November 2009

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Hi friends – welcome to a mid-week make-up for missing last week’s Spotlight.  Though I sat and sat at the keyboard, no flashes of brilliance came my way, and thus, no post.

I recently took one of those magazine quizzes telling me what I should do with my life.  I know, I know.  I’m a sucker for them.  The result?  Pursue a career in writing or some other creative endeavor where I can work independently and further my knowledge of the world.  Well, hot damn, I’m already doing that!  Thank you for the positive reinforcement.

To be quite honest, I am a knowledge junkie.  I love learning about all manner of  things – people, birds, flowers, bees, history, geography, you name it.  Well, maybe not sports (this is always the hardest category in Trivial Pursuit), except tennis.  I like tennis, other sports are beyond my capacity for understanding and enjoyment; though I do admire anyone who is really good at a particular sport, born for it, so to speak, like Babe Ruth, Wayne Gretzky, or Michael Jordan – these people make me cry with admiration.  This is also true of people being born for their time, like all of the fellas of World War II: Patton, Churchill, Roosevelt (his wife was pretty terrific, too), and even the wicked ones, Rommel and Hitler, for without them, we would not have known the superior logic and strengths of the former (and our brave countrymen), would we?

So to knowledge, made even more lovely when it is fun.  That’s what I’m finally getting at – fun facts.  It can be in the form of trivia, tongue twisters, or Isabella Rossellini.  If you’ve seen what I’m getting at, you already know.  But let me digress for a moment.  Isabella Rossellini.  I’ve had a girl-crush on her for ages.  She’s so fascinating, has a divine voice (I could listen to it all day), and beautiful features – eyes, skin, and lovely lips with  just the right shade of lipstick, always (see above photo).  Not to mention that certain je ne sais quoi that her mother had as well.  Lucky lady.

Now we are the lucky ones to benefit from her love of learning and film making.  Have you ever wondered about the mating habits of bees, starfish, shrimp, or maybe even a preying mantis?  Do you have two minutes?  Isabella delves into the lives of all of these creatures and more via very short films, “becoming” each creature and showing how they live (sometimes die) and reproduce.  They are funny, fact-filled, and lively jaunts, but not for the squeamish, easily offended, or children.  It’s not called Green Porno for nothing.  If I were a knowledge seeker, I would watch and learn.  Watch for yourself: Green Porno.

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Hi friends – happy Tuesday afternoon to you!  I’m just beginning to see – now I’m on my way.  It doesn’t matter to me, chasing the clouds away…  Okay, sorry, any other fans of that Moody Blues song?  I think I nearly overdid it in high school, but right now, it is a-ok.

I love squash, well, winter squash, definitely not spaghetti or zucchini.  Though I will eat zucchini if it is in the spicy bread of summer or sliced impossibly thin and deep fried, so it isn’t actually zucchini anymore.  Otherwise it is just icky.  So often, in summer, I am drawn to a roasted vegetable salad or sandwich only to be disappointed by the fact that it contains zucchini.  I don’t care to ingest slime with my supper, thankyouverymuch.  That goes for eggplant, too, save the smoky goodness of baba ganouj.  That I could eat all day.  I really think I could.

Anyway, to winter squash – the kuri, kabocha, acorn, sugar pumpkin, delicata, hubbard, I love them all.  The only problem is my imagination.  Despite all the pretty packaging, they get a little redundant when I’m making the same few dishes over and over again.  So here is a little something different and mighty good.  When I told the hubster what I was making and his response was just ho-hum, let me tell you that it went off the charts once he tasted them, more like inhaled.  Yep.  I don’t think he’ll mind these coming up in the rotation in the near future, no sirree.

The pancake part is adapted from the Big Book of Vegetarian, the sauce is my own idea, the veritable cherry on top.

Squash and Potato Pancakes

2 cups grated russet potatoes (good and starchy to hold it all together)

2 cups grated winter squash (I used kuri, but delicata, butternut, kabocha, or acorn would work well, too)

1/2 cup grated onion

2 teaspoons salt

1 egg

3 tablespoons whole wheat flour

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon dried sage or 1 tablespoon fresh chopped leaves

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

oil for the pan

Sauce

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon curry powder

generous pinch of salt (I used my favorite alder smoked sea salt)

If you have a food processor, I definitely recommend grating the potato, squash, and onion with it, otherwise your hand is going to ache.  The voice of experience is speaking here.  Place grated potato, squash, and onion in a colander.  Sprinkle with salt and toss to combine.  Allow to sit for about fifteen minutes, squeezing out as much of the moisture as you can.  In a medium bowl, beat the egg with the sage, pepper, and nutmeg.  Gradually add the flour, so there are no lumps.  Add the potato mixture.  It will be kind of dry.  If you’d like a more moist pancake, add some milk, but as is, it will be firm, crispy, and yummy good.

Heat a griddle or skillet and oil it generously.  Spoon the desired amount of batter and flatten as best you can, so it cooks evenly.  I made mine about 3″ across and got ten of them.  Flip over once browned to cook the other side.  It’s a pancake.  You know what to do.  Unless you have a giant griddle, or are making tiny pancakes (great for appetizers!), place pancakes in a 200 degree oven to keep warm. While everything is sizzling or staying cozy in the oven, place the maple syrup, salt, curry powder, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir until the butter is melted and well combined with the other ingredients.  Drizzle over the pancakes and eat right away.  You won’t regret it!

You could also serve these with Greek yogurt or sour cream.  Oh golly, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.  Enjoy!

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Wait for It…

I think that wherever your journey takes you, there are new gods waiting there, with divine patience – and laughter.

Susan M. Watkins

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Yesterday was a good day.  I had a great work out, a fun Nia class, a leisurely hot bath, and quality writing time.  I also did some web research on the hormones I’m taking and learned that the number one complaint about them was weight gain, especially in the thighs.  I cannot tell you how much better I feel about my tight pants!

The absolute highlight, however, came at just the right moment.  I was watching my usual 4:00 hour of television, waiting for the hubster to get home so we could head to the nursery and buy a plum tree to replace the apple in the front yard.  Suddenly there was a bright spot in my vision, and I knew I was in trouble.  The first trace of impending doom, the awful light show of a migraine.  I turned off the lights, closed the blinds, and put the blanket over my eyes, waiting for the pain that I knew was coming, disappointed that my diamond day was taken down a notch, bummed that the afternoon tree-planting would have to be postponed, and irritated that nothing would make my head feel better.

Well, almost.  When the hubster arrived, he had a box in his hand.  I could not remember ordering anything.  Then he told me where it was from: Arizona.  Kelli! My friend Kelli sent me a care package.  Suddenly my head felt a little better, and I cried at the kindness in the world.  In addition to the sweet card, pickled okra, prickly pear jelly, and the adorable zippered bag (all made by Kelli) was a deliciously creamy bar of hazelnut chocolate, but we gobbled it up pronto.   I don’t think my headache minded a bit!

How nice it is to have friends, near and far.  Thank you for the wonderful treats!  I hope you have a diamond day…

Happy Tuesday, one and all!  I hope everyone had a lovely weekend.  We had great weather for the Halloween festivities, and the kids came out, so cute in their full regalia.  This year seemed to be the one for lots of make-up: ethereal, sparkly, and shimmery for butterflies, trees, and cats, a whole litter of them!  However, our most memorable costume came in the form of an ATM.  This little cutie pie was all business, too.  I put the candy in the slot, and he said in his most digital, Stephen Hawking-esque voice, “Thank you for your deposit,” all while slipping out a receipt.  The best.  In the most unusual category, we had several adult trick or treaters.  Let me clarify by saying that these were not parents of children happy to take candy when offered, either.  They were out with the kids, plastic pumpkins and costumes, fully into the party.  The oldest had a head of grey hair and was probably fifty-sixty years old.  It takes all kinds!

Now for something delicious, though this picture isn’t exactly the best sell.  Stuffed Peppers.  I hated these as a kid, but now I realize it was probably due to the fact that they were made with green peppers.  I loathe green bell peppers.  They ruin whatever they touch – salad, pizza, a Philly sandwich.  Yuckety, yuck, yuck. Since it was my first time, I only made two, just in case it wasn’t about the color of the pepper, so you can easily adapt it for more.  We gobbled them up so quickly that I wish I had taken a chance on four.  Alas, no delicious left-overs today, next time.  As well, this is a really simple and quick to come together recipe, especially if you have leftover rice.

Stuffed Peppers

2 bell peppers, pick your favorite color

2 cups prepared brown rice (or white, if you prefer)

1/2 cup garbanzo beans (not dried)

1 pasilla pepper (the dried and very wrinkly kind found in the Mexican aisle)

1 large clove garlic, peeled

salt and pepper, to taste

Dressing:

1 tablespoon sesame tahini

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

salt, pepper, and smoked paprika, to taste

water

Preheat your oven to 350.  Slice off the tops of your peppers, as close to the top as you can, so you have lots of room for stuffing, but still have an intact “hat.”  Carefully remove the seeds and the white ribs of the pepper.  Set aside.

In a food processor or blender, pulse the pasilla pepper and garlic until very fine.  Add the garbanzo beans, pulse just until chunky.  You don’t want a puree.  Combine this mixture with the rice in a separate bowl.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Fill peppers with the rice and bean mixture.  You may need to compact it to get it all in.  Put the “hat” back on the pepper.  Place in a baking dish – I used a bread pan to keep them from falling over.  Depending on how many you’re making, you could use the same, an 8″ square pan, or large muffin tins.  Bake for about 50 minutes, until heated through.

While the peppers bake, make the dressing.  Combine everything but the water in a bowl, whisking until combined.  It will be pretty thick.  Slowly add the water until it is thin enough to pour.

Take off the hats, drizzle with dressing, and serve.

Variations:

Beans?  Use your favorite bean – pinto, black, cannelini…

Meat or Mushrooms?  Use prepared chorizo, Italian sausage, or sauteed mushrooms in place of the beans.  Or use an equal amount of rice, beans, and sausage/mushrooms.

Cheese?  Dice a mild cheddar or jack cheese fine and mix it with the rice, etc

Poblanos?  Stuff poblano peppers instead of bell.

Jalapenos?  Dice some jalapeno and mix in with the rice to up the heat.

No matter what, enjoy!

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