This week the heat from my oven warmed the kitchen. I kept the thermostat down, and let the aroma of ethnic cooking fill the house. Pictured above are Koulouri Rings, a Greek pretzel that I served as an appetizer, with a hot tomato-based salsa. This little biscuit, dusted with sesame seeds or poppy seeds, is baked all over the Mediterranean. Depending on how it is made, it can be crunchy and flakey like mine were, or softer and more like bread. In Turkey it is called Simit, and is sold by street vendors, who carry it on top of their heads!

I first noticed Koulouri - Simit when I was scanning Greek kitchens and interiors in the book "Greek Style". (One of their kitchens is pictured here.) The little loaves of bread and the pretzels were on cutting boards in some of the old kitchens. I went from searching for recipes to googling images of the quaint, whimsical dwellings found on many of the Greek islands. These little homes can be rented, although for a hefty price during the tourist season.

One of the distinguishing features of floors and patios shown in "Greek Style" is pebble tiles, made from local rocks. It is called Krokalia, and has been used for centuries. This is an example from "Greek Style". I think it is a beautiful way to accent small private spaces.

I made Yellow Squash Soup again this week, and served it with home-made burritos that were filled with (slightly stir-fried), finely chopped vegetables like leeks, onions, carrots, cauliflower and celery. I added ground buffalo, garlic and cumin, and added the zing of Mandarin orange by pureeing one, then adding it to the mixture. Refried black beans held everything together, and I used strips of Mozzarella to sealthe tops shut. It turned out to be one of the most flavorful burritoes we've ever had. Also one of the prettiest!

I served Persian Rice for dinner Sunday evening. It has a mild cinnamon/nutmeg aroma, and is enhanced with turkey, fried onions, slivered almonds, dried apricots and prunes, and candied Mandarin orange peel that I've boiled and candied in brown sugar. The effect is light and flavorful. A recipe for this is featured in the cookbook "A Taste of Persia" by Najmieh K. Batmanglij..
I've been taking care of my grand-daughter this past week. Her mom, Annie, is participating in a wedding, and will be back mid-week. Daisy is playing with her Nintendo DS, a Christmas gift.

I took this photo of Rahmat, after he'd been stylin' his hair with one of his big scarves. It begged a photo! He may look wild, but he is one of the most gentle people you'll ever meet. I had to run and grab my camera before he changed it.

I really hesitated before posting this photo because I figured most of my readers have made New Years Resolutions, swearing off rich desserts that will add inches to the waistline.

There is nothing more enjoyable than savoring a favorite dessert - and this, Lemon Bisque, is one of mine. I made it for New Years Day, with the comment that most of my kids, especially my son Rue, loved it.

Lemon Bisque is the most simple dessert to make, just lemon jello, evaporated milk, honey, a little fresh lemon juice, and a crushed vanilla waver crust. You have to beat the milk and jello separately, when they are quite cold, and before the jello congeals. Then they are blenderized together until frothy. The whole works stiffens in about an hour, and is so heavenly and light. Problem is, the honey is addictive, the lemon is tantalizingly refreshing, and the crumbled wavers so crunchy and sweet, that second helpings follow the first. So, one must set boundaries before even cutting this little delight. When Rahmat saw me setting it up, he asked "How long before we can cut into that?" The aroma is heavenly.

Well, speaking of aroma, I spent most of New Years Day puttering in the kitchen. I planned to serve Stuffed Sweet Peppers, with a vegetable-couscous filling, Fish Croquettes, and our usual tossed salad. Supremely tasty, and easy on the budget.This time of year we managed to find the most gorgeous huge sweet peppers at our local Fred Meyers, and I filled them with a layer of onion/carrot/celery, followed by a layer of sliced leek and garlic, and then finished off with a layer of couscous mixed with tumeric and parsley flakes. Since this was going to bake for 40 minutes, I blenderized several sweet Mandarin oranges and poured the juice and pulp over the top. Then I placed a bit of Provolone cheese and a bit of bratwurst on the top. The extra couscous was mixed with currents and sliced almonds, and placed around the bottom of the pan. The extra leeks slices were placed nearby on top. I drizzled olive oil over everything to keep things moist.

These Sweet Peppers and squash were an experiment last week - hey, when prices are good, I'm immoderate, and these gorgeous peppers were perfect for a filling of red wheat, currents, and vegetables - cauliflower, onion, carrot and celery. I think a bit of fresh basil works good with red wheat, and the tops are drizzled with olive oil. Of the two sweet pepper fillings, I enjoy the red wheat more than the couscous. It is so chewy and nutty compared to the light texture of couscous. However, it takes an hour to boil the stuff, and then one must let the filled peppers roast for 40 minutes, basting the tops with olive oil from time to time.

I bought a can of Jack Mackerel this summer, thinking I'd do some croquettes, and finally I got around to it. I'd heard awful things about mackerel, that it was cheap fish and greasy...and the 15 oz. can only cost 99 cents. So, I was prepared for the worst - but the thing about croquettes, is that with a mixture of rice, fresh parsley, a little lemon juice and garlic, one can disguise just about anything. I was going to try it, and I was simply amazed at the results. Not greasy, not a strong fishy smell, just flavorful and a perfect compliment to the couscous and peppers. I mashed the mixture into little balls, brushed on a layer of egg white, then rolled them in corn meal. Here, they are resting on a rack for 30 minutes before being deep-fat fried. I served a tossed salad also, and that was our New Year's Day meal. The Lemon Bisque was dessert.

We were able to connect with all of our kids before the holidays were over, and fit in a bit of a hike down at the Mima Mounds with Taraz, Megan and Rahmat. Unfortunately, I stalled to take a few photos, and spent the remainder of the hike looking for them. They'd hiked on ahead, taken a different loop, and I found myself hiking completely alone for over an hour, rounding one mound after another. Finally, I left the walking trail and climbed one of the mounds, so I could scan the horizon. (With double vision this is tricky. I covered one eye, then another to see which one might work best. Both petered-out, so I tried listening for distant conversations. But, all I heard were the sounds from a nearby shooting range.)

Eventually, I managed to see everyone in different locations, probably scouting for me. Well, it was too far to shout, and the rain stated to fall. I headed back to the car, hoping they'd do likewise. I'd dressed too lightly, hoping for an uphill climb. The Mima Mounds were a nice little stroll, but nothing that kept the body temperature up.
The entire circuit is only a half mile, about a 30 minute stroll, partly through these woods.
The Mima Mounds support a native prairie grassland unique to the southern Puget Sound region. The soils are very well drained, formed on an outwash plain when glaciers melted about 11,000 years ago.The prairie soil has many cobbles and round stones, favoring plants that thrive in dry habitats. This is a bunchgrass prairie that changes from season to season, depending on native plants. Sections of the prairie have been purposefully burned to restore it. Other areas are left unburned to allow refuge for butterflies and other species.

We cut short our hike, once we all found each other, and decided to take our picnic lunch to Taraz and Megans's apartment rather than find a shelter away from the rain and cold. Rahmat was ...always is...famished. I had to laugh at his enthusiasm as I opened thermoses of Minestrone Soup and spread out buttered whole wheat bread for dipping. I brought out salad fixings and some truffles, and that was our lunch.

We spent the rest of the afternoon sprawled on the floor, going through a 'relationship quiz' from the Gottman Institute. Gottman wrote the popular book "The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work" .Needless to say, we had many laughs reading the passages from the book, and learned a lot about each other. It was a fun way to spend the rest of the afternoon, and it sure beat sloshing about out in the rain.

I'd like to offer an interesting essay I found online at Edge (touted as one of the year's best essays. ) "Moral Psychology and the Misunderstanding of Religion" is written by Jonathan Haidt, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. Haidt does research on morality and emotion and is the author of "The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom". I printed out the article, and I'm still studying it, as well as all of the critiques by The Reality Club in response to the article. Just fascinating stuff.

Wishing You A Happy New Year

We've had typical Pacific Northwest weather this winter - rain, gentle misting, slanting rain with wind, sporadic downpours exiting the most beautiful, dramatic clouds, snow, and occasional sunbursts. We've managed to get out for some wonderful walks, one of which was a stroll along this lovely stretch of beach near Fort Worden. It was a bitterly cold afternoon on this beach, but I enjoyed the smooth round rocks and the driftwood.

This is bull kelp, the fastest growing seaweed in the world. It can grow from a tiny spore into a 200 foot long plant in one summer! By winter, the kelp are dying. Storms and waves leave them on the beach, where they appear as brown "bull whips." The decomposing kelp provides food and beach shelter for scavenging animals. By winter, the kelp are dying in the intertidal zone.

It was just a few days before Christmas when we drove into Port Townsend, with the thought of browsing through some of the shops. All year long this historic old town has quite a few tourists. The 'Bed and Breakfasts' were full, and holiday shoppers were packed like sardines, inching along the narrow corridors inside the shops.

It was almost too claustro -phobic for me, with the press of people, the hurrying -about. I picked up this little ornate doily and a warm wool scarf, and that was the extent of 'gifts for me' for this holiday.

We explored Fort Worden before we headed home, and since I was filming, George and I got separated. As I wandered through the old barracks, down a dark flight of stairs, I suddenly noticed that he was nowhere to be seen - in fact I could hardly see anything at all! I spread my arms out, inched along the dark corridors, and heard the faint sounds of dripping water and the laughter of children. (That is always a comforting sound!)

The place was intolerably spooky, a dark labyrinth of passageways and doors. Eventually I saw a bit of light, and walked toward it, then into a long series of empty rooms. I found a doorway out, walked up a hill, and noticed George. He said he'd been waiting for me. He asked me where I'd gone, and I said I took the stairs down into 'the dungeon', thinking that was where he'd gone. He replied with, " I wouldn't go down there! That's way too dark and scary!"

An old knob or ring on one of the doorways.

George and I hiked the Cedar Butte Trail near North Bend on Christmas Day. This is a moderate 4 mile hike (900 ft. elevation gain) up to the summit of Cedar Butte, and we unpacked our 'Christmas dinner' while sitting on snow-covered logs. I packed a large thermos of Bouillabaisse soup, a delectible Mediterranean fish stew, to go with a couple of peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches - how's that for extremes!

Bouillabaisse is an incredibly fragrant stew, with celery, carrot and onion, garlic, leeks, scallions and black-eyed peas, fennel seeds, Italian spices, saffron, and several crushed whole Mandarin oranges in the tomato-based broth. To this I added a bit of bratwurst and five different fish and shellfish - shrimp, clams, scallops, whiting, and miniature octopus.

I packed some of these Olive-Provolone crackers for a trail-mix, along with Mandarin oranges, tiny chocolates, and fresh strawberries. That was our Christmas dinner!

It was just beginning to snow as we descended our climb. We walked along an old gravel road, an old rail-bed, past Boxley Creek which was tumbling with the freshest coldest water, and down through the forest to the trail-head.

I've pulled myself away from the computer for awhile, in an attempt to try to come to terms with my vision issues. Lately, it seems like I'm unable to read, watch TV, drive, or work on the computer without my vision 'doing a dance', cavorting in sudden leaps and starts, regardless of what I'm trying to focus on. Even on my walks, everything is double and drifting, and I have to hold a couple of fingers over one of my eyes to get a clear picture. I'll be seeing my neurologist again, for further tests. Meantime, my doctor doesn't discourage me from walking, saying "just 'take a couple of hiking poles' if you get dizzy or unbalanced." Hmmmmmm. Has he ever tried jogging downhill while judging a curb? I'm hanging in there, feeling like a one-eyed pirate.

Well, I wish I could say that I paddled our canoe here this weekend, but such was not the case - my twin sister Bonnie sent me this photo awhile back saying that they'd hiked here.

While I can appreciate the climb that it must have taken to get to Birch Lake in the Flathead National Forest, Montana, it would have been a heck of a portage! Bonnie, shown here second from the right, says the portage to Birch Lake in the Jewel Basin would cover about three miles! The longest portage I ever remember doing was just under a mile - and my neck and shoulders took about two years to recover.

I have appreciated Bonnie's two photos, and thought I would share them here. She is quite the inspiration to me, hiking frequently in Glacier Park with her ladies group, and also leading some climbs for a local mountaineering group. I lived in the Flathead Valley for five years, when my children were little, and I never was able to be free to do the kind of hiking that she does. (However, I've made up for lost time now that my kids are grown, and almost gone.)

I say 'almost', because our youngest, Rahmat, is back home for a spell while he sorts out 'his plan'. It involves computers and math, textbooks, math problems, compass and protractor. I'm quite content that he is here, because he :
1. Keeps his room clean - for a guy. 2. Always asks what would be available to eat. This is important because some pantry items are off limits due to their necessity for an upcoming meal.
3. He is gentle and quiet, which means that we have a 'companionable silence' that is sweet. He is always imersed in a project that is interesting, even if it is something I can't really understand. I enjoy listening to his ideas and seeing his enthusiasm.
4. For awhile, I have the opportunity to feed him more wholesome meals than he'd get living alone. Guys just don't cook - or clean out the refrigerator often enough. I've been worried that he is too thin...but then my doctor recently told me that it is good for the heart and promotes longevity to be 'underweight'. So, not to worry.

However, I tend to celebrate a meal more if I see one of my children enjoying it! And, that is what I've done this weekend - just cook, while the rain ran in rivulets down the street. There is nothing more fragrant in a kitchen in the wintertime than home-made bread. These are the usual three loaves I make every week - whole wheat, with a smidgen of flaxmeal and wheat germ added.
I rolled out dough for bread sticks, adding a little Parmesan cheese and powdered sage. The sticks can be dipped into a salsa, or just enjoyed as a snack, like crackers, in front of the TV.
I really liked the Parmesan dough recipe, so I rolled it out and made these little 2 inch round yeast rolls to go with a potato -zucchini soup for dinner, pictured on the far right. I made a hearty tomato sauce/salsa for dipping and also for the base for a polenta lasagna I planned to make on Saturday.
This meal had asparagus wraps with the polenta lasagna, and cranberries inside baked squash. The asparagus is wrapped with thin ham slices, then dotted with mozzarella cheese and green onion. The polenta is just sliced, and layered with sauce, cheese, and topped with bread-crumbs.

I puttered on projects on the weekend, one of which was to caulk all the windows to help conserve heat. This is a fun project I've done for several winters now, and I couldn't help but chuckle at the weather-stripping - it reminds me of my spelt spaghetti! My goodness, between weather-stripping, spaghetti and bread sticks ....I've really been fixated with sticks and strands!

I had to move these two little figurines when I weather-stripped my window. They are an Irish pair, from the Celtic Shoppe down in the Proctor District not far from my house. I bought them over 10 years ago when we moved into this house. It's amusing, when it comes to home-decorating, much of what I've got has been given to me by neighbors and friends who want to get rid of stuff... and they think of me. I've got all kinds of dishes, teapots, nick-nacks, potpourri, candles, vases, and books that are cast offs or 're-gifted'. Most treasured are cookbooks, and I have quite a few.

I saw this memorable photo of our daughter Ruhiyyih recently, shown at Discovery Baptist Church's Nativity Celebration several years ago. Our daughter -in-law, Annie's mom (Kathy Hall) recently sent me a link to her photos this year of their current Nativity Celebration. Kathy is a professional photographer, and I thought her images were quite lovely. ( More on Ruhiyyih here, at Ruhiyyih's Reflections.)

Well, this has been a long post, regretfully, but I must add this final image, sent to me by my sister Bonnie. Now, originally it had some very begrudging commentary by Santa on 'modern architecture', which I'll leave up to your imagination. Just suffice it to say that as someone who spent four years studying art, it gave me quite the chuckle.

Whole Grain Spelt-Rye Spaghetti

This pile of 'twigs' on the right is my first attempt to make a more wholesome spaghetti for my family! I happened to be paging through one of my cookbooks - "Flavors of Tuscany - recipes from the heart of Italy", and I was impressed with how easy it was for Italian cooks to make their own pasta.

I was certainly ready to experiment. I'd been trying to find a whole grain pasta, made from Spelt flour. So, I bought Spelt flour, and a little dark rye too, mixed a portion of both with flour, olive oil, salt and water and began to mix it all together, clumping it into a ball which is then kneaded. Since these flours are a little heavier than white flour, I had to trust my instincts as to how much of the oil and water should be used.

I rolled out an oblong slab, about 6 inches by 14 inches, and cut a line down the middle. Then I cut very thin strips, which were then rolled much like kids roll clay dough. I did this on a thin kitchen towel dusted with flour held in place by some of my rocks. At the end of the shaping I slathered olive oil all over the spaghetti, and continued rolling them a little more. This oil coating will prevent them from getting 'pastey' when they are cooking. Since fresh pasta can dry out, I rolled them up in the towel while making my sauce.

I did nothing fancy with the sauce, just took out a large jar of sauce from the fridge and added sauteed garlic, onion, and finely-sliced leeks to add to the texture. I had a pound of lean buffalo, so I fried that up with salt and garlic, and added it to the sauce.

I used a huge 7 inch strainer-scoop to remove the spaghetti from my kettle.

Served with a glass of grape juice and a cup of tea, it turned out to be a delicious experiment - however I'll have to warn you: This spelt-rye spaghetti may not appeal to children. Once cooked, it has the same color as earthworms!

I'll end this post with this resolute little flowerpot I noticed in front of a shop along Ruston Way. It shows the very last of late autumn bloom, and has managed to survive several nights of freezing temperatures.

Our cat Mordred was accident- ally forgotten last night, left out in the cold on the front porch! When I got up at 5:00, to fetch the morning paper and get my coffee going, I heard his little scratches at the front door. Oh no! He'd spent the night curled up on the love-seat on the front porch, with 'who knows what'' prowling around the neighborhood. Raccoons, possums, and a white and tan tabby-cat probably cheated him of a good night sleep. When I opened the door, he bolted inside, found his spot on the living- room sofa, and spent most of the morning there.

I sat and read awhile, noticing huge snowflakes starting to fall. Pretty soon Mordred's eyes were closed, and his 'motor started to run'. Just watching a snoozing cat is so exquisitely peaceful.

I've spent the last week reading a bio-chemical assessment by Gary Taubes on contemporary attitudes towards nutrition and obesity . Taubes spent seven years researching data for his book, "Good Calories, Bad Calories". He utilized every science connected with the impact of nutrition on health, then wrote this controversial book. Rigorous, due to a mountain of data over the past 75 years, it is not easily processed, and leaves a few serious questions unanswered - primarily because research goes in directions sponsored by big food corporations. For those who struggle with problems of weight regulation and diabetes issues, this is an important book. He has drawn an amazingly detailed and compelling picture of how diet, obesity, and heart disease link together.

I started reading the book because of it's exploration of hormones, the endocrine system, metabolism, and the role of insulin in breaking down carbohydrates. His position on carbohydrates is solid - they head for the fat cells, and stay stuck there. It takes Omega3 fats to help pull the fat out for reduction diets. In all, it is a fascinating book, and it parallel's much of my own thinking on good nutrition and a healthy diet. His 'bottom line construct throughout the book may be "Americans just eat too much food."

Well, my inclinations this week have been a little festive: I've made Cardamon Cookies, to set aside for our Ruhi Class this upcoming week. I told my family - "Free samples", so I don't know how many will be left by the time our friends come over. You may wonder about all the rocks in this photo - they are a gift from Kathy, one of the participants in our Ruhi Class. Every week she brings me a new specimen - agates, fossils, petrified wood, crystals, coral, etc.

This week has been especially cold out - perfect weather for hearty soups and homemade bread! I chopped up these vegetables to put into a Tuscan soup featuring kale and polenta. Pictured here is one leek, and a little red onion. These are added to sauted onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. I then added one quart of organic chicken broth, fresh thyme, sage, and rosemary, one chopped small hot red pepper, fresh parsley and salt and pepper.

As the broth simmered, I browned several large bratwurst and then added them to the vegetable broth. When the brats were done, I added the kale leaves which have been torn into modest pieces, slices of the polenta, and a cup each of garbanzos and black beans. I simmer all of this together for about 15 minutes. An incredibly fragrant aroma fills the house - anytime greens are simmering on the stove with a bit of sausage, onion and garlic, George will be coming out of his study to check it out.

I served the hearty soup with bread I made on Thursday, a sprouted flaxseed whole wheat bread. Lavishly buttered, it hit the spot with my Tuscan soup! My daughter Laurel gave me the sprouted flaxseed at Thanksgiving, and said it is highly nutritious. I like it in bread because it gives a bit of chewyness to the texture, making it very hearty.

I'll end my post with these two photos, one of Laurel's kitchen and the other one of both my daughters last month, checking out the vegetables at the 'Whole Foods Market' up by Seattle. Ruhiyyih is on the left, Laurel on the right. We spent our afternoon making cinnamon rolls together - my first attempt to show my daughters the fussy properties of yeast, who, if surrounded by oil, throw up their hands in disgust, and refuse to perform. One little trick is necessary to get them activated - a warm environment and a little sugar....just like us!

Winter Storm Batters Western Washington

I received this beautiful image in my e-mail a few days ago, taken by Kathy Hall. While a few flakes were falling in Tacoma, snow was blanketing the Gig Harbor area. It melted so fast here that it only lasted a few hours - enough to remember winter wonderlands I've seen over in Montana over the years.

But as short lived as the snow was, the rain pounding Western Washington has created a state of emergency. 80,000 people are without power, the Interstate is closed down along flooded areas, and two people have died due to the storm.

I've heard this storm called the "Pineapple Express" due to the warm winds that swirl in. In spite of torrential rain and wind - almost hurricane velocities in some areas - temperatures were up to 59 degrees yesterday. When there was a lull in the storm I got outside for a morning and an afternoon walk just to feel the warmth on my skin. Yes - shirt sleeve weather!

Yesterday was considered one of the wettest days ever, with over 3.48 inches of rain. Flooding has caused washed out roads and embankments, sink-holes, snapping trees and power poles - and caused a train to derail. Schools are closed, and gas pumps are without power. Our local news program has been showing homes that have slid down hillsides. Rescue helicopters from the Coast Guard and the Navy were dispatched to rescue people and pets stranded in their homes. The water was 10 feet high in some places. It will take a long time to recover from this storm.

On a lighter note, I'll share this photo of my grand-daughter Daisy. Kathy e-mailed me this one too. Thanks, Kathy, for sharing your photos.

If you haven't been over to Ruhiyyih's blog, you'll want to check out the dance steps at her staff Christmas party!