Clouds for Supper

“If the sky falls they shall have clouds for supper.”
― Charles Simic, The World Doesn't End: Prose Poems

Charles Simic

“When people ask me how to find happiness in life I tell them, First learn how to cook.”

― Charles Simic

Eggplant Rollatini

RECIPE BY MyRecipes

Savory Eggplant Rollatini is an easy and unexpected party appetizer. Cut each roll-up in half and serve with toothpicks for a pop-in-your-mouth bite.
Ingredients

4 medium eggplants Salt and pepper 1/4 cup olive oil 1 10-oz. box frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry 3 cups part-skim ricotta 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 large eggs, beaten 1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella 3/4 cup grated Parmesan 1 24-oz. jar marinara sauce

Step 1
Slice ends off eggplants. Cut eggplants lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, discarding peel-covered ends. You should get roughly 16 slices total. Lay slices on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle both sides liberally with salt. Let stand for 15 minutes, then rinse salt off under cold running water and pat slices dry.

Step 2
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Brush both sides of eggplant slices with olive oil and place in single layers on 2 baking sheets. Roast for 15 minutes, until tender, turning eggplant slices over halfway through. Let cool on sheets on wire racks until cool enough to handle.

Step 3
In a large bowl, combine spinach, ricotta, garlic, eggs, 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Season with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Mist a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup of sauce over bottom of dish. Divide ricotta mixture among eggplant slices, using about 1/3 cup for each, spreading it down the center. Roll up slices and place seam-side down in baking dish. Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.

Step 4
Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until browned and bubbling, about 15 minutes longer. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

What's in the Fridge?

I just made a pot of basmati brown rice and then while that was cooking I made stuffed mushrooms: I chopped garlic, mushroom stems, celery, apples, red onion, and leftover polish smoked sausage into the skillet. I sprinkled olive oil and adobo and poured it over the (facing up) mushroom caps. I sprinkled sharp cheddar cheese on top and baked it in 400 degree oven.

Preserved Lemons

Here

Spinach and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

Here

Cranberry Curd Tart

Here!

Pumpkin Pie and Pressed in Crust

I am always adapting and tinkering with my favorite recipes. Here's the latest version of an old favorite. You can really taste the pumpkin because it is not overly sweet. We like to eat it for dinner.

Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients and instructions for 1 pie (9-10 inch) or 3 mini pies (6 inch)

Pie crust:

1 cup of whole wheat flour
1/4 cup corn oil
6 Tbs white or brown sugar (the sugar is the glue holding the crust together)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt (less if using regular salt or white flour)

Mix ingredients with fingers so it is pebbly. Press into pie pan with fingers. Prick dough on the pan bottom with a fork. It can be sticky and hard to handle but hang in there, it will be delicious.

Bake at 350° F for 5-10 minutes. Then let it cool.

Tip from Once Upon a Chef Jenn Segal: Press the crust into the bottom of the pan with the back of a measuring cup.  This will make sure the crust is in the pan nice and firm, so that it won't fall apart when you cut this for serving.

Pie filling:

1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/8 cup of dark molasses
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (half if using regular salt)
1 teaspoon ground ginger (I used freshly finely grated frozen ginger root)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1 small can of pumpkin puree (15 oz.)
1 can of evaporated milk (12 fl. oz.)

Mix sugar, dark molasses, cinnamon, salt, ginger, vanilla, and eggs in large bowl. Whisk in pumpkin puree and evaporated milk. 

Pour into the pre-baked, cooled pie shells.

Bake pie in preheated 425° F oven for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 more minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Some bakers use sweetened condensed milk so I tried it but I discovered that it is cloyingly sweet and drowns out the pumpkin taste compared to a pie made with evaporated milk and 1/4 cup sugar. The evaporated milk pumpkin pie is much more like Indian Pudding and tastes like a food!

Jean's Stuffed Mushrooms

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms II

Preheat the broiler.
Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain and transfer to a medium bowl.
Blend cream cheese with the sausage. Stuff mushroom caps with the cream cheese and sausage mixture.
Arrange stuffed mushroom caps on a medium baking sheet. Broil in the preheated oven 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned.

1/2 pound ground pork sausage

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (8 ounce) package fresh mushrooms, stems removed

an allrecipes recipe reader writes: 1 lb Ground Hot Italian Sausage and mixed with the 8oz Cream Cheese...the consistency was perfect. I also chopped some stems and added to the sausage mixture then sprinkled Parmesan cheese on top and baked at 400 for about 10 minutes.

Classic Chocolate Egg Cream

Yield
Makes 1 drink

Ingredients

1/2 cup whole milk
Seltzer
4 tablespoons Chocolate Syrup

Preparation

Pour the milk into a very cold 12-ounce glass. Slowly pour in the seltzer, then gently add the syrup. Using a long spoon, stir well and serve.
source

Holiday Harvest Bread

from King Arthur

No-Knead Harvest Bread

Plan ahead for this easy bread—an overnight or all-day rise gives it terrific flavor. For the best crust, bake in a ceramic bread crock, or a covered clay baker.

Yield
1 loaf

Ingredients


3 1/4 cups High-Gluten Flour or King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup King Arthur Premium 100% Whole Wheat Flour or King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1 3/4 cups cool water
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

Instructions

Mix the flours, salt, yeast, and water in a large bowl. Stir, then use your hands to mix and form a sticky dough.
Work the dough just enough to incorporate all the flour, then work in the fruit and nuts.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature overnight, or for at least 8 hours; it'll become bubbly and rise quite a bit, so use a large bowl.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and form it into a log or round loaf to fit your 14" to 15" long lidded stoneware baker; 9" x 12" oval deep casserole dish with cover; or 9" to 10" round lidded baking crock.
Place the dough in the lightly greased pan, smooth side up.
Cover and let rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, until it's become puffy. It should rise noticeably, but it's not a real high-riser.
Using a sharp knife or lame, slash the bread in a crosshatch pattern. Place the lid on the pan, and put the bread in the cold oven. Set the oven temperature to 450°F.
Bake the bread for 45 to 50 minutes, then remove the lid and continue to bake for another 5 to 15 minutes, until it's deep brown in color, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers about 205°F. Remove the bread from the oven, turn out onto a rack, and cool before slicing.

Home

Its raining. I am sipping tea after my big swim. The bread dough is rising. The animals are with me. This is the definition of home.

Loaves of Love

I just set up multigrain sourdough in 8 loaf pans to rise for their final rise before baking. My latest mixture is coarse grind whole wheat flour, bread flour, pinhead oats, coarse cornmeal, and rye flour with sourdough starter, Fleishmann's instant yeast and kosher salt. I prep using a lot of water so the batter is the consistency of oatmeal. I let it rise in buckets then I punch it down and refrigerate the dough, it rises again and then I shape it placing the dough in greased loaf pans. It rises for a final time in the pans and I bake it at 450.

Colorful Supper

In the fridge I had good leftovers; homemade brown basmati rice, homemade chick peas and black beans. I also had farm fresh peppers.

I sauteed fresh garlic in olive oil in my 12 inch pan. I added chopped collard greens, red peppers, a big chopped red onion. I added the precooked (leftover) brown basmati rice and some hot (rooster) sauce and soy sauce and Adobo. Then I added the leftover chick peas and their liquid and some leftover black beans. It was colorful and delicious. It was like a vegetarian paella.

Plant Based Foods

for health

Toast Topped with Yogurt

My new favorite meal is my home baked multigrain sourdough bread toasted with plain Greek yogurt spread on top. I sprinkle kosher salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper.

Home Sweet Home

One of my favorite things to do in the cool weather is to bake a soup. I just took out my largest ovenproof pot and filled it with lentils, chopped celery, carrots, potato, onions, garlic, ginger, olive oil, and 2 chicken bullion cubes and water. I placed it covered in the oven and am baking it at 350 F for a few hours. The aroma is home sweet home, delicious beyond belief.

I just checked on the soup after 2 hours of baking. I added more water, tasted it and decided to add the last of my fresh basil, frozen corn, red chili flakes, black pepper, kosher salt, and Adobo. It's delicious and now it's more like a vegetable stew than a soup.

Alice in Wonderland

I am like Alice in Wonderland when it comes to my body. My perception is always changing.

Makes a Difference

"Any healthy choice you make, no matter how small, makes a difference. The more healthy habits you add, the more steps you take toward better health."— Donald D. Hensrud, M.D., M.P.H.
Stock your pantry.

Vitamin D and the Brain

Boston Globe Article

Eat a Healthy Breakfast

Boston Globe Article

Swimming and Cooking

When I am not swimming laps to save my life I am often found in the kitchen cooking and baking. This is part of my seasonal cycle of mood swings. I am either swimming to lift my mood or cooking to celebrate it. Of course there are lots of other saving and celebrating activities in my life. I have noticed when I am not swimming regularly I am home in the kitchen cooking.

I also seem to think that because I swim and walk my dog for miles I will not gain weight but this is a myth and has been proven wrong countless times. I never seem to get it until I can't close my jeans. Still in denial I tell myself "They must've shrunk in the wash, from now on I'll only use cold water!"

Before I was swimming regularly I used to completely lose my appetite so on top of being low I was not eating anything. Then I wasn't able to sleep! That was awful. So swimming not only lifts my mood it gives me appetite. I just have to be realistic about my tendency toward exuberant portions and second and third helpings. I am lucky that I don't like sugary or deep fried foods but the foods I love I eat with abandon. Even healthy food can add up and on most days my fridge is only a staircase away.

Lapses and Plateaus

Article

Dealing with lapses

A lapse occurs when you revert to your old behaviors temporarily. If several lapses have occurred in a short time, it's tempting to think your weight-loss plan is too challenging. Not to worry; a lapse is just a short-term bump in the road. Following these tips will help you regain ground:

Don't let negative thoughts take over. Mistakes happen, and each day is a chance to start anew.
Take another small step. Changing your life doesn't happen all at once. Keep in mind that changing behaviors in small ways can add up to a big difference in your life.
Ask for and accept support. Accepting support from other people isn't a sign of weakness, nor does it mean that you're failing. Get support from others when you have difficult days.
Plan your strategy. Clearly identify the problem, and then create a list of possible solutions. If one solution doesn't work, try another until you find one that does.
Work out your frustration with exercise. Keep it upbeat and even fun — don't use physical activity as a punishment.
Recommit to your goals.
Review them to make sure they're still realistic.

Although lapses can be disappointing, they can also teach you a lot. Perhaps your goals are unrealistic or certain strategies don't work. Most importantly, realize that all hope isn't lost when you lapse. Just recharge your motivation, recommit to your program and return to healthy behaviors.

Brown Rice with Stir Fry Cabbage + Beef

Over the weekend I made a pot of brown rice in my electric pressure cooker. I rinsed the rice and measured the water using my trick (water up to below the knuckles). I set it for 19 minutes and cooked it with a bloop of olive oil and dash of Adobo. I sauteed fresh garlic in olive oil and added chopped fresh cabbage from the BIG APPLE farm and sliced carrots. Then I pushed the vegetables aside and sauteed a pound of stir fry beef from Jamie Sullivan at SHAW'S MEATS. I added sriracha sauce and soy sauce. It was fabulous. I love the sweetness of cabbage.

Portions and Hockey Pucks

Article