Jon Frankel

Spicy Meat Patties
Read here.

Jon Frankel

Chinese Red Cooked Oxtails
Read here.

Amy Bloom

La Divina Commedia by Amy Bloom.
Read here.

Local Scramble

Our neighbors down the road gave us a few dozen eggs from their backyard chickens. Normally I am not a huge scrambled egg eater. I prefer to make fried eggs or omelets but Saturday morning I decided to scramble these and they were the best eggs I'd ever eaten. They were so tasty and bright yellow. I hope we can make backyard chickens legal here in the city, but first the city has other more pressing issues to contend with.

Sore Throat

Gargling with warm salt water really works! It took the pain away immediately.

Three Brothers

The Three Brothers Calhoun were here for the weekend to perform in our parade band and I wanted to make sure we celebrated the occasion by eating well. The first night we bought a slab of Cod from Wilfred's Seafood and broiled it and enjoyed it with home baked whole wheat oat bread and steamed broccoli. We went to Jamie Sullivan's store, Shaw's Meats on North Main Street in Woonsocket and bought 4 slabs of top round and he tenderized them for us, by hand, using a sharp knife tip, while telling us stories. He gave us his own bottled formula of marinade. We set up the meat and marinade and shook it in our Tupperware container and overnight the magic happened. We grilled the meat 4 minutes a side over hardwood charcoal, as he instructed and let it sit a moment and then sliced it into thin strips, against the grain. I made brown rice in my iron pot and a batch of kale, onions, mushrooms, and carrots, steamed then sautéed and seasoned with garlic, Adobo, olive oil, red wine, and soy sauce. It was the best meal of my life. The cold leftovers were even better. I loved the food but I loved the company and the table just as much. Conversation is always better at the table. We no longer eat meals at the kitchen counter. Eating is not just refueling, it is a time to reflect, savor and enjoy. Even the simplest of meals are elevated to a delightful ritual when eaten at the table.

Notebook

I keep a four inch chunky square spiral notebook and pen on my kitchen counter to jot down information about my eating and drinking. This is a tool to help me see the patterns or foods that might be causing my allergies and migraines. Try it. Don't judge, just write. See what the habit reveals over time.

Good News about Coffee

Here.

Adversity Soup and the Bread of Affliction

I think the great recession has made me a much better soup maker! I load the available ingredients into my slow cooker: water, cabbage, tomato puree, onions, garlic, carrots, celery, lentils, parsley, basil, olive oil, red wine, salt, black pepper, Adobo, and bay leaves. The magic happens after a day of simmering.

Sweet are the uses of adversity,
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head;
And this our life, exempt from public haunt,
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in every thing.

– William Shakespeare, As You Like It Act 2, scene 1, 12–17

Decision Fatigue

Article

What Good?

I don't think my siblings have ever had to forgo buying groceries, but what good is unlimited food when you can't stomach the family?

Cold Potato

Summer is the only time
I crave the potato
cold potatoes are perfect
in summer heat
full of water
they cool you off!

Lemon Smoothie

I just made a smoothie with orange juice banana yogurt and ice and I threw in a slice of lemon with the rind and a few plums. It was amazing to taste the hint of lemon.

One day I added a tablespoon of peanut butter to the smoothie. It was great.

I made a fantastic smoothie with low-fat buttermilk when I was out of yogurt.

It's a perfect hot day refreshment.

Urban Lobster

Urban Lobster is my new name for chicken wings, or ghetto lobster. I think I like urban lobster better.

Potato Salad

This recipe is a 34 year old favorite. It was in a little yellow cookbook that came with my first Presto pressure cooker. I still have my beloved cooker and I still make this potato salad a few times a year. It is good hot, cold, and luke-warm. Double the recipe - you'll want leftovers. This is always a hit at summer picnics too.

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon celery seed (optional)
1/4 cup vinegar (I like red wine vinegar)
1/2 cup water
1 large onion, chopped
6 large potatoes diced (red potatoes or Yukon gold are my favorites)
Add a few ribs of chopped celery and raisins if you have them handy.

Add ingredients to cooker, mix well, close cover and cook 5 minutes with pressure regulator rocking gently. Cool cooker at once. If you don't have a pressure cooker I'm sure you can bake this in a Dutch oven or cook it on the stove top in a heavy lidded pot. Save the leftover flavorful seasoned potato stock for adding to cooked beans or using as soup stock.

Heat Panic, Cold Supper

I have heat panic. I have closed the shades and windows to keep last nights cool air trapped inside. Today is going to be hot. I will be baking bread. Don't laugh, dry heat is always better than humidity. I just made pressure cooker potato salad (recipe on this blog) but today I am using my dutch oven instead of my pressure cooker. Did anyone ever tell you dull knives are more dangerous? It's true! The dull knife bounces off the potato or onion and slips, cutting ones finger. I am hard boiling eggs this morning, too. All of this is in time for a cold supper tonight. Stay cool. I might fill the kiddy-pool and sit in it with a good book.

Sufi Proverbs

Grasp the moment; you can’t power a mill with water that has already passed by.

Those that have time and search for a better time will lose time.

Abundance can be had simply by knowingly receiving what has already been given.

Knowledge without its application is like water without wetness.

Never be enslaved to principles.

We are in this world, but not of it.

Behind every adversity lies a hidden possibility.

Bringing joy to one heart with love is better than one thousand repetitive prayer recitings.

Watching someone else eating will not satisfy you hunger; the spiritual experiences of others will not satisfy your yearning.

The treasure of joy is closer to you than you are to yourself—so why should you go searching from door to door?

If you pick up a bee due to kindness, you will learn the limitations of kindness.

There would be no such a thing as counterfeit gold if there weren’t real gold somewhere.

When a pickpocket sees a saint, all he sees are his pockets.

Wise company can also make you wise.

Asking good questions is half of learning.

There is a difference between spending a night with a lover and a night with a toothache.

I searched for God, and found only myself. I searched for myself, and found only God.

A person who seeks God through logical proof is like someone who searches for the sun with a lamp.

-Sufi Proverbs

Linda's Crock Pot Chicken Wings

adapted. . .

Ingredients:

12 to 18 chicken wings
1/3 c soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 garlic cloves minced
2 green onions minced
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
thinly sliced green onion tops or sesame seeds (optional)

Preparation:

Wash the chicken wings and pat dry. With kitchen shears, cut off wing tips; cut each trimmed wing into two pieces at the joint.
Combine wings and remaining ingredients in slow cooker; cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or sliced green onion tops, if desired. Serves 4 people as an appetizer.

source

Mystery Bag

I just found a mystery bag
in my hall closet.
I have no idea where it came from!
Inside: Three sun dresses, three skirts,
and a Donegal sweater!

Summer Feast

Last night we grilled eggplant and Cook's Valley grown purple potatoes and grilled our marinated Jamie Sullivan's special pork chops. I sauteed fresh garlic in olive oil and cooked the chopped red stemmed Swiss chard with a dash of red wine and soy sauce and cut corn. COLORFUL!! I chopped the pork chops into scrabble-sized bites and sprinkled them over the Swiss chard mixture. I love vegetables and grains but occasionally I like meat as a spice!

This morning I ate leftover eggplant on toast with oil cured black olives.

Iron Skillet as Baking Stone

I am impressed with the great results of using my greased cast iron skillet a my new loaf-pan. It's better than using a baking stone. The bread stays moist all week. I make a wet dough to begin with but the skillet helps retain the moisture.

Steve Raichlen

I caught this on TV last night and I am ready to make it.
source

Singapore Beef Sates

Method: Direct Grilling
Serves: 6 as an appetizer; 4 as a light main course.
Advance
Preparation: At least 3 hours for marinating the beef. As long as overnight. The longer, the better.
Category: Meat
Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds rib-eye steaks, cut 1/2 inch thick

For the marinade:

3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce or soy sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Other Items Needed:
8-inch bamboo skewers; grill shield or aluminum foil (a 12 by 18 inch sheet folded in thirds like a business letter with shiny side out)

Directions:
Cut each steak, including the fat, into 1 inch strips (each 1/4 inch thick) and place in a nonreactive mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar, coriander, turmeric, cumin, pepper, fish sauce, and vegetable oil. Marinate the beef, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and as long as overnight.

Thread the beef strips onto bamboo skewers leaving the bottom half of each skewer exposed as a handle and the top 1/4-inch of the skewer exposed as a point. The recipe can be prepared several hours ahead to this stage.

Set up your grill for direct grilling and preheat to high. Brush and oil the grill grate.

Arrange the sates on the grate, sliding the grill shield or folded foil under the exposed part of the skewers to keep them from burning. Grill until cooked to taste, about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side for medium rare, a little longer for medium. (In general, Southeast Asians eat their sates medium to medium-well.) Serve with Singapore Cucumber Relish and Singapore Peanut Sauce if desired.
Note: the traditional way to eat sate is to skewer a piece of cucumber on the pointed end of the skewer, then dip the sate in the peanut sauce.

Singapore Cucumber Relish
Category: N/A
Ingredients:
2 kirby (small) cucumbers or 1 medium cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
1 small shallot or green onion, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 small hot red chile (like a bird or cayenne pepper), seeded and minced
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Cut the cucumbers into 1/4-inch dice. Place the cucumbers, shallot, chile, vinegar, and sugar in a mixing bowl and gently toss to mix. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Singapore Peanut Sauce
Serves: Makes 2 cups
Category: Sauces

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 cloves garlic, 2 cloves minced and 3 cloves thinly sliced crosswise
1 shallot, minced
1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and minced (or 2 strips lemon zest)
1 to 3 small hot chiles, seeded and minced (for hotter peanut sauce, leave the seeds in)
1 tablespoon dried shrimp, minced, or 1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk or light cream, or as needed
2 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice (or to taste)
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Heat the oil in a wok or saucepan over medium high heat. Add the 2 cloves minced garlic, shallot, lemongrass, chiles, and dried shrimp (if using). Fry until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 minutes.

Stir in the peanut butter, coconut milk, sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce (if using in place of dried shrimp), lime juice, and 3/4 cup water. Reduce heat and gently simmer the sauce until thick but pourable and richly flavored, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the cilantro the last 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a small frying pan. Add the sliced garlic and fry over medium heat until just beginning to brown. Do not burn or the garlic will become bitter. Drain the garlic through a strainer over a heatproof bowl.

Just before serving, stir the fried garlic slices into the sauce. Sauce should be thick but not pasty: add a tablespoon or so of water as needed. Correct the seasoning, adding sugar, salt, and/or pepper to taste.

Holiday Weekend

This morning we enjoyed a long walk with Lily to the pond with our color wheel umbrella. We just went to Cooks Valley Farm and got freshly picked Swiss chard, asparagus, arugula and finger potatoes, from Marilyn. I had to cook the chard and asparagus immediately. They were delicious. Then we went to see our friend Jaime Sullivan and got some gorgeous-looking center cut pork chops and a dozen chicken wings. I made two marinades that are flavoring the meat as I write this. I am incubating a sourdough whole wheat oat cornmeal bread. The neighborhood is quiet cool, gray and drizzly. I love it. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Harvard Health Tips

Here.

Gotta Laugh

our trash+recycling bins were taken away today
since we owe the city money
over 300 dollars
we are charged as three apartments
gotta laugh
we'll never make it.
meanwhile
our house falls down around us
and the earth is calling
people want to visit me
to see how an artist lives.
are you sure, I ask