So it's been quite a while since I've blogged. Mostly because I am in the glorious throes of having a full-time job that I love (teaching music to students with developmental disabilities), along with gardening in the summer and having acquired yet another Rhodesian Ridgeback. Some women are crazy cat ladies. Not me. I'm a crazy dog lady. (Lela is a lovely 9 year old girl who will have pictures of her put up soon.)
This year I really got into the gardening business. In the garden at the moment are strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, corn (not much), basil, jalapenos, bell peppers, rosemary, parsley, sage, lemon thyme, oregano, chocolate mint, kale, onions, leeks, chives, zucchini, yellow squash, some pale-looking-zucchini-squash-type plant that cooks and tastes virtually identical to zucchini, lavender, rhubarb, 2 varieties of tomatoes... and I can't remember what else. The rhubarb is not doing so well, but the zucchini is exploding with a bounty that is even more than I expected (I hadn't grown zucchini in 4 years, so I had sort of forgotten how amazing it gets).
Everything is getting ready for harvest. I've eaten a bunch of strawberries, raspberries, and zucchini so far. The basil has almost reached pesto-stage, though I want it to get a little more out of hand before I harvest it (I like to have a lot of pesto to keep me for the year). The corn plants are boasting a total of a meager 8 ears, but 8 ears is just enough to feed my extended family for a garden-fresh dinner, and my mother-in-law is wild about sweet corn, so here's hoping it's good!
For the past year or so, FussyHubby and I have been trying to eat better and exercise more; enough so that I ran my first 5k in July, with plans to do another in September and a 10k also in September. I am enjoying running to the point where I am a compression sock junkie and I even have music selected simply because its BPM matches my pace. ("Happy" from Despicable Me 2's soundtrack is the most perfect I've found so far.)
As a result, I lost 18 pounds and a whole pants size. The pants size has remained the same, but in 2 weeks of lesser exercise and less careful eating, I gained back 6 of those pounds. At first I was thinking to myself that 6 pounds is not that much, that I can lose it again easily enough, but then I realized that I had actually gained back a third of the weight I had lost. Back to better habits and less splurging (though I firmly believe that the occasional splurge is good for you).
The end of the summer is becoming wonderful for eating. We can eat vegetables fresh from the garden, and there is nothing quite like serving dinner to people and saying casually, "Yeah, the pasta is in a pesto cream sauce with basil from our garden." It makes me feel so good to know that I am serving something delicious that I cultivated with my own blood, sweat, and tears. I can't wait to have sweet corn with my extended family. I can't wait to make fajitas and chili using the peppers I grew. I'm hoping I can make some spaghetti sauce with the tomatoes I'm growing, but so far I'm not having much tomato luck. And yogurt with garden-fresh strawberries on it is a sublime breakfast.
So life is good. We exercise, we eat more healthfully, and we work. And in so doing, there are many, many blessings.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Religions: What's in a denomination anyway?
After about 10 years of secretly loving the Episcopal church, I finally started going to one regularly and officially, and I became an official card-carrying Episcopalian on May 29. This is a decision that I did not make lightly and I feel strongly that it is something that was brewing in me for some time.
I knew that the biggest "problem" I would encounter through my change of denomination from Roman Catholicism to Episcopalianism (is that a word? Episcopality?...) would be my mother's feelings on the matter. She is extremely devoutly Catholic, and even went so far as to threaten not to pay for any of my college if I didn't get confirmed in the RC Church. (I got confirmed and still resent it.) When I wrote to her about my change in denomination, I didn't expect to hear from her for some time. I heard from her within the day and she was actually very courteous about it. She has been pretty good about it except for the time my aunt came up from down South and she and Mom had an extensive bitch session about it. She also had some pretty impatient tone of voice at the end of the liturgy in which I was received when she asked my husband what to call a female priest. My husband, a devout atheist, was taken aback by her tone and the wording of her question: "Well, what am I supposed to call HER?"
I think that some of the reason my mother is annoyed with me changing denominations is because she has become deeply ensconced in the intricacies of the Roman Catholic liturgy. She's even officially a "liturgist," who knows literally every in and out of how a mass is supposed to be conducted. Because she is so entrenched in the details of every. little. thing involved with the Roman Catholic denomination, I'm afraid she doesn't see the larger picture about how the Episcopal Church is actually quite similar, with a few different policies that I find entirely reasonable and desirable (hence my "conversion"). I mentioned this to my husband -- that she was too mired in the details -- and he said, "well, aren't you getting that way?"
I told him that I hoped not. I do sincerely hope not. I believe that religion should be and is something that is more about your relationship with a God, whoever you perceive Him/Her/It to be, and that by following the dictates of said God, you are making a positive impact on the world, for both yourself and for others. (That "don't hurt anyone" is also in there with the positive impact thing.) I acknowledge and respect different faiths; in fact, I applaud people who invite me to their services, and I genuinely want to be invited to more, no matter what religion. It doesn't have to be Christianity.
I chose to be Episcopalian because I grew up with a love for the liturgy, ritual, and reverence of the Roman Catholic Church, but I simply could not reconcile the idea that women and married persons could not become priests. I worship and pray and meditate in a paradigm that is comfortable for me and makes me feel closest to God. I know my paradigm is different from others' paradigms. The point is, I feel that if you are holding reverence for the force of Love that flows between all beings and work toward peace and goodness toward each other, I think you are following the correct kind of religion for yourself -- as long as you are comfortable enough in the environment to really examine your heart and soul and how you are working to make this world better for everyone, even the marginalized and oppressed.
This means: I don't care if you're Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian (in any form!), or any other religion I can think of. I don't care if you are agnostic or atheist. I know that if you are working toward good in the world, you are doing the right thing, and your particular form of clearing out your brain-tangles is correct for you.
I knew that the biggest "problem" I would encounter through my change of denomination from Roman Catholicism to Episcopalianism (is that a word? Episcopality?...) would be my mother's feelings on the matter. She is extremely devoutly Catholic, and even went so far as to threaten not to pay for any of my college if I didn't get confirmed in the RC Church. (I got confirmed and still resent it.) When I wrote to her about my change in denomination, I didn't expect to hear from her for some time. I heard from her within the day and she was actually very courteous about it. She has been pretty good about it except for the time my aunt came up from down South and she and Mom had an extensive bitch session about it. She also had some pretty impatient tone of voice at the end of the liturgy in which I was received when she asked my husband what to call a female priest. My husband, a devout atheist, was taken aback by her tone and the wording of her question: "Well, what am I supposed to call HER?"
I think that some of the reason my mother is annoyed with me changing denominations is because she has become deeply ensconced in the intricacies of the Roman Catholic liturgy. She's even officially a "liturgist," who knows literally every in and out of how a mass is supposed to be conducted. Because she is so entrenched in the details of every. little. thing involved with the Roman Catholic denomination, I'm afraid she doesn't see the larger picture about how the Episcopal Church is actually quite similar, with a few different policies that I find entirely reasonable and desirable (hence my "conversion"). I mentioned this to my husband -- that she was too mired in the details -- and he said, "well, aren't you getting that way?"
I told him that I hoped not. I do sincerely hope not. I believe that religion should be and is something that is more about your relationship with a God, whoever you perceive Him/Her/It to be, and that by following the dictates of said God, you are making a positive impact on the world, for both yourself and for others. (That "don't hurt anyone" is also in there with the positive impact thing.) I acknowledge and respect different faiths; in fact, I applaud people who invite me to their services, and I genuinely want to be invited to more, no matter what religion. It doesn't have to be Christianity.
I chose to be Episcopalian because I grew up with a love for the liturgy, ritual, and reverence of the Roman Catholic Church, but I simply could not reconcile the idea that women and married persons could not become priests. I worship and pray and meditate in a paradigm that is comfortable for me and makes me feel closest to God. I know my paradigm is different from others' paradigms. The point is, I feel that if you are holding reverence for the force of Love that flows between all beings and work toward peace and goodness toward each other, I think you are following the correct kind of religion for yourself -- as long as you are comfortable enough in the environment to really examine your heart and soul and how you are working to make this world better for everyone, even the marginalized and oppressed.
This means: I don't care if you're Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian (in any form!), or any other religion I can think of. I don't care if you are agnostic or atheist. I know that if you are working toward good in the world, you are doing the right thing, and your particular form of clearing out your brain-tangles is correct for you.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Poetry and Healing Prayer
I used to write a ton of poetry. At least 2 to 3 poems a week. I kept them in the most beautiful journals I could find, and, if possible, wrote the poems in the journals using the same pen I had used to hash the poem out on paper.
Then came antidepressants. I seemed to lose my poetic drive slowly, and though I mourned the loss of creativity, I didn't think it was that much to lose, because I could no longer snatch words out of the air as they swirled around me for the taking. I struggled to write a poem about how poetry did not come to me anymore in January, but the only time I had written a poem before that was 2011, and before that was probably before I was married, except for the occasional contrived piece that I was not necessarily proud of.
Enter Cursillo. Without digressing too much, I will say that this past weekend I made my Cursillo at CNY's Cursillo weekend #54. A Cursillo is a special kind of retreat that is very intensive and beautiful, but also exhausting. 15 talks about different elements of spirituality in 3 days is a lot! While at Cursillo, I met a wonderful deacon. She struck me first with her sermon about the Prodigal Son on the very first night we were there. It helped me figure out that even though I identify with the older son in the story (the one who does not squander his money and stays with his father), that even though I never had a huge party thrown for me just for asking for forgiveness after a big mistake, I am still loved and still will be loved forever. I had been holding onto so much anger and resentment in my heart, and until then, I wasn't able to release it. For the rest of the weekend she and I talked extensively and had a very special moment when we had healing prayer one evening after Compline and she prayed with me and anointed my forehead. But in addition to this, she gave two of the fifteen talks we heard. One on Grace and one on Obstacles. Both struck a deep chord within me, and after the Grace talk, I felt compelled to actually write a poem. Words were swimming in my head again! It felt like a miracle. Since Friday, I have toyed with about 5 poems on paper, and they are starting to work out and I'm almost ready to share them. Most of them are religious in nature, but I feel that art (music, poetry, drama, whatever!) inspired by something sacred, even the stuff that some would consider blasphemous, has more of a "pull" to it than more secular forms of art.
Here is the first copy of my most recent poetic inspiration. It is still under construction and may be edited later, but it was inspired by Healing Prayer with the aforementioned Deacon who inspired me so thoroughly:
"Healing Prayer"
I will never articulate
the transformation I felt
from ten fingers
holding my troubled head
so tenderly
and bluest eyes
that looked gently into my soul;
i could feel the love coursing into me.
The oil marked my forehead in a cross
and the burdens on my weary heart
were lifted.
Love coursed from me, too,
into those blessed hands
as we were joined
in unity of purpose.
5 May, 2014.
c. Emily Morisette
Then came antidepressants. I seemed to lose my poetic drive slowly, and though I mourned the loss of creativity, I didn't think it was that much to lose, because I could no longer snatch words out of the air as they swirled around me for the taking. I struggled to write a poem about how poetry did not come to me anymore in January, but the only time I had written a poem before that was 2011, and before that was probably before I was married, except for the occasional contrived piece that I was not necessarily proud of.
Enter Cursillo. Without digressing too much, I will say that this past weekend I made my Cursillo at CNY's Cursillo weekend #54. A Cursillo is a special kind of retreat that is very intensive and beautiful, but also exhausting. 15 talks about different elements of spirituality in 3 days is a lot! While at Cursillo, I met a wonderful deacon. She struck me first with her sermon about the Prodigal Son on the very first night we were there. It helped me figure out that even though I identify with the older son in the story (the one who does not squander his money and stays with his father), that even though I never had a huge party thrown for me just for asking for forgiveness after a big mistake, I am still loved and still will be loved forever. I had been holding onto so much anger and resentment in my heart, and until then, I wasn't able to release it. For the rest of the weekend she and I talked extensively and had a very special moment when we had healing prayer one evening after Compline and she prayed with me and anointed my forehead. But in addition to this, she gave two of the fifteen talks we heard. One on Grace and one on Obstacles. Both struck a deep chord within me, and after the Grace talk, I felt compelled to actually write a poem. Words were swimming in my head again! It felt like a miracle. Since Friday, I have toyed with about 5 poems on paper, and they are starting to work out and I'm almost ready to share them. Most of them are religious in nature, but I feel that art (music, poetry, drama, whatever!) inspired by something sacred, even the stuff that some would consider blasphemous, has more of a "pull" to it than more secular forms of art.
Here is the first copy of my most recent poetic inspiration. It is still under construction and may be edited later, but it was inspired by Healing Prayer with the aforementioned Deacon who inspired me so thoroughly:
"Healing Prayer"
I will never articulate
the transformation I felt
from ten fingers
holding my troubled head
so tenderly
and bluest eyes
that looked gently into my soul;
i could feel the love coursing into me.
The oil marked my forehead in a cross
and the burdens on my weary heart
were lifted.
Love coursed from me, too,
into those blessed hands
as we were joined
in unity of purpose.
5 May, 2014.
c. Emily Morisette
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Food: Crunchy Chicken Casserole
So I found a recipe for "Crunchy Chicken Casserole" in a cookbook I bought at a book fair at school, and made it a few weeks ago. It was proclaimed adequate but not very flavorful, and the yield was quite small. (When I make a casserole, I want lots of left-overs!) Tonight I modified the recipe, part out of necessity and part because I wanted more flavor. Here's what I came up with:
For the casserole filling:
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 celery heart, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
the meat from two cooked bone-in chicken breasts, torn into small pieces
1 can cream-of-something soup (I used onion this time)
1 soup can of milk
1 cup uncooked rice (this is the risky part; the original recipe called for cooked rice; I added the can of milk to compensate)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
about 1 Tbsp poultry seasoning (I used a salt-free blend)
about 24 grinds of black pepper
Cook the onion and celery in butter until the onion becomes almost translucent; add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Remove from heat; dump into a 9x13" pan
For the topping:
Crush about 2 cups of Cornflakes in a zip-top bag. Add 1Tbsp of melted butter (cooled) into the bag and squish around until all of it is combined. Dump this mixture on top of the casserole and spread it evenly across the top.
Bake this mess at 350 for 30-45 minutes, or until it's bubbly and delicious. Remember that you need adequate time for the rice to absorb the liquid.
For the casserole filling:
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 celery heart, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
the meat from two cooked bone-in chicken breasts, torn into small pieces
1 can cream-of-something soup (I used onion this time)
1 soup can of milk
1 cup uncooked rice (this is the risky part; the original recipe called for cooked rice; I added the can of milk to compensate)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
about 1 Tbsp poultry seasoning (I used a salt-free blend)
about 24 grinds of black pepper
Cook the onion and celery in butter until the onion becomes almost translucent; add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Remove from heat; dump into a 9x13" pan
For the topping:
Crush about 2 cups of Cornflakes in a zip-top bag. Add 1Tbsp of melted butter (cooled) into the bag and squish around until all of it is combined. Dump this mixture on top of the casserole and spread it evenly across the top.
Bake this mess at 350 for 30-45 minutes, or until it's bubbly and delicious. Remember that you need adequate time for the rice to absorb the liquid.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Silenced
At the present moment, I am in the throes of quite a nasty cold that has been floating around school, and one of the results of said cold is that I've completely lost my voice save for a whisper. And not even a stage-whisper, but a real whisper. For a motormouth like me, this is an interesting experience. I have so many things I want to say, but it's either too painful (my throat feels like a bunch of rusty razor blades rubbing together every time I swallow, speak, or mouth-breathe) or it goes unheard because I have no volume. Plus, in order for me to get back to work as a music teacher, I need to rest my voice so that I can speak, sing, and otherwise vocalize with the kiddos. So I'm staying quiet for a few days.
Yesterday I visited my mom and my uncle and rasped through some conversation. I was so excited to share my experiences about my new job that I didn't really pay much heed to the hoarseness that kept getting worse as our brunch went on. I stayed quiet on my drive back home and made sure to gargle with plenty of throat-soothing things, but I woke up today completely voiceless. I was pretty much completely hoarse last night and so my husband and I had a quiet evening (he's not much of a talker), and today has been eerily quiet.
I grew up in a home that seemed to hate silence. At least my mother and brother did their best to fill the home with as much talk as possible. My dad was always okay with quiet, but as we got older, my brother's constant talking became a presence in the house that we were totally used to. (He even talks to himself if no one's around.) When I met my husband, I found it odd that he could sit with his family in near-silence, just reading a book or watching TV, and we would all be the better for it. At my husband's family's house, we didn't have to fill every silence with words or noise. We could just *be.*
I still struggle with this concept of just *being.* I am a born and bred motormouth, and I always want to say things, discuss things, ask questions, share stories, and converse with people. I thrive on a certain amount of social interaction (though I like my alone time too). But right now, I have time to sit back and listen and think, instead of being at the forefront of every conversation. I wonder if it's a need for self-expression that makes me want to talk so much. As it is I feel like I haven't really expressed myself all day, even through the text messages I've sent to my husband to tell him things he couldn't understand me whispering.
It's been a frustrating day, but also an educational one. Tomorrow I will be silenced again, as my voice has not even begun to come back yet. I hope by the end of tomorrow I can at least start to stage-whisper.
Yesterday I visited my mom and my uncle and rasped through some conversation. I was so excited to share my experiences about my new job that I didn't really pay much heed to the hoarseness that kept getting worse as our brunch went on. I stayed quiet on my drive back home and made sure to gargle with plenty of throat-soothing things, but I woke up today completely voiceless. I was pretty much completely hoarse last night and so my husband and I had a quiet evening (he's not much of a talker), and today has been eerily quiet.
I grew up in a home that seemed to hate silence. At least my mother and brother did their best to fill the home with as much talk as possible. My dad was always okay with quiet, but as we got older, my brother's constant talking became a presence in the house that we were totally used to. (He even talks to himself if no one's around.) When I met my husband, I found it odd that he could sit with his family in near-silence, just reading a book or watching TV, and we would all be the better for it. At my husband's family's house, we didn't have to fill every silence with words or noise. We could just *be.*
I still struggle with this concept of just *being.* I am a born and bred motormouth, and I always want to say things, discuss things, ask questions, share stories, and converse with people. I thrive on a certain amount of social interaction (though I like my alone time too). But right now, I have time to sit back and listen and think, instead of being at the forefront of every conversation. I wonder if it's a need for self-expression that makes me want to talk so much. As it is I feel like I haven't really expressed myself all day, even through the text messages I've sent to my husband to tell him things he couldn't understand me whispering.
It's been a frustrating day, but also an educational one. Tomorrow I will be silenced again, as my voice has not even begun to come back yet. I hope by the end of tomorrow I can at least start to stage-whisper.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Food: Chili Love
Okay, so I have to recant a previous statement. My previous statement said that I hate beans in any form except green beans. I lied. I like a small amount of beans in chili, and oh boy howdy do I love chili.
All my life my mom has made Cincinnati-style chili, and while I have loved the smell of the chili powder cooking away on the stove, putting it over spaghetti with onions and cheese did not appeal to me, and I refused to eat the chili and instead ate spaghetti with cheese on it for many of my growing-up years.
Enter Rosemary. She is Winston's breeder and has become a dear friend to us. One day, Joe and I went up to her home to visit her passel of ridgebacks and have dinner. She had made chili, and I was about to eat it to be polite. I didn't want to tell this friend who had worked hard to make something delicious for us that I refused to eat chili even though I liked the smell, so I dove in and took a risk.
It was amazing. I liked it. Even the beans, though I still think they are the weakest link in the chili-gestalt.
So I decided to make a pot of chili myself. After experimenting a couple times and researching several NON-Cincinnati recipes, I came up with this recipe that I will use forever.
You need:
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced finely
2 large onions, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained exceedingly well
1 14.5 ounce can chopped tomatoes, not drained
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 12-ounce bottle/can of lager beer (today we're using Heineken)
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 cup beef stock (not broth)
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon salt
about 25 grinds of black pepper (from the grinder)
grated cheddar cheese for serving
First, brown the meats together in a pan until they are crumbly. During this process, feel free to sprinkle the meats with chili powder, garlic powder, and pepper. No salt though, or the chili will be too salty.
Add the onion, jalapeno, and green pepper, and cook until the onions are translucent but not brown.
Pour in the beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, beer, and beef stock. Stir. Sprinkle with the cornmeal and stir in.
Season the chili with the seasonings listed above.
Simmer on the stove for several hours. Today I am doing about 3 to 4 hours to let the flavors meld. It's even better if you cook it one day, let it sit overnight in the fridge, and then heat it up the next. But it smells so good today that I'm letting us have it today.
Serve in bowls covered with grated cheese. It's also good over brown rice.
Note: this is pretty mild, one-alarm chili, but it's plenty hot for us. We like mild Indian food, but we don't like our mouths to be on fire. Instead we prefer richness of flavor and a touch of heat.
Happy Superbowl Sunday! We are spending it eating chili and studiously avoiding football in all forms, American or otherwise.
All my life my mom has made Cincinnati-style chili, and while I have loved the smell of the chili powder cooking away on the stove, putting it over spaghetti with onions and cheese did not appeal to me, and I refused to eat the chili and instead ate spaghetti with cheese on it for many of my growing-up years.
Enter Rosemary. She is Winston's breeder and has become a dear friend to us. One day, Joe and I went up to her home to visit her passel of ridgebacks and have dinner. She had made chili, and I was about to eat it to be polite. I didn't want to tell this friend who had worked hard to make something delicious for us that I refused to eat chili even though I liked the smell, so I dove in and took a risk.
It was amazing. I liked it. Even the beans, though I still think they are the weakest link in the chili-gestalt.
So I decided to make a pot of chili myself. After experimenting a couple times and researching several NON-Cincinnati recipes, I came up with this recipe that I will use forever.
You need:
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced finely
2 large onions, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained exceedingly well
1 14.5 ounce can chopped tomatoes, not drained
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 12-ounce bottle/can of lager beer (today we're using Heineken)
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 cup beef stock (not broth)
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon salt
about 25 grinds of black pepper (from the grinder)
grated cheddar cheese for serving
First, brown the meats together in a pan until they are crumbly. During this process, feel free to sprinkle the meats with chili powder, garlic powder, and pepper. No salt though, or the chili will be too salty.
Add the onion, jalapeno, and green pepper, and cook until the onions are translucent but not brown.
Pour in the beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, beer, and beef stock. Stir. Sprinkle with the cornmeal and stir in.
Season the chili with the seasonings listed above.
Simmer on the stove for several hours. Today I am doing about 3 to 4 hours to let the flavors meld. It's even better if you cook it one day, let it sit overnight in the fridge, and then heat it up the next. But it smells so good today that I'm letting us have it today.
Serve in bowls covered with grated cheese. It's also good over brown rice.
Note: this is pretty mild, one-alarm chili, but it's plenty hot for us. We like mild Indian food, but we don't like our mouths to be on fire. Instead we prefer richness of flavor and a touch of heat.
Happy Superbowl Sunday! We are spending it eating chili and studiously avoiding football in all forms, American or otherwise.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Food: Rosemary's Pot Roast Chicken
My friend Rosemary, who hails from England, told me about a pot-roast chicken that she made for a friend who was sick. She even put up a photo of it on facebook and made me positively drool. Last Saturday I went to her house for dinner and got the "recipe" (more like a formulary, really) from her, and I made it yesterday. And oh, man. It was amazing.
Here's what you need:
1 whole chicken, giblets removed (I used a roaster, not sure about weight)
about 3 carrots, peeled and cut into quarters
1 pound small potatoes or large potatoes cut up
3 leeks, cleaned and cut into 2" pieces
2 large onions, chopped up into large pieces
1 mugful of white wine (I used a 12-oz mug)
fresh thyme or whatever herbs you like, to taste (I used probably 2 Tbsp thyme)
a couple tablespoons unsalted butter
seasoned salt
black pepper
Heat oven to 350 Farenheit.
Remove giblets if you haven't already. This is a step I loathe, and I use rubber gloves for it every time I do it, even if the giblets are in a tidy little bag. YUCK!
Layer the onions and leeks in the bottom of a large, oven-safe pot with an oven-safe lid. Mine was a 5qt enameled cast iron Dutch oven, and it BARELY held everything; I had to do some very creative formatting to get it all to fit in. Try for 6 or more quarts to make your life easier.
Add carrots and potatoes on bottom. This is where I had to do creative formatting. I put the carrots and potatoes around the chicken because otherwise the lid wouldn't shut and you need to cover this bad boy up.
Pour your mugful of white wine over the chicken. Dot the chicken with the butter that you crumbled up or cut up (either way - I crumbled), sprinkle with the fresh thyme that you chopped up, and season with seasoned salt and black pepper to your taste.
Cover and bake for a long time. My chicken took over 2 hours. The rule is 20 minutes per pound I think. But most whole chickens have instructions on the package. Consult this. I cooked mine until the handy-dandy pop-up thermometer thing in it popped up. It may sound silly, but I am utterly lost without that thing, and that thermometer makes me cook a moist chicken every time.
During the cooking process, baste the chicken about twice with the liquid in the bottom of the pot.
For the last half hour, remove the lid of the pot so the chicken skin can brown on top. I also turned up the heat to 400 because I was getting impatient and hungry, which yielded a nicely browned skin and moist bird.
Serve and try not to eat it all in one sitting. It is delicious.
Here's what you need:
1 whole chicken, giblets removed (I used a roaster, not sure about weight)
about 3 carrots, peeled and cut into quarters
1 pound small potatoes or large potatoes cut up
3 leeks, cleaned and cut into 2" pieces
2 large onions, chopped up into large pieces
1 mugful of white wine (I used a 12-oz mug)
fresh thyme or whatever herbs you like, to taste (I used probably 2 Tbsp thyme)
a couple tablespoons unsalted butter
seasoned salt
black pepper
Heat oven to 350 Farenheit.
Remove giblets if you haven't already. This is a step I loathe, and I use rubber gloves for it every time I do it, even if the giblets are in a tidy little bag. YUCK!
Layer the onions and leeks in the bottom of a large, oven-safe pot with an oven-safe lid. Mine was a 5qt enameled cast iron Dutch oven, and it BARELY held everything; I had to do some very creative formatting to get it all to fit in. Try for 6 or more quarts to make your life easier.
Add carrots and potatoes on bottom. This is where I had to do creative formatting. I put the carrots and potatoes around the chicken because otherwise the lid wouldn't shut and you need to cover this bad boy up.
Pour your mugful of white wine over the chicken. Dot the chicken with the butter that you crumbled up or cut up (either way - I crumbled), sprinkle with the fresh thyme that you chopped up, and season with seasoned salt and black pepper to your taste.
Cover and bake for a long time. My chicken took over 2 hours. The rule is 20 minutes per pound I think. But most whole chickens have instructions on the package. Consult this. I cooked mine until the handy-dandy pop-up thermometer thing in it popped up. It may sound silly, but I am utterly lost without that thing, and that thermometer makes me cook a moist chicken every time.
During the cooking process, baste the chicken about twice with the liquid in the bottom of the pot.
For the last half hour, remove the lid of the pot so the chicken skin can brown on top. I also turned up the heat to 400 because I was getting impatient and hungry, which yielded a nicely browned skin and moist bird.
Serve and try not to eat it all in one sitting. It is delicious.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Food: Roasted Broccoli ... and chicken.
Tonight I had big plans for dinner, oh yes oh my. I was planning to roast a chicken to golden-brown perfection and roast some nice veggies with it (broccoli!) and have salad as another vegetable. A nice, healthful meal and we would have a nice chicken carcass with which we'd make stock. Off I hied to ye olde Wegman's to purchase said chicken and broccoli and salad greens (as our salad greens from before our Christmas jaunt up North had expired disgustingly in our refrigerator)... and other healthful options for us to nosh on this week.
Would you believe, that of ALL grocery stores in all of the world, WEGMANS would not have any plain whole chickens?! I just about died! Granted, I was at one of their smaller stores, not the usual flagship store in DeWitt that I normally patronize. But still! No whole chickens!
Upon further inspection I did see a little chicken "kit" that contained a whole chicken, seasoned with lemons and herbs, all tied up in an oven bag and in its own foil pan. For an extra $3, of course. Well, since there were no plain whole chickens and I wanted to roast this bad boy myself (not get one of those oh-so-tasty rotisserie chickens they sell pre-cooked), I bit the bullet and bought the chicken kit.
I am not a fan of oven bags. It left the skin slimy, and it stuck to the skin on top so that I didn't even get my nice piece of seasoned chicken skin to go with my breast meat. Not to mention it must have been a puny chicken, because once hubby took his (sizable) portion, there was only enough meat left on the bones for carcass-boiling. Needless to say, I'm miffed and plan to go only to the DeWitt store from now on so I can always get my whole, big chickens that will render more than a carcass boil out of them.
I like saying "carcass."
On to the broccoli bit.
I wanted to make something a little more exciting than steamed broccoli to go with dinner, because I know that if I eat steamed broccoli, I will slather it in butter to make it palatable. Not good for a FussyFoodie who wants to lose 50 pounds in the next year. I asked a friend of extremely Italian heritage what she does to make her broccoli so delicious (she always has tasty broccoli) and she said "salt, pepper, and a bit of cheese." Well, I had these ingredients. I also had the idea to go a little hog wild and really make special broccoli.
So I took the frozen broccoli cuts and threw them in an 8x8 pan and drizzled them with about a tablespoon of olive oil.
Salt and pepper = seasoned salt and freshly ground pepper. I did that. I'd guess about a teaspoon of seasoned salt and an equal amount of pepper.
Parmesan cheese. I sprinkled enough of this stuff (from the green can - I know, I'm a Philistine) on top of the broccoli to make it appear to have a meager crumb coating. A mere dusting. You could see that it was broccoli, but it was white-colored broccoli.
Stir.
Then I added about a tablespoon of chicken stock to lubricate things better. It helped disperse the spices and cheese evenly.
Into the oven it went for just over 25 minutes. Maybe 27. I put it in at about 6:35 and took it out about 7ish, but I know it was a couple minutes after.
It was still crisp. It was flavorful. It wasn't sulfurous at all. I told FussyHubby that even *he* would like this broccoli. He still staunchly refused, but he did admit that he would consume zucchini with a similar treatment.
I'm not going to Wegman's tomorrow though. Not even for zucchini.
Would you believe, that of ALL grocery stores in all of the world, WEGMANS would not have any plain whole chickens?! I just about died! Granted, I was at one of their smaller stores, not the usual flagship store in DeWitt that I normally patronize. But still! No whole chickens!
Upon further inspection I did see a little chicken "kit" that contained a whole chicken, seasoned with lemons and herbs, all tied up in an oven bag and in its own foil pan. For an extra $3, of course. Well, since there were no plain whole chickens and I wanted to roast this bad boy myself (not get one of those oh-so-tasty rotisserie chickens they sell pre-cooked), I bit the bullet and bought the chicken kit.
I am not a fan of oven bags. It left the skin slimy, and it stuck to the skin on top so that I didn't even get my nice piece of seasoned chicken skin to go with my breast meat. Not to mention it must have been a puny chicken, because once hubby took his (sizable) portion, there was only enough meat left on the bones for carcass-boiling. Needless to say, I'm miffed and plan to go only to the DeWitt store from now on so I can always get my whole, big chickens that will render more than a carcass boil out of them.
I like saying "carcass."
On to the broccoli bit.
I wanted to make something a little more exciting than steamed broccoli to go with dinner, because I know that if I eat steamed broccoli, I will slather it in butter to make it palatable. Not good for a FussyFoodie who wants to lose 50 pounds in the next year. I asked a friend of extremely Italian heritage what she does to make her broccoli so delicious (she always has tasty broccoli) and she said "salt, pepper, and a bit of cheese." Well, I had these ingredients. I also had the idea to go a little hog wild and really make special broccoli.
So I took the frozen broccoli cuts and threw them in an 8x8 pan and drizzled them with about a tablespoon of olive oil.
Salt and pepper = seasoned salt and freshly ground pepper. I did that. I'd guess about a teaspoon of seasoned salt and an equal amount of pepper.
Parmesan cheese. I sprinkled enough of this stuff (from the green can - I know, I'm a Philistine) on top of the broccoli to make it appear to have a meager crumb coating. A mere dusting. You could see that it was broccoli, but it was white-colored broccoli.
Stir.
Then I added about a tablespoon of chicken stock to lubricate things better. It helped disperse the spices and cheese evenly.
Into the oven it went for just over 25 minutes. Maybe 27. I put it in at about 6:35 and took it out about 7ish, but I know it was a couple minutes after.
It was still crisp. It was flavorful. It wasn't sulfurous at all. I told FussyHubby that even *he* would like this broccoli. He still staunchly refused, but he did admit that he would consume zucchini with a similar treatment.
I'm not going to Wegman's tomorrow though. Not even for zucchini.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Food: Losing Weight the Tasty Way
So around Thanksgiving, the dear FussyFoodie Husband and I looked down at our stomachs in abject horror. The problem: we both have a gut. Hubby has only a tiny little paunch, being the exerciser that he is, but I look downright almost-pregnant. My size 16 jeans are no longer my "fat" jeans. Yeah, I'm admitting this because I have hope that there might be a single reader out there that is NOT a family member or friend of mine who knows who I am. And family and friends who read this? Yeah, you read right. I am a whopping size 16, up from my size 00 days of high school. I'm not humiliated to admit this, merely ready to get rid of it and get down to a healthy weight, say a size 8 or so. 00 was way too underweight, and I know this. But 16 is too overweight. 8 was about right for my 5'8" frame, and it is my goal.
The official goal? Lose a pound a week until next Christmas. I have lost 7 pounds so far, but I virtually guarantee that I have a net loss of about 4 pounds now that the holidays have hit en masse in terms of food. Yes, I have been careful, but it's hard not to have the occasional cookie or dessert. Or prime rib (Boxing Day dinner!). Or filet mignon (Christmas dinner!). I did guard my portion sizes, and I can honestly say I have only had 6 Christmas cookies this year. And I enjoyed every single one.
The secret to my willpower came from something the great and venerable Jim Parsons said on a late-night talk show appearance (the show eludes me right now) about how he quit smoking. His doctor basically told him that he could still smoke, but to make sure to really enjoy every cigarette. And he found that he was smoking less and less because he was taking time to be mindful of his smoking and his enjoyment. Soon a pack a day became a cigarette a day. And then the cigarette a day became a cigarette a week. And then he forgot to smoke. I am trying to do the same approach with food: every bite I put into my mouth I have to feel good about. That doesn't necessarily mean skipping dessert, but it does mean REALLY ENJOYING every bite of dessert that I eat, and if I find I'm no longer really enjoying it, I stop eating. Want to know the crazy thing? It's working. I'm eating less and less, and feeling good about myself. Yes, I am eating more this set of holiday eating with larger portions than I normally have, but you know what? If I gain a few pounds during the holidays, I know it isn't the end of the world. I can always lose them again through maintaining smaller portions and urge-surfing after the holidays are over.
There is an interesting book out on this philosophy now called Eating Mindfully that goes into this philosophy more. No, I haven't read the whole thing, but reading the synopsis of it on http://www.skinny-bits.com/ has made me aware that this is exactly what I've been trying to do. I don't want to give up carbs forever. I love carbs, especially pasta and sourdough bread and rice, oh my! But I do want to be proud of my food choices and, as a FussyFoodie, live up to my name by enjoying food more. I mean, have you ever REALLY concentrated when you ate a piece of excellent chocolate? The experience is delicious.
And that, other than the 4 miles a day dog walk plus treadmill plus pilates, is how I plan to lose weight in the coming year. I plan to continue posting in here with healthy recipes that taste delicious, restaurant reviews, etc. And I probably will post as often as I have time. In other news, now that my psychiatrist has found the right medication cocktail, I have this sudden urge to live life to the fullest again, and a lot of that means I'm not sitting at home surfing the computer as much, though my facebook friends might argue to the contrary. (I'm still on there, just for smaller durations of time!)
May you all have a wonderful rest of Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Psychology: Finding the right medication
For the past almost-year, my psychiatrist and I have been playing medication roulette. Since I have been diagnosed with bipolar II, she has had me on several mood stabilizers and antidepressants, and just now we have finally hit on the right ones it seems. But I want to share my experience particularly with Depakote, because it was so interesting to me... interesting in a not-so-good way.
Depakote was effective at keeping me from "flipping out" - that is, it kept my rages in check - but it also turned me into a walking zombie. I had no motivation to do ANYTHING, and I was sleeping inordinate amounts. Going into a terrible depression this past summer, while on the Depakote, only increased my desire to get off the darn stuff. Not to mention the side effect of my hair turning brittle and falling out. Not all of my hair - it just thinned dramatically and the texture is still pretty awful. (Since going off the Depakote, my hair is no longer falling out as it was, but I will need to grow out the brittle stuff that grew while I was on it.) I also had terrible gastrointestinal effects, in that I was "going" about 6 to 8 times a day, and it was to the point where I had to quite literally run to the toilet. (sorry, gross.) Since the stopping, though, my digestive tract is back to normal. Signs from the Universe that the drug was bad for me? Yup.
Please understand that I'm not trashing Depakote. I know people for whom it has worked miracles. It just happened not to be the miracle drug for me. And my psychiatrist actually told me that I am the first patient she has ever had for whom Depakote is not effective. Go figure - my family always said I'm a weirdo, ha ha.
I am now on Geodon and half the original dose of Cymbalta that I was on while on Depakote, and I feel fantastic. Now that the drugs have reached therapeutic levels in my system, I feel like I can think clearly for the first time in many years. And not just more clearly than I was thinking before: like my old self again, where I could pick thoughts out of the air and enjoy being highly creative. I was scared that I was in the midst of a hypomanic episode, but I discussed how I was feeling at length with Psychiatrist, and she has deemed it to be NOT hypomanic, because I am not irritable and I am very rational. All right! I am thrilled!
That being said, I am ready to conquer this Holiday season. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas, even the stress, because it is all about being together with family and sharing love with each other. This year for Thanksgiving I was told that I may not bring anything to dinner because they have it "all under control," so I am responsible for the wine. I'm bringing two bottles of French Chardonnay that was highly recommended by my local liquor store for a turkey and ham dinner.
What are you most looking forward to this Thanksgiving?
Depakote was effective at keeping me from "flipping out" - that is, it kept my rages in check - but it also turned me into a walking zombie. I had no motivation to do ANYTHING, and I was sleeping inordinate amounts. Going into a terrible depression this past summer, while on the Depakote, only increased my desire to get off the darn stuff. Not to mention the side effect of my hair turning brittle and falling out. Not all of my hair - it just thinned dramatically and the texture is still pretty awful. (Since going off the Depakote, my hair is no longer falling out as it was, but I will need to grow out the brittle stuff that grew while I was on it.) I also had terrible gastrointestinal effects, in that I was "going" about 6 to 8 times a day, and it was to the point where I had to quite literally run to the toilet. (sorry, gross.) Since the stopping, though, my digestive tract is back to normal. Signs from the Universe that the drug was bad for me? Yup.
Please understand that I'm not trashing Depakote. I know people for whom it has worked miracles. It just happened not to be the miracle drug for me. And my psychiatrist actually told me that I am the first patient she has ever had for whom Depakote is not effective. Go figure - my family always said I'm a weirdo, ha ha.
I am now on Geodon and half the original dose of Cymbalta that I was on while on Depakote, and I feel fantastic. Now that the drugs have reached therapeutic levels in my system, I feel like I can think clearly for the first time in many years. And not just more clearly than I was thinking before: like my old self again, where I could pick thoughts out of the air and enjoy being highly creative. I was scared that I was in the midst of a hypomanic episode, but I discussed how I was feeling at length with Psychiatrist, and she has deemed it to be NOT hypomanic, because I am not irritable and I am very rational. All right! I am thrilled!
That being said, I am ready to conquer this Holiday season. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas, even the stress, because it is all about being together with family and sharing love with each other. This year for Thanksgiving I was told that I may not bring anything to dinner because they have it "all under control," so I am responsible for the wine. I'm bringing two bottles of French Chardonnay that was highly recommended by my local liquor store for a turkey and ham dinner.
What are you most looking forward to this Thanksgiving?
Monday, July 16, 2012
Psychology: Alex Trebek with a Bullhorn
For the past few weeks, I have been in a world-class, impressive, sleep-all-day funk that I can't seem to shake. Leaving the house is a monumental task that I can do only with promises of a nap when I get home. Even taking the trash to the dumpster scares me and fills me with an anxiety I cannot begin to describe. But you know what? I'm fighting through it, thanks to the weirdest thing that happened the other night.
That's right. I'm talking about Alex Trebek with a bullhorn. I had Jeopardy! on in the background and was sitting around feeling sorry for myself (not a good mental health practice, to be sure), and then Alex Trebek started giving a clue by using a bullhorn. For the first time in weeks, I laughed, smiled, and even updated my facebook status to "ALEX TREBEK WITH A BULLHORN!!!!!!!" because I was so amused.
Since then, I have been able to stay awake for greater portions of the day, but only with extreme effort. I play with the dogs daily and it brings me joy. But it no longer causes me extreme anxiety to go outside the house other than the extreme heat I encounter (I hate summer). But other than that, I am fine going outside. In fact, I am going to run a passel of errands tomorrow and remain functional. Although one of those errands is to see my psychiatrist to readjust my meds to see if I can get myself even further out of the funk I'm in and maybe start living instead of simply surviving.
Alex Trebek, if you happen to come across this blog, I would be honored to meet you, but only if you bring your bullhorn.
That's right. I'm talking about Alex Trebek with a bullhorn. I had Jeopardy! on in the background and was sitting around feeling sorry for myself (not a good mental health practice, to be sure), and then Alex Trebek started giving a clue by using a bullhorn. For the first time in weeks, I laughed, smiled, and even updated my facebook status to "ALEX TREBEK WITH A BULLHORN!!!!!!!" because I was so amused.
Since then, I have been able to stay awake for greater portions of the day, but only with extreme effort. I play with the dogs daily and it brings me joy. But it no longer causes me extreme anxiety to go outside the house other than the extreme heat I encounter (I hate summer). But other than that, I am fine going outside. In fact, I am going to run a passel of errands tomorrow and remain functional. Although one of those errands is to see my psychiatrist to readjust my meds to see if I can get myself even further out of the funk I'm in and maybe start living instead of simply surviving.
Alex Trebek, if you happen to come across this blog, I would be honored to meet you, but only if you bring your bullhorn.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Dogs: Rescue UPDATE
http://thedailystar.com/localnews/x952274282/Dogs-seized-from-kennel-get-out-of-legal-limbo
The dogs that have been seized by the SPCA are now being screened for adoption, as the judge in Popolizio's trial has awarded custody to the SPCA. I am thrilled at this development. For the full story, please click the link above.
The dogs that have been seized by the SPCA are now being screened for adoption, as the judge in Popolizio's trial has awarded custody to the SPCA. I am thrilled at this development. For the full story, please click the link above.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Food: Chicken Saag
Chicken saag, or saag chicken, is my very favorite Indian food dish. It is a very mild curry with crushed tomatoes and cooked spinach and chicken and a touch of milk, and it is simply fabulous. I would serve it to any novice Indian food taster who is tolerant of spinach. I adapted a recipe that I found on several websites, including www.indianfoodforever.com, which is a veritable treasure trove of Indian recipes and curries. My main source for this recipe is Indian Food Forever, but I did change a few things. Here's the lowdown.
You need to know that this recipe serves four to six people rather generously, especially if served with rice, naan bread, and the various chutneys. Served with only rice, it fed my husband and myself generously for one dinner, a lunch portion for each of us, and then a lunch portion for me and my friend John. The other thing to know is that you need a BIG pot or pan to do this.
You need:
You need to know that this recipe serves four to six people rather generously, especially if served with rice, naan bread, and the various chutneys. Served with only rice, it fed my husband and myself generously for one dinner, a lunch portion for each of us, and then a lunch portion for me and my friend John. The other thing to know is that you need a BIG pot or pan to do this.
You need:
- 3 pounds chicken pieces (boneless and skinless)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large onions, minced
- a 1" piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped finely
- 2 crushed tomatoes (I used about a cup and a half of crushed tomatoes from the can)
- 4 tablespoons of milk
- 14 ounces of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon coriander (ground)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 large cardamom pods (I used green ones - evidently there are multiple types)
- 2 cloves
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala (you can find this spice mix at Penzey's, or you can make your own)
- salt to taste
First, fry the chicken pieces lightly in some canola or other flavorless oil of your choice, until they are browned lightly. Set aside.
Make your mise-en-place. First, I mixed the cayenne, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, and cloves together in a prep bowl because you add them to the recipe at the same time. This saves a lot of headaches over measuring later. Trust me. :)
Then, the magic of curry-making begins.
Fry up those onions and that garlic and that ginger until lightly brown. Inhale and enjoy.
Add them thar tomatoes and all the spices you put in your prep bowl (cayenne, coriander, turmeric, cloves, and cardamom).
Sprinkle with a tablespoon or so of water and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat. Inhale. (I still think half the enjoyment of cooking Indian food is the smell spectrum that comes from cooking it!)
Add the chicken and milk. Simmer this until the chicken is tender. Or so says the original recipe. I say: add the chicken and milk, and simmer until the chicken is just about to fall apart. Also: make sure you use a mix of light and dark meat.
At this point I ran out of room in the pan, so I switched everything to my big lasagna pot. So don't fret that the photo shows a different pot in the next one.
Add the spinach and the Garam Masala. Cook this until the spinach starts to stick to the pan (which is about 10-15 minutes of constant stirring). Add the 2 tablespoons of butter and stir through. Salt to taste. Keep warm until it is ready to serve.
So that's the basics of what I did. The first time I served it, it was downright bland. The second time I served it, it was considerably better and really tasty. The third time I served it, it was just about perfect. So my thought is that it needs time for the flavors to meld. I almost think it's like beef stew (according to my father, beef stew was always best after the second heating). So my thought is: simmer the chicken and tomatoes together with extra water and reduce it down until it is even more flavorful. Add the spinach and garam masala at the end, as directed in the original recipe, and use salted butter.
But it was good. And I'm going to make it again before the rest of my hunk of ginger goes bad.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Food: Mahi Mahi with Cream Sauce
Last night my awesome cousin-to-be Sara came over, and I decided to do a variation on a recipe I saw once for Mahi-Mahi with cream sauce. I didn't want to have asparagus and bell peppers with it, though, so I decided to do garlic orzo and sauteed spinach. It turned out delicious, oh me oh my.
For the cream sauce (which makes plenty enough for 4 filets and then some) you need:
For the cream sauce (which makes plenty enough for 4 filets and then some) you need:
- 1 quart heavy cream (see what I mean?)
- 2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (I used Penzey's but also recommend Dinosaur BBQ's Cajun Foreplay)
- 1 can crab meat (I used Bumblebee white crab), drained profusely and pat dry
First, reduce the cream until it coats a spoon. At first I was confused by this because when it's cold, it coats a spoon. Turns out when it's hot, it doesn't. So, wait until it's hot to see if it coats a spoon or not. Whisk in the crab meat and seasoning and taste it. Try not to drink it. It's that good. Keep it warm while you cook up the fish.
To cook the fish, I simply sauteed it, unseasoned, in extra-virgin olive oil. I'm thinking of baking it next time with a little seasoning on it (perhaps seasoned salt and pepper), but it was just fine as it was with the cream sauce on it. You want one filet per person.
While I was cooking the fish, I boiled the orzo according to the package directions and drained it. Then I added some olive oil to the pot, 3 or 4 cups of fresh spinach, and a few cloves of minced garlic (I think 3). Once the spinach was almost cooked, I put the orzo in and stirred to coat it. Had to add a little extra olive oil, but I tried to stay conservative with it because I didn't want it to interfere with the cream sauce.
While this dish seems simple enough, I thought it required some fancy plating. So I put down some of the cream sauce on the plate, laid a small bed of orzo, and put the piece of fish on top and then drenched the piece of fish with cream sauce and put a small sprinkling of fresh chopped chives on top. It looked so pretty that I'm really angry with myself for not taking a picture of it.
But it received rave reviews from Sara and "fine" from my husband, who has only ever exclaimed over food once in his life. I also thought it was delicious, and am enthusiastic to try it again.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Food: Scarborough Fair Mock Risotto
Oh man, oh man. Now I've done it! I finally created something with the Scarborough Fair oil that is not only worthy of serving, but it's completely and utterly sinful and carb-laden and delicious! Plus, it's fusion food, if you want to take the "Scarborough Fair" song to be British Isles origin and risotto is Italian, so... there we go!
Here's what it really is: orzo with tons of butter, Scarborough Fair oil, spices, half and half, shallots, and Parmesan cheese. It looks kinda like big-grained risotto.
Here's what I did.
You need:
Here's what it really is: orzo with tons of butter, Scarborough Fair oil, spices, half and half, shallots, and Parmesan cheese. It looks kinda like big-grained risotto.
Here's what I did.
You need:
- 1 pound orzo pasta, cooked
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- about a quarter cup of Scarborough Fair Oil - make sure it's REALLY dense with herbs, almost like Scarborough Fair pesto...
- Lotsa garlic - probably 4 cloves, chopped
- 1 large shallot, diced
- Crushed red pepper to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup half and half
Once I cooked the orzo, I melted the butter and blended the oil in. Once it was warmed through, I added the shallots and garlic and cooked until the shallots were translucent. At that point I stirred the orzo into the mixture and made sure it was well-coated. This is when the to-taste moments started happening. I added a whole bunch of crushed red pepper (we like it spicy here), salt and pepper, and the Parmesan and half and half. Once it resembled risotto in its creaminess, it was tasty as heck.
But be sure to serve it immediately. I learned during dinner that the oil liked to separate from the herbs and yummies sticking to the pasta and collect underneath the pasta. It still tasted fantastic.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Dogs: Rescue Mission Update
I have noticed that some of my readers have stumbled upon my blog because they are searching for more answers about Southside Dogs and the 49 counts of animal cruelty charged on its owner. Unfortunately, there's not much more to tell. The trial has been delayed to sometime this month, and hopefully the judge will throw the book at him. At his last court appearance, he requested the dogs that had been seized and the litters (4) that had been born while they were in foster care, and he was denied. I have a friend attending all of his court appearances and she keeps me very up to date on this, and I will post as soon as I know anything.
Thank you, as always, for your loyal readership.
Thank you, as always, for your loyal readership.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Food: Curry
I am studying up on curry, because I want to learn more about them and learn how to cook my own from scratch. Of course, the curries I fell in love with came from India, which is the first kind of curry I tasted.
My first Indian food experience was taking my father out for Indian food for Father's Day or his birthday (I can't remember because the dates are close together) one year, and he introduced me to naan bread, samosas, and all these other delicious things he had discovered while traveling in Great Britain and India. I ordered chicken tikka the first time and enjoyed it, though it was very, very hot to my traditionally bland-eating tastebuds. But I loved its complexity, even though I ate tons of bread and drank tons of water.
The second time I ate Indian Food was in Georgetown near Washington DC and had chicken saag. Oh lord. That was some amazing food. Later in life I tried Biryani chicken and loved that too. The occasions weren't that notable (dinner with various friends) but I loved the food. I still order chicken saag regularly when I go to an Indian restaurant.
Bringing us to the past couple years, I've been using Butter Chicken curry paste from Kitchens of India as my go-to curry shortcut. My father introduced it to me, and I loved that I could make "Indian Food" easily without having to pay restaurant prices. It's very good, but I've been told from some people that it's a little salty (the sodium content is quite high).
My most recent curry adventure was at the home of Winston's dog breeder when she had me, my husband, and another owner of one of her dogs over. She is British, and she told me that Indian food has now surpassed fish and chips as the number 1 take-out food in Great Britain. Wowzers! I always knew you could get good Indian food in Great Britain, but not that it was that popular. At any rate, she made us Madhur Jaffrey's recipe for Prawns with a Dark Sauce (this recipe is available with a quick Google search). It was hot, but delicious, and I am definitely in love with more curry now. I want curry all the time. I'm on a curry kick. Give me more curry!
So I went to Indian Food Forever and found lots of recipes for the dishes I've tried and many for dishes I've not tried. I made a list of basic spices I need, and I placed my order to Penzey's today for my little Indian food "kit." I hope that this makes for some delicious food and some interesting blogs. I do have some occasions to cook for in the near future, so I plan to blog more soon.
"And here's to curry vindaloo!" - Rent
My first Indian food experience was taking my father out for Indian food for Father's Day or his birthday (I can't remember because the dates are close together) one year, and he introduced me to naan bread, samosas, and all these other delicious things he had discovered while traveling in Great Britain and India. I ordered chicken tikka the first time and enjoyed it, though it was very, very hot to my traditionally bland-eating tastebuds. But I loved its complexity, even though I ate tons of bread and drank tons of water.
The second time I ate Indian Food was in Georgetown near Washington DC and had chicken saag. Oh lord. That was some amazing food. Later in life I tried Biryani chicken and loved that too. The occasions weren't that notable (dinner with various friends) but I loved the food. I still order chicken saag regularly when I go to an Indian restaurant.
Bringing us to the past couple years, I've been using Butter Chicken curry paste from Kitchens of India as my go-to curry shortcut. My father introduced it to me, and I loved that I could make "Indian Food" easily without having to pay restaurant prices. It's very good, but I've been told from some people that it's a little salty (the sodium content is quite high).
My most recent curry adventure was at the home of Winston's dog breeder when she had me, my husband, and another owner of one of her dogs over. She is British, and she told me that Indian food has now surpassed fish and chips as the number 1 take-out food in Great Britain. Wowzers! I always knew you could get good Indian food in Great Britain, but not that it was that popular. At any rate, she made us Madhur Jaffrey's recipe for Prawns with a Dark Sauce (this recipe is available with a quick Google search). It was hot, but delicious, and I am definitely in love with more curry now. I want curry all the time. I'm on a curry kick. Give me more curry!
So I went to Indian Food Forever and found lots of recipes for the dishes I've tried and many for dishes I've not tried. I made a list of basic spices I need, and I placed my order to Penzey's today for my little Indian food "kit." I hope that this makes for some delicious food and some interesting blogs. I do have some occasions to cook for in the near future, so I plan to blog more soon.
"And here's to curry vindaloo!" - Rent
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Food: Scarborough Fair Oil
Are you goin' to Scarborough Fair,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme?
Remember me to one who lives there;
She once was a true love o' mine.
So I took a little bit of each herb:
and chopped them fine and mixed them together until they looked like finely chopped grass clippings, but smelled a heck of a lot better.
Put them in a prep bowl, poured about a quarter cup of extra-virgin olive oil over the top, covered up the bowl and shook gently.
Man oh man.
My question is: besides dunking sourdough bread in it (obvious choice), whatever shall I do with the stuff? The possibilities are endless, and I am thinking:
- coating chicken with it before roasting
- using as a substitute for my plain olive oil when I oven-roast potatoes
- turning it into a marinade with some white wine and garlic
- using it as a butter substitute when mashing potatoes
- tossing with pasta and Parmesan cheese
- experimenting with Scarborough Fair pesto (see above)
- drizzling steak, pork chops, and any other grilled meat with it. Besides hot dogs. ew.
- Could it possibly be used as a tiny garnish for risotto?
What do you all think? I'm all ears.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Food: Mac and Cheese experiment II
So I did another mac and cheese experiment. It turned out even better than the last recipe, if I do say so myself. Plus I learned a lot. Such as: never trust a mac and cheese recipe for the roux. You have to know your roux, defend your roux, beat the heck outta your roux until it's that badass golden color and then SLOWLY add your milk and get it to the perfect simmer as it thickens all bubbly and wonderful. I have never followed a recipe to successfully make a perfect roux. Every time I've improvised, the roux gets awesome. So: never trust the recipe.
Anyway, here's what I did.
grated an 8oz. block NY reserve aged cheddar, a 4 oz block of Yancey's Fancy roasted garlic cheddar, and a 4 oz block of Yancey's Fancy Champagne cheddar.
Boiled the pasta in salted water for 6 minutes and then drained.
Made the roux with a stick of butter, a pile of all-purpose flour, and a whisk. Seriously, I just added flour and whisked until it looked like that wonderful roux you see on food channels. Then I slowly whisked in bits of milk until it turned into a very thick gravy. Then I added more milk slowly. And then let that get thick and bubbly and coat a spoon.
Added: a whole ton of garlic powder (shame! but I was out of fresh garlic), probably 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (sprinkled it in), a teaspoon or so of smoked Spanish paprika, a teaspoon or so of dry mustard, 1/2 teaspoon-ish of kosher salt, and tasted. It tasted good.
Mixed in the cheese till it melted. Adjusted the seasonings until I tasted even more yum.
Mixed in the cooked elbow pasta. Poured the mixture into a 9x13" pan and covered with a generous amount of panko bread crumbs. Baked at 350 for 35 minutes. Took it out of the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes. Dished it up.
It was good. And no, I didn't take a picture, because I was too busy eating it.
Anyway, here's what I did.
grated an 8oz. block NY reserve aged cheddar, a 4 oz block of Yancey's Fancy roasted garlic cheddar, and a 4 oz block of Yancey's Fancy Champagne cheddar.
Boiled the pasta in salted water for 6 minutes and then drained.
Made the roux with a stick of butter, a pile of all-purpose flour, and a whisk. Seriously, I just added flour and whisked until it looked like that wonderful roux you see on food channels. Then I slowly whisked in bits of milk until it turned into a very thick gravy. Then I added more milk slowly. And then let that get thick and bubbly and coat a spoon.
Added: a whole ton of garlic powder (shame! but I was out of fresh garlic), probably 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (sprinkled it in), a teaspoon or so of smoked Spanish paprika, a teaspoon or so of dry mustard, 1/2 teaspoon-ish of kosher salt, and tasted. It tasted good.
Mixed in the cheese till it melted. Adjusted the seasonings until I tasted even more yum.
Mixed in the cooked elbow pasta. Poured the mixture into a 9x13" pan and covered with a generous amount of panko bread crumbs. Baked at 350 for 35 minutes. Took it out of the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes. Dished it up.
It was good. And no, I didn't take a picture, because I was too busy eating it.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Gardening pictures
I finally was able to take some pictures of the garden repairs.
Here's the strawberry bed, that someday will be replete with berries (I hope!)
Basil that survived the freeze warning the other night
Rosemary, doomed to only one summer with us in this cursed zone 6.
German thyme
The cutest little sage plant that I could find, that is looking markedly perkier now that he's in the ground instead of in that terrible, horrible, root-bound peat pot.
Parsley, which grows into a large bush here.
Greek oregano
and... dock. The cursed dock weed that invades every part of my yard and garden and threatens to take over. Hickory-dickory dock. I hate dock. I took this next to the lilac bushes that we inherited from previous tenants. Sadly, the lilac bushes never bloom, but the dock certainly flourishes.
But that's the state of affairs right now. And I hope they stay beautiful.
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