cymry-pa

Safe and Sane in NEPA

2011-09-29T21:36:00.002-05:00

A lot has happened in the past month...

Home Again - Did I mention we went on vacation last month?

We inherited some porches when the Susquehanna crested about 12 feet above flood stage (post-flood image)

Took a few naps

Felt my first earthquake (technically a month and a week ago)

Stocked up the canning cellar

....

Only one more day left of September! What to do...

Irene of '11

2011-09-28T19:56:00.004-05:00

I've posted a few links on Facebook to photos of our recent flooding from Hurricane Irene already. For those of you that haven't seen those, here's a couple photos shot by a plane going overhead.

Nearby Tunkhannock

And our little village

As mandated essential personnel, I went to work and even put in voluntary overtime. This company loyalty required circumventing a Road Closed sign and blatantly ignoring a county driving ban, risking a hefty ticket.

Halfway through the morning, people were already noticing a strong smell of propane in the air. By noon, I had a meltdown in front of a supervisor and a UPS delivery man when my husband called to say the cat got out and the river was in the yard - this just after we had received word the bridge was being closed and I had no way home. About an hour later, during which time I repeatedly berated myself for leaving the house and envisioned Ming being pulled away by the river, he called back with news the cat was found and safe.

Around 6 PM, it was becoming increasingly evident my options were limited to bunking up at work; I called home begging for a miracle in the next couple hours. The river was still hours away from cresting and reports were coming in that it had already begun to trickle over part of the bridge. I tried to focus on other things, all the while holding onto a sliver of hope he was going to find a passable route. It was illogical really; our road in the opposite direction had become one with the river half a mile up and all the side roads in between were closed, as well.

The loving husband called back roughly an hour later and told me I had 15 minutes to get a ride to the bridge. Apparently, he had gone down to the bridge and waved a hundred dollar bill in the air, payable to whomever could get his wife home. He hashed out the [lack of] possibilities with emergency personnel. The river was already rushing over the road at the end of the bridge about a foot deep. Then, the fire truck appeared. The fire chief turned down his bribes, but agreed to get me over the bridge. There was the chance the fire truck would have to respond elsewhere at any moment, hence the 15 minute deadline. I dropped everything at work, forgot to even lock a door and left my glasses. A coworker drove me to the bridge; the side of the road leading up to the bridge was lined with cars left behind by others who had to find another way home (probably on foot or a friend's larger vehicle). A heavy fog was hanging in the air, which I learned was actually a propane "fog". The hose company was still waiting, thankfully, and they got me over the bridge and through the rushing water to my husband, who was waiting with open arms. As for the cat, he received a stern lecture and a long cuddle.

The next morning, we learned that a house next to the bridge had exploded overnight. Apparently, a propane tank had been carried over by the river and bashed into the house. People were trying to ascertain whether an elderly couple had evacuated or were still inside their home, which was surrounded by a fair amount of water. I went to work, again. [Insert stupidity award here] Surprisingly, the river had crested overnight and the level had reduced enough to re-open the bridge. Pretty much everything was still under water and the National Guard had posted themselves at the bridge, blocking off a low-lying road that had been replaced by the Susquehanna. I didn't put in a whole day at work, didn't want to tempt fate, but put in a fair amount of the day before returning home (with my car this time).

We suffered minor inconveniences - Don almost didn't have a way to get to work (the river receded enough in time), the smell of propane took several days to dissipate, and it took a couple hours to find a gallon of milk (several different routes due to road closures and sold out wherever we checked). There's a porch up a tree in our grove and another sitting behind the garden. We inherited lots of barrels and other assorted items. All we lost were the pumpkin patch and half of the garden. Several homes down our back road are either gone or incurred significant damage, while a portion of the road is impassable due to a structure blocking the way. A handful of families in our village are still looking for the other half of their house. That's just our neck of the woods; there's many more boroughs in the Valley and other villages all along the Susquehanna that experienced a similar situation.

Wyoming County Fair 2011

2011-09-22T20:29:00.000-05:00

'One Too Many' Hybrid Pumpkin

Also known as Bloodshot Pumpkin ;) Pumpkin-tinis in moderation.

This year's big Winter Squash/Pumpkin winner - and I have no clue what it is! Love the grey and green/blue markings; they remind me of sea foam.

Bees-wax Candles

Donnie liked the Chicks

And I tried to make off with the cider press...

Sheepe! That's Fallsian plural for woolies.

I didn't pet any sheep (shocker for a Welshie, I know), but many a goat were granted a cuddle.

It's that time of year - sheep shearing. The sheep get adorable jackets to wear afterwards.

Seasonal display

A little twisted humour with a bad raven in the corn

Monto Man! Every garden needs one.

Green Tomato Pickles

2011-09-18T18:55:00.004-05:00

Would you believe I have never eaten a green tomato? Well, at least not for another three weeks, that is!

Tomatoes haven't done so well in our garden this year, largely due to a lack of rain followed by an overload of the stuff. I used the best of the tomatoes for batches of tortilla soup and my smoky almond tomato soup, both of which were processed in pint jars for those ever-nearing harsh Winter months. Donnie snagged a few which he ate as meals with a liberal spread of mayonnaise. Many more were lost after blistering open from nature's inconsistent showers and heat spells, and I suspect the bite marks on some of the lower fruit came from our fox family (explaining some of the daily deposits of red seed scat on the front walk).

Sometime in the past few weeks, our eggplant and tomato plants experienced a mild trauma. In a last minute effort, I salvaged the remaining tomatoes, including the unripe green fruit. Little did I know, the river was also on its way up to our garden and would be within feet of the tomatoes in mere days. These lucky survivors have piqued a new-found fascination for green tomatoes. Next year, I'll be harvesting them early on purpose!

From Fluorescent and Fresh...

...To Spicy and Full of Depth!

Curried Tigerellas (slightly adapted from Tigress in a Pickle's Curried Green Zebras)

3lbs small, round green tomatoes, preferably striped (I used Tigerella tomatoes)
1 medium onion, sliced into half moons
sea salt
3 cups cider vinegar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 & 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (I used )
1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled & thinly sliced (brine-preserved ginger works well)
12 whole allspice berries
2 green chile peppers, quartered and seeds removed

Carefully slice tomatoes length-wise (vertically), about 1/4" thick. Arrange in a container with onion slices, salting each layer; cover and leave overnight. The next day, gently pour into a colander and rinse tomatoes with just enough water to remove excess salt. Tightly pack tomato and onion slices into sterile pint jars, wedging 1/2 of a chile pepper into each jar. Prepare brine by bringing cider vinegar, brown sugar, curry powder and 2 tsp sea salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Add three allspice berries to each jar and pour brine to within 1/2" of top of jar. Process jars for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. Allow three weeks before opening.

Martini Green Tomato Pickles/Tomolives (adapted from a member recipe for Martini Green Beans on Food.com)

I used a mix of green San Marzano and Roma tomatoes for my Tomolives. Use a paste or canning tomato with lots of flesh and not so much juice.
enough green plum tomatoes to fill two pint jars
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 tb granulated sugar
1/8 cup sea salt
2 dried arbol chiles
2 garlic cloves or 2 tsp minced garlic (I used minced for full dirty martini effect)
2 bay leaves
4 long strips of lemon peel
1/4 tsp mustard seed
1/4 tsp black peppercorns
24 juniper berries
2 green chiles, seeds removed
1/2 cup gin

Inspect tomatoes for any imperfections, especially bruising. Tightly pack whole tomatoes into two pint jars, wedging two chile halves into each jar to keep tomatoes in place. To each jar, add 1 arbol chile, 1 garlic clove/minced garlic, 1 bay leaf, 2 strips of lemon peel, half of the mustard seeds and peppercorns, 12 juniper berries and 1/4 cup good gin. Bring cider vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a boil, then pour over tomatoes into each jar, leaving 1/4" headspace. Process jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Allow three weeks before opening.

Expect to see these gorgeous pickles soon for their "Unsealing"...

Stuffed Peppers, the Right Way

2011-09-04T21:01:00.001-05:00

To most people, the mention of "stuffed peppers" evokes flashbacks of a Dutch oven or pressure cooker full of stewed tomatoes and greyish-green bell peppers. Usually, the peppers have been boiled down to a sulphuric vessel for rice mush, coated haphazardly with silky smear of tomato foam.

Umm...gross? Maybe this gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling, but it causes involuntary shuddering whenever someone unveils a pot of this mystery stew to me. Stuffed peppers are one of those universal dishes like stuffed dough or mashed potatoes - every culture has their own version. India has Barvan Mirch, Mexico has the Chile Rellano, and Norway has their Fylt Paprika (mmm..Jarlsberg-filled peppers). My pepper rules? They should be roasted or grilled until just tender, not mushy; be infused with as much flavour as the stuffing; and, if a bell pepper, any shade but green!

I made these as my husband recently demanded stuffed peppers. I think they were a satisfactory replacement for the stewed pot of peppers he was expecting.

Stuffed Peppers with Risotto
Risotto:
1/2 cup basmati rice
1 small onion, diced
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
freshly cracked pepper and sea salt

Prepare the risotto:
Drizzle about 2 tb of olive oil into a tall saucepot and add basmati rice and diced onion. Bring rice and onions to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until rice turns opaque and onions become transluscent. Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth, giving the mixture a couple stirs a minute. Add another 1/2 cup of broth every time the rice appears to have absorbed most of the liquid, eventually stirring in 3 cups-worth. Season well with Parmesan, freshly cracked pepper and sea salt.

To make chile oil:
Note: If you plan on keeping the oil for longer than a couple days, you must refrigerate it to protect from bacteria and fungus. Obviously, dried chiles will keep longer than fresh chiles when stored at room temperature.
Method 1 (cold infusion): In a small, sterile glass flask with a stopper, add 5-6 fresh chiles to pure olive oil or grapeseed oil. Keep chiles in oil until reaching desired intensity - 2-3 days is ample for this recipe, but 2-4 weeks is more preferable for using as a finishing oil. Strain oil and rebottle for a finer oil and longer shelf life.
Method 2 (hot infusion): In a saucepan, heat pure olive oil or grapeseed oil with 3-4 dried arbol chiles for about 5 minutes; remove from heat, remove chiles and allow to cool.

Prepare the peppers by cutting open the top and gently removing the seed cavity, taking care not to split the side walls of the pepper. Brush the inside and skin with the chile-infused olive oil. Roast in the oven at 400F for 15 minutes. The skin of the pepper will have blistered after this time, which may be removed or kept on for a smoky note. Brush the skin and cavity of the pepper again with the chile oil, then fill the cavity of each pepper with the risotto. Place the peppers back into the oven and continue roasting for 25 minutes. Lightly drizzle with extra virgin olive oil prior to serving.

Lessons of the Cuke; Cukes and Gin

2011-08-30T19:28:00.002-05:00

It's official - cucumbers are the new zucchini. The crispers are full and there are bags of cucumbers in the kitchen, even cucumbers piled atop the radiator. I've been afraid to pick any more for several days now; there's no telling what will be waiting when I go back for more! I can't believe I was actually buying cucumbers a couple months ago.

I'm blaming the husband. This year he decided to put fencing in his garden for pole beans. When he was left with an empty row of fence, he rooted through The Seed Box and unduly chastised me for hoarding seeds that had extended past their toddler years. Stating the germination rate was bound to be near 5%, he planted several packets worth. You see where this is going... ALL of the seeds appear to have germinated. As for the new seed packets he bought from the 2010 harvest? Not nearly as successful germinating and they took longer to harvest.

Fortunately, we love pickles. I've canned several different cucumber pickles, including Bread and Butter; Spicy Texas style; Curry; Kosher Dills; Old Fashioned Lime Pickles; and Sweet Pickle Chips. Whole pickles, ruffled chips, pickle chunks, pickle spears and quarters. We've even made sweet pickle relish and a couple varieties of piccalilli.

For the moment, I'm taking a break from pickling and trying out other cucumber recipes, taking advantage of having fresh garden cukes while they're in season. I'll be posting more recipes as I explore some options, including everything from dehydrating cucumbers to cucumber dahl. My latest experiment is *hard* pops ;) I was speaking to a business contact on the phone today who mentioned his intentions to drown his frustrations from the day with a gin and tonic after work. When I told him I actually planned on joining him in this conquest, he probably didn't think I had these in mind! Enjoy these fresh treats while the last of the warm Summer days are still here - Autumn is right around the corner!

Cucumber Lime Pops with Gin (adapted ever so slightly from Food and Wine)

1/4 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup coarsely chopped mint leaves
2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup gin
One 12-ounce cucumber—peeled and seeded
1/2 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin

In a small saucepan, mix together agave syrup with 1/4 cup of water and the mint and bring to a boil. Cover, remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Strain the mint syrup into a large bowl. While waiting for it to cool, pulse cucumber in a food processor until it forms a purée. If mixture is still too thick, pulse with an immersion blender. Whisk in the lime zest, lime juice and gin, then add to cooled syrup. Mix gelatin with 1 tablespoon of water and let stand until thickened. Microwave the mixture at high power for 10 seconds, until the gelatin dissolves. Whisk the gelatin into the cucumber mixture. Pour into popsicle molds - I use a fluid measuring cup with a spout to help ensure the mixture makes it inside the molds, rather than all over the counter. Freeze overnight.

To unmold, place molds into a container of very warm water for about 20 seconds and turn mold upside down, carefully pulling popsicle stick.

Mmmm....

New Kitchen Gadget

2011-05-21T23:39:00.003-05:00

I love kitchen gadgets
OK, so it's not food porn. However, it is SHINY!

Hershey Gardens - April 2011

2011-05-15T11:25:00.000-05:00

Donnie's Mecca
I love the Art Deco windows!

Some photos from opening day 2011 at Hershey Gardens:

Lenten Roses

Iron Butterfly Bench by the Butterfly House
Unfortunately, the Butterfly House wasn't open yet

This was too cute! It's part of a sculpture in the Children's Garden

Spring Pussy Willows
I need one of these for our garden!

A nook in the Rock Garden
Typical PA scenery - rhododendron and boulder. The Rock Garden had many very distinct trees, mostly Japanese, with interesting bark.

More Lenten Roses

Hyacinths waking up

Small Leaf Rhododendron
I've been debating purchasing one of these - the leaves turn this gorgeous bronzish hue in Winter. My concern is whether the small leaves will be able to tolerate the winds that come down the front slope. This one is going to have dainty purple flowers when it blooms.

One of those unique Rock Garden trees.
This one reminded us of the trees we've seen in Sherwood Forest.

Stonecrop - great for rock gardens or erosion-prone slopes

Girl with Butterfly Net

Any open parcels in the garden were full of floppy daffodils

This rock sculpture is actually a fountain surrounded by some sort of flowering brush

Looking past a fountain on the edge of the gardens towards Hershey Amusement Park

I actually have forgotten what type of flower this is, but it's pretty and carefree.

Redstone Dogwood

More photos to come!

Pizza Nights

2011-05-14T14:01:00.006-05:00

Back in November, I thought pizza was out of the picture forever. Would you believe I didn't even like pizza until I moved to Pennsylvania?? Before being transplanted from the city to the mountains, pizza selections consisted of Pizza Hut, Domino's and Papa John's. *gag* Greasy cheese sliding off the dough, metallic mushrooms and limp crust were the available options. Then came the Big Move and the night my husband introduced me to NEPA pizza under the guise of taking a drive to the lake (Lake Winola, about 10-15 min from where we live). That night began my hunt for the best pizzas in PA, from awesome thin crusts at Sabatini's and Pietro's to the many Old Forge-style white pizzas. My husband and I have even made a few mighty fine pizzas in our own kitchen, including white pizza (and here) and thin crust.

With gluten being out of the picture now, I've been somewhat relegated to box mixes and tweaking recipes to be close to the successful G-laden pizzas that have come out of our kitchen. Gluten Free Pantry and Bob's Red Mill produce good pizza flour mixes, but don't be tempted to add eggs. Have you ever seen a pizza dough made with eggs? This isn't a cake. The same elasticity and chewiness that comes from gluten can be replicated with guar gum and milk powder.

Make sure you have the right tools. Invest in a decent pizza peel (I have a composite board peel from Williams-Sonoma and a huge industrial metal peel from Maine Source). Buy an oven stone or a crisper (still working on an idea for using the stone with GF dough). If you're new to making pizza, or having trouble with GF pizza, buy an electric pizza oven. They're great for controlling heat dispersal; I still use one from time to time.

I recently picked up this crisper pan from Aldi that works fabulously with GF pizza "dough"

Cruuuuunnch!

Bottle of Woodchuck never hurts...

Definitely not Pizza Hut

Still No Orange Paw

2011-05-14T13:49:00.000-05:00

Plump Vif D'Etampes from my garden

I can't believe it's already time to start sowing pumpkins and squash. My dutiful husband has already tilled the pumpkin patch twice (I've been busy working and the weeds are faster than me). Still debating whether to use that plastic tarp or use leaves for weed control, but the soil mounds will be formed and filled with seeds by the end of the weekend!

In the meantime, I have one pumpkin left from LAST year's harvest. Maybe it will be sacrificed to another batch of Pumpkin Sweet Potato Soup...

Pumpkin Sweet Potato Soup (adapted from Gluten-Free Girl's cookbook, Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef)

5 lb sugar pumpkin (I used the Vif d'Etampes)
1 small-medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 onion, diced
1 leek, white part only, sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 bay leaf
2 qt chicken stock
2 tb butter
1/2 cup almond milk (optional - tastes great without it, as well)
lots of freshly cracked pepper and sea salt

Cut pumpkin into quarters and drizzle with olive oil, season well with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper; bake in a 450F oven for 30 minutes.

Add carrot, onion, leek and sweet potato to a large pot. Sauté with a liberal drizzle of olive oil and more sea salt and pepper. Add garlic; sauté just until fragrant. Scoop pumpkin meat from rinds and add to pot with chicken stock, nutmeg and bay leaf. Cook until vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes. Purée with immersion blender and stir in butter and almond milk (if desired) to finish.

I highly recommend picking up a copy of this cookbook -- it's GF-friendly, but written from a perspective of a chef's eye and a foodie's cravings. This book is actually half love story, half cookbook - 100% food. There's a Northwest appeal to the recipes within this book that makes you want to immediately head for a farmer's market.

Buy your copy on Amazon today!

Entering the Thaw (Between Snow Storms)

2011-02-20T20:52:00.001-05:00

It was not without a great deal of trepidation that I titled this post! As I sit cuddled up with Ming the Bombay Brat and my warm laptop, the wind is gusting over the house like a mischievous Norse god revving up his seasonal engines and the temperature is hovering right around the freezing point. Punxsatawney Phil may have forecasted an early break in our frigid weather, but Spring's a brazen tease. Are these the signs of Winter giving way to Spring, or a brief interlude as another ice storm carves a path towards NEPA. By the end of the work week, it has been foretold that we will begin to hear the telltale echoes as the Susquehanna iceberg begins to crack under duress of actual sunlight (!) and the cliffs drop sheets of ice onto the road. Thus spoke Doppler Radar.

I wrote that blip late Monday night and never got around to finishing the post because I fell asleep, as is my way after working all day. Doppler was right, BTW. The river current broke through its ice crust early in the week, shattering the thick river ice into tons of smaller chunks and restarting the rolling progress downstream. Much of the snow has melted, raising the creeks and turning the once-frozen ground into patches of squishy mud and semi-solid turf. Earlier this evening, Don was outside adding coffee grounds to the compost pail when he thought he heard a growling sound. It turned out to be ice falling off the cliffs. The best bit? The tulip and daffodil bulbs have sprouted! Even the wild onions are peeking around defrosted leaves.

Unfortunately, Winter isn't going to go away without a fight this year. The forecast calls for highs in the 40s later this week, but that may be accompanied by freezing rain. Only minutes ago, I discovered Doppler had unveiled a sneaky nightmare on the way. There is an anticipated 4-6 inches of snowfall tonight, reaching up to 10 inches by afternoon tomorrow. I may love Winter and all the snow it brings with it, but we're almost into March and that means it's time to make the transition to Spring. This snow storm may very well be Winter's last hurrah.

I'm going to ignore this snow storm and focus on preparations for more mild temperatures. There are two seed orders already on the way from Pinetree Seeds and Jung Seeds. Here's a look of some of the finds to enter our gardens this year:

Jung Seed:
Hilda Romano Pole Beans (60 days) - Stringless 10-12 inch beans on 5-7 foot long vines
Jung's Eggplant Mix (60 days) - lavender, green, purple and pink in varying shapes and sizes
Oregon Giant Snow Peas (65 days) - Stringless 5 inch pods

Pinetree Seeds:
Ophelia Eggplant (F1 hybrid 50 days) - 2 oz deep purple fruit grown in clusters
Dinosaur Kale (53 days heirloom) - also known as Lacinato
Chenopodium Epazote - Mexican herb essential in traditional dishes
Kaleidoscope Sweet Pepper Mix - a mixture of white-skinned Diamond (78 days), Orange Sun (81 day), Purple Beauty (71 day), Big Red (75 day) and Chocolate Beauty (74 day)
Red Garnet Amaranth (55 days) - red leaves for salads and seeds can be ground into a GF flour
Kennebec Potatoes 2.5 LBS - mid-season potato
Irish Cobbler Potatoes 2.5 LBS - early season potato

A new landscape item was also tossed in - a Black Lace Sambucus. I've been wanting one of these for a while and it should make a nice contrast with our dwarf Japanese maples. Don also likes the berries and we both appreciate the purple-black foliage.

We've been eagerly picking up packets of seeds whenever we spot a clump of them at Walmart or Lowe's. Don purchased the usual suspects for his garden - a mixture of Delicious and Beefsteak tomatoes, Alaska peas, Danvers carrots, Cherokee yellow wax beans, and Kentucky Wonder and Contender green beans for his campaign wire trellises. When the mercury hit 50F here last Wednesday, I had to get my hands on some fresh seeds immediately, as well. I left Walmart with three packets of cucumber seeds (Carolina hybrid - 50 day pickler, Muncher - 45 day slicer and Sumter - 56 day pickler), Nantes carrots, Italian salad leaves blend, French Breakfast Radish and 4 types of peppers (California Wonder - 70 day sweet pepper, Rellanos ancho hybrid- 65 day, Jalapeño - 72 day and Hungarian Hot Yellow Wax - 65 day). I also picked up some catnip seeds for Mingster, French dwarf Marigolds to keep Bunny Fu Fu out of the garden and Swiss Giant pansies to brighten up flowerpots on the front porch. Then today we had to go to Lowe's for a new doorknob (because Don locked himself out of the downstairs bathroom). I couldn't resist standing in such close proximity of seeds without picking up a packet of Dwarf Blue Curled Vates Kale and a packet of Asian long zi beans (stringless yard long beans for stirfries).

Naturally, we already have some seeds started! Three are three different types of leeks, some red geraniums and a tray of microgreens which have sprouted and shall soon be yielding early Spring surprises. Expect photos soon of our baby plants!

Bastardizing Tradition

2011-01-29T11:16:00.005-05:00

Don't you just hate when some well-meaning individual lumps a bunch of mismatched ingredients together and then proudly presents you with this monster they're masquerading as a traditional dish. Common examples include mole (as in the Mexican dish, not the rodent paving a subway through your yard), gastrique, risotto and pesto. They're like culinary buzzwords with a target on their backs. I love updating traditional recipes to accommodate more modern palates, but in a way that is respectful and with a hope they may have done the same had the ingredients been available at the time. However, some culinary creations are so elemental that to omit these basic ingredients or techniques is Food Blasphemy and undermines their very definition.

There are ways to significantly alter and update a recipe without losing its "base". Recently, I decided to try making a batch of my Smoky Butternut Squash Black Bean Soup, minus the black beans. After a cursory perusal of the fridge, the bell pepper also was dropped from this recipe, as well as the Cheddar as the soup doesn't really need it. To replace the protein that the eliminated items would have provided, I cooked a chicken tenderloin in a sauté pan with a drizzle of olive oil and shredded it with two forks. Then, I dug in, unsure how this was going to taste with some key ingredients removed.

Three words - Make this soup. I don't care if you think squash is "icky". A warm bowl of this will forever change your perspective of squash as bland and only worthy of sickeningly sweet dishes.

The first spoonful immediately reminded me of a spicy chili. Butternut squash chili - just add chili beans with an option of ground beef or turkey, maybe a bottle of beer and you have something awesome for game day that's going to beat any bowl of liquid fire your friends lugged out of the kitchen. I started craving tortilla chips while eating this new kitchen experiment, so I added a few to the bowl. A couple bites in, I realised I had made a butternut version of Aztec soup. The spices were right and not too hot, the flavour was distinctly Aztec soup and it even called out for the same traditional toppings.

You're probably more familiar with Aztec soup by its other name, tortilla soup or sopa de tortilla. From what I understand, they're the same spicy concoction. It's a bit less of an exercise to say sopa Azteca than sopa de tortilla, though, and gives it some Mexican cultural pride by identifying its true roots. My husband worked in Mexico City for a short time; would you believe it wasn't until I came along that he had even heard of Aztec soup?! A close relative to sopa Azteca is sopa de lima, or Yucatecan lime soup, which uses more lime and a different chile (and is also easier to say in Spanish than in English). That will be a future experiment here - in the meantime, make yourself a bowl of this:

Butternut Squash Aztec Soup

Do NOT call it Aztec soup - it is not Aztec soup. This is BUTTERNUT Aztec Soup. Do not serve this to your friends and tell them they are having authentic Aztec/tortilla soup. This recipe will yield 5.5 1-cup servings. Save the small serving to enjoy with a sandwich, such as a chicken and avocado panini to incorporate the soup's traditional toppings.

1 1/2 lb butternut squash
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
2 cups reduced sodium chicken or turkey broth, preferably homemade
2 tsp hickory liquid smoke, optional
1 dried guajillo chile*
1 dried ancho chile*
1 tbsp olive oil
1 leek (with leaf and bulb) or 1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp grey sea salt
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp ground cumin

Bake butternut squash at 350F for about 20 minutes, just until squash is becoming soft and sweet. Pulse dried chiles to a powder in a spice mill or old coffee grinder. Rinse leek (or onion) under water well, then thinly slice entire leek (leaves and bulb), giving another rinse in a colander. Sauté leek and garlic in a drizzle of olive oil until tender in a large pot. Add squash to the pot, along with the liquid hickory smoke, ground chiles, cumin, chicken stock (or stock of choice) and stewed tomatoes; purée with immersion blender. Season with grey sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Heat through until bubbling.

This is excellent on its own, but can also be topped with shredded chicken (I use a small tenderloin), avocado, tortilla chips and a squeeze of lime. A spoonful of sour cream or Mexican crema is a nice contrast to this spicy soup. If you are making this gluten free, make sure your tortilla chips have not been produced on wheat-contaminated lines and that the spices and broth are wheat-free.

*If you're having trouble finding dried guajillo and ancho chiles, check Aldi (where I buy large bags of them), or the international or produce section of your local grocery. They are worth the hunt!

Nutritional data (per 1 cup serving): 122 calories; 3.4 g fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 20 g carbs; 2 g fiber; 2 g protein

Homemade Apple Chips

2011-01-23T12:09:00.004-05:00

I was inspired by this post over on FabFrugalFood a couple months ago and immediately set out to create my own apple chips. As mentioned in the past, Donnie won't let me anywhere near a mandoline slicer. Fine - I have other sharp tools to play with.

I bought this for about $5 at A Kitchen Shop in Hawley, PA:

Crinkle cutters are very cheap and versatile. Buy one here from Amazon.

You can make a batch of FFG's Cinnamon Curry flavoured chips, which are excellent, or you can experiment with your own seasonings and marinades.

Healthy Slice of Apple and Cheddar: apple slices + sprinkle of nutritional yeast
Apple Pie: baste w/maple or agave syrup + apple or pumpkin pie spice

To make your own apple chips, core and peel about 6 medium apples. Reserve the apple skins if you want to prepare them like the chips!

Cut using a mandoline or a crinkle cutter. Poach for 3-4 minutes in a pot of simmering cinnamon stick-infused water. Dry on paper towel and spread out on a silpat-covered baking tray.

Don't have a Silpat?? Buy one from Amazon. Be aware they come in different sizes.

Season well with your preferred spice blend. I particularly like using garam masala for a touch of sweet and savoury.

Spice Hunter is an inexpensive source of decent quality spices that can be found at local groceries. Only one of their spice blends contains gluten, the Grill Shakers Rib Seasoning. The cumin in their garam masala blend adds a nice warmth and smoky note.

Bake at 250F until the apple chips reach desired crispness, about 1 hour for chewy and 2 hours for super crisp. They will become slightly more crisp as they cool.

Crunchy bite-size apple chip

I store my apple chips in old canning jars. Make sure your chips are cool before putting them into the jar!

New Year, New Kitchen Adventures

2011-01-19T09:38:00.001-05:00

Am I the only one out there that thinks of New Year's Day as an extra birthday each year? While it may be another reminder that you're getting older (I'm still shell-shocked from hitting the big 3-0 over the Summer), there's a sense of renewal. Each year is one more chance, a possibility of new adventures and a scheduled intervention for rebirth. Most people have some health-related resolution, whether it be to diet and exercise or to stop smoking. They begin these resolutions with fresh vigour until falling back onto bad habits a couple months later. A little treat here and there turns into "cheat days" and suddenly you're back where you started and unsure how to get back into the race.

My resolution started early this year. Back around my birthday, I intensified my fitness regimen, incorporating more yoga and even trail running. Donnie soon noticed a difference in my physique (i.e. a more toned gluteus maximus) and my physical performance definitely improved, but I really didn't feel any healthier. My brain was beginning to feel even foggier than before (which I had been attributing to work stress) and my weight actually started to go up! I was horrified when trousers continued to get tighter even though I was exercising 5-6 days a week, burning an extra 2100+ calories a week. Oh, and the stomach problems? Even worse. I went from tolerating regular discomfort and a bad flare-up once or twice a month, to counting the number of days I could go in a week without pain. A work day culminated with me curled up in a ball on the sofa and my temper was on a short fuse. How my husband managed to put up with me and my erratic moods is beyond any explanation.

On November 29th, I stopped eating gluten. Over the weekend I finally reached the point of no return when I had to cry myself to sleep. It felt as though my intestines were going to burst and it was just about the worst pain I had experienced yet with this stomach issue (maybe 3rd worst). Donnie had been suggesting an elimination diet for a while, which I had been reluctant to try as I wanted to get a diagnosis first. Unfortunately, at the time I had also just received the results from an abdominal CT scan with nothing remarkable. Blood tests apparently all normal, including thyroid.

So, after that weekend, I began the week of November 29th sans gluten with the intention of doing a month elimination trial. A month quickly turned into 2 months. I am now looking at a 6 month elimination and am strongly considering a year. At some point, retesting is going to be necessary - that is going to be an issue. By eliminating it, I may be repairing damage caused and this will not lead to an accurate diagnosis without returning to gluten for a month or so. I don't think I can do that. Not mentally, not physically. I'm looking at other testing options.

In the meantime, welcome to my new way of living! I still have to be careful with non-gluten grains, even GF-certified oats, but I have opened our kitchen to new culinary creations. Rather than focusing on what I cannot eat, we are embracing what I can eat and my diet and kitchen experiments have been becoming more creative. Naturally, with all my previous pizza adventures, that MUST include a GF pizza!

Oh yeah...check out that crust. No floppy Pizza Hut here. You're drooling.

Gluten Free Pizza #1

Crust (recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour):
1 1/2 cups Gluten Free Pantry French Bread & Pizza mix
2 tb dry milk powder or soymilk powder
1 tsp guar gum or xanthan gum
packet (2 1/2 tsp) GF yeast - many are GF
1 cup warm water
2 tb olive oil

Sauce:
Use my Neapolitan sauce recipe: http://cymry-pa.blogspot.com/2007/06/im-alive.html
-or-
your preferred recipe or jarred margherita sauce

Prepare crust by proofing yeast with warm water in a 2 qt bowl with a lid. Mix in xanthan/guar gum, milk powder and GF flour mix. Mix in olive oil and cover with lid, setting aside to rise in a warm spot for 30-45 minutes. Be aware that the dough will look nothing like a traditional dough at this stage - as mentioned on King Arthur's site, it will actually more resemble plastering spackle. However, the dough will poof up and become more like a regular dough in very short time. While you are waiting for the dough to rise, prepare your pizza sauce and any toppings.

Once the dough has risen, prepare a pizza crisper pan by spraying with nonstick spray or drizzling liberally with olive/peanut oil. Scoop dough out of bowl onto pan, drizzling with more oil, and press into pan. Let dough rest for about 10 minutes, then bake at 500F for about 5 minutes. Take out of oven, add toppings, and continue baking for another 4-5 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and begins to brown. Enjoy with a bottle of Strongbow or Woodchuck cider!

Crunchy on the outside with a pillowy texture

If you're wondering about the cheese, that's a mix of Mozzarella and Daiya Cheddar. I have to be careful with dairy, so I blended the two to cut down on lactose.

Aarti's Lentils Remade

2010-10-30T17:37:00.012-05:00

Every time I go to a store with bulk bins, I have to buy something new. This goodie bag may wait for weeks (months) untouched before I finally sacrifice it to a carefully chosen recipe. One such recent bulk bin experiment was red lentils.

Admittedly, I chose red lentils mainly because they're pretty. Most people won't invite themselves over for dinner when told lentils are the entrée; it just sounds too much like a goopy bowl of split pea soup.

I was watching the Food Network one day when I came across Aarti Sequiera's new show. For those of you not in the know, she's the latest winner of The Next Food Network Star. She just happened to be cooking with red lentils. After seeing her "bloom" spices in a saucepot, I knew this was the recipe to try out! These "everyday lentils" are actually meant to be a side dish, but I've adjusted it to be a light, yet filling soup. The lentils are actually flaky, not at all mushy. Make sure you use a good sea salt like fleur de sel to accent the texture of the lentils and brighten the spices.

Aarti's Lentils (my version)

1 cup red lentils
2 cups water
2 medium tomatoes
1 tb olive oil
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tb garlic, minced
5 g ginger in water, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 chile (I used a jalapeño from the garden), halved

Soak lentils for at least 30 min, or before you go to work in the morning. Drain lentils and set aside.

Sauté minced onion, diced tomato (skin on is fine), jalapeño, ginger and garlic with a drizzle of olive oil or nonstick spray. Add lentils and 2 cups of fresh water. Cook, covered, for 30-40 minutes.

Prep spice ingredients.

Preheat a small saucepan with a lid to a simmer. Add mustard seed and cover with lid until popping stops (should sound like popcorn). Add cumin, turmeric and smoked paprika and allow to "bloom"; add to lentils and stir in.

Season well with sea salt, freshly cracked pepper and fresh cilantro or parsley.

Nutritional data per 1/2 cup serving: 105 kcal; 2.47 g fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 15 g carbs; 3.5 g fiber; 1.6 g sugar; 6 g protein

Day Trip to Baltimore

2010-10-26T20:09:00.007-05:00

Last month, I miscalculated the start date of the Bloomsburg State Fair and almost had a mini meltdown. Control freaks don't take well to disappointment, eh? My husband called me from work after discovering the fair I had been waiting for all week wasn't due for yet another week. When you're clutching to anything to get you through a Friday after a stressful week, there's no good spin that can be made of bad news. That is, unless your husband comes home from work and asks if you want to go to Baltimore for the day, instead!

Baltimore Inner Harbor

Love the mosaic building. Note the jumbo, two-story (at least?) Barnes & Noble on the far left.

We had lunch nearby at Tír Na Nóg. Don only wanted a corned beef on rye - he had a fantastic corned beef sandwich at the Harford Fair. He pronounced Tír Na Nóg's as good, but paled in comparison to the one at the fair. He chose my lunch - pan roasted salmon with mushrooms, truffle essence, colcannon and greens. We celebrated our new restaurant find and the beginning of our day in Baltimore with bottles of Smithwicks.

No, we didn't have ice cream here. We hit the Marble Slab Creamery, instead. No pics this time, which means we will just have to go back.

Maryland Science Center

The initial plan was to head to the Baltimore Aquarium, but I discovered the Maryland Science Center while researching Baltimore online. Not only do I have a bizarre obsession with science museums, it's cheaper to go there than the aquarium!

We hit the Hubble 3D Imax movie first, then headed for the Planetarium to see The Sky Live, which was actually really interesting. Afterwards, we rushed up to the observatory for the last viewing of the sun.

This telescope dates back to 1924. Don saw a flare and I detected a couple sun spots.

Roarrr!!

I love dinosaurs. Yet another weird quirk.

While we were checking out local sites on my Garmin, I discovered we were within walking distance of a Whole Foods! FYI, the closest Whole Foods to our house is in New Jersey. I stocked up on chia seeds, bulk steel cut oats, pumpkin and a Lärabar for the coming Monday's brekkie. Oh, and some grapes for the trip back to our PA mountains.

I was desperate for pumpkin as it hadn't arrived in the stores here yet. My husband took pity on me and splurged on the last two in stock. It's not Libby's, but close enough.

I can't wait for another trip to Baltimore! Next time, we have to check out Charm City Cakes.

After Work Hikes

2010-10-10T15:33:00.008-05:00

I've been trying to fit in two hikes a week as part of my fitness regimen, and as an excuse to get out in the woods and make the most of the crisp Autumn air. We've reached peak and the leaves are gorgeous, despite the dry Summer. My usual haunt for solo hikes is Francis Slocum State Park, mainly because it is only about 10 minutes from home and the terrain is on the tamer side (no hiking partner needed for safety). With the rain showers I haven't gone hiking at all this past week, but I usually head for Francis Slocum one day a week after work and again on a weekend day, however my schedule permits.

Running is another new addition to the weekly fitness schedule, something I never thought I would actually enjoy! I was always the girl that fell back on the asthma excuse to get out of the mile in gym and would get instantaneous side stitches when I was forced to jog. Keeping a steady pace and not starting out too fast have been my downfalls, but I've rectified a lot of this jogging around the house at home and now have no problems running rocky trails and down steep declines. I passed a couple on my last hike who looked at me as though I were crazy as I ran past them. They must have been a little surprised to see I beat them around the lake and was heading back uphill without any strain LOL

Here are some highlights from two recent hikes that I snapped during quick breaks...

September 9th Hike:

Lots of kayakers and fishermen on the lake as I jogged along.

During Winter, people even ice fish on the lake.

While I was jogging along this trail, I noticed a man and his child had stopped and were staring at something. Straight ahead, a bushy-tailed deer was standing in the trail and curiously watching the humans. I stopped and watched him for at least a minute before he scampered back up the hill.

Doll's Eyes

Common native plant that grows as a tall shrub in NEPA

September 26th Hike:

Shades of Autumn across the lake

Love that emerald green hue the lake takes on around the banks

Wild vine leaves climbing over fallen tree trunks

Time to start trekking uphill!

Old stone wall

The park is actually comprised of farmland. Their walls remain standing in the woods that have grown up around them.

Ducking back into the forest canopy

I saw another deer shortly after taking this photo. He stood still in the woods watching me as I carefully broke off a thorny winterberry branch to take home.

I'll be posting an outline soon of my hike/run plan and tips that I follow at Francis Slocum to keep my heart rate up (in Zones 2 and 3) without overexerting and with minimal time in Zone 1.

Entering 2010 Pumpkin Harvest

2010-10-07T06:04:00.003-05:00

This is just the beginning...

The first healthy crop!

Second crop in cold storage in the upstairs pantry

Added a couple more to be on the safe side. It's going to be a cold Winter!

Hey, what's going on in here?!

~Ming invasion in the food stockhold~

I better get some more pumpkin.

P.S. Pure pumpkin is 87 cents for 15 oz at Aldi right now!

Getting Bhangra With It

2010-09-24T05:52:00.003-05:00

If you're following my fitness regimen, you know I've been mixing it up a bit and adding some new elements like circuit training (a little kickboxing and jog intervals) and building up strength with intermediate yoga. I'm trying to fit in hikes twice a week, once on a weekday after work and again on the weekend. Still looking for ideas to spice up workouts and keep it fun - any ideas, post them here!

Yesterday, my husband called me at work to deliver the good news that a package was waiting for me. That helped brighten my day a bit until I could get home (an hour and a half late). Got to love thoughtful husbands. I'm trying out some new DVDs for home, for those days when I don't have a moment for exercise until evening. My latest find is something I've been guiltily curious to try for a while, ever since watching India's version of MTV on one of the 10,000 cable channels offered by Comcast.

Enter Bollywood Bhangra dancing ~
Hemalayaa's DVDs make a lot of Top 10 lists for fitness. She's fun and sexy and her body isn't covered in thick muscles, but it's strong and lean. My fitness goals aren't geared towards marathons at this moment, and I have no intention of entering a body builder contest any time in the future. My body is small and built more like a yogini, but I am working on burning off some body fat and need to add more intensive Zone 2 exercise if I want to have super-slim thighs like Hemalayaa. Bollywood Dance Workouts is actually a bundle of three of her top DVDs - Bollywood Burn, Bollywood Booty and The Bollywood Dance Workout. I found a great deal on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hemalayaa-Bollywood-Dance-Workouts/dp/B001V7YZBG/ref=pd_cp_d_2

After grocery shopping and buying eleven 29-oz cans of Libby's Pure Pumpkin and making my Extra Pumpkiny Turkey Chili, I popped in the Bollywood Booty DVD. Don was on his netbook in the recliner when I showed up in the living room, and stated he was on his way to bed. Thirty minutes later, he was still commenting on how fast the Bollywood dancers were shaking their booty. Ladies, this is just as much fun for the men as it is for us. To watch, that is ;)

The DVD starts out with a short intro of the basic moves that are combined in the workout/dance and warms up with them, quickly building up to a fast-paced workout. I was actually having a lot of fun, even when I messed up a move. It tends to mess up your rhythm if you miss a move, but you will slip into it easily enough the next time the move repeats. It's distinctly Bollywood, but more sexy than hokey. The grins are there, but they're flirty and Hemalayaa makes you laugh when she says you can't help but smile when doing something called the Butt Monster. What I particularly liked is that the video features three females of various athletic body types, from slim to curvy but fit. The DVD also has bonus tracks from two other fitness gurus in Acacia's line and a warm-up by Hemalayaa which is actually a traditional spiritual dance. Overall, 45 minutes of Bollywood Booty burned 157 calories, 51% of which was fat. That's quite good for my size. It should burn even more next time when I am more prepared for all the moves. Can't wait to try the other DVDs now! Buy this one tonight, right after you get the ingredients for my chili.

Extra Pumpkiny Turkey Chili

1 small onion, diced
16 oz diced tomatoes
1/2 lb lean ground turkey
15.5 oz can chili beans
1 1/2 tb chili powder
1 jalapeño, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic, minced
3/4 cup pure pumpkin purée

Sauté onion and jalapeño in a large pot; brown turkey meat. Add remaining ingredients and heat through until thickened. Season well with freshly cracked pepper and salt.

Nutritional data - 1/2 cup serving: 96 kcal; 2.3g fat; 19mg cholesterol; 268mg sodium; 11 g carbs; 4g fiber; 8g protein

Wyoming County Fair 2010

2010-09-06T12:02:00.002-05:00

Why is it I never take enough photos? Wherever I go, whatever I do, the camera spends far too much time in my bag and I end up snatching the husband's SD card to retain those memories. Then again, looking back at the photos from the Wyoming County Fair this past Saturday, there's also no evidence of the treats I munched on... Food-wise, I actually didn't do too bad. One scoop of coffee ice cream, a hot 5 oz pretzel with lots of mustard for dipping and a free blueberry coffee. I even stayed away from the lamb gyros and pumpkin rice pudding, which I intend to "healthify" at a later date. Don had a huge Italian sausage with peppers, two scoops of coffee ice cream, a pretzel, a black raspberry milkshake and part of a very disturbing pepperoni stick. At least he avoided the fried candy bars LOL

Jumbo Pumpkins

Another enormous pumpkin

These beets were larger than baseballs

Twin zucchini

Curious goat checking out the humans
He started shoving at the goats in the next stable a few minutes later.

Scary pig snuffling me

This critter definitely was not shy. He had his chest proudly poofed out when I arrived, then turned around to give me a side view. Check out those ears!

Maple coffee, maple seasoning, maple tea and maple sugar -- pure maple happiness. The tea is one of our usual Canada purchases, so it was a nice surprise to find it in NEPA. The sugar and seasoning are from a local farm in Springville, Loch's Maple & Fiber.

I like looking at the PA Dutch vendors with the berry garlands, wax candle "cookies" and raven art, but it really doesn't fit our house. No photos; it just doesn't feel right taking photos of a vendor's goods without purchasing anything. I did, however, make a couple purchases at a book vendor and picked up a copy of The Shipping News and A Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing.

We were shocked to see the Christmas Trees were missing from the fair this year! What's up with that?! Maybe at the Bloomsburg Fair, which runs from September 25th - October 2nd. On to the next fair!

Chia Convert

2010-08-30T05:24:00.003-05:00

You may have heard of overnight oats, but have you tried overnight chia oats? If you haven't seen these yet on other food blogs, you've been missing out. I've been ogling them on other blogs with a delirious glaze, and finally took the plunge a few weeks ago. Never going back to regular oats. Not only is chia nutritious, it plumps up whatever you add it to, much like tapioca.

Check out that bulk!

These oats are also served with a quick banana-based "soft serve" as a breakfast parfait. This is a great option for those avoiding dairy (no cow's milk yogurt in your parfait) or anyone wanting to ditch the sugary granola. The possible combinations are endless and make having oats for breakfast absolutely heavenly.

Chia Oats with Raspberry Soft Serve

1/3 cup steel cut oats
2/3 cup milk of choice (I use almond milk)
2 tb chia seed
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 frozen banana
handful of frozen raspberries

Soak oats and chia overnight in milk. Thin with water to desired consistency in the morning, adding more milk if needed. Stir in vanilla. Prepare soft serve by whipping frozen banana and raspberries in a food processor, scraping sides, until pillowy like soft serve ice cream. Layer in a glass with oats. You can heat the oats, but this is usually eaten cold like granola.

I've been raiding the local orchards in Autumn fever; there are bags of apples vying for surface space in kitchen with the tomatoes, and there is a perpetual aroma of apple pie. The first Milton apple pie has been baked and devoured. Those pink-streaked Strawberry apples, the adorable pint-sized ones with the lemon custard skin, have been become my new favourite snacking apple. I've even begun mixing them into oats.

Overnight Apple Pie Chia Oats

1/3 cup steel cut oats
2/3 cup milk of choice (I use almond milk)
2 tb chia seed
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 medium-large apple, peeled and cut into large chunks
sprinkle each of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice

Prepare overnight oats. In the morning, bake spiced apple chunks in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes. Heat oats in microwave for 2-3 minutes. Spoon apple over oats and mix in! You can add brown sugar or agave syrup if you like this sweeter and more like a caramel apple pie.

I'm already working on creating apple soft serve to help get me through the coming Indian Summer, which is due to arrive tomorrow. Ugh. Bring Autumn back!

He hasn't eaten his chia oats yet

(Apologies for the strange effect of the camera flash - Ming's fur is pitch black and the flash just reflects off him!)

The Big 3-0

2010-08-16T07:48:00.001-05:00

It's official - I can't say I'm in my twenties anymore. I've hit the first milestone age, the big one. From this point forward, I shall feel a twinge of jealousy when seeing more accomplished women who are still in their 20's, any possible line will immediately spark wrinkle fears and.... Excuse the melodrama. It's been 10 days since I turned 30; I'm still adjusting to having to be a grown-up.

To celebrate the Big 3-0, Donnie took me to one of my favourite restaurants, Twigs. As soon as we passed through the door, I was honing in on the Specials board. One of the two specials was already sold out (it wasn't even 8 PM yet), but still on the list was Duck with Leek Cream Sauce and Steamed Asparagus. *drool* Equally fabulous, our favourite table was the last one available.

To start, I ordered the tequila cosmo, a Guinness for the husband and a caprese platter between us. Mentally preparing myself, I selected a backup entrée from the menu just in case I missed the duck. Fortunately, it was still available! We both ordered salads to accompany the caprese platter (blue cheese for the man and a thick berry vinaigrette for me) whilst we waited for our entrées. Unfortunately, no photos. I just know Don was envious of my perfectly cooked medium rare duck and wished he had ordered it instead of his customary scallops, even if he did refuse to try a bite LOL Next time I will get photos. After our lovely dinner, my husband took me to the best place for dessert - Dunkin Donuts! Believe it or not, I ate TWO peanut sticks. It was a therapeutic measure. Seriously.

A large chunk of my coworkers thought I had just turned 19. That may boost my vanity ego a bit, but it isn't too flattering on a professional level. I'm always going to look 10 years younger than my age thanks to genetics - all the women in my family look 10+ years younger than their chronological age. However, I'm working towards a Director position right now and looking young is not beneficial in that respect, especially since my duties often involve meeting with outside agencies. Still processing this dilemma and weighing options.

In addition to professional goals, I am increasing my fitness efforts and working towards a more efficient regimen. My birthday gift from my loving husband arrived Friday, a Polar FT60 Heart Rate Monitor with G1 sensor and WearLink. I've already used it twice (spinning on Saturday and yoga earlier this morning) and love it! It has already designed a weekly fitness schedule based on my goals and personal stats and is coaching me along.

After 16 miles on the stationary bike with the resistance amped up

What's really shocking is that my resting HR is 60 bpm! Apparently, this is very healthy.

Watching my HR zone while I workout is helping me to avoid over-exercising. I have a tendency to try to keep my heart rate as high as possible during a workout, which isn't actually optimal for my personal fitness goals. I burned less calories, but more of it was fat. The 45 minutes of vinyasa yoga this morning burned even less calories, but a much higher percentage was fat.

Turning 30 and realising I am "skinny fat" has also forced me to acknowledge that there is something wrong in my diet and fitness. Don't get me wrong - I eat healthy foods and am active. I can hike up a mountain without huffing and puffing and without breaks, maintain a very low calorie diet with moderate carbs (which I have tracked daily for over a year now) and eat lots of fresh veggies. You'd think I'd be as thin as a rail, but no matter how much weight I lose there is always still "a little in the middle" and the upper thigh fat refuses to go away. Even when I was down to a size 0, I couldn't wear shorts that actually fit because of the way my thighs looked. Now at a size 2 I am hoping to become more fit and toned. I recently dropped my protein intake to under 60g a day, usually hovering in the upper 40g-mid 50g range. Still need to imbibe protein powder supplements and soy-rich foods to reach that level, but less of them and only plant-based (pea, soy, rice, etc) proteins now. Dairy is also out - I seem to have become incredibly less tolerant of it all of the sudden, which is disheartening considering my love of yogurt. Oh well, at least there are health benefits to kicking it out of one's diet. I'm also working on eating healthier carbs, less sugar-derived carbs and more from vegetables and fruit. As for the calorie goal, that is going to be a longer, more arduous journey as I explore what works best for me and my body.

In the meantime, my new Polar HRM and I are going to be busy! Based on the fitness schedule it has created for me, it looks like I've been working out too intensely with the stationary bike and need to slow that down a bit, focus more on increasing resistance for strength training. I'm going to be making cardio a smaller part of my fitness regimen and increasing the hiking and yoga for better fat burning and building upper body strength. Maybe the pudge will start to budge a bit. This journey has only just begun and I plan on trekking hard as I enter my 30's.

Tomato Overload

2010-08-14T13:26:00.005-05:00

No tomato blight so far this year! Last year we lost almost all of our tomatoes due to the constant rain and general lack of sunlight. This Summer, though, the rain has been alternated with days of heat and sunshine. Great for the tomatoes, but I'm already craving the crisp air of Autumn!

A peek in our kitchen this week:

Roma Pesto Tarts

Puff pastry topped with fresh Roma tomatoes and homemade pesto

Donnie's Spicy V-5 Juice

Pressed tomato juice, beet juice, carrots, lettuce and spinach with a spicy kick

Recipes to come later tonight - I have housework to do!

Banned from Yoga

2010-07-25T17:12:00.004-05:00

For the past few weeks, I have been dealing with that on-and-off rib pain and abdominal stress. The left rib feels HUGE and inflammed again and sitting down for long periods of time (ie at work or on the puter) feels as though my ribs are poking into something and caving into my stomach. Not a pretty picture and it doesn't feel too hot, either.

Two weeks ago I was getting dressed for work when I discovered a small lump under my left rib. Not the best way to start the work day! I had my husband confirm it was indeed there, but neither of us could figure out what it could be. However, I decided it was definitely time for a doctor appointment. Later that afternoon, I was heating up water for coffee in our medical department (I work in a very different environment). It occurred to me to ask someone if my situation sounded familiar to them, being that my past doctor visit yielded no information whatsoever. After explaining my symptoms and the lump, two RN's immediately came up with a possible cause. Then, one took me into the examination room and checked my ribs. I almost jumped to the ceiling when she pressed between my left ribs.

The RN confirmed that I have been suffering with costochondritis, an inflammation of the cartilage between the ribs. That's why my left rib feels so big. Apparently it is in my lower ribs. She asked if I have been recently injured (no) and told me to lay off the yoga until the pain goes away(!). Can't I just take out a rib or something? Instructions also included no strenuous exercise or lifting that would impact my ribs and alternating heat and ice before and after exercise once I can start up again. I don't know if it is from exercise that this is occurring, but the nurse did say that my smaller stature combined with exercise could be causing it. So, I have had to lay off exercise for a few weeks now and I am not happy about it.

One thing that is bothering me is the stomach pain and intestinal issues that seem to come hand in hand with the rib pain/costochondritis. Is my stomach also getting inflammed? Which is the cause and which is the effect? Of course, I have been doing a lot of research, but there's a long page of possible causes of costochondritis and perhaps my cause really is the simplest.

It's still bothering me, but I am trying to incorporate small spurts of exercise. I even used my stationary bike last night without using the handlebars, but could only do 5.4 miles before my rib started hurting. I've also recently started getting pains in my middle lower abdomen and my ribs constantly have a pin-prick sensation. Hopefully this is going to heal up soon as I am due for a rather physical re-evaluation at work early next month. Besides, I don't know how long I can go without yoga :( Already researching non-abdominally-intensive poses.

Torte Knox

2010-07-25T17:07:00.000-05:00

In case you don't already know, I am obsessed with food. Discovering new flavours, sampling foods many avoid (like blood sausage and bunny fu fu) and exploring markets for obscure ingredients are some of my greatest passions. Last month, my husband designed an entire day with one goal -- getting a table at Torte Knox deep in the Poconos. Whatever else we were to do for the day revolved around this ultimate destination. He only had to see its website and reviews to know it was an absolute must that I eat there. How difficult is it to get a table? There's a $75 deposit just to make a reservation.

Torte Knox has been featured in multiple magazines and tv shows, including Unwrapped from the Food Channel, NY Times, Bon Appetit and Roker on the Road. The proprietor and chef, Sheelah Kaye-Stepkin used to host Cooking with Class on NBC. Check out the site: http://www.torteknox.com/

Note the Vault Alarm on the building -- Torte Knox is housed in what used to be the First National Bank of Hawley, built in 1902.

Torte Knox opens its restaurant for dinner only on Friday and Saturday evenings. Sunday hosts its Lobster Benedict Brunch. For the rest of the week, this is actually a cooking school.

Our table was the last one on the left, in front of the bar. Lots of fabulous wines to choose from. The restaurant has also just introduced an Absinthe bar on Saturdays and Sundays.

The grill station is in the middle of the dining room and used to be the teller's counter. You can eat at the island and watch your food being cooked, but there is a good view from all the tables.

Antique Garland stove. I want it!

Notice the bullet embedded near the bottom of the antique fridge.
The fridge used to belong to a brothel.

The first course was a Grilled Caesar Salad with Regianno crisp and croutons sautéed in duck fat. We chose a fabulous Chardonnay for this course and selected a bottle of another Chardonnay for our main courses.

I selected the Jail Island Salmon with Hollandaise Cream and Salmon Roe for the main course. The hollandaise was so light, almost frothy, that I actually thought it was beurre blanc. The roe was the perfect salty little crunch to mix up the textures.

Don's main course -- Grilled jumbo scallops each with its own sauce and salmon roe, grilled asparagus and mesclun salad with edible flowers.

Dessert for me was flan with popcorn and caramel, while Donnie had the Strawberry Goat Cheese Ice Cream. Unfortunately, we had ordered a bottle of Chardonnay and I, at my husband's urging, duly splurged and enjoyed. I only managed a spoonful of my sinful dessert before even he realised I had overindulged. As only a loving husband would do, though, he discretely whisked me to the ladies room TWICE as we waited for the bill. I think the second time one of the waitstaff noted the urgency of the situation, as I saw her eyes widen in the direction of the server who was preparing the bill.

I'll spare you the details of the rest of the evening, but overall it was a delightful dinner and an experience not soon forgotten. Maybe next time I will keep it to my limit of one glass, once it seems likely no one will remember my lushy ways.

Stay posted for other events from our day in Hawley...

Dropping In For a Visit - The Latest Buzz @ My House

2010-07-03T21:09:00.005-05:00

It was very sage-like of me this morning to not fall back asleep after the husband had to leave early for work. I actually did go back to bed, but only for about 10 minutes. The annoying hum overhead had started to sound very much like a cat purring, so much so that I started patting the comforter looking for Ming! I eventually attributed it to the flapping of wings and got out of bed to make a pot of tea.

Bewildered yet? I know I am. You see, a few weeks ago I started picking up a "tapping" noise in our bedroom, which soon afterwards started to sound like chewing. Donnie couldn't hear it and suggested that work stress was causing auditory hallucinations, but I knew there was something up in the ceiling! I have exceptional hearing, although a life-long persistent low ringing in the ears sometimes creates a bit of white noise when I try to focus on a nagging sound. If I tell you I hear something, it's there; take my word for it.

A few days after the noise started, Donnie finally heard it. After a little research, he declared a bat had most likely taken residence in the attic. He explained that the chewing noise was probably it feeding its bat baby, chomping on bugs in the attic and regurgitating them for the youngster. Ew. Then again, free bug eradication services! This diagnosis was much more comforting than a herd of termites tearing apart the house. I'm from the city - as far as my experience goes, a rat and a termite sound the same.

For the past couple weeks, we have been content with the bat theory and have accepted that a flying rodent and its quite ravenous spawn have joined our family. The activity overhead woke up with the sun this morning and the odd "purr" got me out of bed, as well. The kettle was just beginning to whistle and I was crossing the room towards it when I caught a flash of brown in my peripheral vision. I back-stepped, expecting to see the huge Labradors from two doors down, and was treated to a view of three deer flanking the garden. The peas! I barely stopped to turn off the stove before grabbing my camera and heading for the door. I managed to get a few photos of them before they ran down to the grove to frolic and presumably get a drink from the river. Within minutes, though, they were back and charging up the side of the house like a herd of cows! I ran out for another photo, but they were startled and ran into the woods, stopping at Bongoman's house (one day I'll explain that mystery) and standing there for about 15 minutes before heading on. Unfortunately, there were too many trees between us for a photo. At least now I have proof that the deer ate the tops off some of the unprotected tomato and pea plants, which somehow managed to recover.

Casually strolling around the yard after being disturbed from their path of intended destruction in the garden.

The one in back kept curiously looking back at me.

This wasn't to be the only critter drop-in for the day, though. In fact, I was due for a much more literal drop-in. After the deer visit, I endured a cruel 40 minute workout courtesy of Jillian Michael's Burn Fat, Boost Metabolism DVD, followed by a shower. I was planning to head to the bank early so I streaked (literally) upstairs to our bedroom to get dressed. As I opened the bedroom door, I heard a weird noise but couldn't place it and shut the door behind me. Then I turned on the lights and had to stifle a scream as I backed into the door. A swarm of yellowjackets (I thought they were hornets at the time) was circling the room, loudly buzzing along the ceiling and zipping about. I ran out of the room, still naked, and started searching for the bug spray Don had in the study. Fortunately, there are woods blocking anyone's view of me through the study windows, for the most part at least. There were a handful of yellowjackets in the study, but they seem focused on the window and I was able to quickly spray them before, again, streaking through the house and running downstairs for fly swatters. This time I stopped in Don's bathroom to grab a T-shirt from the door before returning to the windows with three fly swatters. It made sense at the time to have three.

After killing the study wasps, I braced myself for another bloodbath and returned to the bedroom, juggling fly swatters and a bottle of bug spray. The swarm was still buzzing along the ceiling so I quickly fired off a few rounds of bug spray and firmly shut the door. After a few minutes I figured a sizeable portion of the swarm would be subdued enough to reduce their stinging ability and went back in to finish the job. I hopped up onto the bed and started swatting, trying not to hit the lights on the ceiling fan or (more importantly) get stung. Progress was being made until I heard a familiar whistling buzz coming from the area behind me where we had believed Mama Bat was roosting. I turned around with the fly swatter just in time to see a few yellowjackets squirming out of a hole in the ceiling the size of a pencil eraser and let out a garbled scream. All I could think of was how disgusting they looked wiggling through the hole.

By this point, I felt completely helpless. I ran out of the room horrified by the hole in the ceiling (ARG! As I was typing this, a gnat buzzed my ear!), then came to my senses and gathered the courage to head back in and emptied the bottle of bug spray in the hole. If only you could have seen how quickly I dashed out of that room! When I sprayed the hole, I discovered the ceiling was weak in that section, at least a couple inches in area. Nothing says emergency like a ceiling caving in, so I called Don at work and frantically explained what was going on. He instantly calmed me down, although he was just as shocked as I was, and told me where to find more bug spray and to tape up the hole with some duct tape (why didn't I think of that?). One of his coworkers told me to hook up a ziplock bag with pennies, something about attracting them to a watery death with shiny things. Whatever works!

Don was unable to leave work, but was able to provide enough reassurance that spraying the hole had already given us a significant advantage. I decided to plaster the hole and went about gathering supplies in the basement, rounding up joint compound, masking tape and a wasp spray (woohoo!). I was unable to find any duct tape, so packaging tape had to do. I managed to get it over the hole, after squirting a stream of wasp spray into the hole, securing the edges on firm plasterboard and taking care not to press in the soft part of the ceiling. The plan was to wait for the spray to quiet down the nest a bit, then remove the packing tape and replace with a neater strip of masking tape before plastering the damaged drywall. As I started to remove the packaging tape, though, a wasp fell out of the hole and I screamed again. Some of the red paint on the wall was starting to come off with the tape, as well, so I firmly pressed it back onto the ceiling and secured the mass with extra tape on the sides. My entire body was shivering and I just wanted to run out of the room. Obviously, the plastering would have to wait.

For the rest of the day I made periodic checks of the bedroom, about every hour, to ensure nothing escaped from the hole and to check on the activity level. Donnie returned home from work around 8 PM with more bug spray and I introduced him to our attic squatters. He squirted the new cocktail up into the hole and we quickly taped it up again. Then he cautiously pulled down the attic steps and aimed his wasp spray for the nest. Much braver than me! I had thought he was aiming in the direction of the noise or saw the buggers flying about, but he waited until my google search revealed photos of a wasp nest to inform me where he sprayed.

Me: "It says here the nest is usually as large as a basketball and when they start chewing it can expand to be 10x larger."
Don: "Um yes, that's pretty much what I saw."
Me: "There's a nest the size of a basketball in our attic?"
Don: "Yes..."

I'm already shuddering at the thought. At any moment, a beach ball of writhing wasps could have fallen on us in bed. It still could collapse through the ceiling if there's enough of the colony left to further weaken that section of the ceiling. Don plans to investigate the damage wrought with our insecticides tomorrow and determine how soon we can get the nest and its inhabitants out of our attic. Good thing we are one of those bizarre households with hazmat suits. What, you don't have one?

More updates to come as the horror unfolds...

First Campfire Hot Dog!

2010-06-29T22:35:00.006-05:00

Believe it or not, I have never before had a campfire hot dog. I've also never gone camping, although it's on the to-do list. Don had cut down some spindly trees by the garage last week as they were getting into the power lines. All week long, the felled trees and their sharp branches had been lying on the ground near my parking spot - reversing into my spot was a particularly unnerving task. I was happy to see the tree litter removed yesterday afternoon when I got home from work! Don had carted the lot down to the grove in the tractor trailer and had created a little campfire. It only took a few minutes for the gears to start turning in my head and I suggested an impromptu dinner in the grove with hotdogs over the fire. Unfortunately, my tofurky beer brats order hasn't arrived at Everything Natural yet, so I had to make do with an Aldi hotdog, but it was all about the moment and trying new things.

(click photo for an enlarged view of the cliffs)

Approaching the campfire...

Another view of the grove

Closeup of campfire action

Please excuse my pasty, pale legs. No matter how much time I spend outdoors, tanning attempts are futile. And no, I don't have a J-Lo ass (got to love cargo shorts).

Donnie ramping up the fire with a fresh hotdog on the stick!

The local deli was out of hotdog buns - some woman bought out their supply (probably a vacationer from NY or NJ). So, we simply used hamburger buns, instead! Our hotdogs/burgers were perfectly charred and crispy.

Firepit carrot "fries"

I have an unnatural addiction to beta-carotene foods and making healthy "fries".

There was some spontaneous outdoor yoga as well, including natarajasana, but those photos will have to wait for next time ;) There is a lot of extra space down there for working on some of those tricky positions...

Tahini - Not Only for Hummus

2010-06-28T22:43:00.000-05:00

For the past couple weeks, I have been experimenting with upping my good fats intake and pulling it in line with protein, and decreasing carbs from non-vegetable or fruit sources. I've always been a grains girl and a fan of the ruffage, so this has required some adjustments in my diet. There are a few reasons behind this decision, all to be explored later in this experiment.

I believe part of the reason behind the failure in my last experiment with fat intake was due to not fully researching those fats for hidden culprits, such as sugar and hydrogenated oils. As my dear husband reminded me, hydrogenated oil is nothing exotic. In fact, P&G gave it a name - Crisco. That stuff is in your everyday peanut butter. Yum. I only recently discovered that hydrogenated oil is not so healthy and switched to an all-natural PB with no added sugar, salt or oil. Now, I can't believe I wasted so much time with that junk with the long ingredient list when pure peanut purée sounds like heaven in a bottle. Why mar that with fillers? And so began my renewed journey of working healthy fats into my normal diet.

Tahini is one healthy fat that most of the English-speaking world (or anyone else outside the Mideast, for that matter) still consider an elusive product and wouldn't know what to do with it. Some know it as that ingredient that makes hummus smooth, although have no clue that it is sesame paste. Like all other healthy fats, it is best in moderation, yet healthy enough to become a staple in your diet. In the past I have used it rather sparingly in hummus and am now kicking myself for shying away from it due to fat fear and losing all that flavour. Within the past couple weeks, the tahini jar has emerged from the back of the fridge all the way to the front. I've been using it a couple times a week to dress the huge bowlfuls of fresh mesclun we harvest from the gardens. I came across a base for a tahini balsamic dressing recipe and adjusted it accordingly, adding lime juice to brighten it up as I usually only use lime juice to season salad leaves.

Tahini Balsamic Dressing

2 tsp tahini
2 tsp olive oil, I prefer unfiltered
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
juice from half a lime
freshly cracked pepper and salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a dressing/marinade shaker and serve at room temperature.

Here's how I used it this past week:

Char-Broiled Salmon with Lime Zest, Mesclun and Tahini Balsamic

My remix of frisée aux lardons

Poached egg atop garden-fresh mesclun (frisée included) with another drizzle of tahini balsamic

Good Morning Summer!

2010-06-21T06:19:00.002-05:00

At 7:28 AM today, less than half an hour away, the Northern Hemisphere will be marking the Summer Solstice. Although I am not a Neo-Pagan, or anything religious for that matter, there is something special and significant about the solstices that tugs an Ancient heartstring in me. It's a change of season, a new wind rushing forth for a turn in nature's continuous cycle as the land makes its transition. Every season brings new opportunities and its own unique quirks. As we enter each new solstice, I reflect on what my heathen ancestors and forefathers along the expanse of time may have been doing at that time. Were they timing their crops and harvesting by the moon, or taking part in a celebration or rite? Actually, they were probably burning those who did so at the stake, which sounds much less romantic.

My traditions are little more practical. I like to read a little of Midsummer's Dream, bake pillow-soft cookies and pull out the honey jar and mead for some other kitchen experiments (which you can expect to see here soon). Snuggling up with mint tea and a good book/my laptop and the fireflies late at night is also high on the list...yes, the fireflies have returned and have been lighting up the woods with their quick snaps of green.

Although you won't see me at a Burning Man festival any time soon, I've done my fair share of "worship" at the solstice. This time last year, I was praying to the porcelain gods, Kohler and American Standard due to a particularly nasty cold. The year before that, I was recovering from overindulging in Pinot Grigio. Fingers crossed for good health today! I plan on starting off this sunny solstice morning right with half an hour of yoga, including sun salutations, and a Green Monster to help me get through the first day of what will be another week of Stress@Werk. I've been promised this will be a 3 month project, due for completion come the next solstice?

Oregon Snow Pea Flowers in my garden

Oh, I Think I Need To Go To This!

2010-06-16T22:07:00.003-05:00

August 1st - Spyglass Ridge Winery 7th Annual Celtic Festival: http://www.spyglassridgewinery.com/celtic.html

We skipped the Montrose Chocolate & Wine Festival this year and missed several other wine festivals already this season. But booze and kilts combined - I'm there. Maybe there will be a Welsh presence?? Either way, the cellar needs some new bottles.

Think it may also be time to pay a visit to our most local wineries: Bartolai (5 minutes down the road) and Nimble Hill (15 minutes). Where's my designated driver...

Groundhog Spice Keeps the Garden Nice

2010-06-14T21:35:00.005-05:00

I wonder what the Socialist Wine & Spirits shop would say if I asked for a crisp white wine to accompany squirrel... Something spicy enough to match a compote of black pepper balsamic strawberries, being as that those juicy red berries have provided the bulk of our local squirrels' diet so far. This Summer is already proving to be a Wildlife Roam for All and the furry beasts have not crossed our kitchen gardens off their lists! Several times a day, we spot one of the bushy-tailed rodents laying siege to the strawberry patch. It starts with a gleeful pounce out of the woods towards the edge of my husband's tomato plants. A flick of the tail in the air, a playful wag in the soil. Then he slithers under the canopy of bean vines, around the pea tripods and into the potato row, covertly emerging under potato leaves and into the strawberries. There's always that momentary pause that tells you that squirrel is fully aware he is doing something bad and sneaky, but oh, the fragrance of those sweet berries in the sun is so intoxicating. Several times Don has tried to scare them out of the garden, but they always ensure their mouths are stuffed with strawberries as they scamper off. They return a couple hours later for another round, their muzzles most likely still stained with berry juice.

On Friday, I had to call a truce on the squirrel wars. I arrived home from work to a triumphant husband eager to show me his first prisoner casually lying next to the garden. He had aimed for two and snagged a scrawny bugger who looked as though he needed a treat. I headed down the back banks barefoot to confirm he hadn't snared the pleasantly plump squirrel that visits Ming on the side porch, wounding my foot on a sharp rock in the process. Fortunately it wasn't the fat one, who actually showed up a short while later for another go at the strawberries. By that time, though, the ravens had already carried away the fallen squirrel. There was some pouting, but Don agreed to leave the squirrels alone. I'll have to make a removable wire cage or something along those lines to save future berry crops, though.

The squirrels aren't the only garden invaders at the moment, though. You may recall Fat Bastard from last year. Unfortunately, PA has a glut of groundhogs. I'm not sure if he has made his way inside the gardens yet, but I did see him waddling around the edge of the woods and three uncaged tomato plants are missing their tops. Groundhog or deer damage? All the wildlife has been coming out of the woods over the past couple weeks. My boss mentioned today he saw a bear trudging along the busy expressway near Scranton, a coworker saw another bear on my road (!), there was a bear digging in the trash at work over the weekend, and I've almost hit two wild turkeys in the past week who were walking along the road on my way to work. Is it the rain washing out their dens or are they hungry?

I may not have an answer on a wine pairing for that other white meat yet, but we did uncork that bottle of Rebel Red for a game-free dinner last night. After seeing a gorgeous photo of thin-crust pizza and a bottle of red wine on another food blog, I declared dinner had to be thin-crust made on my pizza stone. After a quick scan in the cellar, Don and I agreed that this boisterous Rebel would be the best match for my ultra spicy, fennel-laced pizza. If we were going to drink it at all, it needed a strong contender to bite back. We did finish the bottle, although, I must admit my opinion of this wine did not improve. Fizzy Concord grape juice is the best description for Rebel Red. My, how the mighty fall when faced with competition. It sure barks loud enough on its own, but speeds away with its tail between its legs. It was drinkable enough, in the same way Boone's Farm makes its way into the picnic basket. Next time, I'll try a more husky red to join my pizza at the table.

That unfortunate bottle is in the trash bin next to the discarded not-so-hot sauce bottles, which will not be gracing my groundhog burgers. I may just need to grind another batch of that coffee spice rub for my husband's steak this Father's Day. I think a bottle of this will be a nice accompaniment:

Order your own bottle here: http://shop.abcfws.com/FAT-BASTARD-CABERNET-SAUVIGNON-brSize-750ML--P15158C1394.aspx Groundhog not included.

Wet and Humid Monday

2010-06-14T06:15:00.003-05:00

Ahhh...Bribery Day. I have graced Mondays with a multitude of honourary holidays and rites, all designed to soften the blow a bit and change my perspective on Mondays. One tradition that I adhere to religiously is Monday Bars. As you may already know, I am addicted to granola and nutrition bars; Monday Bars are my once-a-week splurge and usually consist of either a new brand/flavour purchase or an indulgence (be it slightly higher calories/fat/carbs or more costly than my current stockpiles). Behold this week's Monday Bar:

Luna Caramel Nut Brownie protein bar - photo taken on December 5, 2009 from a previous post when I first introduced all of you to this Monday ritual. Some of you have some catching up to do, though ;) A recycled photo; I'm green like that.

Ruthlessly pulling out a photo from 6 months ago - don't worry, the protein bar looks the same as it did back then - isn't the only "green" thing I've done today. I also choked down a green multivitamin horse pill resembling Sputnik and made a Green Monto! The multivitamin quite likely offers me no nutritional benefit, however I'm a mad scientist and more than willing to use my body as an experiment until the bottle runs out. If I start to get sluggish from vitamin toxicity, I'll discard the bottle but I'm hoping to see at least minor improvements in energy levels. As for the Green Monto, it's a Green Monster shake. Monto is one of the special words my husband used/still uses with his children: Monto=Monster. If you haven't tried one of these yet, check out this link: http://greenmonstermovement.com/

Green Monsters are open to variation, but essentially contain some form of milk (soy, almond, rice, cow, hemp, etc) and a full serving+ of spinach or kale. Flax seed, fruit (usually a banana), nut butter, protein or superfood powder, or cocoa powder can all be added to make your own version of a Green Monster. My preferred version is a full serving of spinach, 1 cup of light soy, 3/4 tsp guar gum and half a scoop of chocolate protein powder. Sometimes I omit the protein powder or grind some flax seed to add, but most changes in the recipe for me are substitutions in protein powders.

Monday is my late start morning, so I've been working on reaping that benefit by adding power yoga or Jillian DVDs to pre-work preparations. Unfortunately, today I have already frittered away most of the morning on the laptop and need to actually start getting ready for work. In this economy, and the nearing collapse to come, having a job in the first place is a good start to a Monday.

What other Monday rites can I celebrate with today?

What Is My Focus? Oh, Look, Food!

2010-06-06T18:20:00.006-05:00

You may not believe this, but I have actually prepared and consumed food over the past couple months. Being primarily known as a food blog and all, people typically expect to see food at some point here. Food actually isn't my main focus here, but rather a mish-mash of my life in NEPA (of which cooking is a large part hehe). Most of my readers, though, are very interested in the food porn. Perhaps it is time I post some photos of my kitchen and cooking toys?? Some glimpses of my treasured spices? A peek into the crisper drawer? I still have to show off the kitchen purchases from Belgium...

Here are a couple treats I made a couple months ago and never told you about:

How can you not love bubbly baked cheese?

Flatbread Lasagna (recipe adapted from Food and Wine magazine)

1 prepared Naan bread, whole wheat is entirely appropriate
3/4 cup ricotta (I used whole milk ricotta, but part skim is OK)
1/4 cup milk
2 oz mozzarella, shredded
3/8 cup prepared marinara sauce
1 tb Parmesan, grated
crushed red pepper flakes

In a small casserole dish, place half a naan bread, breaking into smaller pieces if needed. Layer with half of the marinara sauce. Mix together ricotta, shredded mozzarella and season with salt, freshly cracked pepper and 1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes. Add in 1/4 cup milk to thin mixture, then top naan with 1/2 of mixture. Place another naan bread atop and layer with the rest of the sauce. Carefully spread cheese mixture over sauce and scatter 1 tb of grated Parmesan atop. Place dish in a pan deeper than the casserole dish and cover with foil. Bake covered for 30 minutes at 350F, then uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes. Makes 2-4 servings.

Nutritional data (for 4 servings using whole fat ricotta): 226 kcal; 11.3 g fat; 436 mg sodium; 20.51 g carbs; 12.27 g protein

Moist and spicy... I wasted no time digging into this!

Potato-Crusted Cod with "Garam Masala Streusel" For 1 (adapted from SuperCookery Potatoes & Vegetables)

4 oz cod filet, no skin
1/2 red skin potato, unpeeled, thinly sliced
1/4th of an onion, minced
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 oz Swiss cheese, shredded (I used 1/3 oz)
1/2 tb butter or spread
1/2 tsp garam masala

Melt butter or spread in a skillet and pan fry potato slices over medium heat; remove with a slotted spoon. Add onion and bread crumbs to the pan with remaining butter and stir in garam masala. Cook for roughly 3 minutes, until onions just start to become translucent. Layer half of the potato slices on the bottom of an ovenproof dish, such as a ramekin. Place raw fish filet on top of the potato, then layer with the remaining potato slices. Top with garam masala-spiced streusel and Swiss cheese. Bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes.

Nutritional data: 230 kcal; 8 g fat; 64 mg cholesterol; 526 mg sodium; 25 g carbs; 20 g protein

Close-up before ravishing. OK, so it's my husband's portion. Mine had barely touched the table before the fork was in it!

Sorry for the strong yellow tinge in all the photos! I was using our bright indoor super-economic and eco-friendly lighting. Even my pasty Welsh skin looks ever so slightly tan under it.

So, how would you define the blog? What would you like to see more of, aside from posts in general? Should I post more rural quirks from NEPA? More day trips or do you prefer the food? Or, is the blog fine the way it is? Should there be more of me? I've hidden a lot of me from here due to fear that my workplace would cross paths with it. But, is there really anything here that is all that personal? Questions, questions.

Since moving to NEPA six years ago (wow!), my life has changed quite a bit. My career (and future career goals), daily activities, hobbies and life plans have taken a drastic 180. I'm turning 30 exactly 2 months from now, a huge milestone that will be experienced with mixed emotions. Who would ever have thought I would suddenly move to the mountains and become a fitness addict and stick my hands in dirt? Cooking has always been my therapy, a way to experiment, a challenge.

Apples, Tractors, Battlefields and Wine

2010-06-02T23:45:00.000-05:00

A few Sundays ago, Donnie and I decided it was time for a day trip down to Gettysburg. The last time we made a trip down to Gettysburg, I awoke from a nap to discover we were driving into Hershey. That's what happens when you let a chocoholic behind the wheel. I was forced to perform my conjugal duty of enduring a factory tour to reach the free chocolate before we continued on to Gettysburg that time.

This trip, I made certain to stay awake and alert with coffee. The downfall of drinking lots of coffee on the road, though, is that at some point you are going to be in urgent need of a restroom. As is my luck, usually the closest rest stop is closed or an accident/road work causes a major traffic jam (Antwerp, anyone?). In this case, we were driving on I-81 with the only exit options bearing extremely long names ending in "-ville", i.e. population 200. The situation was getting a little dire, though, so I instructed Donnie to take the next exit and pulled out my Garmin Nüvi to begin searching for the nearest fast food restaurants. When it found a McDonald's less than 4 miles from our current location, we exchanged dubious side glances, however I am forever the optimist. OK, rest room in 4 miles!

The signs for Tuscarora State Park and Locust Lake (lovely name) State Park were the big indicators that it might be a while before we saw a fast food restaurant. Don even suggested we check the parks for an open restroom, but I stubbornly resisted. Nüvi had never steered me wrong! Besides, state park restrooms all too often boast Swedish composting toilets and I didn't need a whiff of that on a roadtrip. We drove roughly half an hour through the countryside before Nüvi chipperly piped up that McDonald's was on the right. We slowed to a stop in front of what appeared to be an abandoned home.

Me: *pointing out the window* "Look, honey, it's McDonald's!"
Don: "Maybe it's behind the house."

Fifteen minutes later, we were back on the Interstate and trying not to focus on the fact that we would have already reached our destination had we simply ploughed onward. We were still 45 minutes from Gettysburg, and every thick patch of underbrush in the woods along the Interstate seemed particularly inviting. After a few minutes of passing exits to towns I have never heard of, we spotted the the ominous gleam of the McD logo -- who'd think I'd ever be so happy to see one of those??

Ten minutes later we were back on the road and I was patiently adhering to my vow of no liquids until we arrived in Biglersville. What's in Biglersville, you wonder? Well, this particular weekend it was the home of the Adams County 55th Annual Apple Blossom Festival. Can't spend the entire day wandering battlefields, eh?

Biglersville is a small town just outside of Gettysburg and is most known for its fruit orchards. Adams County has 75 orchards over a span of roughly 20,000 acres worth of fruit trees. The orchards come into bloom just before the festival weekend. The Apple Blossom Festival is held at the South Mountain Fairgrounds, surrounded by orchards and even a couple vineyards. For those wanting a closer experience, there are tractor wagon rides and bus tours into the orchards from the fairgrounds. There are also bags of fresh apples available for purchase, which I find entirely confusing -- as far as I know, the earliest harvest for local apples isn't until later this month and most aren't ready until August. Either the apples have been in cold storage or they're being shipped in. Whatever the case, they did look yummy!

I immediately noticed the heat when we stepped out of the car. Southern PA is always 10-15 degrees warmer than NEPA and we had already been expecting it to be a warm day back home. First order of business - liquids! We found an iced vanilla cappuccino for me and perused the many food vendors for lunch options. Donnie had almost decided on a hot sausage or something like that when I spotted homemade scrapple from one of the local farms. Donnie had a hard time choosing between the scrapple breakfast with eggs or scrapple sandwich, settling on the sandwich for something new. As he was mulling over condiment choices, he sent me over to one of the apple tables for a cup of fresh cider.

First bite into scrumptiousness He looks surprised LOL

Coming in for a close-up -- Scrapple sandwich with farm-fresh apple butter.

It was a tough choice for him deciding between the apple butter and maple syrup, but he seemed pleased with his choice.

Obviously an intriguing flavour combination

Before we moved on to the vendors, Don sent me back for a half pint of cider. Fortunately, I had brought my hiking bag in case I needed to carry any goodies. Besides, on a hot day you need refreshments! The cider ended up being our only purchase at the festival, though. Many of the vendors were arts and crafts based, some furniture and jewelry, even a few food vendors with hot sauces and applewood cutting boards (wish I bought one). As with many big festivals, there was an antique car show. I'm not really into antique cars, but found the hit-and-miss engine collections interesting. Some of the owners had demonstrations set up so you could see the engines grinding cornmeal or performing other small tasks. These engines have been replaced with robots or large factory machines for the most part, making their role mostly for historical purposes.

Of course, I had to find the animals at this event and they did not disappoint. I found llamas! They were the most friendly, inquisitive creatures. I felt bad lusting after one of the scarfs being sold made from llama fur. Should have bought one!

After petting the llamas, we moved on to another barn where they were hiding the chocolate and cheese vendors. Were it not for the sign outside, I would have missed the Adams County Winery table. The winery's two stores were also open for the day and they were giving out coupons for free samples of their Ice Wine at the winery and the downtown store. That actually worked out for Don so that we wouldn't have to carry bottles of wine around at the festival!

After surveying all the festival had to offer, we decided to cash in that Ice Wine offer and programmed Nüvi for the downtown site. The shop is full of wine trinkets and gadgets, n addition to wine of course. The sales girl was very helpful and we sampled several wines before deciding to purchase three bottles.

Scrapple Wine - Don't worry, I think it's Kosher

Also known as "Apple Pie in a Bottle", Scrapple is a blend of cranberry and apple wine with a mixture of spices. This really does taste like Apple Pie!

Rebel Red

We actually requested a bottle of Three Ships to the Wind, but the girl at the winery store mistakenly sold us this, instead. A mere whiff of this stuff is 80 proof. It's not a bad wine, but it is definitely aggressive and bit too brash for our tastes. Think Jersey Girl and high octane gasoline. If you're used to drinking hard liquor and think of wine as fairy juice, this is your bottle to try. I was getting ready to clean pennies in it. I'll still give it a go with a really bold meal, maybe a game meat. It is, after all, the winery's most popular bottle. Freaking Pennsylvanians. My ultimate plan, however, is to go back for that bottle of Three Ships to the Wind.

Furhanna

Very nice -- a blend of Riesling and Traminette. I'll review this one after opening the bottle for another sip.

Fueled for battle with Vikings (or Confederates, you choose), it was time to hit the battlefields! We had unintentionally timed our visit upon the opening day of Gettysburg's new Museum and Visitor Center. Don was more excited about seeing this than going to the battlefields. After going through a short movie and a very detailed and interactive presentation (mainly geared towards the kids), we were able to see the restored Gettysburg Cyclorama. It was actually created by a French artist, Paul Philippoteaux, in 1882 and due to this there are a few historical inaccuracies/quirks, such as European straw stacks. The restored cyclorama is now interactive, with animated explosions and dimming/brightening to highlight areas of the battle's events. It's quite impressive and worth seeing if you have the chance.

Pennsylvania Memorial

We were able to climb to the top, which is a rare treat at this monument. Beware of the winding steps, though, as you will become quite dizzy! But, the view is worth it.

Garryowen Irish Pub in Gettysburg

After a long day of trekking around, we returned to downtown Gettysburg for dinner. The night before, I had been researching restaurants in the area and came across this gem. It was programmed into my Garmin before we even left! There was a Irish folk band scheduled to play there earlier in the evening. We thought we had missed them, however they were still playing in a corner when we showed up. The pub, itself, has that traditional Irish air -- plaster walls (they were the same green as our kitchen), dark lighting, tin ceiling and heavy furniture. The menu screamed thousands of calories, but I knew what I was getting into and decided to go all out with the Ulster Fry. This happy coronary on a plate consists of black and white puddings, Irish bacon, pork sausage and fried Farl bread. Check out this pic if you dare: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SSL20256.jpg I ate all of this with a huge pint of Guinness..yum!

Before returning to our little village in the mountains, we had one more stop to make -- ice cream! A small cup of frozen yogurt later, the day was complete.

Garden Updates 5-24-10

2010-05-24T07:52:00.004-05:00

Leafy mesclun on the way!

We have several different tomato varieties planted including: Brandywine, Manyel, Cherry, Roma, Rutger, Big Boy, Siberian, Anna Russian and Tigerella to name a few.

If you think these look big, keep in mind we plant half of our tomato "seedlings" underground! This helps establish better roots and moisture control, making for a healthier plant.

Welsh onions

Self-seeded and widely prolific Gai Choy (Japanese Red Mustard)

I've weeded a little over the weekend, but it still needs more work.

Perfectly plump strawberries

Belgium, Day 3 - De Panne

2010-05-16T21:27:00.003-05:00

There's two big benefits to staying in Wallonia: language and proximity. I used to be able to at least hold a conversation in Flemish. With work in the way of my studies, it's been impossible lately to freshen up my language skills; it was a bit of a relief to be able to revert to a language I am more comfortable with. As for proximity - location, location, location. It's handy to be close enough to the border to go grocery shopping in France or take the train to Brussels, as well as being close to the sea. Belgium has a well-deserved reputation for grey skies and rain due to the North Sea. We didn't want to make any major travel plans until the next day when Petra's husband, Harry, would be returning from a business trip and joining us in Belgium (Harry lives in Zons - close to Köln). Petra suggested a trip to the seaside town of De Panne.

The quickest route to De Panne is to cut through France, then head northwest back into Belgium until you hit sand. After hitting some sort of traffic jam on the A2, we soon discovered it was even faster to bypass the main highways and zigzag through the French countryside on state roads. Bambi, Petra's GPS whom we fondly remember, wouldn't stop trying to redirect us back to the A2, so we muzzled her and pulled out my Garmin Nüvi. One moment the vote was to head instead for Dunkirk, then the next the map came out and Nüvi was ordered to head north! We almost had to kill Nüvi, though, when she decided it was necessary to barrel down a grassy path towards a barn to get out of the quaint town of Ieper/Ypres. She also seemed oddly attracted to a field. Turns out that wasn't the main road we had programmed for "north". After some panicked reprogramming, we enjoyed a short scenic drive into De Panne, chickens unharmed.

Parking was a bit of a task. Apparently, a day with only a morning sprinkle warrants a trip to the seaside for all Belgians. Even more surprisingly, the sun was beginning to peek through the clouds! We finally found a parking spot only to discover it was only for two hours. Pfft! Proclaiming immunity per Petra's fancy license plate, we went in search of a good cup of tea. Don't let your feathers get ruffled; we returned for the car within the two hour limit :)

The first tea shop wasn't serving tea (Easter weekend), only selling pastries. We had already put in the order for pastries when we learned of this. We decided to forego that shop and walked across the street to a tea shop actually selling tea. I have to adore Petra's German efficiency...she gets so miffed when Belgians act Walloonish (i.e. laid back) rather than Flemish LOL The tea shop we ended up going to had an even larger array of gorgeous pastries and a sizeable crowd. Lots of cream tones and white-washed wood, a very relaxed coastal theme. I chose a cream horn for Donnie, and Petra and I dug into marzipan-covered Cointreau cakes. Oh...my...god...so good. Donnie was actually getting jealous! Before I got to indulge in this hedinous treat, though, a discreet restroom visit was needed to remove my Invisalign. Donnie pointed me towards a door leading to a downwards stairwell. He omitted to tell me that the women's area wasn't really all that separate from the men's. As I descended down the narrow staircase, I was greeted by a view of male backsides at the urinals. I literally tripped my way upstairs, hurrying to get out of there before anyone saw me. An older gentleman was at the top of the stairs desperately trying not to laugh and telling me not to fall. All I could gasp out was "Wrong bathroom!" over and over again. I think the man understood that wasn't what I was expecting and he was enjoying every moment of it. I scurried back to the table and informed my husband that was only the men's restroom! He definitely enjoyed that as much as the older man at the top of the stairs.

Don: *leaning across the table with an earnest look and struggling not to laugh* "Elf, there is a women's restroom down there, too."
Me: "No, there isn't..."
Don: "It's off to the side, on the left."
Me: "I didn't see anything off to the left."
Don: "Trust me, it's there. There's a door."

Another eyeful of the Cointreau cake instilled some courage in me, although I still wasn't trusting him. I made another covert duck down the stairwell and sternly veered left until I found something that looked like a stall in the men's bathroom. I had found the "women's restroom".

After fortifying with 0 calorie cake and a pot of tea, we decided to take a walk on the beach. The sun was shining and cafés along the boardwalk had moved tables onto the sand. The tide was out and had been replaced with little boys filling their buckets, an obliging parent here and there helping form sandcastles or supervising to ensure nothing living made its way into the bucket. The gorgeous blue sky and bright sunlight left us completely unprepared for the strong wind gusts coming off the sea. Perfect conditions for the people flying kites or streaming down the beach in land sails. I was freezing! Fortunately, my husband always thinks ahead for me and had me kitted up with a hat and gloves in no time. I may have been freezing my ass off and the wind was blowing my hair into my eyes (which were already squinted against the sun), but these were mere inconveniences as I walked onto a beach literally lined with razor clam shells. For a moment, I seriously thought I was seeing multiple from sand or sea salt blowing into my eyes. We couldn't take a single step without pressing the long, cylindrical shells into the sand. I had never before seen a razor clam in person -- only on the Travel Channel LOL If only I had a pot of boiling water...

I should mention that while in De Panne, I was convinced I did not have my camera. Couldn't find it in my purse and Don forgot his camera, as well. Alas, no photos :(

My mother had one request before we left for Belgium -- bring back a fossil for her. Unfortunately, I lack my mother's adept rock-hound eye. I was able to find some pretty seashells for her, though. The beach in De Panne has a scattering of small rocks, either black and charcoal-like or a chalky white, but mostly it's sea shells and razor clams. The boardwalk along the beach is lined with Art Deco apartment buildings and shops in a range of pastels and bright colours. It's all very similar to Atlantic City, without the sleazy people and stray cats. Another plus -- no casinos!

Eventually I started losing the fight with the cold wind coming off the sea, so we voted to head for the car. Along the way, we gazed longingly into the windows of several chocolate shops. Sea shell shaped chocolates are very popular in De Panne. Don and I were getting an appreciative eyeful of these sea shell chocolates when Petra nipped into the shop, returning a short while later with liqueur bon bons and those buttery sea shells. She thrust the chocolates on us, insisting we accept her gift. As is polite, we dutifully dug into the chocolates.

The round creamy liqueur chocolates tasted almost anisey.
In the background, the sea shell chocolates!

The clouds seemed to be rolling in as we made our way back to Mons. Don and I nodded off for a bit, waking up halfway through the trek. Having wind driven up into my nasal passages must have irked my sinuses a bit, as I awoke with a nagging headache. I had Ibuprophen, but no liquid to take them with. We made several failed attempts stopping at petrol stations only to find they did not sell beverages before finding one with a large mini-mart. No Odwalla-type protein drinks, but I did find a cranberry/canneberge energy drink. As we were peeling away from the petrol station, Petra pointed out a potato vending machine! In this part of Belgium, you can buy bread from a vending machine on the side of the road at a broodautomaat (click here for images on google). It's filled on a daily basis and convenient for people on the go. Apparently, the farmers in the area saw this as a prime opportunity to unload some potatoes. It was a few minutes after we passed this abomination that it occurred to me to check my purse one more time. Sure enough, hidden deep in the shadows of my purse was my camera. Arg! If you want to see an aardappel automaat, though, check out this blog: http://almaarkleinergroeien.blogspot.com/2009/03/aardappelautomaat.html

It was late afternoon once we returned to Mons. Petra quickly (and efficiently!) prepped a leg of lamb and tossed it in the oven. Harry was going to be arriving late, so we had a couple of hours to just relax and browse about with our computers before dinner. To go with the lamb, I made a red wine gravy with the drippings. We also had aardappel dauphinois (potato cakes) and green beans with German bacon, followed by multiple glasses of red wine. Harry arrived in the middle of dinner, for which we celebrated by opening yet another bottle of wine. For dessert, Petra pulled out some rather strong Spanish sherry, mini lava cakes and cashews. It should come as no surprise to anyone that I managed to gain 4 pounds while on vacation!

Apologies for my sudden disappearance! Work has been extremely busy, but I am making every effort to fit in some relaxation time for my own sanity. That means more time blogging!

Back With the Cliffs and Kitty

2010-04-23T22:20:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not stuck in an ash cloud right now; I'm buried under work! Had Don not been reluctant to forego the extra pay for working the weekend after our return, we would only now be returning from Belgium. We had originally been looking at leaving a week later -- good thing my husband is "economical" ;)

We landed in Newark the afternoon of Friday, April 9th and arrived back to our little village in the mountains around 9 PM. After being up and travelling for 25 hours, Don and I were struggling to stay awake and sped home to the kitty. He missed us so much! Things must have gone well with Ming and Don's brother because this time there were no apologetic messages on the answering machine for the cat concerning "roller skates" or "corks". There were no surprises waiting on our Oriental carpets and we received a report that our cat demanded daily petting orgies.

As some of you may have guessed, the past two weeks have been a bit taxing for me. The first week back from vacation was spent just catching up and dealing with two visits (one scheduled and another a "surprise") from regulatory oversight. I'm wading through a handful of rather important projects and have been completely wiped by 9 or 10 PM every night. My boss suggested a B-12 shot -- I'm usually quite hyper!

On a more positive note, I have lots of photos to share, as well as new recipes to try out! I always bring back practical souvenirs, so keep posted for some interesting finds. Also, Spring is here! We have tons of tomato seedlings up in the study, Don has tilled the garden, and I have a lot more seeds to start.

More to come...thinking of a hike tomorrow, too! For now, though, I need sleep.

Day 2, Mons

2010-04-04T10:34:00.005-05:00

We started off the morning with croissants, pâtes aux asperges (asparagus pate) and Côte d'Or dark chocolate spread. Oh, and leftover peperkoek with coffee..mmm...

Then we visited SHAPE and got our NATO passes. We stopped at one of the stores there and picked up a couple bottles of wine, including a German Riesling and a South African Pinotage.

Afterwards, we headed to centre city Mons. The tulips are in full bloom, as well as the pansies.

Winding cobblestone street, which line all the streets in this part of Belgium.

Monstrous grapevine and gorgeous Belgian windows.

Town tower -- every town has one.

Remember we are in the French/Walloon area of Belgium

After we were able to pry Don away from the videotaping the anti-American demonstrator on the square, we went to a local natural foods restaurant -- Le Pain Quotidien.

I ordered la salad thon, poivron rouge grillé, pâte d'olives et câpres sauvages -- tuna with mesclun, olive paste, grilled red bell peppers and capers.

Later in the evening we went to Havré to see the ruins of the Chateau. Notice the geese standing guard. They are very vocal when intruders approach!

Don busily snapping photos

We went for a walk along the old and new canals after this. The glow from the city lights upon the canals made them look deep blue.

Safe With the Waals

2010-04-02T16:03:00.005-05:00

A quick post - about to head off to bed. We made it through Customs in Denmark and Belgium unmauled -- they didn't even ask for our passports in Belgium, the customs officials just shrugged their shoulders and continued chatting. It's around 11 PM in Belgium right now and our luggage arrived about an hour and a half ago! We arrived in Brussels this morning to a near empty conveyer belt and were informed that our luggage was still back in Copenhagen and would be boarding the next flight...at 5 PM LOL No harm done, though. The luggage arrived safely and was delivered to us in Mons. Although it was a bit uncomfortable not having a change of clothes for the day, we made up for it with copious glasses of beer and wine. Oh, and lots of bread and cheese! Fortunately we only had to leave Petra's gorgeous flat to get a fresh loaf of ciabatta at the boulangerie (Mons is in French-speaking Wallonia) and then hunkered down for the rest of the day. Petra made a very nice scallop and shrimp bisque for lunch with bottles of Mort Subite (Sudden Death), a Lambic white beer. Mmm...sweet and yummy. Think this has made my favourites list.

I am now freshly showered and bundled in my yoga pants and a hoodie, enjoying a glass of Kasteel, a Bruin beer, as a night cap. Almost molasses-y and very thick and dark, this will ensure I have no trouble adjusting to jet lag tonight! As in Germany, we had a nice, light salad for dinner of lamb's lettuce, boiled egg, walnut cream cheese and a light dressing with a glass of Viñas Del Vero Gran Vos. This was a whim wine, one Petra had tucked away. A very strong aroma, but it actually had a softness to it that matched well with the salad. Alongside, we had more(!) bread and some wonderfully smelly cheeses. I better find that forest soon for a good workout! There's one down the road, so I will hunt it out.

My nightcap

Need to Start Packing!

2010-03-29T08:50:00.000-05:00

Two more days and counting down...where has the time gone? I've been so caught up with work that I haven't had a spare moment to really prepare for our upcoming vacation. The moment I finish one project and start to take a deep breath, a surprise inspection arrives or the big boss starts to bore a hole in front of my office (standard practice when one is working up courage to approach me). Early Thursday morning, Donnie and I will be scuttling our bags off to my car, as the cat frantically weaves his way between our legs in an attempt to incur injuries sufficient to prevent travel. Then we're off to Newark to catch our flight to Copenhagen!

But first, I have to wrap up some of my projects at work and start packing! Oh, and get rid of this cold that's going around. This nasty cold took my husband down last week to the extent that he had to call off work. I really should be calling off work myself, but there is just too much work that has to be done. Just when I thought I'd bypassed this one, it hit me hard on Thursday. I was aching all over that morning but had attributed it to beginner's running. Halfway through the second meeting of the day, it occurred to me something was wrong as the headache intensified and my face began to feel flushed. By the end of the night, I was feverish with the chills. Friday was even worse, freezing to the point of shaking all day, awful runny nose and rasp coughing. I had this brilliant idea to drink a cup of coffee to warm up, which resulted in an awful stomach ache just in time for a meeting. Without disclosing the subject matter, let's just say the irony combined with my condition was humiliating and I was one of the people leading the meeting. I left work immediately after that and went to the store with my husband to stock up on tins of cat food and a ton of cold/flu medicine.

After a weekend of awful Neti pot attempts (they forget to tell you the saline solution goes down your throat if it can't get through the other nasal passage), copious amounts of tea and water, and force-feeding to provide energy and nutrients, I am wiped out. If I can just get my ears cleared in time for the flight, I'll be happy. The good news is that this cold doesn't seem to last more than 4-5 days for those that have had it, so I should be ready just in time for our trip.

First Spring Hike, Part 2

2010-03-17T19:54:00.007-05:00

Hiking in the woods is like walking through the doors of a new world to me. The ethereal haze of dappled rays of light and the popping noises of leaves falling and critters snapping twigs underfoot ripples the air of the woods with an energy that cannot be defined.

Boulders chiselled by the ruthless path of glaciers roughly 15,000 years ago

I love that shelf of rock jutting out near the top of the photo.

One of many toppled stone walls here

Frances Slocum State Park still bears remnants of the farmland it once was. I even found a piece of sheet metal that may have once been a part of machinery.

Wild garlic or onions

We have tufts of these all over the yard at our house. The bulbs and sprouts seem to be edible.

The Winter branches of some native bramble -- hot pink!

A thin sheet of ice still covers the lake, with a soapy border of scum from algae and emerging life

The ruins of a quarry

Need to do some research on this.

I had to slowly make my way past the nastiest bramble bushes ever to see this. Seriously, the thorns were huge and long! I've hiked in this park so many times and never knew before that a quarry was hidden in its depths! Donnie showed it to me as a surprise, a place he hadn't visited in a long time. We had to maneuver through a considerable amount of overgrown forest litter (brambles, stunted understory plants, discarded branches) before a glimpse of huge boulders and a carved section of earth was visible through the trees. As we neared the spot, the sound of dripping mountain water was like an echo from all directions. It was as if fountains were rapidly streaming water from opposite sides of a courtyard. Naturally, I had to get a closer look! My studded hiking sneakers were no match to the bog I discovered, but it was well worth the experience getting up close to the carved rock and water pools.

That is one scary grapevine

I scared my husband when I started climbing up this rock face. I made it, though ;)

Looking up from the above photo

Notice the "mold" on the rocks? Clumps of it had also accumulated on wet leaves.

After Donnie literally pulled me off the rocks, once I was close enough for him to reach, we gingerly made our way back through the brambles of horror and back to the hiking path below. A little soggy and scratched up, but none the worse for wear, we continued on up the path around the lake. We encountered a very serious fisherman with a multitude of gear scouting the lake for early White Crappies (what a name for a fish). This is a nagging reminder we never went fishing last year, despite shelling out our firstborn and the deeds to a few rare gemstone mines in order to secure PA fishing licenses.

We made it back to the roadway without being mauled by any animals or falling boulders and started heading back to the trail where we parked the car. Along the way, we met a very unique breed of dog -- a Belgian Shepherd. Ever see one of these things?? She was gorgeous! A little skittish, but friendly and curious.

Can't wait for my next hike! Maybe next time we'll hit Rickett's Glen and its waterfalls.

Winter Can Take a Hike, Part 1

2010-03-15T06:23:00.005-05:00

Thawing snow means two things in NEPA: flooding from the Susquehanna and the mountain creeks and hiking without crampons. With temperatures rising into the 50's F Thursday afternoon, a hike was in order. Immediately after work, my husband and I grabbed our hiking boots and headed 12 minutes down the road to Francis Slocum State Park.

Awakening moss on the cliffs

Narrow shelf opening between the cliffs

It never fails to fascinate me how our mountains don't topple over when half of their matter consists of fragile sheets of flat bluestone.

Nature always finds a way.

Cloven hoof print

Three deer spotted us coming through the woods. All we saw was a flurry of bushy tails and rear ends as they fled through the brambles, yet we could hear them for minutes after as they sought a new resting spot.

At one point I saw a grey animal about the size of a small dog scampering over boulders. Think it was a grey fox.

Looks like I found a new reading nook.

If you look closely you'll see a fine scattering of water.

A sharp stream of melting snow was pelting off of me here!

Along a cliff-side by some narrow caves

Hidden cave to explore...

Francis Slocum is full of little caves, but this is probably the first I could imagine a person comfortably resting in.

A few words of caution: just because there is no snow at your house, doesn't mean it's all gone along your favourite hiking path.

It was at least 10 degrees cooler in the forest than at home!

More photos to come in Part 2!

~Fresh & Green Spring Pasta~

2010-03-14T09:36:00.007-05:00

As Spring nears each year, I crave the fresh and light flavours of roasted asparagus and lemon poppy seed muffins. I begin scanning the garden for hints of green as the parsley and mesclun respond to the first rain showers, even though I know it will just be tilled back into the soil in a few weeks. It's not Spring until the air fills with the peaty smells of wild (and most likely poisonous) mushrooms, muddy leaves and garlicky wild onions, as well as the sounds of ravens screeching and woodpeckers drilling into the side of the house. Before the forsythia and witch hazel erupt their yellow stamens, I'm busy in the kitchen baking Chelsea buns and concocting light Spring pastas and soups.

Pansotti with walnut sauce is a traditional Spring entrée that I save for just this time of year. I was a little short on walnuts Friday evening, though, so I put a modern spin on this rustic dish by adding finely ground almonds. I also subbed ricotta in place of the heavy cream, which helps to lighten the dish and makes for a creamier sauce. Hey, we're not in Winter anymore :)

Pansotti with Walnut and Almond Sauce

Dough:
130 g flour (I used all-purpose, but you could use whatever flour you prefer)
30 g frozen cut leaf spinach, pressed dry against a sieve
couple tb white wine or water, enough to form a firm dough

Sauce:
5 g shelled almonds, finely ground
1 g crushed walnuts, finely ground
1/4 cup whole milk ricotta
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 small onion, finely diced
2 tb half and half

Filling:
3/4 cup whole milk ricotta
1 egg, lightly beaten
30 g frozen cut leaf spinach, pressed dry against a sieve
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Filling:
Mix egg with 30 g of well-squeezed spinach and 3/4 cup of ricotta. Season well with salt, freshly cracked pepper and ground nutmeg.

Sauce:
In a small saucepan, sauté diced onion with ground almonds and walnuts. Add 1/4 cup ricotta and stir to combine. Pour in half and half and season well with freshly cracked pepper, salt and 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, if desired. Allow to just thicken -- if needed, add water to thin to desired texture.

Prepare dough:
Mix flour and 2-4 tb water with 30g of puréed spinach (excess water pressed out in a sieve), adding enough water to form a dough. If necessary, use more flour. Allow to sit for 30 minutes. Roll out with a pasta machine to setting 7. If you have a ravioli attachment, place two sheets of dough into it with filling mixture between and use crank to form pansotti. Otherwise, scoop a tablespoon-ful of filling every 2-3", layer with other dough and cut into triangles, pressing shut with a fork. Cook in simmering, barely moving water until pansotti float to the top. Serve with sauce.

Nutritional data based on 3 servings: 353 kcal; 14 g fat; 106 mg cholesterol; 120 mg sodium; 37 g carbs; 18 g protein

Note: If you make alterations on the type or quantity of nut and substitute part-skim ricotta for the whole ricotta, you can reduce the fat quite a bit. I just happened to only have full fat ricotta on hand.

Marcato Atlas pasta machine ready with its spiffy pansotti/ravioloni attachment.

Beware of Marcato's China-made models. This is the Real McCoy.

Fresh spinach pasta -- perfect for early Spring dinners

Mmm...closeup before I dig in!

More creamy walnut and almond sauce action

It's difficult to tell in the previous pictures, but pansotti are actually triangular.

Pansotti is Italian for "pot bellied". Let's hope it doesn't do that to me!

When my husband saw me busy at work with the pasta machine, he suggested a peek down in the cellar for a nice bottle of white.

At 14% alcohol, this wine smacks of pineapple and lemon basil. Heady without being overbearing. This would be great with grilled Summer veggies and glazed chicken.

Here We Go Again...

2010-03-13T21:21:00.000-05:00

Wednesday was my first relatively pain-free day in 12 days. The stomach pain that made me ill a few months back resurfaced on February 27th, with a sudden spike in consecutive attacks that began on March 4th. As usual, the pain has been focused under my left rib. The pain actually began on the right side of my chest! I thought I was coming down with pneumonia, as everyone else at work seems to have it, but there were no other symptoms such as a cough or even a runny nose. After two days of a persistent pain on the right side of my chest, the pain moved to the middle of my stomach, and a day or two later moved into the area under my left rib.

This is a big part of why I haven't posted much lately, this combined with work being psychotic. At the moment, I am not experiencing pain, more like discomfort. That left rib just feels too big for my body, as though it is caving into my stomach, and it feels like there is inflammation. I asked my husband earlier this evening to feel my ribs to tell me if one felt larger -- he barely touched the lower section of my left rib and I felt a flash of pain. I've also been having nausea spells, usually after eating, and my stomach has been unsettled but no "looseness".

There seems to be a correlation between the pain and raw wheat germ, which is my typical go-to snack with yogurt immediately after work. Within 10-20 minutes of the past three times I have attempted to eat wheat germ and yogurt mixed, it felt exactly as if someone punched me in the gut. Yogurt alone does not seem to be an issue, not unless it is a delayed response. This is a new trend and also the only trend I've been able to identify to date. I wasn't eating raw wheat germ (at least not intentionally) the last time the pain made an appearance, so it can't be blamed solely on wheat germ, but it may contain an ingredient or nutrient that I shouldn't have. Wheat germ contains gluten, and is high in niacin (Vitamin B3), Vitamin E and folic acid.

I don't believe that I'm suffering from a vitamin toxicity; it seems it would take a higher caloric intake in my daily diet to cause any nutrient overdose and the blood tests my doctor ordered last time this all happened came back with all normal levels.

At this point, I still cannot positively attribute this problem to gluten, nor rule out that this may be a whey/dairy or soy allergy. I have been drinking soy almost exclusively for a year or two now, maybe longer. Dairy is still present in my diet, but more so in the form of yogurt, cheese, whey protein powder and sometimes in baked goods. The only time I actually drink milk is a splash in tea -- not a fan of the taste of cow's milk, but soy is too overpowering in tea. When I was younger, I was told that milk was causing the dark circles under my eyes, but that really didn't stop me from consuming dairy back then as there weren't any other side effects. I still get dark circles under my eyes and have to cover them with concealer; is that due to an allergy or merely thin skin? Maybe it's time for one of those prick tests at the doctor's office.

What else could be causing this?

Endometriosis? Well, my menstrual cycle is relatively normal, at least for me. Usually, it lasts 2-3 days and it finally is down to once a month. It used to arrive twice a month, but I adjusted calories and such and it has since become more stable and predictable. The month before last it didn't show up at all, but that was when I increased regular exercise to 5 days a week. Athletes often experience the same problem when they're in training. Endometriosis doesn't sound like the cause.

Gallbladder? Maybe. However, the last time I had one of these attacks, the doctor sent me to the hospital for an abdominal ultrasound. Gallbladder problems are usually diagnosed that way.

Ulcer? Possible, but that doesn't explain the intensity of the intestinal issues that come with these attacks.

Pancreaitis? Don't you get jaundiced with that? No jaundice on this side.

Ulcerative colitis? Extreme, but it's on the possible list. A lot of the symptoms do match.

Still leaning towards the cause being Crohn's or Celiac Disease, but I am not a doctor. The blood tests I had last time did not show any issues with the C-Reactive Protein, which is the usual indicator of these intestinal disorders. If it is one of these two, I'd much prefer it were Celiac Disease, which doesn't incur as much damage as Crohn's. It would be nice to keep most of my intestinal tract in place. Crohn's and Celiac do tend to have secondary intolerances associated with them, such as a soy or dairy allergy.

There seems to be a cycle to these attacks and they make a reappearance every few months. The only way I'll ever get a definite answer is to have a lower and upper GI done, which tends to make everyone's last resort list. I had promised my husband I'd request an order for these procedures the next time the pain showed up, but it really chose a bad time to happen right now. We're leaving for Belgium in two weeks and there have been tons of inspections at work monopolising my time and energy. If it persists after we return from Belgium, though, it is probably time to call the doctor and take the next step. Until then, I'm hanging in there.

Experimenting with Winter Greens

2010-03-08T07:31:00.003-05:00

We may be entering Spring, but grocery produce shelves are still lined with Winter produce for a few more weeks. I've been enjoying the last waning days of cold weather by making the most of cold weather greens before they are gone for another year!

Radicchio, Ham and Cheese Paninis (recipe from here)

medium slices from a fresh loaf (I used a Seeded Wheat & Rye with Herbs bread for this)
thin slices of White Cheddar, Swiss or Jarlsberg OR crumbled gorgonzola
small head of fresh red radicchio, halved
thinly sliced ham (prosciutto is a good substitute, if desired)

Lightly drizzle olive oil over the radicchio halves and season with freshly cracked pepper and salt. Roast at 350F for about 10 minutes, or until beginning to wilt. Preheat grill pan. Separate radicchio leaves and layer with about an oz of cheese and two thin slices of ham between two slices of the bread. Spread a very thin layer of vegetable oil spread or brush outside of bread with olive oil. Firmly press down on pan to flatten, repeating on opposite side once crispy and golden.

Italian Wedding Soup

Meatballs:
8 oz 93/7 ground turkey
1 egg
1/8 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 slice wheat bread
1 tb fresh parsley
1/4 cup milk

1 half a medium onion + 1/4th of onion
1 cup fresh escarole
1 4-oz chicken breast
4 cups chicken stock
3 cups water
1/2 cup acini di pepe pasta
2 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 tsp sea salt

Prepare meatballs:
Tear bread into small pieces and soak in milk for about 15 minutes. Combine with all other meatball ingredients, as well as 1/4 of a medium onion. Roll into mini meatballs and set aside in fridge to chill.

In a large pot, sauté cubed chicken, carrot, celery and 1/2 medium onion with a drizzle of olive oil. Add escarole and cook for about 2 minutes, then add stock and water. Add acini di pepe and continue cooking until the pasta has doubled in size and the escarole is wilted. Season well with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. If desired, add more fresh parsley.

Mussels and Escarole

2 portions mussels (frozen are perfectly acceptable, just make sure they are packed in natural juices and not butter)
1/2 - 1 cup escarole
1 cup chicken broth, if mussels do not include natural juices

Cook escarole in mussel juices or broth until wilted. Heat mussels in a medium covered pot over medium high heat until they open, about 8 minutes. Add to escarole broth and serve.

More Medical Adventures with My Husband

2010-03-05T06:31:00.004-05:00

You can tell your husband has gone too long without sleep or food when he begins concocting songs themed to the procedure he is about to undergo that morning. Six AM -- the whirr of shifting gears as we drive over the bridge leaving our sleepy village, orange-red glow of the bridge lights cutting through the pitch black morning, my husband already in the fourth or fifth verse of "I'll lie if I want to"...never a boring moment with us.

Last Wednesday, Donnie finally had a UGI and LGI done. The LGI was a routine referral, no issues, but the purpose of the UGI was to diagnose the extent of his hiatal hernia and the damage done to his esophagus thus far. There's a full day cleanse and clear liquid diet involved prior to these two procedures, which only served to enhance my husband's naturally bizarre personality quirks. During the drive to the medical center that morning, and in between verses of his song, he reminded me several times that I did not see him drink that cup of chicken broth at 4 AM.

Donnie: "I'll do the talking. You sit there like a clam. Be Helen Keller."
Me: "You better not die from this."
Donnie: "If you say a word, I'm going to be flying across the room. And it didn't happen."
Donnie: *happily returns to the chorus of his song*
Me: "Are you sure I shouldn't drive?"

I took along several gardening catalogues with a grand plan of finishing my seed order lists, but kept falling asleep from the monotony and lack of caffeine. Finally, three hours later, one of the nurses called my name and I clumsily gathered my "nest" before being led back to the post-anaesthesia unit. Based on my own experience with anaesthesia, I was expecting to find him dazed and confused. Instead, I came around the corner to find him propped up in bed, clutching the remote control like a six year old hyped up on sugar and adjusting the volume to CBNBC, before redirecting his attention to his first cup of coffee in two days. There may as well have been pixie stick powder mixed into his saline drip. He appeared exactly the same as before his little nap, except now he had new socks he wanted to show me as he tore into a packet of cookies. There are times I am truly convinced he is related to Rowan Atkinson.

The doctor had decided not to repeat the fundoplication procedure, which had failed last time, and there was no sign of stricture of his esophagus to require stretching it. Apparently, quitting smoking had helped significantly to decrease the incidents of dysphagia, but there is considerable esophageal erosion that has yet to be repaired.

Donnie: "The doctor told me to stop drinking chocolate milk. The milk and chocolate create acid. I'm not stopping chocolate milk. I told him that's not an option."
Me: "Does soy cause acid? Maybe you could try soy chocolate milk?"
Donnie: *incredulous look*

I think there were some choked epithets as he sought an appropriate response. He recovered quite quickly though and reminded me of his plan for the day:

Donnie: "I'm going to have pancakes and sausage and eggs..."
Me: "Do you still want to go to Waffle House or do you want me to make those things at home?"
Donnie: "I don't want anything added to it. You'll put weeds in the pancakes."

Waffle House, it was. Not exactly the type of place where I can find something that I can actually eat, especially as they don't release nutritional data, so I had to make an educated guess. My husband got his breakfast feast and I ordered the chicken chili with a grilled cheese, which was actually quite good. I'll have to try making my own chicken chili -- I do make a very good turkey pumpkin chili!

Overall, everything went well. Don does still have a hiatal hernia, but the doctor feels that doing anything to it will only create a heartburn issue. To help repair the esophageal erosion, he needs to avoid the chocolate and milk (not going to happen, but I am still pushing for chocolate soy!), and has begun taking Prilosec. The doctor will see him in a few weeks to determine how effective that has been.

Making Use of Leftover Winter Squash

2010-03-01T08:03:00.002-05:00

It may not look like it, but today is the first day of Meteorological Spring. We're just 19 days away from the official start of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere! Up here in the mountains of Northeast PA, there is still a thick blanket of snow, albeit a melting one. A very wet batch of flurries swept through yesterday afternoon; I was hesitantly putting on my coat to go grocery shopping whilst watching the sudden burst of flakes shooting down from the sky. It was a bit surprising to open the door to the sound of splashing rain! The snow flakes were actually mixed with plump raindrops and the roadways were being washed clean of the slush left behind from our "snow hurricane". As I drove in and out of the mountains, I could see dark grey clouds looming heavily over the Valley, and the rainfall varied from dense swirls of wet white flakes to occasional blobs of rain running down the windshield. We forget how much the climate changes between a few hundred feet. One minute I'd be coming over a ridge and switching between the wiper settings as they squeaked against a relatively dry windshield, when suddenly a glare of white would break through the clouds and I'd be reaching for the visor. Ahh Spring...you're here to stay, right?

With the coming of Spring, I thought it best to use up the last of the Winter squash from the gardens. You know, before I plant more. Last year, there were still several pumpkins and acorn squash in the kitchen as we were tilling the soil and waking up the garden. I'm trying to get a head start on things this year. What better way to use up the lot than with homemade pumpkin purée, especially as there is only one jar left.

I have some serious knives

Step 1: Scoop out the seeds.

Step 2: Roast at 400F for about 45 minutes, or until fork tender.

Makes me want to dig in with a spoon like an avocado

Step 3: Blend squash meat in a food processor until smooth. Drain in a large mesh over a bowl for about 24 hours.

You'll know it's ready once the perforation of the mesh appears on the purée, just as with cheese.

Yoga and Pilates: Taking It Up a Notch

2010-02-22T07:52:00.005-05:00

I've been working with Gaiam's Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss DVD quite a bit lately and have become comfortable enough with it that I'm ready to move to the next step. The DVD is fine for some relaxing night time yoga that isn't too strenuous, but I need something a bit more cardio and strength-based. Besides, that ambient music and desert background is getting annoying.

Step 1: Find a new yoga master.

I've discovered four sources of online yoga and pilates videos that work well with my fitness goals:

- Yogadownload
From the simple to extremely challenging. Most videos are available for free download in a 20-30 minute format, a small fee if you want a longer video (an hour even). I downloaded the Beginner's level Yoga for Weight Loss and it kicked my ass. I managed to do all the moves except for the last one when you pick your body up onto your shoulders and raise your legs up to the ceiling. It's one of my goals now!

- Exercisetv
Still exploring, but lots of options.

- Shape Virtual Trainer
The Virtual Trainer creates workouts for you based on what equipment you have, what areas of your body you want to work on, strength levels, etc. You can even select certain exercises from a generated workout and create a routine from them, charting workouts and progress (weight loss, calories burnt) on the calendar. Based on factors such as your weight, height, age, etc it will also calculate approximate # of calories burnt in the workout.

- Master the Shift
Tara Stiles is fantastic! She keeps her instruction at a normal pace and keeps it practical.

I've discovered a few things since beginning yoga and pilates, mainly that I really need to build my upper body strength. My upper arms are toned from the airbike, but there isn't much muscle. I'm slowly building up some muscle, strength and balance with yoga - chaturanga poses are really helping!

I've also had to accept that I need more equipment to pull off my fitness goals. Top of the list - a yoga/pilates mat and a better heart rate monitor (HRM).

Blankets just don't cut it when you're looking for support for your spine and attempting not to dive face-first onto the floor in a difficult pose. A yoga/pilates mat is looking like the best option right now, something with enough padding for floor positions but sticky enough for complicated poses. The mat that is looking the most promising is the Stott Pilates Express Mat with 3/8" padding. I'm open to any suggestions, though! Hoping to make this purchase very soon before I break my neck and tailbone.

As for the heart rate monitor, I've been using a heart rate watch that my husband bought for me. Half of the time it works really well, but that is usually when I am only using it for steady heart rate exercises (would be good for jogging) and I have to hold the button down to get a heart rate reading, which may or may not decide to give me a result. It can calculate calories burnt on its own, but it doesn't appear to be too successful with the stationary bike. Maybe best for hiking and running? It works enough to get an estimated HR for me to calculate calories burnt myself, though. This site works really well for a reasonably accurate estimate: http://www.livestrong.com/article/73992-calculate-calories-burned-stationary-bike/ Pull out your scientific calculator and check your heart rate every one-two miles to get an average, or calculate as increments if there is too much variation.

I did three complicated yoga videos today, one not too successfully but I pulled through. In addition to Yoga Download's Yoga for Weight Loss Beginner - Part 1, I also pulled off these two Tara Stiles videos (which were a lot more fun and easy to follow):

Am I Still Taking the Thalys to Amsterdam?

2010-02-17T07:55:00.005-05:00

Good thing it's February and not April. That's the train that would have taken us to Mons.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/16/eurostar-london-belgium-suspended-crash

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35403017/ns/world_news-europe/

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article7029015.ece

I've been pretty lucky with transport so far. Didn't get attacked on the Paris subway system (my husband made me get on a Paris commuter just after the immigrant violence on the Metro) and showed up a few minutes late for the accident in the Kennedy Tunnel in Antwerp.

Stupid Paris Metro system

Healthy Fats & Eating Local

2010-02-16T23:50:00.002-05:00

Pebbly-skinned avocado with fresh free-range brown chicken egg

The egg's a local. The avocado is probably from Chile.

A few weeks ago, my husband brought home two cartons of farm-fresh brown eggs. One of his co-workers raises chickens (not exactly a rarity in these parts) and was selling them for $1 a carton. Our previous source of fresh chicken eggs ate his chickens -- Ray had trouble with coyotes. We had a steady supply of greenish-blue, speckled and brown eggs for a while, almost too pretty to eat. If our new source keeps the price low, her family may have a new loyal customer!

At first I had no clue what we were going to do with so many eggs. Some people probably wouldn't see the issue here. Eggs don't go bad that quickly, right? Those same people are the ones that make a show of opening the egg carton to ensure none are cracked, but never think to check the expiration/best by date. Come on, admit it -- you're guilty, right? I used to do this, too. I was afraid of making a dish without fully cooking the eggs in it, which rules out ever producing a creamy carbonara. Royal icing, meringues? Lemon curd? What about botulism?? The good news is that these phobias tend to fade when you know where your eggs are coming from and exactly how fresh they are. Just make sure you wash them before use; factory or farm, there is still the risk of bacteria. I've even had to wash chicken poop off eggs.

You won't catch me touting the organic label any time soon, though. The "organic" branding is mainly built on hype with little regulation as to what actually constitutes such foods. It bothers me to hear intelligent people state they only buy organic, yet they balk at the notion of eating fresh vegetables from the garden because a bug probably landed on those arugula leaves at one time. Don't you dare spray the crops to keep insects off, though! Makes me want to shake them and tell them to make up their minds. Let's see how organic your veggies really are.

Fats are another grey area: not all fats are necessarily bad for you. Turn your attention to that pale green fruit in the leather jacket. You may already know that avocado's buttery texture and smooth flavour are due to its high fat content, anywhere from 20-30g of fat for one avocado. I've always appreciated the way an avocado looks, but had only tried them in guacamole - not always so tasty. The local grocery (20 min away) was selling them for $1 each a couple weeks ago; perfect for another experiment.

I may have mentioned Jaime Oliver's cookbook Jaime at Home before. The book is ordered in chapters, by season and produce, and most of the recipes focus on the home garden and local game, i.e. rabbits or venison. The chapter on Winter salads got my attention! I love greens (and reds and freckled lettuces), and finding carrots as a main ingredient won me over. My beta carotene addiction is out of control, as witnessed by the three pumpkins sitting in the kitchen right now, the pumpkin purée and inordinate stock of carrots in the crisper, the roasted squash wedges in the freezer...

Jaime Oliver's Avocado & Carrot Salad straight from my kitchen

Avocado & Roast Carrot Winter Salad for 1 (adapted from Jaime Oliver's recipe)

2 large carrots, cut in half length-wise, or a few very skinny carrots
1/2-1 whole avocado - you know how to dice it in the skin, right? otherwise, get a spoon and shovel it out.
handful of mixed Winter greens, whatever looks good
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tb red wine vinegar
1/2 orange, cut in half
1/2 tsp sesame seeds

Using a mortar and pestle, grind together the cumin, red pepper flakes, garlic and olive oil, adding more olive oil if necessary to create a coarse paste. Reserve half of the paste and rub the rest onto the carrots. Drizzle with a bit extra olive oil or prep with nonstick spray in a metal baking dish and place oranges cut-side-up in the pan, then cover with foil and bake at 400F until they begin to turn tender, about 25 minutes. Uncover and raise to the highest rung in the oven; broil or roast until the carrots start to char. Squeeze the oranges into a small bottle, adding red wine vinegar and the reserved rub spice rub; shake well. Prep greens and cut into bite-size pieces. Layer the carrot halves, greens and diced avocado, then drizzle dressing over the top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and homemade croutons, if desired.

The heavily ridged dark greens are dinosaur kale, cracked free from the Winter ice in our garden

This dish is packed with healthy fats -- olive oil, avocado, sesame seeds. Although healthy fats should be consumed in moderation as you would with any other fat, they should make up a set ratio of your caloric intake as part of a balanced diet. I still have trouble convincing myself of this, but have been aiming for a 20% fat ratio each day. Most of the fat I eat is from soy milk; chocolate, peanut butter and nuts in protein/granola/nutrition bars; tahini in hummus; olive oil and eggs. Actually, you'd be surprised where you can find healthy fats; I discovered there is 1 g of fat in a tablespoon of raw wheat germ!

If you can find purple, red or yellow carrots, do buy them for this salad! It should be noted that the standard carrot was not orange; this was achieved through selective breeding in the 17th century. Before then, your everyday carrot was more like those novelty hybrid and heirloom varieties. Is it worth the extra expense? Absolutely! Not only are such varieties much sweeter and fragrant than that bag of cello carrots, you may even convert that carrot-hater in your household. You don't have to spend hours seeking out purple carrots, though. I've grown superior super-sweet orange carrots in my garden with virtually no tending required by me. Pull enough weeds so the light can hit the carrot leaves, shove them back into the soil if they're not large enough.

Charred carrots still surprisingly fresh-tasting and sweet. Do you see the purple leafy bits? That's Russian Kale; it turns purple in the cooler months.

I highly recommend growing kale in your Winter garden. Not only is it extremely easy to grow and packed full of nutrients (the darker the greens, the better for you), it is also very cold hardy. Even encased in a layer of ice, the Dinosaur and Russian kale was still crisp and sweet. The sugars in kale actually produce at their highest levels in chilly weather.

So, are you wondering what I did with the other ovoid creature featured earlier?

Observe the most ingenious creation to come out of a healthy kitchen yet -- Protein Cake!

Holy humongous protein puff! This is after only 3 minutes in the microwave.

I had never heard of protein cake until I recently came across a recipe on Foods of April's blog. Protein powder in cake, energy bars, even oatmeal - yes. But, microwaveable cake?! I eat one of these almost every day now! The spongy texture is very filling and they satisfy my cravings without any guilt.

Slathered with a couple teaspoons of Dark Chocolate Dreams PB

I use April's recipe as a base for the chocolate protein cake with almost the exact same nutritional data using my enormous tub of 100% Nutrition Dutch Chocolate Soy Protein. The healthy blogosphere has a wildfire of protein cake variations now!

Nuclear Chocolate Protein Cake

1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder (whatever protein you prefer)
1 tb unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 tb pure pumpkin purée
2 packets no-sugar sweetener (my grocery has its own brand)
2-2.5 tsp baking powder
3-6 tb egg white (either two medium eggs' worth or measured from liquid/powdered egg whites)

Lightly beat egg white with pumpkin purée, sweetener and baking powder until combined in a small ramekin or bowl/cup of approximately the same size. Mix in cocoa powder, adding a few tsp of water to thin it out. Add protein powder, stirring in additional water until a smooth mixture forms. Make sure you beat out any lumps! The mixture should look like brownie or cake batter. Microwave on high for 2.5-3.5 minutes. It will poof up, but this will deflate just a bit once it is cooked through. It should be springy to your touch. You'll know it's done once the middle is no longer inverted. Cut in half width-wise and spread with desired topping/frosting. I love Chocolate Peanut Butter for this! A couple teaspoons goes a long way on a warm protein cake.

Nutritional data (using my ingredients and protein powder brand): 91 kcal; 2 g fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 462 mg sodium; 7 g carbs; 3 g sugar; 3 g fiber; 18 g protein

What to do with the yolks if using whole eggs? Refer back to my previous post on crème brûlée ;)

Shrimp Bisque & Crème Brûlée, Take 2

2010-02-07T20:00:00.006-05:00

Do you ever tweak your tried-and-true recipes? Change the ingredients, go for an entirely new spin? I'm a fiercely competitive perfectionist with a bit of a mad scientist tossed in, a personality quirk unnervingly bordering on OCD which hasn't always proven to be a positive asset. This translates many ways in the kitchen, most commonly that I can't stop myself from screwing with a good recipe. The husband is the usual victim of these Kitchen Experiments and ultimate judge of their success rates. My latest projects have included "healthifying" moorish treats into something you could eat every day, all while improving flavour and enjoyment. Not an easy feat, but I like a challenge.

At times, these experiments incite bouts of domestic violence and earn me a spanking from the husband. Example:

Me *lovingly baking chocolate chip cookies*: How do your cookies taste, sweetie?
Husband: "Very good!"
Me: "Are they OK? Texture good? Are they sweet enough?"
Husband: "They're perfect. Wouldn't change a thing."
Me: "That's good, because I halved the amount of sugar and left out some of the butter."
Husband: "Elf! Don't be messing with the recipe! Good thing I made sure you put the whole bag of chocky chips in."
Me: "In the past I've only used half the bag and you loved them."
Husband: *wild-eyed and quivering*

It's his birthday tomorrow. We're going out for seafood after work tomorrow, but he wanted shrimp bisque tonight as a warm-up to the birthday feast. After the horrifyingly calorie and fat-laden dessert I made last night, I knew some experimenting was called for to pull this one off. After many calculations and tweaking, I came up with a fabulous and very satisfying shrimp bisque that my husband loved. We had picked up a seeded loaf of Wheat & Rye with Herbs at the grocery earlier; a perfect accompaniment to this cloyingly/deceivingly rich bisque.

Shrimp Bisque II

16 oz raw shell-on jumbo shrimp
1 medium onion, diced
1 carrot, halved and sliced
2 large stalks celery, sliced
1 tbsp sweet cream salted butter
1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup brandy
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup 2% milk
3 tbsp all-purpose flour

Follow recipe as original:

Place shrimp shells in large pot with 3 1/2 c water and 5 bay leaves (you can add celery leaves, too); bring to a boil, then simmer for about half an hour, until the shells are almost red. Drain stock and set aside. Add carrot, celery, onion, butter and 1-2 tsp olive oil to the pot, allow veggies to cook through. Remove veggies with slotted spoon and sauté shrimp in pot, then remove to a bowl. Add veggies back to the pot with the flour, cooking through for at least 5 minutes, then add tomato paste. Add shrimp (reserving a small handful) and stock to the pot, lower heat, and purée with immersion blender to desired texture. Add cream, sprinkle of cayenne pepper, and brandy. Return to heat and thicken. Top individual bowls of bisque with reserved shrimp.
Nutrition data for 1 cup serving: 183 kcal; 7 g fat; 111 mg cholesterol; 258 mg sodium; 9 g carbs; 4 g sugar; 14 g protein

You didn't think I would omit that extremely fattening dessert, did you? Another dish with which I veered from my tried-and-true, I came across this one in Emeril Lagasse's Every Day's a Party cookbook. OMG So rich and creamy; I've never had anything like it before. If you've been extremely good all week, this is one to treat yourself with! Special occasions only!

Emeril's Crème Brûlée

1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 raw egg yolks

Bring cream and half of the sugar just to a boil. Beat together egg yolk and remaining sugar. Slowly pour in half of the cream mixture to the egg mixture, then pour egg mixture back into saucepan. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring well. Divide between two small ramekins and bake at 300F for 45 minutes. Allow to cool. Scatter 1 tsp of granulated sugar over the tops and hit with the blow torch. Makes two small ramekins worth.

Nutrition data: 551 kcal; 45 g fat(!); 370 mg cholesterol; 8 mg sodium; 25 g carbs; 25 g sugar; 3 g protein

Not for the faint of heart! Save this recipe for your anniversary or a birthday. Good thing I did 13 miles on the stationary bike for this one.

When I pulled up my previous recipe for Shrimp Bisque, I realised that I had made this bisque/crème brûlée combo around this time one year ago. Here's last year's post: http://cymry-pa.blogspot.com/2009/01/shrimp-bisque-crme-brle.html Try both versions and let me know which you prefer!

Recipes Forthcoming

2010-02-02T23:08:00.002-05:00

I didn't forget about the sinful food promise...start thinking of carbonara; individual apple crisps; nuclear chocolate cake (explanation to come); spicy avocado and roasted carrot salad; ham, radicchio and cheese paninis... I've been fitting in as much cooking as possible over the past few days, in between work. Apparently, I accumulated around six and half hours of overtime last week, and that was in addition to bringing work home every day. Desperately need a mental health day right now, but I have at least four more meetings this week and a couple big projects that should be completed by end of business Friday. There's a mind-boggling to-do list a mile long that is just dizzying at the moment, but it will all get done and I know it actually isn't as bad as it seems right now. Can't wait for the weekend.

Let Him Eat Steak!

2010-02-02T21:08:00.004-05:00

Donnie finally has a diagnosis! After an entire day off work spent back and forth from the hospital (he drank coffee in the morning so they had to postpone two of the tests until 2 PM), a doctor has finally been able to put a label on his condition -- hiatal hernia. Now we move on to the tricky part, finding out if it's a Sliding or a Para-esophageal hiatal hernia. After some research this evening, Don and I both agree it is almost definitely a Para-esophageal hiatal hernia, but it's going to take the specialist to determine that.

He already has an appointment set for early March for an upper and lower GI, with consent given to treat any issues identified during the procedures at that time. Now, I am curious if that appointment will be brought forward to an earlier date, or if they will simply have a better game-plan for the procedure.

He's already excited about the possibility of eating steak or pork in a couple months. After 20+ years of dealing with this problem, a simple fix may be in sight.

More Fun in Doctor Offices

2010-01-30T22:15:00.001-05:00

Esophagogastroduodenoscopy -- say that three times fast! We're on a roll this year, aren't we? This time, though, it is for my husband. As recently mentioned here, Donnie has trouble with some foods - more specifically, swallowing them. Usually the problem occurs with fibrous or spongy textured foods, such as steak, sausages/hot dogs, sponge cake, etc. As you can imagine, this greatly affects what he can eat. It's rare he is actually able to enjoy a meal without having to worry about it getting stuck in his esophagus. He's been self treating the condition for years by eating the same "safe" foods on a regular basis and maintaining a steady diet of antacid pills and chocolate milk. He either has to avoid the most commonly offending foods or risk spending an hour trying to purge dinner. What makes it worse is that he really enjoys beef and pork, and I have lots of recipes I would love to try on him using these "bad foods", but it often has disastrous results for him.

This has actually been an issue with Don since the early '80s. He underwent a laparoscopic Toupet fundoplication back in the mid '80s, mainly to treat GERD, but it had ZERO impact on the dysphagia. He was supposed to have an esophageal balloon dilation done after that, however, there was some confusion about the referral and he never went back.

Up until recently, the problem was getting worse. Foods that had never been an issue before suddenly caused some difficulty, even liquids at times. It started to become less predictable...I can't tell you the number of times it's happened eating out and the rest of the night was ruined for both of us (mostly him, of course). If you've read my post about resolutions, you know my husband stopped smoking New Year's Eve, the day that Chantix cut out cigarettes from his daily diet. It's been a month now, he is still smoke-free, and he hasn't had a serious episode of dysphagia yet. There were a couple minor difficulties, but they "cleared" on their own within a couple minutes. Quitting smoking isn't the only change he has made in the past month, though. When we went to the doctor for his appointment last month to talk to him about these swallowing problems again, the doctor suggested also changing his blood pressure medication to something that might help -- a two-in-one pill fix, perhaps. He also made a referral for Don to see a specialist.

Getting to see the specialist took longer than expected, the appointment was post-phoned a couple times. Apparently, the specialist wasn't told at the time of the referral that my husband had the Toupet procedure, and had to reschedule the appointment so the records could be retrieved and reviewed. Yesterday morning was the confirmed appointment and I barely managed to get a couple hours off to go with him (will be pulling in overtime again this week); I was in such a rush to get out of my office that I almost forgot my badge and had to ask someone else to sign me out. Don's a puter addict like me, so he brought his netbook to the appointment. He walked into the examination room still clutching his netbook and stating, "Hold on a sec, let me save my game." He then proceeded to harass the nurse for not being a Linux-user and started piling his layers of jackets on top of my head. For the uninitiated, fair warning: my husband is a bit bizarre and takes perverse pleasure in testing people's patience and confusing them. In other words, he's Irish. It's like combining ADHD with crack, then throwing in a pound of sugar and tying a bow around it.

As you may have guessed, my role in all this was to provide moral support and serve as translator. Even with our primary physician, I had to clarify the symptoms and get all the info in within the time the doctor could see us. Don and I did both notice that the specialist seemed to take exception to the specialist that had recommended and performed the Toupet procedure. Don't know what's in those records, or what is known about him personally, but it was quite obvious there was something we weren't being told. Maybe doctor ego, would have made a different recommendation? He didn't even seem phased that Don wasn't told much about the procedure that was done on him, much less the name.

Don: *eyes wide* "Honey, I had a Toupet."

It's difficult not to laugh when someone looks at you with exaggerated wonder and says something like that, especially when the doctor is giving you a sideways glance and asking if your husband is always like this.

Don was also referred for a colonoscopy, so the doctor gave him a precursory exam and informed him he has two mini hernias. That was a bit of a surprise. Don doesn't seem too concerned about it, hasn't felt any pain or discomfort whatsoever, so he's probably going to ignore it. I did tell the doctor that he is very active and a hiker, yet hasn't had any problems. Apparently, it isn't an issue except in about 6% of the cases, when you can have hernia suffocation. Then you have about two hours to get it fixed.

So, now we're looking forward to two more doctor visits before we leave for Belgium. Don's getting a series of tests on Feb 2nd, then we go back in March so he can have an upper and lower GI done in the same day. Good thing they knock you out for such procedures these days!

150 Energy Bars on the USPS Truck

2010-01-25T22:52:00.004-05:00

My boss often (every day) saunters into my office while I'm busy tapping away on the puter, attempting to get some work done, and asks if I am Internet shopping. This morning he would have been correct! In between working on a bazillion projects of varying importance and trying to keep the boss man and his Blackberry away for a bit (I hid in another office to work), I was periodically monitoring my email for the result of some Ebay bidding. With the high demand these bars seem to have on Ebay, I really wasn't holding out much hope and had already been outbid in other energy bar auctions by $20 or more. So, I was quite surprised to discover at before the end of the work day that I had won the Odwalla bar auction!

Soon to make an appearance at a post office near me:

54 Odwalla Berries Gomega Bars
Buy at Amazon
Buy at Lucky Vitamin

and 26 Odwalla Superfood Bars
Buy at Amazon
Buy at Lucky Vitamin

Another surprise was waiting after work.. The Zone bar auction I had lost on the previous day had been relisted for me as a second chance buy. So, I picked up 70 MORE energy bars for a very decent price, including 30 Zone Chocolate Caramel Pecan, 20 Zone Chocolate Peanut Butter, 5 Zone Dark Chocolate Almond and 15 Zone Chocolate Caramel Cluster.

Think maybe it is time to do an energy/granola/snack bar photo post with reviews...

In case you are getting tired of my scary health food, I promise to do a sinful food post this week ;) Something naughty.

I See Green!

2010-01-25T09:37:00.002-05:00

We actually had a thunderstorm watch last night. Now, it's a rainy grey morning in NEPA; the river has turned a vivid sea green and it's rising by the minute as Winter's snows are being washed down the mountains. Flood watches are in effect as the Susquehanna may crest over its banks tonight. Bright green grass has reappeared and there actually seems to be green growth down in the garden -- will have to check that out after work! I bought a pitiful bunch of kale at the store to feed my greens cravings, but there may actually be live Dinosaur and Russian kale in my garden yet.

The seed shopping has already begun in our house and seed catalogues are flooding the table. Pinetree Seeds, Jung Seeds, Gurnsey...so many to chose from. I'm hoping to start some sprouts and herbs this evening. Yesterday I picked up the first seed packets at Walmart to brighten up my day:

Cilantro

Organic Carrot Kaleidoscope Mix

Bells of Ireland

2 packets of Salad Blend - Attrazione, Bionda, Foglia quercia rossa, Freckles, Marvel of 4 Seasons and Rossa di trento lettuces; arugula; Palla Rossa and Castelfranco chicories; Di Ruffec and Cornetto di Bordeaux endives; Ricco d'Asti and Gigante di inverno spinach; and Argentata Swiss Chard

Sprouting in Winter, Part 1

2010-01-20T09:03:00.000-05:00

What's your Winter breaking point? What does it take to make you go from "Look how pretty the snow is. It's so fresh and fluffy..." to "OMFG I've had it! It's so fricking cold!"? *ahem* I'm one of those bizarre folk that love Winter, even though my body temperature hovers somewhere around "lizard". I'm the first one scanning for snowflakes when the temperature dips below 40F and taunting everyone with "First snow on the way!". This morning, though, I am torn. A faint scattering of fresh snowflakes has just begun to fall here, so sparse it couldn't even be called flurries. There's a faint roar in the air, perhaps the sounds of machinery miles away reverberating off the mountains or even the wind pushing over the cliffs. Thick chunks of ice are bobbling in the river current as it streams past the house.

Is this Winter in full spring, or Winter sparring with Spring? You see, we experienced a minor warm-up late last week. Last Thursday, the temperatures rose to 40F, providing a temporary melt and relief to cold-weary NEPA denizens after weeks of hazardous icy weather and sudden squalls. Mammoth icicles dangerously dangling from the cliffs began to crash onto the roadside below as the rocks shifted in response to melting snow and ice pouring over their crevices. The large sheets of ice that had formed along the river banks were broken into mini bergs as the ice cracked and the current dragged them downstream. Suddenly, the jade-green waters of the Susquehanna have taken on more of an olive hue as the increased movement stirs up the sand of the river bed. We're not expecting to see the next round of warm-ups until Sunday..will I be greeting them eagerly, or will I be kicking myself for not diving headfirst into the wonders of Winter?

Attack of the Killer Bananas

2010-01-17T21:50:00.000-05:00

They're back in the stores! Two Summers ago, bananas were a common staple in my kitchen. Simply peeled as an after-work snack, grilled with chai syrup as dessert, or puréed with fresh mango as a smoothie -- I've even blended mashed banana with curry sauce. Soon after, though, I developed a phobia of bananas. Almost overnight I became afraid of ingesting all the carbs and starch that come with bananas; I attributed them as being one of the many foods causing me to gain weight. I still am not convinced they don't make me gain weight, however I am attempting to reincorporate them in moderation back into my diet. I am also looking at ways to get that banana flavour without necessarily eating a whole banana and having bunches of bananas a little too readily at hand. Banana chips, banana extracts, banana yogurt, banana cookies... *ahem* I used to make really good Scottish Banana Cookies for my brother (need to dig out that recipe).

So, what refueled this bananamania? The other day, I picked up a package of very ripe bananas for an extremely cheap price at the grocery and knew I had to come up with a good, healthy recipe for them. Banana Nut Bread was the first thing to come to mind, but I don't trust myself to cut a regular serving size slice. Muffins are so much easier to keep it moderate, and thus I came up with this recipe:

Banana Nut Oat Bran Muffins

Muffins:
1 c oat bran
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 tb raw blue agave syrup
2 tb buckwheat honey
2 tb granulated sugar
1 egg
44 g chopped walnuts
3 small-medium ripe bananas, mashed well
2 tsp baking powder
1/ tsp baking soda
2 tb vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c light soy milk (I used Silk brand)
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Streusel:
4 tb quick oats
2 tb oat bran
2 tb vegetable oil spread

Prepare streusel:
Combine 2 tb vegetable oil spread, 4 tb oats and 2 tb oat bran until crumbly.

Prepare muffins:

Toast walnuts in oven at 350F for about 8 minutes; finely grind with nut grinder. Mix in a bowl with soy milk, egg, sugar, agave syrup, buckwheat honey, vanilla, vegetable oil and mashed banana. Sift together baking powder, baking soda, oat bran and flours and add to bowl; fold in. Divide between 12 muffin cups (I used silicone liners) and top with equal amounts of streusel. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes.

Nutrition data: 169 kcal; 6 g fat; 15.8 mg cholesterol; 27 g carbs; 3 g fiber; 11 g sugar; 4.3 g protein

As I feared, the other bananas "disappeared" before I could put them to good use in another recipe. We bought another bunch Friday evening and I've been putting them in my husband's lunches, restricting myself to 1 a day for my weekend cereal allowance. If there are any left on Tuesday, I'm making banana energy bars. Until then, I'm looking at recipes and product ingredient lists, researching for my own unique spin on a Banana Energy Bar. Better check if there is a photo of those muffins somewhere, too.

Are You Getting Your 8 Glasses?

2010-01-11T08:20:00.007-05:00

I sure hope coffee and tea count in that daily value requirement! It's not that I dislike water; it's just bland and not at all as satisfying as a malty Assam or freshly ground full-bodied Arabica. Lately, I've been drinking anywhere from 4-7 cups of coffee a day and a couple small pots of tea, maybe an herbal teabag later in the evening. 100% pure caffeine-free water intake=0 glasses on average. It would be nice to increase this "somewhat low" average daily intake to 3 glasses a day, with the rest supplemented with tea and coffee.

Remember the Evian fad? My bottled water of choice was Ice Mountain for its bulky 1.5L bottle, although occasionally I succumbed to the trendy Evian if it was available in the same size. This time round, I plan to up the water intake without the aid of multiple plastic bottles of filtered spring/public authority water. Not only do plastic bottles significantly contribute to landfills, many of them leach BPA. And forget glass bottles -- that bottle of Ty Nant exploding in my mother's fridge was enough to scare me off those! My alternative?

Introducing my new Sigg bottle!

Insulated thermal bottle -- keeps liquids hot for 6 hours, cold for 10 hours.
This keeps my coffee hot for most of the work day -- the last hour or two it's still hot-ish.

The screw top can be swapped with different sports tops for easier use.

I originally wanted a Sigg bottle to keep water cold for long hikes, however it has also been very useful for work. How many people drink at least .75L of coffee or tea in a work day? *sheepishly raising hand* At the moment, I am debating whether to fill it with hot tea or cold water for the day. The furnace at work isn't particularly efficient; you either get a sauna or a seductive heat wave wafting through a bone-chilling room. My attempt at layering was a bit self-defeating, though, as I donned a nylon long-sleeved turtleneck, rather than a short-sleeve v-neck, under my thick pin-striped jacket. A tankard of iced herbal tea would be refreshing today, but that will have to wait until tomorrow as I forgot to steep it last night.

Don's new golden teapot from his brother and sister-in-law this past Christmas
Scottish breakfast teabags from my sister

Tea is a necessary part of my daily diet; can't live without it. My sister, Debbie, sent us a huge assortment of herbal and breakfast teas for Christmas, as well as another assortment of flavoured coffees. Yum! Herbal tea is something I've always been a bit squeamish about, being a tea puritan and all, but over the past couple years I've found it to be a light alternative for night-time teas and fantastic for iced teas. We'll be seeing a lot of herbal tea on our trip, too -- most of the teas I drank in Belgium and Germany were herbals or tisanes. Even the full tea service we enjoyed in Bruges was Earl Grey Blue (black tea scented with bergamot and lavender). To fulfill my current tea cravings, though, I have been steeping pots of Assam and Yunnan from the latest Upton Tea order.

Check out my latest order:

Season's Pick Yunnan FBOP
Yunnan Gen Ben Shi
Harishpur Estate Assam TGFOP CL
Hattialli Estate Assam BOPF
Meleng Estate Assam TGFOP CL
extra from Upton: Cranberry Tea!

Cooking for One

2010-01-07T22:15:00.002-05:00

With the erratic schedules Don and I have, at least half of the week I am eating alone. I still pack his lunch or dinner for him to take to work, but it tends to be a bizarre combination of foods geared around his day's unpredictable activities and his issues with certain foods (more on this in another post). Ironically, meal-wise, this conflict of schedules works well for us. Before I started working here, I would prepare a nice dinner every night. He would do his best to make an attempt at enjoying the meal, but it was always obvious he was struggling. I had to finally accept one day that, pre/post-work, he is really only prepared for something as exotic as peanut butter on toast.

At that point, I started cooking dinner for one. The most obvious benefit from the start was that I could eat dinner when I was actually hungry, rather than when we could sneak it in between work hours. Finally, I was able to set a routine 5 PM dinner for myself. I then began lightening my new solo dinners; homemade bread and cheesy sauces, as well as wine and desserts were reserved for the dinners Donnie and I could share together. This solo eating process has had a few "bumps along the road... When you aren't preparing two plates, you start to discover little things, such as you're eating as much as the man of the house. My husband may not eat enormous plates like many men, but it was still more than a female as small as me should be eating. So, a lot of it was a learning process. On a more positive note, though, it has allowed me to experiment with some of my more bizarre recipes in the kitchen, as well as allowing a time to indulge in some of my strange food cravings. Examples? Below are a few offerings from my solo dinners over the past few weeks. Maybe you'll find a new option for your own solo dinners...

Puréed carrot pasta sauce with a touch of green from fresh fennel frond

Spicing it up with some crushed red pepper flakes and a liberal dose of freshly cracked black pepper

Carrot Penne and Cheese for 1 (adapted from Food and Wine's recipe)

2 small-medium carrots (1/3 pound total) - halved and thinly sliced
half of 1 onion, diced
1/4 -1/2 oz shredded White Cheddar
2-3 tb minced fennel frond or tarragon
juice of half a small-medium orange
56g whole wheat penne rigate (I used Fit&Active brand from Aldi's)
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
lots of freshly cracked black pepper and a bit of salt, to taste

Sauté carrots and onion with a teaspoon of olive oil until softened. While waiting on that, start cooking the penne in salted boiling water. Add freshly squeezed orange juice and fennel to the pan. Slowly stir in a small ladle-ful or two of the pasta water to the carrot mixture and pulse with an immersion blender until smooth. Season with crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper and salt, then stir in shredded Cheddar; continue heating until melted. Add cooked penne to the pan and combine well. If desired, top with a teaspoon of freshly grated Pecorino or Locatelli.

A very light grating of Locatelli brings the dish together without overdosing on cheese

Nutritional Data (with 1/4 oz Cheddar): 329 kcal; 8 g fat (mainly due to olive oil, assuming all is absorbed); 8 mg cholesterol; 54 g carbs; 10 g sugar; 9 g fiber; 10 g protein

Apologies for the dark, blurry photo -- it's the only one I had!

Chicken Meatball Pita with Mint Sauce

1/4 lb ground chicken
1/2 onion, thinly sliced into half moons
1/4 onion, finely minced
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp liquid Hickory smoke
1/2 tsp hot chili garlic sauce (I used Sun Luck's brand)
1 tsp mint jelly or sauce
freshly cracked pepper and salt
mini pitas

Combine minced onion with ground chicken, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, liquid smoke, hot chili garlic sauce, and freshly cracked pepper and salt. Form into mini meatballs and cook in a sauté pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Scatter sliced onion around the meatballs and allow to sauté. Add mint sauce or jelly to the pan near the end of the cooking, heating through and tossing with the meatball/onion mixture. Stuff mixture into two halved and opened mini pitas. If desired, add a little hummus inside the pita or for dipping.

Nutritional Data (excluding pitas or hummus): 219 kcal; 12g fat (from the chicken); 135 mg cholesterol; 121 mg sodium; 10 g carbs; 5 g sugar; 20 g protein

Turkey Burger with Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Turkey Burger:
1/4 lb ground turkey
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp liquid Hickory smoke
1/2 tsp chili powder
couple dashes of hot sauce
1 small onion
freshly cracked pepper and salt
1 whole wheat English muffin
1 tb hummus (Sabra's Peppadew or Supremely Spicy hummus are fantastic with this)

optional: raw kale and/or cheese for topping

Mince 1/3 of the onion and combine with ground turkey, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, liquid smoke, chili powder and hot sauce. Season with freshly cracked pepper and salt, then form into burger. Prep pan with a light drizzle of olive oil or nonstick spray and cook burger. If desired, top with a slice of cheese in last minute of cooking. Serve on toasted English muffin with hummus.

Nutritional Data (excluding cheese and kale): 266 kcal; 9 g fat; 64 mg cholesterol; 410 mg sodium; 23 g carbs; 26 g protein

Baked Sweet Potato Fries:
1 small sweet potato (180 g), cut into fries
olive oil or nonstick baking spray, to lightly coat
lots of freshly cracked pepper and salt
optional: Old Bay Seasoning

Bake at 400F for about 20 minutes, or until softened and sweet.

Turkey Reuben

2 slices wheat or rye bread (I used Sara Lee 45 Calories & Delightful 100% Whole Wheat & Honey Bread)
1.5 oz thinly sliced roasted turkey breast
1 tb sauerkraut, drained well
1 tb Thousand Island dressing
1 slice Swiss or other preferred white cheese (Fat Free American Single on mine)
1-2 tsp vegetable oil spread, for lightly coating outside of bread

Preheat cast iron grill or similar pan over medium heat. Prep outside of bread with spread, then coat inside of bread with Thousand Island. Add sauerkraut, turkey and Swiss; firmly press sandwich down on pan. Grill until charred to preference on both sides.

Nutritional Data (with my ingredients): 251 kcal; 7 g fat; 33 mg cholesterol; 592 mg sodium; 25 g carbs; 8 g sugar; 24 g protein

Christmas Rewind

2010-01-03T21:49:00.002-05:00

It seemed to take forever to arrive, but Christmas has come and gone, leaving behind swaths of wrapping paper and the rather hefty remains of a glorious brown sugar-cured ham. Ming has been delighted with the wrapping paper, hurling himself into it and bashing it with his paws to make that crinkling sound. At the moment, he has his own city of boxes flanking his previously-meager "compound". As for Donnie and me, we're still exploring and playing with our own gifts. Donnie already has two more Linux distributions set up on his desktop, soon to be joined by a couple more once he figures out how to partition them properly. One of his gifts from Elfie Santa was a jumbo set of Linux CDs and an Ubuntu book to help further his Linux education/adventures. Ubuntu 64-bit has been joined by Mint and Kubuntu on his desktop; he still has Fedora, OpenSuse, PCLinux, Sabayon, Freespire, Mandrake One, Puppy Linux, DreamLinux and TinyMe to explore yet! Also lovingly tucked under the tree for him was an Asus Eee 1005HA netbook (10.1 hours battery life!) with memory upgrade and car charger; a SATA/IDE USB adaptor (for accessing all those old hard drives); a still-working RCA Victor Nipper bakelite radio; an FM transmitter for his MP3 player; an LED rechargeable work light; and some cozy items to keep him warm this Winter.

He spoiled me, as well. While his first gift unwrapped was his big gift, the netbook, he saved my big gift for last -- a huge set of T-Fal stainless steel pots and pans!

A guilty pleasure ripples through me each time I reach for one of those shiny pots.

Five-ply copper, aluminum and stainless-steel base

Shiny! Love my sauté pans!

Garden-themed towel and potholder set to get me in Spring heat

Portable 320 GB HD

Research material for our trip! I've already found an industrial resto-bar (with Wi-Fi) in Antwerp that used to be a docklands drydock pumphouse -- have to go there!

As I've mentioned before, we have a tradition of opening only one gift per hour. This gives us time to actually appreciate each gift before tearing into the next, and it draws out the experience over the day. It appears that another new tradition is going to be peeking in the stockings Christmas Eve! We had filled each other's stockings early this year and the Leprechaun, whose supply of chocky was in dire straits, kept making lusty sidelong glances at the stockings hanging in the parlour. So, we made another new tradition. Before we fell into bed Christmas Eve, Donnie had already dipped into a jar of White Chocolate Dream Peanut Butter for a late night snack. He replenished my addiction, as well -- my stocking was stuffed with Clif Bars, Builder's Bars and Zone Bars for those Monday indulgences.

A small view of my new collection

Dinner turned out fantastic! The wine was rather mediocre, which is my fault for not doing some research first. Donnie has a tendency to buy wine by the label, so occasionally I pick up a bottle of something with a completely bizarre or flashy label to try out.

Might help if I purchase something a little older next time, eh? Hard to beat moose(es?) with sunglasses, though.

Thick Wedge of Smoked Bacon Gouda

Love that thick brown wax rind

There was another bottle of wine exclusively for the cranberry sauce, Hob Nob's Pinot Noir. I haven't actually tried it on its own, but the cranberry sauce came out as flavourful as I remember from last year. I served it atop a cheese tart made with smoked bacon gouda. Last year the tart was made with Cranberry Wenslydale -- can't decide which I like better, as they both leant a tangy note to the tart that complimented, rather than overpowering, the sauce.

The finished cheese tart in my Williams-Sonoma rectangular tart pan.

There's a batch of mincemeat tarts in the background.

For our recipes from Christmas Dinner, check here: http://cymry-pa.blogspot.com/2008/12/holly-jolly-2008-feast.html

For pics of our 2009 Icy Winter Christmas Tree, keep posted.

A Resolution For My Lists

2010-01-03T01:22:00.007-05:00

Psychologist at work: "You're a List Person, aren't you?"
Me: *sensing eyes boring into me* "Umm yes, I am actually."
Psychologist: *nod of the head* "I knew it. You look like a List Person."
Me: *puzzled*

I was thinking of this conversation (held maybe a year ago) whilst tapping away on my laptop in bed last night. At the time, I was tracking food intake for the day and reminding myself that I really need to brush up my Dutch and French if we're going to track down granola bars and protein powder in Belgium. Sure, I could bring my own, but what's the fun in that?? It occurred to me at that moment that a year ago I wasn't tracking what I ate; there was no accountability for my daily diet. Instead, I had a goal list, the "To Do" List. While everyone was making resolutions for the New Year, I was pulling out the To Do List and verifying it was still valid for the new year. Sometimes there would be additions, but I don't recall many accomplished goals being crossed off The List.

Always on top of the list was "Lose X amount of pounds", not uncommon on people's goal lists. Six years ago, the "X amount of pounds" was not budging. Then one day, a size 12 was tight on me. I freaked; it was an awful, awful moment. From that day I began using the treadmill on an almost-daily basis. However, my diet remained the same -- eating late at night, eating all the wrong foods and too much of them, and getting only a few hours of sleep every day. While I did quickly drop down to a size 10, I was still chunky and bloated. The reflection in the mirror, in store windows and camera lenses, was not me. Then I met my husband; in the first week, I lost 10 pounds. If you are one of my regular readers or family, you are already aware that Don and I moved in together quite shortly after meeting :) Suddenly, I went from flat city terrain to rural mountains in a place I did not know. Everyday events like leaving the house to go grocery shopping meant walking up a steep path -- hell, the entire property is a hilly roller coaster, now imagine it with snow! My future husband had to introduce me to his world, my new life. Within a month of living in NEPA, he had me hiking, eating and cooking new foods, going out to events, and trampling all over the steep inclines and declines down to the river. Soon after, I picked up gardening, mountain biking, and even started heading out on low-risk hikes by myself. As the seasons changed, I was learning a bit more how the mountains differed from the city, as I gathered wood and raked leaves. Yet, it was fun! To top it off, I was losing weight. I slowly progressed from a size 8 to a size 4. Size 4 probably lasted the longest. Somewhere around size 5 or 4, I caught a nasty bout of pneumonia and went down a size; the same thing happened again a year later. Combined with brief interludes when stomach pain stopped me from eating, I was maintaining between a size 2 and a size 3, but threatening to head back up to a size 4 with my healthy appetite and love of the kitchen. Then one day I was browsing the site Sparkpeople, fascinated with the food calculator that outputs a nutrition label, and my step-son recommended Dailyplate.com. I was instantly hooked and began tracking daily, immediately losing 1-2 pounds a week. I discovered my caloric intake was all over the place, sometimes as low as the 500-zone and other days who knows where due to liberal experimentation in the kitchen. I forced myself to increase my carb intake, stabilised the kcal, and began taking notice of what I was putting into my body. Protein was the biggest change; I quickly came to terms with the fact that a supplement was going to be needed as I don't eat much meat and can't live on fish, and thus invested in those first packets of protein powder.

Fast forward to this past New Year's Day, just two days ago. I didn't have a list to pull out. I thought about drafting a new list, but decided against it. Once it's been drafted and tucked away, a goal seems to be forgotten. In my case, it had to be acknowledged in more brutal terms. Today is January 3, 2010 -- I do not have 10 pounds to lose. Five to eight pounds is the goal right now, a final weight goal before tracking becomes more about maintaining my weight than losing it. I can wear a snug size 0, not tight but I'm aiming for a looser fit. More often than not, I make do with my size 1's and 2's and wear a belt.

Not all goals on the infamous "To Do" List have been weight-related, though. One of the big goals was travelling to England -- I've been to England a few times now (passed through a couple more times on flight transfers), met my husband there, and even honeymooned in England. I've since travelled to several other countries I never thought I would actually see and made many friends. Getting my license was another tricky one; I was scared to death of driving and would have mini panic attacks. My husband had to break my fear of driving and I discovered it wasn't so much that I was afraid of driving, it was that I was scared to death of driving with maniacs in the city.

I may not have a list of "To Do" goals right now, but there are still some things I would like to do this year. As I achieve each of these, I'll post them, but they have yet to be completed for the moment. In the meantime, I'll focus on my shopping lists, household chores list, cookies to make list, Winter soups to make list, Winter chicken recipes to make list, Day trips for this Winter/Spring list.... I'm quite serious, actually.

Donnie is to blame for the expansion of my lists; he introduced me to Tomboy, a Linux-based Sticky Notes program. This was immensely helpful with Christmas shopping lists, tracking ordered items and shipping status (Internet Christmas shopper here). He also makes good use of it, for lists and codes. As for 2010 resolutions, he unintentionally made one when the Doctor made a few comments about his smoking habit. Don doesn't actually smoke that much, maybe a pack a day, and has never developed that "smoker's cough". However, that doesn't eliminate the health risks and the Dr. mentioned it could be affecting his blood pressure. After much pouting and wavering, he went ahead and filled his Chantix prescription. He actually shocked me; didn't think he was going to do it. New Year's Day marked his first day on Chantix without a cigarette (the first few you smoke) and he got through it very well. He is still non-smoking and reports the Chantix does help with the cravings, but he hasn't had any of the notorious dreams yet. I know a few people at work who have successfully quit smoking with Chantix and all raved about "the dreams". He does admit to one dream, but won't describe it to me. P&G menfolk -- figure this one out for me. Bet it involves JJ or Jason!

Don's Guinness Zippo from the brewery in Ireland, losing its glory

Pets and Travel

2009-12-21T06:49:00.003-05:00

Ming, safely ensconced within the protective walls of his nest
Attempt to invade and you will lose a hand!

In just over three months, we're off to Belgium for over a week. Ming, protector of home and hearth, may be embarking on a trip of his own. Not the kennel -- I would never do that to a pet. However, 9 days is a long time for a cat to left home without companionship, even with people stopping in for a bit to handle his everyday needs. It's important to keep in mind that Ming is a Bombay; leaving him home alone is like locking up your Labrador in a cramped room for a week. He's one of those rare "people cats" who crave human affection and need constant interaction. We can't go on a day trip, or even an hour-long grocery trek, without finding half the kitchen table contents on the floor from one of his tantrums.

In the past, Don's son was able to cat sit and provide Ming with some individual attention, or at least a human body to keep him company. However, he recently moved to Austin. That leaves Don's brothers. I don't have any family in PA, otherwise I'd call them. Don's brother, Dale, has checked in on Ming in the past when we were away and managed to not let our slick critter get away. You see, Ming is an eel-like "runner" -- he watches the door like a hawk so he can flee under the house to look for dead animals. Dale has already volunteered to check on Ming on his way home from work every day and feed him. This system has worked for some of our past vacations, however, Ming had his brother, Ling, to keep him company back then. I'm not so confident that leaving him alone for so long would be such a good idea. Granted, a human would show up once a day to feed him, give him fresh water, sift the litter, pat him on the head a couple times...however, he would still be sitting alone 9 days, 23.5 hours a day.

Dale did propose another option -- let Ming board at his house for the 9 days. He has a small dog, think it's a Chihuahua, that Ming could pal up with. Ming doesn't mind dogs and this one would not harm him. Dale also has a son that may enjoy playing with Ming. I only have one concern -- what if he gets out? Rewind back to that "eel-like runner" bit. If Ming sneaks past them and heads out the door, there are woods right behind the house for him to get lost/hide in. Am I being neurotic? A cat isn't a dog; it will not respond to a whistle. I think in cat language, he's actually busy flicking us off when he makes these mad dashes. "Screw you, human. I've got more important things to do. Oh no! I'm lost! Help! I want to go back! No, wait, I don't! Help, come get me!" *cat running into road*

So, what do you think? Should I go the safer route and keep him at home? Have Dale check on him once a day? Or, should I pack up his "nest" with a week and a half's supply of food and ship him off to Uncle Dale for a cat vay-kay? All opinions on this welcome! I'm torn on the issue.

At this time, I'm considering taking Ming over to Dale's in his carrier a few times for a bit to see how he fares, monitor his reaction to the front door opening and such. Now, I just have to deal with his fear of being in a vehicle.

Christmas 2009 Menu

2009-12-18T05:58:00.004-05:00

....looks a lot like Christmas 2008's! Last year after our Christmas feast, Donnie had declared he wanted the same menu for our Easter dinner. To be completely honest, I do not remember what we did for Easter last year, nor apparently does my blog. *guilty look* I'm one of those people that takes tons of photos for posts, uploads them to a folder, and then proceeds to forget about the photos of food recipes or day trips until a couple months down the line. Think it may be time to dig up some of those photos.

Tomorrow, Donnie heads off to work, bright and early, for his 3-day working weekend. I plan on making good use of this weekend to get myself into the Christmas spirit and get into full gear for the coming holiday. All of my shopping for my husband is done, except for a couple stocking stuffers, and we finished shopping for his side of the family Tuesday night. I still have to put together gift boxes for co-workers, which means getting elbow deep in cookie dough and hunting down the perfect boxes or tins. Oh, and figuring out what the hell I am baking. My boss loves homemade pasta, so I might be experimenting a bit there. Whatever I am making, I better decide soon for tomorrow's shopping list.

As for Christmas dinner, we have yet to do any shopping for that, so it's up to me tomorrow. Donnie has already pointed me in the direction of a brown sugar-cured spiral-sliced ham -- anything different and it's coal in my stocking! I already have a route planned that puts all the shopping stops within a five mile radius, of the initial stopping point that is. Check Stop #1 for stocking stuffers, drive through parking lot to Stop #2 for the Christmas Ham et al, do a U-turn and select a couple bottles of Pinot Noir at Stop #3 and, if necessary, proceed to Stop #4 for stocking stuffers. Somewhere along this route there may be an additional stop to fuel up the car. Hope I beat the forecasted snow storm!

I usually make a moorish mushroom soup for Christmas Eve, but this year we're going to open a bottle of wine and devour Naan with Fig Preserves and Gorgonzola and a batch of Gorgonzola Quince Phyllo Pastries. I managed to get Christmas Eve off work, bringing my Christmas vacation to 4 days! We're going to snuggle up with mugs of cocoa and mindlessly fritter away the day together, with the kitty of course.

We're probably going to stop over at Don's brother's house for a bit in the morning, but we're hoping the other brother (it will prolly just be him and his son; the other brother has kids and his wife's family to celebrate with yet) will make an appearance at our house for dinner. That's a lot of ham for just the two of us.

Christmas 2009 Menu

Brown Sugar-Cured Ham
Smoked Bacon Gouda Tart with Pinot Noir Cranberry Sauce
Creamed Spinach
Baked Apples with Treacle Syrup
Pumpkin challah, Finnish cardamom orange braid or a fresh baguette

Mini Mincemeat Tarts
Lemon Curd Cake or Ginger Roulade with Whipped Cream??

Lab Rat, Part II

2009-12-15T05:09:00.001-05:00

Would you believe I started this post on November 23rd? I get around to posting eventually. For my original post on this subject, check here: http://cymry-pa.blogspot.com/2009/11/lab-rat.html

My adventures in the medical world as an experimental rat to poke at continue....

After my entirely unpleasant morning at the hospital, we returned home to find three messages waiting on the answering machine. No, not the hospital or doctor's office with speedy results. There were some issues at work, and the two of us that are most familiar dealing with these particular situations had both scheduled the day off. As is the typical response when people are taken out of their comfort zone and prompted to take initiative, take off the training wheels and perform a process they've seen successfully carried out many times before, they decided to reinvent the system. They panicked; sloppy shortcuts were made and my office was torn apart before I was able to intercede in the situation. Great morning so far, eh! I was in even more discomfort now that I'd been jammed in the ribs a couple hundred times (not the tech's fault; she did what she had to do) and all I wanted to do was change into the most comfy clothes possible and find something to eat. After several phone calls to decipher the level of disarray and upfuckedness, I finally was able to get to the right person to explain the many reasons why the shortcut was the exact opposite of what they should be doing.

Big Gun: "Oh... Oh, ouch. Ok, so we can't do that."
Me: "No, that would be bad."

We won't go there; let's just say my office had been literally taken apart before I could correct the situation. Another phone call later, I hesitantly determined it was safe enough to get a little more comfortable and take a nap. Fortunately, woes@work was solved and placed in more competent hands, and I was able to downshift for the rest of the day.

The next couple days were uneventful, pain-wise. No stabbing pain, but the "fist" under the rib was still there. I began to think I was imagining the pressure and that, perhaps, it had always been present. Maybe the pain just made me more aware of my body and its bulky internal organs. When the pain didn't make an appearance after a couple days, I began to berate myself, thinking this was all a silly somatic side effect from work stress. Then Friday rolled around. The pressure suddenly intensified under my rib; it hurt to sit down, as though my ribs were caving into my stomach. A new pain appeared, a stabbing near the pelvis. It only lasted a few minutes, but it chose to arrive as I was attempting to drive home from work. I made it home in one piece, although in considerably more pain than that morning. Donnie met me in the kitchen and told me he had good news and bad news -- which did I want first? The good news: the doctor had all my test results in. The bad news: there was absolutely nothing wrong with me. Hale as a horse. Every bit of hope that a simple diagnosis would be made and an answer to these bizarre symptoms was close at hand was lost in that moment. They couldn't find anything wrong; no strange protein readings or anemia, no levels off-kilter to even indicate I'd just endured a couple weeks of purging after every meal. Nothing pointed to an infection or inflammation. It may as well have all been in my head. All that time and embarrassment, yet no answer except that it had to be somatic.

I remember feeling my self-control diminishing with that hope for an explanation. I managed to hold my grace long enough to walk upstairs to our bedroom, before crumpling up into a ball on the bed and bawling uncontrollably. I let go of my composure for a moment and lost control, releasing the stress, the pent-up anxiety, the anger at being told nothing was wrong. All that lost time at work for nothing. I felt like a whiny hypochondriac wasting everyone's time and tacking unnecessary expenses onto my medical insurance. We were prepared for a clear-cut diagnosis that could be easily treated with medication or minor surgery. My grandmother had Crohn's Disease and my symptoms were sounding a lot like Crohn's or Celiac Disease, but the blood tests did not indicate issues with the C1 protein or anemia. Even more frustrating, the doctor couldn't find any signs of inflammation in my body, yet it felt exactly as if my intestines were swollen and irritated. To top it all off, some swelling had appeared by my rib cage.

More lab rat fun to be continued...

Do You Still Have Turkey Leftovers?

2009-12-11T21:30:00.002-05:00

Hopefully by now you've frozen any remaining turkey meat. The day after Thanksgiving, I already was making a huge pot of turkey stock and a batch of turkey soup. Not just any turkey soup -- turkey acini di pepe soup. I must admit, that is about as creative as I've got so far with turkey leftovers. Turkey curry wraps? Need to buy wraps. Turkey tortilla soup...mmmm... Turkey mole? Definitely on the to-do list, just have to find the time.

Turkey Acini di Pepe Soup

white part of one 1 leek, halved and sliced, rinsed well in a bowl of water
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, halved and sliced
1/2 tsp dried sage
2 tsp sea salt
6 c homemade turkey stock (think I ended up making 12 c of my recipe)
1/2 c acini di pepe pasta
7.5-8 oz leftover turkey, shredded

Sauté onion and carrot until fork-tender. Add sliced leek and continue cooking until softened. Add stock and pasta, seasoning with sage, sea salt and lots of freshly cracked pepper. Allow acini di pepe to cook through until doubled in size. Add turkey and heat through.

Nutrition (per 1 cup): 84 calories; 1 g fat; 19 mg cholesterol; 632 mg sodium; 7 g carbs; 11 g protein

If you haven't made turkey stock before, I highly recommend it. Aside from the obvious chicken and beef stocks, you can also make homemade pork stock, lamb stock, duck stock..the list goes on. Leftover meaty bones is all that is required to make a flavourful, full-bodied stock. You don't even need a stock pot to make it -- a canning pot (my vessel of choice) or even a couple dutch ovens/cassoulet pots will do the trick. Add the bones to your pot, cover with water, toss in a few bay leaves and celery leaves, season with peppercorns or a bouquet garni, and simmer for an hour or so. You'll know it's ready by the colour and aroma. Skim any fat off the top and strain into a large container, preferably something with a spouted top such as a plastic pitcher. To store, pour the cooled stock into an extra ice cube tray or two and freeze in batches, emptying the trays into a large freezer bag once the stock has frozen into cubes. As you need stock for soups or gravies, simply pull some cubes out of the freezer bag and into your pot! Much better tasting and a lot less sodium than canned broth.

I still have some turkey meat left...

~Winter Storm on the Way~

2009-12-08T22:06:00.006-05:00

Help me!

My Elfrosity gnome has yet to be rescued from the last snow.

We're about to get our second batch of snow! Not so happy about the ice that's coming with it; hopefully that won't transpire. If the roads are too icy tomorrow morning, I'll ask my husband to take me in and pick me up. Don't think he would be too happy about the "picking up" part considering he's working mega overtime and would have to fetch me almost immediately after waking up, however that may be better than having to fish me out of a ditch?

The forecasters are calling for a 3-5" snow accumulation, plus freezing rain accumulation of a tenth of an inch. The rest of the week is calling for snow on and off, as well. We're definitely going to have a White Christmas! With the wintry bite in the air, I have been busy warming up. The kitty and I are snugly shut downstairs with the steam radiators hissing and I am bundled up in a warm hoodie and slippers, sipping a protein hot cocoa. Mmmm... Hey, no making faces! You can drink your chalky, sugar-laden, high-fat, less than 1g of protein Carnation Cocoa with Marshmallows -- I'm drinking a healthy hot cocoa, which tastes much the same, sans the guilt and no worries of choking on a dehydrated gum paste cube :) Naturally, I will still enjoy my homemade hot cocoa without the soy milk and protein powder additions, but this was the perfect change of pace from the usual cold protein shake on such a chilly night.

A spoonful of protein love, mixed with just enough water to form the base of the protein cocoa.

No, it's not sandy! Yes, there is a green tinge -- it's called Greens & Whey for good reason. And the brown tinge streaked through? That's chocolate :)

Hot Protein Cocoa

1/2 to 1 serving of your favourite chocolate protein powder, depending on desired thickness (I used Biochem's 100% Greens & Whey Chocolate)
1 c soy milk (I used 8th Continent Light Vanilla Soy)
1 tb Dutch-processed cocoa powder (you could always sub with carob powder/chips)
1 tsp vanilla extract
optional: 1 tsp Raw Blue Agave syrup or turbinado

In a mug, stir together protein powder with just enough to water to form a loose paste, a little thicker than a slurry. Mix well to ensure all lumps are gone. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan heat soy milk until hot, but short of boiling. Whisk in cocoa powder and vanilla; slowly add to mug with protein powder paste. Stir to combine well and enjoy!

Nutritional data for my version with 1/2 serving Greens & Whey Chocky w/vanilla soy and agave syrup: 138 calories, 4 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 110 mg sodium, 13 g carbs, 11 g sugar, 17 g protein.

Note: By omitting the agave syrup, you can subtract 18 calories, 5 carbs and 5 g sugar. Depending on how sweet your protein powder is, any additional sweetener may be unnecessary. Had I used the full serving of protein powder, I would have omitted the agave.

Creamy and frothy chocolate deliciousness

Now, I'm looking forward to trying a hot protein eggnog!

Revving Up for Belgium!

2009-12-06T14:15:00.002-05:00

We are currently in the process of planning our trip to Belgium from April 1 to April 9, 2010. Don will lock in his vacation hours tonight for the trip and I will do the same tomorrow morning. One of our good friends works for SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe), and lives just outside Brussels over in Mons, so we're staying with her. Petra is one of our dearest friends and we've enjoyed some lengthy vacations together, both in Europe and over here in NEPA.

So far it looks like we're taking SAS (Don's favourite carrier) out of Newark to Copenhaven (København/Copenhagen), then a quick 1 hour hop over to Brussels. I'm already excited and researching other places to go. Between the three of us, we're hashing out side trips to Holland (no Freudian slip intended; I'm not a smoker), maybe Luxembourg (Don and I are keen on their supermarkets LOL) or even taking the Eurostar to London. I'm rooting for Holland, Luxembourg and enjoying Belgium. We all love Bruges, but I have yet to see Gent -- Don and Petra have and that's on the recommended list. Don wants to see Waterloo and revisit Aachen (just over the border in Germany). Petra's waving the banner for Paris hehe We have a few months to plan yet, and it's going to be lots of fun.

Of course, this means I had to confess one of my husband's presents (wouldn't tell him if it was for February birthday or Christmas) to prevent him from going out and purchasing a netbook, himself. We both have our high-end laptops, but it is easier to travel with a netbook when you won't be working with any memory-intensive applications, such as digital rendering software. Besides, it leaves more room to bring back all the foodstuffs customs will allow! When in Belgium, buy chocky!

On that important note, do you think it's time I finally invest in a portable suitcase scale? I've been hauling my suitcases onto my own bathroom scale or making an educated guess for ages, when it may be possible to cram more stuff in there!

Baking Up a Snow Storm

2009-12-05T23:37:00.006-05:00

It was just last night that the talking heads on the radio were discussing our local forecast for today and dismissing the call for 1"-3" of snow. "Won't stick; the ground's too warm yet!" was adamantly stated many times. They didn't deny the snow would show up, and it did, around 10 AM this morning. By 10:30 AM it was obvious it was sticking -- the kale was completely covered in the garden and the rhododendron was starting to look a little deflated. I kept worriedly checking on the status of the road in front of the house, concerned it was going to delay my plans to do a little Christmas shopping. To top it off, my husband was not feeling so well (long story but he is OK now). After an hour of pacing a hole through the floor and making Don dizzy, I finally decided to take my chances. The snow didn't appear to be sticking to the road, just everything else. I pulled on my black puffy boots, informed Don of my intended destination should my car veer off the road, and headed out the door to clear the snow off my car.

I've been nervous about driving in the snow ever since that incident last year just before Christmas when I decided to brave the roads to get stocking stuffers the day after a blizzard. Yes, very enterprising of me. That 360 into a snow bank taught me a wee lesson to be more careful. It hasn't completely deterred me from driving in the snow, though. With all the weather-related issues I've encountered over the past couple Winters, you'd never guess I'm still quite fond of the fluffy stuff. Not so keen on the iced-over snow-glass that blankets our front banks, but I do rather enjoy stomping through some fresh powder. It's not Winter until a good squall hits; then you fire up the wood stove and prepare a couple steamy mugs of cocoa.

I was only a few miles down the road when it became apparent that this adventurous trek may have not been such a great idea. Not one to admit defeat, I ventured on, but was wise enough to not exceed 40 MPH. Half an hour later, I safely arrived at the first store on the list and began manoeuvring through the crazy Christmas hoards. Overall, most people seemed to be in the Christmas spirit, even with the snow inches mounting by the hour. I searched in vain for Snog (soy milk eggnog), found two great deals on presents for the Leprechaun, and completed some successful gift idea browsing for our niece and nephews. Not as much crossed off the list as I was hoping -- crowds can be a little overwhelming when you're trying to carefully choose gifts for people and someone's jamming a cart into your back.

The next couple stores satisfied most of the stocking stuffer list, although I was becoming uncomfortably aware that the snow on my car was becoming proportionately higher between stores. Time to call it a day! Some successes, but still one more small gift to go for the Leprechaun. Yes, I know what it is, but I'm not telling ;)

The speed limit spanning the first 10 minutes through town back to the mountains ranges between 15-30 MPH. My speed did not exceed 15 MPH during that time. Once officially out of the Valley, the speed limit increases to 45 MPH. There wasn't a car on the road driving over 30 MPH; visibility wasn't fantastic and the roads did not appear to have been ploughed. As far as I was concerned, it was encouraging just to see a few cars on the road (and not in ditches), anything to indicate there were others mad enough to venture out. I had promised my husband I would be home before 4 PM -- it was past 4:30 PM with a good drive uphill ahead, and none of us were going to attempt speeds over 30 MPH. By the time I finally pulled up in front of the garage, grinding the tires through some particularly thick snow to fit back into my usual parking spot, it was 5 PM and all the downstairs lights and outside lights were on. I made it home safe, found one of Don's presents in the mailbox, and managed a sufficiently productive shopping trip all in one afternoon.

For the moment, the snow has tampered off. Our huge rhododendron by the side porch looks as though it is about to split into four pieces under the weight of the snow. It has seen worse, but you can't help feeling sorry for the rugged beast. I already have plans to wake up extra early tomorrow to fully absorb the beauty of our new Winter oasis. I got an early start this evening by baking several batches of cookies. Donnie and I have been taking turns brewing large pots of coffee since I returned home this evening, which has left me happily wired! I may be paying with an ulcer tomorrow, but in the meantime there are two tins full of cookies and dough for more waiting in the fridge. Here's the start of many more cookie recipes to come:

A Christmas version of Molasses Spice Crinkles

You could use whatever type of sugar you desire, or even sea salt.

Molasses-Spice Crinkles (adapted from Cooking Light's 2006 recipe)

4 tb salted cream butter, room temperature
1/2 c brown sugar
2 tb Blackstrap molasses
1 large egg white, or 2 tb beaten egg whites
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 1/3 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
raw or coloured sugar for rolling

Cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses, egg white, spices, baking powder and baking soda. Mix in flour, beating only enough to combine. Chill. Form into 1" balls and roll in sugar. Place on nonstick pan and press down to gently flatten. Bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes.

Citrus Poppyseed Thumbprints (adapted from BHG)

4 oz salted cream butter, room temperature
1/4 c granulated sugar
1 tb poppy seeds
1 egg yolk
1 tsp orange liqueur (I used Triple Sec)
zest of 1 small orange or clementine
1 1/3 c all purpose flour

Cream together butter and sugar. Add poppy seeds, egg yolk, zest and liqueur. Mix in flour until just combined. Roll into 1" balls and place on nonstick baking sheet. Gently press down with thumb to form a well in each cookie, then fill with desired preserves. I used blackcurrant preserves and cherry preserves. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes.

Sticky, sweet and gooey

Raspberry and Mint Jelly Hazelnut Thumbprints

Hazelnut Thumbprints (adapted from MarthaStewart.com)

1/2 c salted cream butter
1/4 c granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 + 1/8 c all purpose flour
1/4 c finely chopped hazelnuts

Follow directions for citrus thumbprints. Roll in hazelnuts before placing on baking sheet and fill with desired preserves. For these I used mint jelly and raspberry preserves. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes.

Nutritional data and photos to come later today...it's almost 3 AM!

EDIT 12/6/09 2:14 PM -- photos uploaded, a little blurry but I was hurrying to get them up! Snow photos on the way!

Do You Bribe Yourself To Go To Work?

2009-12-05T23:29:00.000-05:00

Don't get me wrong; I actually do love my job, most of the time. But, while you're tapping away at your work computer, don't you ever get that wistful, guilty feeling that you'd really rather be doing something less productive? I'm not talking about lounging around the house, although we could all use a day of that every once in a while. Having free time to take a hike in the woods, bake treats in the kitchen, cuddle up with the cat and watch a corny Christmas movie -- these are all indulgences for me that I wish could be had more often.

Luna Caramel Nut Brownie -- waiting for me to dig in!

Drizzled with chocky and stuffed with nuts...even better than a brownie

These sentiments are at their strongest on Mondays. My prescribed solution: protein bars. If I must use my brain and join the masses at work, I should at least be allowed a small indulgence. Not wanting to develop a crutch and fall back into bad habits, I've limited the indulgence to something reasonable that won't turn me into a Graf Zeppelin. Don't get me wrong; protein bars usually contain a higher amount of calories and fat than the usual "snack" granola bar, although that's often good fat from nuts. The typical meal replacement bar is usually a high-protein bar. Every two weeks I purchase two protein bars, usually Luna Bars, and save them for the next two Mondays. At this moment, there is a S'mores Luna Bar waiting for me to rip into this coming Monday. I can't touch it until then; that's the rule!

Yup, another protein bar. This one was my breakfast last Monday.

It's difficult to tell in this photo, but this bar is coated on the bottom with a thick layer of chocky.

Blogging and reading others' blogs is another popular form of bribery for me. I wake up an hour earlier than actually needed to leisurely enjoy a pot of Assam or Ceylon and the Internet. Only after that am I prepared to endure a grueling day multitasking in five different directions and being closed off from the rest of society (not counting the visitors plunged into our little world) for 8+ hours.

What do you do to encourage yourself to go to work?