September 2009

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Draped in Velvet

September 29, 2009 in Cooking and Baking, Eating, Feeling by Colleen | 4 comments

I got stung by a wasp on Sunday afternoon. The hubster and I were gardening, and I felt what I thought was a sequoia needle stabbing into me. When I looked down to move my foot out of the way of said needle, I saw the wasp bouncing off my ankle, like a little basketball, over and over. I yelped, both at the realization and because it really hurt. I thought I came out of it relatively unscathed until yesterday afternoon, when my foot swelled up like a little balloon, nearly twenty-four hours after being stung. To be honest, I think I brought this on myself, as the inflammation only occurred after a rather vigorous scratching. My goodness friends, it itches! So here I am, swollen footed, gimpy, writing about soup and fish, delicious velvety soup and fish. George Costanza would eat it with pride.

Velvety Squash Soup

1 winter squash, about 2 1/2 pounds (I used a kabocha – it looks like a dark green pumpkin)

olive oil

salt

1 medium onion, diced

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 – 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup coconut milk

cayenne pepper (to taste, optional)

Cut the squash into large chunks. If you have a hard time getting your blade through the hard flesh, try gently tapping the knife with a hammer. I wish I could give proper credit for this discovery, because it works wonders! Place on a baking pan and drizzle the pieces with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to one hour, until soft. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

In a medium soup pot, saute the onion with the butter and salt until the onion is soft. Add three cups of broth and the curry powder and simmer over low heat. Once the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and add to the onion curry broth. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a regular one, adding the squash in batches. Use very little broth as you blend, or you will have a hot mess splattered everywhere. This is the voice of experience talking and why I have the immersion variety. Put it back in the pan as you go.) Add the coconut milk and correct the seasoning and thickness of the soup. It may need more broth, salt, or curry. If you’d like it spicier, add the optional cayenne now. Eat now or continue to simmer over low heat while you prepare the fish.

Floating Fish

2 fillets of firm white fish (neutral flavored cod or halibut are best)

curry powder

salt

Place fish on a baking pan and sprinkle with curry and salt. Place under the broiler for about 3-5 minutes, depending on thickness. Remove from oven, gently turn over, and season the second side. Broil until the flesh is opaque, another 3-5 minutes.

Ladle soup into serving bowls and gently float the fillet on top. It looks so pretty and tastes even better.

Enjoy!

My sad foot. I hope this doesn’t turn you off from the soup, but I had to share. It’s what I do.

Tags: Cooking and Baking

The ABC’s of Me

September 28, 2009 in Being by Colleen | Permalink

Available or single?

For friendship? Absolutely! Otherwise, I am reserved for my one and only, Gregory Cooper.

Best Friend?

The Hubster

Cake or Pie?

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake or Cherry Pie

Drink of choice?

If this refers to alcoholic beverages, I would say whiskey for everyday (plain or fancified), port for sipping on a quiet evening, and something fizzy for summer, like a vinho verde, yum.

Essential item for every day use?

A flexible personality.

Favorite color?

Red for handbags and shoes. Pink for flowers.

Google?

Why not?

Hometown?

Arvada, Colorado

Indulgences?

Heavens to mergatroid, do I ever have a sweet tooth!

January or February?

Why, I’ve never thought about it. (Deliberating…) February, for it is closer to March and the glories of Spring.

Kids and their names?

No kids for me, cats rule our roost. Paris and Milo.

Life is incomplete without…?

Good health, good friends, and good food.

Marriage date?

May 29, 1993

Number of siblings?

One sister + two brothers = 3

Oranges or apples?

Definitely apples, a Pink Lady, to be sure.

Phobias and fears?

None worth writing home about.

Quote for the day?

“The essence of pleasure is spontaneity.” Germaine Greer

Reason to smile?

I can’t find a reason not to smile.

Season?

The cusp of summer in the month of June – the best!

Tag 3 people?

They’ll do it if they want.

Unknown fact about me?

Now why would I want to tell?

Vegetable you hate?

Beets have the bitter taste of dirt and bad memories.

Worst habit?

Not believing I’m good enough.

Xrays you’ve had?

Dental, mostly.

Your fave food?

Oh jeez, give me a time, mood, and place, and I’ll tell you. I’m a particular lady.

Zodiac sign?

Gemini, the Twins. Boy is it ever true!

For Buddy: Chicken Made Easy

September 26, 2009 in Cooking and Baking, Eating by Colleen | 1 comment

Greg made dinner the other night while I was tapping away like a fat little pigeon – thanks Buddy! This isn’t it, but a fine substitute photo from an outing to Hood River a few weeks back. Anyway, he roasted some chicken but lamented the fact that he always makes it the same way, sprinkled with fresh rosemary (the shrubs in our garden are HUGE), salt, and pepper. Here’s my help to him (and you, if you like) in the future – a quick reference for the preparation, as well as myriad seasoning options for our dining pleasure.

Tasty Whole Chicken Legs (We’re not breast people)

To each of the seasoning combinations, add salt and as little or as much garlic as you like (fresh diced or dried ground)

Optional seasonings for each, depending on your tastes – ground pepper, red pepper flakes, and a light drizzle of olive oil rubbed on first

Use the following seasonings, alone or together, to your taste:

Asian: soy, sake, ginger, green onion, fish sauce, sweet hot sauce, peanut butter

French: sage, tarragon, thyme, rosemary, a splash of white wine in the pan

German: coarse sweet mustard, caraway seeds, a splash of apple cider vinegar in the pan (I’d probably skip the garlic on this one or maybe use just a little)

Indian: curry powder, cumin, garam masala, ginger, fenugreek

Italian: basil, oregano, marjoram, a splash of red wine or Marsala in the pan

Mexican: ground dried chipotle, cayenne, cumin, honey or agave

Spanish: smoked paprika, a dash of sherry in the pan

Classic: lemon pepper, onion, thyme, paprika, sage, brown mustard seeds

Preheat the oven to 450. Place chicken in pan (ugly side up, with or without skin) and season your way. Place in oven and roast for 5-10 minutes, or until it starts to crisp. Turn the temperature to 325 and continue roasting for 15 minutes. Flip the chicken over to the pretty side and season again. Turn the temperature back to 450. Roast until it is crispy and the juices run clear, usually about 5-10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Tags: Cooking and Baking

Two Books and a Little Snack

September 25, 2009 in Cooking and Baking, Eating, Reading, Spotlighting by Colleen | 1 comment

Knock on wood, my previous stretch of disappointing reads has ceased, as I’ve enjoyed a few decent books in a row, all marvelous stories and worthy of finishing, which is so satisfying. Many thanks to my tax dollars and the Multnomah County Library for keeping my bookish desires happy.

Here are two of my most recent and engaging reads, on quite opposite ends of the literary spectrum, which suits my tastes just fine (pun intended, you’ll see). Though this novel won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction nine years before I was even a twinkle in either of my parents’ eyes (1962), it seemed, to me, at least, that it could have been written today, as it speaks to the quite contemporary issues of faith, family, friendship, and healing.

The Edge of Sadness follows Hugh Kennedy, a recovering alcoholic, as he returns to Boston and his damaged priesthood after a four year sojourn in the desert southwest. The story centers around Father Hugh’s re-acquaintance with the Carmody family: the often charming and devilishly cruel patriarch Charlie, his son, Father John of the dazzlingly ideal parish, St. Raymond’s, his daughter, Helen, and a colorful host of siblings, children, grandchildren, and friends.

Father Hugh, once a highly regarded priest in a fairly well-to-do parish, is now leading a rather rag tag flock at Old Saint Paul’s, a poor and crumbling parish just outside of his old neighborhood. His one curate, Father Danowski, often to Father Hugh’s chagrin and sometimes his delight, is an eternal and energetic optimist, always trusting that new life will be breathed into Old Saint Paul’s, returning the parish to it’s glory days.

At 640 pages, the novel is a leisurely drive in the country, as Edwin O’Connor carefully unfolds the stories of the tricky relationships between the Carmody’s, the reasons for Father Hugh’s fall from grace and his assignment at Old Saint Paul’s, as well as the inner life of a priest. Though it hardly painted an idyllic portrait of family, priesthood, or parish life, I found the story beautiful and magnetic in it’s honesty. For isn’t it encouraging to imagine that even men of the cloth have the same struggles with prayer, envy, trust, and above all, faith, as the laity? I had a hard time putting it down.

Okay, since this is a long post, I’ve included an intermission, so you can do exactly what I did in between writing these segments, eat. Of course I wanted something quick, so I wouldn’t dawdle and not finish this post by my self-imposed deadline. What I made is quintessentially Colleen and yummy to my tummy, though maybe not yours. A bit of tuna, some sliced nacho style jalapenos, a drizzle of organic EVOO (as Rachel Ray would say), and a sprinkle of smoked sea salt. It really hit the spot!

Onward to David Lebovitz and his The Sweet Life in Paris. He describes it as delicious adventures in the world’s most glorious – and perplexing – city. Though this is quite true, I would also add the word hilarious after delicious. Indeed. Mr. Lebovitz is a highly entertaining story teller.

Without spending any time with the delicious (and sometimes pretty, I’m sure) sounding recipes, the book is a quick and laughter-filled frolic through the charming, and sometimes infuriating, streets of Paris, especially when you step in dog poo, because you will, dear reader, I gua-ran-tee it. I zipped through it over the course of an afternoon, easily laughing and commiserating with David on his adventures from the quotidian to the unusual.

However, where I throw up my hands in frustration and declare a moratorium on visits to Paris as a result of being chastised for not having exact change, failing to understand the delicacies of French plumbing, or being jockeyed out of my position in line, David joins the party and fully engages, eventually becoming one of those line jockeys himself. C’est pas ma faute!

If you have any interest in learning about an honest Parisian life and some delicious sounding recipes, grab a copy. It doesn’t disappoint!

Ease

September 24, 2009 in Quoting by Colleen | Permalink

“Unbosom yourself,” said Wimsey. “Trouble shared is trouble halved.”

Dorothy Sayers

Family Snapshots

September 23, 2009 in Loving by Colleen | 1 comment

As per usual on a whirlwind trip to Denver, we spend a lot of time with the family and take many photos, too, though not enough – we didn’t get a single one of the hubster’s parents, my cousin Steph, Angela (who also cut my hair while I was there), brother Aaron, Uncle Phil, Brad, or Aunt Mari – sigh. Anyhoo, these are my maternal grandparents, Marv and Tess (they look so serious – but I assure you, we laughed a lot!). If you recall, Greg and I drove them to New Mexico last year to visit Grandpa’s sister Shirley. It is always a pleasure to stay with them, much like the sleep overs I had when I was a kid. Grandpa made his famous silver dollar pancakes (yummy) and we all chatted and ate, watched television (they are major sports fans), solved puzzles, and I hunted things down in the service room. They also let me borrow their car, which was so nice!

My cousin Allison and her adorable girls Andee, Emmeri, and Rylnn (I hope I spelled them all correctly). Though she is a married adult with a fine home, my mind can’t seem to get think of her as anything but my little cousin. Weren’t we just playing Barbies and reading Little House on the Prairie books? Oh wait, that was just me and her kids. I digress!

We’re at my cousin Brad’s lovely house now. He’s showing off some of the peppers grown in backyard garden. This was a tiny portion of the abundance.

Daddy and Mom – they are still a cute couple after forty-one years of marriage, I must say.

My brother Chris eating his cheesecake. We spent the afternoon together romping around the Highland Neighborhood and stopped at a rather quaint cheese shop for a little sustenance for the evening’s festivities. We were happily discussing the merits of cultured milk when the cute saleswoman said, “You’ve got to be brother and sister, right?” I guess it’s pretty obvious, even when it isn’t to us. After I took this photo, he teased, “You got one picture of me, and I’m alone eating cake!” Yep! At least he wasn’t in the corner swilling wine from the bottle.

This is pretty neat, nearly the whole gang, save me taking photos and Chris eating cake, singing at the player piano (the original karaoke). Brad inherited it from his mother, my Dad’s sister Bev, when she died, gosh, I think it was five years ago. Unfortunately, or maybe not, it isn’t electrified, so you have to pump with your feet as you play. As it is also quite old, the baffles aren’t what they used to be, so it is a serious job to keep it going. My cousin sang his heart out while his feet were getting physical, physical! It was a sweet time for all of us, singing a wild assortment of fun tunes from the past, “The Rose” and “The Rainbow Connection” being my favorites.

Our happy hosts, Brad and his sweet partner Jeff, who is a terrific cook. We had delicious flank steak, spinach salad, and scrumptious risotto, thanks to his mad skills in the kitchen. I must also note the importance of the background here. My aunt Bev was a bit eccentric. She spun her own wool, even collecting cat hair from hither and yon to make it extra soft. She also served rattlesnake for dinner, rode a motorcycle, mixed nail polish into wild new colors, and, as you can see, macrame-d her heart out. This is just one of the examples, also taken from their Casper, Wyoming home after she died. It is floor to ceiling and incorporates a hodgepodge of ephemera important, or, perhaps, just useful, to her at the time. It is quintessentially Bev and a treasure of a memory to have on the wall.

By the by – this is post 250! As the Grateful Dead sing so well, “What a long, strange trip it’s been…” Thanks for reading, my friends.

Here and There

September 22, 2009 in Exploring, Traveling by Colleen | 2 comments

I’ve got good news friends! I am back in the world of exercise! Yay! And I’m not afraid to show my enthusiasm via exclamation points! There’s four in a row, eek. Okay, I’m calm now. Yes, today was the first day I ventured back to the community center to work out with weights and attend my favorite Nia class, not to mention seeing my old work out pals – so very nice. After being reassured by my doctor yesterday that I would not hurt myself if I was sensible and listened to my body, I was raring to go. I halved my pre-surgery workout before Nia and felt really good, certainly a bit weaker, but nine weeks without it will do that. Unfortunately, Nia class was canceled, so I went ahead with the Cardio Pilates they substituted. It’s certainly no Nia, but it was fine in it’s own right. I was able to keep up the pace without feeling like I was going to die and had a good time, too. Major progress while I inch back to a new normal. Phew!

In other news, here are more photos snapped while in Colorado, more specifically, Boulder and, even better, while the G-Man was still with me. It was a beautiful afternoon on the Pearl Street Mall.

Though there aren’t many in the photos, there were lots of people on hand, the diverse mix that is ever so Boulder. Pictured above is one of our favorite Mexican restaurants ever, Juanita’s, at the west end, beyond the majority of the chaos. We haven’t been in a while and didn’t even go that day, as I had a hankering for Pad Kee Mao, but it does look just the same. There is always comfort in that.

We also walked the neighborhood surrounding Pearl for a bit and encountered this lovely wall. I am a sucker for fine masonry and this handsome fella.

This church is no longer a church but either residences or an architecture firm. My memory fails to recall which. I love when buildings that have outlived their use aren’t torn down, especially when they are this pretty. This reminds me, there was a church on the Auraria Campus in Denver that was converted into an art gallery. I used to love to visit it. Having a great reverence for art, it was magnified in such a special space.

Away we go – I snapped this as we were driving back to Denver. Bye, bye Boulder, see you next time!

Peachy Keen

September 19, 2009 in Cooking and Baking, Eating by Colleen | 4 comments

Happy Saturday, everyone!

We bought some rather fabulous looking local peaches at the market this week – big perfectly shaped, and oh, the scent, heavenly. The problem? Mealy as all get out. I took one bite and felt such a wave of sadness that something so pretty and sweet smelling could be so icky. However, with a bit of baking experience under my belt, I knew there was potential for them. Here it is – clafoutis. Creamy and custardy, like a soft pancake, though with a slight crunch of a crust on top, and a snap to make, too. I forget how easy they are, and much prettier than a stack of pancakes, too.

I took the best of a recipe from Richard Sax and another from David Lebovitz to suit my quite particular tastes and it was perfectly delicious. You can use peaches, apricots, cherries, berries, plums, or a combination. It’s really hard to go wrong. Also, if you can, get up before the hubster (or the kids) and make it for breakfast, like I did. The sleepy smile plastered on his face and delight at the first bite is well worth the time and effort.

I also gilded the lily and made a peach sauce with the remaining fruit. I used the recipe included with my pancakes. Actually, I very nearly called this post, “How About Orange?” in homage to a rather snazzy blog and the fact that we had peach clafoutis, peach sauce, and charentais melon for breakfast – a rather monochromatic but happy coincidence!

Clafoutis

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 pound firm, ripe plums, peaches, apricots, sliced OR 2 cups berries or cherries (pitted) OR a combination

3 eggs

1/2 cup flour (I like using 1/4 cup whole wheat and 1/4 cup all purpose)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon brandy (optional, but very good, especially with peaches)

1/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling

1 1/4 cups milk (2% or whole milk give the best flavor and texture)

Position your baking rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 375. Liberally butter the bottom and sides of an 8 or 9 inch gratin dish or pie pan. Arrange the fruit in a pretty pattern.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth. Whisk in the butter and flour until smooth, add vanilla and brandy (if using). Whisk in the 1/4 cup sugar, then the milk.

Pour the custard mixture over the fruit (be gentle about it so you don’t disrupt the prettiness you’ve made). Bake for 30 minutes.

Gently slide out the rack the clafoutis is resting on so you don’t disturb the crust that is forming. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, and continue baking for about 30 more minutes. It will be slightly firm in the center and the top will be a gorgeous golden brown. Serve right away or warm. It will deflate a bit, so snap your photos quickly (hopefully you’ll have better light than I did today).

Enjoy!

Tags: Cooking and Baking

Julie and Julia

September 18, 2009 in Spotlighting, Watching by Colleen | 3 comments

I don’t tend to be an envious person. I know I’ve got it pretty darn good, but sometimes, as I am positively human, and therefore absolutely imperfect, my little green monster rears its tiny head. And so it did during Julie and Julia, an utterly delightful Sunday afternoon movie, if ever there was one.

The film follows Julie Powell, a rather mousy Amy Adams, as she flounders at a considerably depressing and highly unsatisfactory job. All of her friends are wildly successful, with assistants, lots of money, and the like, while she can’t seem to get it together. Save for her saint of a husband and her love of cooking, she’d be one unhappy camper.

Enter Julia Child, played by the incomparable Meryl Streep (seriously, what can’t she do?), and the seminal Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Julie decides to make, as well as blog about, all of the 524 recipes in the span of one year. 365 days. A whole lot of cooking.

In the mean time, dear Julia is furthering her exquisite love of butter and eating, in general, while she flounders a bit herself. What is she to DO with her life now that she is no longer a spy? Okay, maybe this is a slight exaggeration, but she did work for the OSS in China for Pete’s sake. I digress a bit here, as the thought of this makes me chuckle – the six foot two inch gregarious woman in China? I don’t suppose they were looking for someone inconspicuous, were they?

Anyway, I watched with rapt attention as Julie and Julia struggle, in their own ways, to find fulfillment and happiness, their days chockablock with writing, perfecting recipes, and, of course, eating. Not to mention their fantastically supportive husbands, kind, patient, loving, and sexy, too. Though they aren’t without their troubles, either: failed recipes, complicated relationships, trouble at work, and infertility among them.

And this is where I circle back to me. Me, me, me. It is my blog, after all. I could not help but identify with these women as they struggled to find someone to take an interest in their work, to share their passion, and, ultimately, to one day be published, to feel as though their time and sincere effort had not been lost or wasted.

I count myself in their fine company knowing that, first and foremost, the work is for the person doing it. Just as Julie and Julia cooked and wrote to save themselves from despair and boredom, I write to express my love for life and this wondrous third planet from the sun. Then, like them, it is my great hope that others will find my work and be inspired or tickled or perplexed by it and keep coming back for more.

But where they found success in the form of published works, television shows, and movies, I have yet to do. This is where I turn a slightly green hue, where I cry just a little bit and feel sorry for myself. Don’t fret, however, as it doesn’t last terribly long, for like the movie and these fine women in real life, I know good things are on their way and the music will turn from maudlin to cheery, and I will be reminded that life truly is sublime.