Saturday

I woke at 3:15 am after going to sleep at 7PM. As I was putting on my blue jeans I got a pain spasm shooting through my hip and thigh. No matter which way I turned it was unrelenting agony. I started wailing. I became dizzy and nauseous from the pain. I woke up my husband. He wanted to call 911. He was thinking I fractured my hip. I pictured a troop of Emergency Medical Technicians climbing up three flights of stairs, taking me down on a stretcher, and over to the hospital. "No way," I thought.

I got up and went downstairs very slowly and made coffee, and took a shower. I had to be presentable to the EMT's just in case. At 8AM I called my Dr's answering service and got an appointment for ten thirty.

After examining my leg, the doctor said that I pulled a groin muscle. I realized it was the perfect storm: shoveling running dog walking and most of all my not-swimming due to skin surgery. Oy!

She prescribed 800 milligrams of Ibuprofen three times a day for ten days and a muscle relaxant so I can sleep tonight.

She suggested physical therapy but I said I probably won't need it because the pool will straighten me out. "No frog kick!" she said.

I feel like I am 100 years old. But the Ibuprofen is just kicking in!

Thursday evening Bill and I attended a function. There was a buffet supper made up of meatballs, gnocchi and eggplant lasagna. The food was ready at 6PM but sat on sterno trays for four hours. Apparently just enough time to grow a hearty infestation of bacteria. I wonder how many people spent Friday being as sick as us.

Be healthy everyone, Count your blessings!

Buffet of Food Posioning

We went to an event that had food sitting on Sterno trays for 3-4 hours before anyone was served. After we got sick we realized this was very dangerous.

Ready Set Joe

I'm back to my one cup drip brewing for coffee. Since I only drink one cup a day it seems right to have it be fresh. I preheat my thermal mug and preheat the milk. Hot Rocks!

Roasted Fennel

Chop fennel and roast with olive oil and salt add sun-dried tomatoes.

I Treat Chocolate, Sugar and Meat as Spices

I have been blessed with a sensitive system. My maternal grandfather and mother also had sensitive stomachs. Unfortunately they ignored their symptoms and ended up losing vital body parts (gallbladder and part of stomach). I know that oily or fried foods will have me doubled over in agony if I eat them on an empty stomach or if I don't cut them with strongly acidic foods like citrus fruit, vinegar, pickled foods, coffee (light roast), black tea (with milk), or seltzer.
Most sugary, chocolatey foods are not in my repertoire. I love meat as a spice blended with 90 percent vegetables.

Churros: Eating Chocolate the Spanish way by Alejandra Garcia

I grew up in the southern United States thinking that chocolate was a treat associated exclusively with dessert. Now living in Spain, I haven't found it hard to adjust — especially to one specific traditional practice: eating chocolate the Spanish way.

Drinking chocolate, white chocolate truffles, hazelnut-chocolate muffins — the Spanish love it all. Small children, for example, snack on chocolate sandwiches, made with bread in the shape of a hot dog bun filled with chocolate paste.

Spain has taught me to eat chocolate for breakfast. The Spanish go out at night until the wee hours of the morning, and then have a cup of chocolate for breakfast on their way home, before going to sleep.

Born in Lima, Peru, and raised in both Kentucky and North Carolina, Alejandra Garcia has mastered the arts of ceviche, sweet tea and saying "y'all." She currently lives in Marbella, Spain, and works as an editor for the Spanish lifestyle magazine Absolute Marbella.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99259513

Instant Breakfast Cocoa Biscotti

Make toast preferably homemade and dip into a paste: teasp. cocoa powder, teasp. molasses or sugar, and a Tbsp water heated to a dissolved paste. Optional: add cinnamon and weensy bit of salt.

Pallavi Gupta: Pumpkin Almond Biscotti

Pumpkin Almond Biscotti

Rather than compliment the pumpkin base with the classic spice pairing these biscotti offset the autumnal flavor with almond meal and a chocolate drizzle.
Pallavi Gupta
24 cookies
Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
¼ cup butter (or oil)
¾ cup almond meal (ground almond)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate, for drizzling

Instructions

In a bowl mix together flour and baking powder, keep aside.
In a large bowl cream butter and sugar till the mixture turns pale. Add the egg and mix well.
Add pumpkin puree & vanilla and stir till its mixed well into the butter, sugar and egg mixture.
Mix in the almond meal.
Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix with a spatula till it comes together as a sticky dough.
Turn the dough out on a floured surface and using your hands form it into a ball.
Divide the ball into two equal parts and transfer onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Keep them at-least 4 inch apart. Shape each dough into a 6 inch log shape, flatten the top with your hand.
Bake the logs for 20 to 25 minutes, check if its cooked completely by inserting a toothpick in the center (it should come out clean).
The logs will crack slightly on its surface – its okay. Let the logs cool completely on a rack.
Cut each loaf into ½ inch slice and bake again (on the same baking sheet) for 10 minutes turning the the baking sheet midway.
Cool the biscotti completely before adding the chocolate.
Melt chocolate in the microwave – you want it in a runny consistency.
Drizzle some chocolate using a spoon over the cooled biscotti. Add as much or as less as you want. Let the chocolate set on the biscotti before serving.

Bill Neal and Crooks

Article

Pork, still the meat of choice in the South, made no appearance on the menu, much to my surprise; Mr. Neal, a big pork man, put an oversize fiberglass pig outside Crook's Corner. But don't worry, Mr. Currence assured me, ''it's there in the background of almost every dish: the side meat in the muddle, cracklings in the cornbread and bacon fat in the Country Captain.''

In a recent article in Metro Magazine, a North Carolina monthly, Ms. Neal described Mr. Neal as ''a trendsetter, a driven perfectionist, a seductive charmer and the possessor of a legendary temper.'' He had a Pied Piper quality, one of his protégés recalled, that engendered fierce loyalties.

''The food,'' Ms. Neal insisted, ''the food was always sublime.''

Mr. Neal was an unusually well-read chef, who quoted Eudora Welty and Carson McCullers and Homer in his books, not to mention Mary Randolph, the 19th-century authority on Virginia cooking, who was related to Thomas Jefferson, and André Simon, the 20th-century French-born English authority on wine.

He tirelessly pleaded the cause of his native region's culture. All of it interested him, high and low, new and old.

Actually, Mr. Neal discerned a ''confluence of three cultures -- Western European, African and Native American -- meeting, clashing and ultimately melding into one unique identity, one hybrid society, which was changed forever by civil war in the 1860's.'' The legacy of that society, he wrote, ''is what still makes some of us Southerners -- the architecture, the literature, the food, the continuity of man and nature that shapes our perceptions.''

Over breakfast Thursday morning at Home, a Greenwich Village bistro where Mr. Stehling once worked, the chefs spun yarns about their mentor.

Mr. Stehling brought a tin of beluga caviar. His first trip to New York, he explained, was an eating expedition led by Mr. Neal. From a taxi on the way to the airport, Mr. Neal spotted a Caviarteria sign, jumped from the cab, dashed into the shop, bought some beluga, ran back out and sprinted down the street, catching up to the cab several blocks later. They ate the caviar on the plane, with Mr. Neal passing out samples to passengers sitting nearby.

''That was pure, exuberant Bill Neal,'' Mr. Stehling said.

Mr. Neal refused to hire Mr. and Mrs. Barker because they had degrees from the Culinary Institute of America, preferring to train his employees himself -- from scratch.

Vegetarian Hoppin' John

I just made blackeyes peas Southern favorite HOPPIN'JOHN I used kale in place of ham.

Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large ham hock
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 pound black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and rinsed
1 quart chicken stock
Bay leaf
1 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
Salt, black pepper, and cayenne
3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
3 cups steamed white rice

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/hoppin-john-recipe.html

Roasted Fennel, Cauliflower, Broccoli +Carrots

preheat oven to 450. Drizzle olive oil Adobo and Cajun spice over the vegetables. Roast them in the oven. I use a LODGE 12 inch cast iron skillet.

Coca vs. Chocolate: Sensitivity Sweets

If you're me and you can't eat butter, Than this is the recipe for you.

¾ cup plain (or coffee or lemon) yogurt
¼ cup milk
½ cup Cocoa powder
½ cup Old fashioned rolled oats
½ cup sugar or ¼ cup molasses ¼ sugar
1 extra large egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch kosher salt
add ¼ toasted walnuts or raisins or dried sweetened cranberries

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a square Pyrex baking dish.
Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Use those arm muscles!
Pour batter into the prepared dish and bake for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting into 9 large squares.
Recipe lightly adapted from The Londoner

Steamed Kale with Peanutbutter and Soy Sauce

My new craze!

Fennel Raw and Cooked

All the ways

Sunglasses

Today it is so bright I am wondering if the glare bouncing off the snow is what caused my migraine. I am wearing my amber sunglasses in the house.

Sesame Seeds Taste like Bacon

Yesterday I bought my favorite candy from job lot sesame seed bark. Today I had a bite of it with hot tea. I forgot how much sesame seeds toasted taste like bacon.

Slow Microwave

My microwave is from 1990 vintage. Back when my studio was at a mill complex, away from where I lived. I had a mini fridge and I made hot lunches for myself. Often it was a casserole of corn and spinach and eggs. The brand is Capri and it's built like a tank but it is so slow that while I am heating up my lunch I usually make a sandwich. By the time my lunch is hot I am done with my sandwich and I have to put my meal back in the fridge. I don't want to buy a new one because they are expensive and bulky and ugly.

I Love Boiled Barley

I just cooked a big batch of un-hulled barley in my slow cooker. I added some of the cooked grain to my latest batch of bread dough. I ate a few bowls of it with Smart margarine, Cajun spice, kosher salt and a few chopped dried plums. Fabulous!

Buckwheat Flap Jack Supper

I couldn't resist. I described my favorite buckwheat pancakes to my friend Joe and how I must make them for our next lunch. Next thing I knew I was throwing all of the ingredients in a bowl tasting and adapting. I don't follow recipes even my own. I open the fridge and see what needs to be reincarnated. The secret is buttermilk or sourdough. The natural fermentation makes the pancakes light and fluffy although I always say that pancakes are like cadaver cheeks.

Here's the cheat sheet:

1 1/4 c flour (buckwheat and whole wheat)
1/4 c sourdough starter and flour (not necessary but I had some to use up)
1/2 teasp baking soda
1 teasp salt or more to taste (kosher salt)
1 teasp cinnamon
1/2 teasp real vanilla
2 eggs beaten
1 1/4 buttermilk
1/2 c favorite puree or freshly sliced apple or banana
1/8 cup corn oil
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs molasses

Molasses Mocha Cocoa

I tried using molasses in place of refined sugar when making cocoa and it tasted great. Just like Ovaltine!

Spicy Ginger Garlic Green Beans with Sundried Tomatoes and Sesame Seeds and Almonds

I served it over brown and wild rice.

Hot Cocoa or Hot Mocha

I made this today and it was excellent. Then I made it for my husband and he loved it. The best part is you can control how sweet or how chocolatey you want it and there are no preservatives!

Directions for cocoa:
Add one level tablespoon of plain unsweetened cocoa powder, one level tablespoon of granulated sugar, a pinch of kosher salt then add 12 oz hot milk, (we like 2%) heat it up and enjoy.

For Mocha:
Add one tablespoon of plain unsweetened cocoa, and one level tablespoon of granulated sugar, and a pinch of kosher salt together. Mix 6 oz hot black coffee to dissolve cocoa salt sugar mixture. Then add 6 oz milk to it and heat it all up and enjoy.

A Sad Slow Eater

I tell my husband that when I was a child I was such a slow eater that my siblings had already left and gone to bed while I was still at the table poking at my food.

Irish Oats: Snow Day

Snowing! I am simmering a batch of Irish Oats. I'm hoping the new landlords will come and plow the parking lot. Time will tell.

16 Bean Soup: I LOVE GOYA

Today is a 16 bean soup day! I am simmering a pound of GOYA 16 bean soup beans.

Healthy Pattern

A healthy dietary pattern is higher in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low- or non-fat dairy, seafood, legumes, and nuts; moderate in alcohol (among adults); lower in red and processed meats; and low in sugar-sweetened foods and drinks and refined grains.

Additional strong evidence shows that it is not necessary to eliminate food groups or conform to a single dietary pattern to achieve healthy dietary patterns. Rather, individuals can combine foods in a variety of flexible ways to achieve healthy dietary patterns, and these strategies should be tailored to meet the individual’s health needs, dietary preferences and cultural traditions.

Anyone who tells you it's more complicated than that — that particular foods like kale or gluten are killing people — probably isn't speaking from science, because, as you can see now, that science would actually be near impossible to conduct.

source

Almond Biscotti Day

Almond Biscotti Recipe
YIELD: 16 Almond Biscottis
Ingredients

1 cup blanched whole almonds, toasted and chopped coarsely. (See how to blanch almonds.)
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Toast almonds for 8-10 minutes or until golden.
Let cool and then chop coarsely. Set aside.
Beat the sugar and eggs on until thick (about 5 minutes).
(When you slowly raise the beaters the batter should make little ribbons.)
Beat in the almond extract.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt.
Add to the egg batter and mix until combined.
Fold in the chopped almonds.
Form dough into a log, about 12 inches (30 cm) long and 3 1/2 inches (9 cm) wide. Really you can form however you want. It's your biscotti. Pick the size that makes you happy.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until the log is firm.
Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
Transfer the log to a cutting board and cut into 3/4 inch diagonal slices.
Place the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet.
Bake for about 10 minutes, turn slices over, and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown. (Many times depending on humidity it takes longer. I will take as long as the biscotti needs to get it dry.)
So between the two bakings you will have a Total Cooktime of - 55 minutes. So maybe altogether with prep, I'd say you are looking at about 90 minutes. (Not bad, right?)
Remove from oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container. Or you can buy a fancy pants biscotti jar to put them in.

- See more at: http://www.italian-dessert-recipes.com/almond_biscotti_recipe.html#sthash.DAZqS8jY.dpuf

Cozy

I love the cozy feeling of working while bread is rising, soup is simmering and the wash is swishing and swirling. I used to be afraid to have my office at home.

Never Shock a Hot Cast Iron Pan with Cold Water. It can Crack or Warp.

More tips

Neon Blue Eggs

I ate leftover sauteed cabbage for breakfast with toast. Then I saw this recipe for purple cabbage and eggs. I will try this next.

Thin Sliced Potato Casserole

I just sliced a bunch of local potatoes paper-thin and layered them in my two small casserole dishes adding Adobo, milk, olive oil, Romano and Pepper Jack cheeses. They are baking (covered) at 350 degrees. We'll see! Of course I looked up a similar recipe AFTER doing this. Next time I will try this.

Semolina Treasure Chest

I found a paper bag full of 3 pound bags of semolina in my chest freezer. Here's a Smitten Kitten recipe for semolina dumpling soup.

Cold Day, Hot Oven

Sometimes I feel like the luckiest person in the world to be able to bake and cook at work and enjoy the aromas wafting up the stairs into my office. Today is one of those days.

“…You didn’t come onto this earth as a perfectionist or control freak. You weren’t born a person of cringe and contraction. You were born as energy, as life, made of the same stuff as stars, blossoms, breezes. You learned contraction to survive, but that was then. You have paid through the nose—paid but good. It is now your turn to reap.”
– Anne Lamott,

Read more in Salon Magazine, October 2013

Sourdough Pumpkin Bread

Since I have been baking "young" yeast breads lately I needed to use up (and refresh) my sourdough starter by making waffles, pancakes or a quick bread. I decided to bake a pumpkin bread. I just winged it with recipe proportions based on my past breads on this blog (see Bundt cakes). Of course now that it is baking I am on the Internet hunting for more information about ways to use my leftover sourdough. This is what I found:

http://www.culturesforhealth.com/sourdough-pumpkin-quick-bread-recipe
http://www.culturesforhealth.com/convert-quick-bread-recipe-sourdough

Nights at the Round Table

by Aran Seaman

When my husband Greg was a child, his family ate at a round table. The table was inherited from grandparents, and placing it in the dining room suited the shape of the room. But there was another benefit to the round table which was less apparent: because there was no “head” to the table, everyone in the family had an equal place. The ambiance was very democratic – the children shared ideas with their parents as equals, and this encouraged the spontaneous and relaxed sharing of ideas.

The neighbors across the street were a fun, vibrant Italian family. But dinnertime was a strict affair, with the father sitting at the head of the large rectangular table and the mother at the opposite end. The father held court during meals, and the kids were expected to “eat up and shut up.” Although Greg spent much of his time in their house, he never stayed for dinner. He seemed to think that the table seating arrangement, which mirrored the traditional family hierarchy, stifled open communication.

It may be a stretch to think that the shape of the table and the seating order can influence communication, but we also dine at a round table in our home, and it has been the center of countless happy times spent with family and friends.

Article

Childhood Favorite: Scalloped Potatoes

from Gimme Some Oven

This classic scalloped potatoes recipe is made lighter with milk instead of heavy cream, delicious Yukon gold potatoes, and lots of garlic and Parmesan and cheddar to make them irresistibly delicious.
Prep: 15 mins Cook: 55 mins Total: 1 hour 20 mins
Yield: 10-12 servings

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter
1 small white or yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
4 large garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups milk (I used 2% low-fat milk)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
4 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds (and peeled beforehand, if desired)
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, and saute for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add garlic and saute for an additional 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the flour until it is evenly combined and saute for an additional 1-minute. Pour in the stock, and whisk until combined. Add in the milk, salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon thyme, and whisk until combined. Continue cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes until the sauce comes to a simmer (not a boil) and thickens. Then remove from heat and set aside.
Meanwhile, grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Then spread half of the sliced potatoes in an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Top evenly with half of the cream sauce, the sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, and all of the Parmesan cheese. Top evenly with the remaining sliced potatoes, the remaining half of the cream sauce, and the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the potatoes are cooked through.
Remove and sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon thyme. Serve warm.

http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/scalloped-potatoes-recipe/

Joan Nathan's Borscht

Joan Nathan says she's always had a particular fascination with French Jews and their food.

For Nathan, author of "Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France (Knopf, 2010), the love affair with French cuisine started as a teenager when she made her first trip to France in the 1950s.
[...]

“Because I have relatives and friends who are French, I’m always curious what they’re doing for holidays,” said Nathan, who relishes visiting people's homes to see what they eat and how they celebrate.
[...]

Some 600,000 Jews are living in France, making it the third largest Jewish population in the world after Israel and the United States. French Jewish history goes back 2,000 years.

Many cultures have seasoned French Jewish cuisine. Over the centuries, Jews have come to France from Spain, Portugal, the Balkans, Eastern Europe and North Africa. Moving back to their original countries with French recipes, some Jews later returned to France, bringing back variations of dishes they had taken with them.

“Food has never been static,” Nathan said. “Even old recipes are in a constant state of flux and refinement, subject to outside influences and improvements.”
http://joannathan.com/notebook/its-not-too-early-to-start-thinking-about-shavout

FRENCH COLD BEET SOUP (BORSCHT)
(Dairy)
Russian immigrants before World War I brought Borscht recipes to France.

Ingredients:
2 pounds raw beets (about 4)
1 pound onions (2 medium sized)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup sour cream (or yogurt*)
4 tablespoons fresh dill, chervil, or mint cut into chiffonade
Preparation:
Peel the beets and onions. Cut them into chunks and toss them together in a large soup pot. Pour in about 2 quarts of water, or enough to cover the vegetables by an inch or so. Add the garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper to taste.
Bring to a boil, skimming the surface of any impurities that rise. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about an hour, or until the beets are cooked. Stir in the vinegar and let cool.
When the soup has cooled off, ladle the vegetables and some of their broth into a blender and puree to the consistency of a thick soup. Adjust the thickness and seasoning of the soup to your taste, adding more beet broth for a thinner soup.
Serve cold in soup bowls with a dollop of the sour cream and a sprinkle of one of the herbs.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Egg Drop Soup

I took a walk with Lily early this morning when the city was not yet awake. When I got home I accidentally dropped a full carton of eggs. When I examined the wreckage I discovered that four eggs were unharmed and so I rinsed off their shells and put them back in the fridge in a little bowl. I salvaged three slightly cracked eggs by immediately frying them for breakfast, and I said goodbye to the others. The fried eggs were delicious with soup. Egg drop soup?

Monk's Kitchen

The kale spoke to me when I opened the fridge. So I got out the stock pot and began rinsing, sorting and chopping. Simmering a simple kale soup at six am.

So far: garlic chopped, potatoes cubed, three heads of kale rinsed and torn into bite-sized leaves, leftover vegetable stock and extra water, leftover cubed smoked polish sausage, Adobo, olive oil, kosher salt, knob of ginger root. I might add carrots and onions.

Crushed Macaroni!

My husband bought me Marion Cunningham's book Learning to Cook with Marion Cunningham because I LOVE HER, got to meet her, and I collect her books. I am baking her 'Crushed Macaroni and Vegetables' right now and it smells fabulous. I love that she has you crush the dry elbow macaroni in a ziploc bag using a rolling pin before baking it with the vegetables in the casserole dish. I love simple delicious one pot meals and this is one of them.

In my adapted version I used eggplant sliced into 1/4 inch rounds, dried tomatoes, a can of crushed tomatoes, a cup of dry (crushed) wholegrain elbow macaroni, 1/3 cup of olive oil, 4 cloves of garlic, and salt. I baked it in a covered casserole dish. We ate it hot with Romano cheese sprinkled on top. It tasted fabulous, just like lasagna.

Jacques Pépin: My Life in the Kitchen

“Fortunately, I knew the cardinal rule of getting on with one’s fellow cooks. It applies in any kitchen and can be summed up in two short words: bust ass. Restaurant kitchens are the ultimate levelers. When you’re slammed and orders are starting to back up, you could care less about the color of the hands of the cook who is working next to you, as long as they are moving fast and effectively. Personal life, sexual preferences, accent, addictions, criminal record—none of them matter. Conversely, if he isn’t holding up his end, he could be your blood brother and you’d fire him in a second. That I had been chef at the “French White House” didn’t mean anything to these HoJo line chefs.”
― Jacques Pépin, The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen

Soup and Six Breads

Tonight as my chick peas and spinach carrot onion soup was simmering I decided to bake a loaf of bread. A few days ago I had prepared a batch of "young" dough made with Fleishmann's instant yeast and a batch of sourdough. I didn't plan on baking all the loaves tonight but they smelled so good and the oven warmed the cold kitchen so I kept on going. I baked six loaves and it cheered me up.

Hot Glop Soup

I simmered the pre-soaked chickpeas in my slow cooker while I was out swimming. When I came home I decided to add more water, a pound and a half of frozen spinach, a can of crushed tomatoes, a bulb fresh garlic cloves, and four large red onions, chopped. Then I added olive oil, Cajun spice and Adobo and a chunk of frozen leftover smoked sausage. It was delicious.

At supper I added a bunch of carrots, a can of beer, and pickle juice. Perfect.

Roasted Chickpeas

Article

Green Eggs

Take a half pound bag of frozen spinach and thaw it in your favorite skillet with a chopped onion and some olive oil. Beat two eggs and some milk in a bowl with sprinkles of Adobo seasoning and Cajun spice, and pour it over the vegetables. My ratio is 2 extra large eggs to a half pound of spinach. Cover the skillet for a few minutes to make sure the egg has cooked. It looks like a plate of grass clippings but it is so delicious.

Game Show

I just won a freezer full of Eskimo pies.
You did? What will you do with all of them?
I asked if I could swap them for a freezer full of frozen spinach.
What did they say?
We've never had a request like that.

There was Nothing in the House

There was nothing in the house except a bag of lentils so I rinsed them and put them in the pot and added water. I found carrots and celery in the fridge and four onions in the basket and a bulb of garlic. I chopped them and added them too. There was a six inch chunk of smoked sausage left over from Christmas eve in the cheese drawer so I cubed it and added it to the pot. I opened a can of crushed tomatoes and poured it in with some olive oil. I threw in a chunk of ginger root. Pretty soon the soup pot was overflowing so I got out another. Half of the soup was in the slow cooker and the other half was baking in my dutch oven. I took a long walk in the cold with Lily and watched the sun set over the pond. When I arrived back home my hands and feet were numb but the house smelled amazing. I ate a bowl of the soup and decided to add the last of the hard cider to it. It was fantastic.