that always seem to need tackling. But at the last minute, it all worked out, so I stuffed my Saturn with the pared down version of what I normally bring, and off I went.

It's always a good time. We kick back in comfy camp chairs, catch up on each other's lives, enjoy a refreshing beverage (or two, or more), and relax by the campfire. And we eat better than royalty; the food is amazing, and the atmosphere is a million times more comfortable.



John does most of the cooking.

I love to cook, and I generally try to bring something interesting to contribute (this year it was fennel), but I cannot tell you how much I appreciate getting to just relax and enjoy the food John makes. He is a grill-man extraordinaire. Bobby Flay ain't got nothing on him. The burgers were great, with perfectly melty cheese. And there is nothing like having coffee waiting for you when you drag your rough-around-the-edges self out the tent in the morning. Not to mention the bacon and eggs and potatoes hot off the griddle.

My favorite meal this year was the steak and potatoes. The steak was seasoned simply, and cooked perfectly. Accompanied by tinfoil packets of deliciousness: new potatoes, mushrooms, onion & green pepper, plus packets of fennel & onion in buttery goodness.

   Yummmmmm!!! I'm sorry if this is making your mouth water...
















I am one blessed girl. Even as I write this, just a few hours after we headed our seperate directions home, I'm already missing John, and Pam and Jay, remembering the laughter, the meals, the late night bon-fires, the Cabo, and the little bit country girl side of me. It's that warm, comfortable feeling you get when you've had just enough of whatever it was you needed.

I call this the firecracker

I call this little number the firecracker. Not that it has anything to do with explosions. Just cause it's the 4th of July. It's simple:

Fresh squeezed orange juice from 2 sweet oranges
3 TBSP Cointreau
1 oz 100 % agave tequila

Shake and serve over ice.


If you don't have a shaker, don't worry. I just use a large mason jar with a lid. It works perfectly.
Also, you should serve this in glassware that you love, since this is just for fun.


I used the glasses that my parents used to use when they played bridge. I have a vague memory of  reaching up over the table and sneaking a taste of someone's whiskey in water. At the time, I thought it tasted like sweet watery rubbing alchohol, burning a path down my throat.  In some ways that drink was way more firecrackery than the one I made, though not as tasty. So if you're celebrating today, I suggest you try mine. Or make up one of your own. Ooh... maybe with cayenne pepper? Now THAT would be firecrackery. Happy 4th of July!

Monday Food-Venture

Yes, I'm aware it's Monday. But that doesn't mean we have to just roll over and settle for take-out. C'mon. Work with me here. Start by getting some pasta going on your stovetop in salted boiling water with some olive oil. 

Next, saute some chopped veggies with onion and roasted garlic in olive oil. I used 2 small zucchini, a small bunch of amaranth, and some portabella mushrooms.



After it wilts, add some spaghetti sauce, salt and pepper and basil. I set aside half of the saute mix, which I will use tomorrow to top a grilled pizza. The remainder of the sauce was added to drained fully cooked gluten free pasta. (You can use regular old elbow macaroni). There was easily enough leftover for lunch tommorrow too!


Pretty tasty.


I wanted a salad too.



Honestly, I'm not a big fan of arugula, but I keep trying it in different ways, just in case. So you can't imagine how happy I was to finally find a way to love it, and it was soooo simple. I just added a sliced avocado and a super sweet & juicy Valencia orange from my fruit share, plus a drizzle of honey ginger vinegar. That's all. Somehow those creamy citrusy sweet peppery flavors all work well together. Must say- I enjoyed this even more than the entree. Not bad for a Monday.

Fabulous friend-focused weekend

Didn't even turn on my computer this weekend. Needed to spend some quality time with a couple of my peeps.

Meet Teresa. I call her Trees, because I'm lazy.  We hung out Friday, on my day off. She has many talents, including putting up with me. It is a skill, for sure. She also has a black belt in Kung Fu. I think maybe its a double extreme power belt or something. I only know fake Kung Fu, and she is OK with that.  We've been friends for a long time. Since 9th grade or something. I actually knew her in 7th grade, but didn't like her due to a misunderstanding involving a guitar and a piano that I'm not going to explain. Our oldest kids are about two months apart (I only have the one), so we were even pregnant around the same time, which is a good thing because I didn't know jack about babies. Right after she had Tim, and she was all doped up on C-section meds, she called me and said it was no problem, having a baby was no big deal. If she wasn't slurring so much, I'd have believed it for sure. She can be very convincing.

She can also spot a wild blackberry at 50 paces. Which is exactly what happened about 50 paces into our walk around Round Lake. It was about 90 million degrees out at the time.

Jay the dog came with us on the walk, though even he seemed to protest the heat. I was a little jealous of his being able to just jump in the middle in the lily pads to cool off in Duck Lake.

 All in all, we enjoyed a fabulous, ridiculously hot day, and got to catch up on some important conversations.
.

Jay testing the waters

Jay's turtle-like head.

Looks inviting, doesn't it?

Saturday, I drove down to Whalan to hang out with Tammy. She's one of the hardest working people I know. And I work in clinical research, so I know alot of hard workers.  Besides working at the Mayo, she also owns the Cyclin' Inn- a really awesome rental home on the Root River that you should go to sometime. And a mini-golf course, right on the bike trail. Don't even get me started on  the strawberries, the horses, the carriage rides, all the chores she does up at Duane's, the cabin, the giant garden, and the rental home in Champlin. Oh, and all the stuff she does for the town of Whalan, pop. 62.

So, needless to say, I was happy to pitch in a little. We worked the evening shift in the food booth at the Fastpitch Softball Tournament up the hill. We had a great time. And by now, the locals know me pretty well, so there was plenty of razzing back and forth to keep us entertained.

Plus we got to kayak down the river beforehand, which is always  nice. Especially on a hot day.  We did not golf though, as it was a jillion degrees out before the sun went down, and even the strawberry pineapple cake flavored vodka slushy could not convince me to swing that club.

All in all, the weekend was a great reminder of how important it is to spend time with your friends. Life is too short to let too many of those opportunities pass us by.