Journey to Authenticity

Christmas Morning

   

 

   

 

 

 

Letter Meme

Hay posted this one, and it's both fun and simple. Comment on this post and I'll assign you a letter. Write about the top ten things you love that begin with that letter. Assign letters to those who comment on your post, and so on and so on.

Hay gave me "B" (as in BFF), so here it goes:

1. Books

This love affair started Christmas 1977--when my parents gave me a stack of Nancy Drew books. The fire has never faded.

2. Boys

 

Here are my two favorite.

3. Bubble baths

   

I definitely didn't meet my quota for 2008. Perhaps a resolution is in order for 2009...

4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

   

What can I say? I love watching a strong woman kick vampire butt. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Angel and Spike are so damn sexy.

5. Bed

 

And it's even better when there are clean, silly, flannel sheets on it.

6. Butterscotch Squares

 

Do I even have to explain?

7. Bellybuttons

 

This is a particularly fine example of one.

8. Belle

   

I've written about her before, and she's continuing to inspire me.

9. Booze

 

I'm by no means a lush (no, really--stop laughing!), but every now and then, a little drink is just the thing.

And let's not forget--

10.

 

I keep finding new best friends in this wonderful place.

Don't be afraid to comment--I'll only assign letters to those who express an interest in participating.

Kitchen Adventures

Three-Citrus Vinaigrette (from Didi Emmon's Vegetarian Planet)

 

In a mixing bowl, combine the zest of one orange and one lemon...

 

...the juice from one lemon and half a lime...

 

...one and one-half teaspoons Dijon mustard, two tablespoons red wine vinegar, and one tablespoon sugar.

 

In a steady stream, slowly add one cup olive oil, whisking constantly.

 

Add one-half cup sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste.

 

Whisk again, until thoroughly combined.

 

Serve over delicate greens, such as bibb or Boston lettuce.

 

Score: This got nine out of ten chef hats.

Note: The recipe makes about 1 3/4 cups dressing. Store it in the fridge, in a covered container. It will keep for about a week.

 

Bringing Back the Flair

Dull, dull, dull.

Or as Nathan would say, "Blah."

That's been my cooking of late--in a rut doesn't even begin to describe it.

The menus of the last few months have consisted of a lot of macaroni and cheese and recipes involving vegetarian hamburger crumbles. Hearty and comforting, yes, but exciting...well, that would be a big fat no. I go through these cycles a lot, and in the past, I would add some fun by encouraging us to go out to eat. Only now, there's that whole economic meltdown thing going on and though we're just fine, it doesn't feel right being profligate with the spending. I'm going to have to just spice things up myself.

Luckily, I own about a hundred cookbooks. So starting today, I will make something new every Saturday. It might be an entire meal, a sauce, a side dish, whatever--but, big or small, easy or complex, it will be something I've never made before.

This week, I'm beginning my culinary adventures with "Jamaican Peas and Rice"--a recipe taken from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian. 

 

Soak one and a half cups of dried kidney beans overnight. Approximately two hours before you want to eat, drain the beans and put them in a large pot with four cups of water. Bring to a boil. Cover the pot, turn the heat down to low, and gently simmer for about an hour.

 

Add two cups of coconut milk...

 

...one small finely chopped onion, six tablespoons of finely sliced green onions, two finely chopped cloves of garlic, one whole habanero pepper (don't cut or puncture it in any way), three-quarters teaspoon thyme, and three-quarters teaspoon allspice.

Simmer for thirty minutes.

 

Add one and half to two teaspoons salt (or to taste) and freshly ground pepper.

Simmer for another thirty minutes (or until beans are tender).

Remove the habanero pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

 

Serve over rice.

 

Score: We give it seven out of ten chef hats.

 

 

An Artella Freebie

After much deliberation, I decided to put Artella advertising on my sidebar a couple of weeks ago. I've resisted commercializing the blog for quite some time--I have a horror of putting my friends in a position of feeling they "should" check something out or buy something. (For the record, I have NEVER hosted one of those selling "parties"--you know the kind--overpriced jewelry, kitchenware, baskets, makeup, whatever.) However, I really love Artella--I love their magazine (half of the issues are e-mags, the other half are hard copies) and I love their courses and e-books. And since there isn't nearly enough of this sort of thing in the world, I've come to the conclusion that promoting them is a good thing--I want them to thrive.

One of the cool things about being an affiliate (other than a commission), is that they give me free stuff that I can pass on to you. There were several e-books to choose from, and this is the one I decided to start with. I'll probably offer some more in the future, unless I get a bunch of horrified comments.

I tested it out, and it's a true free download. They ask for your email, but that's only if you decide to subscribe to their free newsletter. I was able to leave the boxes blank and scroll right down to the "Download your copy here!" link. It took me right to the book.

Download a FREE copy of the Artella eBook, Artella Mae's NEW Altered Ancestors!, a 58-page eBook overflowing with ideas and techniques for using vintage photos in your artwork. Download your copy here!

"Adventures in Gingerbread House Making" or "Mommy Learns to Relinquish Control"

 

Finally! I've been waiting for this all week.

Okay, I'm a little sad about the house already being built--I liked putting it together last year. But Mommy says this will be much easier.

 

I would have liked to put on some of that snow, but Mommy says it has to be just right.

 

I'll just drink some juice and watch.

 

Blah! Where's the creativity? Where's the excitement?

 

Oh goody, I get to put on some decorations...after Mommy has already squeezed the icing/glue on the gum drop herself...AND pointed out exactly where to put it...

 

Okay, that was good, but I've got some other ideas.

 

Just give me the damn bag already!

 

This is more like it.

 

Steady, steady...

 

One last little touch.

 

Not bad at all.

 

Now if I could just get Spenser to stop licking it.

 

 

 

Let the Season Begin

When I was a kid, my grandparents used to send our family a box filled with the most delicious German goodies every December. 

 

There were various forms of Lebkuchen--spicy, nutty, citrus-fruity German gingerbread.

 

Buttery, rich stollen--a kind of fruitcake, but about a thousand times better.

 

Spekulatius--similar to windmill cookies, but thinner, crispier, and spicier.

 

And my childhood favorite--these chocolate covered Lebkuchen hearts...

 

...contained in this little fairy tale house.

Mom would keep the box in her bedroom, slowly doling them out over the course of the month. (If she hadn't, they would have been gone within two days.) These cakes and cookies were as much a part of our Christmas as a tree and presents.

My grandparents are long gone, but luckily my mother is blessed with wonderful siblings. Over the years, one would have the box sent, and when that aunt or uncle stopped, another would take over. My beloved Tante Annemarie is the current sender. Being an extremely generous woman, she not only sends them to the family home in Michigan, but also to my brother in Indiana, and to me here in Maryland.

So when I saw the FedEx deliveryman coming up the sidewalk carrying this...

 

...I knew it was officially the Christmas season.

And it's going to be a great one--thank you, Tante Annemarie.