tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66106678653824516612024-03-05T01:47:15.336-08:00The Salty PearMina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-52531309646203028702014-04-14T13:42:00.000-07:002014-04-15T08:08:41.892-07:00Dear Self, Twenty Years Ago<div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Last weekend I celebrated my birthday. When all the eating and drinking and cake and story telling were over I found myself looking at a photo an old friend had sentme as a birthday card. On the left side, the two of us, no more than six or seven years old, politely smiling to the camera. On the right side, another of us laughing at a party a few weeks ago. Her note read: you're still taller. I found myself looking through more albums and thinking back to how it felt to be at each age, oblivious of what's yet to come, or what will fade with time. One photo struck me especially. In it I gaze admiringly at my mom and her friend, who at the time the photo was taken were not too far from my age today. How grown up and settled people look from a 7-year-old-kid's-eye-view. I wonder what 7-year-old me would have thought of this me, here today. I wonder if the grown ups of my childhood felt as I do now: always on the cusp of something... but what?</span><br>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dear Self, Twenty Years Ago</span><br>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Drink Water and floss. Habits form harder with every year that passes. Keep your journals in one place. Some years from now you'll find yourself craving a look at things you only partially remember and it would be nice to find them then. Your kid sister will grow to remember every time you stuck up for her and it will make you proud. Keep doing that, and do it even better if you can. Call grandma every week and let her tell you all the stories of her heart. She will be the first to go. In a few years you will have to leave the world as you know it and start all over somewhere new. Write down the names and numbers and mailing addresses of the friends you love the most. It is difficult to find people from half way across the world.</span><br>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sometimes it's hard to stir the pot but you still have to do it. Say what's on your mind even if you think it will get you in trouble. Let those around you grow by dealing with your feelings and ideas. Trying to protect people is sometimes selfish. Being unsure is not the same as being wrong. Being alone is not the same as being lonely. And there's more to every story. </span><br>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You're one of the lucky ones who will always have a loving home to fall back on. Learn to give back and feel less guilty about what you receive. Those fortresses you build out of the books you stay up reading will grow bigger and stronger. At times you will use them to escape but every time you will emerge stronger. You know that big guitar you carry everywhere, that's as tall as you are? Don't put it down. Music will be your solace.</span><br>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Love will not be easy. You will find yourself heart-broken and defeated one day and you'll wonder how something you worked so hard for could slip through your fingers. Then you will slowly see that not every challenge is one you deserve to win, and in loss you will learn a different kind of love: one for the time and effort spent, memories had, and lessons learned. Once you shed your anger you will find beauty even in what is lost. Those who nurse your broken heart and help you build yourself again will Teach you the art of true friendship. You'll bake them lots of cookies and cook them many dinners. They'll remind you that there is no shame in failing, and as you fall asleep on their couches you'll know they meant it.</span><br>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Good butter, good coffee, and sharp knives. Don't buy what you can make, and for god's sake write down your recipes. And remember, sometimes you have to do the thing first and worry about explaining it later.</span><br>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The recipe I'm attaching to this post is for cream puffs. They were my favorite treat as a kid, and I still love them today. The recipe is simple but precise. So read it through once before you begin. Bon chance!</span><br>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><em style="font-style: normal;">Pâte</em> à C<em style="font-style: normal;">houx</em></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><u>Ingredients</u></em></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><em style="font-style: normal;">1/2 C water</em></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><em style="font-style: normal;">1/4 C unsalted butter</em></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><em style="font-style: normal;">pinch of salt</em></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">2 tsp sugar</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><em style="font-style: normal;">1/2 C all purpose flour</em></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><em style="font-style: normal;">2 eggs</em></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">2 tbsp icing sugar</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><b>Heat</b> water, salt, sugar, and butter in a small pan until butter melts. bring just to a boil and remove from heat, so as not to boil off the liquid. </em></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><b>Stir in the flour</b> and mix well until no lumps appear. Then return to heat for no more than two minutes, cooking the dough while turning it with the wooden spoon. Move quickly to avoid too much exposure to heat on any one one side of the dough. The result should look like a ball of smooth mashed potato.</em></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><b>Transfer</b> to a mixing bowl and let sit for 5 minutes and cool down. Then crack eggs in one at a time, mixing well with spoon or spatula, until you have a looser, yellowy, and smooth batter that just falls off the spoon. </em></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Fill a piping bag </b>with this mixture and pipe circles on a parchment lined baking sheet. Each circle should be between two and three inches in diameter and about an inch in height. Smooth any pointy tips with a wet finger and bake for 20-30 minutes or until substantially risen and golden. When done, these babies are super light and if you tap them they sound very hollow. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>While they bake,</b> you can whip the cream with the sugar until it is firm and fluffy (but don't overdo it and make sweet vanilla butter) and fill a second piping bag. I use a long skinny piping tip for this and you will see why in the next step. Chill the cream in the piping bag until the shells have cooled completely. In fact you can assemble the cream puffs up to a day later if that's what you'd like.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Assembly</b> will present you with two options: 1. Using a sharp serrated knife, slice each puff open and pipe a turban of cream in the middle. Then place other half on top and serve as little cream puff sandwiches. 2. Flip each puff and poke the bottom with your long metal piping tip and squeeze some filling inside until the cream puff feels heavier. I use the second method because I find it less messy and easier to eat. Should you want to make a little chocolate ganache, you could always dip the tops for a little extra excitement but powdered sugar will also dress these airy treats adorably. Serve with a pint of berries and you're done. </span></div>
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Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-16973452401225580032014-02-04T12:09:00.001-08:002014-02-04T12:09:23.904-08:00Renewing My Vows<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There's an old folk tale about an old man with a long white beard. One day his friend asks him if in bed he keeps his beard under or over the covers. He can't seem to remember so he decides to check. In bed that night he tries it over, but it feels wrong. He goes for under, and he feels strange. He stays up like this all night cursing the question that got him in this mess. In the morning his friend asks if he has the answer and the old man says no, and I don't even know who I am.<br />
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This blog has been one my favorite adventures ever, and my absence for a while is what makes me think of the old man's beard. When I went back to school last year after a leave of absence I knew I needed to change my thesis topic. When I changed my topic to food, writing, and hunger, I had no idea it would interfere with the most pertinent activity in my life. I should have thought of that I guess. It's like when medical students develop acute hypochondria. I've been reading so much theory about food and eating and blogs and I think inadvertently I've been plugging myself into every idea wondering if I cook like that or think like that or write for that reason. It sounds trivial but trust me being so self-conscious like that makes it hard to write. It's not something they mention much in academia. I feel in so many cases, people write about topics so distant from their own experiences that they don't face this predicament. It's a shame because I think it's a good one. It makes me try harder not to force a line-of-best-fit through thousands of individual examples just for the sake of making a neat argument to present to my supervisor. Sure it's a slower process but I wouldn't want it any other way.<br />
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Maybe in another post I'll write more about just what it is I'm starting to understand about what we do when we write about food, but for now I'd just like to find a way back into the stream of my own food narrative. I'm starting to think of this last pause not as lost time but rather a necessary beat where I gained some insight and found in spite of my new critical perspective that I am still as thrilled as ever to be writing right here, about food and all my other hungers.<br />
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Of course I've still been cooking and eating and feeding people, so there will be no shortage of stories to tell and recipes to share. This one seems especially appropriate with all this talk of renewal and return. It's a salty pear after all; not the inaugural salty pear of so many years ago but a new one, lovingly poached in pear juice and white wine with mulling spices and served with chopped pecans and salted caramel. It goes really well with bourbon and it's up to you to decide how you'd like to use that information... <br />
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<b>Recipe</b><br />
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<b>For Pears</b><br />
2 Ripe Bosc or Anjou pears peeled and cored<br />
1 C Pear juice (I got a juices for Christmas so I juiced a few but you can use nectar or another fruit juice)<br />
1.5 C Riesling (or white wine you have open)<br />
2 tbsp brown sugar or honey<br />
mulling spices (I used a stick of cinnamon, clove, star anise, 1/4 vanilla bean, and dry Orange slices)<br />
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<b>For topping</b><br />
1/4 cup chopped roasted pecans<br />
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<b>For Caramel</b><br />
(<a href="http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/kelsey-nixon/salted-caramel-sauce.html">Recipe here</a>)<br />
1 C Sugar<br />
1/4 C Water<br />
3/4 C Cream<br />
3 1/2 tbsp unslated butter<br />
pinch of your good salt<br />
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<b>Peel and core</b> the pears using a vegetable peeler or paring knife and a melon-baller. Cut the base of each pear slightly. This will allow them to stand.<br />
<br />
<b>Combine the rest</b> of the ingredients in the smallest saucepan that fits your two pears and bring everything to medium heat. Cover pears and simmer for 15 minutes making sure not to boil them rapidly as they will split and lose their lovely shape. Test with a toothpick to see if desired softness is achieved. Remove pears gently and serve warm or cold with chopped nuts and the salted caramel sauce or reduce the cooking liquid with an extra few tablespoons of honey, strain, and use in place of caramel. An extra flake or two of coarse salt? Maybe... <br />
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<br />Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-67726653841199981102013-07-03T19:26:00.001-07:002013-07-03T20:10:00.870-07:00In Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">The first time I tried to make Bolognese I nearly broke into tears. I was cooking for six: a few of them I knew well but the others weren't close friends of mine and the whole day at work I was going through ideas of what to cook in my head. By the time I left work I had gone through at least ten ideas in my mind, ruling out each for a different reason: this one would take too long, that one would make the whole apartment smell like fish, another needed so much cooling and assembling, and what if they didn't like sharp cheese? Then I got this lovely image in my head of serving a beautiful fresh pasta with one simple and gorgeous sauce, a bowl of arugula and crusty bread. Everyone would drink lots of red wine and we'd have cheese for dessert and it would be like one of those underexposed rustic Bon Appetit editorial spreads called Rustico Italiano. Two hours later, my whole life covered in flour, I realized I had no wine at home. My Bolognese, which I started making way too late, because I was compulsively changing outfits for a half hour while everything sat in grocery bags on my kitchen table, was runny and not deep red and fragrant and effortlessly brilliant like I had imagined. to say I was flustered would be an understatement. I turned the burner way down and jumped in my car to go to the liquor store and when I got back I smelled the gas and realized that the wind had blown the flame out; ergo, sauce was soupy and apartment smelled like... gas. I frantically tried to get the gas smell out and i turned up the burner to help my godforsaken sauce along and while I emptied the dishwasher and tried to think of a record to put on, there was another smell: Burnt sauce.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">This happened years ago.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">Now I know that when sauce starts to burn you turn off the heat and transfer the sauce as swiftly as you can, and whatever you do, you do not stir the pot. Now I also know not to entertain people I don't really like. That night when I smelled the burning meat i quickly stirred, in disbelief, and mixed the black burnt meat into the sauce rendering it completely unsalvageable. I also overcooked my pasta and broke two wine glasses.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">I didn't give up on bolognese, though. I tried again and again and I'm not exactly sure at what point over the years this happened, but I can do it now. Here is the thing with repetition: while you repeat that dish, time passes, and as time passes you learn so many things. I now know how to tell good meat from bad, I prefer smaller onions, I know when meat has browned enough, and I know exactly who to share my food with. These days I don't try to stage romantic magazine dinners anymore, but I do make big bowls of pasta and pots of Bolognese that I eat with my favorite person and we soak up the extra sauce with chunks of bread and do the crossword at the dinner table. We even dip right into the pot sometimes. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">I don't know if you have a Bolognese recipe that you like, I hope you do and I hope it took you many years to get to it, but if you need a little help along the way, here is mine. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"><b>Bolognese Sauce</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 Pound ground beef (my butcher gives me what he calls lean but he winks when he says lean so It's probably medium)</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 smallish medium onions- chopped finely or grated </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">2 cloves garlic (minced)</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1 can best tomatoes (pulverized)</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1/3 c tomato paste </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1/3 c red wine</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1 c stock</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">dry basil and oregano</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">salt and pepper</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><b>Brown the meat</b> in a few tablespoons of oil and season with salt, pepper, and herbs. Add onion and cook together until onion is translucent and everything is mixing up. Add tomato paste and cook for another few minutes. In go tomatoes with juice, garlic and wine.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b>Finally, add</b> a cup of stock and one cup water and simmer covered for one hour. Taste and season as you go. Uncover and cook on low until you like the consistency. Serve to your favorite person, with your favorite pasta and grated parmigiana, and if it's terrible... try again.</span><span style="color: #222222;"> </span></span><br />
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Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-81959449309601137032013-03-12T18:51:00.000-07:002013-03-21T08:45:44.472-07:00At this Very Moment<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">I work on the upper floor of
the library by the windows facing south east. There have been days when I've
been there from early morning until after sunset: reading, writing, or failing
to do either. From up there I see the rooftops of so many houses and buildings.
Some are arched, some pointed, some flat. I see churches, schools, chimneys,
and far in the horizon even the lake. Working at the library isn't easy. It's a public place and the fluorescent stale feel of it can be alienating. Sometimes when I feel fear and doubt creeping in I look away from the blinking
curser on the screen and out of the window and imagine that it is a different
city I'm looking at. </span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">On clear sunny days I focus on the churches and look at
the blue line of the lake and imagine that this is <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6610667865382451661" name="_GoBack"></a>somewhere
in Italy. I look at people on bicycles and give them names like Francesca and
Luigi. On rainy days I let my eyes hover unfocused in the few inches of fog
that blur the tree tops and the pointed tips of some of the Tudor and Victorian
buildings. This is London. The tops of the umbrellas move in small
congregations of bright coloured circles and headlights double in puddles. When
it snows and everyone down below has to deal with dirty slush on streets I am
the lucky birds-eye daydreamer thinking of St Petersbourg. I listen at the tip
of the hour for the University bell tower and imagine the snow covered domes of
the church of Isidor and Nicholas: Ladies with fur collars and sun blocked by
the snow clouds. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I don't seek escape in this. It is not a lack of love for my city or my life in its present place and time that I let my mind wander to places far away. It's something else. I think I find a humbling comfort in imagining so many lives in so many other places simultaneously existing and unfolding, each with its own sorrows and joys, hopes and desires, secrets and woes. When my sister was a child, my Dad would drive her crazy with a phrase he always offered when she was unhappy with something. Her tooth would be aching and he would say "do you know at this very moment how many children in how many different places in the world have toothaches?" Maybe back then her four-year-old heart found no comfort in that thought, but here I am, years later finding some relief in all the singularly significant features of all of those lives that my imaginary landscapes allow me even for just a moment to think about.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The recipe that follows is for a dish whose playful name will surely invoke the exotic for some, while it's humble origins and ingredients have for years brought simple comfort to many others. It takes some time to prepare but the depth of flavour achieved from layering all of these wonderful vegetables will add up to something bigger than their sum. You have my word. Just do me a favour: while you make it imagine how many people around the world are making ratatouille...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Ratatouille</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">2 stalks of Celery </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">2 small carrots</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">1 onion</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">2 red bell peppers (roasted, deseeded, skinned, and chopped)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">1 can Crushed tomatoes</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">1 clove Garlic</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">2 aubergines </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">1 green zucchini</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">1 yellow zucchini</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">2 firm roma tomatoes</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">salt to taste</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">pepper to taste</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbes_de_Provence">herbs de Provence</a> to taste (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">savory, fennel, basil, thyme, and lavender)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Finely dice celery</b>, carrot, and onion and saute until soft and coloured. Add finely chopped garlic and cook another minute. Add the chopped red pepper that you have roasted (on flame or in oven), deseeded, and skinned. Add the can of crushed tomatoes, season to taste, and bring everything to a boil. Simmer some of the liquid off and process using a hand blender or potato masher to get an even and slightly bumpy red sauce. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>In the mean time</b> slice the chinese eggplant (aubergine), zucchini, and tomato into thin rounds (as thin as you can mange without cutting yourself- or use a mandoline if you have one). If you have a sister around tell (or ask) her to do this part. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>In a cast iron</b> pan or baking dish a few inches deep, spread a healthy layer of red sauce and begin arranging the vegetables in concentric circles starting from the outside. Alternate between the vegetables, though not obsessively because that would take ages. Try to pack them in really tightly and only slightly tilted (almost standing right up in the sauce) because they will shrink as the liquids in them cook out. Season with salt and pepper as you go. Fill any gaps with extra vegetable rounds or red sauce.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Mix some </b>Herbs de Provence with a few tablespoons of olive oil and pour over the top when you're done.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Cover with foil</b> and cook in a 300 degree oven for 2 hours. Uncover and cook for another half hour in a slightly hotter oven and you're good to go. It makes a good vegetarian dish with bread or potato, but we love it most as a steaming side scoop to a roasted chicken. </span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-68692609924561208542013-01-23T17:34:00.001-08:002013-01-23T21:09:19.098-08:00Winter Mornings, Subtle Distinctions, Soufflé.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tWdLY2K7hc3Fk7hvAH5ua6V6jRUoo0B7fAYxlrYtnHHqRznjxjRpFQO1z3TJMPaE_gYrhxKNd-KX4UlfsMleVU4e5fH1g83SxPHLMOrlBAZSWpr47Aqq_EGdhM10j99MfVQHnWOWwsE/s1600/p1hoto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tWdLY2K7hc3Fk7hvAH5ua6V6jRUoo0B7fAYxlrYtnHHqRznjxjRpFQO1z3TJMPaE_gYrhxKNd-KX4UlfsMleVU4e5fH1g83SxPHLMOrlBAZSWpr47Aqq_EGdhM10j99MfVQHnWOWwsE/s400/p1hoto.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">"Delight
in diligence / Watch
over your mind"</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">I come to
write here for a number of reasons today. The first few are predictable. They have to do with my love of words, my passion for feeding myself and others, my
fascination with the science and mystery of food, and the joy in feeling -even
if briefly- connected to like-hearted wanderers in the vast unknown freeways of
this virtual world. But a little further down the list, hiding timidly behind
other reasons, is an equally important one that I feel I should explore: put
simply, it is a need to get my hands back into something I know I have done
successfully in the past. I wrote that last sentence and paused to look at it. My mind wanders.</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Another
writing project has been weighing somewhat heavily on my heart and mind for some time
now, it is no secret. My master's thesis has been testing my strength and ability and passion; it's true. But for a moment last night
while I lay in bed, in that gentle and brief time between thought and sleep, I
wondered if I have let the insecurities and doubts of my academic self penetrate the rest of me. The mind needs attention -as strange as that sounds- not to let one thing bleed into another. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">I feel a bit more tentative, a bit more apologetic
these days and I don't like it. This morning while I was drinking my coffee and
looking out at the muffled, snow covered street, I thought about these fine and
delicate separations: between prudent and afraid, pensive and withdrawn,
ambitious and self-deprecating. I've decided to to pay more attention to these subtle
distinctions, as they almost seem to prevail much more in my life than those
stark dichotomies that are easier to notice. They seem just as
important, if not more. After all, the difference between luscious whipped cream and
butter lies in only a few extra shakes.</span><br />
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTThnme3H5khpdaUe8mSZkjSUJrcv6wVIh6O6nB4BKWIQx9iCynfCR_ixJ3l4hXpoIoECoipI0hGjntiwurzqK8PSaobogUVMEWhuyBnMUhrjQFnv6NNAKauGzLOT6nifP_aK37nBd0RQ/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTThnme3H5khpdaUe8mSZkjSUJrcv6wVIh6O6nB4BKWIQx9iCynfCR_ixJ3l4hXpoIoECoipI0hGjntiwurzqK8PSaobogUVMEWhuyBnMUhrjQFnv6NNAKauGzLOT6nifP_aK37nBd0RQ/s400/photo.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">The
recipe I am attaching to this post is here because it is the breakfast I make
myself on such slow and introspective mornings when I have the luxury to spend
time in my favorite room in the house and cook and eat and think in the blue
light. Also because anyone who has tried to make a good souffl</span><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">é</span><span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> appreciates the importance of recognizing the fine line
between perfectly enough, and too much. The same action that assures the airy
height of a souffl</span><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">é</span><span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">, in excess, can cause it's
downfall. The cook needs no special skill or equipment, but only to pay close
and loving attention.</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<b><span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Pineapple
Souffl</span><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">é</span></b></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">(for two)</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">2 tbsp
butter</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">2 tbsp
flour</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">100g
pineapple juice </span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">50g
finely chopped pineapple flesh</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">4 eggs
(separated)</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">2tsp
caster sugar</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">butter
and sugar for ramekins</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">icing
sugar for garnish</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><b>Preheat</b>
the oven to 175/350 degrees</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><b>Prepare</b>
two medium ramekins by spreading butter and sprinkling sugar on the insides.</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><b>Melt
butter</b> over medium heat and add flour and stir for a minute. Do not brown the
flour. Add juice and pineapple flesh and stir for a few minutes letting small
bubbles form. Remove from heat and add egg yolks, whisking them in one by one.
Add sugar and whisk until smooth. Leave off heat to cool for a few minutes.</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><b>Meanwhile</b>
beat egg whites with a dash of caster sugar until stiff peaks form but not
more. Over-beating the egg whites will reduce their ability to lift the souffl</span><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">é</span><span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">. </span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><b>Fold
egg </b>whites into the pineapple mixture in three additions. Make sure to do this
in a large enough bowl. The first addition should be mixed thoroughly to
lighten the colour and consistency of the batter. The next two additions should
be gently folded to leave white streaks, using a spatula. Over-mixing at this
stage will be to your detriment. Trust yourself to do it in a few strokes and
resist over-doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><b>Fill
ramekins</b> almost to the rim, but not quite. </span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><b>Bake</b> for
approximately 20 minutes, or until the souffl</span><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">é</span><span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">
has doubled in height and is beginning to gain some colour on the edges. </span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><b>Dust</b> with
powdered sugar and serve immediately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="en-CA" style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: #0400; mso-bidi-language: X-NONE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: #0400;"></span></div>
Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-56061414920262810882012-09-19T09:12:00.000-07:002012-09-19T09:15:08.628-07:00Mimesis and Midnight Chocolate Cake<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLeUxwKEWZe9DO1OEkzBdUpPLhA-LzCN3bf1OhXUDkz2fl18AdTld06uhpSxjjLm-lVYHWbt4CiPP7-6iwbxUAqvlB_1783GzEKnTh0uHKoJ9PgVE5hpOslHHIy2GO1hRv1USJ2E3zQzo/s1600/Annex+-+Chaplin,+Charlie_NRFPT_13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLeUxwKEWZe9DO1OEkzBdUpPLhA-LzCN3bf1OhXUDkz2fl18AdTld06uhpSxjjLm-lVYHWbt4CiPP7-6iwbxUAqvlB_1783GzEKnTh0uHKoJ9PgVE5hpOslHHIy2GO1hRv1USJ2E3zQzo/s400/Annex+-+Chaplin,+Charlie_NRFPT_13.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br />
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">I read
somewhere that Charlie Chaplin once entered a Charlie Chaplin impersonation
contest and did not win. I don't know if this story is true but I like it.
Something funny happens when we <i>try </i>to be ourselves. Now the Chaplin situation
is more complicated I know. He would be impersonating an act, but still. I think
about how complicated that could get, and my mind wanders. He would be
competing against impersonators who have obsessively "perfected" their
outfits, make up, acts... Did their immaculate re-enactments of his</span><span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> work make him uneasy? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Did he overdo it or was he too casual? did he get out-Chaplined by the mimics? </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQo9nXQ37o3hpS49ASPHEpcqe4OHlIz7prUHAhbNez9wk2VshsvEDXivE1b5hyphenhyphen99jlHFKbIPWos5fT1T2GXJ7ZHcZbdryzHm_qoh2uauXkuEe_DZbvGj51rfQYVnEaXwteqyB449iWkM/s1600/chocolateredwinecakesaltypear2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQo9nXQ37o3hpS49ASPHEpcqe4OHlIz7prUHAhbNez9wk2VshsvEDXivE1b5hyphenhyphen99jlHFKbIPWos5fT1T2GXJ7ZHcZbdryzHm_qoh2uauXkuEe_DZbvGj51rfQYVnEaXwteqyB449iWkM/s400/chocolateredwinecakesaltypear2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br />
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Then I think about how strangely we sometimes act when our awareness of ourselves is
heightened for some reason. I've struggled to explain this before. I still find
it hard to articulate how easy it is to turn into an imitation of
yourself when you are in fact aiming for the opposite. It's almost as if when you try to
isolate whatever it is that you are, in order to be it, you</span><span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> interrupt the flow of the process of being. I've
caught myself in such moments before. I don't like the feeling. It's like wearing wet jeans. </span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">A few weeks
ago when Steve was coming to visit me in my little town for a few days I started
thinking about this. Just before he got there I looked around me and wondered
what my life looks like; what I look like in it. But I quickly distracted myself
to help the moment pass for fear of ending up in that hyper-self-conscious
state of awkward and anxious mimicry. At midnight Steve told me he was really craving chocolate and I said I'd bake a chocolate cake with the rest of our bottle of red wine. </span><br />
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">-Right
now?</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">-Right
now. </span><br />
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">And as we ate
our chocolate cake with spoonfuls of whipped cream from a mason jar at two in
the morning whilst discussing faith or religion or rationality or god knows what, I thought: If we ever have to audition as ourselves, we should do
this scene. I'm pretty certain no one else's rendition could even come close.</span><br />
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> </span><span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> </span></div>
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</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMK5b58DtJVTFxeSVZhYbbo3QYiCFp8DKE4NLLjoojhCmNsU8Hu0GjmymPUZM4_RmLdRqi_dM2FN_A8fJhPCdVpRBgzG4WB7hQ4RjHyO2iUyJ3dS2w-19-GfdfXz5myFwbfqNzASbgO4/s1600/chocolateredwinecakesaltypear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMK5b58DtJVTFxeSVZhYbbo3QYiCFp8DKE4NLLjoojhCmNsU8Hu0GjmymPUZM4_RmLdRqi_dM2FN_A8fJhPCdVpRBgzG4WB7hQ4RjHyO2iUyJ3dS2w-19-GfdfXz5myFwbfqNzASbgO4/s400/chocolateredwinecakesaltypear.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<b><span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Chocolate
Red Wine Cake </span></b><br />
(bake this cake when someone craves it, for it does not keep well.)</div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">6
tablespoons soft unsalted butter</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">3/4 cup
firmly packed dark brown sugar</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">1/4 cup</span><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> white granulated sugar</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">1 large
egg + 1 large egg yolk</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">3/4 cup
red wine (we used chianti)</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">1
teaspoon</span><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">good vanilla</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">1 cup + 1
tablespoon all-purpose flour</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">1/2 cup
good cocoa powder</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">1/8
teaspoon baking soda</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">1/2
teaspoon baking powder</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">1/4
teaspoon sea salt</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">1/4
teaspoon ground cinnamon </span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><b>Preheat
the</b> oven to 325</span><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">°</span><span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">F. Line the bottom of a medim
round cake pan with parchment paper, and grease the sides.</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><b>In a large bowl,</b> using an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the
sugars and mix until fluffy: 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and yolk and mix well. Then add the red wine and vanilla. The batter will look a little strange but that's fine</span><span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">. </span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><b>Sift the flour</b>, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and
salt together, right over your wet ingredients. Mix until 3/4 combined, then
fold the rest together with a rubber spatula. Spread batter in pan. </span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><b>Bake 30 minutes</b>, or until a cake tester inserted into the center
comes out clean. Cool in pan on a rack for about 10 minutes, then flip out of pan
and cool the rest of the way on a cooling rack. Dust with powdered sugar and eat with whipped cream. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-65739581675665359052012-06-27T17:17:00.001-07:002012-09-19T09:14:41.956-07:00The Charm in Beginnings-Hi! There's music at the bottom of this post, just in case you wanna press play before you read-<br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xcqghhFCDYxequWxh3bBESSEi1ph3Ube21pyMjYrR0YZNSPM0Jg_ffxKJqKiyqzt56icStgMACb0jYCD-K6DUoCVy6pOajj2V_pNPileYtmNyRSuTl0uURMH0MJdDKjplYbS1o2svgE/s1600/IMG_7979%5B1%5D.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xcqghhFCDYxequWxh3bBESSEi1ph3Ube21pyMjYrR0YZNSPM0Jg_ffxKJqKiyqzt56icStgMACb0jYCD-K6DUoCVy6pOajj2V_pNPileYtmNyRSuTl0uURMH0MJdDKjplYbS1o2svgE/s400/IMG_7979%5B1%5D.JPG" width="400" /></a> <br />
I was fixing my flat tire just off the trail near the university the other day and saw the procession of enrobed graduates walking in a distracted queue toward the convocation space; high heels poking holes in the grass and tassels hanging off the sides of serial manufactured graduation caps. The caps that no one outside of the movies can even keep on their heads, let alone throw up into the air in excitement (for in real life there is wind, and you never have a bobby pin when you need it). Anyway it got me thinking about all the similar ceremonies I have attended in said ill-fitting attire. Elementary, middle school, high school, university... there may even be another one on the horizon soon. As I changed my tube with the happy grads in my peripheral, I tried to remember: I'm sure there were speeches, I'm sure my parents were there... I'm sure I wore dresses, maybe even heels, but I really couldn't remember the details. I figure for most of us it's an awkward moment anyway... I mean, if what you do is anything like what I do, graduating usually signifies the following: Your funding is going to stop, your loans are going to start accumulating interest, your part-time job is now your full-time job (and yes it's the same job), your membership at the amazing library where you do most of your actual learning is going to be revoked, your ideas are still only partly developed, and you no longer have access to the brains of the awesome people who get paid to sit there while you're wide-eyed and under-slept and freaking out about "how amazing that sentence really is". Did I mention the point about library access?</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPubN6AMsjqzd8kSzBpH2dm7lkxWcwVSakQVGi4bge5FhJX7B7ycOltwRlNTu4D3K28Rz-DRqS6la5yQO35zAY3TvVjgBcmqOYLuX7mFWPYGeVhrurIh7Y8LKoLwi85GxZAcsr2XkY2Hs/s1600/IMG_7980%5B1%5D.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPubN6AMsjqzd8kSzBpH2dm7lkxWcwVSakQVGi4bge5FhJX7B7ycOltwRlNTu4D3K28Rz-DRqS6la5yQO35zAY3TvVjgBcmqOYLuX7mFWPYGeVhrurIh7Y8LKoLwi85GxZAcsr2XkY2Hs/s400/IMG_7980%5B1%5D.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Jokes aside, though, I think I have more visceral memories of the first days of all the aforementioned experiences than I do of their respective graduations. I'm not sure if this speaks to my particular temperament or some kind of experience that is shared, but just to stay on the safe side (avoid sweeping generalizations: i learned that in school) lets say it's just me. I think I prefer beginnings. I think the vulnerability and excitement of the forward peek is more memorable than the retrospective gaze at the end. So on that note (kind of), here are some of the more memorable breakfasts of the last few weeks. Not just because breakfast constitutes a beginning, but also because I think above all I value making every day important. Because graduation may never come, I guess, and it would be a shame not to have celebrated a little every day. </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio99drTa9CtTchRm3EYK1o4FS0qFUMCQKoRI7utDVnPGrrT48jOFDMrbYoX4CGwEFYLe085RszNBl2EvXIEDSbpkBCdGOYfniw1ZqHlJr5n5_-j1uJ4mlVhJVz5VBN-okBISCFUToJwcA/s1600/IMG_7983%5B1%5D.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio99drTa9CtTchRm3EYK1o4FS0qFUMCQKoRI7utDVnPGrrT48jOFDMrbYoX4CGwEFYLe085RszNBl2EvXIEDSbpkBCdGOYfniw1ZqHlJr5n5_-j1uJ4mlVhJVz5VBN-okBISCFUToJwcA/s400/IMG_7983%5B1%5D.JPG" title="" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<b>Blueberry-Bran-</b><b>Yogurt </b><b>Breakfast Muffins</b> </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
1 2/3C plain or vanilla or berry yogurt </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
2 tsp baking soda </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
3/4C brown sugar </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
2 eggs </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
1/2 cup oil or melted butter </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
1/2 c applesauce </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
a little bit of vanilla </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
lemon zest (of like half a lemon)</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
2C bran </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
2C whole wheat flour </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
4tsp baking powder </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
pinch of salt </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
1C or more fresh or frozen blueberries </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<b>Preheat</b> over to 350 degrees and line your muffin sheets with muffin cups or grease. </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<b>Mix yogurt</b> and baking soda. Let sit while you mix everything else. it will bubble! That's totally fine. This will make your muffins spongy and airy and awesome. In a separate bowl, mix sugar, eggs, oil, applesauce, vanilla and zest. Add bran and mix well. </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<b>Whisk</b> flour, salt, and baking soda in yet another separate bowl. </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<b>Add the yogurt</b> mixture to the egg mixture and mix well. Gradually mix in the flour until a you have a uniform batter. </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<b>Fold in berries</b>, scoop, bake 20-30minutes or until a sharp knife inserted in the centre of muffins comes out clean. </div>
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(these muffins are moist so if you're keeping them around, refrigerate them. You can brush the tops with milk and pop them in the oven for a few minutes and they're like fresh.) </div>
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<b>Poached/Fried Eggs over bitter greens with spring asparagus</b> </div>
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2 good eggs (look at the colour of those yolks)</div>
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a bunch of rappini </div>
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some asparagus </div>
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<b>Discard</b> the bottom few inches of both rapini and asparagus stalks. </div>
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<b>Bring a shallow</b> pan of salted water to a boil and have an bowl of ice water ready near by. Cook rapini and asparagus for 4-5 minutes. Then drain and submerge in cold water immediately. Allow to cool for a few minutes and drain again.</div>
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<b>Poach or fry</b> eggs to your desired doneness. I like my yolks runny over these greens, personally. Sauté the greens in a little bit of olive oil to warm them up. Place eggs on top. Season to taste. Want some toast? Up to you. And coffee, probably.</div>
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<b>NOTA BENE- </b> here's another kind of beginning: my friend Jos Fortin
recently released his debut album, Typewriter, which is so so charming. Have a listen, you'll agree! My favorite track is King Midas at the moment. The whole record just makes me smile. In fact, it's a great wake-up-and make-breakfast album I think... <br />
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="410" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=4207386492/size=grande3/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" style="display: block; height: 410px; position: relative; width: 300px;" width="300">&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://josfortin.bandcamp.com/album/typewriter"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;typewriter by Jos. Fortin&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;</iframe><br />
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Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-36565670532356418952012-05-15T21:49:00.001-07:002012-05-15T22:17:58.024-07:00In Praise of Uncertainty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYk_LyYZCte_WdNEFsJxfwwznMoVPRxhMLMSnAc0WsDifhWeeAJaIKcn-BJ-YX5px3-osqPLP1pRkkt45KYQd9vQ-Ii30C9_VUtN7lMN3kVRs07KUYS8oMUnDIIvmSsrYFgifO9s59K68/s1600/IMG_6332%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYk_LyYZCte_WdNEFsJxfwwznMoVPRxhMLMSnAc0WsDifhWeeAJaIKcn-BJ-YX5px3-osqPLP1pRkkt45KYQd9vQ-Ii30C9_VUtN7lMN3kVRs07KUYS8oMUnDIIvmSsrYFgifO9s59K68/s400/IMG_6332%5B1%5D.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In quantum mechanics there is an assertion that the more precisely the position of a particle is determined, the less precisely its momentum can be known, and vice-versa. Then there is the "observer effect", which notes that measurements of certain systems cannot be made, without
affecting the systems. Now I know we don't live at the quantum level, we are bigger; but here in my tiny kitchen tonight, with the permeating smell of the yeasty dough that is fermenting in the corner, I find comfort in equations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I know this will not be an easy topic to agree on. Some things exist in
such an array of variations that it is almost futile to even aspire to
agree, but in this case that may in fact be totally apropos. By "this case", of course, I mean the case of uncertainty. So much of what we do seems to be in an effort to eliminate as much uncertainty from our lives as possible. We have been taught to find comfort in knowing, in mastering the possibilities, in making informed and secure decisions. We have entire careers dedicated to managing risk, maximizing efficiency, narrowing possibilities. We have formulas, weapons, armies, guarantees. <i>This particular result, or your money back. </i>But here from my little kitchen in my little town I'm writing to you in defense of something that we may have over-antagonized.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Lets shrink back to the quantum level again, for the sake of argument. The observer's presence effects the system being observed, and therefore the system's parameters become impossible to determine with exactitude. Is this not lovely? The system is marked by its observer, and by extension, the observer by his system. Am I the only one who finds poetry in that? I see this everywhere. I water the seeds I've planted in my little herb box and notice the chives peaking out and not the sage. I kneed the same dough that refused to rise last week, and which today is elastic and fecund. I write pages of a thesis that may never be completed or defended, edit poems that may never be read by anyone, daydream about a life which I may never find, and amid all this uncertainty I find a hazy kind of comfort. If my life were to turn into an instructional manual, I would like the bi-line to read: how not to know and like it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>nota bene:</b> this time someone dismisses the "watched kettle doesn't boil" theory as superstition, play the quantum card and cite Heisenberg's "observer effect." Here is an equation: ψ = Σa<sub>n</sub>ψ<sub>n</sub></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><u>An Elaborate Ciabatta Recipe</u> <i>that may or may not yield good results</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">1/2 tsp active dry yeast (not instant)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">3tbsp warm milk</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">3/4 C Water (room temp please)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">250g <a href="http://leitesculinaria.com/79243/recipes-biga.html" target="_blank">starter </a>(at least 12 hours old)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">300g flour (maybe more)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">1/2 tbsp salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">cornmeal</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This will take a while.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Stir the yeast</b> into the milk in a
mixer bowl, and let stand about 10 minutes. Add the water, oil, and biga
(starter) and mix with a wooden spoon until blended. Mix the flour and salt,
add to the bowl, and mix for 2 to 3 minutes with spoon, then flour your hand and
knead for 4 minutes. Rest, have a sip of wine, and knead again (in the bowl or
on a floured surface) for a few minutes adding as little flour as possible, until
the dough is velvety, springy, and moist. This is an important step. This is
where you get strength and porosity for your dough, so try to do this part
well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Place the dough</b> in an oiled bowl,
cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/4 hours. The
dough will be full of awesome big bubbles, very supple, and kind of sticky.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Cut the dough</b> into 2 equal pieces
on a well-floured surface. Roll each piece into a cylinder, then stretch each
cylinder into a rectangle, pulling with your fingers to get each piece is
longish and wideish.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Generously flour</b> 2 pieces of parchment
paper placed on upside-down baking sheets. Place each loaf, on a piece of
parchment. Dimple the loaves vigorously with your fingertips or knuckles so
that they won’t rise too much. The dough will look heavily pockmarked, but it
is very resilient, so don’t worry your little heart. It will all be alright. Cover
the loaves loosely with damp towels and let rise until puffy but not doubled, 1
1/2 to 2 hours. The loaves will look flat and stupid and unpromising, but don’t
give up; they will become beautiful swans in the oven.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>About 30 minutes</b> before baking,
preheat the oven to 425ºF (218ºC) and slide your baking stones on the center
rack to heat. If you have no stones, buy some. If you don’t want to, use a
griddle, or… maybe something cast iron. I like cast iron for bread.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Before bakin</b>g the ciabatta,
sprinkle the stones with cornmeal. Carefully invert each loaf onto a stone. If
the dough sticks a bit to the parchment, just gently work it free from the
paper. If you need to, you can leave the paper and remove it 10 minutes later.
Bake for a total of 20 to 25 minutes, spraying the oven with water in the first
10 minutes. Transfer the loaves to wire racks to cool. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Let me know</b> how it went. Ciabatta
is just as hard to bake as baguette, if you ask me… so if you pull this off I’m
really proud of you. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-8271056614646837462012-04-16T16:29:00.011-07:002012-04-17T11:42:07.107-07:00Tired Hands. Open Heart. Monk.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0BBqqf0b4BgOko_zO8cyylhcufYcli_B6XWF36f_1PO-FyIDSLWaHxLFGWf6Jii7sfjYSoDCGzm9px4l56yzzuBhN6vSQl7qFeCzVPZpYZAcVpxwXciGJcBuc2XrXb7cB-zAJC5dwAc/s1600/Thelonious%252BMonk%252B_.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 339px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0BBqqf0b4BgOko_zO8cyylhcufYcli_B6XWF36f_1PO-FyIDSLWaHxLFGWf6Jii7sfjYSoDCGzm9px4l56yzzuBhN6vSQl7qFeCzVPZpYZAcVpxwXciGJcBuc2XrXb7cB-zAJC5dwAc/s400/Thelonious%252BMonk%252B_.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732209409861840082" border="0" /></a>I wish I could capture it in one sentence, but I'm afraid I'm not a skilled enough writer to depict the thoroughness of my exhaustion with just one string of words. I'd have to describe, for instance, my eyes' finding no help even in the carefully polished lenses of my glasses, my feet wanting only to be bare, my spine begging to opt out of the resistance game it has played against gravity for so many consecutive hours... and maybe if I went on like this for one more paragraph, detailing every inch of my tired self, you would understand why even after polishing a bowl of pasta, a block of gorgonzola, and and a glass of Malbec, I still lie awake now writing. There is a degree of hunger that brings the loss of appetite, and a kind of tired that knows no sleep.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGcXgnVk62vsq5uGgxc0jlSUl8N98EALLacbsrjPhIyhbKBRu1atUvcq8nKDXZ7ThFiDVw82iMGMeXjpMJoJTCl4qRrR_nb5QwbncoW-WjlPcUBR6MS0jefBg5890Zkp8f3SZJNxeqY7Q/s1600/Image010_11.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGcXgnVk62vsq5uGgxc0jlSUl8N98EALLacbsrjPhIyhbKBRu1atUvcq8nKDXZ7ThFiDVw82iMGMeXjpMJoJTCl4qRrR_nb5QwbncoW-WjlPcUBR6MS0jefBg5890Zkp8f3SZJNxeqY7Q/s400/Image010_11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732208561783254082" border="0" /></a>So I listen to piano and think about the many trips on foot and bike that I made between home, university, office, library, studio, and bank today to do what needed to be done. The pile of undergraduate literature essays that I only made a bit smaller, the many e-mails that still need to be sorted and answered. Allison's attendance mark has to be changed. My thesis adviser needs his book back. I need to buy a red pen. Did I leave my office window open?<br /><br />My mom called me when I was making dinner tonight and I put her on speaker, explaining that I needed both hands to roll out the pasta dough that I had just cut into pieces and floured on both sides. She told me she likes that I never complain about being tired. I had to wrap that conversation up, clean my flour-dusted kitchen, and heat up some of the tomato sauce I still had left over from two nights ago. But as set the table for one, facing the open window of my kitchen, and poured myself a glass of wine I realized something. Maybe things like a fresh bowl of pasta, an open window, and a glass of wine after a day like this are why I find no need to complain. Sure, I can think of a few things that could improve, but for now I've got Thelonious Monk on, and I'm gonna reread Rilke's Orpheus poems and see what happens...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGqtRSuLsAnKJuuWQjt6bq1HAl3F2nC65jIuJStDO5SclwDThwtCaix9NO-Ut2UN6nYSq5WgZx0ncqGFJJbo85KUI-qdDvX24iEW6f2dLUECUKvrdYkDqzBFoPvcJahAcy22RGqmopYg/s1600/019_17A.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGqtRSuLsAnKJuuWQjt6bq1HAl3F2nC65jIuJStDO5SclwDThwtCaix9NO-Ut2UN6nYSq5WgZx0ncqGFJJbo85KUI-qdDvX24iEW6f2dLUECUKvrdYkDqzBFoPvcJahAcy22RGqmopYg/s400/019_17A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732208677960250738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Basic Pasta</span> (from Gennaro Contaldo's Passione)<br />makes pasta for one or two<br /><br />75g 00 Flour (I buy mine from the Italian supermarket)<br />25g semolina<br />1 good egg (really. I mean it.)<br /><span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mix flou</span>r and semolina on a clean work surface or in a big bowl, and make a well in the middle. Break eggs in the well. With a fork or with your hands, gradually mix the flour with the egg until everything is mixed and lumpy. Knead until you get a smooth, soft dough. Form into a ball, wrap and leave for about 30 minutes or until you are ready to use.<br /><br /></span><span class="box box1"></span><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Divide dough</span> into 2 portions and put through pasta machine starting at the highest setting. As the pasta gets thinner, turn down the settings until you get to the thickness you desire. Depending on the sauce you may want thinner or thicker pasta. I like 2 or 3 on the setting scale. Use as much flour as you need to keep your pasta from sticking. The flour will wash off when you cook the pasta.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dress</span> your pasta with whatever you've got handy. Wine. Eat.Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-27424893891206739712012-04-11T20:23:00.010-07:002012-04-12T00:24:04.909-07:00Eat, Memory<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdv7vyOFoejlYeWCaidge4z9VdKonwN4skQpf_Tpa_A0rUj2DcmTFnTlba7YB5WnDC8cDhA67bFWpZzUZf-5gEDxzsqzQDUKkrZFa6m5h4FEZampvG7TiZAqeYfVsIO7FKRkZZ5NmX6xo/s1600/IMG_2400.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 399px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdv7vyOFoejlYeWCaidge4z9VdKonwN4skQpf_Tpa_A0rUj2DcmTFnTlba7YB5WnDC8cDhA67bFWpZzUZf-5gEDxzsqzQDUKkrZFa6m5h4FEZampvG7TiZAqeYfVsIO7FKRkZZ5NmX6xo/s400/IMG_2400.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730406077619147538" border="0" /></a><br />My grandpa always joked that my parents bought me from a gypsy family that passed through town. He'd look at me through the slight gap above his reading glasses and say " that's why you can't sit still, and you have music in your blood." Well, the wind was blowing again, and my heart was restless, and I was listening to Beirut, and one morning in February I opened my eyes and I was in Paris. I think we all know that things are never that simple, but to try and explain everything that led to my trip and everything that happened while i was away, and how it felt when I returned would be like including instructions for making butter, milking cows, grinding flour,and washing dishes, in a pancake recipe. It's been a while since I wrote here... if I'm a little rusty bear with me.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzU1wPKCZiIJcCSy3hcjs8rRV98PPpeKRmXWg2idWeD9hTBxQkP3OySCjKOF6VEdAeYMBP28oXMTjh7V_VlXgJuYjjyQPGUIbUkQiwzYM4FrUFRzle2e44oaRNgXvVEndffSHFUOT3WA4/s1600/IMG_2749.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzU1wPKCZiIJcCSy3hcjs8rRV98PPpeKRmXWg2idWeD9hTBxQkP3OySCjKOF6VEdAeYMBP28oXMTjh7V_VlXgJuYjjyQPGUIbUkQiwzYM4FrUFRzle2e44oaRNgXvVEndffSHFUOT3WA4/s400/IMG_2749.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730406345176525218" border="0" /></a><br />There was a bakery downstairs from my tiny room in Paris, where most of my days were begun. The coffee was decent and though like most bakeries in Paris, croissants and baguettes were a plenty, what caught my eye on the first visit, and accompanied my coffees on every subsequent day of my trip was a large plain-looking cookie that a neat paper sign taught me to call a <span class="st">Sablé</span> Au Beurre. This cookie stole my heart with its honest flavour and satisfying texture, but also because when I first tasted one it reminded me of something I could not place. I told the baker (who also worked at the counter) about this hazy distant taste memory and he told me with a smile, that if I ate one every morning I might eventually remember.<br /><br />On my last morning, when I opened the bakery door he was already grabbing my cookie with a square of waxed paper. I explained that I would like a few more this time, that I would be returning home, and was going to miss the cookies. He told me to wait while he grabbed a small box. I waited for what seemed liek too long to grab a box. It all made sense when he came back and gave me the recipe. As I walked away from the bakery I thought to myself that when I bake these cookies at home, it will be in the future, and that the present moment in Paris, which would then constitute the past, would be the memory I would attach to these cookies... so I stopped trying to figure out what other more distant thing they were reminiscent of. Here I offer you the recipe for what I now think of as the cookies i ate whilst walking around alone in Paris. It's nice to be writing here again. I had really missed it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEKIy4mjU5apkHqCplMyHnCi_EukcvkyFP7N0uRfcKYrh4wFxDG1OZ4rObH7wsj2pkXkQneD8S5_XIr9i2T4PyM-RhbaNA1QM2xZE7cLTE5JEpDIc5shUTgwcgTp9fbjtgf77CnXtUOo/s1600/IMG_2743.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 397px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEKIy4mjU5apkHqCplMyHnCi_EukcvkyFP7N0uRfcKYrh4wFxDG1OZ4rObH7wsj2pkXkQneD8S5_XIr9i2T4PyM-RhbaNA1QM2xZE7cLTE5JEpDIc5shUTgwcgTp9fbjtgf77CnXtUOo/s400/IMG_2743.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730406437171580802" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="st">Sablé</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Au Beurre</span><br /><br />150g unsalted butter at room temperature<br />115 g white sugar<br />1 egg<br />1 tsp vanilla (his recipe calls for vanilla powder but i used extract)<br />1.4 tsp citrus zest (whatever you have on hand)<br />2c A.P. flour<br />1/2 tsp baking powder<br />1/2 tsp salt<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Preheat </span>oven to 350 and line two baking trays with parchment or silicone.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">With a Hand mixer</span>, beat the sugar and butter for 3 minutes on medium speed. It will be light and fluffy. Then add the egg, vanilla, and zest. Beat one more minute. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the two together and mix until the mixture is crumbly.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Turn out onto</span> a floured board and bring the dough together with your hands. form a short thick log and cut it in half. Press each half down slightly into a disc, wrap in plastic a refrigerate for 15minutes. Using a rolling pin and on a floured surface, roll out to about 1/4" thickness, cut into desired shapes and place on a parchment lined baking tray.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">These cookies</span> should not spread, so they do not need to be too spaced out. Using a sharp knife score the surface of the cookies and brush the tops with egg wash (1egg beaten with 1tsp milk or water). Bake 8-12minutes or until the tops are golden brown.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">NOTE:</span> if you are baking in batches, keep what you are not baking in the fridge while the rest bake, and apply the egg wash JUST before putting the cookies in the oven. Also, the the cookies I ate in paris were the size of the palm of my hand, but I only have smaller cutters, which make cookies this size:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ03MBnkKkY31zQbPPF_Nd24Yy9lAc4GvtSODuxgrxrAyeU0i0kGPiuwW_ugjNIO10G34AfbMtP0SFrauXSZ5kbw-KcQZt6idHkF6pKZQtawNUUTP_FXntugJXRA9G5Y2EzSIg4wrXlUY/s1600/IMG_2756.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 396px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ03MBnkKkY31zQbPPF_Nd24Yy9lAc4GvtSODuxgrxrAyeU0i0kGPiuwW_ugjNIO10G34AfbMtP0SFrauXSZ5kbw-KcQZt6idHkF6pKZQtawNUUTP_FXntugJXRA9G5Y2EzSIg4wrXlUY/s400/IMG_2756.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730406548114945442" border="0" /></a>Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-49275686816871181122011-12-16T14:29:00.001-08:002011-12-28T18:35:04.626-08:00A Little Break<span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0uds3GPhLOfFkeum0BzBez52EW2nM1HT8ZqRRTfAyy5iGbWMM0V1_Vmx7wL4vTPIDUYlUUOjT1E_kSedf2_A6sd18ZBq0VoKmD6f7GU8yBqiAGKOJZHbdZYWZ1tT4QZeLbJqVydqBgc/s1600/IMG_0425.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0uds3GPhLOfFkeum0BzBez52EW2nM1HT8ZqRRTfAyy5iGbWMM0V1_Vmx7wL4vTPIDUYlUUOjT1E_kSedf2_A6sd18ZBq0VoKmD6f7GU8yBqiAGKOJZHbdZYWZ1tT4QZeLbJqVydqBgc/s400/IMG_0425.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686862845627745522" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br />It's that time of year. My students' grades are almost all submitted, and the restaurant where I work is closing for two weeks. I get a break, and that means I get to pack a bag (and Pinot) and go to my sister's for ten days. In anticipation of this departure, I have been solemnly consuming ONLY the contents of my fridge and pantry, and trying very hard not to open anything that I can't finish in a few days. This morning I had the last of my yogurt with pomegranate seeds (from this week's salad), juiced the last grapefruit, and spread some butter on my last pieces of toast. I was dying to bake something because I had the whole morning to myself, but I held back like a reasonable person should. Instead I went for a walk, and to run some errands. On my way to the bank I remembered being told yesterday that the lovely people at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Planet-Bakery/200305006663860">The Planet Bakery</a> will be baking banana bread muffins today, so I went. First I ate one muffin. Then I purchased two more. They were that good. The amazing Dahn of Planet Bakery just shared the recipe for what I honestly think are the best muffins, ever. I'm sharing the recipe with you now, because I think it's so funny that even on the day I decided not to cook/bake anything, I end up with a recipe. Try these, I know I will!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_vSuEiB4bheWfxlAwF06S08V_1GiQz3Jkh_67MPispgpZt7trGWKMKpZ74uDiBI4YGZQXJafLGTuDtbF1UcWp-9_8Z2VKi39aFChhxOUi4CqM-ccK3KSVlHEwmXsoJhRdsarMJ4lFIU/s1600/IMG_0505.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_vSuEiB4bheWfxlAwF06S08V_1GiQz3Jkh_67MPispgpZt7trGWKMKpZ74uDiBI4YGZQXJafLGTuDtbF1UcWp-9_8Z2VKi39aFChhxOUi4CqM-ccK3KSVlHEwmXsoJhRdsarMJ4lFIU/s400/IMG_0505.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686863052454986210" border="0" /></a></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> 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unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><i><span style=" font-family:"lucida grande","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-fareast-language:EN-CAfont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;" >"Hey, </span></i><span style="font-family: "lucida grande","serif";font-family:";font-size:12.0pt;" ><a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=28120938"><i><span style="color:blue;">Mina</span></i></a><i>! Thanks for all the muffin love. Here's the recipe. I want to start sharing and typing up all these well-loved recipes kicking around (my head and my apt)"</i><br /><br /><b>Banana Bread Muffins Makes 4 large bakery style muffins</b><br /><br />Wet<br />3 ripe bananas, mashed<br />1 flax 'egg'<br />1/3 cup Earth Balance/Margarine<br />Dry<br />1.5 cups all purpose flour</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "lucida grande","serif";font-family:";font-size:12.0pt;" >1/2 cup sugar</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "lucida grande","serif";font-family:";font-size:12.0pt;" >1 tsp bkg. Powder<br />1 tsp bkg. Soda<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />Topping<br />2 tbs flour<br />2 tbs rye flakes<br />1 tbs Earth Balance/Margarine<br />1/8 tsp cinnamon<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:6"><span style="font-family:"lucida grande","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-fareast-language: EN-CAfont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;" >1/3 cup brown sugar</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:6"><span style=" font-family:"lucida grande","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-fareast-language:EN-CAfont-family:";font-size:12.0pt;" >Beat wet ingredients together. Sift dry ingredients together. Whip sugar topping ingredients together. Combine as gently as possible, wet to dry, and spoon batter into greased tins. Top the muffins. Bake at 350*F for 30 mins, checking the inside with a toothpick.</span></p> <span class="fcg" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"> </span>Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-21705218582185580022011-12-13T18:43:00.000-08:002011-12-14T22:28:07.681-08:00Taking Care and Smiling Lots<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZfosoKGrf6LT2sJKIx_NPVdN7O_ztfkUPrjozFG47xJjItHsI7a2QOWgfOGiwEKnh0RATOcME-KNW9xp7coS8DEcKDq4crtwceYb6C5DHUs4jqzP0mIr5BpI-bUaguRyPxNFgp0cl5nc/s1600/IMG_0201.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZfosoKGrf6LT2sJKIx_NPVdN7O_ztfkUPrjozFG47xJjItHsI7a2QOWgfOGiwEKnh0RATOcME-KNW9xp7coS8DEcKDq4crtwceYb6C5DHUs4jqzP0mIr5BpI-bUaguRyPxNFgp0cl5nc/s400/IMG_0201.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685827006169541650" border="0" /></a><br />Meet Pinot: possibly the sweetest and most loving kitten in the northern hemisphere. I'm not gonna tell you about all the sweet things he does and how cuddly he is and all the adorable places he finds for napping. Instead I'm gonna tell you about how interesting it's been caring for a living thing that is vulnerable and depends on me. Come to think of it, in the past few months I've done a lot of caring. At work too, I've been involved in quite a few of my students' personal issues this year. It wasn't something I had anticipated, but what do you do when someone shows up with bloodshot eyes and a lump in their throat trying to keep it together? I found myself in that situation quite a few times this year. Over cups of tea and hours on the swivel chairs in my office I've heard about parents' divorces, sibling drama, loss, anxiety, confusion, and many a break-up... Now that the term draws to a close, I grade their final papers and smile at all the little personal notes and e-mails they have sent me expressing their appreciation. I'm home a lot these days, grading papers and calculating marks... so I've been cooking a lot too. Here is what I ate today. The salad was for lunch and Pinot loved running after every stray pomegranate seed that escaped me... And the gnocchi was for dinner. I haven't even done the dishes yet.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLCy5ZNVFSktQPK8BgTDTo47qILsd3BJiE565cx1rHOZt2AD0jokCzeonoAHe-veZToPBAVFHrDDoOPQIclu3_D5cGMr1o4eqxrk5wM4M_6sB3g8iAJQvijqyuMBdVsO-fsLHFLTl8KM/s1600/IMG_0150.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLCy5ZNVFSktQPK8BgTDTo47qILsd3BJiE565cx1rHOZt2AD0jokCzeonoAHe-veZToPBAVFHrDDoOPQIclu3_D5cGMr1o4eqxrk5wM4M_6sB3g8iAJQvijqyuMBdVsO-fsLHFLTl8KM/s400/IMG_0150.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685827198115144882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Christmas Salad</span><br /><br />Arugula<br />Cucumber<br />Gala Apple<br />Pomegranate seeds<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dressing:</span><br />1 tpsp Olive oil<br />1 tbsp Balsamic /red wine vinegar<br />1 tsp honey<br />salt+pepper to taste<br /><br />I used my mandolin to get a quick and fine julienne of the cucumber and apple, and the arugula and pomegranate are pretty self explanatory. I have a whole entire <a href="http://thesaltypear.blogspot.com/2010/01/pomegranate-from-seeding-to-eating.html">post </a>on how to deal with a pomegranate if you feel you need help with that.<br /><br />I like making the dressing in a big bowl and tossing the ingredients in it. I find it all comes together better this way.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4dW37PvRcZjS7rUhu5RgSH8PRi-THMwlMTBd_zpGuVahcQIbInB36-b0sLKoIR3CPgp28HZ8-atT9_iO97OneMw7OweoribMMlR_2yQtaVhAYnuIHi3WO2O-yRL5QOgGDsu4xoyNKDw/s1600/IMG_1062.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4dW37PvRcZjS7rUhu5RgSH8PRi-THMwlMTBd_zpGuVahcQIbInB36-b0sLKoIR3CPgp28HZ8-atT9_iO97OneMw7OweoribMMlR_2yQtaVhAYnuIHi3WO2O-yRL5QOgGDsu4xoyNKDw/s400/IMG_1062.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685827403773071602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Potato Gnocchi</span><br /><p>2 lb Russet or Idaho Potatoes<br />1 1/2 cups All purpose flour (plus a pinch of fresh ground nutmeg)<br />1 Large egg <span style="font-style: italic;">beaten</span><br />1/2 tbsp Salt</p><p>Flour for dusting and rolling.<br /></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wash the potatoes </span>and place in a large pot with the skins on and fill with water. Boil until tender but firm. 10-15 minutes should do the trick. Peel when still hot but cool enough to handle. You can use a paper towel if you still have any sensation in your hands, unlike me.<br /></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Put potatoes</span> through a potato ricer onto a cutting board and shape into a well. Sprinkle the area with flour and put the egg yolk in the center of the well and begin your mixing and kneading, incorporating all the flour and adding a bit more if needed (if you've never done this before, use a large bowl to avoid messing it all up).</p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Knead the dough</span> for a few minutes until it comes together and doesn't stick, but not too much because you don't want to lose the softness of your dough. Let it sit for 30min-1 hour. This would be a good time to pour yourself a glass of wine and make a tomato sauce or a pesto...</p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Divide the dough</span>, shape long strings that you can cut into 1inch nuggets and shape using a gnicchi board or fork. I recommend you look up a video to learn how to shape gnocchi. Try to find one starring an Italian grandmother... they're the best.</p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">To cook</span>, just bring a pot of salted water to a boil and toss in a handful of Gnocchi. When they float to the surface they are done. I like a simple lemon and butter sauce with whatever fresh herb I have lying around. To make it I melt a spoonful of butter with some lemon juice, zest, and a bit of thyme in a frying pan, and add my cooked gnocchi with a tbsp of the cooking water and toss until it looks saucy and right. Fresh cracked pepper, grated parmigiano, and you're good to go.<br /></p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">You could also eat these with any other sauce you like. And you can freeze the uncooked gnocchi if you've got any left.</span><br /></p>Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-49756268914453544792011-11-15T17:33:00.001-08:002011-11-15T19:27:34.271-08:00of other comforts...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNpUJQ2LRjIxpuQI5V3bcdenvRMp1q7hC64dhHsHduZUmIWeFI2zD5RMTo1dw-TGx20ZKXvTT2ujaQJ5dPVC3cRVJrtV54hQvq0FXggJ5bOzujrOSI6Pd7EUyI29_RFfxHjXmhxMXjn9M/s1600/IMG_1988.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNpUJQ2LRjIxpuQI5V3bcdenvRMp1q7hC64dhHsHduZUmIWeFI2zD5RMTo1dw-TGx20ZKXvTT2ujaQJ5dPVC3cRVJrtV54hQvq0FXggJ5bOzujrOSI6Pd7EUyI29_RFfxHjXmhxMXjn9M/s400/IMG_1988.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675424963200293378" border="0" /></a><br />The heart is an inconsistent organ. Not the anatomical heart (though, even that is prone to palpitations) but rather that proverbial organ we associate with all that the mind refuses to take responsibility for. The same trivial thing that excites and fascinates it one day, will deplete and bruise it the next day. It craves, indulges, ignores, forgives... all in the blink of an eye. Mine was in pretty rough shape a few weeks ago, and since heartache isn't something you can call in sick for, I took my troubled little heart with me to work. Eight hours, many diners, and a few heart-felt conversations later, I was so surprised to be walking home with my heart set on recovery. I knew I was feeling better because the thought at the tip of my mind was how I would go home and try making this soup. The girls I worked with that day, with their timely humor, unassuming wisdom, and genuine conversation, had managed not only to make me feel better about my uncertainties, but given me something to excitedly put an apron on for... Incidentally the two ideas they planted in my head practically spell comfort: baked potato soup and banana marshmallows. At some point that night after a bowl of hearty soup and a cup of hot chocolate (marshmallows as my excuse) I sat on my bed with a book and smiled... and to smile when no one's looking? Well that's really something...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2FbQSGKqSLid9i4fBErP7kUkjSXAnz5QsZpIaB2C5nbiYMzXlJokjjsJEZpoj1mmL1a31O07AiE4QLp26lhwtemCGIqnOrNJd8BdR4HKnBRSnON5tq5VnMdXWLSUcfavaNXOGEEsZSxk/s1600/IMG_1989.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2FbQSGKqSLid9i4fBErP7kUkjSXAnz5QsZpIaB2C5nbiYMzXlJokjjsJEZpoj1mmL1a31O07AiE4QLp26lhwtemCGIqnOrNJd8BdR4HKnBRSnON5tq5VnMdXWLSUcfavaNXOGEEsZSxk/s400/IMG_1989.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675425088396527602" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Baked Potato (and leek) Soup </span><br /><br />2-3 tablespoons butter or olive oil<br />4 leeks, washed and sliced<br />salt<br />1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme; optional<br />1/4 teaspoon chile powder<br />3 cups water<br />3 cups stock<br />1 1/4-pounds (600 g) potatoes, baked, pealed and cubed (in that order)<br />2 bay leaves<br />1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground white pepper<br />sour cream, bacon bits, and chives for topping<br /><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">In a </span>large pot over medium heat melt the butter or heat the olive oil.<br /></p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Toss in</span> the sliced leeks and season well. Cook the leeks over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring until they’re soft and wilted.</p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Add the thyme</span>, if using, and chile powder, and stir for another minute, cooking them with the leeks to release their aroma.</p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Add</span> stock, potatoes and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, then fish out the bay leaves and puree the soup in a blender adding warm water if too thick.</p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Top</span> with a dollop of good sour creme, a hand-full of chopped chives, and some bacon bits.<br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxGgs9NOFnNWEJCN_n3_k7Ix3M8FSEDTYV6aPb3XkuXlwVamkqixFpGMLcOvWSdDfPcvL1FWz1OGAJmxoX4_ztHmZCZs2OmF3d3ddh4uq5cZrK3yU3hLGM94FbTiZwdzkEWTAaRf0irk/s1600/IMG_2137%255B1%255D.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxGgs9NOFnNWEJCN_n3_k7Ix3M8FSEDTYV6aPb3XkuXlwVamkqixFpGMLcOvWSdDfPcvL1FWz1OGAJmxoX4_ztHmZCZs2OmF3d3ddh4uq5cZrK3yU3hLGM94FbTiZwdzkEWTAaRf0irk/s400/IMG_2137%255B1%255D.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675428002964351090" border="0" /></a></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Homemade Banana Marshmallows</span></p><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span>2 tbsp gelatin <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /></span><span style=" font-style: italic;color:#663333;" ></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"> 3/4 c water</div><div class="MsoNormal"> 1 c sugar</div><div class="MsoNormal"> 3/4 c corn syrup</div><div class="MsoNormal"> 1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract</div><div class="MsoNormal"> 1/2 tbsp banana flavor/extract/essence<br />1 pinch salt<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Line</span> a shallow baking dish with parchment paper or foil and dust the paper with powdered sugar.<br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">In a small</span> bowl sprinkle the gelatin powder over 1/4 cup of the water. Add the sugar to the remaining water in a pot and heat until warm but not hot. Add the gelatin mixture to the warm syrup and stir until fully melted.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pour</span> this mixture into a large bowl. Add the corn syrup, vanilla, and banana extracts, and begin beating with an egg beater at high speed. Don't be alarmed by the brown colour... if you beat it for long enough it will be good and the colour will disappear.<br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style=" font-style: italic;color:#663300;" ><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"> Continue beating until the mixture cools, increases in volume, and forms soft peaks. Working quickly before the mixture fully sets in the bowl, transfer to the pan that you have prepared. Smooth the top with a wet spatula and let stand for three hours.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Turn out</span>, cut and coat with powdered sugar.<br /><br />...and as for hearts, well,<br />hearts will never be practical<br />until they can be made unbreakable...</div><br /></div><p><br /></p>Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-2434535142053880962011-08-29T17:47:00.000-07:002011-08-29T21:34:46.204-07:00I Didn't Mean to...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBGHqkytHs0us4yNM0DEPjpuwuY47NaGPTac71ENlEJHXHO9DDWQx5Al96-L8oQ9uKZsypglTYju4qkAdsaRvvgEz7ZvoCFYeo6EKIFnAs4kyW-w3nSpxk1Y_Zs64nqy9q1MqESshO9c/s1600/IMG_1417.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 326px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBGHqkytHs0us4yNM0DEPjpuwuY47NaGPTac71ENlEJHXHO9DDWQx5Al96-L8oQ9uKZsypglTYju4qkAdsaRvvgEz7ZvoCFYeo6EKIFnAs4kyW-w3nSpxk1Y_Zs64nqy9q1MqESshO9c/s400/IMG_1417.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646460313030726354" border="0" /></a>Do you know my band mate Michael? I tease him all the time for being a vegan. Yesterday when we were having coffee arguing about band names he decided to order breakfast and as I watched him eat his toast and beans I got a massive meat chili and corn bread craving. I started listing the ingredients in my head: Beef, beans, peppers, onion, garlic, tomatoes, carrot, chilies, spices... I had everything at home. I thought I'll go home, put in a load of laundry, run out and pick up some meat, and make chilli. Long story short, I did a massive grocery shop, and forgot to buy meat. So what started out as a reactionary meat craving ended up being totally vegan in spite of my intentions... It was still delicious. The corn bread is a must. It's dead easy and seals the whole chilli deal like no other bread.
<br />
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEHNOnwS0kl_Wahi9IbUoB3iW7qXdn95L8w5C5IgkkMUGLBObb5xjelpxiWOsj1EGF-25D6rp8nc31Kcxw_tWIC5LWY52itvI2_8djkfOms9D_HtLDzHCbwOrJ0mLSmH629NVpbuXI6k/s1600/IMG_1410.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 329px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEHNOnwS0kl_Wahi9IbUoB3iW7qXdn95L8w5C5IgkkMUGLBObb5xjelpxiWOsj1EGF-25D6rp8nc31Kcxw_tWIC5LWY52itvI2_8djkfOms9D_HtLDzHCbwOrJ0mLSmH629NVpbuXI6k/s400/IMG_1410.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646460590100154146" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Accidentally Vegetarian (vegan in fact) Chili</span>
<br />
<br />2 Medium Sweet Potatoes
<br />1 Large Spanish Onion
<br />1 Red Bell Pepper (use 2 if they're small)
<br />2 Small Carrots
<br />1 Red/green chili deseeded and finely chopped
<br />2 Cloves Garlic
<br />1 Can Chopped Tomatoes
<br />2 Cans Beans (I used black beans and kidney beans because that's what I had in my pantry)
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dry:</span>
<br />ground chipotle peppers
<br />dry ground chili (ancho if you can get some)
<br />paprika
<br />cumin
<br />cinnamon
<br />ground coffee
<br />
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBolZmz-cPmPfIuzHEWQddbUqzQzkq3uVSyEkq2fBhKm7y9WTe1zLasNFSM6hr4PL9BELNm5C4ca8ikqqZ7eqlGO52iNxT8D0hB6q2HZs0CNuUat67E49sv6AJnPMETlByixI7vju8NkI/s1600/IMG_1412.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 328px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBolZmz-cPmPfIuzHEWQddbUqzQzkq3uVSyEkq2fBhKm7y9WTe1zLasNFSM6hr4PL9BELNm5C4ca8ikqqZ7eqlGO52iNxT8D0hB6q2HZs0CNuUat67E49sv6AJnPMETlByixI7vju8NkI/s400/IMG_1412.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646460435407461906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Peal and dice</span> the sweet potatoes, toss them in olive oil, salt, cumin, cinnamon, and paprika. Roast on a tray in a 375degree oven until soft and golden.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">In the mean time</span>, put a large pan on a medium-high heat and add a couple of lugs of olive oil. Add the onion, peppers, carrot, and garlic and cook for 5 minutes shaking things around every minute or so. Season with dry spices to taste, add the fresh chili and cook for another 10 or so minutes until everything is tender and well seasoned <p> </p> <p class="clear module-text"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Drain and rins</span>e the beans, then tip them into the pan with the tinned tomatoes and juice. Stir well and bring to a boil, then reduce to a medium-low heat and leave to thicken for 25 to 30 minutes and add a splash of water if it's getting too thick. </p><p class="clear module-text"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stir</span> the sweet potatoes in and serve with sour cream and a few pieces of corn bread. I like to butter and <span style="font-weight: bold;">grill</span> my cornbread because I have a stove top griddle that's perfect for it. You could serve yours however you like it.
<br /></p><p class="clear module-text"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOl3ATmf1lxgkwzu6ctXTZxFWEZ-NlSQ-me9aWvBpxyJfKbOxjCdjjDOXi2ZbzwhMFoSDJF03ypXm4K3o7NVAqMqztvXx2_mvHDCMiwU15KuHJ38ZO6BLCb6l2MET7vofH8mduypXaSsE/s1600/IMG_1418.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOl3ATmf1lxgkwzu6ctXTZxFWEZ-NlSQ-me9aWvBpxyJfKbOxjCdjjDOXi2ZbzwhMFoSDJF03ypXm4K3o7NVAqMqztvXx2_mvHDCMiwU15KuHJ38ZO6BLCb6l2MET7vofH8mduypXaSsE/s400/IMG_1418.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646460204350453554" border="0" /></a></p><p class="clear module-text"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Light Corn Bread</span> (not the buttery southern type, but a more bready kind that I like for grilling and with chili)</p><p class="clear module-text">1C Flour
<br />1C Cornmeal
<br />4tbsp Sugar
<br />1tbsp Baking Soda
<br />1tsp Salt
<br />2 Eggs
<br />1C Plain Yogurt/low fat sour cream
<br />1tbsp Olive Oil
<br />One Chopped Deseeded Chilli (optional)
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Preheat oven</span> to 200/400 and grease a cast iron pan.
<br />Mix all dry ingredients. Beat egg with yogurt and olive oil. Add to dry ingredients and mix until homogenous. Add chillies if using. Pour into pan and bake25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes inserted in the centre comes out clean.
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<br /></p>Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-47233863755587303102011-07-22T15:22:00.000-07:002011-08-11T21:49:10.844-07:00Mea [maxima] Culpa<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBWaNZuBdjNQvamSfVohkSbppJgvHezLsA18GuOGXPAEaLzc6jWerbpa2q7_HlBbkK-9vS9eWhWgzxMGVcXnjrs0mzk4gmb7-w_-JrWEB0h4KKY6NSiuin-hnJ2Kf53VzbhJUPuHzFxs/s1600/IMG_0871.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBWaNZuBdjNQvamSfVohkSbppJgvHezLsA18GuOGXPAEaLzc6jWerbpa2q7_HlBbkK-9vS9eWhWgzxMGVcXnjrs0mzk4gmb7-w_-JrWEB0h4KKY6NSiuin-hnJ2Kf53VzbhJUPuHzFxs/s400/IMG_0871.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632312409435569234" border="0" /></a>Do you ever do this? Do you ever wake up on the second day of a cold and feel a little better and pretend like nothing ever happened? I do it all the time. As soon as I'm a little better not only do I resume with all things active, but I'm even prone to pushing myself to make up for lost time. Last night I made an impromptu decision to go to my office and catch up on some work. My office, which in spite of the heat wave outside, is set to some unnecessarily arctic temperature that I can't control. So I sat there until 2am and edited poems and thought I was catching up. Well, let me tell you, when I woke up with a fever this morning that sense of achievement was not there... So I have managed to make myself sicker than I was to start with. Good job, right? I know.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4E4bi67HIETp0Xxh0B0CqJfroh3oXtTFHY4mVfGLFCb0-jKc-zNEXimlhGDUPYOpU6Tnx6I_Pra90GFdPyURB02XvAmBtUSJnWcYOEsy_5_P2DpqWhuvjJZXSc9gzE5S1bAPgKfIdQLg/s1600/IMG_0872.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4E4bi67HIETp0Xxh0B0CqJfroh3oXtTFHY4mVfGLFCb0-jKc-zNEXimlhGDUPYOpU6Tnx6I_Pra90GFdPyURB02XvAmBtUSJnWcYOEsy_5_P2DpqWhuvjJZXSc9gzE5S1bAPgKfIdQLg/s400/IMG_0872.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632312332312216066" border="0" /></a>
<br />I'm gonna call this recipe the Campbell Tomato Soup, not because it has anything to do with the soup manufacturer, but because I'm hopelessly addicted to punning, and the recipe was given me yesterday by my friend Lee Dylan Campbell. Since my soup-making style is usually inspired by the contents of my fridge and random, I decided to really stick to the recipe this time, for kicks. So here it goes...
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJB0R0fuSxWsAL3lPL7Mlah-HmF48Pi7p-9b3tpCyo9z5Nu76r-EYUlMgLAFrveqeSshHa0T5UwhqF8nrBRUZbt6PTO8mFTROUEJHsFXfhDtj5jCvKHzTVgkeyuLdI7KXC7l3qLoVHrM/s1600/afc97785786543d98d07c43368df35ba_7.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJB0R0fuSxWsAL3lPL7Mlah-HmF48Pi7p-9b3tpCyo9z5Nu76r-EYUlMgLAFrveqeSshHa0T5UwhqF8nrBRUZbt6PTO8mFTROUEJHsFXfhDtj5jCvKHzTVgkeyuLdI7KXC7l3qLoVHrM/s400/afc97785786543d98d07c43368df35ba_7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632312252074321970" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Lee Dylan] Campbell Tomato Soup</span>
<br />(recipe copied and pasted from facebook inbox message because I'm sick and I'm allowed to take shortcuts like that)
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Black pepper, cumin. Add a generous handful of cilantro and the juice of one lime. When everything is pretty well cooked, add a big can of Heinz tomato juice (reduced salt kind) and either heat or chill – this works both ways. Add more cilantro if that’s your style, salt to taste, and a spoonful or two of maple syrup to balance the tanginess. A little hot sauce wouldn’t hurt either. Serve over a few corn chips.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCSpZCHHDaDL4G3k-ph5q03oWo65usgjNZ-ODPUoVD7a_DTagLVflJeBpLQbnP8kIaiNdAWUq-72oVjCvz0mgsHC4vDU5NFNuNdINcOcsjIo0QpFNPn8HkAlsuATlNHFzcO8HGm56GZE/s1600/IMG_0870.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCSpZCHHDaDL4G3k-ph5q03oWo65usgjNZ-ODPUoVD7a_DTagLVflJeBpLQbnP8kIaiNdAWUq-72oVjCvz0mgsHC4vDU5NFNuNdINcOcsjIo0QpFNPn8HkAlsuATlNHFzcO8HGm56GZE/s400/IMG_0870.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632312175757818178" border="0" /></a>
<br />Mina's sick note: thank you Lee for the soup recipe, Sarah, for offering to take me to the ER if my fever persists, Dale, for making me laugh, and Yalda, for reading me my horoscope. Now I'm going to eat some more soup and watch Christmas movies.Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-21455502858005851592011-07-20T14:15:00.000-07:002011-07-20T18:26:13.671-07:00Depleted<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQ0RulR1R3uVEU9v3G_TxrIaMLEGu82fEyCwYO4X8U01WAj3oEtWWy4EUm6kyFr2mSCTlB9O2-4akmZeRA9dBnEVVSh2dpYSXxXxA48aBjhZtsz61ujhY4h8YPS5k9I_yE3lFUQfAhNw/s1600/IMG_0622.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 332px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQ0RulR1R3uVEU9v3G_TxrIaMLEGu82fEyCwYO4X8U01WAj3oEtWWy4EUm6kyFr2mSCTlB9O2-4akmZeRA9dBnEVVSh2dpYSXxXxA48aBjhZtsz61ujhY4h8YPS5k9I_yE3lFUQfAhNw/s400/IMG_0622.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631609987173640738" border="0" /></a>I’m sick. I’m sick, and two very strange things happened to me today. After having consumed only soup for something ridiculous like 4 consecutive meals, I thought, I’ll bake a savoury tart. Wait. Those weren’t the strange things.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I thought I’d bake a tart because I had some lovely eggs, and some mean blue cheese. So forward I marched, to start on some pastry, chill it, then begin thinking up ideas for filling, and what did I find? You might want to sit down for this. I was out of all-purpose flour!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And butter! I know! Impossible right? Today was the end of the world. I am writing to you now from the afterlife. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking clearly I went to hell if it’s 40 degrees out and I had to make a crust out of twelve-grain flour and olive oil… but it wasn’t bad at all! I swear. I know I’m sick and my taste buds (or judgement) can’t be trusted but I’m telling you it was kinda… good. Do you think it’s the 40degree heat and flu medication? Who kno<span style="font-weight: bold;">ws...<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVNnZRXrq5hra1gERywBRlUc_V-q1mc7IIB-3NP-1Wowh1hEJbehj9jJ34hvBcDPj-jc1f_0v7YjioevsudBezBqEGQE8-qtDzoSZO-2nGKTMxnqVbk4BHeEeLuC7ZzzlIO-PBY6Aftk/s1600/IMG_0642.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 339px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVNnZRXrq5hra1gERywBRlUc_V-q1mc7IIB-3NP-1Wowh1hEJbehj9jJ34hvBcDPj-jc1f_0v7YjioevsudBezBqEGQE8-qtDzoSZO-2nGKTMxnqVbk4BHeEeLuC7ZzzlIO-PBY6Aftk/s400/IMG_0642.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631547966850185442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Emergency Tarte Aux Oignons</span><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Crust </span><br />1C 9-grain flour<br />Just under 1/4c good Olive oil<br />¼ C ice water<br />½ tsp salt<br />1tsp dry rosemary<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Filling</span><br />1 Large Spanish/Red Onion<br />2 Large Portobello Mushrooms<br />3 good eggs<br />½ C Milk (if you use skim we can’t be friends)<br />½ C Yogurt<br />1C Ricotta<br />¼ C Crumbled Blue Cheese (or more if you like more)<br />Salt and Pepper to Taste<br /><br /></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-weight: bold;">In a mixing bow</span>l mix together the crust ingredients to make a pliable dough. Wrap in plastic and chill for 10 minutes.</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Prehea</span>t oven to 325 degrees.</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cut Mushrooms</span> in strips and Sauté with olive oil, salt and pepper. Caramelize the onion to your liking. Drain any liquid from the sautéed mushrooms and mix with the onion. Set aside. </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-weight: bold;">With an electric </span>beater (or whisk) beat the eggs until they increase a little in volume. Add milk, yogurt, and ricotta beating on medium speed. Taste and season. Remember no one likes an under-seasoned savory tart.</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Take out</span> the dough and roll it out to fit your baking vessel. If it’s cracking leave it out to warm up a bit. That should help. There’s no butter in there anyway so no point in keeping it so cold. Once your baking tin is lined with your dough, arrange the onion/mushroom mixture in there evenly, then scatter some crumbled blue cheese all over. Finally, pour the egg mixture over everything and give yourself a round of applause.</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Pop your tart</span> in the oven and bake 45-55minutes. When the tart is ready, it shouldn’t jiggle in the middle. You’ll know. How is it? Am I losing my mind or is the cracker-like crust kinda cool?</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"> </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"> </p>Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-16603021421184058822011-06-27T13:02:00.000-07:002011-06-27T15:37:00.276-07:00Salted Watermelon, Monday, Magic.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0JBE76qyEIigmpcltM69lMy4BEqAylrpczzQ_vxfMp3C_WhWdqEYWSqPc0zgritGagyNF-XbV3aRGQSsWNg7-O_e8lH0DYmmIn75jMz1DaztliLk_YVlou9oh3FB6oOQj3rkdx8oMaM/s1600/DSCN1295.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0JBE76qyEIigmpcltM69lMy4BEqAylrpczzQ_vxfMp3C_WhWdqEYWSqPc0zgritGagyNF-XbV3aRGQSsWNg7-O_e8lH0DYmmIn75jMz1DaztliLk_YVlou9oh3FB6oOQj3rkdx8oMaM/s400/DSCN1295.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622997039170950770" border="0" /></a>I can explain. Remember how I put salt on the Pear tarts that my bog title alludes to? Remember how it was delicious? This watermelon is no different. It' s sweet, it's lovely, and it wants salt. My friend Dale put this idea in my head. Dale knows his food so we're gonna trust him on this one. Another thing about Dale, is that he is not fond of circular things. In an ideal world, Dale would use square or rectangular plates only. So naturally, if you give Dale a round thing such as a watermelon, he will cut it into... you guessed it: cubes. Well, here is the lovely thing about cubing a watermelon: you get to eat all the scraps! My grilled cheese sandwich at lunch went pretty darn well with these salty cubes of crunch. Try it!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJQ11eya5To0AEY92OGKT0JcG25zjYpar-LEf8rUKidCP6rTZauYGly7k-f5M-KLPyNu-N8oTVkeBvuIYfq1zSWWth9A4ngxkLEl8RE-1gVUKSh3hV1OUCqtoAtm2rJKPFAKeJzWxDIA/s1600/DSCN1292.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJQ11eya5To0AEY92OGKT0JcG25zjYpar-LEf8rUKidCP6rTZauYGly7k-f5M-KLPyNu-N8oTVkeBvuIYfq1zSWWth9A4ngxkLEl8RE-1gVUKSh3hV1OUCqtoAtm2rJKPFAKeJzWxDIA/s400/DSCN1292.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623000314641475122" border="0" /></a><br />I won't try to write out a recipe for my Grilled Cheese and Salted Watermelon (with greens), because I'm sure you can guess how I made it. What I will do though, is share some tips: if you don't have a sandwich press, cast iron is great for grilling bread. Put some pressure on your sandwich, though. My brilliant system today involved a plate and a full kettle. You could use a plate and a nineteenth century novel. Whatever works...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2GNZ_5E2a-cJ0kD4GM_e1zoeN7HAGaIIm0eoGEt7nxr06t-7YidIlMFmgFHz915RknM6pxHeMuWNcKtv7IoR46nCaGkMohEw3C89tE3LqEi64mW6NTJHuBqAw5yD3dxkMvk6dK0hMpac/s1600/DSCN1286.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2GNZ_5E2a-cJ0kD4GM_e1zoeN7HAGaIIm0eoGEt7nxr06t-7YidIlMFmgFHz915RknM6pxHeMuWNcKtv7IoR46nCaGkMohEw3C89tE3LqEi64mW6NTJHuBqAw5yD3dxkMvk6dK0hMpac/s400/DSCN1286.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622998319850343682" border="0" /></a><br />P.S. I tried to be really discreet about my use of Challah in making the grilled cheese of this post. I though you're so sick of this loaf of bread by now. But then I got a comment on the last post from <a href="http://amusebouchefortwo.blogspot.com/">Amuse- bouche</a> that sent me back to the kitchen. I came back with this tiny grilled chocolate sandwich to have with my espresso. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the sweet sweet conclusion to my lovely loaf of Challah.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXdIWst8ZF6dt7K4yCpGkgNvSS3FSUM17Pm3j-x2v02Rmu5CJH77fnbHKz9Mlqp6xc7JwsQAejLmZafpcRx993C8j1H_ok1op3WEZ8BZTHlrvTrgppBWyQNv8N9RuidTalwNkeEXGrCs/s1600/DSCN1304.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXdIWst8ZF6dt7K4yCpGkgNvSS3FSUM17Pm3j-x2v02Rmu5CJH77fnbHKz9Mlqp6xc7JwsQAejLmZafpcRx993C8j1H_ok1op3WEZ8BZTHlrvTrgppBWyQNv8N9RuidTalwNkeEXGrCs/s400/DSCN1304.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622997632095633714" border="0" /></a>Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-2345663800238172182011-06-26T09:48:00.000-07:002011-06-26T10:50:36.180-07:00The Continuing Tale of the Challah<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUpEKci22k7wnJjf_RX_TEYaT8iVDQCcHXNlCLb-CFOfnXwPpELMakmSp2D-L14y2wkAsCTqODJYJwDRHcnI3H8qGAZVhBqhSO_Epo93x5sKjOLvkSF0H1lPyXfqOatJJOTFIWFEyjTfk/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUpEKci22k7wnJjf_RX_TEYaT8iVDQCcHXNlCLb-CFOfnXwPpELMakmSp2D-L14y2wkAsCTqODJYJwDRHcnI3H8qGAZVhBqhSO_Epo93x5sKjOLvkSF0H1lPyXfqOatJJOTFIWFEyjTfk/s400/001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622586298316006274" border="0" /></a>What does one 115lb girl do with two huge loaves of Challah? Deliver one loaf on bike to best friend. Then come home and proceed with the other loaf. Two slices at a time. Day one: Rice Crispy and Orange zest French Toast. Day Two: poached eggs and grilled tomatoes. I love brunch. You should come over and join me sometime!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPmeEqR19bh7dAHMKW7b40EEMTVNTfmxaiMSvgKCI49f4pmd88_uYVJg0mGr57HhTIWTEO2HpRydX6jsnzpcSprKaeUHHRf_qFk_BJAXLN2FVRDaqans9SRt3GXWfeNrcZlYz3Ib6f3A/s1600/014.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 401px; height: 376px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPmeEqR19bh7dAHMKW7b40EEMTVNTfmxaiMSvgKCI49f4pmd88_uYVJg0mGr57HhTIWTEO2HpRydX6jsnzpcSprKaeUHHRf_qFk_BJAXLN2FVRDaqans9SRt3GXWfeNrcZlYz3Ib6f3A/s400/014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622576926972340354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rice Crispy & Orange zest French Toast</span><br />2 thick slices of Challah (day old at least)<br />2 eggs beaten with a few tbsp milk<br />orange zest<br />1 tsp confectioner's sugar<br />handful rice crispies<br />butter<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Whisk the eggs</span>, milk, zest, and sugar in a shallow dish. Soak the slices of bread on all sides until all liquid is absorbed, then roll in the puffed rice, pressing down to secure them in the bread. Fry in a few tablespoons of butter in your favorite pan.<br /><br />Optional: you can peal and segment your orange and cook it down with a few tbsp honey and more orange zest as a topping. heck you could even put some Grand Marnier in the mix.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsiPK0VJK-X_ftNwqL0eY50k9kw5OfCdOLcSa045eLJUehgQq17H-2mNJQAi5TTQQSgX_VMcuBrvb3S1VSdetyOmyCDeSAyYu3TfjFPdns3ILDFaNXRcAZYJ2VU76XN5wwBhv2YR-QsM/s1600/DSCN1273.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsiPK0VJK-X_ftNwqL0eY50k9kw5OfCdOLcSa045eLJUehgQq17H-2mNJQAi5TTQQSgX_VMcuBrvb3S1VSdetyOmyCDeSAyYu3TfjFPdns3ILDFaNXRcAZYJ2VU76XN5wwBhv2YR-QsM/s400/DSCN1273.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622577279516062754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Poached Eggs and Grilled Summer Tomatoes</span><br /><br />2 eggs<br />1 tomato (sliced thick)<br />salt pepper olive oil<br />2 slices Challah (try not to burn yours like mine)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I used a</span> stove-top griddle to get the best out of my tomatoes. You can use whatever you prefer. Cast iron works best I find. Poaching eggs isn't that hard either. Just get the water to a rolling boil and the bubbles will keep the eggs afloat. One good tip though, is to break each egg in a small vessel first so you can drop them in the water with ease.<br /><br />I still have Challah left. In case you were wondering...Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-31411388115891304302011-06-25T12:56:00.001-07:002011-06-26T08:27:39.617-07:00What Are You Gonna Put on that Bread?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPq7kiHJIe23vCuH9YxZY84DKagn1LbQJZMVnBe7gnIgQ-AxG2YXDSu7R6Y-v9p5BX_gq_UDtDZQZVVolv7HuYlzykApL1jDGKA3ihtGRtC298eqo0DTwmPLWPAto_YNTfalppDmXH0jA/s1600/DSCN1191.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPq7kiHJIe23vCuH9YxZY84DKagn1LbQJZMVnBe7gnIgQ-AxG2YXDSu7R6Y-v9p5BX_gq_UDtDZQZVVolv7HuYlzykApL1jDGKA3ihtGRtC298eqo0DTwmPLWPAto_YNTfalppDmXH0jA/s400/DSCN1191.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622244846898626274" border="0" /></a>This story starts a few days back. It was Thursday I think and everyone just seemed to do and say the wrong things. It's hard to explain. Small talk and unhealthy curiosity can really rub me the wrong way so I came home and thought, I'm gonna have a coffee, sit on the couch and do nothing for a while and then bake bread. I proceeded in that order and by the time the dough had risen twice I was starting to feel a little better about things. That yeasty smell in the kitchen was doing good things for me. By the time the Bread was baking and I was having my second coffee and scribbling in my book, I heard the ding ding of a message from a friend who asked the first good question of the day: "<span style="font-weight: bold;">What are you gonna put on that bread?</span>" By the time I'd waited for the loaf to cool and sliced into it and contemplated its fate, it seemed so obvious. Butter. So I let him know that was the decision and of course, he agreed it was a sound one. Things were feeling better already...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IugYL_IV-GsW4FR6WbKyzF1R3mqCxXomyAV-N23T-u4Hdgevm5KKO9gBFJRDWlEmGcbCz-0tahXs68Qqz5N113c4lVOe0STOwUTZmOSpCnajvFtkEVclNfCHJWSNsgZG9oOQLYOK0sg/s1600/DSCN1187.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 292px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IugYL_IV-GsW4FR6WbKyzF1R3mqCxXomyAV-N23T-u4Hdgevm5KKO9gBFJRDWlEmGcbCz-0tahXs68Qqz5N113c4lVOe0STOwUTZmOSpCnajvFtkEVclNfCHJWSNsgZG9oOQLYOK0sg/s400/DSCN1187.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622244162439735522" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Recipe: Challah Loaf (makes two loaves)</span><br /><br />1 1/4C warm water<br />2 tsp dry active yeast<br />4C (roughly) All Purpose/Bread Flour<br />1/3 C sugar<br />1/4 C Vegetable Oil<br />4 eggs<br />1tsp salt<br />Sesame or poppy seeds for the top<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Whisk</span> the water, yeast, one tsp sugar and 1/4c flour to get things bubbling. Set this aside for at least 10 minutes, but no more than 20.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Whisk in the sugar</span>, oil, 3eggs (NOT 4) and salt. Add the rest of the flour one cup at a time mixing with a sturdy wooden spoon until the dough is coming together into one ball and not sticking too much. Transfer to a floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes adding flour if needed, until the dough is round, smooth, elastic, and "cohesive".<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Put the ball</span> in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a reasonably warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk. About an hour. Maybe more.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Punch down</span> and divide into 6 equal parts to make two braided loaves on a baking sheet that's either well-greased or parchment lined. Cover and let rise again until doubled and good looking. Preheat the oven to 325. Beat the last egg with a touch of milk or water and give the tops of the loaves a good egg wash, followed by seeds if you're into that. Bake 30-40 minutes or until the loaves sound hollow when you tap them on the bottom. If the tops are browning too fast cover with foil and return to the oven.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wait till</span> they're cool if you can. It's hard but it's worth it... There's something else I did with my Challah that will have to be the topic for the next post.Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-66249243647191508802011-06-02T08:55:00.000-07:002012-01-03T17:05:55.147-08:00One of Those Days<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtj6OeGYggWbMM6t7XzbFyY22QmUHa2WCY5JYlM98OJcTNCplbUvO4OCQ8caYYJhFLFNc31AITd2RieBDmuGjy0Ke8taxjXcF-uCjJHPDD9wkFvzOeWR8AY7pc8zR7Bbb-K2bhlV52Qhc/s1600/007_05.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtj6OeGYggWbMM6t7XzbFyY22QmUHa2WCY5JYlM98OJcTNCplbUvO4OCQ8caYYJhFLFNc31AITd2RieBDmuGjy0Ke8taxjXcF-uCjJHPDD9wkFvzOeWR8AY7pc8zR7Bbb-K2bhlV52Qhc/s400/007_05.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613655311954488114" border="0" /></a><br />Sometimes you have time to do certain things and it's amazing. I put a piece of prosciutto on my last chunk of bread early last night and thought, hey, I should make a dough that will rise overnight and in 14 hours I'll have a loaf of bread. I could do this, of course, because I'm taking the day off today to pack and run errands. So I did. Now I'm distracting myself writing this post to avoid sticking a serrated edge into my not-yet-cooled loaf of goodness. It smells really nice in here. This is not a new recipe. You've probably made it a hundred times like me. It's that no knead loaf that was all the hype a few years ago. I like it. It's a good honest piece of bread. I still like to knead and make other loaves with different flours because this one doesn't allow much variation, but it's got a good spongy crumb and it's pretty foolproof... but don't even dream of making it in humid weather. It will not work. Trust me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ingredients</span><br /><br />3c flour (it's gotta be white guys, sorry)<br />1/4 tsp INSTANT yeast<br />1 1/4 tsp salt<br />1 1/2c warm water<br />cornmeal or bran for coating<br /><br />I'm not gonna type up a recipe because you can watch Jim Lahey do it, himself. <a style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13Ah9ES2yTU"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Here</span> </a>is how!Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-61395896085395999622011-05-31T19:59:00.000-07:002011-06-02T09:16:12.282-07:00Sunny Days, Sunny Thoughts<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5YB9z8s41Wo6oHjekSxQRVtMy3dF-6FqyCPAFNxDN5b2FS79aVRF-WsKMEHiic1lWwwUwNsqiy5Y2iCAGuFc1VJLuXGj5km0SmKm6tX0fkIAuTNl9CrZZV_Hi8doVjTiJ_OXB9QJ3vc/s1600/DSCN0804.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5YB9z8s41Wo6oHjekSxQRVtMy3dF-6FqyCPAFNxDN5b2FS79aVRF-WsKMEHiic1lWwwUwNsqiy5Y2iCAGuFc1VJLuXGj5km0SmKm6tX0fkIAuTNl9CrZZV_Hi8doVjTiJ_OXB9QJ3vc/s400/DSCN0804.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613081000603615330" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYN6zpFhEUaNio8CtwPrAirpfPjVBp3K7QkWukdmcajpgL600OYmpRRxmteafXVyedro0k2vuYGI-9LpQefBJVgp2o-U6oqUlPPiEjnkr9XSdv2B-5U2dDyTPzv_eSCpQ84jzJJWPWVM/s1600/DSCN0800.JPG"><br /></a>Once in a while I'll be at a grocery check-out line and a girl with scars on her forearms will give me this knowing look of solidarity and I realize my food scars are being mistaken for self-mutilation. It's an awkward situation. I feel like saying no no that's actually from the convection oven at this one place I worked at, where everyone was taller, and this is from that time I left the tongs on the gas range and forgot they were hot, and that one... the list goes on. Anyway, I don't say any of these things. I just smile and hope she won't hurt herself anymore. I'm baking biscotti in my ridiculously sunny kitchen today with a breeze so nice I have to stop and acknowledge it every few minutes, and I'm wishing I could pack up a little cookie package for all the people I've met who ever needed to be comforted and weren't. Here is a biscotti recipe that will never fail. You must dunk these in coffee or wine, though, as they are of the tougher persuasion.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYN6zpFhEUaNio8CtwPrAirpfPjVBp3K7QkWukdmcajpgL600OYmpRRxmteafXVyedro0k2vuYGI-9LpQefBJVgp2o-U6oqUlPPiEjnkr9XSdv2B-5U2dDyTPzv_eSCpQ84jzJJWPWVM/s1600/DSCN0800.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYN6zpFhEUaNio8CtwPrAirpfPjVBp3K7QkWukdmcajpgL600OYmpRRxmteafXVyedro0k2vuYGI-9LpQefBJVgp2o-U6oqUlPPiEjnkr9XSdv2B-5U2dDyTPzv_eSCpQ84jzJJWPWVM/s400/DSCN0800.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613081325155146082" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Spiced Chocolate & Espresso Biscotti</span><br />250 g flour<br />250 g sugar (I use half caster, half brown)<br />2 beaten eggs<br />75g chopped dark chocolate<br />75g chopped nuts<br />50g crushed espresso beans<br />pinch each of<br />salt<br />cinamon<br />chili pepper<br /><br /><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Preheat </span>the oven to 375<br /></p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mix everything</span> together, except the eggs, which you will beat in a separate bowl with a bit of orange zest or vanilla extract, whichever you have or prefer.<br /></p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Use your hands</span> to bring it all together and form a dough. Try to distribute the nuts and chocolate evenly (but no fuss). If you have a hard time with the dough, put a few tablespoons of olive oil on your hands or in the mix.<br /></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Divide your dough</span>, shaping two logs on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Your logs should be about an inch thick. Brush them with a little bit of milk and sprinkle an little extra sugar on top.<br /></p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bake the logs </span>for 15 minutes letting them spread, but they should still be soft in the middle. Take them out and lower the oven to 325. Let them cool a little so you can handle them and cut them to your desired size. Arrange them all on the baking sheet again and bake for 10-15minutes more on each side. Watch them though, some ovens will burn your biscotti really fast.</p><p>I'm taking a plate down for the ladies working at the hair salon I live above. There's always a pot of coffee on down there...</p><p>Post Script: I went over to Sarah's to hang out with the little ones and look what I came home to! I feed the stylists, they hook me up with hair products. This is a functional relationship...</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY6yybrDpMpYUbgaZA8Uhsqgp6QFs5aWL2gqRwY5PvM-SvSA-4mtATuL7abQU0nK-WMk2H7A9qGNUFe4_EQoFHkMQSqo2IiZ78Mev7tri89M4G67TAzOPkftu77xk9aVQOWJIIvLtl5vE/s1600/DSCN0817.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY6yybrDpMpYUbgaZA8Uhsqgp6QFs5aWL2gqRwY5PvM-SvSA-4mtATuL7abQU0nK-WMk2H7A9qGNUFe4_EQoFHkMQSqo2IiZ78Mev7tri89M4G67TAzOPkftu77xk9aVQOWJIIvLtl5vE/s400/DSCN0817.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613435105232363682" border="0" /></a></p>Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-49407650307714630482011-05-30T20:01:00.001-07:002011-06-02T09:16:44.030-07:00Why Not?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiF3q7tcNUxQVfoHxMrcoREiMfAZH639Z2WLR9kdhpHkwYHGJD8nlXRsNHbpqKrt-8hiGe9XaSctRkvqSdhFZ-_lKn6yYJ3apr_h9tvsQFGa33pqjb7s2s__9XYeL_dvJEYy7XhSUcUdI/s1600/DSCN0789+%25282%2529.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiF3q7tcNUxQVfoHxMrcoREiMfAZH639Z2WLR9kdhpHkwYHGJD8nlXRsNHbpqKrt-8hiGe9XaSctRkvqSdhFZ-_lKn6yYJ3apr_h9tvsQFGa33pqjb7s2s__9XYeL_dvJEYy7XhSUcUdI/s400/DSCN0789+%25282%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612716918154227650" border="0" /></a>Why not get off the bus and go see a show you know you'd regret missing? Why not tell that old friend exactly what it was that hurt you? Learn the words to a song in a language you don't speak? Eat pasta at 10pm because you were working till 7 and it takes a while to get dinner going? I did all of those things in the last 72 hours and i still managed to make it through most of my to-do list as well. What's more, I'm gonna make a blog post even though I don't have very good pictures. I highly recommend you go for it as well, whatever it is you feel like doing. What's the worse thing that could happen? At least you'll learn something, right? That's a pretty good deal if you ask me! Here's a delicious work-week pasta dish that goes really well with an episode of your favorite food-network show. So check dinner off your list and put your feet up. Life is good.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQG4QnMZhVIB5AZhvD7hy2b2dGL8L6EZDp9zAn-SimpAv148Zpc_sVR8yW-8CMc-gWmS8BZpjkfY_J9PuZGBV6ihrKihSjCveaXDGhuTEZAtmlqmnn8kicQ3SNV-ZzG7Zd6hi369FRyA/s1600/DSCN0777+%25282%2529.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQG4QnMZhVIB5AZhvD7hy2b2dGL8L6EZDp9zAn-SimpAv148Zpc_sVR8yW-8CMc-gWmS8BZpjkfY_J9PuZGBV6ihrKihSjCveaXDGhuTEZAtmlqmnn8kicQ3SNV-ZzG7Zd6hi369FRyA/s400/DSCN0777+%25282%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612717216030280418" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Monday Night Rigatoni</span><br /><br />450g dry rigatoni<br /><br />400g ground beef<br />1 medium onion<br />2 cloves garlic<br />10 crackers<br />1 egg<br />olive oil<br />1 can chopped tomatoes<br />2 tsp each of:<br />salt<br />pepper<br />ground ginger<br />ground mustard<br />paprika<br />chili powder<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Food process</span> the crackers, onion and garlic together. In a medium bowl, using your hands, knead together the beef, cracker mix, beaten egg and all dry spices for a few minutes until mixture looks homogeneous. Then wet your fingers and shape as many meatballs as the mix will allow. Freeze however much you don't want to cook.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fry meatballs</span> in olive or canola oil until browned all around and add a can of chopped tomatoes (or half depending on how much of your meat you froze) and cook on medium high until the tomato juice reduces a bit to sauce consistency. If you've got an open can of tomato paste you can use a bit of that to thicken the sauce, too.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Boil</span> pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Throw it all together, add a hand-full of your favorite fresh green (mine is arugula), some shaved parmigiano, and press play.Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-92223740209051193442011-05-25T11:57:00.000-07:002011-05-25T23:22:50.497-07:00Newness<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV35nqkfZaB6DaYu6ug7IWOjcrmhtW0mauCpwfW_e1qB8b_kNVSUyCItlW9btXZx3tDbKOCOWu11PKoKXe1VBFAQ0vRdNIWUzTgJUGLtSxxKucu44qVwqZHJMmx-Mei63N2C_que7EHpc/s1600/DSCN0560.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV35nqkfZaB6DaYu6ug7IWOjcrmhtW0mauCpwfW_e1qB8b_kNVSUyCItlW9btXZx3tDbKOCOWu11PKoKXe1VBFAQ0vRdNIWUzTgJUGLtSxxKucu44qVwqZHJMmx-Mei63N2C_que7EHpc/s400/DSCN0560.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610736534390617490" border="0" /></a>This is Pipp. He is the newest addition to my family. he started out really small and has just moved into his bigger tin can. I have a feeling he's gonna need even more space soon. I've been trying to incorporate a lot of herbs into what I cook these days just to keep up with the ones I have in my kitchen. Soon I'm gonna have to resort to pesto-making, but it's still under control. Sweet basil in a savory crepe with cracked pepper and pecorino romano, which the cheese lady didn't let me pay for? So I went home for lunch today, you can probably tell. It was indulgent and brilliant.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibaLMm78j6obabQbR7Lw3b1x8YA2Z72iNdghut56hFRzc8xZsNDoQEZtI7qHdJfInFOSBQxyC8gut0tqTilmA6B0GzocjZ60CjA880Dev0Nlrfj0l7_mEYxADjwOq32fWjoxdjkImJtWE/s1600/DSCN0630.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibaLMm78j6obabQbR7Lw3b1x8YA2Z72iNdghut56hFRzc8xZsNDoQEZtI7qHdJfInFOSBQxyC8gut0tqTilmA6B0GzocjZ60CjA880Dev0Nlrfj0l7_mEYxADjwOq32fWjoxdjkImJtWE/s400/DSCN0630.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610736894324693186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">All Purpose Crepes</span><br /><br />2 eggs (get real farm eggs they're delicious)<br />1 1/4c good milk<br />1c sifted flour (a.p. or pastry will do)<br />pincha salt<br />1tsp sugar<br />2 tbsp melted butter or other oil you like<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mix </span>the above ingredients really really well. If you feel like cleaning a blender, you could use that but I just used my big big whisk and burned some calories. The consistency should ideally be like heavy cream. If it's like custard, you need more milk. You want a runny batter with no clumps.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chill </span>covered for about an hour. I made mine in the morning before I went to work and used it at lunch. That worked just fine.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">In a non-stick</span> crepe pan/frying pan that has been lightly oiled on medium heat, cook 1/4c batter at a time. Swirl the pan to get a thin and even(ish) crepe but don't fuss. You'll wreck a few and get the hang of it. cook for a minutes or so per side, and use your own judgment for doneness, pans and batters vary, of course. If you're like me and you cooked way too many crepes, cook the ones you're not eating a little less and wrap and refrigerate them. Then when you want to eat one, you can heat it on the same pan and it won't brown too much.<br />So so good. I promise.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRYFFZYJIcTichwtfOBwz6FYXnJVJKu6KYK-F0ymvCC9pfJbf5sBoXmxgmhx8XNWcRlJvgUKQNw6CuoGk4CeWHY23YiVyFKyn7nLPYvvtfHjBDCQaxPDZT17dlhMl-HjsI12lgij9hYK0/s1600/DSCN0624.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRYFFZYJIcTichwtfOBwz6FYXnJVJKu6KYK-F0ymvCC9pfJbf5sBoXmxgmhx8XNWcRlJvgUKQNw6CuoGk4CeWHY23YiVyFKyn7nLPYvvtfHjBDCQaxPDZT17dlhMl-HjsI12lgij9hYK0/s400/DSCN0624.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610736750722679154" border="0" /></a>I couldn't resist. I had a sweet one with brown sugar and lemon, too.Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-89150649820595465472011-05-24T18:07:00.000-07:002011-05-24T20:41:02.298-07:00Short Shorts and White Wine<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzhxpv8_MBCCs1afyNcCBIv2r0Kx-0eVNe4e5dmwraIvctyIrA0u7_NoiOEFxWjT6Kf9dYDFs_vGGnI9V-O3dsdsXROIndHk-LIOjkZbeRctogOATMRZi2uwjZvCgOFwh4KDrtKX0bEc/s1600/DSCN0599.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzhxpv8_MBCCs1afyNcCBIv2r0Kx-0eVNe4e5dmwraIvctyIrA0u7_NoiOEFxWjT6Kf9dYDFs_vGGnI9V-O3dsdsXROIndHk-LIOjkZbeRctogOATMRZi2uwjZvCgOFwh4KDrtKX0bEc/s400/DSCN0599.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610465959764810594" border="0" /></a>I'm still digesting this meal. It was good. It was really really good. Is that bragging? I don't mean it that way. Considering how long it's been since my last post, I'm surprised at my ambition for thinking I can manage to bang this out before heading out to watch the Canucks game (but between us, I really only care about the final quarter so we still have time to hang out here). It's been so lovely and beautiful here these days. Sun, wind, just enough of everything. My life (other than work) has been filled with music. In fact I noticed as I squeezed a lemon on this fish that I have guitar blisters. Stinging but sweet. What can I say about this dish, other than the honest truth, which is that I came up with the idea while drinking an after-work glass of pinot grigio, some of which I spilled on my shorts... It was an experiment and it worked out. What more could I ask for?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeD-YmswYEgyjwL_lgDVZcYoQ0I3synhRvAMEEaiZ46tR6ITsUyP_LHYfARNdNX1LYaVRNy3ukTuOB-UMoOtB1AMv9ZvUflC_tRQDECMT90ifCYSIFkmnhrTzZOK1v8oEqrCxvrJXEurI/s1600/DSCN0607.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeD-YmswYEgyjwL_lgDVZcYoQ0I3synhRvAMEEaiZ46tR6ITsUyP_LHYfARNdNX1LYaVRNy3ukTuOB-UMoOtB1AMv9ZvUflC_tRQDECMT90ifCYSIFkmnhrTzZOK1v8oEqrCxvrJXEurI/s400/DSCN0607.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610466786206720194" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tilapia Turbans with Chorizo and Sweet Pepper Filling</span><br /><br />2 fillets of tilapia<br />3" piece of chorizo sausage<br />1/2 red bell pepper<br />2 fresh lemon (juice and zest of)<br />4 tbsp white wine<br />salt pepper dill<br />olive and garlic oil<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Clean</span> and pat dry the fillets of tilapia and with a super sharp knife, cut each fillet first in half and then slice lengthwise to make thin sheets of tilapia. These will roll more easily than whole chubby pieces. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt, pepper, dill, and lemon zest. Set aside.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Prehea</span>t the oven to 350degrees.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeD-YmswYEgyjwL_lgDVZcYoQ0I3synhRvAMEEaiZ46tR6ITsUyP_LHYfARNdNX1LYaVRNy3ukTuOB-UMoOtB1AMv9ZvUflC_tRQDECMT90ifCYSIFkmnhrTzZOK1v8oEqrCxvrJXEurI/s1600/DSCN0607.JPG"><br /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Food-process</span> chorizo and red bell pepper with juice and zest of half of your lemon, until you have a course meal. Quickly saute this in a frying pan with a tablespoon of olive oil for a few minutes, just to marry the flavors.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Drizzle</span> a bit of garlic oil (or olive oil) in a small cast iron pan. Roll each piece of fish into a turban and fill the middle with the chorizo mixture. Tie each roll with a piece of twine or a long toothpick and arrange in the oiled pan. Pour white wine around the rolls and cover with a piece of foil.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bake</span> for 10-15 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and looks cooked. Finish uncovered for a few minutes, just to get a little bit of colour.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Serve</span> with wild rice or a green salad and whatever white wine you were drinking while you were cooking! I'm off to watch the game!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeD-YmswYEgyjwL_lgDVZcYoQ0I3synhRvAMEEaiZ46tR6ITsUyP_LHYfARNdNX1LYaVRNy3ukTuOB-UMoOtB1AMv9ZvUflC_tRQDECMT90ifCYSIFkmnhrTzZOK1v8oEqrCxvrJXEurI/s1600/DSCN0607.JPG"><br /></a>Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6610667865382451661.post-41629958371008620082011-04-05T08:02:00.000-07:002011-04-05T08:43:46.018-07:00Look ma, no fork.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDlkyuIn_iFKcb6z9XXeGL0ClC3Q1VewbWSuy0f8Kg2Zkk9nuDZnXM4PpVR86wZrl7K22_Znlixf1W3owArCk-4J6z9muvXjSsW9VMGsHgZmIqtFwMGPME4HgBLDznxE_tbchSLsWPIk/s1600/fajita.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDlkyuIn_iFKcb6z9XXeGL0ClC3Q1VewbWSuy0f8Kg2Zkk9nuDZnXM4PpVR86wZrl7K22_Znlixf1W3owArCk-4J6z9muvXjSsW9VMGsHgZmIqtFwMGPME4HgBLDznxE_tbchSLsWPIk/s400/fajita.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592115424430421314" border="0" /></a><br />Nothing says Spring like eating with your hands. After the eight month freeze, people in Canada start acting a little funny: Oh, it's four degrees above freezing, you say? Hold on, let me get my shorts and sandals. Ten degrees with and overcast on a Tuesday? Let's hit the patio and get a bucket of Coronas at lunch. I'll admit it, I'm guilty of a little of the crazy. We woke up yesterday morning and Mina looked outside at the gray skies, birds chirping on the barren branches draped with torn plastic bags, preening their feathers of the spitting rain, the damp gray sidewalk littered with a crust of dirt and cigarette butts in the wake of melted snow banks, and commuters heading to work in their rain coats, umbrellas in hand, and she said, "It's beautiful outside." And I thought, "Yeah, it is, isn't it."<br /><br />So, in that spirit. Why not kick off Spring (there are, literally, snow flakes outside the window, today, on April 5th) with fajitas?<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG26x62uiZSssppjPeNxfvq3vJOdob5zAacXUq8Dz4-kLFIGA6KETGID9Me2BTNvyFo04a2R9qzu2jqydHMFyvZt-_-gYL-WaImhJLuomXfWZCpTPlaHiRvsuhRbZQGanmxlgg0bxSCBo/s1600/fajita2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG26x62uiZSssppjPeNxfvq3vJOdob5zAacXUq8Dz4-kLFIGA6KETGID9Me2BTNvyFo04a2R9qzu2jqydHMFyvZt-_-gYL-WaImhJLuomXfWZCpTPlaHiRvsuhRbZQGanmxlgg0bxSCBo/s400/fajita2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592115418600560786" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chipotle Ground Beef Fajitas with Guacamole</span><br /><br />1lb lean ground beef (chuck works, but you could use ground sirloin if you're feelin classy)<br />1 red pepper, sliced<br />1 green pepper, sliced<br />2 onions, halved and sliced<br />1 to 5 dried chipotle peppers, ground (pick your poison: the more pepper the higher the flame)<br />3 tbsp cooking oil<br />1/2 C sour cream, for topping<br />1/2 C cheddar, grated for topping<br />3 diced jalapenos, for topping<br />1 diced tomato, for topping<br />6 to 10 corn fajitas, lightly toasted (use an open gas burner and tongs if you have them)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">For the guacamole</span><br /><br />2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted and crosshatched in their skins<br />1/2 a bunch of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, stems and all<br />3 green onions, finely sliced horizontally<br />2 limes, juiced<br />2 tbsp olive oil<br />1 tbsp chili powder (or mexicali spice mix)<br /><br />Start by making your guac. Gently turn the cut avocado out of its skin with a tablespoon directly into a bowl and fold in (just as if you were taking care to preserve whipped egg whites, because you don't want your diced avocado to turn into mush) cilantro, lime juice, green onions, and salt to taste. Then top with the chili powder. My favourite is to use a micro grater to dust the top of the guac with a dried nacho chili - and yes, those are a real variety of pepper.<br /><br />Put half the oil in a small cast iron (or non-stick) pan and turn the heat to high. In a second medium-sized pan, add the remaining oil and half of your onion and cook for three to four minutes, until onions are soft, then add ground beef and stir through.<br /><br />By now, your small cast iron pan should be smoking hot. Toss in the red and green pepper and remaining onion. Shake the pan hard once or twice, then listen to the sizzle. Toss every half-minute for five minutes, while keeping an eye on the beef mixture. When your peppers have blackened at the edge, remove from heat (if they stick at all, flick or spray some water into the pan and shake loose). Continue to stir your beef until the moisture has cooked off, then salt, pepper and add the chipotle. Cook for another minute, then remove from heat. The rest is simple: spread all your separate ingredients on a platter and start the free-for-all. Also, if you've got some, serve this dish with hot sauce and cold beer.<br /><br />Cheers!Mina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00781786311933281475noreply@blogger.com4