Paris. Oh My.

Hey guys!

I'm in Paris... but I'm sure the three people that read this already know :) Just saying I'll hopefully be updating soon! So here's a window shot to start things off (I'm currently using my ledge as a refrigerator).

What I like best

I think I've described before how I thrive on the small interactions that surface gently during each day... and how working at a market guarantees a large number of these interactions, whether they end up being good or bad. Yet, I don't think I've described another aspect that I like about these dealings with the public- I love hearing people's plans.

It starts quite simply. A person asks for a pound of pasta and a quarter pound of pancetta, and then puts the two items in a bag brimming with chard, leeks, cans of tomatoes, and the other ingredients that we base our lives upon. The person mentions: "I'm thinking of making this pasta dish I saw in a magazine the other day..." and we proceed to exchange ideas in the well-lit shop, surrounded by the hustle and bustle yet caught in a flurry of ideas that build upon each other like rungs in a ladder towards the dreamy culinary sky.

I like sitting next to someone in class who's deciding between studying in Russia and Portugal. I like talking to someone about writing a thesis, and how he or she might carry out the necessary fieldwork to sculpt ideas into a concrete reality. I like the way these words bounce off of our minds each day, assuming different states until the final product is established. As alarming as it is sometimes, I'm beginning to see the beauty in not having secure future plans. Our conversations are so much more interesting that way.

I have some pretty grandiose plans that are becoming an ever clearer reality. Thanks for all the support to my friends and family along the way towards this decision. I keep thinking I'm so selfish to carry it out, but I'm realizing more and more that we each earn our ways. I'm just going to post a picture of a nice breakfast for now, as I have very few days off from work to really enjoy the non-industrial kitchen, but I'll be back soon.

Cake, please.

A couple of weeks after I turned 18 I began fitting my life into little cardboard boxes.

Tucked away in the spaces between those cardboard constructs have been piles of clothing, stacks of books, neatly folded posters, boxes of tea, and other knick-knacks that somehow I've subconsciously labeled as "essential for life".... and with those boxes and the various objects that resided within I have joined in the seemingly necessary crusades that one must take across the country, world, and, more recently, a home state, to college, where I unpacked them, settled temporarily, re-packed them, and left again. Onto a new march.

I can't tell you how many times I've done this and how many times my friends have done this. I can't tell you how bizarre of a process it is....how, at the end of the day, I can't settle, I won't settle, and I somehow know that I shouldn't settle... not for the next few years at least. I can't wrench that idea from my mind... no matter how appealing it may be to do so.

But there's also that shocking and lingering realization. The realization that we can define our lives in stages- by the moments that we spend between the ever-looming and oh-so ritualistic unpacking and re-packing of those cardboard boxes.... and the fact that we can derive so much comfort in the steps we've taken in the frigid air towards our front doors, with the turning of that brass doorknob, the opening of that creaky wooden door, the first heavy step we take into our apartments, and the bombardment of our senses with the familiar smells of a temporary home.

How enchanting, the blend of the permanent and temporary.

I'm about to pack again. Can you tell? First, I somehow have to get through four finals.... but until then I've discovered a slightly healthy (mostly, just "not unhealthy") cake to help. It requires very few ingredients, nothing exotic. Oh. and it tastes really good too.

Vegan Chocolate Cake
adapted from Cucina Nicolina

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup wheat bran)
3/4 cup sugar (I think you could get away with 2/3rds)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder (or 1 tsp soda and 1 tsp vinegar)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Mix dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Add wet ingredients. Stir until mixture is incorporated. Pour in a pan and bake for 45 minutes (or until it passes the clean toothpick test).

Enjoy. I ate mine with almond butter. mmm.

Hello, December?

Woah! What grandiose plans I had for November.... I wanted to fill your kitchens with wholesome, autumnal goodness... and instead I believe I left you with preserved lemons, first grade cookies, and roasted squash. Oops.

And now, friends, I'll take it one step lower. I'll present you with an empty bowl.


But I hope you get the implication. What I'm about to share with you is good. and fast. and inexpensive. Three qualities I like in the kitchen.

I've had chard on the brain ever since I had some braised chard that my amazing friend Liz made. We got together for a simple dinner, and being the naturally skilled cook that she is, Liz sauteed some garlic in a pan, added the chard, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, and golden chicken broth. The result was so delicious.

I've stripped things down even more. You should try this. And if you feel like it you can send me a picture of the empty bowl. I deserve it :)

Sauteed Chard. No really!
adapted from cave-people

1 bunch of chard
1-2 tbs olive oil
red pepper flakes (to taste)
salt, pepper (ditto)
a splash of lemon juice or good vinegar

Wash the chard and cut or tear into 2-3 inch wide ribbons (don't dry the chard). Heat the olive oil in a pan so it's just coating the bottom. Add the chard, salt, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Cook for a few minutes until the chard is barely wilted. Add the lemon juice or vinegar at the end.

I'd serve this with a poached egg and a piece of toast.... or my new favorite thing to do is have a generous piece of brie with some bread on the side.

Enjoy!

How to be a Frugal Gourmet

Step 1: Survey the contents of your pantry, noting that you only have almonds, green tea, and Spanish olive oil
Step 2: Peruse an incredible food blog in search of an esoteric, yet easily affordable recipe to use.

Step 3: Conduct an ingredients survey: salt...check, mason jar (or if you're extremely frugal, a tupperware container with an airtight lid)...check, various spices hiding in the cabinet...check, and lemons...?

Step 4: Conduct a search for free meyer's lemons
And take a few with you.

Step 5: Wash and scrub the lemons, cut off the end where the stem is and make a one-inch deep X-shaped incision at each end (but be careful not to quarter the lemon by accident). Stuff the incisions with salt (David Lebovitz says about 1 tbs. per lemon) and crush together inside the jar or container.

Step 6: Drop a few extra spices in the jar (a cinnamon stick, bay leaf, some cloves) and seal. Put in a corner.

Step 7: The next day, crush the lemons with the back of a spoon again, making sure that they're submerged in liquid. Seal the lid again and store away, repeating the occasional crush for the next couple of days.

Step 8: Set aside for a month. They'll be ready when they're soft. Discard the pulp and slice the rind into small pieces and add to a salad or pizza. When people ask what the heck you're doing, say: "I'm making preserved lemons. It's very gourmet."

Step 9: Write a note to a dear friend and, maybe, just maybe, call yourself a friminal :)

A sense of transition

Oh man. There's no stopping it.

I'm at the cusp of adulthood. You know, the edge of the cliff that leads to that world we never imagined we'd ever reach- where people have desk jobs, and go to graduate school, and pay all of the bills. The feeling is making me cherish the ups and downs of college more than ever. In fact, I'm holding onto these remaining school days for my dear life... stumbling about and writing crazy things about the experience, like the following:

Youth is the sip of that bitter coffee, and the thought that despite all of the tragedy in the world that swells like a spilled puddle of liquid and touches you with its very edges, you can still stare at the night sky and find the innermost serenity in nothing at all.

CRAZY right!? (I hope you know I omitted about 5 other sentences in the interest of your sanity). So I figured that I should take a break from navigating the streams of consciousness and return to what is truly good. Do you remember when we had a mandatory snack time in first grade? Well, I do. I mean, how could I not?

The other night, I was struck by a bit of inspiration (and that longing for a bit of sweetness after dinner that starts out like a small whim and as time passes somehow transforms into a giant, insatiable wildebeest!) So I decided, given the sparse contents of my pantry, to make a small batch of cookies. After a lengthy search, I discovered some peanut butter cookies on this site, and made them right away. For some reason, upon taking my first bite I was flooded with memories of elementary school... and the ten minute snack breaks we'd take to sit out on the benches in front of class and munch on graham crackers while peeling away the paint on the bench with our fingertips. Ah! The simplicity of it all!

And if you need this brief remembrance of things past, please don't hesitate to bake these cookies.

Peanut Butter Graham-Cracker-like Cookies

I'm giving them this unappealing title because with the addition of a bit of cocoa powder and cinnamon, the flavor of these changed dramatically from that of the original recipe! I also made a quarter batch, but I'm going to give you the recipe for the whole just in case.

Practically entirely stolen from 101 Cookbooks

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. fine salt
1 cup natural peanut butter (I used 1/2 cup peanut and 1/2 cup almond butter)
1 cup honey
1/3 cup olive or canola oil
*1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (optional, I didn't have any on hand)
1 heaping tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2- 1 tsp. cinnamon (to taste)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and cinnamon) together in a bowl. Set aside.

Now here's the first place where I strayed from the recipe. I heated the oil, peanut butter, and honey on low heat so as to incorporate all of the ingredients. You certainly don't have to do this if you think everything will mix nicely. Either way, mix the wet ingredients in a bowl.

Combine the dry and wet ingredients, but don't over-mix. Heidi recommends that you chill the dough for an hour or so, but I took my tablespoon, shaped some cookies, and plopped them on the baking sheet to bake right away...and my cookies turned out just fine. Oh! and after placing the cookies on the baking sheet, make a quick flat indentation with your fork. They don't seem to flatten out much otherwise. You only want to cook them for 10 minutes or a little less- if not, they'll dry up!

Enjoy!

Wait for it

My mother, in her infinite wisdom, tried oh so very hard to instill an unwavering sense of patience in me. As she carefully placed the essential social norms in the bookshelves of my conscience, however, she probably found that the tome of patience somehow just never quite right. As a result, she's got a daughter that wants tomorrow to happen today, and even worse, that devours roasted squash right off the baking pan. Disgraceful!

I first made this recipe last winter, when it seemed like the warmth of the oven could solve all of the world's problems. I remember not expecting much, but then being pleasantly surprised by the complement of the nutty squash and the various layers of flavor from the vinaigrette. This time around I was patient enough to plate it (I had company!) But I had to fight temptation :)

Roasted Acorn Squash with Chile Lime Vinaigrette
adapted from Gourmet

1 large acorn squash
3 tbs. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbs. fresh lime juice
1 tbs. honey
1 thai red bird chile, minced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the ends off the squash and then slice along the ridges (I recommend using a good knife or recruiting someone who's pretty strong to do this, as acorn squash is a stubborn vegetable). Place the pieces in a bowl and toss with the olive oil, salt, and pepper (to taste). When the pieces are evenly coated, place them on a baking sheet, cut sides down, and put the sheet in the oven.

In the meantime, place the minced garlic in a bowl and smash with a bit of salt. Then add the lime juice and honey and stir. Taste the mixture- it should have a good combination of lime and sweetness. Add more lime if necessary. Then add the chile.

The squash takes about 30 minutes to cook, but I'd check about 15 minutes into the process and flip the pieces. You want them to be golden and tender.

When the squash is done, place it on a plate and carefully pour the dressing over the pieces.

Enjoy!