It's The Little Things That Need Attention

I served this little collection of store-bought taste thrills, for our Ruhi Class, thinking they might go nicely with a bit of tea, and having no time to bake something special. I filled a cookie jar full of the goodies, and every time I look at it, I see the contents of the jar getting smaller and smaller, due to little mice with names...like Rahmat and his imaginary friends, all of whom have a sweet-tooth. Cookie jars just don't stay full.

I made biscotti yesterday, after I saw how easy it was to prepare it - it does require two separate bakings, one to bake and the other to toast. Both these biscuits have the same recipe - flour, butter, salt and baking powder, almonds, and finely chopped Mandarin orange peelings that I save from every orange that we eat. I've learned that many recipes require an 'orange zest', which is best rendered from peelings and juice.

Speaking of odd trivialities, I made a Moroccan chicken dish Sunday night which looked so ghastly that I refused to photograph it. It was the most awlful-looking purple-brown, with little black dots of seasonings, garlic and floating leaves.

I started with a recipe shown on that program by Keith Floyd on the Travel Channel; he brought out the chicken, the anise and tarragon, the cumin, tomato sauce, tons of garlic. As the chicken browned, this traveling gourmet threw in all these marvelous spices - I could almost smell them as he talked about the relationship of anise and tarragon, and how they must always be together, as they bring out the flavor of the other, just like a good marriage! Well, I threw in the spices to my chicken, just as he indicated, and added the freshly ground COFFEE (he said, 'trust me, this is an essential ingredient, just one tablespoon).

Well, I tasted this rich dark brine, and it seemed a little flat (at least not what I'd hoped for), so I added a dried hot red pepper, a little Hershey's baking chocolate and some of my candied Mandarin orange rinds, to add a zing and a little more flavor (chocolate? why not!). Oh, the ghastly color, like a farmers pasture, and all that minced garlic and cilantro floating around. I was beginning to get heart palpitations! I fried up some sliced polenta, and added it to the sauce in the pan.

Thank goodness my pantry offers an enticement of options for rescue...I sliced up a few rings of red onion and set them aside (to stay crisp on top), and added some prunes and dried apricots. Then, I stirred the pot, mixing anise, tarragon, cumin, chocolate, coffee, garlic and onion, cilantro, a smidgeon on honey, and.....the chicken. When the Moroccan Chicken finished cooking, I thought "This is something I have absolutely no inclination to eat! However, it smelled HEAVENLY! Rahmat said, "When is that going to be DONE?" (I thought, God what are they going to think when they see this *****! )

Well, I called George down from his study, he said, "It smells fantastic", and he showed me how his saliva was starting to drool out of the corners of his mouth. He got dramatic, and let it drop onto the floor - yes, he can exaggerate hunger pangs. I told him to wipe up the floor and get a plate. I said, "You are not going to like the sauce, but the chicken is fantastic, tender and stunningly flavorful. It has an unusual addiction. (Heh, use coffee or chocolate and they will ask for seconds, I thought.) Rahmat rushed into the kitchen, and both he and his dad piled the goop onto their plates and went into the study.

For the longest time - like an eternity - there was no sound, just the news-broadcaster talking about the violence in Kenya, the clashes that have left hundreds of Kenyans dead in the past two weeks, where barricades prevent the local workers from accessing their jobs picking tea leaves. No comments from the guys. I couldn't believe I did this to them! If I wouldn't eat it, why did I expect them to? I feebly asked George how it was. He barely lifted his eyes from the plate to answer, nibbling on the chicken bone.

I felt a little guilty, "You don't have to eat all that sauce, just spread a little of it over the polenta. It will give it some flavor..." He looked up, shook his head and slumped forward, saying "This is the BEST meal you've EVER cooked!" Rahmat gave it a second!

Goes to show you, when guys are hungry, they'll say anything. I don't care if it was good. The trauma of trying to figure out how to salvage this meal is the only thing I remember - and I'll never cook it again! Who wants to be reminded of a cow pasture.

Just Let It Melt In Your Mouth - Lemon Delight

This desert is the only one I prepared this last week, and I polished off the last piece Sunday night after our hike, so sadly, none to share here except a photo of that last piece! This mouth-watering dessert has big-time flavor, but at a cost - tons of calories. I used reduced-fat creme cheese mixed with a cup of powdered sugar for the first layer of filling, then added a can of lemon pie filling for the second layer. I beat a little vanilla and sugar into real whipping cream for the topping, and added a sprinkling of crushed pecan cookies just to make it look pretty. The crust is flour, butter, and crushed pecans. It is an easy dessert to prepare, just takes about 15 minutes, and you let it set for an hour before serving - that never happens in my house, of course.

We managed a brisk hike in the Banner Forest Heritage Park on the weekend. The sunlight was a delight, so beautiful streaming through the trees. (George looks a bit menacing here!)The trail was fantastic, irregular, up and down, meandering. At one point I began to sprint along, as it was downhill, and we managed to jog the majority of the hike. However, it was only after we got safely back to the car afterwards that he told me a serious bear attack occurred in this forest last fall! Anthony Blasioli was alerted by his dogs as he rounded a bend on the trail. He was riding his bike, so got off the trail, and was then suddenly attacked. Blasioli said,"He was too close and too quick. I had no chance to decide what to do. It's surreal. You don't understand this is happening. At one point I thought, 'This is it, I'm going to die.'" I'm sure glad George decided to tell me that after our hike was over!

We had left-overs when we returned from our hike - I did a lot of cooking on Friday so I would be free on the weekend.
I served this watercress salad with stuffed peppers. George got the watercress - I've had it only a few times in my life (the first time when I was in England). I sliced a little leek, some dried apricots, threw in some currents, and drizzled a little Briannas Home Style Dijon Honey Mustard Dressing over the cress. I crushed some of my home-made crackers over the top.
Stuffed Peppers seem to be on our weekly menu of late - it is a good way to dispose of left-overs, especially rice. I just barely cook these peppers through. Garbanzos work well with the rice to provide amino acids that help make for a complete protein.
I make pizza on Friday nights, using a Bobboli crust. This particular pizza had ground buffalo, assorted (slightly stir-fry veggies, to soften them), ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. I add fresh Picco de Gallo and parsley on top, and I add another cup or two of Mezzetta 'Napa Valley Bistro sauce to the meat and vegetables. This sauce has porcini and portabella mushrooms added, as well as a touch of Merlot. It makes an incredibly fragrant pizza, light, not greasy.
Earlier in the week I experimented with lasagna, trying for something not too sweet, or too tomatoey, as I'd be serving it in the evening. George doesn't require heavy food then, and I was trying to cut the sugar content often found in tomato sauces. This lasagna turned out great, for my first experiment.

I'll end this post with our cat Mordred waking up to early morning. It was gently unfolding, with the most exquisite colors, from deep blue to lemon, and then to shafts of sunlight. However, the sky eventually clouded up and rain began to fall. I went for my walk/run on the hills at Old Town, and when the postman saw me jogging in the rain he said, "This is no time to be out in the rain!" I laughed and said, "Sure beats snow!"

Showing Off Those Christmas Toys!

These sweet little ones, Abby and Adam, live next door. Yesterday it was time to make the grand tour of our city block, with Adam taking the lead on his CAT dump-truck (which spilled him a few times!) 'The Little Mermaid', is negotiating a traffic jam in front of our house. Both these vehicles have songs that play as the kids toddle down the walkway, and it reminds me of the ice cream truck in the summertime.

And, there is a story here! Little Abby had just fallen off her 'Little Mermaid', and wanted a moment of conso- lation...."just stop yer darn photos, would you, lady? I'm hurtin' here!" Hugs, hugs!

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.