Bread of Life

The Bread of Life Discourse is an episode in the life of Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John 6:22-59.

The title "Bread of Life" for Jesus is based on this Biblical episode which takes place in the Gospel of John shortly after the Feeding the multitude episode (in which Jesus feeds the crowds with five loaves of bread and two fish) after which the crowds watch as Jesus walks to the other side of lake on the water after Jesus' walk on water.

In the Gospel of John:

Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:32-35, New Revised Standard Version)

Wikipedia

Swimming is better than Caffeine

Paul Hudson on Healthy Habits. (I prefer to plug in "swimming in the afternoon" in place of running in the morning)


I used to be a coffee junkie. One cup in the morning to get me started. One cup after lunch so I don’t crash. And another cup in the evening just for kicks. Those were some of the most stressful years of my life. Coffee is a great quick-fix, but quick-fixes are never really fixes; they’re bandages that always manage to come undone. Luckily, a friend put me on to something much healthier and — to be completely honest — much more effective: I started running. You start off slow and short but make your way up to quick and long. Although I may have a cup of coffee here and there, I don’t drink anywhere near as much as I used to and never first thing in the morning. If you’re doing anything first thing in the morning, it needs to be cardio. If you’re not having sex, then I recommend running.

1. It gets your head straight, and your mind focused. Coffee is great for getting you motivated to start your day, but it isn’t very good at giving you the peace of mind necessary to start your day right. Motivation is great, but if you don’t have the mind necessary to make proper, well-thought-out decisions, then it’s sort of useless. Running takes all those running thoughts in your mind and forces you to refocus them onto your two feet hitting the pavement (or treadmill). It forces you to quiet your mind because not doing so would cause you to trip and face plant. After your run, all those chemicals produced and all the energy released leaves you feeling calm, at peace and ready to take on the world. Or your nine-to-five.

2. It’s never easy, but starting off with the most difficult part of your day makes for smooth sailing. Drinking a cup of coffee first thing in the morning is like taking a break before you even get started; that’s why they call it a “coffee break.” Starting things off easy makes scaling up difficult. If, on the other hand, you start things off with a four-to-six-mile run at a respectable pace, sweating profusely, pushing yourself a little further with each quarter mile, the rest of your day won’t seem so difficult. After running out of breath and sweating a kiddy-pool’s worth, everything else seems like a piece of cake. You can either have a cup of coffee and climb a mountain or go for a run and cruise along that mountainside.

3. It gets your heart pumping like coffee, without the crash. Coffee is a bit deceiving. After a cup, you feel like a champ, king or queen of your kingdom. But after a couple of hours, things start to go south. That buzz you were riding becomes more of a murmur. After another hour, you find yourself in need of another boost. You raised the energy bar so high first thing in the morning that you’ll spend the rest of the day trying to bring it back to that state. Not so good for you, but great for the coffee companies. Going for a nice run doesn’t put you on edge. Instead, it makes you feel lighter, strong, quicker, sharper. It clears up that fuzz you see and feel, outlining everything in your reality — both your visual representation of the world around you and your thoughts. The best part is there is no crash. You just keep going steady.

4. No amount of coffee in the world will have you feeling as good tomorrow morning as running this morning will. You would be much better off planning for tomorrow than trying to fix today. Yes, coffee gives you the illusion of energy, of sharp thought and rapid reaction. But it’s pseudo-energy. It doesn’t stay with you because it isn’t a part of you. Running harnesses the energy inside of you and makes it easier for it to surface. We are all made of energy — we just can’t always call upon it when we need it. We wake up feeling sluggish, but instead of loosening up our body and minds, we drink a cup or two of coffee. It feels like energy, but you won’t feel any better tomorrow morning. Instead, you’re going to need to repeat the process just to feel normal.If, instead, you decided to run today in the morning, you may feel a little bit drained once the sun goes down, but getting out of bed tomorrow will be easier. The longer you keep the routine, the easier it will become — until getting out of bed and tackling all the matters at hand will feel effortless.

What sounds better: spending $5 a day (if not more) on coffee just to feel like you NEED more of it or running for free and feeling better each and every day? The choice is yours.

Sewing: Girl's Carpentry

I tell people sewing is more fun than driving a car.

ModCloth Polka Dotted Dress!!!

If I can't buy this I must sew one just like it!
View

Also MODCLOTH cupcake dress here.

To Eat Figs off the Tree

To eat figs off the tree in the very early morning, when they have been barely touched by the sun, is one of the exquisite pleasures of the Mediterranean.
― Elizabeth David, An Omelette and a Glass of Wine

Everyday holds the possibility of a miracle.
― Elizabeth David

There are people who take the heart out of you, and there are people who put it back.
― Elizabeth David

Sage Pesto

Servings 12 Units US

1⁄2 cup packed sage leaf
1⁄2 cup packed flat leaf parsley
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2⁄3 cup walnut pieces
3 cloves crushed garlic (or to taste)
salt
1⁄2 cup olive oil (or to desired consistency)

Directions

Wash and thoroughly dry sage leaves and parsley in your salad spinner.
Put in food processor with Parmesan, walnuts, garlic, and salt.
Process until a gritty but even consistency.
Gradually add olive oil until pesto has reached desired consistency.
Divide into 3 equal portions.
Each portion will coat enough pasta for 4.
source

Tubs of Coleslaw: A Colorful Salad

I love cabbage and buy it every week at Price Rite. Last night I made coleslaw for the ten thousandth time. My first recipe was from Marion Cunningham's SUPPER BOOK. A bible for cooks. I use Price rite generic mayo (which is Hellman's), lowfat buttermilk, guilden's price rite generic mustard, Adobo, kosher salt and raisins in place of sugar and red wine vinegar for the dressing. I chop cabbage, red onions, and carrots for a colorful salad. The buttermilk is essential magic. It speeds the process of fermenting the cabbage. Use yogurt diluted with milk, if you don't have buttermilk.

Spaghetti in a Heat Wave

I felt a little guilty wanting to make spaghetti and tomato sauce. I made coleslaw and then I remember our marble sculptor friend who lived in Carrera Italy for years making us a simple marinara sauce. Peel and core garlic chop with Kosher salt put in large skillet with Price-Rite or Job-Lot extra-virgin oil. Heat it up. Add canned tomatoes or crushed tomatoes. Then add about half a cup of full bodied red wine. Simmer a few minutes so the alcohol is cooked out. Go to your garden and pick basil leaves (if you have them). In another pot boil 5 quarts of salted water. Add your favorite pasta and cook al-dente. Combine pasta with sauce and sprinkle with Italian hard cheese. Enjoy. Eat it again for breakfast the next morning.

Night Matches Sleep

“The division of one day from the next must be one of the most profound peculiarities of life on this planet. We are not condemned to sustained flights of being, but are constantly refreshed by little holidays from ourselves. We are intermittent creatures, always falling to little ends and rising to new beginnings. Our soon-tired consciousness is meted out in chapters, and that the world will look quite different tomorrow is, both for our comfort and our discomfort, usually true. How marvelously too night matches sleep, sweet image of it, so nearly apportioned to our need. Angels must wonder at these beings who fall so regularly out of awareness into a fantasm-infested dark. How our frail identities survive these chasms no philosopher has ever been able to explain.”
― Iris Murdoch, The Black Prince

Iris Murdoch: Coffee

“Coffee, unless it is very good and made by somebody else, is pretty intolerable at any time.”
― Iris Murdoch, The Sea, the Sea

Iris Murdoch: Cook Fast, East Slowly

“I ate and drank slowly as one should (cook fast, eat slowly) and without distractions such as (thank heavens) conversation or reading. Indeed eating is so pleasant one should even try to suppress thought. Of course reading and thinking are important but, my God, food is important too. How fortunate we are to be food-consuming animals. Every meal should be a treat and one ought to bless every day which brings with it a good digestion and the precious gift of hunger.”
― Iris Murdoch, The Sea, the Sea

I cook the way I paint.

I cook the way I paint. I just do something and then another and then I step back and listen. After chopping garlic in salt and then putting it in the fridge I went to swim. When i came back i made a bucket of coleslaw. Then I boiled tricolor pasta and made garlic oil sauce and then added tomatoes and wine and garden basil. I boiled the pasta with eggs to hardboil them in an energy saving fashion. Lorna Sass would be proud of me.

Maybe I'll make a youtube video of how I make a painting. I'd have to edit out the breaks I take for swimming, walking, reading, baking, cooking, parading, sleeping, and e-mailing.

Playing in Soapy Water

I just washed a week's worth of dishes! A perfect activity for the heat blizzard.

Lazy Spinach Pie

Heat extra virgin olive oil in big skillet, add spinach, green or black olives, corn, Adobo seasoning, saute and eat on crazy home made Ezekiel bread.

Growling Stomach Explained

Article

Home-Cooked Family Meals

There are very few people who actually bake and cook anymore in the neighborhood I live in. It's tragic and scary.
Article

Detemined to Duplicate

I've decided I will try to make my favorite foods since I can't buy them. First on the docket is learning how to duplicate Jeanette's Spinach Pies and Calzones.
Read.

Beef Barn

Many years ago my brother in law came up with my niece and nephew and we swam in Spring Lake and went to the beef barn. The Northern RI experience at its best.

Comfort me with Pancakes

Article

Love to Learn, Love to Cook

I've always hated school but loved learning. When I was in college I'd skip out at 2PM and bicycle home to make chicken soup or bake bread. I was broke. I got hired to be a prep chef and I bought a blue used VW bug. I learned more about EVERYTHING and had more fun than at my expensive college. Participating in the making and preparing your own food is the highest form of self-love. I'll never understand people who give up cooking and eating just because they live alone. The scent of bread baking and soup simmering is one of life's most sensory pleasures. Sharing home made food is the most sincere of gifts.

Wednesday

When I was a child in the early 70′s, my favorite day of the week was Wednesday. It was my Grandmother’s day off from work and Wednesday was the day she would pull out a big bag of Robin Hood flour, Tenderflake lard, sugar, slabs of real butter, stacks of loaf pans, cookie sheets, pie plates and do the baking for the week.

Batches of dough rising all morning in huge bowls, rows of pans covered in tea towels and linens sitting on the counter waiting their turn to go in the hot oven. The kitchen table covered in flour, wooden spoons and rolling pins and thick glass measuring cups.

Fresh buns, loaves of bread, cinnamon buns, apple pies — those are the items that I remember most. If there was any pie dough left, she’d cut it into strips and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon that my younger brother and I wouldn’t let cool long once they came from the oven. Nothing better than my granny’s pie dough scraps!

That’s what brought most sparkle to my Grandmother. Cooking and baking and taking care of her family, she loved it all. She never collected a lot of recipes or wrote down many of her own, they were all in her head. She just ‘knew’ from her lifetime of cooking and baking — like so many women of her day.

RecipeCurio.com is simply a place to document and archive my collection of recipes that I’ve gathered over the years. They come in all shapes and sizes — clippings, old booklets, company promotions, loose cookbook pages, index cards. Some commercially printed, some newsprint and many handwritten on slips of paper, backs of envelopes and coupons.

Many of the recipes are worn, stained and dog eared. A few were my Grandmother’s, some are from other loved ones also now passed, and some I’ve accumulated through estate sales and an auction or two. The dates range from the early years of the 1900s til the end of the 20th century. They’re each special to me whether I’ve tried the recipe or not.

It’s my way of taking a few minutes connecting to a time that seems to me less complicated, more wholesome and gives a hat tip to the women of yesterday. As well as preserving and archiving these wonderful recipes that would otherwise be lost.

To this day – Wednesday is still my favorite weekday.

Raspberry Orange Banana Yogurt Smoothie

Delicious.

Weightloss: Lugging A Broken Foot

I don't recommend it as a strategy but lugging a broken foot is a workout. I have done more baking in the last 3 weeks than all winter because the hunger hasn't stopped along with the weight loss.

DIY Wholegrain Cereals

Article

I Asked her What Kind of Food she Likes

I asked her what kind of food she likes to eat and she said, "Burger King, Wendy's Pizza, and Chinese."

Blended Grain Breads

I'm making a rice, sesame, oat, corn, flax, wheat, leftover bread, sourdough bread.

Stay tuned...

It is AMAZING!!!

I Love to Feed Men

I should've been a den mother for the boy scouts and in a sense I am. I am from a Jewish- Italian American household where food is love and your dinner plate is a horoscope. Any chance I get I like to feed my marching band of milkmen, or the local police department. Nobody among the guys shuns bread and applesauce cakes and potato salads. We all know life is made of: good healthy starches!

That said baking and cooking for women is close to impossible.

Recipe.

Leftover Rice Waffles

Secrets of a Private Chef

Rice Bread

We don't throw anything out and having whethered The Great Recession we are even more devoted to being food economists and pack-rats. When people visit us they usually ask if we are Mormons due to the amount of grain storage we have in our chest freezer and cold cellar. We'd never make it as Mormons because they don't drink caffeine. I say, smiling.
My Diverse Kitchen

Daily Vacation

We haven't had a vacation in 15 years. I'm not complaining though. (I've always hated vacations.) We take a daily 'vacation' walking to the pond and swimming in the neighborhood pool.

A Mason Jar of BBQ

Article

Baked Bean Barbecue Sundaes: Everything You Love About Barbecue in a Glass

by Serious Eats Partners

Some people can't stand when the different dishes on their plates touch. We're not those people.

The truth is some dishes just taste better together: runny eggs and hashbrowns, green bean casserole and mashed potatoes. (Really, anything with mashed potatoes.) And it's definitely true for barbecue.

That's why we think delicious, meaty barbecue deserves the same Mason jar treatment others give to yogurt parfaits, overnight oats, and salad after salad loaded with leafy greens. It's a barbecue plate all in one tidy glass container.

Potato salad builds the foundation here, topped with meat and beans, followed by the simplest of crisp vinegar slaws that perfectly offsets the sweetness of the beans and a cherry tomato garnish that completes the sundae. We quickly simmered chicken thighs in BUSH'S® Bourbon and Brown Sugar Grillin' Beans®, but you could opt for rotisserie chicken, or even store-bought pulled pork.

It all comes together so well you'll wonder why you haven't always been eating your barbecue vertically. Bust them out for your next summer party and let your guests serve themselves. And the all-but mandatory sweet tea to wash it all down? It's perfect in a Mason jar as well. No dishes required.
Baked Bean Barbecue Sundaes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pound baby Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into quarters or eighths depending on size
1 22-ounce can BUSH'S® Bourbon and Brown Sugar Grillin' Beans®
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (trimmed of excess fat)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 rib celery, finely diced
1 green onion, finely minced (both white and green parts)
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 cups coleslaw mix (cabbage and carrots)
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
Cherry tomatoes, for garnish

Procedures:

1. Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until very tender.

2. While potatoes are cooking, place the beans and chicken thighs in another saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and cook until chicken thighs are cooked through, about 10 to 13 minutes. Remove the chicken thighs from the beans and dice meat or shred with a fork. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

3. Drain the potatoes and dress with celery, green onion, mustard, and mayonnaise while still hot. Season with salt and pepper.

4. To make the coleslaw, toss the coleslaw mix with the vinegar and sugar. Season with salt and pepper.

5. To assemble the sundaes, use 12-ounce or 16-ounce Mason jars or tall sundae glasses (12-ounce jars pictured above). Place about 1/2 cup of potato salad in the bottom of each glass, followed by 1/2 cup of the chicken and 1/2 cup of the BUSH'S® Bourbon and Brown Sugar Grillin' Beans®. Using an ice cream scoop, top with a rounded scoop of coleslaw. Garnish with cherry tomatoes.

Jeanette's Bakery BEST SPINACH PIE IN the UNIVERSE

Read this review
Read

Oil Pie Crust

My friend Susan O bakes a fabulous pie. I must try again.

King Arthur Flour

Many members of our Baking Circle swear by the convenience and quality of their pie crusts made with vegetable oil. They also like the fact that they can have a crisp, tasty crust with no trans fats or cholesterol. If you're intimidated by the idea of getting out the rolling pin, this is the crust for you. Mix it right in the pie plate and pat it into place.

This recipe makes enough for a single deep dish crust; to make a two-crust pie, double the recipe and take out 1 1/4 cups of the mixture; this will become your top crust. You can add cinamon, sugar, even a bit of chopped crystallized ginger if you like. After you fill the bottom crust, sprinkle the topping evenly over it. It will bake into a crispy, flavorful crumb crust as the pie bakes.

1 1/2 cups (6 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup (2 3/8 ounces) vegetable oil
3 to 4 tablespoons (1 1/2 to 2 ounces) water or milk

Whisk together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. This can be done right in the pie pan, if you like. Whisk together the oil and water, then pour over the dry ingredients. Stir with a fork until the dough is evenly moistened. Pat the dough across the bottom of the pie pan and up the sides. A flat-bottomed measuring cup can help you make the bottom even. Press the dough up the sides of the pan with your fingers, and flute the top. Fill and bake.

Nutrition information per serving (1/8 of pie shell, 33g): 144 cal, 9g fat, 2g protein, 13g complex carbohydrates, 1g dietary fiber, 133mg sodium 22mg potassium, 1mg iron, 16mg phosphorus.

This recipe reprinted from The Baking Sheet Newsletter, Vol. XVII, No. 6, Holiday 2006 issue.

Leftover Rice became a Dessert

I am out of practice making white rice because I make it once a year. True! So my batch was a mess. I am making into leftover rice pudding.


3/4 cup uncooked or ( 3 cups cooked leftover) white rice

2 cups milk,

1/3 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

2/3 cup raisins

1 tablespoon butter or smart margarine

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Leftover Saturday Supper for Breakfast

I ate my home cooked broccoli garlic ginger carrot celery and peanut stir fry for breakfast on rice. And for lunch!

I Need 1,000 Dogs to Kiss Me!

My routine has been altered now that I am sporting three broken foot bones. I didn't feel any pain for two and a half weeks. Now I have to pop the ibuprophen every 4 hours and I hesitate to lug the vacuum cleaner up from the cellar. Walking the daily loop downtown hurts like hell but I do it anyway and take my time because I refuse to be a hermit. This too shall pass. A friend gave me a tray of brownies. The best gift in the world. How did he know. I normally ignore sweets but crave them since the pain kicked in. I need 1,000 dogs to kiss me!

Annual Romanian Macedonian American Festival in our Neighborhood

St. John the Baptist Romanian Orthodox Church hosts a celebration with Romanian cuisine, ethnic music and dancing, and children's activities on Saturday from 4 to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 12:30 to 7 p.m. The church is at 501 East School St., Woonsocket. (401) 766-3343, stjohnroc.org.

Patience

Okay I am done with my broken foot. I am done, done, done. Glad I wasn't named Patience. I have none.

Paula Poundstone

The Potato Growers Of America Association is staying at The Doubletree in Portland, Maine. In case you're looking for them.
-Paula Poundstone

Poet in the Pantry

Checkout Carrie Vibert's blog poetinthepantry.com

Salty Deep Dark Chocolate Brownies

Here

Dawn Lerman's New Book: My Fat Dad

My Fat Dad: A Memoir of Food, Love, and Family, with Recipes - Now available for pre order.

Dawn Lerman grew up Jewish in the 70's. I grew up Italian. Might sound different, but for the most part, it's the same. Especially when it comes to food. The philosophy was simple, food = love. My Fat Dad hilariously and poignantly captures that essence. Whether you're Italian, Jewish, or anything else you can relate to how family, food, and the love of both affect how we grow up, and live our life. Mangia!”
- Ray Romano, Emmy award-winning actor

Margaret Mead

“It is easier to change a man's religion than to change his diet.”
― Margaret Mead

“I measure success in terms of the contributions an individual makes to her fellow human beings.”
― Margaret Mead

“Sisters is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship.”
― Margaret Mead

Waffle Obsession

Old-Fashioned Maine Sourdough Waffles
from The Baking Sheet Newsletter, Vol. XI, No. 4, Spring 2000 issue KING ARTHUR FLOUR.

Two weeks ago we made our first foray to a little house in Maine that we retreat to as often as we can, tide and season willing. We have no electricity there, but we do have bottled gas and a generator, so we have a gas stove and refrigerator—and kerosene lamps and a woodstove and lots of books. (There's no rhubarb there, but I'm in the process of correcting that.) I usually restock the Maine house's supply of yeast, levain and sourdough every spring. One can't be without those things, wherever one goes. But this time we traveled light, and yeast was all I took.

Sunday morning was clearly a morning for waffles. No sourdough! I tried a couple of other waffle recipes, both of which convinced us that we loved our sourdough waffles best. So I include this recipe here just to state my recommitment and loyalty to sourdough waffles and to give them a little "PR"—and because I'm going to eat the next batch with baked rhubarb and whipped cream.

Making waffles also creates an easy excuse to feed your starter without getting into anything very time-consuming. That said, it's best to start this recipe the day before you want to cook. (Although, being the queen of shortcuts, I know you can make great waffles even if you mix this all up at the last minute.)

The Sponge
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup (4 ounces) King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour, Premium or White Whole Wheat
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups (16 ounces) buttermilk
1 cup (8 ounces) sourdough starter*

The Batter
2 large eggs
1/4 cup (2 ounces) butter, melted (or vegetable oil)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

*If your starter has been neglected, you would do it (and the waffles) a favor if you
refreshed it the morning before you want to make waffles. To refresh, mix together a cup
of water and a cup of flour. Stir your original starter, since it probably has
accumulated a layer of alcohol on the top. Take a couple of tablespoons of this original
starter and blend it into the flour/water mixture you made. Cover the mixture, and let it
work all day. (Consign the original starter to the "gone and to be forgotten"
bin.) Then proceed with the following. Note: If you want to double the waffle recipe,
which we do regularly, mix together 2 cups each of water and flour, and feed it with the
same amount of starter, about 2 tablespoons.

The Sponge: Mix together the flours and sugar in a medium-sized ceramic mixing bowl. Stir
in the buttermilk. (If you're doing this at the last minute, take the chill off it; a
microwave does this nicely. Don't worry if it separates a bit.) Add 1 cup (or 2, if
you're doubling the recipe) of your refreshed sourdough starter and cover loosely with
plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature overnight, or for whatever shorter time span is
practical.

Feeding Your "New" Starter: While the sponge is resting, feed your
"new" starter. Do this the same way you fed your original starter. Take 2
tablespoons of the "refreshed starter" you made initially (before starting the
sponge), and combine it with a cup of water and a cup of flour. Discard the remaining
"refreshed starter."

Note: You might substitute a couple of tablespoons of pumpernickel for the same of wheat
flour. Pumpernickel contains minerals that make sourdough organisms happy plus it adds a
nice fleck to your subsequent batter or dough. Also, if I'm refreshing a starter by
adding a cup of water and a cup of flour, I usually add an extra ounce of flour. This
makes it a bit thicker and heartier. Sourdough starter tends to thin out as the organisms
feed. (But only people who chronically neglect their starters would know that.) Let this
new starter rest at room temperature for 12 hours, then refrigerate it for future use.

The Waffle Batter: Beat together the eggs, butter or oil, salt and baking soda until
light. Blend this mixture into the sponge, and see dramatic chemistry begin to happen.

Spray your waffle iron with a bit of vegetable oil pan spray. (This is probably necessary
only for the first waffle.) Pour 1/2 to 1 cup batter onto the iron, depending on its
size, close, and cook for approximately 2 minutes, or until it's as done as you like.
Remove gently with a fork.

Waffles are best eaten as they come off the iron; they don't take well to stockpiling.
This makes for serial eating, but it builds anticipation and probably contributes to
general squabbling about who deserves the next one. Ultimately all will be satiated,
blood sugar will return to normal, and you and your starter can rest until once again the
waffle pixie gives you a poke.

FYI, sourdough waffles are extraordinarily light, and their flavor has an edge (because
of the period of fermentation) that puts them in another category from the more usual
baking powder version. Traditionally they're served with butter and maple syrup, but
their unique flavor combines well with things savory as well.

Tip: Need some sourdough starter to get started? See our step-by-step directions for
creating your own sourdough starter from scratch. Or, if you’re looking for a head-start,
check out our classic fresh sourdough starter, a simpler path to fresh, ready-to-use
sourdough starter.

Nutrition information per serving (1/12 of recipe, 1 waffle with 1/4 cup rhubarb sauce,
149g): 226 cal, 5g fat, 6g protein, 23g complex carbohydrates, 16g sugar, 2g dietary
fiber, 47mg cholesterol, 297mg sodium, 266mg potassium, 58RE vitamin A, 3mg vitamin C,
1mg iron, 93mg calcium, 106mg phosphorus.

This recipe reprinted from The Baking Sheet Newsletter, Vol. XI, No. 4, Spring 2000 issue.

Pepper Biscuit Bender!

Oh my we love the pepper biscuits! I am making them again and this time as Donna advised me I am adding fennel seed. Stay tuned.

I LOVE Wendell Berry

The Blue Robe
by Wendell Berry

How joyful to be together, alone
as when we first were joined
in our little house by the river
long ago, except that now we know

each other, as we did not then;
and now instead of two stories fumbling
to meet, we belong to one story
that the two, joining, made. And now

we touch each other with the tenderness
of mortals, who know themselves:
how joyful to feel the heart quake

at the sight of a grandmother,
old friend in the morning light,
beautiful in her blue robe!

-Wendell Berry from New Collected Poems. © Counterpoint Press, 2012.

Hershey's Cocoa Cookies

Cocoa Crinkle Cookies Recipe

Cookies HERSHEY’S Cocoa HERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa

One of our most fun cookies yet, speckled with powdered sugar for a sweet touch.

Ingredients

2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa or HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup powdered sugar for rolling

Directions

1. Combine granulated sugar and oil in large bowl; add cocoa, beating until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to cocoa mixture, beating well.
2. Cover; refrigerate until dough is firm enough to handle, at least 6 hours.
3. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in powdered sugar to coat. Place about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.
4. Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched lightly and tops are crackled. Cool slightly. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Makes about 48 cookies.


This is one of the best cookie recipes I've tried. I used the special dark cocoa and refrigerated the dough overnight. Baked for ten minutes and they came out perfect!

Victoria's Thai Cuke Salad

Thai Cucumber Salad

By Victoria L
Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/2-1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
salt and pepper
1 seedless cucumber
1 small red bell pepper
1 medium carrot
1/2 small red onion
1 -2 tablespoon chopped cilantro (optional)
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped

Directions

Whisk the first 7 ingredients (lime juice through jalapeno) in a large bowl.
Season with salt and pepper.
Trim the ends from the cucumber.
Split lengthwise in half.
Slice very thinly.
Toss into the dressing.
Halve the red pepper vertically, core and remove seeds and white membranes.
Slice the pepper, horizontally, into very thin strips.
Add to the dressing and toss.
Peel the carrot and trim off ends.
Slice diagonally into very thin slices.
Add to the rest of the salad.
Peel the onion and cut in half horizontally.
Then slice vertically into very thin strips.
Add these to the bowl and toss everything together until well mixed.
Set aside for at least one hour, stirring occasionally (this can be marinated for up to 8 hours, but refrigerate if marinating for longer than 2 hours).
Transfer to a serving bowl.
Sprinkle cilantro (if used) and peanuts over top.

Pepper Biscuits: Biscotti de Pepe Taralli

I will make these a few hundred more times. I could have a bakery based on wine and pepper biscotti and my bread.
Delicious!!
If you fall in love with these, you will want to double the recipe.

Biscotti Di Pepe - Taralli - Italian Pepper Biscuits

By DeSouter

A great hard biscuit with a twinge of hotness! A staple in Italian delis and "pastosas".

1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast (equals 2 and 1/4 teaspoons)
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees) (I used 1/2 cup of my liquidy sourdough starter)
2 cups flour (I used half whole wheat and half bread flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt (I used a heaping teaspoon of Kosher salt)
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper (I used twice that, cracking the peppercorns myself)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
(I added a Tablespoon of fennel) thanks to Donna Ruzzano who grew up on Da Hill!

Directions

Dissolve yeast in water.
Sift flour salt and pepper onto mixing board.
Make a well in the center and add yeast and oil.
Blend together and gradually incorporate into flour.
The dough will be stiff.
Knead 10 minutes.
Place in oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover with towel and let rise until doubled in bulk.
Preheat oven to 375º.
Break off small pieces of dough and roll into ropes about 6 inches long. (I baked mine straight like bread sticks or cigars)
Form a ring and pinch edges together.
Place on baking sheet and let rise 20 minutes.
Brush with oil and bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. (I had to double the baking time)
(I turned the pepper biscuits over halfway through the baking time so they could gently brown on the other side)

THEY WERE FANTASTIC!!!!!
NOTE: My husband pointed out that the reason why I needed to add salt pepper and increase baking time from the recipe was because I used one cup of whole wheat flour instead of white flour and this increased the oil content and need for more spices and salt.
Don't be afraid to pinch a taste of the raw dough to test seasonings.

A Day in the Life

I work standing at my desk until my dog begs me for a neighborhood walk. The backyard is temporary relief and in dogs terms doesn't count. After our walk which averages at 2 hours, I resume work snacking constantly, until I have to lie down and sleep.

Diner for Sale on my Street

The Diner on my street is for sale. I fantasize about running it. But its not really what my life is about except sometimes.

Short-order Cook
by Jim Daniels

An average joe comes in
and orders thirty cheeseburgers and thirty fries.

I wait for him to pay before I start cooking.
He pays.
He ain’t no average joe.

The grill is just big enough for ten rows of three.
I slap the burgers down
throw two buckets of fries in the deep frier
and they pop pop spit spit…
psss…
The counter girls laugh.
I concentrate.
It is the crucial point-
They are ready for the cheese:
my fingers shake as I tear off slices
toss them on the burgers/fries done/dump/
refill buckets/burgers ready/flip into buns/
beat that melting cheese/wrap burgers in plastic/
into paper bags/fries done/dump/fill thirty bags/
bring them to the counter/wipe sweat on sleeve
and smile at the counter girls.
I puff my chest out and bellow:
“Thirty cheeseburgers, thirty fries!”
They look at me funny.
I grab a handful of ice, toss it in my mouth
do a little dance and walk back to the grill.
Pressure, responsibility, success,
thirty cheeseburgers, thirty fries.

"Short-order Cook" by Jim Daniels from Places/Everyone. © The University of Wisconsin Press, 1985.

Breakfast Sandwich: Toast, Cukes, Red Onion, Green Olives

Summer means iced coffee for breakfast and red onion with cukes and olives on toast! And lots of boiled garbanzos to throw around.

I live for these Sensual Pleasures

Happiness is iced coffee and the Paris Review standing at my desk. I made wine biscuits yesterday and they will taste even better today after a swim and a cup of tea. I live for these sensual pleasures.

Wholesale Grains J.A.R. Baker's Supply

We bought inexpensive steel cut oats at Price Rite and a few jars of natural peanut butter. PR is starting starting to have more natural foods and bargain prices on dried fruit and nuts.

It's all about quantity with me. The next time I have cash I will buy steel cut oats at JAR bakers supply in Lincoln, where I buy wholesale bread flour, whole wheat flour, wheat berries, raisins, peanut butter, raw sunflower seeds, and raw almonds.

JAR Baker's Supplies Inc
Bakery
Address: 12 Crow Point Rd, Lincoln, RI 02865
Phone:(401) 725-9660
Hours: m-f 8-4

Bakers Niche
12 Crow Point Road
Lincoln, RI. 02865.
(401) 725-9660 X118
ap@bakersniche.net

Mini Skinny Yogurt Cheesecake Bars

Make your own yogurt and then strain it (save the whey) and make it into yogurt cheese and then...make mini yogurt cheesecake bars with backyard berries.
Recipe

Veena Mehra's Yogurt

Foodways
The 'Immortal' Homemade Yogurt That Traveled 'Round The World
July 14, 2015 6:41 PM ET
Eliza Barclay

A recent batch of Veena Mehra's yogurt in Houston. She's been making yogurt the same way, with the same starter, for about 40 years.
Courtesy of Nishta Mehra

As Dan Charles reported on Monday, yogurt has a way of igniting passions. In his story of arson, the flames were literal.

Once you start looking, it's really not hard to find people — even entire countries — deeply attached to this nourishing and calming food.

Back in 2012, I learned an amazing fact: With a little TLC, yogurt can essentially live forever. How? Because yogurt is swimming with billions of bacteria that are busy all the time (as long as the temperature is right) fermenting the sugar, or lactose, in milk into lactic acid.

If you're making your own yogurt at home, you need an old batch to make a new batch. And the community of microbes in that yogurt starter — and the flavor — should remain relatively unchanged if you make it the same way every time. That's what Rachel Dutton, an assistant professor of microbiology at the University of California, San Diego who studies cheese and other dairy products, says, anyway.
To make yogurt with an heirloom starter, add freeze-dried starter or a spoonful of yogurt to fresh milk.

Of course, most Americans are in the habit of buying their yogurt at the grocery store. We like our yogurt sweet and mild.

But in many countries, like India, most yogurt is still made daily, even twice a day, at home. And that homemade yogurt tends to have a different flavor and texture — thicker and more sour — than the stuff made in a big yogurt factory. (For more on big yogurt factories, sit tight for Dan's forthcoming story on Wednesday.)

Veena Mehra, who emigrated to the U.S. from India, discovered when she first arrived in Oklahoma in 1970 that American yogurt wasn't like what she was used to eating back home.

"It just did not taste the same," she tells me. Her husband was studying at the University of Oklahoma, and there weren't any Indian groceries in Norman. "I tried buttermilk, and then I tried to use the yogurt I found at the store to make my own, but it just didn't work."

She continued to long for her homemade yogurt, so in 1975 or 1976 (she can't remember exactly what year it was), when she returned to Mumbai to visit her family, she decided to bring some yogurt starter back with her on the plane.
Cooling cucumber raita made with yogurt is a common accompaniment to spicy Indian dishes.

"I just put it in a container and then in my purse," she says. The yogurt survived the 21-hour journey to Memphis, Tenn., where they'd moved. Two days later, she was making yogurt again. And, most important, she says, "It tasted good: tart and thick."

Some 40 years later, Mehra, now 68, has kept that same starter going. She says she shared it with other Indian families in Memphis, and brought it with her when she moved to Houston three years ago after her husband died, to be closer to her daughter, Nishta, and grandson.

Nishta, who has a food blog called Blue Jean Gourmet, tells me she's also very partial to her mother's yogurt. "I think all of the American yogurt is really gross — I can't eat it," she says. "And I have this weird experience where I feel like my ancestors are looking down on me, and I can't bring myself to buy it."

And she's learned how to make it herself. "We make a batch every two weeks, or my mom makes a batch and brings it over."

Mehra says they both eat yogurt pretty much every day, in a classic Indian cucumber condiment called raita. Or they'll put just salt and pepper in it. And she says it tastes the same as it always did.

Each time she makes it, she follows the same simple process: She takes two cups of whole organic milk out of the fridge and lets it get to room temperature. Then she warms it over medium heat on the stove for 2.5 minutes. Next, she pours it into a plastic tub and adds a spoonful of yogurt from the old batch to the warm milk, mixing them together. Then she covers it with towels and puts it in the microwave (not to zap it, just to get it out of the way). The next morning, she's got her yogurt, and it goes back in the fridge.

The key to this method, of course, is that you always leave a little yogurt to make the next batch. And Mehra has managed to do that for 40 years.

According to Dutton, the microbiologist, it's plausible that Mehra's 2015 yogurt is very close, biologically and flavorwise, to the yogurt she brought over in 1975 or 1976. After all, to make yogurt, you really only need two species of bacteria: Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus.

"It's possible that the two species have been evolving over that time period, so maybe they're a little different, but they may be behaving in a similar way because you're always asking them to do the same thing," says Dutton.

In this sense, yogurt is different from a fermented food like sourdough bread. "Yogurt is much more controlled," she says, because you heat the milk and kill most of the microbes in it before adding the yogurt starter. So in theory, the only active microbes in the starter are the same ones that Mehra brought over from India four decades ago.

Sourdough, meanwhile, would adapt to a new place much more quickly because you have to add grain to starter, Dutton says. The grain, unlike the milk, hasn't been heated and could be carrying new, local microbes.

Want to try making your own flavorful yogurt at home? If you don't have a neighbor with heirloom yogurt like Mehra's who can share a spoonful, you can buy heirloom starter. It will probably yield a better yogurt than using store-bought yogurt because the bacteria in industrially produced yogurt can't regenerate very long — maybe just for a generation or two.

Heirloom yogurt, however, can theoretically live forever in good hands.

Flavored Yogurt Cheese on Oat Cakes

Make yogurt cheese or buy cream cheese and flavor it. Try on toast or a bagel or Highland oat cakes.

Try this too.

THE ICE CREAM BARN: Tom and Jocelyn Seiter

THE ICE CREAM BARN: A magical place Something magical is happening in Swansea, Mass., thanks to a collaboration between Baker Farm owner Kenny Baker and ice cream artisans Tom and Jocelyn Seiter. You can feel it the instant you turn into the parking lot and see the lovely Ice Cream Barn building. Outside are handmade benches and farm views that go on forever. For six generations, family farmers have worked this land. You won't believe Route 6 is just miles away. Inside, old ice cream scoops make for dramatic wall art while staff can be seen boiling cranberries and other natural ingredients at the stove. None of it would matter if the ice cream weren't delectable. And it surely is. The milk for the ice cream comes from the Baker cows. That is just one key to the exquisite flavors. Alan Winsor of Winsor Dairy, in Johnston, picks up the fresh milk and fashions a base according to the Seiters' specifications. Once the mixture returns to the farm, all the natural ingredients are mixed right there beyond the granite countertop to create a very special ice cream. The setting, the ice cream — all create a place you won't want to leave. Details: 289 Locust St., Swansea, Mass., theicecreambarn.com, (508) 567-6278.

Heal Broken Bones

For helping to heal broken bones the research suggests that the following foods are appropriate and perhaps helpful to eat.

Poverty and Dieting

When You Grow Up With Food Insecurity, Dieting as an Adult Becomes Extremely Complicated
When I go on a diet, somewhere in my subconscious I'm convinced that I'm five years old again, that I'm going to actually die if I don't get some substantial food in my body ASAP.
by Elizabeth Waterhouse
Article

Pauletta Hansel: Husbands from The Lives We Live

Husbands

by Pauletta Hansel


My mother likes a man who works. She likes
my husband’s muddy knees, grass stains on the cuffs.
She loved my father, though when weekends came
he’d sleep till nine and would not lift
his eyes up from the page to move the feet
she’d vacuum under. On Saturdays my husband
digs the holes for her new roses,
softening the clay with peat and compost.
He changes bulbs she can no longer reach
and understands the inside of her toaster.
My father’s feet would carry him from chair
to bookshelf, back again till Monday came.
My mother likes to tell my husband
sit down in this chair and put your feet up.

- Pauletta Hansel from The Lives We Live in Houses. © Wind Publications, 2011.

Walker's Highland Oat Cakes Savory Crackers at JobLot

Delicious.

Also, Irish oatmeal at Price Rite.

Banana Peanuts Raisins Chocolate

I'm craving these foods probably due to the mountain climbing I am doing in my house with my booted foot cast. (laughing)

Yogurt for Breakfast

Iceland, Greece, India they have it going on.
When I was 12 I discovered yogurt was my friend and when my mother said I was eating her out of house and home I learned how to make it myself. I was propelled towards health and still am and she was propelled towards illness and still is. At one point she screamed at me "You can't eat yogurt for breakfast!" and shortly after I packed my bag and was in Grand Central Station looking for a new home. With faces from all over the world I knew someone ate yogurt for breakfast.

Dynamic Duos

Article
read Diet for a Small Planet (book)

Friendly Bacteria or Girls Fear Cheese

For years I've threatened to have a horn band called FRIENDLY BACTERIA and another called GIRLS FEAR CHEESE.
Article

More than a century ago, Élie Metchnikoff, a Nobel prize-winning microbiologist, hypothesized that lactic acid bacteria — like the kind found in our yogurt — was important to gut health and longevity.

"Bacteria used to be the thing we had to eradicate," Reid says. But people are now realizing that many kinds of bacteria provide a benefit. "So it's a paradigm shift, a massive shift in our thinking," he says.

This shift has led to an explosive growth in research. Scientists have documented that beneficial microorganisms play a critical role in how our bodies function. And along the way, it's become clear that the influence goes beyond the gut. Scientists have documented that the mix of bacteria that populate our gut influence our susceptibility to — or our immunity against — allergies, eczema and asthma.

Now, researchers are turning their attention to our emotional health. It turns out that there's a lot of communication between our guts and our brains. Scientists studying this refer to this as the gut-brain axis.

Where's the BBQ?

We were invited to a BBQ but there was no BBQ. So we've decided to make one ourselves...
This is from the Food network and it looks excellent.

Ingredients

Sweet Cola Barbecue Sauce:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups ketchup
1 can cola
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce


Dry Rub:

2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 racks pork spare ribs (about 3 pound each)


For the ribs:

Rinse and dry ribs. Place on a clean cutting board, pull off the membrane and trim the ribs of excess fat. Liberally season both sides of the ribs with rub. Wrap ribs with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 to 12 hours so flavors can permeate.

Preheat grill to 250 degrees F. using hickory and charcoal. Set up your grill for indirect heat.

Place ribs, meatier side down, on the grill away from the coals. Close grill cover. Cook the pork ribs for 1 hour 15 minutes; flipping several times for even cook. *Coat ribs with Sweet Cola Barbecue Sauce and cook for another 20 minutes.

*Reserve some of the sauce for dipping when the ribs are served.

Recipe courtesy of The Neelys

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/sweet-cola-ribs-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Lugging my Big Black Boot

Lugging my big black robot foot around has made me very hungry. I have continued to walk and swim and I have eaten delicious dinners.

Jhumpa Lahiri Salt and Boiled Water

“When Deepa poured Bela some water from the urn that stood on a little stool, in the corner of the room, her grandmother reproached her.
Not that water. Give her the boiled water. She’s not made to survive here.”
― Jhumpa Lahiri, The Lowland

“Relax,” Edith says. “The perfect name will come to you in time.” Which is when Gogol announces, “There’s no such thing.” “No such thing as what?” Astrid says. “There’s no such thing as a perfect name. I think that human beings should be allowed to name themselves when they turn eighteen,” he adds. “Until then, pronouns.”
― Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake

“By now she has learned that her husband likes his food on the salty side, that his favorite thing about lamb curry is the potatoes, and that he likes to finish his dinner with a small final helping of rice and dal.”
― Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake

“Amid the gray, an incongruous band of daytime blue asserts itself. To the west, a pink sun already begins its descent. The effect is of three isolated aspects, distinct phases of the day. All of it, strewn across the horizon, is contained in his vision.”
― Jhumpa Lahiri, The Lowland

“He learned not to mind the silences.”
― Jhumpa Lahiri

“Too much information, and yet, in her case, not enough. In a world of diminishing mystery, the unknown persists.”
― Jhumpa Lahiri, The Lowland

High Tea

We had a date to have high tea with two neighborhood friends Dennis and Christina here at our backyard picnic table. I made a carrot salad with onions raisins and almonds and multi grain rolls and hard-cooked eggs. Delicious. We moved the umbrella to the cast iron stand so it blocked the sun. We drank seltzer and lime.

Summer Sandwich

Toast my bread, add sliced green olives, mustard, dried cranberries, red onion slices, and pepper jack cheese melted on top.

Cowboy Breakfast

When I start my day at 2,3, or 4 AM I want a cowboy breakfast at 8 or 9AM. A cowboy breakfast is not shy or apologetic. A cowboy breakfast has hearty nutritious food. Lately it is leftovers: my German potato salad, or hamburger on my bread toasted, or fried eggs on my toast.

Fresh Bok Choy Salad

Bok Choy chopped, red onion sliced, raisins, green olives sliced, pepperoncini chopped, whole raw or toasted almonds, frozen corn niblets, Adobo, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt. Let this salad marinate overnight. A fabulous and delicious invention!

The Rue de L'Espoir 39 Years

Trailblazing restaurateur to close Rue de l'Espoir after 39 years ...
.

Trailblazing restaurateur to close Rue de l'Espoir after 39 years
Deborah Norman leaves behind quite a legacy, opening her bistro in 1976, long before any of Providence's other notable women made their mark on the local hospitality industry.


PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Rue de L'Espoir restaurant will close on Aug. 9 as owner Deborah Norman looks ahead to a little relaxation and travel.

"It's been 39 years," she said. "It's time."

Norman leaves behind a legacy as a trailblazing restaurateur, opening her bistro in 1976, long before any of Providence's other notable women made their mark on the local hospitality industry.

With $20,000, some of it borrowed from friends, Norman started serving quiche and crepes on Hope Street on the city's East Side. She was not just the owner but the cook for the first three years. She not only paid back her loans and bought out a partner, she bought the building when an angel investor stepped in to provide credit. Over time she went from 45 seats to 75, and another 40 in the bar.

As tastes changed, and the way Americans dined moved from classical to casual, the Rue changed too, developing a wider menu built on local fare. Right until the end next month, the restaurant will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week: an unforgiving schedule, even for Norman, who made it look easy.

The sale of the Rue is underway. It will be sold to a pair of local restaurant owners who don't wish to reveal themselves until everything is in place to go forward with their new concept for the space. Norman has sold the Baker Street Rue in Washington Park to a longtime employee Erica Watson, who started as a dishwasher, and her sister Monique Watson; they have renamed it Baker Street Cafe. Norman is keeping Rue Bis, her casual cafe in the Jewelry District, and it will continue to be run by another long time staffer, Merisa Marcotte Dominguez.

Norman laughed at the suggestion she was a pioneer, but admitted that mentoring chefs, who went on to own their own places, has been gratifying.

Still, she had to admit it was a different business landscape 40 years ago, especially for a woman. When a liquor salesman came to the restaurant as she was first opening, he asked her, "Honey, where's your husband?"

"He was taken aback when I said there was no husband," she recalled. But they went on to do business.

"I've never been a shrinking violet so I never felt anything but capable," she said, while admitting she felt she knew nothing in the early years.

"It's a job of a million little details that have to be addressed every day," Norman said of the restaurant business.

The biggest challenge is to reproduce excellence, day after day, because that is what people expect. She is most proud that she has been able to keep that level of consistency for nearly four decades.

The rewards have been rich, she said, including having many longtime staffers with 20 years or more, and seeing second generations of diners come in for milestones in their lives just as their parents did.

Bakery

I keep bakers hours and I have the opportunity to open a bakery next door, I am thinking about it.

Sprain: First Aid

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Your ligaments are tough, elastic-like bands that connect bone to bone and hold your joints in place. A sprain is an injury to a ligament caused by tearing of the fibers of the ligament. The ligament can have a partial tear, or it can be completely torn apart.

Of all sprains, ankle and knee sprains occur most often. Sprained ligaments often swell rapidly and are painful. Generally, the greater the pain and swelling, the more severe the injury is. For most minor sprains, you probably can start initial injury treatment yourself.
Follow the instructions for R.I.C.E.

Rest the injured limb. Your doctor may recommend not putting any weight on the injured area for 48 hours, so you may need to use crutches. A splint or brace may also be helpful initially. But don't avoid all activity. Even with an ankle sprain, you can usually still exercise other muscles to minimize deconditioning. For example, you can use an exercise bicycle with arm exercise handles, working both your arms and the uninjured leg while resting the injured ankle on another part of the bike. That way you still get three-limb exercise to keep up your cardiovascular conditioning.
Ice the area. Use a cold pack, a slush bath or a compression sleeve filled with cold water to help limit swelling after an injury. Try to ice the area as soon as possible after the injury and continue to ice it for 15 to 20 minutes, four to eight times a day, for the first 48 hours or until swelling improves. If you use ice, be careful not to use it too long, as this could cause tissue damage.
Compress the area with an elastic wrap or bandage. Compressive wraps or sleeves made from elastic or neoprene are best.
Elevate the injured limb above your heart whenever possible to help prevent or limit swelling.

As the pain and swelling improve, gently begin using the injured area. You should feel a gradual, progressive improvement. Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), may be helpful to manage pain during the healing process. It's essential to restore strength and stability to the injured limb prior to a return to sports or fitness activities. A physical therapist or other sports medicine provider can provide you with the appropriate strength and stability exercises to optimize healing and minimize the risk of repeat injury.

See your doctor if your sprain isn't improving after two or three days.
Get emergency medical assistance if:

You're unable to bear weight on the injured leg, the joint feels unstable or numb, or you can't use the joint. This may mean the ligament was completely torn. On the way to the doctor, apply a cold pack.
You develop redness or red streaks that spread out from the injured area. This may mean you have an infection.
You have re-injured an area that has been injured a number of times in the past.
You have a severe sprain. Inadequate or delayed treatment may contribute to long-term joint instability or chronic pain.

We are Lucky

26 years ago I moved here and didn't know anyone. One woman who lived here knew a childhood friend of mine. She told me "Go meet Jamie". I was a vegetarian at the time but when I walked in and saw handsome Jamie in his beautiful shop, with his gorgeous wife and stunning daughters and sons working behind the counter I thought, "What could be bad?" I asked how do I cook meat? He didn't shame me although I turned red with embarrassment anyway. He spoke to me like a great teacher or good doctor might. This was the beginning of a wonderful friendship and a love affair with the City of Woonsocket which is full of sincere honest and friendly people. I wasn't in Kansas anymore, I had landed in OZ.

Friday Jamie Sullivan of Shaw's Meats, North Main Woonsocket fixed us up a bag of his favorite brand of Saugy's (he carries 4 brands!) and they were terrific. I thought they tasted a bit like cloves. They were delicious on my sourdough multigrain rolls with Guilden's mustard and price rite sauerkraut. We also bought a "Walt Whitman" sampler (my poetry joke about Whitman chocolate sampler) of items Jamie's crab salad, pulled pork and eggplant lasagna, all made by Jamie himself. Like Paul Newman out grossing his films with salad dressing sales, Jamie is selling more of his specialty homemade foods than his meat which is always extraordinary. Everyone wishes they lived here in Woonsocket RI so they could go to Jamie's. We always offer to bring the Christmas roast and all the meat needed for any BBQ and party ---because we know we are so lucky and nothing else compares to the quality and freshness. We are spoiled!

Saugys have been a Rhode Island contained phenomenon since 1869. In the late 1800s Saugys was a staple of the old Canal Street provisions district located at 274 and 285 Canal Street. In 1914 at the age of 12 Leo McCaughey, grandfather of the current owner started working for the Saugy brothers driving a horse-drawn wagon along the cobblestone streets of Providence. Leo later became a salesman for the company, then President and CEO. Saugys are still made much the way they were in days gone by, with quality ingredient and the familiar snap. Saugys are available for all backyard barbecues and tailgate parties throughout New England.

Alphonse Saugy started the company, and it was a staple of the old Canal Street provisions district in Providence, RI for decades. Leo McCaughey was a teenager when he started working for Saugy in 1912, driving a horse-drawn delivery wagon. To say he worked his way up is an understatement; Leo later became a salesman for the company, then the president. During World War II, Alphonse Saugy shut the place down because he couldn’t get the high quality meat that he needed. Leo, along with Adam Leips and Ludo Spangenberger, reopened Saugy on June 7, 1944. In 1971, Saugy moved from Canal Street to 30 Cross Street in Providence. It was a nostalgically measured move on Leo’s part, since he was born on 20 Cross Street. Saugys are homegrown and Rhode Island-contained phenomenon, although they do ship nationwide, largely to transplanted Rhode Islanders.
For over 135 years Saugy Franks have been a Rhode Island tradition and New England favorite. Utilizing a family recipe consisting of all natural ingredients that has been passed down from generation to generation. The Saugy Frank is unequaled in its appearance, texture and flavor.

At the early age of fourteen, Mary O'Brien dreamt about taking Rhode Island's famous natural casing German style Frankfurt far beyond the Rhode Island border. A quarter century later she got her chance. Taking the reins of her family's 135 year old company.

Mary quickly decided that with today's manufacturing technology, the famous hotdogs could be produced at greater volume without sacrificing quality. Finally, customers in other state could enjoy what loyal Rhode Islanders have enjoyed for years. She also felt that the customers who enjoy Saugy Franks and Bratwurst (affectionately known as "Buckies") would also welcome new additions to the product line. Plans are under way to introduce a skinless version of the famous Saugy frank (July 2005) as well as a Saugy's Sauerkraut Relish and Hot Mustard. "Keeping a tradition alive is worth every effort when loyal customers continue to stand by a product that their families have been enjoying for years."

I think about Winter

In Winter I think about July and in July I think about Winter.

My family and I greatly enjoy our winters in Idaho. It gets snowy and cold, but the snow stays around and the cold is a crisp cold — not a bone-chilling cold with heavy humidity, like we were used to when we lived on the East Coast. We look forward to the snowshoe hikes, the warmth and coziness of the fire, and the benefits of cooking on a wood stove all winter long. To me there is nothing that says home more than the comforts of a warm house ridden with the sumptuous scents of good home-cooking and bread baking.

When I think of comfort foods, steaming fresh bread comes to mind — with homemade butter and maybe a touch of fresh honey, jelly, or jam. I love using my wood stove for our meals, breads, and baked goods. We are very frugal here in the wilderness, so when I can utilize a free resource instead of one I have to pay for, it only seems right.
What Can You Cook on a Wood Stove?

If you are not used to cooking on a wood stove, it really isn’t that hard at all! Not to mention, it will provide tastier meals than you can imagine. I enjoy placing a roast on my wood stove in the early morning, and letting it simmer until late afternoon or early evening. The roast is beyond tender and the house smells wonderful all day. I have been told already that my husband and boys can smell it outside and it drives them nuts while they are working. The key thing is to check it regularly to be certain that there is still broth in the Dutch oven. The broth or natural juices created by the roast will also make a wonderful soup base for later in the week.

-Wardee

The Back Story

All art is a kind of confession, more or less oblique. All artists, if they are to survive, are forced, at last, to tell the whole story; to vomit the anguish up.
- James Baldwin

Nothing like a family holiday to remind me of the gastrointestinal tract. Many of my friends are in their late 50's and 60's and by now they have experienced the dreaded colonoscopy. Each of us who have survived it have been given reports about what kind of "guts" we have. Two friends of mine had tortured colons. One had extra long intestines and two other friends just loved the drugs they were given to knock them out and can't wait to have another.

"My childhood was one big colonoscopy," I told Dr. Shaechter's compassionate nurse. "I've had the GI series every year since I was five and forced to drink Metamucil, and take Milk of Magnesia. My mother practically called in the National Guard. In high school when my peers were dating, blushing and going to the prom, I was dragged off repeatedly to have barium enemas, radioactive malteds so the doctors could watch my guts on closed circuit TV monitors. I was taken to specialist after specialist until my mother found one drastic enough. Dr. Mossberg of New Rochelle prescribed that I drink 11 oz of Squibb brand heavy mineral oil three times a day for months to liquidate my insides and "shrink" my intestine. Think melted Vaseline. My mother was thrilled because she fancied herself as being my savior and at the center of a drama centered on HER. She was not a medical professional by any means. She was an artistic housewife albeit a neurotic narcissistic privileged one. She didn't know how electricity, cars, or toasters worked let alone the human body. My mother never drank or smoked but she was Cyclothymic and addicted to diet pills and Valium! I was supposed to be HER sick and dying child prodigy, genius.

Now I understand that this was an archetypal Rapunzel story she was acting out the role of the witch but instead of my having Rapunzel's long braided hair (she cut it off), I had Rapunzel's long intestines which she was threatening to cut off too! My mother put rubber sheets on my bed and made sure I was locked away for the summer alone in the woods. Thank god I had some amazing high school teachers (Thanks Patti Bellantoni and John Perlman) and close friends (Jon Frankel, Andy Henry, Al Giordano, Karen Streuning, Jessica Brown, and Cathy Lightfoot) all of whom lovingly helped me escape in tact. See Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy.This was why I put off getting a colonoscopy for 4 years. After my childhood, having a colonoscopy was a piece of cake.

Joy Bubbles

A few times a year joy bubbles wakes me up at 2,3,or 4 AM. I get up and write. This morning I am baking breads in my cast iron pans. The classical music WCRB radio playing. I love the pure early hours of solitude.

Fresh Raspberries!

Fresh raspberries with yogurt and honey is delicious.

Mofongo

"Mofongo might not look like much, but it sure is tasty. Mashed green plantains with garlic, olive oil and pork rinds (or bacon). Mofongo goes well with chicken or fish broth and can be stuffed with garlic shrimp, carne frita or octopus salad."
http://www.dominicancooking.com/246-mofongo-garlic-flavored-mashed-plantains.html

Gratitude Breads

I feel like Little Red Riding Hood walking to City Hall and the police headquarters with my gratitude breads.