tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10477751511840414282024-02-20T11:51:28.003-05:00Taste Life Twice"We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection," Anais Nin
Writing, Cooking, Traveling, and Tasting LifeMargaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.comBlogger223125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-54631547023028547152014-08-14T16:02:00.000-04:002014-08-14T16:02:18.492-04:00New Home for Taste Life Twice<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for visiting Taste Life Twice!</span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">As of 2012, Taste Life Twice has moved to:</span></b></div>
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<a href="http://taste-life-twice.com/"><b><span style="font-size: large;">taste-life-twice.com</span></b></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>And as of 2014, my new writing website may be found at:</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://margaretpinard.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><b>MargaretPinard.com</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Hope to see you there!</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">-Margaret</span></div>
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Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-66903481641176603112012-08-16T12:41:00.001-04:002012-08-16T12:41:32.151-04:00Offbeat Art, With Some Lost in Translation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More photos from la bella Napoli, with more observations...in fact, I observed so much life in Napoli it would take months of posts to do it justice. You had better go and experience it yourself. :-)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvEf7I7zuH_VGAWQfXthl6i3_sOjE2Q1oXN3U-Lxc4cSxc8s4xfbHuK8RAZrVlHVD1UleqAYn08vo8177zluq7bemxxDeJUiVE8obIwagBdlk3Wt276ZrTFWmd5sOobHVeFSpBtYDehU/s1600/DSC00485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvEf7I7zuH_VGAWQfXthl6i3_sOjE2Q1oXN3U-Lxc4cSxc8s4xfbHuK8RAZrVlHVD1UleqAYn08vo8177zluq7bemxxDeJUiVE8obIwagBdlk3Wt276ZrTFWmd5sOobHVeFSpBtYDehU/s320/DSC00485.JPG" width="180" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the repeating themes of Naples (entirely open to interpretation, I might add) was the graffiti, and this character was one of more than a dozen similar figures I saw in red, white, blue, and black. They were all clownish stylized figures, and this one made me think it might be related to a football club, but I can't find anything on it, at least not by searching in English.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5V2SSNZ94LhlGKQz4M1Bcf73thAsNi_K1XytTLULzvDc43zovVMG_8K1Z7XMOJku2uADRhznZKT3GbYTIs8TWS8ZjqR-goaw7tzdCVxQV7sZHK5Mig7Zau_tkmwlz2ejjmez7DczjYIk/s1600/DSC00396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5V2SSNZ94LhlGKQz4M1Bcf73thAsNi_K1XytTLULzvDc43zovVMG_8K1Z7XMOJku2uADRhznZKT3GbYTIs8TWS8ZjqR-goaw7tzdCVxQV7sZHK5Mig7Zau_tkmwlz2ejjmez7DczjYIk/s320/DSC00396.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is another one, which might be related by the colors and shapes. Anyone have theories? I like the whimsical design. This picture was at Porta Medina in Naples, as you might be able to see on the hundreds-of-years-old sign there...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-16mftSkiHm-EJ2WMQvoEwNkWbSL7TCrCZVprVRDFuORli5crUK3WBb_w-nDlm3x1G8uyuoGkcZ7qacF3noc6-sAo9auFZLeu_UyI63lLt_460-arTqH0Dol7oaDTIKKQIP3-MQFiSg/s1600/DSC00408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-16mftSkiHm-EJ2WMQvoEwNkWbSL7TCrCZVprVRDFuORli5crUK3WBb_w-nDlm3x1G8uyuoGkcZ7qacF3noc6-sAo9auFZLeu_UyI63lLt_460-arTqH0Dol7oaDTIKKQIP3-MQFiSg/s400/DSC00408.JPG" width="232" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I tried to pay attention to these signs, but there were so many! Naples is crammed with so many layers of history and competing cultures that while it is very easy to find something peculiar and charming, it is difficult to determine the origin of that thing. Well, usually. Not so for the historical courtyards, which are marked by marble signs on the street, as proper as any town of antiquity. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was my favorite: simply an inner courtyard, now for parking, that used to gently welcome its inhabitants home with the sound of water and the pleasing elegance of stately painted columns. (I think that's supposed to be a stag, but its ears to the side do give it the look of a donkey, don't they?) </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ah, the life of a courtier, eh?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More like:</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Ah, the life of the imagination, that can fling its arms to a distant past and feel the air and in so doing, understand how much things can change, and have changed, and will change again."<br /><div style="text-align: right;">
<b><i>-Me</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That's one of my favorite lines of thought while out traveling the world: what happened here? What did life used to be like? How do people here cope now?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>This is what happens when you travel alone for long stretches of time, evidently. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally, there was the art that was lost in translation, which I here offer up for your perplexitude...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8BtHaXoBr_a246KZ_8pAHhFZvhelDRzY62ABfPs7jEeie_0xJ4JWEKj40GfQWf8rushcuYBU68l4MEqxrQC4NgoEQEXt6lXNQ_18oiWBs53DQ1JIeR7zcdDINJhppDCP4HM1kWh4o8U/s1600/DSC00310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8BtHaXoBr_a246KZ_8pAHhFZvhelDRzY62ABfPs7jEeie_0xJ4JWEKj40GfQWf8rushcuYBU68l4MEqxrQC4NgoEQEXt6lXNQ_18oiWBs53DQ1JIeR7zcdDINJhppDCP4HM1kWh4o8U/s320/DSC00310.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What does one eat there?</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFz5Eez8PGgcp2aQTaHhFJdIF1rGEFUmDrnvBb5isoebGzKKVdiSziq1OIP_oRDToqe69opEqFpg1z8l_kUeyDdlYB9Mf13xCFs6vDvXQCpVbkIbgJAAWFoS6Y_zR125LGBwZzes1m8M/s1600/DSC00317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFz5Eez8PGgcp2aQTaHhFJdIF1rGEFUmDrnvBb5isoebGzKKVdiSziq1OIP_oRDToqe69opEqFpg1z8l_kUeyDdlYB9Mf13xCFs6vDvXQCpVbkIbgJAAWFoS6Y_zR125LGBwZzes1m8M/s320/DSC00317.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Halb fub or half foot fruit? It makes a big difference!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love quirky finds, both <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/2012/08/dog-days-of-summer-italian-translation_13.html" target="_blank">animal</a> and <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/2012/06/land-of-pioneer-courage-molecular.html" target="_blank">mineral</a>, from trips to new places. <b>What have your adventures brought to your notice recently- real or imaginary?</b></span><br />
<br />Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-39130776149943672482012-08-13T08:20:00.001-04:002012-08-13T08:20:12.184-04:00Dog Days of Summer, Italian translation<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">**Last Call!**</span></h2>
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I will be hosting one final cooking class on Southern Italy in August, so <a href="mailto:margaret@taste-life-twice.com" target="_blank">email me</a> now to reserve a space!</h3>
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This class will focus on Southern Italian foods and cultural foodways, which I learned a lot about while in Naples, <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/2012/08/passing-along-southern-italian-foodways.html" target="_blank">Sorrento</a>, and Sicily this spring. Instead of cooking for today though, I am throwing in some whimsy from the trip...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcPzzNSGwIGyevEcOGVq8ZYYxrSJLrAhAxUzzYWyxXEWLcSO5ZkSXALAC9Opcng4bOnlirnAHbjN8fzihisM6D5jORsBB8CfiUaGO4TjsmiM70ERWqdmylL_bHy_8sOOq7We1_hEtHJ7k/s1600/DSC00322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcPzzNSGwIGyevEcOGVq8ZYYxrSJLrAhAxUzzYWyxXEWLcSO5ZkSXALAC9Opcng4bOnlirnAHbjN8fzihisM6D5jORsBB8CfiUaGO4TjsmiM70ERWqdmylL_bHy_8sOOq7We1_hEtHJ7k/s320/DSC00322.JPG" width="320" /></a>First of all, it was not that hot in the Bay of Naples, where these photos were taken, but the dogs of the neighborhoods I visited obviously thought otherwise. There were plenty of them sprawled out on the streets, too pooped to acknowledge the passersby.<br />
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This is my favorite -- such a dramatic scene! I picture an acting out of the Romeo and Juliet balcony lines (this is in the vicinity of Verona, after all), but I'm pretty sure it's just another lazy dog.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdL6D9R2XKI-bZrgyTEHUQt20O0KnBuzR4YCdSucn-dFDz5FzC23o1Hv8uFG4l0kP-LKfQEc7VGognqTVU5e3x1-qPLd3BcnxhBBRQudWKj-MGcnkvfgFHy6AlRO87_TRjPjPvIAT6L-M/s1600/DSC00323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdL6D9R2XKI-bZrgyTEHUQt20O0KnBuzR4YCdSucn-dFDz5FzC23o1Hv8uFG4l0kP-LKfQEc7VGognqTVU5e3x1-qPLd3BcnxhBBRQudWKj-MGcnkvfgFHy6AlRO87_TRjPjPvIAT6L-M/s400/DSC00323.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This one, poor dear, I saw in a back alley of Pozzuoli, I think behind a hairdresser's, as a matter of fact. I tried to snap the photo before the dog could turn its mournful eyes on me and entreat me to leave it <i>some</i> dignity.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglO7_k5l7zD7QZ1YW1MmhuXNmxHRXVSH37_-YjLd1owFeMFhttt_y1eSwX8vRbHM72zhX4CPzFoYOjaJ1NpWePahU7Ue9GGrceXJzbAq-ytykwGJsssD_0I5nN-xzGvq1xmrs0d7U0Rbk/s1600/DSC00318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglO7_k5l7zD7QZ1YW1MmhuXNmxHRXVSH37_-YjLd1owFeMFhttt_y1eSwX8vRbHM72zhX4CPzFoYOjaJ1NpWePahU7Ue9GGrceXJzbAq-ytykwGJsssD_0I5nN-xzGvq1xmrs0d7U0Rbk/s400/DSC00318.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Finally, crossing a busy street in Naples, I had to move fast to
catch this crowd! I can't think that he's a dogwalker with that <a href="http://news.simplemindedentertainment.com/uploads/obama-carlton.jpg" target="_blank">preppy sweater placement</a>, but do you think they could really be all his dogs? Perhaps we've found the equivalent of the <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/214624738462359156/" target="_blank">Crazy Cat Lady</a>...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF8JWInGL8BXTeZtYjvxQBhRDCR-UtqGRYRC5F7n5qIIsyzwYL1OgDdzhlMSI_lgGXiToQgwcAfH6SHUlU4wSib9ICLLUQIs6uoz0bE1qRDEQ6o4z3ZASYIvaBeVqbTTiMAv2edBgmVp0/s1600/DSC00444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF8JWInGL8BXTeZtYjvxQBhRDCR-UtqGRYRC5F7n5qIIsyzwYL1OgDdzhlMSI_lgGXiToQgwcAfH6SHUlU4wSib9ICLLUQIs6uoz0bE1qRDEQ6o4z3ZASYIvaBeVqbTTiMAv2edBgmVp0/s400/DSC00444.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I do love finding the quirky 'side dishes' of travel: those unexpected humorous moments can be what you remember years down the line, <b>laughing until you cry</b> with those you love (remember that fish in the buffet at the Grand Canyon, Dad?).<br />
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So remember, it's fine to have goals -- sights to see, places to dine -- but don't forget to stop and take in what the city or country is putting <b>right in front of you</b> for your enjoyment!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Happy summer travels, readers, and don't forget to sign up or spread the word about the last class in August!</b></i></span>Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-28865889577189533672012-08-09T16:26:00.000-04:002012-08-09T16:26:15.892-04:00Planting Seeds on that Rocky Road to Adventure<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm still thinking about the road to adventure... it's a road, not a destination... it's a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMw7lwxRImI" target="_blank">rocky road</a>... not like the ice cream... come on, join me in the Association game! (love it)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJb1TG-rqfxpZ2TtcmXVnELCvST9TNKeYLJ1t_nfdQ4LmrUef-FLnPlJIWU52fCYiLtqxehDsLRIQgj_iF7eZds1K2jLt6GNiK0KW07gackXjc4pQnxsIcd3tQsUkmMZWK2iQbeNEYyU/s1600/beacons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJb1TG-rqfxpZ2TtcmXVnELCvST9TNKeYLJ1t_nfdQ4LmrUef-FLnPlJIWU52fCYiLtqxehDsLRIQgj_iF7eZds1K2jLt6GNiK0KW07gackXjc4pQnxsIcd3tQsUkmMZWK2iQbeNEYyU/s400/beacons.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quite a rocky road indeed... <a href="http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2011/12/01/50832-lotr-still-found-in-the-fabric-of-queensland/beacons-2/" target="_blank">Photo source</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And on this rocky road, there are disappointments-- no getting around it-- hence the support system (mine embodied by the <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/2012/08/and-another-tea-for-road.html" target="_blank">teacup symbol</a>) and also the need for a system or structure to mitigate the ups and downs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another quote that </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">recently</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">piqued my interest as it made the rounds of <a href="http://twitter.com/tastelifetwice" target="_blank">my twitter-verse</a> actually made me mad when I first read it (totally because of my mindset/ attitude at the time), and it also gets at the need for such a structure:</span><br />
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<b><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">-Robert Louis Stevenson</span></span></b></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What made me angry was that I was feeling particularly used up at that moment, without any more seeds to plant (seeds being creative energy/ motivation in this metaphor), and wishing awfully for some trees to start dropping some fruit my way. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Someone else mentioned in response (love the twitter-verse for that) that you don't want to dip into your seed corn (seed corn here meaning your inner reserves, what you count on for next year's 'food supply' of work) when planting, to which I gave a hearty "Hear, hear!" If you did, there would be nothing left, which means it's unsustainable.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.family-gardens.com/saving-seeds.html" target="_blank">Photo Source</a></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what qualify as seeds for planting? How do you set up such a system, so that you can weather the ups and downs of life? Try these activities, one of which usually gives me a jump-start back into happy productivity:</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Planning / Strategizing</span></b>: this means establishing and <a href="http://wishcraft.com/wishcraft_ch6.pdf" target="_blank">mapping out goals</a>, then backtracking (a la Barbara Sher) the necessary steps to come up with...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Baby steps! </span></b>These are the little seeds of progress toward the goal you've established: writing an article each week, calling the blog-hosting company for details, </span><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">asking for a reference, etc. After a lot of these, you've earned...</span><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Breaks from the plodding pace</span></b> of baby steps that replenish your creative core: attending a writing conference, having a dinner out with friends, and meditating are all fine examples of activities that will, for different types of people, refuel their energy (<a href="http://bit.ly/MDn04E" target="_blank">search for Myers-Briggs introvert vs. extrovert</a> descriptions if you're curious about this). After a bout of this, you'll be ready to return to...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">All that background noise</span>. </b>This includes those unpleasant tasks that never seem to make it to the top of your to-do list: </span><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">decluttering, going to the bank to start that retirement account, asking for help, maybe it's cleaning your bathroom. It's different for everyone, but it's a sure thing that there is <i>some </i>thing <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS8zg3hweEHwwKEUkIvr1187h1L00qmRc12JOxrLeuivYvrtlmW3tPHzRs-ced1o4WZNL4Dh6s7-Z6hLZVi7xFbgmXsDZoP4dtobJKXlTKyolmstTHvF9QeB_Zl0nGzXFxg_T8tRpi_hA/s400/Eeyore.jpg" target="_blank">hanging over your head like a personal raincloud</a>. Do it. You'll feel better.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">And if none of those work, maybe you just need to <a href="http://xkcd.com/876/" target="_blank">turn your brain off</a>.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-77856047033928769472012-08-05T22:03:00.001-04:002012-08-05T22:03:57.911-04:00And another Tea for the Road<div style="text-align: center;">
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I came across a wonderful quote today: </h3>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>"The fragrance of adventure and poetry endlessly pervades each cup of tea."</i></span></b></blockquote>
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Henri Mariage, Mariage Freres Tea</blockquote>
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I've written before about the <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/2012/02/idea-of-tea.html" target="_blank">power of tea</a>, but then it was about creating space and allowing mindfulness. This quote sets us on a different path toward tea: that of adventure.<br />
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What's so <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlK-MFaSoV4" target="_blank">swashbuckling</a> about a cup of tea, you say?<br />
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If tea makes you think of an afternoon feasting of cucumber sandwiches amid older ladies in the British Empire, I quite see your point.<br />
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But.<br />
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I came across this quote in an old issue of Saveur (July 2003), because I've been on another magazine decluttering kick recently. It may have something to do with the fact that my rent was just raised and I'm thinking of moving again... at any rate, I've been able to keep a feeling of accomplishment going recently, through completing various activities: emails, meetings, meals, purchases, purges. From these past couple weeks:<br />
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Discovery #1: Accomplishment is not synonymous with adventure, but because these activities, these efforts at simplifying, are in general aimed at achieving a greater goal, something of the majesty of that goal is injected into each baby step of a task.<br />
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Discovery #2: Accomplishment can never take the place of adventure, if you've got that kind of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFs2N-yYwh4" target="_blank">spirit</a>, because if the activities do not get you closer to an ultimate goal, they quickly become empty, joyless actions.<br />
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/84231455500533964/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="334" src="http://media-cache-ec4.pinterest.com/upload/84231455500533964_YTcSaGbJ_c.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Source: <a href="http://fitsp0.tumblr.com/page/14" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">fitsp0.tumblr.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/mag_pie/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Margaret</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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I see my cups of tea shared with friends as my own personal Board Meetings, the purpose of which is to keep me focused on the greater adventure, that is, ultimately, a Life Well-Lived.<br />
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Tea, or my support system, symbolizes the <i>Road</i> to Adventure, the road that I am on now to create my own lifestyle. It's this support system that will keep me- and you!- on the right road. Discovery #1 may not hold up all the time, but for right now, I'm enjoying feeling like I'm making progress!<br />
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So bartender, if you please, it's <strike><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODa_903vnLg" target="_blank">one for my baby</a> </strike>, another tea for that road!<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">What keeps you focused on your greater goal, your 'bigger picture?'</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Are you racking up accomplishments but wondering where the adventure went?</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">How can Taste Life Twice help get more adventure into </span></i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>your</b></span><i><span style="font-size: large;"> life? </span></i><br />
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<br />Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-32004939087386513362012-08-02T16:13:00.002-04:002012-08-02T16:13:39.536-04:00Passing along Southern Italian Foodways to You<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">**Announcement!**</span></h2>
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I would love to host you at my final cooking class of the summer in August, so <a href="mailto:margaret@taste-life-twice.com" target="_blank">email me</a> now to reserve a space!</h3>
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This class will focus on Southern Italian foods and cultural foodways, which, as you'll see below, I learned a lot about while in Naples, Sorrento, and Sicily this spring. It was gorgeous. In fact, this was the sight that greeted me from the window of the hydrofoil as we docked- quite amazing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2AkjpSC7Zs094G6CxdJcZ31rGNnKeDynjRpyOgWpuqjPSNvF65jdtrKp1DznCey32ExYeb3KG0HZLIFgK_OljOPzQwL6yTXMlabe7GWSoBUQfq6_GFWTH5C0oFK362o9yqj9P9NPIjnQ/s1600/DSC00502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2AkjpSC7Zs094G6CxdJcZ31rGNnKeDynjRpyOgWpuqjPSNvF65jdtrKp1DznCey32ExYeb3KG0HZLIFgK_OljOPzQwL6yTXMlabe7GWSoBUQfq6_GFWTH5C0oFK362o9yqj9P9NPIjnQ/s400/DSC00502.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/2012/07/food-flora-in-pozzuoli.html" target="_blank">Pozzuoli and Napoli</a> held their own charms- views of the sea and charming locals high among them- but the next stage of my trip launched me into the independent mode of travel. From the seaside you see above, I scaled the cliff (ok, climbed the stairs) with my suitcase, and getting some advice from the tourist office, I scouted out a few small hotels before deciding on one.<br />
The night of my arrival I wandered around the small town of Sorrento, glimpsing citrus trees in every yard, people in every cafe, and a bustling center of town, which included this gated corner alcove, apparently an ancient <a href="http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/2122424" target="_blank">men's club</a> (so unfair).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzosKBv5Z1LQaHKZfNLZ-wiUGcStyj3FSVk9FkyCWiX0CvUr3BdzJVdcjMOWOHuOyjkOSGCktx6nNc4RUCNOMPKHxGFWIo31MiT4okyShrkmMM0JNEv2aX0qH0aE2lL0qq_dzDZprKMA/s1600/IMAG0090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzosKBv5Z1LQaHKZfNLZ-wiUGcStyj3FSVk9FkyCWiX0CvUr3BdzJVdcjMOWOHuOyjkOSGCktx6nNc4RUCNOMPKHxGFWIo31MiT4okyShrkmMM0JNEv2aX0qH0aE2lL0qq_dzDZprKMA/s400/IMAG0090.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirs4UFn-hMn1KcJnKbZQ_RnOVDS8l3TDdhMpz_v4fQ0GFxIAJ51RAfIWcKz5pER5RjU5EiaU4ZjNOlDpbqFSsrp-MJJ1szyL92CXUN0Gy5t7mHWUAPvSrLs8WRgNZ62FyxqpMmoteUDWg/s1600/IMAG0094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirs4UFn-hMn1KcJnKbZQ_RnOVDS8l3TDdhMpz_v4fQ0GFxIAJ51RAfIWcKz5pER5RjU5EiaU4ZjNOlDpbqFSsrp-MJJ1szyL92CXUN0Gy5t7mHWUAPvSrLs8WRgNZ62FyxqpMmoteUDWg/s320/IMAG0094.jpg" width="320" /></a>I walked and walked until I was so hungry I had a hard time making a dinner decision... ending up with this spread, so I didn't end up too badly...<br />
Whole fried anchovies (unless they were sardines? I can't find a good way to tell them apart when battered and fried), octopus, shrimp, and more- all celebrated the generous gifts of the Mediterranean Sea. <b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Perfect for my sampler nature.</span></i></b><br />
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After a couple days like this, I went to see one of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeii" target="_blank">most famous historical sites</a> right nearby: Pompeii. Having gotten a good look at Vesuvius on the hydrofoil journey crossing the bay from Naples to Sorrento, I was excited to see this city that was buried in an instant, so long ago.<br />
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What bowled me over about the site was not the professionalism of the preservation or the views of the countryside (although the site was well managed, the surrounding suburb was rather scrappy), but the unbelievable detail brought to us whole and untouched from that distant culture. Here is a frescoed wall from a bath house. <b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Such colors, thousands of years of ash and dust later!</span></i></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKWMxn2FJ8cCdNxSo0SvS7zE_yn7BczgqJtBfq35RnBHI969M9AebPgrT4brGUdwz5Q3eHpmuZ6CEkIYTfmI1DwP4-vkAMQunwMIoX2vqwH5mPcOpZCznRHg52QGjrh53O2F9y2VkTHw/s1600/IMAG0123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKWMxn2FJ8cCdNxSo0SvS7zE_yn7BczgqJtBfq35RnBHI969M9AebPgrT4brGUdwz5Q3eHpmuZ6CEkIYTfmI1DwP4-vkAMQunwMIoX2vqwH5mPcOpZCznRHg52QGjrh53O2F9y2VkTHw/s320/IMAG0123.jpg" width="191" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2utTQZ6oDsLsPM-rPn726Rtz7LJGTpZbcg3ddgZuv0H5MqZH5-lEA_wDu1gR7AtGglRh8QcGYgx2EyAlRTHj7Mvu9UDP5IbshdITLfHEuvdMFJfRZ1igv8ydKbJLgK4K2E4Btm_Gyko/s1600/IMAG0158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2utTQZ6oDsLsPM-rPn726Rtz7LJGTpZbcg3ddgZuv0H5MqZH5-lEA_wDu1gR7AtGglRh8QcGYgx2EyAlRTHj7Mvu9UDP5IbshdITLfHEuvdMFJfRZ1igv8ydKbJLgK4K2E4Btm_Gyko/s320/IMAG0158.jpg" width="191" /></a>I recently had "atavism" explained to me in an online course, and it was connected to the idea of a discontinued past, that past which is not linked to our present because we perceive it to be too different. Pompeii was nothing of the sort- the people living here had road ruts under repair, were building extensions on their houses, and had decorations lovelier than many expensive ones I've seen in our own time.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Mosaics laid so precisely.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstO1iA2uxm7LcftoXFRs_p-I61HANC8sRAssX92DZBCGqaUlZgQ7jQP1XzMRr67GYWm3YQHPVT1Qt6N8cFD1abHZjCwE3gBssw38YC-XrgaAOdhkFmwEXLxE-xXZnlcMM_t2joNNAf_4/s1600/IMAG0182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstO1iA2uxm7LcftoXFRs_p-I61HANC8sRAssX92DZBCGqaUlZgQ7jQP1XzMRr67GYWm3YQHPVT1Qt6N8cFD1abHZjCwE3gBssw38YC-XrgaAOdhkFmwEXLxE-xXZnlcMM_t2joNNAf_4/s320/IMAG0182.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Signs lettered so carefully</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>--</i></span>and in recognizable script!<br />
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It made the tragedy of the deaths in the settlement all the more real. Here, the archaeologists had left their mark, finding the bodies burnt to ash, essentially vacuuming them out, and making plaster casts of how their bodies were found. It was both eerie and compelling to see the models, composed of some of the ash of the bodies themselves, on display in their final, frantic positions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzosKBv5Z1LQaHKZfNLZ-wiUGcStyj3FSVk9FkyCWiX0CvUr3BdzJVdcjMOWOHuOyjkOSGCktx6nNc4RUCNOMPKHxGFWIo31MiT4okyShrkmMM0JNEv2aX0qH0aE2lL0qq_dzDZprKMA/s1600/IMAG0090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
But since the one plaster model I saw was placed near the entrance I used, I had a couple hours after that of wandering around the narrow streets and peeking through other courtyards to sweep out the sad thoughts. Marvel at the art and society of this little town was the foremost emotion, and by the time I finished, I was ready for switching gears.<br />
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What did I jump to? <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>My cooking lesson with <a href="http://cookingschool.alexiahouse.com/index.php/about-us.html" target="_blank">Chef Lucia</a>!</b></i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIYqs38AVyoz3bI5lzee7sMov6jhYZGgyVKFWq6K1n_mRfU2f-iaM9rN2x6FJau4pnzAXOmOSQUOauweASYzuUNmhKr1BV0wZ_VLjrAhp98MU9nuPfuRz2vqnWvDaib4PKug-8p8ND3I/s1600/IMAG0214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIYqs38AVyoz3bI5lzee7sMov6jhYZGgyVKFWq6K1n_mRfU2f-iaM9rN2x6FJau4pnzAXOmOSQUOauweASYzuUNmhKr1BV0wZ_VLjrAhp98MU9nuPfuRz2vqnWvDaib4PKug-8p8ND3I/s320/IMAG0214.jpg" width="191" /></a>She had a menu planned and printed out for me, and we mixed it up a bit as we went along. Chef Lucia took me through an immense amount of details as we made our way through rolled beef, stuffed eggplant, and rolled eggplant (I requested the eggplant- love it!). One of the highlights of the class was the ballet dance of languages we all did, as her son translated for me, I tried to understand Lucia's Italian, and she mostly understood my English. It made 2+ hours of standing on my feet in the little kitchen fly by, and that is saying something!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpIiatuNXuUkvtdxLT0vT4YgtJbPmyAPStqLaqpvwf-ddik8CUajWohr4fOnZpkwo3QVSbSotCZtGTVdEG5gjj672v_ymHFxewQGuNVHem6IdVQKRAsgtbpWD8xQOupiiizw8CI-ZSDE/s1600/IMAG0209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpIiatuNXuUkvtdxLT0vT4YgtJbPmyAPStqLaqpvwf-ddik8CUajWohr4fOnZpkwo3QVSbSotCZtGTVdEG5gjj672v_ymHFxewQGuNVHem6IdVQKRAsgtbpWD8xQOupiiizw8CI-ZSDE/s200/IMAG0209.jpg" width="119" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpIiatuNXuUkvtdxLT0vT4YgtJbPmyAPStqLaqpvwf-ddik8CUajWohr4fOnZpkwo3QVSbSotCZtGTVdEG5gjj672v_ymHFxewQGuNVHem6IdVQKRAsgtbpWD8xQOupiiizw8CI-ZSDE/s1600/IMAG0209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>Chopping.<br />
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Tearing.<br />
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Mixing.<br />
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Heating garlic in oil!<br />
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There are proper ways to do everything, and traditional ways, too, as in whether you peel your cucumber completely or in stripes- one way gives you the Napolitano version, the other, the Sorrentino.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">One of the add-on items on the menu was fresh pasta from potatoes, usually known as </span><a href="http://foodnouveau.com/2010/10/09/destinations/europe/italy/how-to-make-gnocchi-an-illustrated-step-by-step-recipe/" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">gnocchi</a><span style="text-align: left;"> (that is a link to an excellent tutorial with step-by-step pictures- go see for yourself!)</span><span style="text-align: left;">.</span><br />
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We used a pasta machine, the kind that clamps on the counter and cranks by hand, which led to some more ballet-like hilarity among the three of us. We also used a tool like the one shown in the linked tutorial above, which looks like a miniature washboard. It is obviously a skill learned through repetition, to drag two fingers with a dollop of gnocchi dough over the wooden board in such a way to create the classic shape. I tried, but my pasta didn't win any beauty contests!</div>
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It was a lot of fun, and even though setting up the class was stressful at the last minute, and finding the place was another adventure, it was all totally worth it.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Now I have this precious experience to share with you!</i></b></span><br />
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Have you taken cooking classes on vacation? How did it give you a different view of the location and the region's people? Did it help you connect the region's past with its, and your, present?<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-large;">It's magic!</span></i></h3>
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Let us hear about it in the comments...<br />
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<br />Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-3196233244205161942012-07-29T23:07:00.001-04:002012-07-29T23:07:05.069-04:00Food & Flora in Pozzuoli<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Lucky duck that I am, I visited Italy earlier this year, southern Italy to be exact. None of that <a href="http://milanfashionweek.com/" target="_blank">fashionable</a>, <a href="http://nelliewindmill.com/2010/07/14/venice-a-city-of-romantic-decay-elegant-decline/" target="_blank">decaying-but-romantic</a>, <a href="http://www.mega.it/eng/egui/hogui.htm" target="_blank">artsy-wartsy</a> way of life for me. No, siree.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixRBWYweebGxcKR219jVZ3nJSERzOunnd3VF_lfIiSVPYZfo1Ohi9QTt9L88EoEnIka-_Fo0IecWcaMGyS7OepvoofRvFHuag6gxP42aUdCmjmh4Y4e8hlkzXxnH-wwJLJrXQpC7BUgY8/s1600/DSC00299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixRBWYweebGxcKR219jVZ3nJSERzOunnd3VF_lfIiSVPYZfo1Ohi9QTt9L88EoEnIka-_Fo0IecWcaMGyS7OepvoofRvFHuag6gxP42aUdCmjmh4Y4e8hlkzXxnH-wwJLJrXQpC7BUgY8/s320/DSC00299.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going down a hill in Pozzuoli showed me this structure- what purpose did it once serve?</td></tr>
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(Although I reserve the right for those to appear in future trip posts, of course)</div>
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This time, the idea was to relax, to not rush around sightseeing, to have a home base and merely get to know the pace of life of a different place, this one being Naples and the surrounding area.</div>
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It didn't exactly fall out as planned. I took some advice to avoid the trains on the eastern coast because they're old and less reliable, and ended up taking more than a day to travel to Sicily, which I in no way regret. If you have the chance, go and absorb Sicily. It is beautiful.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZjFy4llt5jT8yw-2xOfDBSiWryazfyz38sE-3QskQrWKkJBjKKjpCfHsrrdq5XA52BGVT6XH2ruh_YJU599L0UYgCRBvPxGgqEGxEiIbQNLu-Rsdqr_YtxiN0Aw-TzpP36Z0yJxQXQ8/s1600/DSC00320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZjFy4llt5jT8yw-2xOfDBSiWryazfyz38sE-3QskQrWKkJBjKKjpCfHsrrdq5XA52BGVT6XH2ruh_YJU599L0UYgCRBvPxGgqEGxEiIbQNLu-Rsdqr_YtxiN0Aw-TzpP36Z0yJxQXQ8/s320/DSC00320.JPG" width="179" /></a>By the way, those are landscaping bushes for a public park in Pozzuoli, yes, but
they're also, wait for it, ROSEMARY! Why didn't we think of this? </div>
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Wherever I was in Italy, I was keeping a <a href="http://kennybeal.wordpress.com/2008/07/09/sailing-phrases-and-origins/" target="_blank">weather eye</a> out for places that looked like local hotspots for good food. I was not disappointed.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiug3quqrHKkTnjwm1fQ6o2RDGRTIq00EoZzFFaihyphenhyphen3qSbhXy8kRDCDAghcrndszy9yaM3Xdpz3S0nEhrNo-f_HZm15KALXaZ4-X8j1rRo-S_Th9Ze4XYcimGpU5eY3ZiNVymXFy1Gpbio/s1600/DSC00286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiug3quqrHKkTnjwm1fQ6o2RDGRTIq00EoZzFFaihyphenhyphen3qSbhXy8kRDCDAghcrndszy9yaM3Xdpz3S0nEhrNo-f_HZm15KALXaZ4-X8j1rRo-S_Th9Ze4XYcimGpU5eY3ZiNVymXFy1Gpbio/s320/DSC00286.JPG" width="177" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wisteria vine scenting a sidewalk in Pozzuoli</td></tr>
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Since I found so much beauty scattered around southern Italy, I also include here some of the beautiful plants and flowers I encountered.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvg5nrLHEeY8VHf3UXS1vhvjgKsK2kC6ckyBXfnBImv68OkOu3O9KMstthT_DeUwTLfpLYqiFYCDVn4bs7Yf1apbYkR_aHNWWdk7MOPqFm5xwoC0RqVRdCxjyG3rZEhzIhJfLMI267g0/s1600/DSC00260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvg5nrLHEeY8VHf3UXS1vhvjgKsK2kC6ckyBXfnBImv68OkOu3O9KMstthT_DeUwTLfpLYqiFYCDVn4bs7Yf1apbYkR_aHNWWdk7MOPqFm5xwoC0RqVRdCxjyG3rZEhzIhJfLMI267g0/s320/DSC00260.JPG" width="320" /></a>First off, first meal, all-star favorite: zeppoline. A relative of the doughnut, this version is savory and can include herbs. It tastes salty, has a satisfying crunch from the lightly fried batter, and appears to positively melt in the mouth. I tried to replicate this at home when I returned based on 2 recipes in Italian cookbooks, but it didn't achieve the lightness, saltiness, and snacky delight from those I had in Pozzuoli, my first night in Italy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZq18mUifecr34QiC73KmXKCb_bI0yS0iETKxanxlHpISSDBo47Q7PDQCUXf11StqBZ8aqXoL-u6MbU0-_9zh6fVWFmeLhgKtuLSVoFdc3Z-psgOFeGDrxMNB50bw3xzWBdSaqo5Nlw0s/s1600/DSC00277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZq18mUifecr34QiC73KmXKCb_bI0yS0iETKxanxlHpISSDBo47Q7PDQCUXf11StqBZ8aqXoL-u6MbU0-_9zh6fVWFmeLhgKtuLSVoFdc3Z-psgOFeGDrxMNB50bw3xzWBdSaqo5Nlw0s/s320/DSC00277.JPG" width="320" /></a>This is where I stayed: the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solfatara_%28volcano%29" target="_blank">Solfatara</a>! Say it softly and it sounds like an incantation... and judging from the sulfurous steam emanating from the various pockets around this dormant volcano, there are some witches nearby brewing concoctions as well!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1qTo9zWwXCepoVXSWoq2aPHFCDOvzLOwecv1SVjMv0DEBsc-oZLfXqAEuI3GToFLq-1WN-H3WVncU6fGEofrx3R4RB35MEXLw8CbTXv65E9TcivK7uUBtXHX4P3XBpxZGQ2OB7jYHUI/s1600/DSC00278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1qTo9zWwXCepoVXSWoq2aPHFCDOvzLOwecv1SVjMv0DEBsc-oZLfXqAEuI3GToFLq-1WN-H3WVncU6fGEofrx3R4RB35MEXLw8CbTXv65E9TcivK7uUBtXHX4P3XBpxZGQ2OB7jYHUI/s320/DSC00278.JPG" width="320" /></a>No, no, not really. I stayed just <span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">à côté</span></span>, with some wonderfully generous friends who live high on a hill overlooking the Bay of Naples. So hard, I know.Not only do they contend with that view, but they also have to put up with the hillsides full of wildflowers, bursting forth with their colors. It was gorgeous, and this was still in mid-April when it was still overcast and foggy.<br />
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The second night in Pozzuoli led us to a local bistro-type place facing the bay with an outdoor heated patio, which was lovely for the temperature, but the heat lamp turned all the pictures electric shades of red and yellow. Notwithstanding the bad job of sizing up the light, the food there was excellent. We had the mixed appetizer plate, which contained zeppoline (I'd already fallen in love), mussels, egg and shrimp, octopus salad (another newbie but immediate favorite, unfortunately no good photos of the various 'polpo' we found along the way!), and a couple other things. Would you just look at how they present it? <b>To be so proud of your work that it is a work of art- </b>now <i>there's</i> an accomplishment.<br />
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My walk on that same day took me through the public city gardens, called Villa Avellino. It is a very interesting site, with multiple levels, multiple churches, some waterfowl, public fruit trees, public water spigots, and this Dr. Suess-looking tree. Do you know what this one is? So arresting it was, standing out in bright orange and warm dark brown against the leaden gray sky...<br />
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Everywhere I ate, there were all kinds of fish- fried fish, fish in salad, fish marinated in vinegar. And they were all good! I normally don't consider myself a fish person, but in the spirit of learning the place, I bit into crispy fish heads and chewy tentacles. I'm glad I did! I hope that one day I will be able to procure the right type of octopus to make such a salad myself. It would have to go down better than the zeppoline.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The simplest, and the best.</td></tr>
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<br />Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-13715587342316468222012-07-26T10:44:00.000-04:002012-07-26T10:44:25.225-04:00Ramping up the Delight<div style="text-align: center;">
For all you locavores out there, this post is a bit embarrassing...</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">For me, that is.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Yes, those are ramps up there. Ramps, as in the <a href="http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1981446,00.html" target="_blank">trend-du-moment</a> harbinger of spring ending and summer beginning. Since we had an awfully long, drawn-out spring (who's complaining? not me), and a peek-a-boo summer, things may have been a little mixed up. And they were. But it's still a bit late to talk about ramps.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">But that's ok, I'm not giving a recipe. I'm actually highlighting a <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/search/label/delight" target="_blank">delightful</a> observation I made at the time of cutting up the expensive, farmer's-market, little darlings:</span></div>
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I matched my food!</div>
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As I looked down and the penny dropped, I felt happily content to be so in tune with the season that I had on a purple top and green shorts- ha!<br />
The ramps went into a lazy-man-scramble with some early tomatoes, and were paired with those all-stars of the sustainability world: anchovies. More specifically, marinated white anchovies, a specialty which the <span style="background-color: white;">Spanish</span><span style="background-color: white;"> call</span><span style="background-color: white;"> boquerones, and the Greeks call gavros. I first met their ilk at </span><a href="http://estadio-dc.com/" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Estadio</a><span style="background-color: white;">, and later bought these at </span><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/vace-washington" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Vace</a><span style="background-color: white;">, an Italian deli-and-pizza stronghold in the Cleveland Park neighborhood.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytFHIN4Hx6PQ1_ddXYvL1KJQhAKoyZIrd69x1ggjzy6gXo4ozU4QmcQpifUR0EVpJbqcpQy_Fq5aQgdoFe8angah_xs490mWcPRA-7CeoyKjssf4SE7XzvNHZGoDjBAQx7LjuC58GwHA/s1600/DSC00137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytFHIN4Hx6PQ1_ddXYvL1KJQhAKoyZIrd69x1ggjzy6gXo4ozU4QmcQpifUR0EVpJbqcpQy_Fq5aQgdoFe8angah_xs490mWcPRA-7CeoyKjssf4SE7XzvNHZGoDjBAQx7LjuC58GwHA/s320/DSC00137.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
It was a simple, filling, and nutritious meal. E<span style="background-color: white;">ggs and anchovies = good proteins and fats; </span><span style="background-color: white;">tomatoes, ramps, and herbs = 2 fruit and vegetable servings for the day. </span><span style="background-color: white;">And that's pretty much how I do my food accounting. It's not overly complex.</span><br />
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<b>Moments when you match what you're chopping... now THAT's ENTERTAINMENT!</b></div>
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<b><i>I'd love to hear how you all entertain yourselves with your own passions. These types of stories sustain us as we follow our dreams. So do be a peach and tell us a story, eh?</i></b></div>
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I am currently trawling for students for my next cooking class, possibly next week. The armchair travel theme is <b>Southern Italy</b> (oh, aren't you dying to see where I went? Soon!), and the menu will be different from the last one- modified to include Pizza, as only southern Italians can make it. (And those who have learned from southern Italians, of course!) <a href="mailto:margaret@taste-life-twice.com" target="_blank">Send me a message</a> if you or someone you know may be interested!</div>
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**Sincere thanks to all who have like the new <a href="http://www.facebook.com/wetastelifetwice" target="_blank">Taste Life Twice Facebook page</a>! I'm delighted to have another way to connect with people, and look forward to enjoying the recipes, stories, and opportunities to be shared.<br />
<br />Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-84084950743927567422012-07-22T19:54:00.002-04:002012-07-22T19:54:48.497-04:00Bluff City and Home of the Blues<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Memphis.</b></h3>
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What side of this city did I see? Several, actually. I had two trips there for work, one in March and one in May. I met the nicest, funniest hotel staff at the welcome and valet desks both times. I observed the pieces of the city's history that residents refuse to let go, such as the trolley, the horse carriages, and bygone symbols of its fame and glamour, like the named music notes in the sidewalk.<br />
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I also experienced <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beale_Street" target="_blank">Beale Street</a>, sort of. Not in the rip-roaring, guitar-wielding, flam-doozling way someone else might have (it was with work, after all), but bar-hopping and cooling my heels in the shade listening to the street hawkers and the wildly cacophonous competing music venues in the small space was certainly a unique experience. Plus, good company.<br />
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And oh yeah, I found plenty of good eats. I did my exploring online beforehand, as well as through friend networks. They all pointed to one place: <a href="http://www.hogsfly.com/TheRestaurant.php" target="_blank"><b>Rendezvous</b></a>.<br />
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The place was happily down-home, with random knickknacks, lots of tourists, and a we-don't-take-no-guff attitude at the front desk. Only open for dinner (not lunch) during the week- that was odd. Their specialty was most certainly the "Dry-Rub Ribs," but my coworker's brisket was mighty tasty too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoD5RKYdaRJqRH4u3ploPCGBdAupnambcCD_v5O0j7sa6sBjvxAepwmtPZRmTik1pqpKz_WXtXhSA7NVVgB7ftHZ7X_zVPifccme8B818_C_NzhKk0GGoYN3cOGYKcXLi4xJuqYV4oVMM/s1600/DSC09972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoD5RKYdaRJqRH4u3ploPCGBdAupnambcCD_v5O0j7sa6sBjvxAepwmtPZRmTik1pqpKz_WXtXhSA7NVVgB7ftHZ7X_zVPifccme8B818_C_NzhKk0GGoYN3cOGYKcXLi4xJuqYV4oVMM/s320/DSC09972.JPG" width="320" /></a>The ribs were pretty addictive, and quite unique- it's kind of like tasting a really salty food- all the crystals tingle in your mouth- but then you realize they contribute to a seasoned, earthy flavor, not just salt. Who needs sauce, anyway?</div>
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It turns out the seasoning mix contains oregano (a main Greek spice) because the immigrant family that started the joint was from Greece! I love when food connects back to the travel theme...of course it always helps your food when it's got history and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvmsMzlF7o" target="_blank">whole-heartedness</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vV5hthYQYMCX3jLIKTyLo1rV0ENDP4S56TnoXMIp0JqeLrFnsej85ctJTNM62FlM1XXQypkVqxJERIytHOtqWaMoJfFuUfH8mOWjj2CCfv249Qbnf89KvHl5RNuKAI4WZOYtOA1nhW8/s1600/DSC09958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vV5hthYQYMCX3jLIKTyLo1rV0ENDP4S56TnoXMIp0JqeLrFnsej85ctJTNM62FlM1XXQypkVqxJERIytHOtqWaMoJfFuUfH8mOWjj2CCfv249Qbnf89KvHl5RNuKAI4WZOYtOA1nhW8/s320/DSC09958.JPG" width="320" /></a>Another place I had to stop at was The Little Tea Shop- I mean, come on. Tea. Home cooking. This was a place I found by reputation online. Their most touted items were the vegetarian turnip/ collard greens and the corn sticks: "crispy on the outside yet flaky and buttery on the inside."</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2BsbHWKtWtt34MY2-MbZNakhDB6_aQNQuuqtWna5RcG1qDTtRVeBLnFGS0Qr8CwjK3nMGhyrzZ1G90f9immh6-XZK6cazhvGMVRQOF-eWym_0QNMrtxdmIfQW7HKc1Hvx13RxzvOqs44/s1600/IMG_20120328_114808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2BsbHWKtWtt34MY2-MbZNakhDB6_aQNQuuqtWna5RcG1qDTtRVeBLnFGS0Qr8CwjK3nMGhyrzZ1G90f9immh6-XZK6cazhvGMVRQOF-eWym_0QNMrtxdmIfQW7HKc1Hvx13RxzvOqs44/s320/IMG_20120328_114808.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Little Tea Shop, in its position as a local institution/ legend, deigns to be open for lunch only. And its waitresses tend to be a little short (with their words, not their height), which I chalked up to cultural differences. Oh, and neither their cash register nor their credit card machine was working, so the woman at the front had her hands full trying to make change for people out of spare change she had in a PAPER BAG. It was wildly endearing, and made for a great story. </div>
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So, besides the barbeque (<a href="http://www.hogsfly.com/Article_CharlesVergos.php" target="_blank">sort of</a>) and Beale Street, what other sides are there to Memphis? Well, there are the fun new 'cuisine-y' type places popping up (Local Gastropub comes to mind as a place where we had great food, but slow service), and you've got your music history pathways to follow.<br />
But my antennae went up as the cab driver from the airport said he knew how to direct us to "any number of diversions, from used bookstores to-"<br />
"Hold up, did you say used bookstores?"<br />
*<b>Done</b>.*<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAbSuBOPDFcGKZSGSqLQXN0HFJQMbrTMt2xYpjVLEdovJzXCfrh2qCgZmZHuEhgqqwwmm2wZO0-6QRSYvNlS_E67scr8v18SZVwcwpdRD8SjxVgkmelxwaYme1OxFMGrdvipGUFVdsLc/s1600/IMAG0604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAbSuBOPDFcGKZSGSqLQXN0HFJQMbrTMt2xYpjVLEdovJzXCfrh2qCgZmZHuEhgqqwwmm2wZO0-6QRSYvNlS_E67scr8v18SZVwcwpdRD8SjxVgkmelxwaYme1OxFMGrdvipGUFVdsLc/s320/IMAG0604.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I found one or two downtown, and went on a bit of an adventure to <a href="http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/travel/31next.html?pagewanted=all" target="_blank">Midtown</a>, a short drive away from the downtown, and home to Memphis' hipsters and dive monkeys, to find another one, pictured below. Heaven! (Loved the quirky aisle caps consisting of chairs with vintage typewriters)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHyU3NknEvWrJ_z312E7ZkYxOJ4Hy0PWOW56Ttk7MspUB9nA_PNmGPOPZChD_b3n1oEVUuldi7GffJHW20mOmvP_gt7h5BvVxe7tEQIWGMHQbwo30lVz7PeMhhKTn8oCGktkgE6qmThqk/s1600/IMG_20120328_195533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHyU3NknEvWrJ_z312E7ZkYxOJ4Hy0PWOW56Ttk7MspUB9nA_PNmGPOPZChD_b3n1oEVUuldi7GffJHW20mOmvP_gt7h5BvVxe7tEQIWGMHQbwo30lVz7PeMhhKTn8oCGktkgE6qmThqk/s200/IMG_20120328_195533.jpg" width="200" /></a>And how could I forget the fried chicken! <a href="http://www.memphistravel.com/guss-world-famous-fried-chicken" target="_blank">Gus's Fried Chicken</a> was very low-key, and although "Gus's World Famous Hot & Spicy Chicken" is its full title, I didn't find it spicy. And I'm a wimp, soooo... Gus's didn't have the kind of sustainable sourcing policy of the places I usually find on these trips, but the chicken was so tender and juicy, I went back twice!</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Q7oqT1YC-DoTESKcqyUO_UnqPq3TZ_QpSTIeCyd3j12_W-njG6j2zbxbyDa60yrD67hdCEwEQo_R6FUWr8TVxmJ0BZaVpk0KsAC4A3bM9Jy-mJYvEYyBuPzTpYeF6FLWJjpOWRiMJBc/s1600/IMG_20120328_200453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Q7oqT1YC-DoTESKcqyUO_UnqPq3TZ_QpSTIeCyd3j12_W-njG6j2zbxbyDa60yrD67hdCEwEQo_R6FUWr8TVxmJ0BZaVpk0KsAC4A3bM9Jy-mJYvEYyBuPzTpYeF6FLWJjpOWRiMJBc/s200/IMG_20120328_200453.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Ohmigod, and just like in <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/2012/06/land-of-pioneer-courage-molecular.html" target="_blank">Omaha</a>, TRY THE FRIED PICKLES. Gus's were entire spears, and had a spicy crunchy coating- dee-lish.<br />
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Besides these neighborhood attractions, a group of the people in town for the meeting had a fun round of friends' poker (no betting in the state) in the hotel lobby. It was EPIC.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Thanks for the memories, Memphis!</i></span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHKuPOupVX18mPO-zuEIwbH1vFk81RMCf5otr9xkeidvN_ADB8RYZ7b6wugRgv1gQVy6mFbSqpqzBRLRvGbf_oV6zRtDCDh3K8D5wzc07CG5mWtkAH4fEQPp_YZ1GId6QiPTLxORy6Ngo/s1600/IMG_20120328_205848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHKuPOupVX18mPO-zuEIwbH1vFk81RMCf5otr9xkeidvN_ADB8RYZ7b6wugRgv1gQVy6mFbSqpqzBRLRvGbf_oV6zRtDCDh3K8D5wzc07CG5mWtkAH4fEQPp_YZ1GId6QiPTLxORy6Ngo/s320/IMG_20120328_205848.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-10779012379395101052012-07-19T17:04:00.002-04:002012-07-19T17:04:40.436-04:00My Version of MijoterWhat have I been doing in the past month? I can tell you in one word (well, maybe two):<br />
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<i>Mijoter</i></h3>
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It is a <a href="http://french.about.com/od/vocabulary/g/mijoter.htm" target="_blank">French word</a> that means to simmer, or to stew. You keep the water at a barely-there boil and the ingredients you've thrown together start to get to know each other, slowly.</div>
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I've got travel stories (Memphis, TN), vacation stories (Yosemite, Italy), kitchen stories (joined a spring/ summer produce <a href="http://www.localharvest.org/newsletter/20070215/csa.jsp" target="_blank">CSA</a>!), personal stories, plus a lot of <i><b>struggle</b></i>.</div>
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That's the other word, <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=btdubbs" target="_blank">btdubbs</a>.</div>
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<i>Lentil Roasted Garlic Stew </i></div>
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I have launched myself into a fast-flowing river, and have not outfitted myself with enough gear yet to get to the point on the other shore where I'm aiming. So basically I'm dog-paddling, constantly giving myself rests by doing the Dead Man's Float. The steps to creating a successful business are numerous and they keep popping up as others are completed, like a crazy game of Whack-a-Mole.</div>
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So thanks for continuing to drop by and being supportive as I continue to dog-paddle my way to the other side. Comments, tweets, and mentions help! :-)</div>
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There is a lot of great material out there to guide people starting out on the road to their dreams, including the <a href="http://worlddominationsummit.com/" target="_blank">World Domination Summit</a> that just concluded in Portland, Oregon. I've been absorbing resources, connecting with other indie-preneurs, and all these bits of knowledge have been bouncing off each other in my brain and 'getting to know each other,' if you will... how I do like kitchen metaphors!</div>
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The important thing is to just keep at it, keep showing up (80% of success according to Woody Allen), and that habit creates a new path for you.</div>
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How are you doing this in your life, those of you who are tuning in for the personal development stories? Do you have Victories to share? Do you have go-to resources for when you're stuck? Let us know!</div>
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Meanwhile, photos from the travel and adventures are ... <a href="http://xkcd.com/303/" target="_blank">compiling</a>.</div>
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<br /></div>Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-89718376827965780422012-06-23T09:55:00.001-04:002012-06-23T09:55:23.640-04:00Land of Pioneer Courage / Molecular Gastronomy<div style="color: #783f04; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Omaha, Nebraska</i></span></b></div>
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Why Omaha? Because anywhere can delight your senses, my dear readers. It's all up to you. Well, mostly.<br />
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Omaha had a lot to offer a business traveler with only a couple evenings to spare. I did my research in advance, choosing two places that would represent different slices of the dining scene (so I thought): The Grey Plume and Boiler Room.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifoswqWCeZYVTL1nA_YiIDpKp7wpY_5oZPh4tHujE5m6JxuCNUXXRDBayVfw0-uxh_ZR1cNpn8XbfwfR79pwjUKTKr3l_jPIXz_2qN8x8rz9sFMJoS7Ft8SS3983IFL6AXQ-iom_0dNXw/s1600/DSC00196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifoswqWCeZYVTL1nA_YiIDpKp7wpY_5oZPh4tHujE5m6JxuCNUXXRDBayVfw0-uxh_ZR1cNpn8XbfwfR79pwjUKTKr3l_jPIXz_2qN8x8rz9sFMJoS7Ft8SS3983IFL6AXQ-iom_0dNXw/s320/DSC00196.JPG" width="320" /></a>The Grey Plume was first, and a taxi ride out of downtown in a swish new redeveloped neighborhood called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midtown_Crossing_at_Turner_Park" target="_blank">Midtown Crossing</a>. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJ8IErtZaBDndURKK0wtVjIKhyphenhyphenm2FQMF9f67AlmBMqEYWUZJDY2V8sh87i8RSkdQ1ovovdO11Ruv4Yc0CD5uK92HHBBe1_-WSg5j7S8w3vDv5ONG4NUlyXszPmu60CjaS1Dn8rLyjMR4/s1600/DSC00183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJ8IErtZaBDndURKK0wtVjIKhyphenhyphenm2FQMF9f67AlmBMqEYWUZJDY2V8sh87i8RSkdQ1ovovdO11Ruv4Yc0CD5uK92HHBBe1_-WSg5j7S8w3vDv5ONG4NUlyXszPmu60CjaS1Dn8rLyjMR4/s200/DSC00183.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
It started with a surprise: an amuse-bouche consisting of apple-huckleberry mousse, coffee panna cotta, rye crumble, and pickled apple slice, sprinkled with coffee powder (not <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9s0UURBihH8" target="_blank">iocane powder</a>, <i>although</i>...)<br />
I didn't know I'd found the seat of molecular gastronomy in Omaha! But here it was, and compliments of the chef.<br />
It was interesting, but when I asked about the coffee powder, I learned that it was basically tapioca starch that had been infused with coffee aroma- that doesn't seem so frou-frou, now, does it?<br />
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The next dish (this one I ordered) was duck fat fries with fried egg and aioli. Yes, loads of fat in this one, but I shared. I did!<br />
The waitress recommended upgrading to the goose egg, but this place was already expensive enough without add-ons, so I declined the up-sell. It was deliciously salty, runny, umami and all as it was.<br />
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My 'main' was pork 3 ways, served with nettles: a piece of leg, slow-roasted on a puree of spaghetti squash; a piece of loin on a spaghetti squash 'coin;' and pork belly 2 ways: a meaty, pinkish cut, and the more traditional glazed classic pork belly, served with baby fennel.<br />
Hot mama. I loved the slow-roasted leg and the classic fatty pork belly. I didn't love the chewy loin or other type of pork belly.<br />
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The next night I organized an excursion to Boiler Room, located downtown near the <a href="http://www.oldmarket.com/" target="_blank">Old Market</a> center.<br />
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***Here's a good <b style="color: #cc0000;">tip</b> when dining out in somewhere where you need to watch your budget but everything looks scrumptious: try two appetizers instead of an entree. This gets you more variety, hedges your bets if you end up not liking something, still fills you up, and for about the same amount of money.<br />
Here I tried the octopus galette and the tagliatelle with goat sugo- these are things I will likely not see again, so they were calling out my name...<br />
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The goat sugo was very good, the tagliatelle vaguely disappointing (too <a href="http://www.italian-traditions.com/pasta-al-dente.html" target="_blank">al dente</a> for my dente), but the octopus galette was my favorite. Basically a seafood pancake at any Korean restaurant, this was stood out because it used octopus, and marvelous flavors as accompaniments: pesto, hazelnuts, and '<a href="http://www.fireflyforest.com/flowers/786/claytonia-perfoliata-miners-lettuce/" target="_blank">claytonia</a>' (which I was informed is 'like a lilypad', also known as miner's lettuce). Very tasty. </div>
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I also enjoyed the decor of the place: very 2000s-loft-converted-warehouse, but with the special touch of matching, facing staircases. The waitors were forever scampering down one and up another, their upper bodies not seen to be moving, which amused me very much for some reason. Perhaps it made me think of the octopus moving along...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6D8-5bhAo3b06uN8H3q_Ood_izwUYKj8DZbTUoOemyUwSkyqmF0_tj6Vd56q27VtJiWMBSM1k1iog5HZDCJjPQzqvJXKptqmI0yHJkOHBaGxDkvDqXFngPXCE7O8uEt1mfNe018mwe4/s1600/DSC00155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6D8-5bhAo3b06uN8H3q_Ood_izwUYKj8DZbTUoOemyUwSkyqmF0_tj6Vd56q27VtJiWMBSM1k1iog5HZDCJjPQzqvJXKptqmI0yHJkOHBaGxDkvDqXFngPXCE7O8uEt1mfNe018mwe4/s320/DSC00155.JPG" width="320" /></a>--While in town, we also had lunch in Old Market, at a place called <a href="http://restaurantsinc.net/twistedfork/" target="_blank">Twisted Fork</a>:
a bar-restaurant with its own cheeky and less pretentious fusion
creations. I actually didn't get to eat much here, but I did grab a few
of their fried pickles, and they were quite good. </div>
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I'd say it's a tie between these and the fried pickles at <a href="http://www.upstreambrewing.com/" target="_blank">Upstream</a>
around the corner. And I always appreciate clever menu phrasing, which
Twisted Fork had in abundance (e.g. "Things You Don't Rope," including
chicken and salmon dishes). God bless those cowboys with a sense of
humor.</div>
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And give thanks for that pioneer courage (a phrase from the monument above) too--</div>
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a swell place, Omaha.</div>
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Have you been to Omaha? Are you from another place with <b style="color: orange;">Pioneer Courage</b>? Let us know in the comment section, so we can come visit!</div>Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-18204619781891203202012-06-07T07:26:00.002-04:002012-06-07T07:26:44.363-04:00Care and Feeding of a Distant Friend<b>Crackles</b>, <b><i>To Go</i></b><br />
Just in time for her quick visit to the U.S., I am writing about my friend Jessica, and the care package I sent her in Beijing, China.<br />
Having been advised that it might take a long time to arrive ('the long boat to China'), I did a little research to see which type of cookie might stay fresh the longest. Too much moisture might lead to mold, too much butter might make them go stale, and too delicate a structure would have them arrive in a thousand pieces. So I settled on these:<br />
<br />
<b>Chocolate Polka-Dot Mint Crackles</b> (adapted from <a href="http://books.google.com/books/about/A_Baker_s_Field_Guide_to_Chocolate_Chip.html?id=KBZnhxq_PusC" target="_blank">A Baker's Field Guide to Chocolate Chip Cookies</a>, a great book for all you want to know about cookies)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGu_RLEvUqlHtNMq3wjH1DaWKCM_BgXsvG063NoM1dkCAedGNxblpL3H1hCH64iG3vEgFirHOYOweS37FCAIuYB-avTIC6xqzFIz86cugkicQ-3lNfkKQDW3AE_YlZcM3JvJVV7sqSHs/s1600/DSC00093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGu_RLEvUqlHtNMq3wjH1DaWKCM_BgXsvG063NoM1dkCAedGNxblpL3H1hCH64iG3vEgFirHOYOweS37FCAIuYB-avTIC6xqzFIz86cugkicQ-3lNfkKQDW3AE_YlZcM3JvJVV7sqSHs/s320/DSC00093.JPG" width="320" /></a><b>Ingredients:</b><br />
5 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped<br />
1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons<br />
2 c flour (I used 1 c all-purpose, 1/2 c pastry flour, 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour)<br />
2 t baking powder<br />
1/4 t salt<br />
4 eggs<br />
2 c granulated sugar (I reduced it to 1 c white sugar, 1/2 c brown sugar)<br />
1/2 t mint flavoring (I made half a batch this way, the other half with 1/2 t cardamom and 1/4 t black pepper)<br />
1/2 c white chocolate chips (I despise white chocolate, so went with semi-sweet)<br />
about 1/2 c granulated sugar for rolling<br />
about 1/3 c powdered sugar for rolling<br />
<br />
<b>Directions:</b><br />
1. Place chocolate and butter together over low heat in a saucepan until mostly melted. Remove from heat and stir together until completely melted and smooth.<br />
2. While that is cooling, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.<br />
3. Then in a large bowl, combine eggs, 2 c (or less) sugar, and your flavoring together (whether mint or cardamom or some other combination), and beat until thick and creamy. Stir chocolate mixture again to smoothness, then beat into egg mixture until it smooths out too. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the large bowl, mixing gently. Gradually add remaining flour, stir to combine, then add chocolate chips.<br />
4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for several hours or overnight (it will thicken to fudge consistency).<br />
5. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrUlANAwSTmPnzaY5EPhwdXRQE-xS1sUdN2JSjTcH0qSqs6MwDvwIam7L3oQL8nZBQtC0GbZYVhOwBvkRO3xWmVTUKBYkUHolPqhbyxZdRdJtXmMRssP1YJU8RWm1x1HJSd-nS1vJn4w/s1600/DSC00100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrUlANAwSTmPnzaY5EPhwdXRQE-xS1sUdN2JSjTcH0qSqs6MwDvwIam7L3oQL8nZBQtC0GbZYVhOwBvkRO3xWmVTUKBYkUHolPqhbyxZdRdJtXmMRssP1YJU8RWm1x1HJSd-nS1vJn4w/s320/DSC00100.JPG" width="320" /></a>6. Put the rolling sugar and powdered sugar in containers (I used an oval tupperware for one and a plate for the other- the tupperware with sides was handy to shake instead of handling the dough a lot).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSLWxhuvLrRISMI0cIp-qNjPozF9K2n3lGdKgUwJyLBFSGyLAg-ROfqtEw7pgBOJycpLKWPtIYaVlYBaGHJZ-1HovPB7KZDS5C0getIX6LgoFOGKPTn9sG6youfD7CeEB8Obe-knoOZGE/s1600/DSC00096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSLWxhuvLrRISMI0cIp-qNjPozF9K2n3lGdKgUwJyLBFSGyLAg-ROfqtEw7pgBOJycpLKWPtIYaVlYBaGHJZ-1HovPB7KZDS5C0getIX6LgoFOGKPTn9sG6youfD7CeEB8Obe-knoOZGE/s320/DSC00096.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
7. Dip into the dough and roll pieces into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the granulated sugar first, then in powdered sugar to coat, shaking off excess. Place balls on cookie sheets 2 inches apart and squash tops slightly.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtN719t4_yPhcI-NO3bZT3PilRYMSdQ10UwPVqFKiLFUXUXhHzRTOgF2Fq7KfVogVrvd0mKSae0uiXFRGgdEIkxJcLk8-4994B3PWXbdfGd8Nlgrl8CS4Ezspd8WQChDWTR_KCAnUDgKU/s1600/DSC00104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtN719t4_yPhcI-NO3bZT3PilRYMSdQ10UwPVqFKiLFUXUXhHzRTOgF2Fq7KfVogVrvd0mKSae0uiXFRGgdEIkxJcLk8-4994B3PWXbdfGd8Nlgrl8CS4Ezspd8WQChDWTR_KCAnUDgKU/s320/DSC00104.JPG" width="320" /></a>8. Bake until puffed and crackly in appearance. Since my oven is on crack, I rotated the sheets at 4 minutes, then baked for 5 more, but the book recommends 12 minutes. Only you know your oven well enough to judge.<br />
8. Let set a minute on sheets, then take off with a spatula and place on wire cooling racks until firm and cool.<br />
Makes 4-5 dozen.<br />
<br />
They're a pretty cookie, but two words of warning. When you start dipping and rolling, your hands will get dirty. Like, mudcake dirty. And it would be ideal to have an assistant to open the fridge door or move the baking baking sheets around so you don't get little blobs of it EV-ERY-WHERE.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7OlpU1PTkcl1XGf6U9M0Cq9BJul7B9lKBfR7Q4TvX34Fyu5zEVz2V9GfnyiCE-Y3uZNzkkNry3PQyPHXF0hSfXlfHP2uFexdi-Tjys0Pg7pQlNKxcSBrMYxbhPgah6wQzDpem1yKPDMY/s1600/DSC00102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7OlpU1PTkcl1XGf6U9M0Cq9BJul7B9lKBfR7Q4TvX34Fyu5zEVz2V9GfnyiCE-Y3uZNzkkNry3PQyPHXF0hSfXlfHP2uFexdi-Tjys0Pg7pQlNKxcSBrMYxbhPgah6wQzDpem1yKPDMY/s320/DSC00102.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Second, if you are waiting between rolling the first batch and the next, put the dough back in the fridge. My first attempt showed quite a difference between those that went into the oven straight from the fridge, and those that waited around while the first batch cooked and cooled. Don't let this happen to you!<br />
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They come out very soft and chewy, and lend themselves to easy variation, so this recipe is definitely a favorite to keep in your back pocket... as long as you have 8 hours to chill!<br />
<br />
<b>Do you have a good story or recipe for sending cookies (that made it!)? Do tell! I would love to hear in the comments below. </b><br />
<br />Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-7335489420755617942012-05-23T11:48:00.001-04:002012-05-23T11:48:51.990-04:00Mind-Swimming and Mind-Diving<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Things have been pretty crazy 'round here.</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_qwHfkdIIiJF5lVV-nM6iW-9rGV6jf3gzskpZZ6t_Y8kCbuqAUg-6NR5U5r-d1SdvzaQaR_EQozVx9ISRWS_Fy7OT1f6g1UrtaHAggcXj3j4noe-CjiZXsBI2L5ncuTrTzEzo2ByJK8/s1600/DSC00119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_qwHfkdIIiJF5lVV-nM6iW-9rGV6jf3gzskpZZ6t_Y8kCbuqAUg-6NR5U5r-d1SdvzaQaR_EQozVx9ISRWS_Fy7OT1f6g1UrtaHAggcXj3j4noe-CjiZXsBI2L5ncuTrTzEzo2ByJK8/s320/DSC00119.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shady Shot of Caramelized Cabbage & Roasted Roots!</td></tr>
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I had the first test-run cooking class on April 5th, and the second on May 3rd. Both menus showcased Scottish cuisine, and were a blast to put on. I also hosted a little dinner party on April 13th, between a work trip to Memphis and another to Omaha, and oh- let's not forget that I was in DC for my birthday (April 20th) before jetting out to Italy for a week's vacation.<br />
<br />
"A little month," <a href="http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/hamlet/soliloquies/tootoosolid.html" target="_blank">as Hamlet says</a>.<br />
<br />
I've been in a state that I call "Mind-Swimming," inspired by the feeling that I am awash in details, projects, and ideas. My mind <a href="http://xkcd.com/725/" target="_blank">literally feels</a> like it is navigating water because it is so crowded in there!<br />
<br />
Last Saturday though, I had a day of "Mind-Diving," meaning I chose one topic for a "<a href="http://unsuck-it.com/deep-dive/" target="_blank">deep dive</a>." I woke up at 4 AM after a dream and decided to jump into some behind-the-scenes blog work that I've been wrestling with (with the happy assistance of friend and blog coach Ethan Waldman of <a href="http://www.cloud-coach.net/" target="_blank">Cloud Coach</a>). It continued until about 5 PM, and I made some good progress.<br />
<br />
This swimming/diving metaphor is another way of expressing Emilie's (of <a href="http://www.puttylike.com/" target="_blank">Puttylike</a> fame) concept of the <a href="http://puttylike.com/finding-the-time/" target="_blank">Three C's</a>: that there is some technique involved in organizing your time according to the type of activity. Is the activity one of creation, consumption, or connection? This concept sort of blew my mind a few months ago, and I've been using it as a touchstone for getting things done in a way that doesn't burn me out- highly recommended.<br />
<br />
Speaking of burnout, while I've been doing all this 'swimming' through ideas, and projects, and research, you may well ask <b><i>what sustains me</i></b>? The answer to that, and what gives me confidence that this venture will be a success, is that I <b><i>keep doing it</i></b>.<br />
<br />
That's right. I'm using the insanity to prove I'm not insane.<br />
<br />
Of course, what I mean is that if I didn't enjoy the cooking, hosting, planning, researching, why would I keep doing it? It gives this introvert energy, and that's the secret of <a href="http://biggsuccess.com/2012/01/20/7-clues-to-find-your-passion/" target="_blank">following your bliss</a>, folks.<br />
<br />
It'll probably change and evolve, since that's what <a href="http://puttylike.com/why-mastery-is-a-freaking-snooze-for-multipotentialites/" target="_blank">multipotentialites</a> do, and that's okay! I'll be keeping a weather eye on the horizon, a <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/james_geary_metaphorically_speaking.html" target="_blank">firm hand on the rudder</a>, and I'll adapt.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>But for now, this is the hot ticket! :-)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieG9m14T49LHJDkZQZE81o5pG2pk6kMu-8P9NdL8gsjTT4aa4vKOPfrqgPoYlTtk04BC6iPnd4mXUkeaK_OhWQHIbDdg8F-gXHQo1sH9DkkPulB6Ui-HgWxtiz9Hj678IrudzGP5AENUI/s1600/DSC00107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieG9m14T49LHJDkZQZE81o5pG2pk6kMu-8P9NdL8gsjTT4aa4vKOPfrqgPoYlTtk04BC6iPnd4mXUkeaK_OhWQHIbDdg8F-gXHQo1sH9DkkPulB6Ui-HgWxtiz9Hj678IrudzGP5AENUI/s200/DSC00107.JPG" width="112" /></a>I invited two couples of friends over for this Friday night dinner, and I knew when I did so that it needed to be creative. One of the husbands is a fancy cook. He had also previously commented on there not being enough food at one of my dinners, by which he meant the main dish. Lesson learned in my book, and so I wanted to be a little more impressive this time.<br />
I started with <b>sweet potatoes</b>, <a href="http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2011/10/an-ode-to-the-sweet-potato/" target="_blank">as I often do</a> (love this Ode to the Sweet Potato from Tasty Kitchen). I added paprika. I roasted with olive oil and salt.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2fRpqkjditMmyO6-wXrKauYcLwYdV2RcX90ICRb8tGINc5Zs18jKTDIRVVocSX0bVYawkCtJmrmo9-7bSoE0Cu8hwnm6J8auCj4J33dThZPXHa_ppvc1LmlTLVUQ56A4WZBCWvWWg1U/s1600/DSC00114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2fRpqkjditMmyO6-wXrKauYcLwYdV2RcX90ICRb8tGINc5Zs18jKTDIRVVocSX0bVYawkCtJmrmo9-7bSoE0Cu8hwnm6J8auCj4J33dThZPXHa_ppvc1LmlTLVUQ56A4WZBCWvWWg1U/s320/DSC00114.JPG" width="320" /></a>I bought taco shells and shredded (the horror!) jack cheese, thinking of a potential different recipe, but collapsed them into a topping/stuffing/filling bar instead: with this <a href="http://www.adinnerparty.net/2008/11/pay-offs.html" target="_blank">red cabbage with apples</a> recipe being the long-simmered and aromatic star.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWz16JbUMHnL2sF_QQ3_CYqgd_P1fp_5sYm6QGf1miSyKQWNlEe_K2jTNnkQs_QKWBB_PfmojSaIpYEsIlN_iUn0AUHWPJzJqpsvnZvlMyxND7Mi72QcezQXRAeA7HRFG0aV4bxaSy_I/s1600/DSC00115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWz16JbUMHnL2sF_QQ3_CYqgd_P1fp_5sYm6QGf1miSyKQWNlEe_K2jTNnkQs_QKWBB_PfmojSaIpYEsIlN_iUn0AUHWPJzJqpsvnZvlMyxND7Mi72QcezQXRAeA7HRFG0aV4bxaSy_I/s320/DSC00115.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I combined some unusual bedfellows when composing hors d'oeuvres: Saltines, black olive paste, and boquerones (marinated white anchovies).<br />
<br />
The boquerones, by the way, were inspired by the tapas at <a href="http://estadio-dc.com/" target="_blank">Estadio</a>- also delicious- but bought at <a href="http://www.notfortourists.com/LD.aspx/Washington-DC/Shopping/Vace" target="_blank">Vace</a>, an Italian delicatessen at Cleveland Park, much less expensively. Score!<br />
<br />
There were a lot of choices in little bowls around the table, which was a little awkward to pass, but tasted good in the mouth. The husband previously referred to said that it was unusual to offer red cabbage as a taco filling.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Good observation.</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>We like doing unusual here.</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_sfShgd1eEiOpyNEo_PoDISGsXW2r_eSOS9sYm_qc7vNPsIgFu2nEZsurIJqYKgWaPWxgziy2JQfPxb-hDwZDz1uKrXKOEKaePe8GNphxTw08jP1fH-qOHncycFbHWIw_RKe4Ch2XktI/s1600/DSC00118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_sfShgd1eEiOpyNEo_PoDISGsXW2r_eSOS9sYm_qc7vNPsIgFu2nEZsurIJqYKgWaPWxgziy2JQfPxb-hDwZDz1uKrXKOEKaePe8GNphxTw08jP1fH-qOHncycFbHWIw_RKe4Ch2XktI/s320/DSC00118.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Do try the red cabbage recipe- it's a smash hit, as well as cheap and easy (earning it a place on my next <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/2011/12/launchpad.html" target="_blank">Favorites List</a>). Let me know if you like it, or find good variations, in the comments!</div>
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<br /></div>Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-44494651036590290472012-05-14T20:12:00.000-04:002012-05-14T20:12:24.049-04:00The 411 on the TLT Cooking SchoolI'm happy to hear of the interest in the armchair-travel style cooking courses (and thankful to all the friends spreading the word! :-), so I thought I would provide a few more details about what the night will include.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXqtDh1fwFTS_fk2nvsZ9EnlY9Kq_Aq73SsSoSg71gdI1dj_O3NIAIv8Vnq1iuwf0Uv9rotNtICdRTTrFJN02luqkqPWFBMEpYob1s3e_HfnH3wxmsunWyMtjxGeLcVKFwRsM4PQNcpo/s1600/pubshortribs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXqtDh1fwFTS_fk2nvsZ9EnlY9Kq_Aq73SsSoSg71gdI1dj_O3NIAIv8Vnq1iuwf0Uv9rotNtICdRTTrFJN02luqkqPWFBMEpYob1s3e_HfnH3wxmsunWyMtjxGeLcVKFwRsM4PQNcpo/s200/pubshortribs.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pub Short Ribs, an American view</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Three-course (minimum) meal consisting of traditional researched regional food, adapted from authentic recipes</li>
<li>Quality organic, seasonal, and local produce and other ingredients, as much as possible</li>
</ul>
<br /><br /><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEz747U7CIOzN2utYk4FxLL_s98csJlxv2XE_hd7bMHYLYnuzn0uDCeKbWIFnqiLAwgyZJXss9s_F4XsA6kSd5I548utij-qJZYJBrfYYLP5QsvO96tZNAvxTRcS1zHyqixwZLzPRW0ZQ/s1600/diningroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEz747U7CIOzN2utYk4FxLL_s98csJlxv2XE_hd7bMHYLYnuzn0uDCeKbWIFnqiLAwgyZJXss9s_F4XsA6kSd5I548utij-qJZYJBrfYYLP5QsvO96tZNAvxTRcS1zHyqixwZLzPRW0ZQ/s320/diningroom.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah, the simple joys of hosting!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li>Being hosted in my home, an apartment in the Logan Circle neighborhood</li>
<li>Explanation of cooking techniques involved in the preparation of the meal</li>
<li>Tidbits of historical and cultural interest about the food, the region, and the culture</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgcbJYs7XAe5ICpcYDHj0NqD_7jDmrlusXFkaItF9c1WTCKDykRaD4-LaPA8YHSxESCTNW1tOZ8bupzHEXT7f80lEn6GTBsXbz7hLGqSEgKwZ5TsmruOp89W5XvEgJ_70rsuInEhuvYc/s320/topkapi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another theme to look forward to...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />I'm really looking forward to diving into the next research project, which will involve a certain boot-shaped mass of land... I will say no more!<br />
...except to say that having just returned from a week in Napoli and Sicily, they will be influential resources!<br />
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<br />
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If you're interested and live in the DC area, please feel free to drop me a line at margaret [at] taste-life-twice [dot] com and I'll be happy to accommodate you!<br />
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If you're interested but living outside the DC Metro area, tell those you know about the idea!<br />
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Also, I take suggestions, and would love to chat about food and/or travel, so don't hold back in the comments.<br />
<i><b>Ciao for now~!</b></i></div>
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<br /></div>Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-66633258411375269842012-05-08T13:53:00.000-04:002012-05-08T14:52:02.955-04:00TLT Cooking School Now Open for Business!<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Yes, you read that right.</b></span></div>
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As part of my <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/2012/01/creative-endeavor-year.html" target="_blank">Creative Endeavor Year</a> of 2012, I am pursuing my passions for teaching, guiding, cooking and <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/search/label/On%20Location" target="_blank">travel</a>... by offering cooking courses! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNOzMY3ZlsZ-ohh5RqPTWIlxOaLl4cN51Orq-zkh7RVqBUJ0a839ZhZTOeJicrY1RH5gvn6nNExTW8eYmtcblDntnTk4UbeCbEvVLpX2n4_TcLN4UCJOQX_D9MOPhgk2NddwJu2m1AoU/s1600/DSC00043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNOzMY3ZlsZ-ohh5RqPTWIlxOaLl4cN51Orq-zkh7RVqBUJ0a839ZhZTOeJicrY1RH5gvn6nNExTW8eYmtcblDntnTk4UbeCbEvVLpX2n4_TcLN4UCJOQX_D9MOPhgk2NddwJu2m1AoU/s200/DSC00043.JPG" width="200" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRaYkVM-0mleifSr6WDf9xoz9Bd6lZOThCVMyUmKvrfBxAogdegiLRPoAUxOotRmNvJz24_SSLC0PZf-lOsCqsP9zoEZJ8_OsNnM6KItorotzkElT1Muw6zSuOJtAoDaExr7WPC326u8/s1600/DSC00039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRaYkVM-0mleifSr6WDf9xoz9Bd6lZOThCVMyUmKvrfBxAogdegiLRPoAUxOotRmNvJz24_SSLC0PZf-lOsCqsP9zoEZJ8_OsNnM6KItorotzkElT1Muw6zSuOJtAoDaExr7WPC326u8/s200/DSC00039.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1HL3tzi_N3B79C7ApZBRShkI319pQacuv7jdXJ9hp-z-_Ce9_gyduC3_-05vw4HvMviKS3G45s4lYFBMJn5VlH3ZVmvx9Iv3ewznGk5XHBeTITLX75DnlicMXkzpRrx2JBMAawfGqr7k/s1600/DSC00025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1HL3tzi_N3B79C7ApZBRShkI319pQacuv7jdXJ9hp-z-_Ce9_gyduC3_-05vw4HvMviKS3G45s4lYFBMJn5VlH3ZVmvx9Iv3ewznGk5XHBeTITLX75DnlicMXkzpRrx2JBMAawfGqr7k/s320/DSC00025.JPG" width="320" /></a>I have been <i>ever</i> so excited about this since <i>January</i>, but managed to keep mum as I planned, prepared, and conducted two trial runs, one with friends, one with friends-of-friends whom I didn't know (I hosted <i><b>strangers</b></i>!).</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGH05jjCksy26Hbqk_LfaLBrUo8ScifIWMgcJljZ07_Gx1Oskfnyz1qrIolRoDPyna8MBcjThGbGUSGz2vxjyoLZfFT3TEN1f17IxeWYcjvMb2OZiG9I5lJFWNd6Tde1q7VDK-b894MY/s1600/DSC00050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGH05jjCksy26Hbqk_LfaLBrUo8ScifIWMgcJljZ07_Gx1Oskfnyz1qrIolRoDPyna8MBcjThGbGUSGz2vxjyoLZfFT3TEN1f17IxeWYcjvMb2OZiG9I5lJFWNd6Tde1q7VDK-b894MY/s320/DSC00050.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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Both trial runs went very well, and my lovely guinea pigs gave me great feedback for how to tweak this or that aspect, which I have incorporated into my menu and planning process. I am <b>SO READY</b>.<br />
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The theme, and the way I incorporated the passion for travel into this activity, was Scotland. Ah yes, you do remember, I was <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/search/label/Scotland" target="_blank">a little obsessed</a> with it last year? Well, it didn't go away. Apparently I'm marked for life.<br />
And it's not just Scotland. While I had a marvelous time pouring over books of <a href="http://www.shelfari.com/books/1257002/A-Scots-Quair?uid=o1514602444&kmi=2106897" target="_blank">Scottish</a> <a href="http://www.shelfari.com/books/5359136/Lord-of-the-Highlands?uid=o1514602444" target="_blank">cultural</a> <a href="http://www.shelfari.com/books/1368937/A-Journey-to-the-Western-Islands-of-Scotland-and-The-Journal-of-?uid=o1514602444" target="_blank">history</a> and <a href="http://www.shelfari.com/books/4964415/Taste-Ye-Back-Great-Scots-and-the-Food-That-Made-Them" target="_blank">traditional</a> <a href="http://www.shelfari.com/books/17780878/Traditional-Scottish-Recipes-%28Waverley-Scottish-Classics%29" target="_blank">receipt-books</a>, I am just as excited to do the same for other locales I have visited and have some connection with, such as Turkey, Ireland, France, and let's not forget... Italy! (<i>coming soon</i>)<br />
But for now, it's Scotland. The menu reflected traditional peasant cuisine, with some shortcuts for practicality and taste.<br />
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<i><b>Menu</b></i>:<br />
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<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-IXSlhsi1C8rLPystHV_Yoqd3qkWo1FLWtKKRUILrTXin5D1k14TwlUZQ9A1fZLtNqzP-fWRzdK7xB_DhjCqrbQ277yi9FmjLYYmQcDKWdqMfw3QR6CqQuW3esteQyEJjbLvsoA08Do/s1600/DSC00035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-IXSlhsi1C8rLPystHV_Yoqd3qkWo1FLWtKKRUILrTXin5D1k14TwlUZQ9A1fZLtNqzP-fWRzdK7xB_DhjCqrbQ277yi9FmjLYYmQcDKWdqMfw3QR6CqQuW3esteQyEJjbLvsoA08Do/s200/DSC00035.JPG" width="200" /></a><i>Hors d'oeuvre</i>: Oatcakes with Cheese, Preserves, & Honey </h3>
</blockquote>
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<i>Vegetable Accompaniments</i>: 'Neeps and Tatties,' Fresh Green Salad </h3>
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<i>Main Course</i>: Herring Sauteed in Oatmeal </h3>
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<i>Dessert</i>: Millionaire's Shortbread</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6KIZMLlOAq8Ik1PLDr585mKnw6fckZYhxORoal5vn-4qdcJOb3WbJDYoms66lkeg7veeQdv0Ru4WKVtP3C3jFbQDpVNO3Ku77AlncdaOK_yPaFdbEIackCaRuUBYQ14N_PcY_gQUZUG0/s1600/DSC00033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6KIZMLlOAq8Ik1PLDr585mKnw6fckZYhxORoal5vn-4qdcJOb3WbJDYoms66lkeg7veeQdv0Ru4WKVtP3C3jFbQDpVNO3Ku77AlncdaOK_yPaFdbEIackCaRuUBYQ14N_PcY_gQUZUG0/s320/DSC00033.JPG" width="320" /></a>The shortcuts, you will observe, involve the toppings for the oatcakes, and the <a href="http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-millionaire-shortbread.htm" target="_blank">millionaire's shortbread</a> (a bit of an anachronism when considered in context with the other dishes, but I didn't hear anyone complaining).<br />
I was aiming for good, peasant food that used some different ingredients and techniques than the ones we are used to here in the U.S.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIuHxldUSduHqzZtnBPjyoDXU9Cr-rpMrj5JQ1kAzJsPTNWJa3lTXvdXc-zt9O3jdn-G9-Rjh5r3mBDLYwVn2OA0wKJl6A0vxwVXJJ9EhJIDUxsDIVKlXjxC0Hc7IXvZTA-QwX5tQ9bo/s1600/DSC00047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIuHxldUSduHqzZtnBPjyoDXU9Cr-rpMrj5JQ1kAzJsPTNWJa3lTXvdXc-zt9O3jdn-G9-Rjh5r3mBDLYwVn2OA0wKJl6A0vxwVXJJ9EhJIDUxsDIVKlXjxC0Hc7IXvZTA-QwX5tQ9bo/s320/DSC00047.JPG" width="180" /></a>I searched out local, seasonal, organic ingredients, and got most of the way there on most of the dishes (let me know when the eastern U.S. gets back in the sugar business, though). All in all, it's been a thrilling and rewarding experience to be able to pass on some knowledge learned about a place I love and a cuisine I am very much interested in. <b>Win-Win, all the way</b>.<br />
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And so, I am putting out the good vibes to all you who may stop to read here from time to time. Do you know people who live in D.C. that are interested in cooking and travel? Do you live in D.C? Are you looking for something to do on a weeknight other than go out to eat or get Thai take-out?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHkwbUEyxf25WmmH7o4gozjoepS8iVMJer9f4iNuVc9rVcMst0nrjsuDwYPKnYizuMchS8ZEWSHMeclG2BIrccDutiW49WqTxjA7kMnx4FBv6dkrdz93D8tVlFtvrkXB4Tin1dK16sADE/s1600/DSC00060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHkwbUEyxf25WmmH7o4gozjoepS8iVMJer9f4iNuVc9rVcMst0nrjsuDwYPKnYizuMchS8ZEWSHMeclG2BIrccDutiW49WqTxjA7kMnx4FBv6dkrdz93D8tVlFtvrkXB4Tin1dK16sADE/s320/DSC00060.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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I would love to host you and your friends, or you and your soon-to-be friends, for an evening of cooking, baking, learning, and of course... EATING! Because let's not forget the primacy of the eating experience, and that it is what brings us together so often, in so many ways. <b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Mangia!</span></i></b><br />
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And to finish, the gallery of pictures of Millionaire's Shortbread, the rich man's Twix Bar (shortbread, caramel, and chocolate)... how can you NOT want to gobble it all up??<br />
If you're interested, email me at <a href="mailto:margaret.pinard@gmail.com" target="_blank">Margaret's email</a> or twitterpate me at @tastelifetwice where I like to pass on others' great content on food, life, and travel as well.<br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><br />
<b style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>See you <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/taste-life-twice/HOQu" target="_blank">here</a> (subscribe by feed / email) & <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/tastelifetwice" target="_blank">there</a> (Twitter)!</i></span></b><br />
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NOMNOMNOMNOM</div>Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-42346001457350602212012-05-07T08:17:00.000-04:002012-05-07T08:17:03.135-04:00Showers of Flowers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been a while since I posted, but I promise you, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54XRNQ2C2x0" target="_blank">wheels</a> have been turning.</div>
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<b>Short version: Birthday, Italy, Cooking Course Trial Runs, and a Big, Fat Cold</b></div>
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While the dreaded cough is still rattling around in my lungs, I still have to go back to work, to delight all my coworkers- ha!</div>
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Meanwhile, here are the shots of cherry blossoms and other blossoms I managed to capture during April. Such a short time, it's such a delight to get these glimpses each year.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33IJuVUKHzCbKPXnPE7ad6KeP7o6Z6I2XKs9umwyUacV9I-y_ru1JCD64H5DiyJioM3QSdg-FFMhKtyxVD7oTsCCvNlfl9UpMcqHLU5CWEc79zUTETlj4Je05QTd04VInHrEkiEhQ21M/s1600/IMG_20120323_090956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33IJuVUKHzCbKPXnPE7ad6KeP7o6Z6I2XKs9umwyUacV9I-y_ru1JCD64H5DiyJioM3QSdg-FFMhKtyxVD7oTsCCvNlfl9UpMcqHLU5CWEc79zUTETlj4Je05QTd04VInHrEkiEhQ21M/s320/IMG_20120323_090956.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Just breaking in...</div>
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One of my favorites: wisteria! Smells divine...</div>
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This made me think of an Indian wedding, with all the white confetti... with evidence a granny cart or <i>something</i> has passed by.</div>
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We sure have been having some crazy weather here, and I hear in other places too... this week it's back to cool temps and overcast mugginess. Ugh. <i>Here's to brighter weather!</i><br />
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<i>...and an update on all I've been up to (</i><i><b>it's a lot</b>) in the past few weeks.</i>Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-23485443613643402382012-04-21T13:18:00.003-04:002012-04-21T13:18:56.467-04:00Forays into darkest MoosewoodFirst <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/2012/03/try-try-again.html" target="_blank">beans</a>, then <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/2012/04/glazed-oxtail-meets-amazing-brown-rice.html" target="_blank">oxtail</a>, what's next? Rye whiskey??<br />
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No, no, we will be continuing a review of the classics but leaving the pioneer food to delve into a different genre with today's post:<br />
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Moosewood Fudge Brownies</span></b><br />
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If you haven't heard of <a href="http://www.moosewoodcooks.com/about/" target="_blank">Moosewood</a>, here's the short version:<br />
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<ul>
<li>restaurant in Ithaca, NY</li>
<li>featuring healthful natural foods</li>
<li>been around for 38 years</li>
<li>has produced a lot of cookbooks...</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyiQpgiZ37BJPYT8Ox8_8zeVRJBtEPxmU9NpYhVOFJj-irNrWP3JteegElgmUWDdGHJmE8Z0o3gaBx_rsoIxC6NvvqkqJgfeSMtTDTC77iEBnK6t4c4CJLVJ-2PR0g9Z_3ttS05SQjvg/s1600/DSC09911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyiQpgiZ37BJPYT8Ox8_8zeVRJBtEPxmU9NpYhVOFJj-irNrWP3JteegElgmUWDdGHJmE8Z0o3gaBx_rsoIxC6NvvqkqJgfeSMtTDTC77iEBnK6t4c4CJLVJ-2PR0g9Z_3ttS05SQjvg/s200/DSC09911.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">this</span>
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...<a href="http://www.shelfari.com/books/145051/Moosewood-Restaurant-Book-of-Desserts" target="_blank">one of which</a> I love to use for new dessert ideas. In this case I was aiming to use up the last of a jar of instant espresso and some very ripe bananas. The idea was to add them into the recipe for MW's fudge brownies, substituting the bananas for some of the liquid. Which would have worked fine if, as I was pouring the batter into the square pan, I hadn't turned around and seen<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mWCxl4U7dB31is_v9cWjRg3fcwJL0e-aOvbVChKYxdInFhsvvCrSbXt0jtG6B0mxRaQso6MtXsdd2DfIOOYmes-N8jKFf1QfdtdHG9Ymf0_9MRvJWTIOmffeSpCTz36PzfFWw0kQlcY/s1600/DSC09912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mWCxl4U7dB31is_v9cWjRg3fcwJL0e-aOvbVChKYxdInFhsvvCrSbXt0jtG6B0mxRaQso6MtXsdd2DfIOOYmes-N8jKFf1QfdtdHG9Ymf0_9MRvJWTIOmffeSpCTz36PzfFWw0kQlcY/s200/DSC09912.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">and this</span>
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i.e. that's what I get for going into the 'zone' of following a recipe and not remembering my intent to add-on to it! Bananas still to use and espresso still to finish. #firstworldproblems for sure.<br />
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Anyway, following the recipe yielded an interesting result. The brownies turned out very flat, very dense, and even a bit dry, kind of like a flourless chocolate cake (although I did use flour, a combination of white whole-wheat and whole-wheat pastry flour). This was not a case of me overcooking in my terrible oven, either. The batter <i>suuuuure </i>looked beautiful though, eh?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBd_tGD7UKPsnH1UQqrMjCiQdOjo9qhawBm0-KZzencAKQvHbse7RLR0qvp-jJPEo0ZZ4TiYhWVVde45l2gD38VS4rNGcVbL6pz86yaTmy6YDEcBjdU8fVV94QdqYPk8X0rI6dXcKfHBk/s1600/DSC09909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBd_tGD7UKPsnH1UQqrMjCiQdOjo9qhawBm0-KZzencAKQvHbse7RLR0qvp-jJPEo0ZZ4TiYhWVVde45l2gD38VS4rNGcVbL6pz86yaTmy6YDEcBjdU8fVV94QdqYPk8X0rI6dXcKfHBk/s320/DSC09909.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pouring that fudge brownie batter into the pan</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_vFNhcnbLuyorneJCEEdGcKXwBYvE1CwchL_MWwsDcMX_q6eMOp1t-0IMSRid1XfuiuqIRlTgeydW5z9kQv6cYMx81jWhQNmn8IJnXOXmL4_ZZwR2AF8XjBrTZpeXyryJ39T2OYMEK8/s1600/DSC09895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_vFNhcnbLuyorneJCEEdGcKXwBYvE1CwchL_MWwsDcMX_q6eMOp1t-0IMSRid1XfuiuqIRlTgeydW5z9kQv6cYMx81jWhQNmn8IJnXOXmL4_ZZwR2AF8XjBrTZpeXyryJ39T2OYMEK8/s320/DSC09895.JPG" width="320" /></a>Here's the order of how it came together. Trader Joe's chocolate discs and butter, melted.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXT2_L2OI_gFTigjWWWXckXFrgDyRHoaFc-SuFAldJOisKNzKx02CaVOrc7njxYx195QXxJRmQhq83zOfhZCZrkXxexGW73kuTX5NhsQqhyphenhyphen9rpfpIsnSEjmZ-N4STlG56GbLb-V5HPN-k/s1600/DSC09897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXT2_L2OI_gFTigjWWWXckXFrgDyRHoaFc-SuFAldJOisKNzKx02CaVOrc7njxYx195QXxJRmQhq83zOfhZCZrkXxexGW73kuTX5NhsQqhyphenhyphen9rpfpIsnSEjmZ-N4STlG56GbLb-V5HPN-k/s320/DSC09897.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melted to the perfect consistency to add the brown sugar and vanilla...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSTwjlEaNCU2g569ypsunbH6TpA9OAV8cCcqa52qwPy1xH4xLzFZwTC8oZipQmQj4415pJrrVQE6SGEEn24KDUi3YOOnWzSirD5-LoN1cwiooIuLQrsIIcLG9Q8T6Ha0jL8wsr5PTTFSo/s1600/DSC09903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSTwjlEaNCU2g569ypsunbH6TpA9OAV8cCcqa52qwPy1xH4xLzFZwTC8oZipQmQj4415pJrrVQE6SGEEn24KDUi3YOOnWzSirD5-LoN1cwiooIuLQrsIIcLG9Q8T6Ha0jL8wsr5PTTFSo/s320/DSC09903.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whisking in the egg, giving it a frothy surface temporarily...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJENVsJUexR8RskaWe44oWz99h5GVD0h4Lyfm4UurBTG1Ku8ijQUCjKnM6eKWAj9QFrtH1DV8njwErIdlpf3hFSaILBs6hN7lRPjXn5lPmhNRW4MOACM4ecxGFpFuksSoCxmL5v33YV4/s1600/DSC09906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJENVsJUexR8RskaWe44oWz99h5GVD0h4Lyfm4UurBTG1Ku8ijQUCjKnM6eKWAj9QFrtH1DV8njwErIdlpf3hFSaILBs6hN7lRPjXn5lPmhNRW4MOACM4ecxGFpFuksSoCxmL5v33YV4/s320/DSC09906.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting artistic... (look Ma, one-handed whisking!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgENLSWUWzD9EwOXGITWThQD_lsWegznkUZeRf_MnVJTHwz0cfYDGWuWkUSi95pjR8IwqL7zLkChk-lD6b78MBOZAeAlcdBFDykGtFHSqyn6LKFxMZYIodoLvc0KtLqFYtb3fef9bqp-cE/s1600/DSC09905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgENLSWUWzD9EwOXGITWThQD_lsWegznkUZeRf_MnVJTHwz0cfYDGWuWkUSi95pjR8IwqL7zLkChk-lD6b78MBOZAeAlcdBFDykGtFHSqyn6LKFxMZYIodoLvc0KtLqFYtb3fef9bqp-cE/s320/DSC09905.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding flour, a bit at a time</td></tr>
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Moosewood Banana Muffins</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijgbvvk6xv1-jFJxPkdRWZtjHeUNZTLItPeo8mQjVtJvyI15H54cch6LKD1mLTRpZOUSMzprje5R8z7nTrQxunyz4pOxO4ZXONIpSRmvgqgi0NOBzsYtbarbiSPTahaf_JrY1YXlvMNQ/s1600/DSC09908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijgbvvk6xv1-jFJxPkdRWZtjHeUNZTLItPeo8mQjVtJvyI15H54cch6LKD1mLTRpZOUSMzprje5R8z7nTrQxunyz4pOxO4ZXONIpSRmvgqgi0NOBzsYtbarbiSPTahaf_JrY1YXlvMNQ/s320/DSC09908.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">And finally, that fudge-y consistency we all know and love so well. I brought these into work on an off day (we've been having terrible network problems, so a lot of people have been staying home), but they still went over pretty well. Wondering if anyone has had a similar result on the texture/ moisture issue though, since I like a gooey-er brownie myself.</span><br />
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So that was attempt number one. Since I realized I had forgotten the espresso and the bananas right before I put the brownies in the oven, it gave me some time to wash up and start over, which I determined to do. Easiest recipe to turn to in time of need? Well, these were already bookmarked to try in the same book, soooo...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGClTBqxtPBfZ8J2_bZL-sx4o1KF44W7XMbcX7rRTvpTrbzSpCcsRtUmzyWemnbTkyYxvTkWyJGSHOvvO2uuFFwSIjCtyxEGGJ4AQlNx_tZupx_nys-Utw8TnXAIVm4bdCsuOnJZ2Iag/s1600/DSC09916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGClTBqxtPBfZ8J2_bZL-sx4o1KF44W7XMbcX7rRTvpTrbzSpCcsRtUmzyWemnbTkyYxvTkWyJGSHOvvO2uuFFwSIjCtyxEGGJ4AQlNx_tZupx_nys-Utw8TnXAIVm4bdCsuOnJZ2Iag/s200/DSC09916.JPG" width="112" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div>
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<b>Moosewood Banana Muffins it is (was)!</b> (with add-ins of espresso and chocolate chips)</div>
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I had previously made a <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/2012/03/few-of-my-favorite-things-in-quickbread.html" target="_blank">chocolate banana gingerbread</a>, so I only had 2 bananas. I think this made the muffins a little dry, but the flavor was right on, and if you heat them in the microwave for a few seconds under a wet paper towel...... you can't tell the difference.<br />
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I celebrated my birthday yesterday with many good friends, and am leaving in a few hours for Napoli for a solo vacation, so you could say I'm <b><a href="http://hungeree.com/edibles/giant-chocolate-chip-cookie-cake/" target="_blank">sandwiched between pleasures</a></b>.<br />
To come when I return: Scottish Cuisine: my take; Cherry blossoms of DC in 2012; and other treats of living this life full throttle. <b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Salute!</span></i></b><br />
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</div>Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-55435802827304821592012-04-12T14:26:00.000-04:002012-04-12T14:26:51.106-04:00Glazed Oxtail Meets Amazing Brown Rice Bowl<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtIP8i7f3aiUgzcOgW2JWJrJ8TlWgOq1Y5KRZgW0oRmKaDWL5JjmbGkIf-Z-4DLeMWTh98ou4ALoy8FEcWUor20NlhLfhnTws-ytz4KhvvzeRZepUwVmNIfUOuRNe-KXaX1eP1iUazv4/s1600/DSC00081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtIP8i7f3aiUgzcOgW2JWJrJ8TlWgOq1Y5KRZgW0oRmKaDWL5JjmbGkIf-Z-4DLeMWTh98ou4ALoy8FEcWUor20NlhLfhnTws-ytz4KhvvzeRZepUwVmNIfUOuRNe-KXaX1eP1iUazv4/s320/DSC00081.JPG" width="180" /></a><br />
<h4>
<i>As with the beans, so with the oxtail...</i></h4>
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Who makes anything with oxtail these days? Wizened Italian grandmothers, that's who. Am I aspiring to be a wizened Italian grandmother?<br />
<b>No.</b><br />
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But again, there's that yearning to live 'close to the ground,' if you know what I mean. If you can't be in harmony with nature due to your society's dependence on oil, then at least you can understand better how to be grateful for what you have. Enter the oxtail, sturdy, hearty, hard-to-get-at-unless-you-take-the-time protein.<br />
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Simply Recipes (such a great site, btw) put up <a href="http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/glazed_oxtails/" target="_blank">this recipe for Glazed Oxtails</a> a few weeks ago, coincidentally right after I had taken the leap at the farmers market to purchase some oxtail joints. Ding! That would be the universe calling.<br />
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It took a while, edging around other plans, but I finally made it this week, staying amazingly faithful to Elise's recipe (for me), which included very helpful pictures at all steps along the way.<br />
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One of the ways I did depart from her recipe was volume: being a one-person household, I didn't want to either buy or store the 4 pounds of meat, so I bought one vacuum-packed bundle, coming in at 1.3 lbs. I halved most of the other ingredients, which was fine (except then the boiling-off took forever...).<br />
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However, after a time, it too was done. But ya can't just eat <b><span style="font-size: large;">meat</span></b>.<br />
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Then <a href="http://vanessabarrington.com/2012/04/amazing-brown-rice-bowl-real-food-all-year.html" target="_blank">this eye candy from Vanessa Barrington</a> showed up in my Twitter feed, and I had my idea: Glazed Oxtail meets Amazing Brown Rice Bowl. Done!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0KmoOj1SRK6DqDli7ZErq8S7gPtyf8diVEwc2r0NrP3d02nKBMaX11GhRWFZw-BCPcSr_PD1nKRQ22BcPHN2JQP6KwkgEnx4eHHZjskLa4WT2mekNG-jjX8Lcsae2dRTI9mGoxoNBzl8/s1600/DSC00075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0KmoOj1SRK6DqDli7ZErq8S7gPtyf8diVEwc2r0NrP3d02nKBMaX11GhRWFZw-BCPcSr_PD1nKRQ22BcPHN2JQP6KwkgEnx4eHHZjskLa4WT2mekNG-jjX8Lcsae2dRTI9mGoxoNBzl8/s320/DSC00075.JPG" width="180" /></a>I went the easy way for the rice bowl part, already feeling virtuous from the multi-step, multi-hour process that the oxtail required. Brown rice from Trader Joe's went into the micro, spring onions (from the farmers market- it <i>IS </i><a href="http://pinterest.com/mag_pie/my-garden/" target="_blank">spring</a>!) got chopped into the pan with a dollop each of lemonaise and tahini. I added a swish of olive oil to coat, then half of the rice until warmed through, then half of the oxtail (which I had prewarmed to deliquify the gelatin).<br />
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In went the rest of the rice (for 3 cups total). I topped a serving for my dinner with the greens of the two spring onions and a splinkling of dashi for crunch and salt.<br />
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />If you're interested in the proportions, that was ~.75 lbs oxtail to begin, and 3 cups brown rice (for 2 servings, one dinner and one work lunch!). As you can see, it made for a dish that was suffused with good beef flavor and stock without being dominated by the protein itself. Just what I was aiming for at this point in my <i>eating </i>life.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjApN2YmjrnpV-0XDS5CXJeV1indh2o4VbHt5qL3XD0MmXP99Tic6S-hbj7xptz6CAJcx7eNkfhXnMR6rDQTl7XQF_3WUHtjNDEfU3o9AMBoVjpDtBaKPrOGb2gddg1LR36wtPtYDKLsLQ/s1600/DSC00078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjApN2YmjrnpV-0XDS5CXJeV1indh2o4VbHt5qL3XD0MmXP99Tic6S-hbj7xptz6CAJcx7eNkfhXnMR6rDQTl7XQF_3WUHtjNDEfU3o9AMBoVjpDtBaKPrOGb2gddg1LR36wtPtYDKLsLQ/s320/DSC00078.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<i>Now if only I can do that for some of the other aims in my </i>working <i>life...</i>Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-5263429026191107112012-04-07T14:35:00.000-04:002012-04-07T14:35:59.218-04:00Arctic Char in Sustainable Lemon Cream Sauce<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItLSUUa-FMet42dtb8jNT0JeX1mk7mi-Yojugwpjeu3-P0oZ8-W6F7i7IZg0MJfILiVnqE2eJu5eIMGuX9ITYGhNsiFNMSdlrUqI2cENuQlhKww7Y52T8XRqLhShMDm7HV6yOkJkqDRU/s1600/DSC09824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItLSUUa-FMet42dtb8jNT0JeX1mk7mi-Yojugwpjeu3-P0oZ8-W6F7i7IZg0MJfILiVnqE2eJu5eIMGuX9ITYGhNsiFNMSdlrUqI2cENuQlhKww7Y52T8XRqLhShMDm7HV6yOkJkqDRU/s320/DSC09824.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lemony, flaky goodness...</td></tr>
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The cherry blossoms were beautiful, and finishing the 10 Mile Race was a sweet topping-off of all the work that went into training to become a runner. I think I'll hang up my spurs for a while though, so that I can give my full attention to <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/2012/01/creative-endeavor-year.html" target="_blank">other pursuits</a>...<br />
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One of these other pursuits, as you may have deduced, is cooking sustainable and delicious food, for myself and others. Right on the heels of running that race, I was already brimming with ideas about supper clubs and cooking classes- I'm sorry, is that my <a href="http://puttylike.com/" target="_blank">multipotentiality</a> showing? Good!<br />
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One of the things I tried out on myself was a recipe from Elise at <a href="http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/salmon_with_lemon_cream_sauce/" target="_blank">Simply Recipes</a>: Arctic Char with Lemon Cream Sauce. Elise adapted it for salmon, but the original recipe from the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Country-Cooking-Ireland-Colman-Andrews/dp/081186670X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333821212&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Country Cooking of Ireland</a> used Arctic Char, a sustainable alternative to most of the over-fished or inefficiently-caught salmon out there (not that there isn't good salmon-- it's out there, too!).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUdNEvL7xzKldDbe7n6G7nlefLwWIm3jntRUks8JNJIwPyIvOWJ6oyhRwJ5KoY2g5IbDOAIz-RZCNDhFp1HU-jONJHaZQZQax6qSCg4dcQqBWEKhC7ypB76C4aTL-u8t-TkCjzEXzX-U/s1600/DSC09813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUdNEvL7xzKldDbe7n6G7nlefLwWIm3jntRUks8JNJIwPyIvOWJ6oyhRwJ5KoY2g5IbDOAIz-RZCNDhFp1HU-jONJHaZQZQax6qSCg4dcQqBWEKhC7ypB76C4aTL-u8t-TkCjzEXzX-U/s320/DSC09813.JPG" width="180" /></a>The recipe is fairly simple: lemon juice, chicken stock, and heavy cream combining and reducing to form a warm and piquant accompaniment to the crispy-skinned, flaky-fleshed arctic char. YUM. I loved how the defrosted fillets had such glistening colors on the skin side- don't be afraid to say it: <b><i>fish scales can be beautiful</i></b>!<br />
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As Elise notes, it's best to 1) fry the skin-side-down first, to crisp it up and 2) turn on the fan above your stove, since frying fish tends to leave a lingering, odiferous signature.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLkDiEJMDFnKjt5dZE9Rn7ZdmQb-Qd_wv413pCknxttLKHWqvE3OS3tjd5NtoGfMPtQFdtydkkO-xxL2HYXgJqGLtcSZNb2w1YXT2khFTdu5TG4lePNJn4kPavHcXOzaAlanMYL-2QEo/s1600/DSC09814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLkDiEJMDFnKjt5dZE9Rn7ZdmQb-Qd_wv413pCknxttLKHWqvE3OS3tjd5NtoGfMPtQFdtydkkO-xxL2HYXgJqGLtcSZNb2w1YXT2khFTdu5TG4lePNJn4kPavHcXOzaAlanMYL-2QEo/s320/DSC09814.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skin-side down first</td></tr>
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There are an awful lot of details involved in judging whether a fish species is being overfished or caught in a way that doesn't harm other species, so I leave it to <a href="http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx" target="_blank">Seafood Watch</a>, a widely-trusted program of the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium, which I visited on a field trip as a kid in California. They study, research, and verify claims of sustainability to protect the health of the ocean's seafood species.<br />
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Now, I have come across some conflicting reports from supposedly trustworthy sources- Whole Foods for example, listing their fish as a yellow (not great) when SFW lists them as red (avoid). Any ideas about how to determine who's right? This might be a question for Twitter... (yes, I've joined <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXBbgzQmpJw" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. It's kind of exciting!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WqR0MhyP9dMYrfm61zukV4WIngyC7S9_JNKKri8-CF9Sa8I8IvvcBrywZCBTh4PTFkbGMEixca52I9bU8m_cYlja30YtGiyb4nVobM8OkcCI2wr6j-MBwvK5csC3pYdY2bBuDTQmUk0/s1600/DSC09823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WqR0MhyP9dMYrfm61zukV4WIngyC7S9_JNKKri8-CF9Sa8I8IvvcBrywZCBTh4PTFkbGMEixca52I9bU8m_cYlja30YtGiyb4nVobM8OkcCI2wr6j-MBwvK5csC3pYdY2bBuDTQmUk0/s320/DSC09823.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for its close-up</td></tr>
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Where are you on sustainable seafood? Is it not an issue where you are? Are you confused about who is a good authority? Or are you waiting on a few, good <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHx477HRG7Q" target="_blank">fishmongers</a> to show up in your neighborhood? (Me, too!) Let us know in the comments if you've found some good sources of info which you can share!<br />
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Oh, and by the way, the cream for this was organic, and the lemons were sustainably farmed, if you can call the trees in my parents' backyard a 'farm.' SO glad I'm still the occasional recipient of their <a href="http://www.pinkofperfection.com/2009/04/rethinking-the-care-package/" target="_blank">care packages</a>!<br />
<br />Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-62433005160457660472012-03-31T21:46:00.000-04:002012-03-31T21:46:29.995-04:00Try, Try Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhA9uEaoqOWvac3f3CeJsVKvm6zlwkwad_BmQ3L48E2VJl1s6ezDDl4AXvppsM1dZjIpioJznnKdtTqwn7B7MK3CjqVfZUjRwlmO39em6U1B5U3_6LU1psHOE4Hv_nXYxRdRpccRm6AY/s1600/DSC09807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhA9uEaoqOWvac3f3CeJsVKvm6zlwkwad_BmQ3L48E2VJl1s6ezDDl4AXvppsM1dZjIpioJznnKdtTqwn7B7MK3CjqVfZUjRwlmO39em6U1B5U3_6LU1psHOE4Hv_nXYxRdRpccRm6AY/s200/DSC09807.JPG" width="112" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>I admit it.</i></span><br />
I often try to do things that I consider virtuous and aligned with independent living values, not always because I aspire to be a <a href="http://communicatingacrossboundaries.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/pioneer.jpg" target="_blank">pioneer woman</a> (ahem), but because I like being able to opt-out of the modern food system, which I feel is <a href="http://host.madison.com/ct/news/opinion/column/article_1b594a87-d43f-544a-b39d-62059731c1f5.html" target="_blank">not serving us well</a> in the long term.<br />
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One of those <span style="font-size: large;">T</span>hings <span style="font-size: large;">I</span> <span style="font-size: large;">D</span>o is try to make beans. I have failed several times - undercooking, overcooking - and succeeded a time or two as well. But it seems a hard thing for me to get a hold of. These complex legumes want to keep their mystery from me! Nevertheless, I keep trying.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3Wj2ykQtQk_9yjGECZYl1xnbIWv2zWBCMwrz6kmv6D3rCsJE330wBifLJqf_aqXtJYlWvYegA2N7uQ4PRaAIAYdC1bPmPNnuFACaR83Hinr8X_o0uDa8xQHI9MAl642AVj9lBu2sZmc/s1600/DSC09810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3Wj2ykQtQk_9yjGECZYl1xnbIWv2zWBCMwrz6kmv6D3rCsJE330wBifLJqf_aqXtJYlWvYegA2N7uQ4PRaAIAYdC1bPmPNnuFACaR83Hinr8X_o0uDa8xQHI9MAl642AVj9lBu2sZmc/s320/DSC09810.JPG" width="320" /></a>Last weekend, I rinsed, I soaked overnight, and I left the house to meet a friend for the afternoon, leaving my Jacob's cattle beans (purchased at my local <a href="http://marketsandmore.info/" target="_blank">Bloomingdale Farmers' Market</a> last summer) with their aromatics (bay leaf, onion studdded with cloves) in the oven at ~290 F, <a href="http://www.yankeemagazine.com/recipes/search/onerecipe.php?number=2" target="_blank">from this recipe</a>. I met my friend Yasemin at the metro, and we went on a mini-adventure (for me, not for her) to the Turkish grocery/ convenience/ dry goods store a few minutes away (<a href="http://www.atillasrestaurant.com/" target="_blank">Attila's</a> on Columbia Pike). I saw, for the first time in 6 years, products that made me squeal with delight- soup mixes and pretzel sticks, ayran and <a href="http://www.tulumba.com/mmTULUMBA/Images/FB423006YT879_250.jpg" target="_blank">apple tea powder</a>. It was like visiting a locked room in my mind.<br />
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Afterwards, Yasemin graciously had me in to her house for tea and snacks, and we talked and talked and talked...and of course you remember I had beans on at home? Well, the fact had fled from my mind, until I realized it was past 5 PM and had a shock of 'Oh I hope I didn't ruin my pan!' We postponed the forthcoming Turkish coffee and I sped home to survey the damage.<br />
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None! Still cooking away! Phew. Aren't beans grand?<br />
I settled down with a movie and looked up an hour later to see that the beans were all crusty and had mostly dried up except the ones under the onion.<br />
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Sigh.<br />
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Like beans, running is something of a pioneer sport: no money down, no fancy equipment, just gumption, persistence, and determination. If you mess up once, no matter, you can try again next time. Tomorrow is my Try Again.<br />
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See you under the <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/cucb" target="_blank">cherry blossoms</a>.<br />
<br />Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-86105614910219638442012-03-25T22:48:00.000-04:002012-03-25T22:48:01.464-04:00A Few of My Favorite Things, in a quickbread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today's post begins with a Guessing Game. What is this a picture of? </div>
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The answer will come in the next post! For now, we turn our attention to a delicious new conquest:</div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>Chocolate Banana Gingerbread</b></i></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CQc7aTMbAJ3dGZPmD7Bu4K4XfFOPd6UDbciMEgw_36xJdyqV-ajldF5KCDbep951Ds64IWNxyC555WZXjAjIltdb4MATLPzqMF-cKukKp4GIekP0588f_PilK4ddL-qP9q99ihbD-ug/s1600/DSC09783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CQc7aTMbAJ3dGZPmD7Bu4K4XfFOPd6UDbciMEgw_36xJdyqV-ajldF5KCDbep951Ds64IWNxyC555WZXjAjIltdb4MATLPzqMF-cKukKp4GIekP0588f_PilK4ddL-qP9q99ihbD-ug/s320/DSC09783.JPG" width="320" /></a>How did this come about, you ask? As usual, with the need to use up soon-to-be-gone ingredients. In this case it was ripe bananas, the last bit of molasses, and cookie crumbs (that were also used in <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/2012/03/gingered-lemon-pie-for-pi-day.html" target="_blank">a certain pie</a>). I love it when things work out like this- you feel economical and thrifty while at the same time ending up with a gorgeous load of sweet baked goodness. It's kind of like the feeling you get when you manage to do two things at once, like laundry and paying bills, except better! Because this gingerbread is sure better than the mostly-dried clothes I get from my building's dryers...</div>
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I found the recipe on a blog I am only recently following: <a href="http://www.howsweeteats.com/" target="_blank">How Sweet Eats</a>. I'm not sure if it's How Sweet It Is or How Sweet Eats- she has both. Either way, I am hooked, because her writing is hil-ar-i-ous. Go to <a href="http://www.howsweeteats.com/2010/11/chocolate-banana-gingerbread/" target="_blank">this post</a>, read all the way through the recipe, and tell me that you didn't laugh. "Stupid legs." She has a genius for internal comic dialogue.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg342ujT0QhAl5iXtTPPKui1mocvAnx6KFDy2yvFzxWNXt62mJWMEUlTuQIswGLxMnmHYmQYHc-NNNftzT4MCKUGFN5Qn6WeZ4RuNOlfKzJ3DxlAr-DE4r7O3HQFF9r_OfoYsltTxe3s-4/s1600/DSC09782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg342ujT0QhAl5iXtTPPKui1mocvAnx6KFDy2yvFzxWNXt62mJWMEUlTuQIswGLxMnmHYmQYHc-NNNftzT4MCKUGFN5Qn6WeZ4RuNOlfKzJ3DxlAr-DE4r7O3HQFF9r_OfoYsltTxe3s-4/s320/DSC09782.JPG" width="320" /></a>I loved the combination- banana bread, gingerbread, and of course: chocolate! I stuck mostly to the recipe on this one, although I didn't have enough molasses to equal her amount (1/3 instead of 1/2 cup), but called it close enough. I substituted 1/3 whole-wheat flour for all-purpose to no adverse effect. And instead of turbinado sugar, I sprinkled the top with my ground gingersnap crumbs for an <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbK6I0hTHog" target="_blank">extra sparkle</a> of spice.<br />
The result had a gorgeous moist, practically gooey, crumb, an even crust on top, and filled the role of "Semi-Healthy Dessert" in my household to a 'T'.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Yes, infinitely better than semi-dried clothes. </div>
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Don't forget to guess the subject of the photo above in the comments! No telling what the scale is...</div>
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<br /></div>Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-6687264792813870312012-03-18T10:37:00.001-04:002012-03-18T10:37:15.507-04:00Gingered Lemon Pie for Pi Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shadow Puppet Pie Theatre!</td></tr>
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Welcome to the Pi Day Post! Working with engineers and following <a href="http://confectionsofamasterbaker.blogspot.com/2012/03/pie-dayits-already-come-for-some-of-you.html" target="_blank">Gesine's blog</a> made me very excited about the possibilities for this day which honors... an <a href="http://youtu.be/H20cKjz-bjw" target="_blank">irrational number</a>. </div>
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Happily, Pi Day this year coincided with a Green-themed Potluck at work, so I wasn't forced to eat the whole pie myself. (Wouldn't that have been <i>awful</i>?)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmQCrXI7qKpagIDXu57at8ESqRbFVSiNqCsa4khM8yi2bHZM0XfEid-OFe9d9-SfNTyBnj6iNALbeML4EhM2aMNxdj3YQdykpwen-kFUrogXEK0NUcqxpySPSlP-hqkpDAOdK_-Dy2Jj6/s1600/DSC09832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmQCrXI7qKpagIDXu57at8ESqRbFVSiNqCsa4khM8yi2bHZM0XfEid-OFe9d9-SfNTyBnj6iNALbeML4EhM2aMNxdj3YQdykpwen-kFUrogXEK0NUcqxpySPSlP-hqkpDAOdK_-Dy2Jj6/s320/DSC09832.JPG" width="320" /></a>What's so green about a lemon pie, you ask? Well, lemons are in season in winter, and ginger is easily frozen, making both of these organic choices great ones for this March (even though this winter has <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/2012/03/where-she-admits-spring-is-here.html" target="_blank">hardly earned its stripes</a>). Add in the fact that I was using crushed Ikea ginger cookie leftovers and the final sweetened condensed milk can from a Costco raid <i>a couple years ago</i>, and it becomes also a thrifty and economical use of my pantry ingredients! Ah, happiness found. :-)</div>
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I was excited to use such a great recipe from Leah at <a href="http://www.sohowsittaste.com/" target="_blank">So How's It Taste?</a>, whom I met through the <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/2011/12/many-good-things.html" target="_blank">Food Bloggers' Cookie Swap</a> last Christmas. She has crafted a pie with many layers of both lemon and ginger flavor, for a fantastic result! <a href="http://www.sohowsittaste.com/2011/07/gingered-lemon-icebox-pie.html#comment-6319" target="_blank">Her recipe</a> follows, with my adaptive tweaks. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTIoURJTk_uiHJ5wcQkTg_DytpWTBMyWVX4JYUbYOkn4md51giR4zEquDfmL1DiPf-n0-2uwWYYq1wpcEMygOid1G1NLZkRIv1a2VRwQbSNqrCbl7K7IYCvM9wfxTdMkv713zbC9rQqSP/s1600/DSC09851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTIoURJTk_uiHJ5wcQkTg_DytpWTBMyWVX4JYUbYOkn4md51giR4zEquDfmL1DiPf-n0-2uwWYYq1wpcEMygOid1G1NLZkRIv1a2VRwQbSNqrCbl7K7IYCvM9wfxTdMkv713zbC9rQqSP/s320/DSC09851.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Gingered Lemon Icebox Pie</b></span><br />
makes <strike>8 servings</strike> <i>12 modest slices</i><strike><br /></strike></div>
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Ingredients:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45wrK7tROQF8gSVXI0feLTchCcY4IuSVDTANqSXAYBzXAU08WtshAImsPnJJw6zGbItJdegHoFAFJoyUfUuiD1OiF3GbtAElgvetHXuEarwJb2oyGDajDyuOXBS_a1hyP2SwHBd1TxKwt/s1600/DSC09827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45wrK7tROQF8gSVXI0feLTchCcY4IuSVDTANqSXAYBzXAU08WtshAImsPnJJw6zGbItJdegHoFAFJoyUfUuiD1OiF3GbtAElgvetHXuEarwJb2oyGDajDyuOXBS_a1hyP2SwHBd1TxKwt/s200/DSC09827.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<strong>Crust</strong><br />
1 1/2 cups <strike>Trader Joe’s Triple</strike> <i>Ikea ginger cookie</i> crumbs (or gingersnap cookie crumbs)<br />
1 tbsp. crystallized ginger<br />
3 tbsp. sugar<br />
1/2 tsp. ground ginger<br />
6 tbsp. melted butter <i>(could've done with 5 tbsp, I think)</i><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nx4wVzRh4UcRlPJRFkcBuCaw9yNFZ6dbl5TDgw9zvact1Q8g82miZWAxj31xBLcNKywCvXkLrIvwsbIdi6yMNg3cuz0jAeXjeUOS0Ii-M0xupGxiWqA5zK7bKYtNxoIjFbKI4Dv_LAf7/s1600/DSC09828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nx4wVzRh4UcRlPJRFkcBuCaw9yNFZ6dbl5TDgw9zvact1Q8g82miZWAxj31xBLcNKywCvXkLrIvwsbIdi6yMNg3cuz0jAeXjeUOS0Ii-M0xupGxiWqA5zK7bKYtNxoIjFbKI4Dv_LAf7/s200/DSC09828.JPG" width="200" /></a><strong>Filling</strong><br />
<strike>1/2 cup</strike> <i>1/3 cup was fine</i> fresh lemon juice <i>(from 2 lemons, mailed from the backyard tree at home in California!)</i><br />
2-inch piece fresh ginger, minced<br />
3 egg yolks<br />
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk<br />
zest from 1 lemon<br />
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1. For the crust, preheat oven to 350°F. Blend the cookie crumbs and
the crystallized ginger in a food processor until well blended and <i>no unappetizing chunks</i><span id="internal-source-marker_0.3864312637517483" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span> of the ginger remain. Transfer crumb mixture to a medium bowl and
add the sugar and ground ginger; mix well. Add the melted butter and
combine. Press into the bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Bake 10
minutes. Let cool.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1e0wkyEo8FCm-uoRypYN99u7kdQmznQmUzAe5JASH705wcqF-T9fe9ytLQHOBegNwvkgp8w35JV3eoFDuFBCSTF0ehG8-KlC6V4bNnG63weKTV3Q7ZilgWO4JCoIUqBa0t9COsgzabo6/s1600/DSC09833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1e0wkyEo8FCm-uoRypYN99u7kdQmznQmUzAe5JASH705wcqF-T9fe9ytLQHOBegNwvkgp8w35JV3eoFDuFBCSTF0ehG8-KlC6V4bNnG63weKTV3Q7ZilgWO4JCoIUqBa0t9COsgzabo6/s200/DSC09833.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Down to the bottom after baking, cooling</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOavAOLHAzl3jt7C3zQmFR8j1kxhavmeXlo60qqDnNah0WHrejVQ1f2JE0BzM9uAw9mn7QFL5JXTErwGDDens_N_2jwv5qq9-Sbn6dmu1-PLzDh_QJixLA9zLkXrW1piATKKiyXk01WkL/s1600/DSC09829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOavAOLHAzl3jt7C3zQmFR8j1kxhavmeXlo60qqDnNah0WHrejVQ1f2JE0BzM9uAw9mn7QFL5JXTErwGDDens_N_2jwv5qq9-Sbn6dmu1-PLzDh_QJixLA9zLkXrW1piATKKiyXk01WkL/s200/DSC09829.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Up the sides before baking...</td></tr>
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2. For the filling, in a small saucepan add the lemon juice and
minced ginger. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and
let steep for 10 minutes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjGkLZFDr0WVUiD2qE3Ao4dwmbkuZfE3QqrKK7q5R60op6L22KEG_HHUoB8Hwk518fio4-LeIReKRzuIs_LOAISQV-3FeqE91oHsGJ0-Z2sdYTMpHbR-3OQLpkC0kYQcA0WQPi67t8Ojp/s1600/DSC09836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjGkLZFDr0WVUiD2qE3Ao4dwmbkuZfE3QqrKK7q5R60op6L22KEG_HHUoB8Hwk518fio4-LeIReKRzuIs_LOAISQV-3FeqE91oHsGJ0-Z2sdYTMpHbR-3OQLpkC0kYQcA0WQPi67t8Ojp/s320/DSC09836.JPG" width="320" /></a>3. Meanwhile, add the egg yolks to a medium bowl and whisk. Add the
sweetened condensed milk and the lemon zest. Strain the ginger lemon
juice mixture over the same bowl, pressing on the ginger to release its
flavor (save to flavor tea). Whisk all ingredients until well combined.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ap47q5x9gV8aQpXBnOSc-mGG0nZQ-WPlSGMDOlxUmgE2wZ5_2uiGWQyZZy1QM4Qi-GbxBJE4CuLy8vjuvxJi1nsnEGhmDO-DjmLkV5p14pUduVqh8BI_mZjeoPZlos9fm5SJ5fUT-71y/s1600/DSC09842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ap47q5x9gV8aQpXBnOSc-mGG0nZQ-WPlSGMDOlxUmgE2wZ5_2uiGWQyZZy1QM4Qi-GbxBJE4CuLy8vjuvxJi1nsnEGhmDO-DjmLkV5p14pUduVqh8BI_mZjeoPZlos9fm5SJ5fUT-71y/s320/DSC09842.JPG" width="320" /></a> 4. Pour lemon mixture into baked pie crust. Bake at 325°F for 30-35
minutes, until filling is set. Cool at room temperature for 1 hour.
Place pie in refrigerator and let set for <i>at least </i>3 hours <i>(I made mine 2 days in advance and it wasn't adversely affected)</i>. Serve chilled with a
dollop of whipped cream, if desired.<br />
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<i>The behind the scenes shots show my battle array: </i></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYA1uVib3XwGvUiPAX_tnyuAz35RbcwflnKWVoiVjRKooo59gejOKzlRKL4qiebzlRGMkMf2D-NSO6PHgl2dzCYBLrmu3bCsyzKxvGNmCoim2gcEXNuBCQnI8JgBArkagJCLnpo4VwUOJ/s1600/DSC09839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYA1uVib3XwGvUiPAX_tnyuAz35RbcwflnKWVoiVjRKooo59gejOKzlRKL4qiebzlRGMkMf2D-NSO6PHgl2dzCYBLrmu3bCsyzKxvGNmCoim2gcEXNuBCQnI8JgBArkagJCLnpo4VwUOJ/s320/DSC09839.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From window to wall...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqU-LPwc0ICrz3y54MxICPwmnDpMwo6NRnNTtEiCQX7MBEmUDP9OrqmaY0OITMHioxcjJF0E82PXjqRLC3rR17dTlkeJQIiEuc_TS3U0k8f-0i9FjWCOGiDNO5UljThGb_oOJnHFAxl9A3/s1600/DSC09840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqU-LPwc0ICrz3y54MxICPwmnDpMwo6NRnNTtEiCQX7MBEmUDP9OrqmaY0OITMHioxcjJF0E82PXjqRLC3rR17dTlkeJQIiEuc_TS3U0k8f-0i9FjWCOGiDNO5UljThGb_oOJnHFAxl9A3/s320/DSC09840.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From wall to window!</td></tr>
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And from this you can understand why each and every baking effort of mine results in a sinkful of dishes! From Left to Right: egg yolks being whisked, sink starting to fill, open can of sweetened, condensed milk, ginger-lemon juice mixture steeping on a burner, pie crust awaiting filling, zesting accomplished. Phew!<br />
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<b>Lots of steps and utensils, but sooo worth it!</b><br />
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Did you make a pie for Pi Day??<br />
Do you have advice about how to stop a cookie-crumb-crust from sliding down while baking?<br />
Are you laughing at the size of my kitchen?<br />
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Let me know in the comments so I can laugh along. :-)<br />
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<b>And make this pie. You won't be sorry.</b></div>Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-81688480980049411572012-03-15T21:25:00.001-04:002012-03-18T10:37:36.308-04:00where she admits Spring is here<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
What a disappointing winter...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGR1AM4G0tIywNrBur_5WUtlyMmHarwW_FToJtUodxkaowe2KzXcTZGoKSgMkGmWBCqNxTn-3L01vEvn9Iq16itbEUkv9F114fSM4YFSylyH2XC1KoiIKLva4vZIsySwyWz52Utz_oez5/s1600/DSC09607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGR1AM4G0tIywNrBur_5WUtlyMmHarwW_FToJtUodxkaowe2KzXcTZGoKSgMkGmWBCqNxTn-3L01vEvn9Iq16itbEUkv9F114fSM4YFSylyH2XC1KoiIKLva4vZIsySwyWz52Utz_oez5/s320/DSC09607.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The height of DC's snow: Shaw Recreation Center on Feb. 12th</td></tr>
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I repeatedly humored the so-called <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG9DA-dSu8Y" target="_blank">winter weather</a>, preferring to think that all the mild December and January temperatures presaged a violent dumping of snow to occur in mid-March or *gasp* end-of-April (birthday). But the climate appears not to have heard me. I think I can finally declare to myself that Spring (and temps in the 80s) are here to stay. <i>Cue groaning about DC humidity here</i>...</div>
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Unfortunately this gives me a good excuse to gripe about my running schedule as well. Progress in training this week has been irregular, and I am comparing myself to the <a href="http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/about/bloom-watch/" target="_blank">early-peaking cherry blossoms</a> in reproach. It's not <i>ME</i>! It's the <i>CLIMATE</i>!</div>
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That's okay, though. If I've learned one thing from my mature years, it is that one dip does not mean the end of the streak. No, we shall just go bumping along, like many other fearless creatives who are <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m55yhQ8jR6Q" target="_blank">risking it all for their happiness.</a></div>
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Well, folks, it's been a tough week, with the runs falling a bit short, and having to face several goals that are not being met (pages written, healing accomplished, enlightenment achieved). One morning, I woke up decidedly against running. Daylight savings had it completely dark outside during my usual run time, and I was tired from the time change. I didn't want to run, so I decided...</div>
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To Bake.</div>
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That makes perfect sense, doesn't it? Maybe not. Well, it's like this: my body didn't feel like running, but my mind craved the satisfaction, the sense of accomplishment, that come from putting in the effort toward a worthy goal. So I made <a href="http://www.coconutandlime.com/2008/05/spiced-chocolate-chip-oatmeal-cookies.html" target="_blank">these cookies</a>, from the blog, <a href="http://www.coconutandlime.com/" target="_blank">Coconut & Lime</a>. They were pretty good. <i>And</i> I got to conduct a science experiment.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzARHj3Eb_ub4P02hdT98ppu4S9nPQ2Vw5fU76F7Kij7oQ9yLvFhzV5s_gqGBUIp9j7LOY229LtQvfHBmAgrrOaS-yhurckg8CbxyXTt_J6CiKqTxPjnkZM8wTIu7lBj9f79tnBohdZ6m/s1600/DSC09766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzARHj3Eb_ub4P02hdT98ppu4S9nPQ2Vw5fU76F7Kij7oQ9yLvFhzV5s_gqGBUIp9j7LOY229LtQvfHBmAgrrOaS-yhurckg8CbxyXTt_J6CiKqTxPjnkZM8wTIu7lBj9f79tnBohdZ6m/s320/DSC09766.JPG" width="180" /></a>Ingredients:<br />
6 oz semisweet chips</div>
3/4 cup dark brown sugar<br />
3/4 cup flour<br />
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats<br />
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature<br />
1 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger<br />
1/4 teaspoon black pepper<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1 egg, at room temperature*<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LqeqXgGMBendsJ6fn9znwccHqd_ZnwUEh_4xZQV3G8ew4dHLSt6qohvhgvMzZ8b-SvS00CSGcenbIy9iauMARoPa-xV_Kn1gNtoI3Cj3GbCP1kHHai1OjeCo5QwGHzsZoEv3QxHh-wcP/s1600/DSC09765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LqeqXgGMBendsJ6fn9znwccHqd_ZnwUEh_4xZQV3G8ew4dHLSt6qohvhgvMzZ8b-SvS00CSGcenbIy9iauMARoPa-xV_Kn1gNtoI3Cj3GbCP1kHHai1OjeCo5QwGHzsZoEv3QxHh-wcP/s320/DSC09765.JPG" width="180" /></a>Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg, beat until fluffy. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, the spices and oatmeal. Mix until well combined. Fold in chips. Place tablespoon-sized blobs of dough on the lined cookie sheet about 1/2 inch apart and bake for 12-14 minutes or until they look "set" and the bottoms are just golden. Carefully remove to a wire rack to cool completely.</div>
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The experiment was this: you know how some cooks recommend you squash down the tops of drop cookies before baking? What's that about? Instead of Googling it, I did half spheres and half <a href="http://puttylike.com/" target="_blank">smooshed</a> spheres of cookie dough and observed their behavior in their natural habitat.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCYM6cxsTKQsmpFPexww8ii9baK7HqmW0YzroDp1ltFN3sj2URNKzRbSgLotZjj_x4fZcIbsOIilMOPbM_iRnwlFAbJpCbu5AW2OsthkefenQCjHCl4Kg7B-3sd_heQZ_uFjru69KzVHE/s1600/DSC09768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCYM6cxsTKQsmpFPexww8ii9baK7HqmW0YzroDp1ltFN3sj2URNKzRbSgLotZjj_x4fZcIbsOIilMOPbM_iRnwlFAbJpCbu5AW2OsthkefenQCjHCl4Kg7B-3sd_heQZ_uFjru69KzVHE/s320/DSC09768.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Squished on the left, Round on the right</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQcfbcKcn5OYDKJIg6N11P14FhoEpaPNQSueUtiZ-p1p2iIIkSpJ366ecLK8qu2l9Xloxg7CiXnx2ed0flwq2iyxNG2bTGUIKF1hcux0geb5ft9PvHirMftQ3yFdcTBn_w4oj15f7SdcEh/s1600/DSC09769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQcfbcKcn5OYDKJIg6N11P14FhoEpaPNQSueUtiZ-p1p2iIIkSpJ366ecLK8qu2l9Xloxg7CiXnx2ed0flwq2iyxNG2bTGUIKF1hcux0geb5ft9PvHirMftQ3yFdcTBn_w4oj15f7SdcEh/s320/DSC09769.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The smooshed spheres of cookie dough burned on the bottom faster than the regular spheres, which even got an extra minute in the oven. After combing the Googels extensively for 20 minutes, I found <a href="http://whatscookingamerica.net/Cookie/CookieTips.htm" target="_blank">this article</a> that stresses the amount of baking soda as key in how much a drop cookie will spread when baking (more soda, more spread). However, I'm having difficulty finding the cause of the tradition of flattening the drops of dough. Does anyone out there in Blog Land have an idea? Please let us know in the comments- your help would be much appreciated!<br />
<br />
The cookies were gobbled up to general satisfaction, but it will be good to get back to running.<br />
<br />Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-52553915333997548202012-03-09T11:51:00.001-05:002012-03-09T11:51:21.925-05:00Will Run For This Soup<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><i><span id="ham-3-2-144">Full [seven] times hath Phoebus' cart gone round</span>
<br /><span id="ham-3-2-145">Neptune's salt wash and Tellus' orbed ground<a href="http://www.enotes.com/hamlet-text/act-iii-scene-ii" target="_blank">...</a></span></i></b></blockquote>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<span id="ham-3-2-145">...since last I wrote anything here. It has been BUSY!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAshhfdoFaj-OmSHG1uo4nzpit3H-PUFmFx2cd0uJLNpMvhCNThHAdDGs6H6w6RZw70ETJqgScBWlEJ9oZDtAvFU2NUbSVjdsLe7GNQsLdNLzunKghYKmYNpO7zFIyAgs4H7EqzYNJW85Y/s1600/DSC09778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAshhfdoFaj-OmSHG1uo4nzpit3H-PUFmFx2cd0uJLNpMvhCNThHAdDGs6H6w6RZw70ETJqgScBWlEJ9oZDtAvFU2NUbSVjdsLe7GNQsLdNLzunKghYKmYNpO7zFIyAgs4H7EqzYNJW85Y/s320/DSC09778.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lentil Roasted Garlic Soup with Chard</td></tr>
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<span id="ham-3-2-145"></span><span id="ham-3-2-145">Not necessarily with cooking and baking, but with writing and dreaming and planning (also good things). Oh, and running. Yes, there has been an awful lot of running around here lately, due to my winning the lottery of DC runners: <a href="http://www.cherryblossom.org/theraces/tenmile.php" target="_blank">Cherry Blossom Ten-Mile Race</a> on April 1st. In the spirit of <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/2011/12/suddenly.html" target="_blank">spontaneity</a>, I put my name in for the race in December, and heard back a couple of weeks later that I had gotten "lucky," and would have the <b><i>rare opportunity</i></b> to run 10 miles before most people had gotten out of bed on a Saturday morning. So I have been training, and the <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/2012/01/interruptus.html" target="_blank">arm incident</a> did not stop me for long.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="ham-3-2-145">As of this week, I've gotten up to 7.7 miles at a stretch, which took me 1 hour and 24 minutes. So, I'm getting close!</span><br />
<br />
<span id="ham-3-2-145">If I take a moment to reflect (tasting life in retrospection, as it were) on what voice inside me made me put my name on that list, I would say that running a race is a great example of setting a goal, devising a strategy, challenging yourself to meet your own expectations, and, I predict, feeling elated upon conquering what might have looked like an unconquerable mountain mere months before.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span id="ham-3-2-145">It's good practice, is what I'm getting at, for launching <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/2012/01/creative-endeavor-year.html" target="_blank"><i>other types of efforts</i></a>.</span></b><br />
<br />
<span id="ham-3-2-145">Consider this your encouragement from me, and let me know if you'd like more!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckTZYravSZyXw-KR4I0T6GEHtr53kPc5AdGbEINM-bxXp1_T23iuMC8Y7PYaDMR_s2F9X7cNgfZXUyS-at2Ugh4oVRoDfmv70rl209d5UEAf6PiOn9X91taqY0TGg01tRm45sj_EKYPKo/s1600/DSC09772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckTZYravSZyXw-KR4I0T6GEHtr53kPc5AdGbEINM-bxXp1_T23iuMC8Y7PYaDMR_s2F9X7cNgfZXUyS-at2Ugh4oVRoDfmv70rl209d5UEAf6PiOn9X91taqY0TGg01tRm45sj_EKYPKo/s320/DSC09772.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now I see why they're called 'aromatic vegetables'...</td></tr>
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Since I've been paying more attention to my digestion and eating habits lately (advisable when you rise early and run before eating), I've decided to try to go as vegetarian as possible in these last few weeks leading up to the race. In that vein, I made this recipe from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Daily-Soup-Cookbook-Leslie-Kaul/dp/B00008RWCF" target="_blank">The Daily Soup Cookbook</a>, which has been bookmarked with a sticky note for-ev-er:<br />
<b>Lentil Roasted Garlic Soup</b>.<br />
The ingredients and procedure are below, modified for my special scaling-down (some in the fridge, some in the freezer) and wasn't-in-the-cupboard (only a puny amount of Puy lentils left, and didn't want to mix them) techniques:<br />
<ul>
<li>1 whole head of garlic</li>
<li>2 Tablespoons olive oil</li>
<li>1 large white onion, chopped</li>
<li>2 celery stalks, chopped</li>
<li>2 carrots, peeled and chopped</li>
<li><strike>2 teaspoons</strike> <span style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: orange;">1 tsp</span> </span>dried rosemary</li>
<li><strike>2</strike> <span style="color: orange;">1</span> Bay leaves</li>
<li>1 teaspoon kosher salt</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon black pepper</li>
<li><strike>1 pound</strike> <span style="color: orange;">1/3 cup</span> of french lentils</li>
<li><strike>8 cups</strike> <span style="color: orange;">4 cups </span>vegetable broth</li>
<li><strike>1</strike> <span style="color: orange;">half of one</span> 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes, drained and chopped</li>
<li><span style="color: orange;">about 3/4 cup chopped chard </span></li>
<li><strike>3 Tablespoons</strike> <span style="color: orange;">1 rough tbsp</span> tomato paste</li>
<li><strike>2 Tablespoons</strike> <span style="color: orange;">1 tbsp</span> balsamic vinegar</li>
<li>1 teaspoon minced garlic</li>
<li><strike>1/4 Italian Parsley, chopped</strike></li>
</ul>
Pre-heat your oven to 450 degree F. When it comes to temperature,
loosely wrap the head of garlic in aluminum foil and place in oven for
15-20 minutes, allowing it to roast. Remove from the oven, and let cool long enough to skin the
cloves, placing the cloves into a food processor. Pulse to a near-paste.
Set aside.<br />
Heat the olive oil in a stock pot. When nice and slithery, add the
onions, celery and carrots. Allow the aromatic vegetables
to cook in the pot for 5-7 minutes, adding a slick more oil if necessary. Add the rosemary, bay leaf, salt
and pepper, incorporating them into the vegetables. Allow to cook for
2-3 more minutes.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb92ehGA3KNZY5aUofP69J71opCdhsjWjmCtu-3xp3ymy_an3PyvkMAF3NOSUccuGwi_Q7GtWJ5lWrYY43pVcF2Xd0sI2Cs7aST_gedssj7yfV9jp3r7kvIde9nbCdy6B3WTC6EKhl8Tu_/s1600/DSC09773.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb92ehGA3KNZY5aUofP69J71opCdhsjWjmCtu-3xp3ymy_an3PyvkMAF3NOSUccuGwi_Q7GtWJ5lWrYY43pVcF2Xd0sI2Cs7aST_gedssj7yfV9jp3r7kvIde9nbCdy6B3WTC6EKhl8Tu_/s320/DSC09773.JPG" width="320" /></a>Add the lentils, broth, tomatoes and tomato paste to the pot and
bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and
partially cover with a lid. Allow to simmer for one hour.<br />
After the hour, stir in the chopped chard, roasted garlic paste, the minced garlic
and balsamic vinegar. Simmer for 5-7 more minutes in order to have the
soup incorporate the new ingredients and wilt the greens.<br />
Remove bay leaf and serve. <br />
<i>Serves 5-6.</i>Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1047775151184041428.post-87196695472597504002012-03-02T21:42:00.001-05:002012-03-02T21:42:26.710-05:003-2-1...Cast-Off!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Well, hello there.</b></div>
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If this is your first time visiting, you might want to <a href="http://www.taste-life-twice.com/2012/01/interruptus.html" target="_blank">catch up</a> before you continue reading. I fractured both of the arm bones in my right forearm while ice skating in January, which curtailed some of my adventurous living for a few weeks, but now I am <i>back</i>.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKNakrx_GGiIEhsfwDozwIlpI-4mxhqaO4HB53Ko2EC5LBlmw_tgop9BXNS41smxSTjiLx3Vf43OSDaHjIh5X4pD1jt1iO4mUwrJEhyphenhyphenjkzY31sqQtpIkgk6cuGUpWuMIpSS-WWcpmcE0S/s1600/DSC09620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKNakrx_GGiIEhsfwDozwIlpI-4mxhqaO4HB53Ko2EC5LBlmw_tgop9BXNS41smxSTjiLx3Vf43OSDaHjIh5X4pD1jt1iO4mUwrJEhyphenhyphenjkzY31sqQtpIkgk6cuGUpWuMIpSS-WWcpmcE0S/s320/DSC09620.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="180" /></a></div>
The date for the <b>Cast-Off</b>, as I liked to call it, was Valentine's Day, and it was as good a distraction as any... plus a big positive step in the right direction! Now I've got a removable brace and physical therapy exercises, which aren't too bad at all.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUHKB-HDNTKeH85UgVfeFCMFSKQ0bJ5wVUtrnWp2_pznTOLoz-hK_dwcVgHyM97ucqrXM3vmY_HF8L3EI5GnAngTiLwAdj_JeaJ3mo724lwRzVI4arRFtq8ZLGx7RayLNkIbOTYc3O7UYT/s1600/DSC09622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUHKB-HDNTKeH85UgVfeFCMFSKQ0bJ5wVUtrnWp2_pznTOLoz-hK_dwcVgHyM97ucqrXM3vmY_HF8L3EI5GnAngTiLwAdj_JeaJ3mo724lwRzVI4arRFtq8ZLGx7RayLNkIbOTYc3O7UYT/s320/DSC09622.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
This being my first time with a broken bone, it was pretty cool seeing how the process went. It was painfully obvious that the technician did a dozen of these a week, but it was new to me, and fascinating. So of course I took pictures. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-handedness#Negative_associations_of_language" target="_blank">Cackhanded</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcp1MiOjhIRmcj7LNxWbcWar-ZtzaVN-QZxiaAn3c_xOCuO5CEMk9pz5OSr547790znOKIEzlQtJXmRWmq7DQsUwYfwexq2ijpxMxlZ8VoKhyoqGHpuMcelx6BvGR65lGGhabnt_7EOfBZ/s1600/DSC09625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcp1MiOjhIRmcj7LNxWbcWar-ZtzaVN-QZxiaAn3c_xOCuO5CEMk9pz5OSr547790znOKIEzlQtJXmRWmq7DQsUwYfwexq2ijpxMxlZ8VoKhyoqGHpuMcelx6BvGR65lGGhabnt_7EOfBZ/s320/DSC09625.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
First he used this mini-circular saw, powered by what looked like a shop-vac (see top picture) to cut through the fiberglass part. It tickled a bit, and gave off some heat. Me? Worried?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FFg-FQzoM20QdeLHIIwclnKWiqKvvlqCN8p43ifR8I4N79xrus0QY2Scdj1czKJo4qUwDLUKNsw-TChJIOrggtu-WUZO-q2CxSfb0NwyNiPOCvf4ztbVG2lNxzROs3h8resYsmJI-2pk/s1600/DSC09626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FFg-FQzoM20QdeLHIIwclnKWiqKvvlqCN8p43ifR8I4N79xrus0QY2Scdj1czKJo4qUwDLUKNsw-TChJIOrggtu-WUZO-q2CxSfb0NwyNiPOCvf4ztbVG2lNxzROs3h8resYsmJI-2pk/s320/DSC09626.JPG" width="180" /> </a></div>
Then he used a pair of surgical tongs to widen the strip, and then
surgical scissors to cut through the under-layer of gauze. I had been
wondering what kind of super-sensing machine could saw through it all
without nicking your skin for 4 weeks, so I was somewhat relieved that
there were graduated steps to this process.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FFg-FQzoM20QdeLHIIwclnKWiqKvvlqCN8p43ifR8I4N79xrus0QY2Scdj1czKJo4qUwDLUKNsw-TChJIOrggtu-WUZO-q2CxSfb0NwyNiPOCvf4ztbVG2lNxzROs3h8resYsmJI-2pk/s1600/DSC09626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a>When the cast came off, my skin felt weird. Old. And that makes
sense, when you think that skin under a cast doesn't have a chance to
slough off in its natural course, so I needed to exfoliate it. Ick.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRn6YN9a5WdQ2IXYL3Nntt7pe-rh7FRjV8X6bJxt4oEldyV_hhIrfa3FJYax60DGQWLdRJRG9uBN9zCQXt19v8NGObL7SqmQjH7NQSFrDVCn3G_dRqOKGH3RndjQGdE6WCRyGrIVfcwzeT/s1600/DSC09635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRn6YN9a5WdQ2IXYL3Nntt7pe-rh7FRjV8X6bJxt4oEldyV_hhIrfa3FJYax60DGQWLdRJRG9uBN9zCQXt19v8NGObL7SqmQjH7NQSFrDVCn3G_dRqOKGH3RndjQGdE6WCRyGrIVfcwzeT/s320/DSC09635.JPG" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigJIgSHm5cEmmlstQbDUsJfKAaoVN18WDxn_UsdekLGIjhTR__0nfHPhAiWVF4_IiBEXma3iG5RUkaXCE0nvJGcKayqwWykBju1UbXbd5cQMepSUC5okQnRp3dnWuiusm4XC83Zn3a5eqL/s1600/DSC09634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigJIgSHm5cEmmlstQbDUsJfKAaoVN18WDxn_UsdekLGIjhTR__0nfHPhAiWVF4_IiBEXma3iG5RUkaXCE0nvJGcKayqwWykBju1UbXbd5cQMepSUC5okQnRp3dnWuiusm4XC83Zn3a5eqL/s320/DSC09634.JPG" width="180" /></a></div>
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What was surprisingly painful was the range of motion. I was kind of assuming that when the cast came off, I would be able to move my arm normally again, if carefully and with caution. Nope. What you see here is as far as my wrist would go backward and forward, on its own. Whoa. They said it would feel 'stiff,' but this was nuts! It got much better after 24 hours though, and now I'm chipping away at it with the PT. I'm very grateful it was a clean break and I didn't need surgery. Whew!<br />
Now I am <i>pretty much</i> back to my old tricks...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGsMRc0M1oVoFJ5WGhMHQyrkffbSEDth_9XSgTdAOJXC-7-WwN6ZKxqCNRuUd07F4vmcZ4ZLm95UK9Du9BlK65whvRNwoBD8iRNt3iEddkps3pSNtdFJR2LyRMTWRrdmKdzRzTYjoeN84Z/s1600/DSC09636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGsMRc0M1oVoFJ5WGhMHQyrkffbSEDth_9XSgTdAOJXC-7-WwN6ZKxqCNRuUd07F4vmcZ4ZLm95UK9Du9BlK65whvRNwoBD8iRNt3iEddkps3pSNtdFJR2LyRMTWRrdmKdzRzTYjoeN84Z/s320/DSC09636.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Yaki Soba noodles and spice packet, but with pre-chopped vegetable mix
from Trader Joe's (new item, and not something I would buy with two good
hands) <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiisHbyhojmNtDkNyJRQhylZ_PGziKUSeaa3_2i2JVO1J8dD8N3K0UBZv6w58kCdQ54K77pQmffgxxQjaKVdnRHfCgLNpLbpLRUKz_S93wCeiYffjOX42loZ9uCmXgXNWvn4ZRZ9ItI8EyA/s1600/DSC09640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiisHbyhojmNtDkNyJRQhylZ_PGziKUSeaa3_2i2JVO1J8dD8N3K0UBZv6w58kCdQ54K77pQmffgxxQjaKVdnRHfCgLNpLbpLRUKz_S93wCeiYffjOX42loZ9uCmXgXNWvn4ZRZ9ItI8EyA/s320/DSC09640.JPG" width="320" /></a>Linguine with Smoked Trout, with fennel and onion broth (using up leftovers, frugal foodies can rejoice!)</div>
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Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIOheWn1ZRkb6uEJ-z23U9s2rP0DJul9DxclQWht5sa00_VJcBga7zvPi5AHcKEi4-zN1nAiOvlUf7wnnk2ttdQwPppawc90YmKx_BN6xE8ZmC7ONo-Y0HN3Pu2PEbcDDpucRLHwfIlg4v/s1600/DSC09650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIOheWn1ZRkb6uEJ-z23U9s2rP0DJul9DxclQWht5sa00_VJcBga7zvPi5AHcKEi4-zN1nAiOvlUf7wnnk2ttdQwPppawc90YmKx_BN6xE8ZmC7ONo-Y0HN3Pu2PEbcDDpucRLHwfIlg4v/s320/DSC09650.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
What's not to love? I was having fun with the microwave reflection in this as well. Because if you can't have fun with your peppermint chocolate chip cookies, what <i>can</i> you have fun with??<br />
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More to come on those action steps from the Tea Klatsch, including social connections, skill cultivation, and balance. Do any of those jump out at you as something you're working on, or might need to focus on? Leave a comment and join the group!Margaret Pinardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08872588140938699741noreply@blogger.com1