Accidentally Delicious

On my drive home tonight, I was thinking about the CSA veggies in my fridge that still need to be eaten. Frankly, it just seemed like more work, on top of work. Which led me to thinking, maybe we should just go out to eat tonight. But here's the deal- no place I could think of eating near our house sounded better than the fresh tomatoes and bell peppers I had waiting at home. So I decided to cook pasta. Yay pasta! (This is my face, thinking about things that make me happy.)

Let's get chopping, Mr. Red Pepper, and Mr. Fresh Tomato.

Because I was tired, I left the skin on, but you won't do that. You will drop them in boiling water and peel the skin, because that is what people who are serious about good food do. Then again, I try not to get too serious about stuff like food. So I let it be. I also added some onion and garlic that I roasted the other night, because oven-roasting makes your food taste amazing. TIP: when you roast veggies, make extra, and save some.

Then I made fresh broccoli, because it is one of the veggies Amanda likes, and I thought it'd be nice to make her something she likes. I also made her some pre-made fresh egg pasta, because even though I need to eat the gluten-free stuff, there is no reason she should always have to settle every time. It's easy enough to have separate pots of boiling salted water. And I snuck in some extra flavor and nutrition by boiling her pasta in the broccoli water. Shhh, don't tell...

She likes very simple seasoning, so I just added real butter, salt, and pepper. She went back for seconds, which she almost never does.

 Meanwhile, I added some pinot noir to my sauce, because it was handy. And the sauce needed a little something. I knew this, because I taste my food as I cook it. I drained my gluten-free shells, tossed them in the sauce, and shredded some Parmesan cheese on top with my micro-planer. I just need to tell you right now, that I love my micro-planer- I am not exaggerating. It takes things like fresh nutmeg, or hard cheeses, and it makes it fluffy and amazing. And see how it sparkles in the light? Sigh. (OK, I may be exaggerating ever so slightly.)

And this was my finished meal. I am so glad we didn't eat out. Plus. it gave me the opportunity to watch "So You think You Can Dance" at home with my daughter, and that's priceless. (<hanging out with your 19 year old the week before she heads back to college.)  

P.S. Vote for Cole! :)

 

Random photos that make me smile

Have a lot of thoughts percolating, but trying to decide if they're fit for human consumption. Meanwhile, thought I'd share some random pictures that make me smile. Because it's a Monday.




Eyeball sculpture in Chicago, near the public library. It still makes me laugh!

Allison, from a little more than a year ago. She looks like she's twenty now. Stop growing up!

Amanda, with my cousin's kid, who looks like she's 16 now. They were supa cool.
 

My nephew LOVES hockey.
 

Carissa, showing me a bug she found. She's always finding bugs. And salamanders. And frogs.
 

Happy Lhotkas and Amanda at the Wizarding World in Orlando.
 

One of my favorite places on top of the bluff overlooking the Root River in Lanesboro.
Even in the dead of winter, it's a great place to be!

Old-fashioned Sunday Visitin'

So today, I did one of my all-time favorite things, which I like to call "Goin' Visitin'. Not that I trademarked the phrase; I think it's the old-fashioned terminology for sort of an old-fashioned thing to do.

So if you have never Gone Visitin', this is how it works.

It doesn't hafta be done on a Sunday, but that is the tradional day. Plan to see Sunday drivers- there were plenty of them on the road today, hanging out in the fast lane, with a personal agenda to remind us this is supposed to be the day of rest. So don't try to be in too much of a hurry. (Usually it makes me crazy when people go UNDER the speed limit in the fast lane, but today I kept cool.)

Start off after church -if church is something you do- or after your morning coffee. You've already gotten dressed, and probably combed your hair, and if you're Lutheran or Methodist you already had your coffee in the Fellowship Hall. Plus you warmed up your vocal chords for conversation, by singing hymns out of tune.

Back in the day, this is how your Sunday started, and you weren't allowed to work, so you were up for some socializing.

Chose someone  to visit that may actually want to see you on little notice, somewhere you feel comfortable. Since Amanda was going with, and this was her last weekend home before heading back to school, she wanted to go to the Lhotkas.

Make sure the visitee family will be home. I used Facebook to confirm with Trees. (the person- not the tall leafy things that grow in forests.)

Pay attention, this is very important: you must bring food. In the olden days you would've prepared everything the day before, so you just have the throw the roast in the oven before you go to church. I hadn't thought that far ahead, but luckily I belong to a CSA, so I had lots of fresh fruits and veggies. It is key that no one has to work too hard on the meal, so keep it simple. Your time should be for talking, and eating, and walking, and possibly watching the game on TV, not on prepping fancy food. Keep it simple. I cut up a bunch of fruit for a fruit salad, and grabbed a slicing tomato. (Meanwhile Teresa threw a chicken in the oven to roast (with cherry habenero sauce- yum!)

When you arrive, just walk right in the front door. It'd be considered rude to make someone get up out of their Barcalounger to greet you. You're not there to be a guest to be waited on.

Eat, and talk. Traditionally this is either a brunch (breakfast/ lunch) or linner (lunch/ dinner), as combining meals means less work for everyone.

Talk some more. All topics are OK, as it is Sunday, and you have not been pounding beers all day. (It least we hope you have not been doing this, especially if you hafta work on Monday.)

This is a now a good opportunity to walk the dog. Along the way, you will stop to greet every neighbor you see outside, because this is how visitin' works.

I hope you have enjoyed this brief tutorial on Visitin'. Should you need an in-person lesson, feel free to give me a call on little notice (just to make sure I'm going to be there) and come make yourself at home. Don't expect to be waited on, and do expect to set down a spell and talk.

A different kind of food experiment

Felt like I was on the mend for much of the day, but still hadn't graduated beyond cereal for breakfast and yogurt for lunch. So, when I felt a wave a nausea hit me late this afternoon, I was pretty disappointed. "Uggh, why do my insides hate me?" I thought. "And why don't those size 6 jeans fit me yet?"

By the time I got home I was very shaky. It didn't make sense to me, because I really had started to feel noticeably better earlier that day. Until I remembered that because of my lack of appetite and recent fear of 'real' food, I had essentially not eaten since the Wednesday lunch debacle which set this whole chain of events into motion. All I'd had in 2 1/2 days was several glasses of tea, 2 yogurts, a handful of gluten free crackers, two bites of a plum, and a bowl rice cereal with almond milk. What an idiot. I needed real food. Yet, I felt too weak to cook.

Luckily, Amanda was home, so I called her into the kitchen to recruit her as my sous chef. I grabbed some CSA veggies from my fridge."Here: peel these," I said, handing her some carrots.

My hand was shaking so hard, it was difficult to hold my knife steady, but I didn't care. I quickly quartered some potatoes and a small onion, and threw those, with a head of garlic, and the peeled carrots, onto the well-seasoned oven stone and quickly salted everything. I turned the oven to 375 degrees, and set the timer for 40 minutes. "Come get me when the timer goes off" I said, and went straight up to my bed to lay down.

About 35 minutes later, I could tell by the aroma wafting up the stairs, through my closed door, that the roasted veggies were done. So I slowly got up and went down to check. They were done; the potatoes were perfectly browned, and the onion and carrots were caramelized.

I was actually hungry. And craving a meal. I ate a couple of the carrots right away, not even caring that they were still very hot. I called out to Amanda again to start some rice, which she immediately started making (which was really sweet, since I don't think I'd even said thank you to her earlier for her help.)

Meanwhile, I quickly threw together a veggie curry of sorts, using the chopped roasted veggies, adding an heirloom tomato for some acid, and chunks of  a green & yellow summer squash to the saute pan. (Curried summer squash has oddly become sort of a comfort food to me.) Anyhoo, when it came time to add the spice I was nervous, thinking about how my tricky stomach might react. But, just how a really bad hangover calls to add the heat, this was calling to add the spice. I just kept shaking on the garam masala until it felt right (I'm guessing about a teaspoon). I let it cook in the pan until it got sticky looking and could smell the roasting spices, then poured in a healthy serving of coconut milk (maybe half a cup?) until it looked on the soupy side. I stirred it and turned the heat on low, and let it bubble away while the rice finished cooking- about 5 more minutes. Then I added a few shakes of salt and it was done!


Okay, I admit, seeing the picture now, it does not it look appalling. But the smell was heavenly. Don't ask me what they spices they put into the garam masala blend, I just know it's good. Spicy, but also very slightly sweet, with a hint of heat.

I served it over a small bowl of cooked rice. Didn't want to go all crazy with the serving size when my tummy is still riding on training wheels. It was very satisfying. And, so far, I'm feeling better, inside and out.

Random distracting thoughts

Normally CSA Thursdays are one of my favorite days. And I did pick up all kinds of beautiful fresh fruits and veggies today. But unfortunately, I'm not up to eating much today. So I'm working on a plan to distract myself from feeling icky. I've started a list:

Watch the video my best friend sent me of baby bears being rescued from a dumpster. Because she knows I'm a sucker for cute wild animals. I should probably re-watch the video of the baby moose playing in a sprinkler while I'm at it.

Watch 'The Office' and 'Parks & Recreation'. I don't normally watch alot of tv, so I actually haven't seen the re-runs that are playing this summer. Do I love Leslie Knope? Yep.

Think about all the things that hurt much worse- like having a baby. Then think about your baby, who is no longer a baby. And then ask her to bring you up a ginger-ale. Then remember you don't have any ginger-ale. But then be glad because if you happened to have ginger-ale on hand, she surely would've brought you one.

Pretend this is a new weight loss plan, and that when this is over you will look totally hot.

Look at photos of fun trips I've been on. This one is from our recent trip to New York. It makes me happy.



Think about how much better I'm hopefully gonna feel tommorrow.

Where I kick my a@* with deliciousness

Yes, it's true. Tonight, quite by chance, I kicked my a@* with deliciousness. And I'll need to apologize in advance, because I didn't measure anything or even take many pictures, because frankly I wasn't sure it would be very good.

Let me back up for just a minute. Right after I got home, I quickly changed into workout clothes before I could think too hard about all the stuff I still needed to do, and I hit the trail along the river. I'm going to be honest with you- I'm trying to lose a little weight, because in the past few years since I've stopped running, some of it has crept back on. It can be stealthy that way. And since I did a pretty good job being active while I was on vacation, I wanted to keep up with the momentum. It was probably only about 2 miles, out and back, but at least it gave me time to think.

Pretty much the whole way out I was thinking about work. Today was my first day back in a week, and there was plenty to think about. Then on the way back, among other things, I thought about what I was going to make for dinner. I had chicken, tomatoes, and avocado, and a red pepper that I wanted to use.


By the time I walked in the door, I had an idea. I cut the pepper into chunks, sliced the tomato, and portobella mushroom, then I cut one chicken breast into strips. For seasoning, I sprinkled Penzey's Adobo, ground Mexican chilies, salt, and lime. On everything. Liberally.

Then I sauteed the veggies in some oil for about 5 minutes, and pulled them out of the pan.

To the same pan, I added the chicken and browned it. While the chicken was cooking I scooped out one avocado into a bowl and added the same seasoning mix, with an extra shake of salt, and the juice from half a lime. Then mashed it together to make a super quick guacamole. Here it is pre-mashed.

Meanwhile, the bottom of the cast iron pan was getting pretty sticky with cooked spices, so I deglazed the pan with a little Redbridge- it's a sorghum beer that I just happened to have handy. Like, in my hand. I let that cook down a bit, and checked the chicken to make sure it was cooked all the way through, then pulled it off the heat.

Then I assembled it into blue corn taco shells (you could use any tortilla or taco shell). Chicken first, then mushrooms, peppers, tomato, and a healthy serving of guac to top it off. It didn't look pretty, but it sure smelled good, and I was hungry.

And that's when I realized that it kicked my a@* off with good flavors. Only not literally, 'cause clearly I still was able to sit down, and thoroughly enjoy it. I really dig it when stuff works.

The Gnocchi Experiment

I've always fancied the idea of making gnocchi. Potatoes made into pasta- comfort food powerhouse! Except that I can't eat gluten, and flour is the third of four ingredients: Mashed potatoes, eggs, flour, and salt. Sounds deceptively simple, doesn't it? Except it's not.

When I recently found a recipe for making gnocchi from scratch in a gluten free cookbook, I thought it might make a good base for a pasta sauce made with an overabundance of tomatoes that I was recently gifted by a friend.

There are lots of steps, such as baking 4 potatoes in the oven for an hour, and letting them cool. Then you peel them, and run them through a ricer, or mash them. I couldn't find my ricer, so I mashed them while I listened to heavy metal music on 93X. It was a long process. I needed to stay awake.

Meanwhile, I cut up the tomatoes and started a marinara sauce on the stove top, adding two cloves of chopped garlic and a handful of fresh basil, plus some salt.

Back to the potatoes. When they were fully cool, I added the two beaten eggs and some salt, then the rice flour mixture that was in the cookbook, starting with one cup. Mix by hand, adding flour until its not sticky and it forms a dough. Quarter the dough, and roll into logs about 1/2 inch around. Slice into 3/4" slices. I just eyeballed it.

Then I was supposed to roll each piece over a fork tine to make a pattern. I tried to do that but honestly, it didn't look right. At least they were finally ready to be cooked in a pot of boiling salted water. They had to be cooked in batches, then strained. See? Fussy.

At least the sauce was looking tasty.

And I had also thought ahead to cook some chicken & red pepper sausage to toss in. So, there you go. Once I added all that to the gnocchi, and poured myself a glass of red wine, it made a pretty good meal. Of course, that may just be the wine talking. Which of course, was the un-named 5th ingredient in this successful meal.

  

Bonding over Weird Stuff

My daughter goes back to college in a couple weeks, so I suggested we spend some time together today. I asked her what she wanted to do. She replied that she wanted to drive around to see weird Minnesota stuff, like maybe the world's biggest ball of twine or the largest prairie chicken statue.

I told her that we COULD go see the biggest ball of twine, if she wanted to drive an hour and a half to Darwin, MN, to see a giant twine ball inside of a glass gazebo. Because that is really all it is. I was willing. But she thought maybe we should see the prairie chicken instead.

So I dug out this book I have called "Weird Minnesota" (Yes, I own that book. Don't judge. I bought it when I needed to find where the two story outhouse was. And no, it wasn't worth the trip.)

Anyhoo, we both agreed that the giant prairie chicken statute was scary looking. Though it would've made a good 'ugly scary bird attacks human' photo op. So that was a pass. I flipped through the pages. "Hey, what about this?, I asked, as I handed her the picture of two cars standing on end in a corn field. I had always wanted to stop and check out the Franconia sculpture garden. It's on the way to Taylor's Falls, so I'd seen some of the objects scattered in the field from the road before. I'd never stopped, because A) I wasn't sure if it was just someones garbage that was too big to haul to the dump and B) I didn't have time because my previous plans to Taylor's Falls involved hiking, or boating along the St. Croix, and that seemed a little more exciting than looking at weird stuff in a corn field.

But today that would be the whole point. So off we went. It was a beautiful day, and an enjoyable ride. Amanda played music that we both tried to sing along to, sometimes with comedic effect. And we stopped to buy local cheese, 'cause we were in cheese country, on the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin, and it's sort of a prerequisite.

I have to say, it totally lived up to my expectations. It was weird. I kinda liked it.  Plus it was a gorgeous day, not too hot, with plenty of open skies and cornfields around us. All-in-all, not a shabby way to spend some time together.

I'll leave you with a bunch of photos from our day trip. They probably could use some explanation, but I'm not going to do that. Mostly because I couldn't tell you what they mean. Good luck.

 

How to relax at a Minnesota lake.

Enjoying a gorgeous perfect summer day on my deck, as I pull together pictures from my trip to the lake. I see some new purple flowers blooming in my raspberry patch, that I will wander down to check out as soon as I'm done here. Then in a couple hours, it's time for my professional massage. All in all, this has been an abnormally relaxing summer, and I couldn't be more grateful.

I'm feeling mighty generous in spirit in my moment of backyard zen, so thought I'd take it upon myself to provide directions for you on how to enjoy a peaceful relaxing vacation at a northern Minnesota lake.

A word on attire. It's important to be come prepared for your lake vacation. Be sure to pack your swimsuit and a sweatshirt or two, cause the weather has a tendency to change. You should also bring a hat, because you will look like a sissy if you bring a flattening iron or a blow dryer, but you will want something to hide those bad hair days. I didn't have one, but luckily Rocky bought us these hats when he went into town.  I think we look adorable, and slightly deranged. You can't tell from the picture, but I am also wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and a plaid flannel shirt. Don't judge.

First things first. Upon a arrival, you should grab a cold beverage and head immediately to the lake. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Unless its sitting right there. Remove your sandals when you approach the dock, and put those toesies in. Sigh loudly. Aaaaaah. Like that. Doesn't that feel good? Sure your toes might get chilly, but suck it up. They will go numb soon, and you won't even notice when the bass try to tickle you. You will be immune to ticklishness. Temporarily.

Sooner or later, you will have`to eat. If you don't have a personal chef, that means you will also have to cook. For moments like these, I recommend corn on the cob, on the grill. It is delicious and simple, and if you make a chili lime honey sauce, it will be even more super delicious. I used the juice of one fresh lime, a few tablespoons of honey, and a generous shaking of chili powder. Mix ingredients and add to taste until it is the perfect mix of spicy, sweet, tangy, and you want to bathe in it. Just kidding on that last one. It'd be mighty sticky.

After this, you may need another break, so you should probably head down to the lake again. Bring the dog for protection from possible dangerous purple otter attacks. It probably won't happen. Probably. Don't be afraid. You have the dog there to bark maniacally and run for help, just in case. (You didn't think he'd actually stop the otter, did you? You're funny. We should totally hang out.)

For a different vantage point, you should sit on this tractor seat stump chair. I want one. I sat there for a while, to observe the lake, and to practice what it would be like to drive a tractor. I'm totally going to be an expert now.

OK, now here's an important step. Critical to enjoyment of your vacation. Pay attention. Watch the sun set over the lake. What do you mean, that's it?! It'll be amazing. I promise. Unless it's raining at the time, in which case you should go inside and play the games you brought in case it rained. You did remember the games? Well, then I hope you brought a book, or else you'll be staring out the window for an awfully long spell if it rains.

You"ll be eating well, so be sure to do some active things. Like kayak across the lake and back. Sure you'll be sore the next day, but at least your pants will still fit. Plus you might see some cool things while you're out there.  Remember to call dibs on the blue kayak, or you'll get stuck with the green one. Even though they're exactly the same. (At least that's what I told myself, so I wouldn't be a sore loser.)

You will probably see water lilies, which you may think are stunningly beautiful. Until you paddle up to the millionth one, in which case, you will still like them OK, but they will start to seem a little less exciting. You may sarcastically tell your best friend, "Dude, don't bother to point them out anymore, unless you see one stand up and do a disco dance." In which case, you will deserve it if she says "Snap-pish".

You may take a picture of her as your water lily background anyway. And she won't see it until she reads your blog. IF she reads your blog. No, I'm actually not mean. I just think your best friend should care about everything you say. 

 Let's talk about fish. You should catch some and eat them because they are delicious. Fresh walleye and sunfish are my favorites. They are like nature's candy. Maybe not candy exactly, but equally delicious. Nature's meat? Forget it, you get the idea. Yummmm!!!!!

OK, you must cap your evenings off with a campfire. Why? I don't know. I don't make the rules, I just follow them.  (Pause for effect.)

Well thanks for joining me cyber-ly (<is that a word?) at the the lake. Feel free to join me for realsies (also not a word) next time. I hope you have learned all sorts of super helpful facts from my tips. (Though realistically you learned more from the Discovery Channel special "Flight of the Monarchs- part 2") Perhaps I should offer to travel with people and narrate their journeys? Nope, that'd probably annoy them. So instead, I'll happily keep my day job, and enjoy the occasional vacation up north among the pine trees and the shooting stars.