News to Me

I realize that Romesco Sauce is hardly new on the food scene, and it's one of those things I've been meaning to try for years--maybe even decades. I have no idea why it took me so long to get around to it. Now that I've made my first batch I feel terrible for all the time I've not had this punchy sauce in my life.

I was given the potato assignment for a Passover dinner with friends the other night. Normally I love my potatoes in pretty much any form but I wasn't feeling all that enthusiastic this time around. This may have had something to do with the potato disaster earlier in the week. I'd planned a big pot of simple steamed baby potatoes to serve at our seder. Seder meal planning can be a bit tricky as the pre-meal part can be quite long though we never know exactly how long. This means you want dishes which aren't fussy in terms of timing and heat. I'd thought the steamed potatoes would be a snap but things ran a bit long and next thing I knew people were asking if something was burning. The steaming water had boiled away, leaving my tiny new potatoes well cooked but with a distinctively smoky flavor.

Perhaps it was thoughts of that smokiness that got me thinking about how to mix up my potato assignment just a bit. They had to be simple, of course, for the kids. But a sauce alongside would allow the more adventurous of us to have some fun. Leafing through Martha Stewart's New Classics I came across a recipe for roasted potatoes with Romesco sauce that sounded perfect: smoky and nutty with just a little bite. Also it didn't include the bread which is part of many recipes--something to keep in mind at Passover (and when feeding the gluten-free).

I made only a couple of changes. I used a kosher-for-Passover balsamic vinegar rather than sherry vinegar and even though I had the fresh mint called for in the recipe, I forgot to add it. Once I tasted the delicious sauce I didn't think mint would do anything positive for the overall flavor so I left it out.

The sauce was a huge hit. It perked up the simply roasted baby potatoes nicely. I can't wait to try it on grilled fish or chicken, alongside my basil aioli and a platter of grilled vegetables, and of course once Passover ends, spread on nice, crusty bread.

My version of the recipe is here. Let me know how you use it.

Pesach Brownies

The seders are over, but there's still plenty of time for Passover treats. Much as I adore it, even I can only eat so much matzoh crack (though I must say that this year's addition of coarse sea salt was brilliant).

I needed a quick dessert to share with friends last night and decided to look through a new cookbook I found the other day at the library: Jewish Holiday Cooking by Jayne Cohen. Its subtitle A Food Lover's Treasury of Classics and Improvisation pretty much says it all and I'm enjoying coming across the twists on classic dishes.

The Rich Fudge Brownies are lovely. Rather than a dense slab of heavy chocolate, these puff slightly in the oven and feel lighter than any Passover baked dish should. The cocoa flavor is deep and rich and the brown sugar provides a lovely moistness and depth of flavor but they aren't overpowering. I'll admit I'm not a huge brownie fan and I'm not sure these particular ones will make brownie lovers all that happy. But they worked for me. I guess we'll need to put these head to head with the Baked brownies to determine the new house champion.

You'll find the recipe here.

Back Home

Oh my! Did I really let the whole week fly by without writing?

What a grand vacation we had! Now that we're back in cold, rainy Portland it seems like ages ago that we visited the farmers market, ate bhel puri and visited the Hindi multiplex for a movie starring not one but two of my favorite heartthrobs, and visited both Golden Gate and Corona Heights parks in San Francisco. I took the photos below in The Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park, a lovely glass paned structure filled with all manner of exotic plants and intriguing foliage.

Even with all the activity, there was lots of time for cooking, eating, knitting, and catching up. With another visiting family, the house was full of kids but surprisingly calm. Our hosts were gracious and generous and saw to it that we had a fine vacation. The drive home was interminable and we arrived to chilly rain which is bothering more than it usually does. Bad news as it look like anything resembling pleasant weather is still weeks off. I'm having a hard time shaking off the vacation groove--re-entry is proving difficult--but I'm only hours away fomr a new term and Passover is fast approaching so it's time to get busy.

Food filled vacation and some tasty listening

I just got back into town after a lovely week away. The food was great, from asparagus fries to Oaxacan mole to a fabulous South Indian feast followed by heavenly cardamom rose ice cream. And those were just the meals eaten out! I had the good fortune to spend the week with two excellent cooks and together we ate all manner of delicious things from Hawaiian chicken to black bean soup. I visited a bustling Bay Area farmers market bursting with citrus fruits, strawberries, and all manner of produce that we can only dream of here in Oregon in March. And I made a return trip to a large Indian grocery where I stocked up on all manner of exotic provisions from lime pickle to Kashmiri chile powder. And my most exciting purchase? An idli steamer which will allow me to make these tasty dumplings in my own kitchen! More on that soon, I promise.

I haven't managed to make much more than green smoothies and toast since we returned late last night but I did want to alert my readers to something which I hope at least some of you will find interesting. My friend Liz is one of the hosts of The Yiddish Hour on our local community radio station. Most Sundays she plays a nice variety of music but tomorrow's show will be something different. Instead of music, she'll be looking at the intersection of food, sustainability, and Judaism. It should be a fascinating program for anyone interested in ethical food consumption. You can tune in to 90.7 fm (or stream live online) at 10 am on Sunday, March 29th or download the show at any point afterward here. This should be a fascinating program--I hope you'll tune in. More info on Liz's blog.

I've never thought of Redding, California as much more than a convenient stopping place along I-5. There's food, gas, and lodging, and not a whole lot else, or so I'd always beleived. Imagine our surprise when we discovered that Redding contains a design treasure in the form of The Sundial Bridge, designed by world famous architect Santiago Calatrava. We decided it was worth a visit this morning before heading south and we found a fascinating structure full of interesting angles and surfaces. It's a stunning cantilever foot bridge with cables running from a curved tower on one side. Its asymmetry makes for a surprisingly graceful structure which looked lovely spanning the river and provided lots of interesting photo possibilities.

The drive to San Jose was interminable, but thankfully uneventful. We are settling in and looking forward to the rest of the week.

Road Trip!

I'm writing from our luxurious wi-fi enabled room at the Super8 in Redding, California. We left cool and damp Portland early this morning but by the time we stopped for ice cream in Ashland the skies were nearly clear. Overall the trip has been quite enjoyable. We're enjoying listening to Bill Bryson's In a Sunburned Country. The boys have mostly kept their squabbling under control although at one point they were going at it and I pulled over a rest stop, got out, and simply refused to get back in the car until they promised to stop. It's a tactic I haven't had to use in ages, but it made the remaining 150 miles infinitely more pleasant.

We had a lovely dinner and then retired to our motel room where the boys were delighted to find The Princess Bride on cable TV. We're thinking about getting up early to explore this very unusual bridge before continuing our journey to San Jose where we will spend the week. It's such a treat to be able to spend this time with my kids and take a break from real life.

A Little Springtime Sewing

I'm packing up all the kids for a road trip in less than 48 hours. I have laundry, packing, cooking, and shopping ahead of me and what am I doing with less than 3 days to go?

Sewing, of course! Because it struck me the other day that I had everything I needed to make The Princess a little something special for our trip in the house. With the fabrics, thread, and elastic all on hand it kind of seemed like a sign that I was meant to make it right away. It's not every day that I dig through my stash and find a perfect fabric combination (a sea foam green linen and a pretty Japanese printed cotton) with enough yardage to make something happen.

The pattern is the Prairie Blouse from the book Seams to Me by Anna Maria Horner. This book is full of lovely projects featuring the author's fabric designs. There's lots of fun stuff which got me excited to sew but I don't love the directions. I freely admit that am not great at sewing and my brain is famously lacking in 3D reasoning, but there was still no reason for some of the inconsistency I found in the pattern directions, like showing a bias edged hem in the photo and mentioning a completely different hem in the directions. Very confusing, especially as the book is marketed for beginners or veterans.

It started off well enough but I had to put it in time out for a day and then have my friend Catherine come over and talk me through the binding at the neckline, but we got through it and I finished last night so there's still time to pack!

Gloating

Early in the term, at our fist faculty meeting, there was the usual complaining about low student attendance. For many of our students work comes before school which is understandable given the need to support themselves and often family back home. Low attendance has long been one of our greatest challenges. My supervisor suggested it was time to "get tough" and start kicking out students who missed too much class. I suggested we work more on positive reinforcement and the idea of The Great Pizza Race was born.

I told my students about it everyday, kept attendance records on view in the classroom, and made a chart showing class statistics. It was close for a while but we ended up winning the competition. Tonight we had a stack of pizzas delivered and we had a little party on our final review night. The students seemed to love it. I am just happy to see their progress when they improve their attendance.

Words I Never Thought I'd Hear

Today was notable in that it was the first of four sessions in which I get to be a parent-teacher in my daughter's Shabbat School class. When we were first looking at synagogues, one of the big draws for our homeschooling family was the elementary religious education program which was cooperatively taught by parents. How great, we thought, parents and children learning together.

After many different classes, teaching teams, and groups of kids over the last decade, my enthusiasm is somewhat dulled. As it turns out, it's not an easy thing to manage a class of 6 year olds, only a few of whom are genuinely interested in the content presented in our carefully crafted lessons while the others are clearly there against their will and would rather poke each other, and lounge apathetically under the tables. Today reinforced my career choice of working with teens and young adults. I bow to those who work with these kids all day long. I do not have that kind of stamina. Or patience. First grade teachers must be superhuman.

It occurred to me as I worked with these kids today that there were a couple who probably would be happier not in a classroom for the sixth day in a row. And I thought back to MonkeyBoy at six. He went to Shabbat School on Saturdays and mostly seemed to enjoy it and learn quite a bit. But he wasn't at school all week long. Watching these high energy, super physical kids I realized that my son would likely have been just like them had he been trapped all week long.

It just so happened that MonkeyBoy came along today. He'd been hired to do child care during some concurrent programming for parents, but none of the folks who'd requested child care ended up bringing their kids. Since he was bumming around with nothing to do I encouraged him to join the first grade class and help out which he willingly did. He was as overwhelmed by the energy level as I was but he jumped in to assist as needed.

When we left, we started talking about the class. On his own, he suggested that maybe there were kids who just shouldn't be in a classroom until they mature a bit. It was then that I heard the words every parent longs for: I think you did everything just right, Mom. He's pretty sure that he'll be ready to start school as a freshman next fall but that it's too bad more kids can't be home until they're ready for school.

MonkeyBoy has been crabby and critical lately, especially with me, so I nearly keeled over with shock when I heard the words I didn't expect for decades.

Fish again?

As I've mentioned here before, I'm mostly vegetarian. Cooking meat or fish always makes me a little nervous and I think I drive the guys behind the counter crazy on those rare occasions when I peer into the glass cases hesitantly, fumbling around for a coherent request. "Uh....yeah....I need some salmon? For a few people?" Most women of my age are quite competent with such requests and I still dither around like a 20 year old living away from home for the first time.

And for years it didn't matter. I had no need for flesh of any kind. But as my body has changed I have found that it rather likes the quick blast of protein a little meat or fish provides. I have been steadily working to increase my repertoire beyond fish on the grill and beef brisket, not that there's anything in the world wrong with either of these. When I was recently given a stack of old food magazines I came across a recipe for coconut crusted salmon with tamarind sauce that I've now made twice, and it's been a hit both times.

The recipe includes many of the flavors I love: earthy turmeric, tangy tamarind, and sweet coconut. It's got a lovely crunch from the panko and coconut crust, and the accompanying sauce provides lots of lively flavors. I served it along with saffron rice and a multicolored cole slaw (made by my youngest using a recipe from Mollie Katzen's Salad People) for a perfectly balanced meal. The fish is quite simple to make and comes together quickly, providing me with at least one fish recipe I can cook with confidence.

I typed up the recipe and posted it here before realizing that the whole thing is available at the Cooking Light website.

added later: I managed to get the turmeric stains out of a favorite shirt after the usual stain removers failed. The key seems to be to dab the stains with lemon juice and then leave the soiled garment in the sun for a few hours. Good as new! You can avoid this whole process by wearing an apron.

Tuna Corks

There are lots of delicious looking recipes in A Homemade Life. I'm not sure what it was about these that intrigued me other than being made of things I generally have on hand (and let's not underestimate that appeal). The fact that anyone could write rhapsodically about humble tuna caught my attention and this was among the first recipes I tried. They're kind of funny looking: short, squat, and oddly pink. Despite this my kids gamely tried them (I think they were really hungry). The result--"not too bad" which would be high praise from anyone else. I rather liked them, too. They're easy enough to make, not as fishy as they sound, and provide a solid blast of protein should your meal be lacking. Also--as highbrow as the name bouchons de thon may sound, we got a kick out of the English translation: tuna corks. How great is that?

You'll find the recipe here. Let me know if you're brave enough to try them and what you thought.

How to Avoid The Dirty Dozen

I don't know about you, but much as I try, I can't always buy organic produce. Sometimes it's about availability and sometimes, quite honestly, it's about price. I suspect the latter is increasingly becoming a consideration for food shoppers as jobs disappear, savings dwindle, and the economy tanks.

We're trying something new this year. Despite famously picky children, we took the plunge and signed up for a share in the Winter Green Farm CSA which will provide us with a box of seasonal produce each week of the growing season. Our weekly shares won't begin arriving until May, but we are looking forward to lots of fresh, locally grown organic goodies. Until those boxes arrive, however, we'll be shopping at the grocery store and early season farmers markets which provide varying amounts of organic produce.

When I can't buy all organic, it helps to know where to put my money. Thanks to the good folks at The Environmental Working Group, those decisions aren't too tough. They just put out the fifth edition of The Shopper's Guide to Pesticides, which I find fascinating reading. There's even a handy dandy wallet sized pdf version you can download and take along to the market.

I was surprised to see that the item with the highest pesticide load was peaches. Peach season feels a thousand years away, but you can bet that I'll only be buying organic when the time comes.

Right Now

Right now it's snowing like mad outside. I couldn't tell you why--it's mid March, all my shrubs are in bud, it feels like the whole world is holding its breath and waiting for spring when out of nowhere, winter returns, cold and wet, with giant sloppy flakes. In December this would thrill me but in March? Enough already!

It's not so bad. It's warm and quiet because the non-schooled kids are still in bed. I'm baking for Purim and my kitchen smells of orange and vanilla. I just opened another bag of my favorite coffee which I am enjoying in my favorite mug. Things could be worse.

My big orange cat just ran up the walk, covered in white. He flew in and immediately curled up in the chair in front of the fireplace. There's no fire burning but maybe I should light one. Our last fire of the season, perhaps? A fitting goodbye to winter.

Holiday Baking

I just went and looked up the post I wrote two years ago about making hamantashen for Purim and--horrors!--the dough recipe had disappeared! This is the best hamantashen dough ever as far as I'm concerned: moist, easy to work, and full of orange which enhances every filling I've ever used from classsics like poppyseed and apricot to the more modern chocolate and hazelnut. Most hamantashen dough is dry and crumbly and, in my opinion, just not all that appetizing.

I hunted around for a while and found the recipe living elsewhere and have updated the link so go get started with your baking. Even if you aren't Jewish, it's hard to beat the taste of a lovely, homemade hamantashen.

A Treat

Hello? Anyone out there? Probably not. Probably you're all reading regularly updated food blogs by fabulous writers. Blogs like Orangette, one of my very favorites. Molly Wizenberg's blog was the first food blog I read regularly and one of the strongest inspirations for starting a food blog of my own. I love the way she weaves food and loved ones together so seamlessly.

Her new book A Homemade Life was just published and I got an opportunity to hear her read last night at Powell's. What a treat! The chapter she read was all about her father but her details could have described my own father with a few tiny tweaks: basil for dill, ugly cat lamp for hideous wild boar statue. I loved listening to her explain how food pulled her away from academia and into a life where she could focus on her passion.

It occurred to me as I was listening that one thing I never hear about from the food bloggers I so enjoy reading is kids. Do any of you know who is writing about how they manage to satisfy a houseful of diverse appetites? If I only had myself (and other adults) to cook for and my own tastes to pursue, I can assure this blog would be a happening place full of fresh veggies, stinky cheeses, and wild experiments from all over the globe. When I started this blog I was trying to answer very simple questions about how to nourish myself and my family and how to keep appetites alive. Those questions are still with me and I hope to keep trying to find the answersand writing about it here.

Proof

I am mother to two teen boys but recently seem to have acquired a third. The Dark Lord's best buddy B comes over nearly every day after school. But he always calls me first to ask it it's OK, which I love.

My boys give me a lot of one syllable grunts passing as language these days, and it's hard to get a smile out of them. Not cool at all, apparently. But today I caught proof that teenaged boys are indeed capable of the same sweet, open smiles we loved when they were little.

I can't look at this without smiling myself.

Finished!

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know this was the huge crazy project I started back in July. Using instructions from The Alabama Stitch Book, I worked for months, made a few mistakes, worked a whole lot more, and finally wrapped everything up today. I dyed many yards of fabric before settling on these colors, stenciled each outer panel, stitched the inner and outer panels together (by far the most time consuming part), cut away parts of the outer panels, seamed everything together (twice!), took the seams in to improve the fit and finally added the waistband this afternoon. The waistband is the only part of this entire thing which wasn't done by hand though I ran the sewing machine so that's still me doing the work so it absolutely counts.

I modified the pattern slightly since I'm considerably curvier than your average model. I made this work by making the skirt out of five, rather than four, panels. This seemed like a brilliant idea until I finally got to the trying on phase where I realized that I'm not actually an entire panel wider than the skirt in the book. I spent some time taking in seams and then the elastic pulled it in the rest of the way so that it fits!

I am so delighted to have this skirt finished, and to be able to wear something I made entirely myself, from dyeing the fabric to every one of the thousands and thousands of applique stitches. I may be crazy, but I'm a well dressed crazy, thanks very much.

Next up? I might try my hand at embroidering some Indian style blouses. Or sew some clothes for my daughter. Or start a new pair of socks. Ideas?

My Tiniest Artist

The Princess recently got involved in an artist trading card swap for kids through the Wise Craft blog. She'll be sending out six of her lovely creations and hopefully getting the same number in return from kids as far away as Australia. I love the cards she made. Note the awesome sailboat noses on the portraits! And clearly she's got her mama's love of shiny things and collage.

And in other artist offspring news, it seems The Dark Lord has been asked to contribute something to regional show for high school artists later this year.

Sick Day

Miraculously, it's not me. But The Princess has another of her crazy fever/stomach episodes going on. Last night she slept all evening then woke up complaining that her stomach hurt. I tucked her in bed with me, along with towels and a big bowl, just in case. Every time her breathing changed or she moved a foot I popped awake, reaching for the bowl and fearing the worst. Happily, there was no drama, but I slept poorly nonetheless. We both woke up late, moved to the couch, snuggled in with blankets, drinks, and projects and almost never left all day. I even took the night off so I could stay home with her.

She was thrilled to have not one but two cats snuggling with her. I'm sure that will speed her recovery.

The End is Near

Not the end of the world, just the end of my yes-thank-you-very much-I-am-crazy-project--the reverse applique swing skirt from The Alabama Stitch Book.

A few more seams and some fold-over elastic and this skirt will be done and ready to wear in sunny (it had better be sunny) California next month. I suppose that if a person worked consistently on this and no other projects it would only take a month or so but I've been dragging this out since July. The closer I get to the end, the more I love it.

The Other Portland

A number of years ago when we were finally ready to buy our own home, it quickly became clear that we'd never be able to buy in any of the cool, quirky neighborhoods where we'd rented. Inner Southeast, where we rented three different places, was lovely. The neighborhoods had everything a person could need in easy walking distance but the home prices had been insane for years and only someone who'd been there forever or who had buckets of cash could think about buying there. Our last rental was a tiny little house on the cusp of the Concordia and Cully neighborhoods. Walk east and you hit an area of stately old homes and rapidly escalating prices. Walk east and you had huge lots, no sidewalks, but, again, rapidly escalating prices for houses which ranged from old and lovely to appalling 1970's atrocities, complete with bubble windows.

When we were ready to buy, The Spouse worked 2 doors down and I was teaching all of 4 blocks away from our rental house. Obviously we didn't want to move far, but as we quickly learned, a house that would hold all of us in a condition the banks would accept couldn't easily be found nearby. Portland is a city full of groovy, cool, and very hip neighborhoods and it quickly became clear that we wouldn't be living in any of them. We made the very un-cool choice of looking to the east. We learned that home prices dropped $20-30,000 just east of the I-205 freeway and that there were in fact lovely homes to be had in Parkrose. Our neighborhood is far from hip but it turned out to be one of the few places relatively close to our places of work where we could get a decent-sized house. And a lovely home it is.

But--there's almost nothing here. A great fabric store, a wonderful hardware store, and a good-sized Vietnamese market but no regular grocery, no restaurants I'd eat in and, saddest of all, not one decent coffee shop. There's a little coffee place attached to a huge church/motel complex down the road but I haven't visited because I just don't need Jesus with my coffee, thanks.

Our neighborhood is poorly lit with no sidewalks. People drive their kids just a few blocks to school because parents understandably don't want them killed walking on the streets. No bike paths, almost no parks, really very little that would cause you to get out of your car and meet your neighbors. The only reason I know anyone around here is due to conversations about my wandering cat.

But, ever so slowly, it seems that things are starting to happen. Graduate students from Portland State University's urban planning department began a conversation on neighborhood improvement here a couple of years ago though, honestly, I'm not sure where that's gone. Last spring a farmers market opened up, operating every Saturday May through October in the high school parking lot. This isn't your typical Portland market brimming with organic produce, fine coffee, and artisan breads and cheeses. In fact, the coffee is truly awful but since the concession belongs to the family that worked so hard to get the market up and running, I say let them have it (even though I just can't drink the stuff). The produce is local if not organic, and it's lovely to see my neighbors out in full force on market day.

And now it seems that perhaps City Hall is finally willing to concede that we are, in fact, part of the city. Not only a part, but possibly the most diverse and dynamic part, according to a recent Oregonian article which claims:

The area, with a population of more than 125,000, is growing twice as fast as the city in general. In the last decade, nearly half of all single-family housing and one-third of the apartment units built in the city have gone up here. And residents have complained about the low quality of much of the development.

The area also is becoming more racially diverse at a faster rate than the city as a whole, and low-income families are swelling the schools.

The article further details the Portland City Council's newly adopted East Portland Action Plan which addresses details relating to development including:

parks, public safety and transportation in eastside neighborhoods. It calls for more sidewalks, street lighting and storefront improvements, for example.

Sidewalks, which most of Portland takes for granted, would be a huge improvement. Maybe then I'd meet more of my neighbors on my morning walks, rather than watch them drive by in their cars.

Bike Date

After all the fun I had riding on the back of Lynn's bike yesterday I realized it was time to haul out my own and get riding again. There are lots of stories I tell myself about why I don't ride more often. These have to do with time and energy and my neighborhood (where the only way out is up). There's some truth to each of these but there's more, too. I really can only ride on the weekend because someone needs to stay with The Princess. And if I go for a ride when The Spouse is home then that takes away from the very limited time I have with him. So today I woke up and pestered him until he agreed to go with me and then got the boys to agree to watch their sister. It took some work, but I'm a champion nag and eventually I won.

He rode The Dark Lord's bike which isn't a bad fit now the the son is as tall as the father. He immediately began complaining about the seat but I just kept on pedaling. We went first to the library and then decided to ride further for a coffee. By the time we got near our coffee destination we were starving and changed plans in order to get a proper lunch. We sat outside, chilly and hungry and very happy. Well, I was happy. My husband was still grumbling but he tried to be cheery. Given that his idea of a perfect morning is more likely to involve a newspaper and a cozy house than a bicycle and helmet I think he was rather a good sport. I couldn't get over how cool it was that we'd taken our first ever bike ride together in nearly 20 years of marriage. I know, I know, kind of ridiculous, isn't it?

Our return ride was right into the east wind and not ideal, especially when there was nothing to do but ride in traffic. I wish there were more low traffic roads out of our neighborhood, but an interstate freeway and a rather large chunk of rock force us to use the higher traffic roads for part of nearly any ride. I don't much like sharing the road with speeding cars but my poor husband was quite worried. Eventually the shoulder widened out as we approached home and we arrived tired but quite pleased with ourselves.

When I asked if he was glad I made him go out with me he insisted I didn't make him do anything-- it was his choice. Fair enough--I hope it's a choice he makes often in the near future. because I can't think of a whole lot that's more fund than a cycling date with my sweetie.

Lemonade

Not long ago, through the marvel that is Facebook, an old friend looked me up out of the blue. D was my first parenting buddy. We met a million years ago at a new mom's group when our now-15 year olds were tiny little babies. We didn't hit it off with many of the other moms--some of whom had clearly been driven a little bonkers by those post-partum hormones--so we mostly just hung out together. Given all the things that need to be done every day it amazes me to look back on that first baby time when all we had to do was nurse, change diapers, eat, nurse some more, and talk, talk, talk! D was the reason I never suffered any of that new mama isolation, and she really helped me build confidence as I muddled through with my new baby.

Eventually we lost touch. She moved north, we moved south, and somehow things got crazy. I often wondered how here family was doing but never really made the effort to find her, so I was more than touched when she looked me up. Since we've been back in touch I've been thinking back to 15 years ago and I feel like I've reclaimed some of those long lost new mom days. Of course I was delighted when she proposed a visit to Portland and I made great plans for all the things we could do while she was here this weekend.

I haven't seen D in a decade or so, but I was still crushed when she informed me that some kind of crud had gotten to her and her son and she'd be postponing the visit. I'd even set up a fun afternoon for The Princess so D and I could visit the sauna today! Never one to let free child care go to waste, I planned to sent The Princess anyway and go steam and sweat on my own but as it turned out, Lynn wanted to join me. Not only that, she wanted me to ride on the back of her bike!

I can't even tell you how fun this was. I felt like a little kid as I perched on the Xtracycle while we whizzed down the street. Lynn (and her Stoke Monkey) did all the work--there was nothing for me to do but grin and enjoy the sunshine. I really, really wished I'd had my camera with me, but otherwise our little excursion was the best. We rode all the way down to the river and back up the hill on a spectacularly gorgeous day.

The best part? Only a couple of years ago my dear friend Lynn had some very serious medical stuff going on. Very serious. Never in a million years did I think she'd be carrying me around town on the back of a bike! She keeps getting stronger and healthier. She makes me look like a slug and nothing could make me happier.

So it turned out to be the best day ever. I know I'll get to hang out with D soon, and that will be wonderful as well. But I am delighted that things turned out so well today. To top it off, D got me going with Skype and we managed to have a hilarious video chat which, while not a real visit, was a good preview.

Progress

I had a great visit with my doctor this morning to go over all the lab results that have come in since my dental cleanup and chelation therapy. I think it's all been worthwhile and not some expensive crackpot hippie doctor whim. I say this because as I sat in the dentist's chair for hours, hemorrhaging money all the while, it occurred to me that maybe this was all a crackpot hippie doctor whim. What do my teeth have to do with my thyroid? Mercury? What?

But lab results seem to indicate that my $5000 worth of dental work is in fact helping me get better. The antibodies that cause the autoimmune response in my body have decreased dramatically since I first began getting my teeth repaired last spring. Once those antibodies are in the normal range, my thyroid will no longer be under attack and causing my body to run at high speed. At that point I will be officially in remission from Grave's Disease. I honestly never thought the day would come but under the guidance of my most excellent doctor, I think it's a very real possibility and not so far off.

Two and a half years ago when I got word that I had a chronic autoimmune disease, things really fell apart for me in the sense that I felt like a powerless victim beginning the long slide towards the grave at just 41 years old. The doctor I had at the time did nothing to dispel my fears, and in fact seemed to exacerbate them as much as possible in an attempt to create a weird sort of dependence. This lady head serious control issues, and I am so grateful that I was able to walk away from her and find a doctor who was truly interested in my health. I feel so lucky to have a solid, respectful relationship with my current doctor who really feels like a partner in managing this stupid disease. Also she prescribes sauna visits. That's crackpot hippie doctor advice I can live with!

I'm not out of the woods yet, and there's more chelation and dietary tweaking in my future, but I am amazed at how empowering it is to know that I do have at least some control over my health. The food I eat and the choices I make really do make a difference, and I've managed to get healthier without the lifelong complications of the mainstream therapies.

Photo Talk

My groovy new tripod is already getting a workout. I think the first thing they always recommend for taking better pictures is use a tripod. I get it now.

In other related news, I made the sad discovery that my old version of Photoshop won't install on my new Vista computer. Damn. But really it's OK because the only thing I ever figured out how to do in Photoshop was remove blemishes. I know it does plenty more but nothing I ever seemed to need.

I've used Picasa for years as a photo organizer and a lightweight editor. It's a great (free!) program and every new release has had truly useful improvements. I especially like the current version's photo collage features. I haven't found anything better for organizing and tagging my zillions of photos. But what Picasa doesn't do is resize things. Since I like to shoot my photos in maximum quality, I often need to make them smaller to get them up on the web, including here on the blog. Photoshop does this, along with 50,000 other things, but since it wouldn't install on my new computer, I was stuck.

I googled free Photoshop alternatives and came across my new love, Photoscape. It does everything I ever needed Photoshop to do, but much more intuitively. I actually have a better understanding of what I'm doing when I adjust my photos, rather than just clicking buttons and hoping for the best. And I whipped out a new blog header in a snap, so if you're reading me in an RSS reader, please hop over to the blog and see what you think. I am absolutely delighted with this find and wanted to share it with you.

Thanks to Colin for the lovely lilies!

Loved

I had great plans to make a complex and spectacular meal for my one and only this Valentine's Day but we found out mid-week that that wouldn't be possible. I have his permission to tell the world that, due to some digestive issues, the doc put him on a 3 day cleansing regimen during which he's not allowed to consume anything other than fruits and vegetables. No protein, grains, dairy, sugar, oils, or seasonings apart from lemon juice. So that planned complex meal followed by homemade chocolate truffles went by the wayside when it became clear that he'd have other priorities this weekend.

Happily I came across a Valentine project that I felt would perfectly convey my loving sentiments this year, thanks to the folks at Sublime Stitching. I think I know my husband well enough to know what would make him laugh, but embroidered intestines are not your average Valentine's gift so I decided something a little less weird might be in order as well. A recent Soule Mama post led me to a dead-simple tutorial for making a simple journal using my own photo for the cover. I take a lot of photos but The Spouse is always complaining because I rarely print his favorites so this seemed a good project, using a 5x7 print of a photo I took when we were out and about on his birthday last spring. I chose not to use the recommended PVA glue after being informed that it was highly toxic and found Golden gel medium to be a good, strong, flexible substitute. I do wish I had a proper paper cutter, though, as the hardest part of this project was trimming the paper to size. I can see making lots more of these in time.

He can't eat chocolate right now, but my sweetie sure knows how to pick it. I was treated to variety of tasty chocolate treats as well as a beautiful hand drawn poppy card from the man I love. The dark choclate covered orange peel is heavenly and I can't wait to try the sea salt chocolate and the different varieties included it the Mini Pyramide des Tropiques. Also I learned that my sweet daughter slaved away for her father to earn some money to buy me the small flexible tripod I've had my eye on. What a kid! I was so touched by her thoughtfulness and am looking forward to sharper pictures.

I hope it's been a day full of loved ones and sweet surprises for all of you as well.

Weird

I just noticed that I had exactly the same number of blog posts in 2008 as in 2007. Exactly! What are the odds of that?

Aaarrrgh!!!

One of the things I hate more than anything is standardized testing. The state of Oregon loves to put my students through a few horrific rounds of this every year. The tests have always been way too challenging for my students but at least we used to test on paper and I'd work one on one with students to elicit spoken responses which allowed me to be as gentle and encouraging as possible with them.

But no more. Now all these tests are computerized. My students have very little computer experience so doesn't it make perfect sense to test them using an unfamiliar medium? Why, keeping them confused and anxious is certain to elicit their best responses, right? But it gets worse. Tonight as I gave my students their annual English Language Proficiency Assessment (the dreaded ELPA) one after another got trapped by error messages, forcing us to log them in repeatedly, move them from one computer to another, and interrupting any possible semblance of concentration they might have had. I keep trying to explain that it's not their fault and they've done nothing wrong but how am I supposed to convey that in, say, in Burmese?

Why do we do this again? I think I'm supposed to be proving something, but I'm not sure what. The test is way too difficult for my students, I've lost an entire day of instruction, and subjected my students no end of frustration and doubt. But thank God we're in compliance with the state.

Fidelity

Not only did California vote to ban gay marriage in November, now 18,000 legal marriages performed before the election are in danger of being nullified, thanks to Ken Starr. How can this be?

Courage Campaign has put out this powerful video featuring Regina Spektor's Fidelity (which just happens to be in constant rotation in this house) and I encourage you to watch it, talk about it, act on it, and share it with anyone you know who's concerned with justice and equal rights.


"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

As Americans who believe in the rule of law and fundamental civil rights, we know that Ken Starr and the Prop 8 Legal Defense Fund's shameful attempt to nullify these unions will not be vindicated in the eyes of history. We know that, ultimately, love will prevail, no matter how hard they try to fight it.--Courage Campaign

Deslumpifying

Maybe all I needed to do was kvetch a bit. Things looks better already.

Many of you suggested that I just do something and so I did. I started small, just a batch of granola, but that simple act seemed to adjust my attitude.

It didn't hurt that I arranged for a massage at my beloved sauna place. I'd been hesitant to do so because honestly I couldn't imagine driving home after such an experience. Instead took the bus and arranged for The Spouse to pick me up.

It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny, so I decided to skip the bus transfer and walk the last almost 2 miles down a street I've driven hundreds of time but never walked. I had my camera along (I can't take the photos if I don't carry the camera) and the walk was full of delightful surprises.

The massage was just what my aching back needed and the sauna was an added plus. I really did feel like a new person when I skipped out of there and met my husband for a late lunch (I was so ravenous I didn't even mind mediocre burritos and tasteless salsa) and a stroll through my favorite art supply store. I spent the evening playing with my new paints and papers and had a grand time so I'm thinking maybe the slump is passing.

I want to thank everyone who took the time to share thoughts about getting out of this rut. Of course I know everyone goes through this, but it's good to know I'm not alone.

Slump

It's been a while, hasn't it?

I don't think I've ever posted so rarely since I started the blog. I don't have much to say, but today a friend encouraged me to say something anyway.

Shall I tell you about my slump? (This is your opportunity to move on to the next new post in your RSS reader. This won't be pretty.)

I look over my yarn, itching to start something, and then unable to focus on a plan. I get out my camera and realize with every picture I want to take that I already took that picture this time last year. I pick up the current panel on my skirt with every intention of finally reaching completion, but somehow I set it down and it languishes for days, still weeks from being finished. I try to help MonkeyBoy up the ante on his schoolwork in preparation for entering high school next year but I find that we butt heads over the same issues and he makes no noticeable progress. Every day I think I am going to get back into my exercise groove but I have no stamina and end up exhausted and annoyed with myself for my weakness. I've been concocting elaborate Valentine's surprises for my loved ones in my head but have done exactly nothing.

I feel drained, depleted, and completely lacking in inspiration.

So tell me, Dear Readers, how do you handle a slump? What gets you past it? What keeps you from falling in up to your neck?

An old photo and a new project.

A Wednesday

I haven't been writing much as I seem to be right in the middle of a whole lot of nothing. Today was Wednesday, the most ordinary of days, only it was actually quite remarkable in a number of small ways.

I still make a weekly trip across town to teach knitting to residents of a low income apartment complex. When I started I worked primarily with Somali Bantu students. My ESL teacher communication super powers were stretched pretty thin with this group as their English skills barely surpassed my knowledge of Maay Maay (which consists of exactly one word) but I enjoyed both the challenge of trying to teach these women and the feeling of being the foreigner as the Somali ladies yakked it up.

As time went on, many of these women found work or moved away. Some just came to me for yarn and crochet hooks. And gradually the population changed. A bunch of Burmese families moved in and I enjoyed working with a number of these women. Again, work has taken many of them away from our regular meeting time.

Recently a similar housing complex has been built across the street from Kateri Park. More of these residents are American born and those with the time to come knit are predominantly women on disability for various reasons. I had a great one-on-one session with an African American grandmother the day after Obama's inauguration. Interesting conversation, including the observation that it was a fine to have him in The White House and all but Michelle's the one who's really Black--isn't that something?

I've written before about Bella and Cheryl (not their real names). Bella hasn't come the last few weeks but Cheryl, bless her heart, just keeps coming back. Both these ladies are pretty heavily medicated which really messes with their cognitive abilities along with their motor skills. I haven't been able to make much progress with Cheryl because very little is retained from one knitting session to the next. But her mom was a master knitter and she really, really wants to learn so I keep trying different approaches, different explanations, anything to make in-around-back-off stick in her head and transfer to her hands. I was trying to explain something more complex to one of the other women and Cheryl kept interrupting, asking for more attention. I found myself thinking, with some irritation, about how my 6 year old daughter gets knitting, what's the big deal? After about the 10th explanation of the day while my frustration grew she put her hand on my forearm, looked at me with wonder, and asked, "how can you have so much patience?".

The thing is, I don't. I am possibly one of the least patient people in the world. Ask my kids. Ask my students. I know this about myself, and yet when Cheryl made her comment, it was as if my well of patience magically just filled right back up. Because it finally hit me. What was my impatience when matched against her challenges? This woman is so brave to come back, week after week, to struggle to get through one lousy row of knitting. The least I can do to honor her courage is to try to teach her in-around-back-off as many times and as many ways at takes.

Ding Dong the Witch is Dead

After waking up to today's local headlines, I was not in a place to get all worked up about the inauguration. I listened to bits and pieces on the radio and nothing really got to me until they said that Bush had gotten in his helicopter and flown away. It's over! Eight years of madness is over!

And this is what I can't get out of my head today:

Fruity Oat Bars

Lest my readers think that it's all chocolate and caramel and butter around here, I offer you an old favorite, highly modified from the original which, I think, came from Quaker Oats. This is a dense, sturdy bar studded with goodies like dried cherries and almonds. Kind of a homemade granola bar only softer and full of flavor.

My version has less sugar and more nutrition than the original recipe and had proven to be a welcome addition to any expedition as they travel well and pretty much can't go stale. The recipe is flexible so you can make changes depending on your tastes, your whims, or your pantry.

Especially after the recent super-indulgent cake, these bars were just the wholesome sort of thing to tuck into my tote bag for a day trip with a friend yesterday. They were very welcome when we left out destination absolutely ravenous. I think you'll like them. The recipe is here.

Heavenly Overload

Last month I wrote about how the weather dashed plans to make a day trip to Tacoma to visit the famous Korean spa. I'm on doctor's orders to sauna regularly (love my doc!) so the change in plans forced me to sweat locally and necessity led me to Loyly, a sweet and simple bit of heaven in SE Portland. I confess to now being utterly and hopelessly hooked on the sauna and curious about how other facilities handle the experience.

We made a second plan to visit Tacoma earlier this month when, wouldn't you know, the freeway was submerged under 10 feet of water. After canceling that expedition I wasn't to keen to plan a third. After snow, ice, and floods, what could be next? An earthquake? Tornado? I considered stocking up on bottled water before making plans yet again.

Saturday was as lovely day as one could dream of in January and my friend arrived early to pick me up. We chatted and laughed for two hours straight before heading off the freeway just south of Tacoma where we entered another world. Suddenly Korean replaced English on all the signs. We located the spa in a most unassuming strip mall next to what I think was a flooring shop.

Upon entrance we were handed towels, a thin cotton robes (think hospital gown) and funky pink striped bonnets (think hair net). The robes weren't required but the bonnets were and they acted as a great equalizer. It's hard to feel squeamish about being nude in front of strangers when everyone, regardless of shape, size, or color, looks like a naked lunch lady. It's kind of hilarious, really.

I have no idea about fancy-schmancy spas but this place was a perfect combination of utility and pleasure. It was easy to spend hours there as the choices were nearly infinite. After a a cleansing shower one enters the hydrotherapy room which has hot tubs ranging in temperature from 90 to 110 degrees and a chilly pool for plunging. There's also a big tub full of mugwort infusion--people would wander over and pour dippers full over their bodies at varying intervals. I have no idea what the stuff is for, but I did lots of dipping and pouring for the fun of it. After relaxing in the hot pools, I made numerous visits to the dry sauna and steam room, both of which were lovely.

There's a tiny restaurant--more of an indoor lunch cart, really. I'm sure they do a booming business because one thing I have learned is that sauna makes me ravenous. We had yakisoba noodles accompanied by tiny dishes of condiments and the meal really hit the spot.

After lunch we explored the dry side of the spa. I was delighted to find that the marble floors were heated, just like at my grandmother's house. There were women sprawled all over, reading and napping on the warm floors. There are three "earth energy" rooms as well, with heated floors and various stones and charcoal on the walls. Again, no idea what this was all about, but it was all reputed to be beneficial and it was certainly relaxing.

We originally planned this trip the week of my huge dental appointment when I had all my mercury amalgam fillings removed and I'd thought I would try out a detox body wrap. A month later I'm not sure how much benefit there might be, but I went ahead with it. Maybe I should have given it more thought. I was covered in goop, wrapped like a burrito, and left to stew for an hour or so with Billie Holiday singing in the background. Kind of weird and kind of claustrophobic but I really tried not to dwell on that seeing as I was straitjacketed alone in a room and if I wigged out, who'd know?

I confess I was relived when that part ended and I could get back to what I loved: soaking and sweating. Eventually, though, I reached a point when I knew I was done. I never felt cleaner in my life. Or hungrier. We found a nice Indian restaurant, had a lovely meal, and drove home completely and utterly relaxed.

I am somewhat surprised to discover how much I like this kind of experience. I don't think of myself as a "spa" kind of person. But the health benefits of sweating in sauna and steam are undeniable and I love how clean I feel afterward. But there's also something incredibly valuable about taking the time to step away from the daily responsibilities and let all that go. I worried a lot about being naked in front of strangers before I started this and it's funny how that just doesn't bother me anymore. Everyone has body issues of one sort or another but I'm finding that shedding those along with my clothes is incredibly healthy and invigorating.

Sweet and Salty

I mentioned in my last post that the book Baked: New Frontiers in Baking had a few things I was eager to try. Today I found myself with enough time to try the Sweet and Salty Cake, a three layer production which took most of the afternoon to complete, in addition to this morning's trip to The Meadow for fancy-schmancy fleur de sel. Given that the saltiness is a big part of the flavor I figured my standby salt (Diamond Kosher) was maybe not the best choice. I can make my way through any number of exotic supermarkets with confidence but this place with its Wall of Salt was just a wee bit intimidating, especially with a couple of slightly rambunctious kids in tow. The salesperson was quite helpful and talked me into buying a tiny, precious jar of very expensive salt which smells faintly of old basement. That and some wildly expensive chocolate set me back more cash than I'd care to admit, but the salt proved to be perfect in this case. I had my doubts but it turned out well, holding its crystalline shape atop the cake and providing tiny salt explosions within the creamy ganache.
What intrigued me about this cake was the use of salted caramel between the layers and as a component of the ganache frosting. While I love chocolate as much as anyone, caramel is my real weakness. Luckily with this cake there's plenty of both. Much as I love it, I haven't made caramel in ages because prior attempts were both stressful and unsatisfying. I think my so called candy thermometer may have had something to do with it. The Baked boys said to cook the caramel until the thermometer read 350 degrees but my first batch was a blackened, smoky mess at about 310 degrees. Once I got that cleaned up, I decided to skip the thermometer altogether, watch carefully, and remove the caramel from the heat the second the first bit of smoke appeared and this was a good call. The resulting caramel was absolutely perfect and I had a hard time keeping my fingers out of it. I can't wait to dive in to it after Shabbat dinner.
Later: Wow. That's a crazy-good, super-rich, over-the top cake. It's the kind of cake you'd make for a something huge: a graduation or a wedding. Even though I spent all afternoon making the thing I didn't quite feel I'd earned the right to eat it. I only used about 2/3 of the caramel ganache frosting and even so it was wildly decadent. And really, really good. When you need a showstopper cake, I'd highly recommend this one.

You'll find the recipe here. I'd love to hear what you think. I notice I haven't had a comment since November. Sometimes it feels like I'm talking to myself here. I know you're out there, people. Why don't you pop in to the comments and say "hi"? I'd love to know who's reading.

Never Forget Me

By way of Poppalina, I offer you this charming video which I think should be mandatory in every 9th grade health class.



At 7 minutes long it covers the subject quite thoroughly.

Sunny Day

Hi everyone! It's been a while, hasn't it? We've been getting back into gear here at Casa Magpie after a lengthy, snowbound winter break.

We'll remember the snow (and hope for more, ideally on a school day) but lately it's like early spring here in Portland. We always have a week or two like this and the garden centers love them because everyone gets all excited and goes out to buy plant starts which mostly rot in the ground once winter returns. Fake spring usually comes in February, so this is a bit odd, especially coming on the heels of ice, snow, huge rains, and floods reminiscent of Genesis.

It's almost warm and the sun is brilliant in the low-in-the-sky wintry way. We joined friends on an outing yesterday which I know we'll mostly remember for getting just a bit lost and the slog through cold, muddy, calf-deep water which finally got us back to our starting point. The kids thought it was great fun!

But in and around the adventure, there was a lot to look at, too.

Baked Brownies

Hello Readers! I'm still here, but with winter term just getting under way there hasn't been a whole lot of adventure in my kitchen.

I'd hoped to write about almond cardamom stars. I found the recipe in a back issue of Cooking Light which is not a publication I generally read. But I was offered a stack of used cooking magazines recently and took the lot. Almond paste and cardamom together in a cookie sounded lovely and the dough smelled heavenly. It even rolled out easily and cut with no problem--maybe that should have made me suspicious. Because the texture of these were awful, like dense cardboard, chewy and tough when I wanted them to be buttery and light. Oh, they were eaten, because the flavor was delightful, but I am going to have to import that heavenly combination to a more edible cookie. I'll keep you posted.

It's nice to be able to balance out our culinary failures with a huge, flamboyant triumph and thus I am offering you the Baked brownie. I generally find brownies underwhelming. Usually they are dry, crumbly, with only a hint of dusty chocolate. The opposite, of course, is the goopy frosted monster, sweet enough to make my teeth ache and leaving me feeling slightly nauseous and full of regret after the smallest piece. Brownies are either something my kids whip up because they aren't too difficult and my expectations are low, or they're an extra dessert during Passover because I've suddenly realized the seder menu is deficient. Passover brownies are generally better than regular brownies though I have no idea why. The lack of leavening maybe?

Anyhow, on a recent evening I was neither preparing for work or preparing dinner as we'd planned to eat here. This left me with a quiet bit of time to drink a cup of coffee and leaf through a new library find. Baked: New Frontiers in Baking is full of all kinds of enticing sweets although they almost lost me with their use of white chocolate (which is, in my mind, not chocolate at all and just, I don't know, icky) and the the thought of root beer bundt cake actually made me a bit ill. But paging through the crazy stuff, I found a few gems. I can't wait to make the Sweet and Salty cake which combines deep chocolate flavors with salted caramel. Oh my! But a layer cake requires planning and lots of time and I wanted to dip into this book with something a bit more manageable. I thought I'd give their brownies a try and I am so glad I did! These are crazy good--moist and chewy with a deep, dark chocolate flavor. The authors insist that only Valrhona or Callebaut will do but I was quite happy with my results using Guittard dark chocolate chips which I can buy for under $3 a bag on sale. So was everyone else who tasted these. And you will be, too, I promise. The recipe is here.

Genius

MonkeyBoy and I were having a conversation today about his plans to stop homeschooling and go to high school next fall. I asked him how he thought he'd do and he figured he'd do fine, primarily because he wasn't afraid to ask for help. "After all," he said, "I'd rather look stupid than be stupid."

I want that on a T-shirt.

Surprise!

I know, I know, we've had a few years worth of snow already this winter but now, instead of the two week buildup for the Giant Arctic Snowpocalypse we are getting little surprises like tonight's lovely snowfall. I don't think it will interfere with anyone's work or school in the morning as it's predicted to turn to rain soon enough but I had to spend some time watching the flakes fall this evening.

Go...Now!

Even without the excellent reviews I would have gone to see Slumdog Millionaire. I love AR Rahman soundtracks and MIA sings a couple of the songs. With both Anil Kapoor and Irfan Khan in key roles, I was ready to love it even before I saw it. I knew it would be good but I didn't expect it to be as great as it was. I won't bother to do a recap here as you likely already know what it's about. This was a move that had it all: great story, fine acting (especially from the kids), excellent music, color, drama, and an endearing hero. Some parts are admittedly hard to watch but the whole package is not to be missed. After my many hours of watching Hindi cinema I found it fascinating to see how a non-Indian made an Indian film but you don't need that background to enjoy the film.