Good Food from the Dark

I have a hard time adjusting to the changing seasons. Especially waking up in the dark, and coming home in the dark. Its just too... dark. I am a person who likes light. So needless to say, Monday mornings can really be a challenge for me. And yet that's why there's coffee. (One year I gave up alcohol AND coffee for Lent, and trust me on this, giving up the coffee was ten times harder!)

Anyhoo, I made it to work, and it turned out to be a super-productive day. But then by the time I left work, the sun was sinking fast. All of my ambitions to make a nice meal just sorta trickled out of me. So I did what I do when I don't know what to make: I stood in front of the open fridge, and looked for whatever seemed easy, comforting, and fast.

Tonight my eyes landed on the leftover soup, with root vegetables, pork, and bacon that I made this weekend. Perfect! Soup is one of those meals that often tastes better after a day of resting and soaking in the flavors (especially since I tend to rush it the first time around, and not let it simmer long enough...)

Ninety seconds in the microwave, and soup was served! Either I was hungrier, or it really did taste better tonight. My guess is that letting it sit, helped to soak up all the bacony goodness. And yes, bacony is a word.

I also have tons of fruit to use, and was feeling a bit nostalgic for those figs in port I made on Saturday. I'm telling you, that sauce was amazing!! Who needs a chocolate fountain, when you can have a port reduction sauce?! But alas, every fig got eaten at my neighbors bonfire. Don't ask, but when I brought it over people were like, "figs at a fire?!" and looking at me like I was a crazy person, but then as the brave ones started to try it and making yummy noises, soon others wanted to try them too.  So there were no figs left, but there was some sauce left.

So for an after dinner treat, I cut up a Hosui Asian pear, and heated it up in what was left of the sauce, adding an extra pinch of cinnamon. When it was just heated through, I poured a little cream over the top.

Oh my. yes. Now that's what I'm talking about! Easy, simple, and delicious. On a Monday night even. I don't care that my hair is messy, and that it's pitch dark outside.Because, inside, I am warm and comforted and content.

Five favorite fall seasonings

I have more than forty spice blends or seasonings, and have used  them all at one point or another in my cooking. And yet, there are my favorites, that I turn to again and again. I've challenged myself to name my current top five for the autumn season. And here they are, in no particular order:

1. Course ground sea salt. The large granules add texture and enhance the flavor of everything from caramel (sweet)  to kale (bitter), to ice cream (creamy) and meat (savory). And of course, it is a required ingrediant if you want to make the best margaritas!

2. Adobo seasoning. It is the cumin and pepper-based spice that I use as a base for my own taco seasoning, spicy black bean dishes, and chili. It is also amazing on all types of squash.

3. One can of chiptole peppers in adobo sauce, pureed, with a healthy dose of cream. Be warned-this is VERY spicy- a little goes along way. I learned this lesson the hard way last fall, when I served sweet poatoes in this chiptole cream sauce, and the heat level was too much, even for me. I make a batch and keep it frozen to use as needed.

4. Vindaloo seasoning. I use this slightly hot Indian spice blend to make curries.  Its super easy to make- just add vindaloo seasoning libererally with salt to sauteed veggies- caluiflower, carrots, potatoes, sweet bell peppers, onions, squash, or any combination thereof. Add cooked chicken or pork or other meat if you like, along with enough coconut milk to make it saucy. Simmer on low heat, while you make basmati rice or rice noodles to serve it over. Other good things to add: thai basil and crushed red or other peppers (if you like your curry to be hot).

5. Penzey's cinnamon. It is the best I've had, hands down, and it goes well in many desserts (especially pear, pumpkin or apple!) and can't be beat in hot chocolate, hot apple cider, and in my spiced red sangria. Plus it makes your house smell amazing!

Homemade soup, figs in port, and other warm autumn experiments

 

I love autumn days like this, that start with foggy skies and clear to a full crisp sun. There are still some deeply colored leaves on the trees, but so many more are on the ground, that it crunches when you walk. I especially enjoy cooking in the fall- warm rich flavors but still bountiful fresh produce. It is the season for foods and feelings of comfort.  




This morning, I started a soup on the stovetop based on my CSA veggies (and some ham!): onion, celery (including the leaves) peeled purple potatoes, carrots, garlic, and purple cabbage. I had frozen some homemade broth earlier, and added that to the pot to simmer on the stove, while I soaked in the tub and read a magazine upstairs. By the time I got ready to start my day in earnest, the whole house smelled amazing. You will just have to use your imagination.

 

 

I turned off the stove, and ran to the store to pick up some things for a dessert I wanted to make: fresh figs poached in port. And even though it was just after noon- the town was buzzing already, getting ready for the Light the Night parade that will happen tonight on Main Street. in Anoka. The parade doesn’t start until 7 PM, but already the street was lined with lawn chairs and blankets.

Back at home, I was hungry for lunch, so I got myself a bowl of soup, which I topped with plenty of finely shredded parmesan cheese. Yum!

 

For a little treat, I sliced a green apple,  sprinkled it with coarse ground salt, and dipped the slices in a bit of warm caramel sauce. It was a really simple tasty meal!

 

Meanwhile, I found the recipe on Food Network for my figs which need to be used today. So here I go again, taking risks, trying something new. As I type this, the poaching sauce is reducing on the stove: Tawny port, sugar, vanilla, fresh orange peel, cinnamon, and 4 whole peppercorns.

 

I’m supposed to cook it to a syrup consistency, and it seems to be taking way longer than it should, but I’m trying to be patient. (Remembering a meal from less than a week ago, when it really paid off to be patient, and the results were better than I’d hoped for.)

Life is kind of funny, how it hands us lessons when we aren’t looking. It reminds me to try to pay attention, to proceed carefully- but still move forward, and to appreciate everything I have while fully in the moment.

And guess what? The figs turned out beautifully! Seriously- that sauce is amazing- I would bathe in it if I could!

 

A meal to help pull you up by your bootstraps

It's CSA day today! And those of you who know me, know it is one of my favorite days of the week. I get very excited to see what will be in the box, and to think about what I might make. Today was my last fruit share of the season, and frankly, I'm a bit relieved. In the summer it was great, because my daughter loves fruit, and she is home to help me eat it, but there is just so much. I can't keep up by myself.

To get some idea of how much food I pick up every other Thursday, take a gander...

Isn't it beautiful?

Are you thinking of things you could make?

Well, I just want you to know, on my way to pick up my share from work, and then even after I picked it up today; I was feeling a bit melancholy. For the first time in a long time. Maybe because the sky was the color of deep gray steel. Maybe for other reasons unmentioned. But it doesn't really matter, because when I got home I still had to unload it all. So I just did.

I understand it's insensitive to tell people to just pull themselves up by their bootstraps or just power through things, so I try not to tell that to other people. But for me, if I know the way I'm feeling is temporary, it helps to tell myself that. So I just got to work right away and unpacked everything to take those pictures for you.

And then I decided what to make. Let me spoil the happy ending by telling you it turned out amazing! So I'm actually going to try to remember for you how I made it.

First- the squash. I sliced a half of a delicata squash in half again, and put a half tablespoon of butter or so in each half of the half. Still with me? That was a lot of halves.

Then I lightly salted the squash and microwaved it for 4 minutes to pre-cook it a bit, and added one slice of pre-cooked bacon to each half (I make a pound of bacon at a time in the oven and save it for other meals later). Then I sprinkled the whole deal with Penzey's Chipotole peppper, put a little bit of water in the bottom of a shallow pan and covered it with foil, and put it in the oven to cook until the rest of the meal was done. And poured myself a glass of red wine, using my aerator. Which of course makes my happy!

 

Next, I added a couple tablespoons of olive oil and one sliced onion to a hot cast iron pan on the stovetop and let it sautee for a bit.

To that, I added sliced leafy kale, three chopped pieces of bacon, two large cut-up pieces of leftover pork roast, more chiptole seasoning, a splash of red wine,  some salt, and about a tablespoon of chiptole peppers in adobo cream sauce (which is a Bobby Flay thing you can google, that I make in batches and freeze). Then I cooked it 'till it was heated through, and the kale is wilted. It was not beautiful, but it is tasted amazing- a bit sweet and smoky, with a nice level of heat! It warmed up my whole kitchen, and my insides too!

 

A good meal won't make your life perfect, but it can improve your quality of life. So here's hoping that when you have a melancholy moment that maybe something like making a meal will be just the ticket you needed to power through your day.

Things I learned (or just remembered) this weekend

My friend John, who I have known since I was a freshman in college, was down for a visit. Anyway, we hung out with some mutual friends and had a super fun weekend. Sometimes I think when you hang out with someone who knows you well, you can learn a lot about life. Such as:

Apparently, under the right conditions, I enjoy shopping. I had suspected this when I went boot shopping in Boston with my friend Tiana, but now I have proof. Pay attention now. I’m going to share the secret to enjoying shopping:

a.       Go on a nice day and shop where you can walk outside. We went to the Albertville mall. It’s easy to enjoy. You just walk until you see something you like, go in the store, check it out, and then walk outside again until you run across something else you like.

b.      Help others shop. That way, you get to see things you may not otherwise look for, and you feel brilliant and helpful when you help them find what they were looking for.

c.       Go with good company.

d.      Spot the cutest winter coat ever, while you are waiting in the check-out line, then try it on, and jump up and down with excitement when you realize it looks super cute on you.

Do not see the movie Loopers. Just don’t. While the actors do a fine job and the story line is interesting, it is very difficult to watch and it hurts your insides. Trust me. Go see a Bourne movie or something instead- even if it’s the sixth one.

When you goof up a recipe, patience is the key to making it work. I know that you are already well aware that trying to follow a recipe, for me, is challenging and requires patience and attention to begin with. So you won’t be surprised that when I went to double a batch of pancakes, I put twice again as much water as called for. I realized`this almost immediately, when the batter looked far too runny, but I didn’t want to quadruple the recipe, so I just added some more rice flour until it appeared to be the consistency of crepe batter, and hoped for the best. When I first poured it in the pan, it did not look promising. And then I was impatient to boot, and tried to get it out of the pan before it was cooked enough. It came out easily- in many pieces. But one thing about me is that I am stubborn, so I kept trying. And I discovered, completely on accident, that when I walked away from the pan and just let it cook, they started turning out WAY better. And I was much happier, just letting it be. (Plus it helps if you make an amazing sauce to serve over them NOT using a recipe. I melted some white sugar and  butter together in a pan to make a caramel base, then added 4 chopped fresh pears, a good dose of cinnamon, vanilla, and some red wine, and let it simmer on low while I made the pancakes.)

It pays to admit when you don’t know much, and you seek help. In my case, since I don’t cook a lot of meat, I had to rely on the butcher to give me advice. And guess what else I learned? Dry aged steak is amazing. I have no idea what dry aging does, but trust me on this one, it makes it good! So good, in fact, it requires only salt and pepper, and well-applied heat.  To be fair, it also makes a difference when someone who knows how to grill meat can take over the helm, while you make risotto with mushrooms and tons of finely grated parmigiano reggiano.

 

 

Now that's what I'm talking about. Yum! Turns out bacon is not the only thing keeping me from  ever wanting to be a vegetarian...

 

 

Margarita sunrises made with Cabo and Cointreau, with  fresh squeezed OJ, and lime salted rims, shaken in my new shaker, improve my quality of life. Just saying.

How to two step. One, one-two, is all it takes. Not that I’m prepared to teach anyone, but I could now scrape by in case of a two-stepping emergency.

Simple plans are the best. When the company is good, that’s all you need.

 

Case in point: taco bar + Apples to Apples+ fun interesting friends = good times. Lunch is super easy to make and keep warm in a crockpot (especially with a little help) and a game that’s easy to learn and makes everyone laugh is always a good thing. If you’re nice like me, you may have thought ahead to make an apple cake with cream cheese frosting. And you made beer and red wine available, just in case.

 

 

I am just as happy with my wine aerator today, as the day I received it as a gift. It was way too generous of a gift, but if the goal of the giver was to make me squeal with delight, it continues to work. Every time a friend comes over who hasn’t seen it (or who has, and wants red wine), I do a demo for them, and it makes this fun noise when you pour it, and it absolutely delights me.

 

Like my aerator, and my friends, always remember to appreciate what you have. I know you know this, and so do I , but we all can use a helpful reminder of this every now and again.

High hopes and squash

I love it when something you're hoping will be good, turns out great. Whether it's a day, a person, or a meal.

It was kind of cold and dreary out today, so I thought it would be good to make something that would warm up the house, and my insides. I had seen a recipe that came with my CSA veggies to make Delicata squash into a black bean and squash taco. Yeah- I know- I thought it sounded kinda weird too. But I knew I could make it smoky and spicy by changing up the ingredients, and hoped that would make it taste good. Notice I said 'hoped', not 'expected'. I think one key to happiness might just be to keep your hopes high, and your expectations realistic. That way, great things are that much greater. And not-so-great things, are just something you tried, that hopefully you learn something from so it turns out better the next time.

Also key to happiness...bacon!

So I chopped up half of one squash, an onion, a poblano pepper and sauteed it in a pan with a two cooked pieces of bacon and a little bit of bacon fat (to make it good!- bacon is like food insurance)

Once the squash is pretty tender, add the spices. I added cumin, adobo seasoning, salt, and chipotle pepper to give it some smoky heat. Then stir in one can of black beans and cook until heated through.
.

Don't worry if it doesn't look gorgeous- its the taste that matters. Plus you are going to cover it up with that pepper jack cheese you just shredded.  Stuff the heated mixture into some blue corn tortilla shells (or the yellow kind, if you prefer), and top with cheese.

And since you were a good listener, and you kept your expectations low, you might just be pleasantly surprised at how great they are. In fact, you might even go back for a third taco. Because anything is possible. (That's where the hoping part comes in!)

Here's wishing you the cool sensibility of realistic expectations and the positive energy to keep your hopes high!

Random observations of hot soup, hats, and old photographs

The kind of tired I am today is overachieving on regular kinds of tired. And yet, my late afternoon attempt at a nap after work was a fail. I have a hard time sleeping on planes anytime day or night, or in my own house when its still light out. Though, for some reason, I am able to blissfully nap in the middle of the day when I'm camping in a tent.  Go figure.

Anyhoo, when my brain is like this, I get distracted easily.

I thought it'd be best to make something easy for dinner. So, on my stove top, I put some celery and roasted onion in a pan with a little oil, until it started smelling aromatic, then I added water and salt, and some butternut squash and sweet potatoes that I had roasted earlier. I started in on my chores and let it all simmer on low.

Early into my chores, I decided I need to find a certain picture in one of my photo albums, so I opened up my travel trunk/ coffee table where I keep them, and started looking through the albums. I don't know how long I was looking- at least an hour- when I realized I had forgotten what I was looking for, so I closed the lid, and went to check on my soup.

It was interesting looking back. Here are some observations I made:

• There are not many pictures of me in my albums. Probably a combination of the fact that I generally don't like getting my picture taken, and I'm usually the one taking the pictures. 
• I was a bleach blond for only one year of my life. For some reason, I have lots of pictures of me as a blond, though I didn't necessarily look any better as a blond. So why? Maybe I just wanted evidence of my year of trying to have more fun?  :) Its a mystery to me.
• Also, in my daily life, I rarely wear hats, yet in a disproportionate number of pictures I'm wearing a hat. Sometimes a baseball cap, sometimes a floppy sun hat, sometimes a cowboy hat. What is it with me on vacation wearing hats? 
• Amanda was a really happy kid. I have many many many pictures of her looking super happy and loving life.
• I used to go camping A LOT!
• Clearly I like waterfalls. And pictures of waterfalls, the ocean, lakes, and sunsets.
• I have been on a lot of really fun trips to many beautiful and interesting places. I find this interesting because I didn't really start to go anywhere until I was in my early thirties.

I'm sorry I didn't scan any old pictures for you today, but I'm too tired to operate advanced technology like a scanner. You'll just have to trust my observations as the truth. (Or a slight exaggeration of the truth)

 

 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my soup was done. I just needed mix it on the stove top with my immersion blender, add a little more salt, and stir in a little cream. Delicious!




As I was cleaning my blender, I caught a view out my kitchen window that made me grab my camera and run out on my deck and take this picture of my back yard, looking up at the sky.

Adjustable expectations and broccoli

Another long day at the O.K Corral today. It would have been so easy to just stop at Billy's on the way home and pay someone else to cook and serve me up a burger and fries and a beer for dinner.

But today was CSA day. Usually this is something I really look forward to. This evening, however, it was a little stressful because I wasn't sure I'd make it on time to pick them up. Luckily, I barely made the last call for fruits & veggies! I hurriedly threw the beautiful squash and broccoli and boy choy and carrots and onions and Lord knows what all else, into my bag, and headed for home.

Its cold enough out tonight that I surely could have stopped anyway- its not like anything was going to wilt in my car. But I knew I had a ton of good healthy food that needed to be used, so I sucked it up and thought about what I would make. With such a huge variety of veggies,stir fry seemed like the obvious choice: fast, easy, healthy, and you get to use a very big knife to chop stuff up. I am one of these weird people who likes to chop veggies. There is something both calming about rhythmically chopping piles of vegetables, and satisfying about taking out a small bit of aggression in a controlled way.

If you were to time me making stir fry, it almost always takes about 25 minutes. I put a cup of basmati rice in the rice cooker (2 cups water or broth), and get that started first. Then I heat up my pan with some olive oil, and start chopping the thickest veggies first: carrots, and broccoli take the longest. I throw those in over medium heat, then chop a spicy radish, half an onion, and two small bell peppers, and add them to the pan. I add some salt, Bangkok seasoning blend, and some tamari and let everything steam a little. Then stir it, and taste it, and add more salt and spice blend to taste.

See? Super easy and nummy! It just happens to work out that the rice and the stir fry are done perfectly at the same time. It gets a little more complicated when you add meat, and takes about an extra 10 minutes. If I had any thawed out tonight, I would have added chicken.

The best part is that now instead of feeling overly full from meat and beer, I feel good, and now I have plenty of leftovers to bring for lunch tomorrow! I'm so glad I pushed through the temptation to pull myself up to the bar in favor of doing something I enjoy and that makes me feel better.

Though honestly, I have to admit that if I had gone to the bar and ordered my burger, I'd probably be just as happy with the outcome. Which makes me glad that I apparently am, by and large, a glass-half-full kind of gal. No matter if you fill it with beer or wine or good tequila, I'll adjust with a smile.

 

Here's wishing you an evening of being waited on, or the ability to happily adjust your expectations. Cheers!

A short reflection on beets and the good life

Long busy day of hard work and reflection. My mind is full.

So I was super hungry when I got home. Luckily, I had roasted some golden beets from my CSA last night, so I was prepared. I quickly threw a small GF spinach and goat cheese pizza in the oven, while I made this beet salad (saving half for lunch tomorrow):

 

3 peeled diced roasted beets, a few tablespoons of feta cheese and roughly chopped walnuts, salt and pepper to taste. It was super easy and really good.  That, plus the pizza , and a small glass of pinot grigio, really hit the spot.

 

 

And now it’s time to change out of my work clothes and relax.  Life is good.