Lazy Cold Suppers

We had cucumber sandwiches with grated carrots spinach red onions and mushrooms tucked into whole wheat pockets lined with mustard and mayo. We ate oil cured olives. Life is good.

Grad School Widows Anonymous

Blog

Lemonade Tea

We like Black Tetley tea brewed with peach tea, then cooled and diluted with fruit juice: pear juice, or lemonade as our summer cocktail.

Straw Hat, Flip-Flops, Vest, and Black Khaki's

My summer wardrobe is so simple: Straw Hat, Flip-Flops, Vest and Black Khaki's

Cabbage, Pickles and Beets

I could live on vinegar! I love acidity and seem to crave it. A friend gave me a pickle making kit. It's time to try it.

Pita Bread Made two Ways

I love pocket bread sandwiches, especially whole wheat. Read

Cucumber Red Onion Sandwich

I made a cucumber red onion sandwich with Cholula hot sauce, mayo and mustard in a whole wheat pocket bread. Delicious.

Marissa Bagget

Marisa Baggett’s passion for food led her to an early career in culinary arts. At the age of 22, she opened The Chocolate Giraffe, a restaurant and catering company in her hometown of Starkville, MS that specialized in Southern fare with a global twist as well as provided desserts for special occasions. One year later, Baggett expanded with The Chocolate Giraffe Coffeehouse. But it was the special request of a dinner party client that Baggett’s passion for food would truly be expanded. Due to a lack of nearby sushi bars, Baggett was asked to host a sushi dinner. She accepted the challenge and soon became fascinated by the art. Her fascination prompted her to add sushi to her regular menu at the restaurant and it became a quick hit.

Baggett soon realized that she wanted to pursue becoming a sushi chef. Though it was a difficult decision, she chose to close The Chocolate Giraffe and The Chocolate Giraffe Coffeehouse to leave Starkville in pursuit of her dream. Before heading off to California, Baggett made a culinary pit stop in Memphis, TN and worked as a pastry cook at Tsunami Restaurant. Surrounded by the fresh abundance of seafood and the Asian-inspired cuisine of Chef Ben Smith, her dream of becoming a sushi chef intensified. She left her position at Tsunami and enrolled in the professional sushi chef program at the California Sushi Academy.

At the California Sushi Academy, Baggett studied the delicate arts of sashimi, nigiri-zushi, makimono, and kaiseki under the critical eyes of restaurateur, sushi master and sake sommelier Toshi Sugiura as well as respected sushi master Nobuo Kishimoto. In addition to classroom time, Baggett assisted with recreational sushi classes, helped cater sushi for high profile Los Angeles events and spent time observing as well as assisting head sushi chefs in Venice Beach and Hermosa Beach. Upon completing her training, Baggett became the first African American female graduate of the school.

Baggett returned to the South and shared her knowledge of sushi with Memphians as the sushi chef of Do Sushi Bar and Lounge. During her time there, Baggett gained local, national and international recognition for her Southern twist on sushi. After three years, Baggett decided to leave Do Sushi and focus on sharing the art of sushi as a traveling itamae, teaching sushi classes at various gourmet food markets and private homes, creating “tsushi” for Tsunami Restaurant in Memphis, TN.

Currently, Baggett is a freelance writer, sushi consultant, sushi event chef, and an advocate for sustainable seafood use for sushi. Her first book, Sushi Secrets: Easy Recipes for the Home Cook, can be purchased from on-line booksellers or in bookstores.

recipes

Vinegar, Pickles and Ice Cream

I love vinegar and I go through a quart of it in a month. I recently discovered that canned tuna with vinegar and green olives is more delicious as a meal than with mayo.Article This article suggests trying vanilla ice cream with balsamic vinegar on top! Hilarious. Pickles and ice cream? I'll have to ask my niece Paula...she's going to have a baby girl in September. Strawberries and balsamic vinegar are excellent.

Fashion Du Jour

Yesterday on my downtown stroll with Lily, I saw my neighbor from the pea green soup colored 'happy house' wearing Grinch pajama lounge pants He was walking towards me having been sent on a mission. He was carrying a tray of iced and hot coffees from the local DD franchise back to his extended family. "It's going to be 70's all week" he said. "Great" I said feeling a little worried that anything over 60 degrees is too hot.
I worry about my hair if it is not combed but in my neighborhood pajamas and slippers are the fashion du jour.

Swimming, Tea and Dogs

The more I swim the more I want to swim and think about swimming when i am not swimming. I feellike a ballerina in the water. I am a dolphin giggling and flipping over in the sun patches. I wore a foam belt yesterday one I bought for my husband but he doesn't use it. I strapped it on and swam laps. I didn't realize it but it worked my arms. They ached like mad when I was ready to go to bed. I hope to get ZOOMERS for Christmas because they are fun. They are hard rubber flippers that make you go fast and work your thigh and calf muscles. Now that the weather is warmer I walk over to the pool in flip flops and I don't mind coming home soaking wet. Our house is finally a reasonable temperature. Some winter I hope to afford heat, at least for one winter before I die. Time is running out!

I find that I crave hot tea when I am regularly swimming. I like it with golden blossom honey and a splash of milk. I like this beverage better than anything in the world. Except dogs I like dogs more than tea.

Laszlo Jakab Orsos

DRIFTING I try to teach all my loved ones to be able to do nothing. In a competitive city like New York, it’s one of the most important skills to develop — to be able to do nothing and don’t feel guilty. So one of my happiest times is to bike to Red Hook behind Ikea to this beautiful park and just sit there and of course grab a book. But just reading a page, eating an apple, just hang out. Just drift. That’s really important. And the more you let yourself sink into nothingness, into the void, the more you can bring back.

HUNGARIAN HOST A big, important chunk of my life is back home in Hungary, and Sunday afternoons find me on Skype very often, talking to my friends and family. All these relationships are very alive. From spring on, friends are coming from Europe, so I’m a host. It’s already started. As soon as the weather turns better around late March or April, you start getting emails: “Hey, we’re in town, can we meet?” I kind of like it.

Article

Pollen is Everywhere

I am feeling pollen on my skin and everywhere. I love to spend hours outdoors each day (all year round) so I need to wash off the pollen! Grandma was right, fresh air is important. I sleep with the windows open too. I rather have shade than air conditioning any day. Enjoy fresh air.

Laotian Food is Amazing

Ever since we attended the Laotian new years feast in Woonsocket at the Elks Hall I have been wanting to learn more about this amazing food. My Laotian neighbors have already planted their garden. I would join their church to learn to cook. They have welcomed me with open arms. I like to be the minority. It is a privilege to have this experience.

Lao recipes and Lao food
Sticky rice, fresh vegetables, mountains of fresh herbs, fish and meat, fish sauce, chilli, spices, fruit and more sticky rice... one of the wonderful features of the Lao diet is the almost complete absence of processed foods. Ironically, it’s the poor economic status of this small, landlocked South-East Asian country that has kept its cuisine fresh, vibrant and healthy for hundreds of years. Lao's culinary offering includes universal hits, like steamed fish in banana leaf and pork laap salad, alongside options for the adventurous eater, such as duck's blood salad.

Grated Carrot, Kohlrabi and Radish Salad

Grated Carrot, Kohlrabi and Radish Salad (for 6)
from NYT Martha Rose Shulman

This recipe is based on the Vietnamese carrot and daikon salad that found in so many restaurants. (It also is used to fill vegetarian spring rolls.) My version is less sweet than the authentic salad and employs a mix of vegetables.
Ingredients

1 ½ pounds mixed carrots, kohlrabi, black radish and daikon, peeled and grated on the large holes of a grater or cut in thin julienne (any combination; 4 cups total)
Kosher salt to taste about 1/2 teaspoon
1 ½ cups water
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons slivered mint leaves or chopped cilantro optional

Preparation

Combine the grated or julienne vegetables in a large bowl, and toss with about 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place in a strainer or colander set over a bowl or in the sink. Let stand for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the water, sugar and vinegar in a saucepan, bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Pour into the bowl in which you combined the vegetables, and allow to cool to room temperature.
Briefly rinse the vegetables, and squeeze dry. Add to the bowl with the vinegar mixture, and stir together. Refrigerate for one hour or longer. To serve, lift from the vinegar bath with a slotted spoon and arrange on a platter. Garnish with the mint or cilantro, and serve.

Advance preparation: You can keep this in the refrigerator, the vegetables marinating in the vinegar mixture, for several days.

Bumpy Bread

It all started with crunchy peanut butter. I realized I like bumpy, crunchy textured food. Then with my weekly bread baking I started adding wheat berries, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds, millet, poppy seeds, steel cut oats, rice, rye, un-hulled barley and you name it. I'm still making bumpy sourdough bread.

Salad in Pocket Bread

Last night I went to the pool to swim one lap and came home 90 minutes later all happy having swam a mile. I really am a fish. There was nothing to eat and I was hungry. I made a huge batch of popcorn and we sat outside in the sun munching. Later I defrosted beans and kale and couldn't face eating it. My husband said let's go to Price Rite. I am glad we did. They had 10 pound bag of red potatoes, cauliflower, gigantic carrots, red onions, spinach and a bunch of other delights. I had money from the gig last Saturday. I bought whole wheat pocket bread and we made vegetable pouches using grated carrot, peeled and sliced cukes, sliced red onions, and spinach and mustard/mayo. They were fantastic.

Another Outdoor Table

Claudette is moving soon. She gave us a bunch of outdoor furniture, a round glass table and 4 matching chairs and two other matching chairs, an umbrella stand for an outdoor umbrella and a Weber grill. I am so excited. I walked Lily and picked up two bags of trash. It has become a daily downtown ritual. The kids on my street got into it too. I have a bunch of cholula caps I have saved for decades for making a game of checkers. The bocce balls are out and the bocce courts are all set for the season. We pumped up the basketball too. I might have to cook supper outdoors tonight. After I swim. I wanted to go to the Salvation Army and see if they have sandals my size but time is running out. I want to plant basil in flower pots and tomato plants.

The kids in building three are playing basketball. The bouncing ball signals the sounds of spring. I have seven old computer monitors to cart off to the recycling place.

I have spring fever!

Alternative Parmesan Cheese

How To Make Non Dairy Parmesan Cheese

Easy, 4 ingredient veg parmesan cheese that's perfect on top of pastas, pizza and anywhere you'd usually use parmesan cheese!
Author: Minimalist Baker

Serves: ~1 cup
Ingredients

3/4 cup raw cashews
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a food processor and mix/pulse until a fine meal is achieved. Store in the refrigerator to keep fresh. Lasts for several weeks.
I love veg parmesan on top of chilaquiles, vegan pizza, breadsticks, pastas and gratins. It's also a great addition to veg meatballs and can be converted into mexican cheese 3 ways!

Basic Cooking and Baking

I might begin teaching cooking and baking in my kitchen, now that the neighborhood drug dealing and chop shop has been cleaned up.

Shoot Hoops

I love to shoot hoops. Now that the neighborhood has been cleaned up I hope to play ball.

The Daily Violence of Poverty

NYT
The Opinion Pages | Op-Ed Contributor
Black Culture Is Not the Problem

By N. D. B. CONNOLLY MAY 1, 2015


BALTIMORE — IN the wake of the Michael Brown shooting and subsequent unrest in Ferguson, Mo., commentators noted the absence of black representatives among Ferguson’s elected officials and its police leadership. A Department of Justice report highlighted how Ferguson’s mostly white City Council and its courts spurred on explicitly racist policing, in part to harvest fines from black residents.

Then came Baltimore. The death of Freddie Gray, like those of Eric Garner, John Crawford III, Rekia Boyd and so many other unarmed African-Americans, at first seemed to fit the all-too-familiar template — white cops, black suspect, black corpse.

But unlike New York, Chicago and other cities with white leaders, Baltimore has a black mayor, a black police commissioner and a majority-black City Council. Yet the city still has one of the most stained records of police brutality in recent years.

In the absence of a perceptible “white power structure,” the discussion around Baltimore has quickly turned to one about the failings of black culture. This confuses even those who sympathize with black hardship. When people took to the streets and destroyed property, most observers did not see an understandable social response to apparent state inaction. They saw, in the words of Baltimore’s mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, “thugs,” or in the words of President Obama, “criminals and thugs.”

To be fair, the mayor later expressed regret, and both she and the president have tried to show empathy for the dispossessed. But they are also fighting myths about degenerate black culture. Condemning “criminals” and “thugs” seems to get them away from beliefs about broad black inferiority.

Yet when black people of influence make these arguments, it prevents us from questioning Baltimore the way we questioned Ferguson.

Instead, we lionize people like Toya Graham, the Baltimore mother who went upside the head of her rioting son. Baltimore’s police commissioner, Anthony W. Batts, applauded her, pleading with parents to “take control of your kids.” But the footage certainly affirms violence as the best way to get wayward black people under control.

Moreover, by treating a moment of black-on-black violence as a bright spot, we take our eye off the circumstances that created the event. We forget, for instance, about how officials, in their fear of black youth, issued what witnesses said was a pre-emptive riot-police blockade hemming in students around Mondawmin Mall, where looting erupted.

The problem is not black culture. It is policy and politics, the very things that bind together the history of Ferguson and Baltimore and, for that matter, the rest of America.

Specifically, the problem rests on the continued profitability of racism. Freddie Gray’s exposure to lead paint as a child, his suspected participation in the drug trade, and the relative confinement of black unrest to black communities during this week’s riot are all features of a city and a country that still segregate people along racial lines, to the financial enrichment of landlords, corner store merchants and other vendors selling second-rate goods.

The problem originates in a political culture that has long bound black bodies to questions of property. Yes, I’m referring to slavery.

Slavery was not so much a labor system as it was a property regime, with slaves serving not just as workers, but as commodities. Back in the day, people routinely borrowed against other human beings. They took out mortgages on them. As a commodity, the slave had a value that the state was bound to protect.

Now housing and commercial real estate have come to occupy the heart of America’s property regime, replacing slavery. And damage to real estate, far more than damage to ostensibly free black people, tends to evoke swift responses from the state. What we do not prosecute nearly well enough, however, is the daily assault on black people’s lives through the slow, willful destruction of real estate within black communities. The conditions in West Baltimore today are the direct consequence of speculative real estate practices that have long targeted people with few to no options.

On the heels of any ghetto economy based on extraction comes the excessive policing necessary to keep everyone in place. Cities that are starved for income have found ways to raise revenues by way of fines and fees exacted from poor, underemployed African-Americans and migrants of color. These include property taxes and court costs. In Maryland, in particular, these come in lieu of property taxes that many of the state’s largest employers are not required to pay. The dangers of tax burdens and other unseen costs are as deadly to urban households as police brutality or fires set by “thugs.”

In “The Wire,” Lester Freamon understood that following the money took our eyes off the street and up the chain of real political power. We have a right to expect that our administrators will use the bully pulpit to speak about the policies, systems and structures over which they preside.

By avoiding the language of individual failings and degenerate culture, political leaders, black and otherwise, can help us all see the daily violence of poverty. More, they can better use the power they have to do something about it. By calling a nationwide “state of emergency” on the problem of residential segregation, by devising a fairer tax structure, by investing in public space, community policing, tenants’ rights and a government jobs program, our leaders can find a way forward.

Grind your Own Grits!

Article

Apple Muffins from Isabelle Boucher

Multigrain Apple Muffins
Author: Isabelle Boucher (http://www.crumbblog.com)
Recipe type: Breakfast
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 12

Chewy, nutty and just slightly sweet, these good-for-you muffins are a great way to start off your day. Try switching up the apple with your favourite muffin mix-in - dates, raisins, frozen berries or fresh pears... no matter what you choose, they'll be delicious!
Ingredients

1¼ cup milk
1 cup multigrain hot cereal (ie. Red River or Bob's Red Mill)
1 egg
¼ cup honey
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 tbsp flax meal
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
1 cup diced unpeeled apples

Instructions

In a small saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until small wisps of steam begin to appear. Remove from heat. Stir in the cereal, and let stand for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400F and generous butter the cups of a 12-cup muffin tin.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg, honey, oil, applesauce and vanilla until smooth.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, flax meal, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add to the wet ingredients, along with the softened cereal, and stir until the mixture just barely comes together (it's okay if there are a few floury streaks here and there - the key is to avoid overmixing).
Fold the chopped apples into the batter, then spoon into the prepared muffin tin, distributing the batter evenly between the cups.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with a moist crumb.


Read more: http://www.crumbblog.com/2012/01/part-of-a-complete-breakfast-multigrain-apple-muffins.html#ixzz3Yt8lbLUX

Multigrain Sourdough

My pal Doreen buys Bob's Red Mill 10 grain hot cereal at job lot and adds it to her bread dough. The blend is wheat, corn, rye, triticale, oats, soy beans, millet, barley, brown rice, oat bran and flaxseed.