Too Pretty For Soup!

A few days ago I purchased these organic roots - turnip, parsnip, rutabaga, onion, potato, celery root, fennel root, and golden beets. All of them (except the golden beets) will be used for my Root Soup.

I'd planned to make Root Soup over the weekend, but made the mistake of purchasing a little oval basket to hold the roots. Once I put the roots in the basket, I couldn't make the soup! Everything was just too interesting! (We went to the Mongolian Grill for lunch instead, having a wonderful meal prepared while we watched.)
The golden beets had such exquisite color and root tendrils. This turnip was so beautiful in the afternoon light. I angled my camera up close so it could magnify the detail.
It is a journey looking through the lens of a camera, poking it into the depths of fennel fronds, careening under celery root to examine pock-marks, angling over turnips and rutabaga. I kept the basket in the sunshine while filming, then placed it on our coffee table.

We were busy the entire weekend with house and garden projects - George and Rahmat cleaned out the garage and I worked out in the yard. Taraz and Megan stayed over Friday night. About 9:00 I served them some waffles that I made earlier in the day - Whole Wheat Citrus Waffles with mangoes, strawberries, Mandarin oranges and bananas on top.
These waffles are hearty, with wheat germ and orange zest in the batter. The orange zest is from Mandarin oranges boiled in brown sugar. Store any extra in the freezer for other recipes.
I dry them on a rack, and when there are left-overs I roast them in the oven until they are completely dried out. They make good sweetened breadcrumbs for desserts.

These little phyllo cups held left-over Bhutan red rice-white basmati rice pilaf. They work well as a garnish/embellishment to a simple salad, like watercress with lime honey dressing. George bought a bundle of watercress, filled a jar with water, and slid the root bundle down inside. We kept it on the windowsill for two days until lunch on Sunday. It was like eating a spring bouquet.

Root Vegetables and World Hunger

These vegetables were scrounged from my refrigerator. I'll make Root Soup. I wish all families could have abundant spiritual food....and a good meal every day.

The book is a favorite of mine "Tibetan Portrait" by Phil Borges; text by the Dalai Lama:"World problems cannot be challenged with anger and hatred. They must be faced with compassion, love, and true kindness."

Root Soup is a wholesome soup that my mother used to fix for us after we'd been ill with the flu or a cold. It helps to restore vigor and provides essential nutrients that have been lost through fever. Rutabaga, turnip, parsnip, fennel, leek, shallot, celery root, potato and carrots are added to a vegetable broth.

My daughter called me today during her lunch break. She was distressed over the plight of the Haitians who aren't able to feed their families. She mentioned Saint Louis Meriska's children, who ate only two spoonfuls of rice apiece as their only meal on one day and then went hungry the next day. "They look at me and say 'Papa, I'm hungry'," and he has to look away. That hunger is palpable across the globe, in Africa, India, Egypt, Pakistan, Malaysia, El Salvador, Mexico. One woman in the slums of Haiti was willing to give away one of her children if the person would feed him. It is an act of desperation no parent should feel.

The United Nations World Food Program will help.
Bread for the World will help.

The real solution comes when we understand that none of us can move forward in our lives as true human beings until we understand our inter-connectedness, everything is dependent on everything else. Then we will be committed to addressing the issue of global hunger.

I told Ruhiyyih that I wish everyone could grow their own garden, have a milk goat and a few chickens. Start there, grow root crops, yams, collards, and share them with your neighbors. If there is soil, something can be grown. I told her about the military widows in Greece who fled up into the hills when the Germans came. Their only nourishment was field greens, and it kept them alive. Olive trees kept them alive too....some of those trees are over a hundred years old.

We have dandelions in the back yard - tender greens just poking through. They are edible.

There are fallen calendula petals on my kitchen counter. As I pushed them into a little point I wondered if they were edible. They are. Sprinkle a little on your salad and you're fighting inflammation.

(I'm going to include my "Root Soup" recipe here, as I cannot find it on the Internet)

Root Soup

4 potato
1 onion browned in olive oil
2 or 3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 turnip, peeled and chopped
1 celery root, diced
1 fennel root, diced
1 cup leek, finely sliced
1 rutabega, diced
15oz. vegetable broth
1/3 cup barley
1/3 cup cilantro
4 cups water (optional) - for boilingveggies
1/4 tsp tobasco
1/4 tsp curry
rosemary, bay leaves, parsley flakes
basil, dill

Simmer all together for an hour until cooked.
Slightly mash to combine the textures.

George has been telling me to get a new camera, Taraz too. They say that my old Sony, now 8 years old, should be replaced.

I bought it new just 3 years ago, ordering it from the company through 'back stock'. Now you could ask, why would you want to buy a camera that is already 5 years old! Well, my computer is also very old, and very temperamental. And, both my old camera and my ole puter have suffered so long together that I can't bear to buy a new camera or a new computer until both crash - preferably at the same time.

I waited about five years before I finally started using the family computer, and when I began to use my son's camera, found it quite simple, I ordered a camera just like his - a beginner's camera. No complex settings, F-stops, lighting, depth of field measurements. Just one adjustment and point and click. It was great, and I was not in a mood to be challenged by anything more complicated.

When I started blogging, it was just to write and present some of the new material I was finding on the Internet. I touched down on an irascible writer, Rob Smith of Gut Rumbles, and was hooked on the pastime of blogging. I evolved into photography because my writing was so bad!

And now, I mostly enjoy the photography....imperfect as my pixels are. Taraz says, "Mom, your camera only has 2.0 mega pixels!" And, he tries to give me his camera, "Try THIS, see the difference."

I think I relate to old cameras like the elderly relate to an old house-dress or an old pair of shoes. I've trusted this camera, yet I know there is better out there. But I'm just not ready to relinguish my camera or my computer for something better. When one of them finally crashes, I'll give both items more consideration.

Meantime, Flickr rejects most of my photos for PRINTS. They require higher definition or the prints turn out fuzzy. (Geez, even Flickr expects an upgrade.) My printer doesn't always work; sometimes, I have to hand-copy recipes off the Internet. It takes minutes to download any blogger site (due to videos on site?). Pod-casts give out mid-stream. It is like trying to prod a darn mule. Best thing to do is tell him to lay down and use him for a backrest. Gaze at the clouds and forget where you wanted him to go.

I've been involved in a project, putting a cookbook together from all the recipes I've tried the past year. If you look at this Flickr page, you know that I enjoy cooking. With a few photos (yes, some do make the grade), and my adaptations of recipes, I'll have something lasting and memorable for a year's worth of work. I'm hand-writing all the recipes, adding packaging labels and info, and enclosing all of it in plastic-covered pages, so that when I use the cookbook the pages won't get splattered.

This past week I have experimented with phyllo dough, those thin wafer-like sheets that are a Greek delight. They come packaged and layered, found in the frozen food section of our local market. I just have to spread them out, brush on a little oil, and layer them. They dry out within minutes, so I take out only small portions at a time, keeping the rest sealed and buried under a damp washcloth.

I made a Spinach-Leek Phyllo Casserole , (pictured above), preparing just two large servings in a small pyrex baking dish. This is a perfect meal for empty nesters.

I made a flaky pie-crust, then layered leeks, onions, orange peppers and mushrooms on the bottom, followed by ricotta, feta, and cottage cheese. Add a beaten egg to a layer of steamed spinach, then more feta, then about 10 layers of phyllo dough, waved in layers.

Last Sunday while George was doing the taxes I made this heavenly pie, a creme pie with a layer of baked apples, then a phyllo topping. The crust is a sweet-crust, almost like a thick bread.
This dessert has a creme filling similar to that found in Sfogliatelle Napolitan. Vanilla, orange zest, apples, ricotta, egg and milk. The brown crunchy flakes are dried oven-roasted potato flakes. I crumble them like bread-crumbs.

Still experimenting, I poured the creme filling into phyllo pockets, and baked several of these, forgetting to dust the top with powdered sugar (a must for an Italian pastry). We ate them warm from the oven, and simply groaned they were so good. I baked several, so have saved one for when Ruhiyyih visits in May for our annual camping trip.

In fact, I save a small portion of almost everything I cook and stick it in the freezer for her. When it is time for our afternoon coffee I can then pull out a treat, and not waste any time in the kitchen.
I made this Sweet Potato Pie also, adding a bottom layer of chopped walnuts. I'll be savin' a slice for her!

First Trip of the Year to Eastern Washington

Wouldn't you know, in spite of our best intentions to hunker down and get to the taxes on Saturday, we opted to head over to eastern Washington! It was gorgeous and sunny, with temps in the possible 80's! We fueled up ($45.00, ouch), loaded our canoeing gear and hiking boots, and headed up Snoqualmie Pass. Snowdrifts up on the pass were shoveled ten feet high to clear the road. It still looked like winter!

Nothin' like prime real estate! We pulled off the road and stopped here for a picnic lunch - lentil soup, turkey sandwiches, and pumpkin pie.

I got out of the car and explored. This project is left-over from last fall, laying where it was dumped...I have to laugh: Can you think of a more ghastly place to have a picnic? (However, better than the industrial area of Tacoma, on the tide-flats! )Someday, perhaps here...at Butchart Gardens.

This little place, although run-down, is just my size. Other outbuildings were nearby, all of them in various stages of collapse.

We decided to hike the Umtanum Ridge, a favorite of our entire family. All of our kids love this hike. The trailhead is right off Canyon Road, has camping available, and plenty of parking. We crossed a suspension bridge over the Yakima River, then headed up into the canyon, which is a moderate uphill climb.

The trails here are not marked, and there are many detours, dead ends, and narrow paths through sagebrush hillsides, shale moraines, and along cutbanks in Umtanum Creek. Everytime we do the Umtanum Ridge Trail we get off-trail, and have to find beaver dams to cross the little creek. I'm usually the first one across, then I hand poles to George, to steady his balance.

Here, George took the lead, and I walked sideways along this deadfall to backtrack to another trail. I have my only fuel for the trip tied in an old scarf around my waist - a bottle of milk. I figured if I got thirsty, milk would keep me going longer than a bottle of water. I also tied a little sandwich into the folds of the scarf, for an emergency (we forgot our backpacks).

It was in the 80's here, but the Boy Scout leader who was managing his troop along the trail told me that it will get down to 30 degrees at night. Every scout had to pack his own water and supplies, as there are no facilities of any kind at the end of the trail.

In all, we covered about 7 1/2 miles, taking about five hours to do our hike. Every time I do this hike I regret not sitting down more - taking forced rest breaks. We sat down once on a log and watched Umtanum Creek for about five minutes, but that was it, then we were climbing again. By the time we got back to our car at the trail-head, we were bushed! When we got home, George took a shower and hit the sack, just really weary.

But me? Well, I had a cup of coffee, drip, from a Truck Stop at 6:00 p.m., and it kept me wired until almost 11:00. (Drip-made coffee has more caffeine than espresso does.) My eyes were as big as saucers, and I had a surge of energy. I got out my weights and did some strength- training while watching Deadliest Catch on TV! George was snoozing, the cats were asleep curled in furry balls, and I felt like it was morning.

While George did taxes on Sunday, I spent the day cooking, wearing my running shoes! My feet hurt! Breakfast Sunday morning: Cheese, onion, and poached eggs on French bread. About an hour after breakfast I pulled the potato au'gratin out of the oven, and we had a second breakfast at 10:00.

Time To Sit Awhile, And Catch My Breath

This lovely photo is from Dutch Gardens, a mail-order catalogue that I used for over 20 years to order my tulips and daffodills. I loved fringed tulips, and ordered dozens of them for mass-plantings. But, much to my dismay, the bulbs only produced well for 3 - 4 years, then stopped blooming. They'd run their course and immature bulblets took their place, just stringy little things that suffered miserably in the soil, never showing a bloom. You'll see these little strands poking up in gardens where there once were magnificent tulips.

In less than a month I'll be 64...and I'm still playing in the dirt. But some of this yard work is just too much for me anymore. Not only do I peter out, but I find excuses to quit, to go in the house for another cup of tea. Hunt down a couple Dove chocolates! Bread pudding. Pizza. High-calorie stuff that gives me instant energy.

I've forgotten how strenuous it is to get ready for a summer garden. It creates an appetite not because you are hungry, but because you want to experience something pleasant! Gardening is much harder than jogging, because when you are done you are weary and sore. But, with jogging you just glide along, with an increase in breathing, and you feel so refreshed when you are done.

I realize that most of my life I've done just real hard work - the manual labor of an industrial kitchen and heavy lifting with care-giving. Those jobs really took a toll on my shoulders and arms, and I doubt that any of the strength training that I've done throughout the winter will compensate greatly for those injuries - I have to work around them, do low-impact training. But exercise really does help tone-done inflammation and build strength, and so far I haven't had the tendinitis and bursitis issues that I have had in previous years.

Years past all I had to do was LOOK at a digging fork and my shoulders would tingle. Now, I'm learning to take it slower, work up to a sustained level and keep it there. However, I'll be glad when this gardening is done and all I'll need to do is water the plants.

This is a photo of our green bean crop a few years ago, nestled against a south- facing window. It is George's project....if he remembers to put the seeds in the ground. Last year I did it, so this year he's got them in the ground early! They are his 'babies'.

I mulch all my flowerbeds with grass-clippings, so weeding is never an issue. If I have them, I just dig them in for compost. Most of my gardening in the past was 'intensive gardening', with all the plants using up all the space, staggered growing periods, and double-digging. A lot of it was vertical, like corn and beans. Staked things, like tomatoes, were pruned and guided, so that it maximized fruit growth. I even did overlays, where root crops like carrots, onions, and potatoes would be planted next to sprawling plants which would take over the soil when the root crops attained maturity. I'd just keep them in the ground until I needed them for a meal.

I went to the nursery today to pick up a few things, and it was packed with shoppers. I will have to go again on the weekend to get more chicken manure and potting soil for my planters. We need bark chips spread along the walkways - that is a yearly thing. I'll put in a few bedding plants in during the middle of May.

If it weren't for getting the taxes done this weekend, we'd be canoeing. It is gorgeous outside. I tell George every year to do the taxes in February, but he always waits until the last few days before he starts them. If he'd followed my suggestion, we'd be doing this:

George and Daisy, canoeing on Puget Sound. Just after I shot this photo, the waves started rolling in, crashing the canoe back and forth on the shore. I captured it all on video, and it was so dramatic. Needless to say, George was telling me to put the camera down, and get into the canoe!

Paddling withTaraz and Megan on an excursion down the Black River. This was a late afternoon-early evening paddle, when the water was so deeply blue and tranquil, so lovely. Huge carp swirled below us unexpectedly dashing away, leaving the water frothing with bubbles and waves.

On a different note: When I was at the market getting a few things, a food demonstration was in progress. The cook was making 'Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Goat Cheese'. I went over and asked her a few questions about the kind of grill, the sauce she used as a marinade, and what she uses as side dishes. She was quite knowledgeable about mushrooms, offered me a sample, and I just loved it. A cast-iron griddle is preferable she says, as it can get very hot, and it only takes about 5 minutes on each side.

The goat cheese is spread on after grilling, and adds a wonderful flavor to the mushroom. The sauce used at the market was olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chopped garlic cloves and coarse sea salt, but I substituted with a sesame ginger marinade, which resulted in more caramelising, a sweeter taste. One mushroom was a full serving for George and I. We cut it in half.

Speaking of tulips: If you've given up on the garden kind, there is always this fanciful culinary creation, a tulip cookie (Flickr) with a citron emulsion - now, that's something I'd like to see prepared! Ms. Glaze says it is 'super light and delicious, a cookie filled with frozen lemon sabayon and topped with angel hair caramel. Recipe here, from this culinary class.

Hawaiian Lasagna - Hot, Tangy and Flavorful

I've been down with a bug since last week. Not a cold or the flu, but a sore throat, headache and fatigue. It persisted a week, and now my energy is returning. I hope to get busy out in my garden, get the flower beds cleaned out and the yard tidied. We've had some fairly good weather, intermittent showers, then sunbreaks. I've done my walk everyday, but discontinued jogging this week. Just not up to it.

I managed to do some cooking every day, as that is something I enjoy doing. One of my experiments was Hawaiian Lasagna, which had a hint of mango and peach salsa, tomato and onion, kale, red and yellow peppers, buffalo and three cheeses - ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan. I used a hot chili paste in the sauce, so the lasagna was slightly sweet and sour, hot and cheesy.

The only problem with this lasagna was that George couldn't wait for it to bake a full hour in the oven. When my back was turned, he moved the timer on the clock down 10 minutes, so it would be served sooner! I served him a small piece, to tide him over while the rest of it cooked; then he asked for two more servings, saying it was really good. (A hungry man will say anything to fill his stomach.)

I also made lentil soup, with pita-bread pizza and salad on the side. Our friend Patabi, from India, told me a few years ago that when you are ill lentil soup will help. He said to add fresh limes, hot chili peppers, tumeric, cumin, and fresh ground pepper. I made a big pot, put most of it in the freezer and will pull some out when needed. I made bread pudding too, with apples and walnuts on the top.

This was breakfast one morning last week: left-over barbecued pork spareribs, khasha with veggies, and oven-fries.

A wonderful lunch: Zucchini Parmesan with leeks, onion and bacon. This is quickly stirfried, then more cheese is added.

Well, our family had quite the scare this weekend. One of our cats, Pandora, was missing Saturday evening, never returned all night. We were very worried about her, as she always comes in at night. It was cold, and I was so worried about her (darn cat). When we let Mordred out, pictured here, he prowled all around the yard as if he was looking for her. And, wouldn't you know, he found her! She was trapped behind a screen in the crawlspace of our neighbors house. They had removed the screen during the day, and Pandora had crawled down, inside. When our neighbor reattached the screen, he didn't know she was inside. But, the next morning, Mordred sat by the screen, as if to wait for us to notice. George did, went over to him, peeked inside, and there was Pandora. He got her out, readjusted our neighbor's screen, and brought her inside. Much as I loathe all her cat fur, I'll have to admit I was sure happy to see Pandora again! Thanks to our hero, Mordred.

French Toast With Slivered Almonds and Pecans

I've been making sprouted flaxseed bread with whole wheat flour. I bake three loaves at a time and keep them in the refrigerator. Now that it is just George and I at home I will slice a loaf and make French Toast with all the thick slices. That way I can pull them out for an afternoon snack or for a quick breakfast when I don't have time to cook. Since I didn't have any berries yesterday, I sprinkled this toast with nuts and powdered sugar and then drizzled a little maple syrup over the slices. Had it at 1:30, for a taste thrill with my coffee. Really, just so delicious.

When I'm Bad....... I'm Very Bad

Now, what you see here is just a macaroni casserole. Noodles, broccoli, sliced bratwurst, white cheddar and ricotta, eggs and milk. Oh, and some breadcrumbs on the top.

I baked it early in the afternoon, for Feast, so as it sat warming in the oven I added more hot milk and ricotta, to keep it creamy and moist. Then I scrambled the top and innards a little, to mix things up.

Right before we left for Feast I cut this portion out, photographed it and then slid the food back into the casserole dish. You see, I wanted to send a photo of the macaroni and cheese to Ruhiyyih the following day....at her office. Right before lunch.

Naw Ruz - First Day of Spring

Baha'is celebrate the new year on March 21st, the first day of Spring. I've been busy cleaning the house, getting ready for company. Taraz and Megan and several of their friends from out of state will stay here tonight.

We have plans to attend a Naw Ruz celebration Saturday morning, a brunch, and then our family will scatter. Taraz and Megan want to take their friends on the ferry, to Vashon Island, to visit the Vashon Island Coffee Roasterie, and to explore the beach where we had such a good time earlier in the month.

Just as most people spend days preparing delicacies for Easter, like hot cross buns, I've experimented with several favorite recipes, to make them a little more festive. Dilly Bread is one of my kids' favorites, a soft bread with cottage cheese and onion, and dill mixed into the dough. I decided to make little rolls with the dough this time, and put a ricotta filling inside each roll. (Next time, I'll double the amount of filling and ricotta).
Here, I've placed a celery-onion seasoned filling on top of the dough. Since these little rolls were going to have a mild east-Indian curry paste spread on top of the sliced rolls, I added a little Cajun seasoning to the onion-celery mixture.
This is what the rolls looked like after rolled up and shaped into a crescent. This bread dough is unbelievable, so soft and fragrant. I brushed the top with egg, then sprinkled shredded cheddar and Swiss cheese.

The rolls, when sliced open, show the ricotta filling and the layer of veggies and spices. Each roll can be sliced into several pieces, like a miniature loaf of bread, then spread with eastern curry paste. I tried a test-slice, warm out of the oven, and the curry paste really enhances the zesty flavor. These can be kept warm, in tin foil, and served as a snack or with breakfast in the morning with scrambled eggs and ham.

I then proceeded to improvise with an old favorite - Apricot Almond Muffins. This time, I mixed together crushed walnuts with almond paste and just a hint of brown sugar and cinnamon, and rolled this mixture into a little ball which I placed on top of the dough.
I scooped a little depression into the dough, so the ball would settle in, then I poured the rest of the batter over the top.
The fragrance of apricot and almonds is enhanced when these are eaten warm, also, and are great served with morning coffee.

I'll be preparing a quiche today, and also some macaroni and cheese with a bread-crumb topping. I want to experiment with a little more white cheese added to the cheddar, and I want to throw in a little broccoli, celery and onion, and thin-sliced bratwurst, so it is a casserole. If it passes inspection - a little taste out of the corner - I'll take it to Feast tonight. This is the last day of the Baha'i Fast, and with sundown the friends will enjoy a meal together to celebrate.

I was delighted to note that one of my Flickr photos was used by 'Mark's Daily Apple', a blog that features health and fitness. What a pleasant surprise! I'm glad he took the time to feature one of my little taste thrills, simple as they are.

Just Staying Warm In The Kitchen

Pear spears with slices of strawberries, raspberries, and banana....and a festive sprinkling of sugar nuggets.

Fresh Salmon Slaw, with finely chopped veggies, onion, garlic, and a sprinkling of seeds and nuts. It is a perfect substitution for hashbrowns for breakfast, and is stir-fried very hot for only a few seconds. Canned salmon can used, and placed under the slaw to stay warm.

Ash-e Anar: Pomegranate Stew, a Persian dish, with Naan. I first had this flavorful stew at a Baha'i fireside about two months ago, and was determined to try it. It is made with rich pomegranate molasses, but is not sweet. Just incredibly fragrant, delicate yet substantial. I added lentils, rice and butter beans to the broth, which is simmered until it is thick. Any kind of meat will do; I used ground beef.

I often make a soup for dinner, then freeze several bags of it to fill a thermos for hiking trips. In the winter, a hearty soup like this White Bean Soup just hits the spot. I stir-fry a mixture of vegetables with carrots, onion, garlic and celery. When they've cooked through, I puree about a third of the mixture for a creamy pureed base rather than use cream. The chile pequin can be served separately, for individual taste. It gives this soup a burst of heat. Cornbread, naan, or pita as a side-dish. Tomorrow I have to make bread, which is a great way to stay warm in the kitchen. The weather forecast: RAIN