WHAT'S THAT I'M HERON? IS IT SPRING?

What a beautiful day. Temps in the low 50's and nothing but sunny skies for miles. we hit the road early and headed to Vancouver, WA to check out the Vancouver Farmer's Market. vancouver sits on the northern side of the Columbia River. Portland sits on the sourthern side. We missed our exit for the market and were immediately ushered across the bridge into Portland where we turn right around and got back on the highway for less than five minutes so we could get to the market.

The 2006 season for the outdoor market just opened on Saturday. I'm not sure how big the market is during the season's peak but it was understandably tiny on Saturday. It sits just outside of the Indoor Market @ The Commons. It's a market with a small food court housed under a condo/apt complex. After the three hour drive we were hungry. Mel Brook's Fish and Chips rustles up a fabulous egg sandwich. Expensive but good. That was the day's splurge (aside from filling the gas tank).



After the grub we headed back north about 14 miles through some beautiful backroads. J is an excellent navigator. Our destination - Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. It's actually a complex of wildlife refuges. We explored the Ridgefield refuge first. There is a 2 mile trail that winds through several types of wetlands and vegetation. Waterfowl abounds. Great Blue Herons are sometimes the stars of the refuge but red-tailed hawks are major players too. Both species live in the refuge year-round.

The first thing you see when you begin the trail is a full-scale replica of a Cathalpotle (Cath-la-poo-tuhl or Cath-la-poe-tuhl) plankhouse. Lewis & Clark met the Cathalpotle tribe on their way to the Pacific Ocean on November 5, 1805. From the Cathalpotle Plankhouse Project website: "They counted 14 cedar plankhouses belonging to the people of the "Quathlapotle nation" and estimated some 900 inhabitants. From the shore, seven canoes of Indians from the village paddled out to inspect the strangers and trade with them. Returning in March 1806, Lewis and Clark stopped again at Cathlapotle for several hours." The cedar logs used to construct this house are gigantic and the smell is fantastic. Inside are replicas of tools used by the Cathlapotle, some carvings and some animal skins. Take a look.







The weather was great, if a little chilly. We surprised a few snakes who were trying to get warm in the sun. We heard more birds than we could distinguish. Crickets and frogs too. And along the way we spotted interesting plants. Even a nest that was no longer occupied.






One of the best scenes we spied was while taking the 4 mile driving tour of the refuge. You are not allowed outof your car in this part of the rfuge. it's like a waterfowl safari. You drive very slowly and spy all sorts of critters. While J was looking one way, I glanced up before accelerating again and there, in the middle of the road, about 25 yards ahead, was a giant great blue heron with a long garder snake in its bill. The heron would toss the snake, whip it around, drop it then pick it up again. Finally, it swallowed it up and it took a while for it to go down to the heron's liking. A small traffic jam had formed behind me so I inched the car forward at a snail's pace until the bird took off, it's huge wingspan lifting it slowly off the ground and over the water. I snapped what photos I could with my digital and without getting out of the car in order to let the bird enjoy its snack.




The ride home was long because of traffic but we're glad we spent a good portion of the day outside and seeinf things we just can't see in the city.

HEY, WAIT FOR ME...

It seems that no one wants to be left behind. By the time I got home from work today (and I even left way early) at least one pot from each tomato variety had a sign of life. There was a bit of reaching going on so I quickly got the pots directly under the grow lights. Can't have them reaching for the light.

This weekend I will sow more chard, beets, carrots, and some herbs.

AND SO IT BEGINS...

When I came home from work yesterday, I noticed the first signs of life in the tomato starts. The very beginnings of a Yellow Pear Tomato, a variety I received free with my Heirloom Seeds order.

Once I got home I turned on the grow light over the starts and clicked on the heat in the bathroom. By the time I went to bed the sprout had grown.

And when I woke this morning the plant had been joined by a couple of friends. Things are moving along.

COOKING AHEAD TO THE FUTURE

Another one of our cooking extravaganzas this Sunday. Saturday night we opened the cupboards and emptied all of the grains, rices, pastas, and other dried goods. Man, what a stash! We are not allowed to buy any more of any of it until it has been used up. So we opened a bottled of wine and opened up the cookbooks and started scheming.

1. Red Lentil Loaf from Cooking The Whole Foods Way by Christina Pirello is a dish we have made in the past and really enjoyed. We suped up the ingredients, especially the vinegars and threw in some wheat germ and a roasted ancho chili (seeded) for good measure. The recipe includes red lentils, a piece of wakame (we used kombu), olive oil, shallots, carrot, celery, soy sauce, dried basil, rolled oats, umeboshi vinegar (we used rice vinegar), and balsamic vinegar.


Ingredients for Red Lentil Loaf. Kombu (not pictured) is a sea vegetable packaged in wide, dark, dehydrated strips that will double in size upon soaking and cooking. A great source of glutamic acid, a natural flavor enhancer. It is also generally believed that kombu improves the digestibility of grains and beans when added to these foods in small amounts.

2. Tuna Noodle Caserole. Now, we did our best to make a healthy version of this comfort food dish. I think we fared pretty well, though we disagreed on whether or not to use a cream of something canned soup. I said no way. I can make a healthy version of something gloppy and "creamy" if that's what we need. I lost that debate. As a compromise we used a "98% Fat Free" version of a popular brand of canned soup. I think compromise is the key word here - like compromise health and nutrition but what do I know? I dislike canned soups, especially creamed versions. There is just not much nutrition going on in these products. But, like I said, this is a comfort food dish even though we were trying to make a healthier version. Tuna, egg noodles, cream of something soup, peas, carrots, and homemade, whole wheat bread crumbs and organic rolled oats as the crunchy topping. Some green tobasco for bite. I think it's pretty good, as far as taste is concerned. J, however, isn't impressed. I feel bad. She was looking forward to it. I think it can be doctored and she will come to dig it.

3. Turkey Lasagna from the American Heart Association Cookbook (5th Edition). This is a dish we have made before and really enjoyed. This was an opportunity to use Nana B's sauce that I schlepped home onthe airplane. We didn't have ground turkey so we used meatless meatballs. Lots and lots of delicious veggies went into this. Spinach, shrooms, carrots, onions, garlic, and eggplant. Plus low fat, low sodium cottage cheese. We tried the no-bake lasagna noodles. Not bad. Overall the dish is pretty good. Next time I'd prefer no meat at all. Again, a healthier version of a comfort food dish. All those noodles are hard to health-a-fy.

Saute all the veggies until they release their mositure and then dry out.


Construct your layers.


Finish it off.


Here is the result of our labor. It really wasn't that much work with two people working.

Roasted Parsnip-Carrot Soup

Well, the parsnips might have loved residing in their underground niche, but as soon as they were removed they began to lose their charm. Monday night as soon I as arrived home from work I quickly set to work cleaning, peeling and chopping. Not all of every parsnip was desirable but most of the lot was roasted along with three big carrots, garlic, ginger, and onion. I seasoned it as desired. Again, I like an Indian taste to my roasted veggie soups these days. But this might change at any moment. Cardamom, sambar, corriander, curry, etc. was added to the mix and a dash of sea salt. Once roasted, the whole mess was processed until smooth. I had to split the batch in order to add all the liquid. One liter of low fat, plain soy milk and the rest water. Re-salted to taste and wah-la, baby! It's pretty tasty. It served as part of dinner last night, lunch today for me and S, and lunch for me again tomorrow.

Use what you have. Home cooked is always better!

GARDENING BEFORE MORE RAIN

Yesterday we got into the yard, if only for a few hours. It was lookin' a little backwoods around here. A winter of rain makes everything look, well, washed out, drenched, even if the day is dry and sunny. You have to get your hands on things and spruce them up. There was a tremendous amount of weeding. J hit all the pots and I hit the garden beds. I discovered that I have very healthy lettuce and mizuna growing happily under row cover.

Much to my surprise, the parsnip were thriving. Nothing bothers these things. I wonder if there is an untapped parsnip market out there. No pests every bothered the greens and they kept growing even after I would cut them back because they were shading young carrots that needed sun. And they made it through the winter with no protection. I had to dig deep and pull hard. A couple of these things were like caveman clubs! Now, I don't know from parsnips so I'm not sure how they will taste. I do know that the greens were very fragrant. But I've got these slated for roasting and then for soup, probably mixed with either sweet potatoes or carrots. And some will go to Sally.

And there are a few head of cabbage that I planted last fall as small starts. They, too, survived the winter and the rain and the few days of frost. Now we are four heads ahead, so to speak.

I also turned the straw bale bed with a pitchfork. I was ecstatic to see lots of red wigglers haveing a feast. I feel much better about this bed now that I see stuff is happening inside. It will be easier to shell out the dough for some dirt/compost for the tomato plants that will reside in this bed. I buried some veggie garbage deep within it too. I pulled out old arugula and stuff and just dropped it in while I was turning the bed with the pitchfork.

The weather guessers say it will rain for the next 6 days but I'm hoping to get some beans and peas and carrots and beets going. Oh, beets, I do still have several starts still alive and well from end of last season. I hope that means I have a head start on those too. And I can also start all my other seeds indoors. Will try to get to that today. But man, that yard looks five times better. Did lots of pruning too. And the tarragon plant survived outside all winter. I had it under our glass table so it w ouldn't drown but I was sure the temperature would eat it. Nope. There is bright green new growth all over it. We could start harvesting it right now if we wanted. A dressing of fresh compost wouldn't hurt but there plant is thriving and I am pleased.

We have a very busy day ahead. We have both been up since before 6 and we have people coming for dinner. Much to do between now and then. Pay bills, clean house, grocery shop, maybe get to the Y?

ISN'T IT IRONIC?

So today we walked over to a workshop offered by the Squire Park Community. A spokesperson from City Repair, Jan Semenza, gave an enthusiastic presentation regarding taking back the streets for pedestrians. He really loves his job, that's evident. His neighborhood in southeast Portland, more specifically, his immediate intersection, was transformed from dangerous autostrada to the Sunnyside Piazza. Intersection repair is just one of many projects taken on by this grassroots organization. The workshop ran for four hours and breakfast goodies and lunch were provided. Alas, we could only stay for half the show. Our own garden really needed our help. So we missed the pizza.

Ironically, later this afternoon, J's company car, parked at our own intersection, was hit head on. Our neighbor, A, (in addition to me and J) heard the smash, looked up from her gardening and took the plate number. The police came to take some info from her and J. The officer was very distracted and only spoke to us for a minute before something urgent came over his radio and he took off like a shot, jumped into his cruiser and sped off, sirens wailing. We discover later that the call he received was regarding the same car involved in J's incident. It was stolen, full of 13 year olds and hit a police car! Smart enough to steal a car but still 13 - plenty dumb enough to hit a cop car.

Our intersection sucks. The traffic circle installed a couple of years ago is worthless. In fact, it is right now sporting nice deep tire grooves. Why drive around it when you can drive over it? Why slow down at all? People usually don't. They might slow down to navigate the circle but they immediately accelerate as they head north down the street. All day we hear engines rev and tired screech and motors roar. Dumb asses. Our street bottlenecks about 30 yards after the circle. Two cars can't pass each other. Not to mention the side streets coming down from the main drag and up from the next side street. Terrible visibility from each direction. There have been plenty of accidents at out circle. We've seen and heard them and even called some of them in to the police. How do you get people to care enough to drive safely? I refuse to believe that they don't know they should drive safely. I hate excuses. How do you get people to care? Traffic circles don't work, that's for damn sure. And now that we have the damn thing there, how can we create what was created at the Sunnyside Piazza? We'll have to get creative.

THIRD DAY THIRD THOUGHTS

Having third thoughts about the garden. We will be in this house another summer (probably longer). The full garden will be planted. This means I have to move quickly. I'm far behind. Tomorrow after we return from errands and a community gathering, I will hit the yard hard. Sunday I will start plenty of seeds indoors. Exciting and frustrating at the same times. I wasn't terribly pleased with the garden last year. We just don't get enough sun for some of the plants. Obe of the main reason I want to leave this house. Lack of sun overall reduces the potential for rotating crops. In turn, I think this has resulted in some pest and disease problems. But, hell, I simply can't put the tomato plants in most areas of the yard. More than any other veggie I grow, the tomatoes need the sun.

So tomorrow it begins. With mostly heirlooms. A bit nervous about that too. Will keep you posted. And will be taking better notes on the garden this year. A new goal of mine.

SECOND THOUGHTS AND MUFFINS

Presidents Day. No big whup to me. I don't have to go to work so you can call the day whatever you like. To me it means running errands nice and early before anyone hits the road to go to the sales. Another excuse to buy crap you don't need and spend money you don't have.

Once back from my errands I set to work whipping up a pan of roasted sweet potato, a little bit of carrot, some onion and some garlice for another batch of Accidental Roasted Sweet Potato Soup. This batch is far better than the original. That little bit of carrot added a wonderful, natural sweetness. Less garlic, and less onion (this time it was white onion). Also, only organic veggie broth was used. I didn't add any other kind of soup just to use it up. I pulled out a frozen, roasted ancho chil and diced it. Man oh man - way too hot to add more than a couple small pieces. Whew! How we are ever going to use up all of those in our freezer, I don't know. The soup went into the freezer to take it home with me to C-town. I leave in the morning.

I'm also in the process of baking a batch of Apple Cinnamon Sweet Potato (Banana) Muffins to take home. Using up a couple mushy bananas that way. Plus, the two egg yolks remaining from the recipe get mixed with some egg beaters to form a fine breakfast sandwich. Plop the eggs between two slices of toasted Honey Whole Wheat from Old Mill Bread Co. and it's delish. This is a local bakery whose bread we really enjoy, especially because it is made from just a few simple ingredients: Freshly milled whole wheat flour, water, honey, salt, yeast, and soy lecithin. No white sugar, no white flour, no words we can't spell or pronounce. Each slice has 3 g of fiber and 5 g of protein. No cholesterol and no saturated fats. Along side goes the remaining apple from the muffin recipe and you are all set with a tasty meal.

Having second thoughts about the garden. I think I can still get away with planting some things before we move. Moving might be farther off than we planned assuming the place isn't sold by the property owner. All the greens and some peas, beans, zucchini can be planted and probably enjoyed.

The search for a house, though only days old, is already tedious and discouraging. A road trip down to Olympia didn't make us feel much better, though the homes are affordable. Back to baking and soup making, packing, dishes, laundry, etc.

TO SOW OR NOT TO SOW (and I don't mean wax museums)

At at time when we have just vowed to live like paupers for the next 2-3 months in order to boost our house down payment, we also have decided to forego planting the garden. The garden aids in reducing our produce costs. We buy lots of produce! But, things are changing. A couple of reasons for not planting: We want to move in the near future (meaning end of Summer, beginning of Fall. We are mentally prepared and physically up for the challenge of packing up the junk and searching for a house. Renting has been a very affordable option. We are fortunate enough to pay a very reasonable rate for a house, deck and a yard. However, we can’t modify this house any further. We have done a lot of work on it but we want to do more. But we can’t justify the labor or expense when the place simply isn’t our own. We have lots of ideas we want to implement and philosophies we want to practice. We need a place of our own!

Secondly, we were recently informed that the wife of the owner of the house died a few months ago. The lawyers are assessing taxes and such. So appraisers will be coming round soon to size up our place and neighbor G’s place (also owned by said property man). While this doesn’t necessarily mean that our place will be sold, we aren’t taking any chances. We’re taking it as a sign that we should stay right on track with our plan to move. Frankly, we don’t understand why the guy has held on to these two lots as long as he has. Property is at a premium around here and a condo developer could squeeze in several urban units in this space. For all we know, the joint’s already gone. Either way, I hope we are given ample time to get out.

Alas, this brings me to the subject of this post. It makes me very sad. All winter I look forward to spring. When should I start my plants? Which plants will I grow? Where will I put them this year? Any gardener knows what I mean. But now there is no need to do any of it. And after I spent all that $$ on an entire new garden’s worth of heirloom seed. So I took it as another sign when I spotted Winter Gardening In The Maritime Northwest by Binda Colebrook while poking around in Twice Sold Takes. It’s an easy read and very informative.
Since winter gardeing might be my only gardening this year, I felt the $5 price tage was quite reasonable. This gives me something botanical to look forward to. Regardless of how insane the process of searching for, buying, and moving to a new place might be, I’ll be damned if I’m not going to sow some seeds as soon as I get there. I don’t care in what I sow, the ground, a pot, an old bathtub, but I will sow seeds and I will have a winter garden.

So we will be content with the local co-op and the farmer’s markets. We love those options and use them often. Still, it’s so nice to pick fresh lettuce and pull a carrot or beet minutes before cooking. And we will be doing more freezing and canning this year anyway. So what if the stuff isn’t from our garden? I still haven't purchased the pressure canner that was my Christmas present from my mom. Another thing to look forward to. And we are going to do more U-pick visits this year since there are some things that simply haven’t grown well in my past gardens here. Like peppers. Not to mention things we just don’t grow like fruit and berries (at least not yet).

Go with the flow even if you don’t sow.

SAVING WATER

Keeping with our daily goal to save more water, J ran out and purchased an Anystream showerhead, a "low-flow" showerhead. Well worth the money and easy to install, this shower head will limit the flow of water to 2.5 gallons per minute, half the normal showerhead rate. We were already using some homemade techniques in the shower to limit the flow - mainly, just turn the water on only half way and get your butt in and out right quick. A great Christmas present from me to J was The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices compiled by the The Union of Concerned Scientists. According to the UCS, the most significant, individual choice a person make can to conserve the environment and its resources is to ditch your car. Second to this is installing a low-flow showerhead. People talk about peak oil but I can walk to the store - I do now. But there is no substitution for water. Start saving it today!

If you are motivated by money, know that saving water saves energy and that saves money. If you need some ideas on how to save water, check out this info from the Union of Concerned Scientists website.

CUT DOWN ON WASTE

*Don't use your toilet as a wastepaper basket. Throw tissues in the garbage.
*Don't run water unnecessarily. Turn water off while shaving, brushing teeth and scrubbing dishes.
*Keep drinking water in the refrigerator, rather than letting the tap run till the water gets cool.
*Instead of using water to thaw frozen food, defrost it in the refrigerator overnight.
*Scrape dishes, instead of rinsing them, before loading the dishwasher.
*Take showers instead of baths, and make them short. When you do take a bath, close the drain first, then turn on the water. Don't fill the tub more than halfway.
*Use your machines efficiently.
*Wait for a full load to run the dishwasher.
*Use the shortest wash cycle your dishwasher allows, unless dishes are very dirty.
*Select the appropriate water level or load size on your washing machine.
*Use a broom or rake instead of a hose to clear debris from driveways and other paved areas outside.

REDUCE LOSS THROUGH EVAPORATION

*Water your lawn and plants in the early morning or late evening when the temperature is lower.
*Put a layer of organic mulch around your plants.
*Keep a pool cover on the pool when it's not in use.

RECYCLE

*Put a small basin in your sink to collect water. Reuse the water for plants and cleaning.
*Take your car to a commercial car wash that recycles water.

IMPROVE YOUR EQUIPMENT

*Replace conventional toilets with ultra-low flow toilets, and save an average of 4 gallons per flush. Alternatively, put plastic containers filled with water in your toilet tanks. This saves less, but still helps. (Just keep the containers away from the flush mechanism.)
*Install low-flow aerators and showerheads to save 2-3 gallons on average per minute.
*Get a horizontal-axis washing machine. They're more expensive, but they reduce water usage by about 50%. Contrary to popular belief, top-loading models are available.
*Control water flow in hoses with automatic shut-off nozzles.
*Repair all leaks, which can cost tens of thousands of gallons a year. A leaky toilet alone can waste 200 gallons per day—and the leak is often invisible. To see if you have one, add food coloring to the tank water. You know there's a leak if colored water appears in the bowl.

CATS 'A BLOGGIN'

Cats like laundry, folded and warm right from the dryer. Idgie prefers to crawl under things, including the clean laundry. This action I observed earlier. So I sacrificed a pair of pajama pants to her efforts. I tossed the pants over her and she was happy. She is still sitting under them, 20 minutes later, and she will stay there for probably a few hours. Why move? She got what she wanted.

SOUP IS GOOD FOOD

Wasn't planning on making soup, it just happened. Had planned on roasting sweet potatoes for tomorrow's lunch but it turned into soup. Into the oven went two sweet potatoes, a red onion, several heads of garlic, a little olive oil, and salt, curry powder, garlic powder, cardamom, cumin, ground corriander, and homemade sambar powder. This I roasted until tender. The whole house smelled wonderful. It was at this point that, instead of packaging up a portion for lunch, I dumped the whole thing in the food processor and ran it with some veggie broth, water, and a splash of store-bought butternut squash soup. A dash more salt and I had roasted sweet potato soup. It's simply delicious and healthful.



The ingredients before my spark of genius (and before I cooked anything).

SUN SUN SUN SUN SUN SUN SUN SUN

For lunch Stephanie and I had delicious sandwiches from Chaco Canyon Cafe in the U District. I chose the Hot Rueben: Local Field Roast, sauerkraut, vegan cheddar, marinated onions, Dijon mustard, sprouts, and tomato on Essential Bakery Rye bread. Stephanie opted for the Barbecued Seitan: Marinated housemade seitan and barbecue sauce grilled with onions and vegan mozzarella and served with tomatoes and sprouts. We chose as our sides the terra chips and slaw. Slaw was more like salad and very tasty. Not a heavy cream-mayo thing. I would eat there again, any time. Thumbs up.

And the sky is blue and the mountains are out and the rain is not raining.

Stephanie had much more to say about the lunch. Here is the complete review of lunch. The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of bodanzarama cuz none of what bugged her bugged me with the exception of the loud convo about connecting flights.

Chaco Canyon not all it's chalked up to be
By Stephanie Germani
Staff writer

I've eaten at holes in the wall that are better than Chaco Canyon Cafe (Hole in the Wall, Second Avenue, Binghamton, N.Y., vegan).

Right off the bat the cafe lacks presentation. If I wasn't dining with a friend I wouldn't have known where the restaurant was. And when we did find the door, I lost my appetite for a healthy vegan lunch because the cafe is located next to the Flying Apron Bakery whose scrumptous-looking baked goods are displayed next to Chaco Canyon's door.

But my appetite quickly came back when I had to listen to these two granola girls gab about their connecting flights between Brussels and Beirut. After 10 minutes I just wanted to get my grilled BBQ Seiten sandwich and split.

While I was waiting there there were other people to annoy me. There was the nerdy-looking bald guy who asked for another shot of wheatgrass. There was the hippie chick who worked there, read there and ate there - I guess a good sign. Then there was the chef, who ate chips while preparing my food and didn't wash his hands.

When my order finally came up it was delivered in a cute, eco-friendly looking box. The terra chips that came with my sandwich weren't what I expected. They were more like wholesome tortilla chips than the Terra brand chips sold in stores. Also, the coleslaw -- which wasn't your mayo drenched usual -- wasn't contained in the box. I would have like a little separation between the chips and slaw. My sandwich was good. The rye bread from Essential Baking Co. was awesome. The sprouts fresh. The barbecued seitan yummy. But the vegan mozzarella cheese was unnecessary. I got through half the sandwich before I figured out that was the cheese.

So go to the Chaco Canyon Cafe, order a sandwich or one of the raw entrees they serve, run next door to the Flying Apron Bakery and get a scone, get your sandwich 10 minutes later and split.

Stephanie Germani is a staff writer for Bodanzarama.blogspot.com. She can be reached at imnotgivingyoumye-mail.com.

CHOPPIN' BROCCOLI

This beautiful broccoli was part of my dinner last night. It was tasty and tender and added a good crunch to the cabbage stir fry. In with that I chopped carrots, onions, celery and lots of garlic.

POOPER BOWL LOWLIGHTS

Wow, I'm glad I didn't waste my time watching the Pooper Bowl. It sounds like even hardcore sports fan were disappointed. I'm glad I don't like sports.

NEW BIRD IN TOWN

A few days ago, while climbing the stairs to my door, I stopped, head tilting to the side, to listen to a bird call I'd not heard before. I recognized the call as being new to the yard but, of course, I couldn't identify the bird. And I couldn't spot the bird. But I'm hearing it now as I sit in the living room.

I miss being in the yard. The weather is particularly dreary this winter. I'm afraid to see what's going on in the yard anyway. Overgrown this and that and overwatered everything. Damage assessment will have to come soon. And soon it will be time to prepare the seeds and get some soiless mix and clean out the seedling trays and fire up the grow lights. Scary and exciting at the same time.

TO KNIT, PERCHANCE TO DREAM...

Well, I've purchased the yarn for my sweater and a new pair of size 11 needles, long ones and really nice wood. But I'm afraid to begin. First of all, last Monday's kntting class was cancelled and in that class we were to learn a few of the stitches I will need to make this sweater. Secondly, I'm plain scared. So to satisfy my knitting itch, I started another scarf. Planend on using the white, sparkly yarn for my sister's scarf but i really don't like the thin yarn and the thin needles. So I decided to use two strands together. But I was only about 10 rows into the thing when I realized I wouldn't have enough yarn for this method. For 30 minutes I painstakingly unravelled and picked apart the yarn and rewound the skeins. So, Steph's scarf will not be white and sparkly, at least not yet. In the meantime, I took the initial yarn I received from Iva as the birthday gift that started it all and paired this with the white yarn. And I've been wanting to try knitting two yarns together for a while. It's really no different from one yarn at a time. And the result is a nice dense feel which is what I wanted but couldn't have accomplished with the thin yarn alone. Here is the result so far. If someone likes the colors, they are welcomed to the scarf though the finish date is far off - the sweater will very soon be the priority.

WINDY DAY GOOD FOR BAKING MUFFINS

The wind is crazy today. Wind and storm warnings all over Puget Sound. Sometimes the walls shake and the windows rattle and the noise sounds spooky. The cats hate it. I was at the Y when they opened at 7. That's the only way to guarnatee you get a good machine. Even the short ride from here to there rocked my car left and right. When I got home and got out of the car, a gust hit me and had to bend into the wind to make it to the house.

But I've been going ever since I got up at 6. Once home I whipped up a natch of healthy muffins to take to a card party later. This is a recipe I found on a sweet potato website. Last week I made the sweet potato version. Very good. Today I had to use up ripe bananas and again, very delicious. No white sugar, oat bran, whole wheat flour, no oil, fat free plain yogurt, etc. Good for you and tasty. Here is the recipe. Replace banana with fresh, mashed sweet potato for a delicious alternative. Sweet potatoes are very good for you and I love them. I've retained the original recipe and in parenthesis included my alterations.



Apple Cinnamon Sweet Potato (Banana) Muffins

3/4 cup oat bran
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar (I used almost 1 C brown rice syrup and 1/2 C honey)
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon (I added 1 tsp. nutmeg, 1 tsp. cardamom)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup apples, skinless, finely chopped
1 cup mashed fresh sweet potato (banana)
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
3 tbsp. vegetable oil (I used 1/2 C unsweetened applesauce)
2/3 cup plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine bran, flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and apples. Add banana, egg, egg whites, oil, and yogurt. Stir all ingredients thoroughly. Spray muffin tins with vegetable cooking spray and spoon 1/4 cup of batter per muffin. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done. Makes approximately 20 muffins.

I made one dozen bigger muffins the first time I tried this using sweet potatoes and today I made mini muffins and tried to mini loaf pans. This is a wet batter and the muffins are very moist but not heavy. I think muffins work better than the mini loaves. I suppse a bit more flour could be added if you need a loaf or perhaps replace one of the liquid sweeteners with a granular version (non white preferably). Experiment.

LOOKING TOWARD SPRING

I decided that this year's garden would be full of as many heirloom varieties as possible. I feel that heirloom varieties are essential to a sustainable life. Heirlooms are open-pollinated varieties. This means that if the seeds produced from the plant are properly saved, they will produce the same variety year after year. This cannot be done with hybrids, which are a cross between two separate varieties, as the seed produced from those plants will either be sterile, or start to revert back to the parent plants. I think it's important to preserve the plants'diveristy. Heirlooms usually taste better too. Hybrids often have the flavor bred out of them in the name of productivity and disease resistence. I also like the idea that heirlooms have been grown for generations. I like the idea that I am growing the same variety as someone's grandmother did in the old country (or in America during the Civil War!). This year will be an experiment. Frankly, it might be our last year in this house so I'd like to try out these seeds now and determine what works and what doesn't. I've got books coming to my library on growing heirlooms. Because they don't have the same resistence to pests as hybrids, I'm sure there are some additional measures I should take to have a successful heirloom garden. But obviously it can be done.

I suppose it was a bit of an expense for all these seeds at one time. Especially when I consider that I needed no new seed for this year. Then again, I would have purchased some plant starts anyway. This year I'd like to go back to starting all my own plants, including tomatoes. We will also be growing chard and kale for the first time. Not worried about those. Greens and the like always do well here. And when organic was offered in the variety I wanted, I chose it. That's important too. In case you are wondering what I will be tending this year, here is the order that I placed tonight. Exciting and scary at the same time. I completely forgot broccoli and cabbage so I will have to make due with hybrids again this year.

BLUE LAKE POLE BEAN
OLD HOMESTEAD POLE BEAN - CERTIFIED ORGANIC
ROMANO POLE BEAN
SCARLET RUNNER BEAN
CHINESE CABBAGE - PAK CHOI
BOOTHBY`S BLONDE CUCUMBER - CERTIFIED ORGANIC,
LEMON CUCUMBER - CERTIFIED ORGANIC
BASIL, GENOVESE
BASIL, LEMON
BASIL, SWEET
MARJORAM, SWEET
PARSLEY, DARK GREEN ITALIAN
THYME, ENGLISH
BABY OAKLEAF LETTUCE
BUTTERCRUNCH LETTUCE - CERTIFIED ORGANIC
FLAME LETTUCE
KAGRANER SUMMER LETTUCE
SALAD BOWL LETTUCE
TENNIS BALL LETTUCE
BRITISH WONDER PEA - CERTIFIED ORGANIC
THOMAS LAXTON PEA
BULL`S BLOOD BEET - CERTIFIED ORGANIC
CHOGGIA BEET - CERTIFIED ORGANIC
DETROIT DARK RED BEET - CERTIFIED ORGANIC
AMSTERDAM MINICOR CARROT
CHANTENAY ROYAL CARROT
OXHEART CARROT
WINTER RED KALE - CERTIFIED ORGANIC
DWARF BLUE CURLED KALE
BLACK ZUCCHINI
EARLY PROLIFIC STRAIGHTNECK SQUASH
ROUND ZUCCHINI
SWEET POTATO SQUASH
BUTTERNUT SQUASH - CERTIFIED ORGANIC
RAINBOW SWISS CHARD - CERTIFIED ORGANIC
BANANA LEGS TOMATO
BLACK KRIM TOMATO
BLOODY BUTCHER TOMATO
FIRST PICK TOMATO

CAT POWERS

Originally uploaded by sissalice.

Idgie is working on her powers of invisibility. She's alomost there. So close.

WAITING...

Despite the lousy weather and cold temps, the garden is still growing. I have two broccoli plants that have edible heads (will chow on that this weekend), well-established cabbage plants, plenty of arugula and four lettuces still growing. I've never seen bigger bok choi. I wonder if it's still edible. There are some renegade onions here and there plus the bunching onions I planted in the Fall. Beets are alive, carrots are alive (but I haven't dared to pull one recently) and the leeks have continued to grow in addition to the garlic. I wonder if anything will make it without drowning. For now, we wait.

THE BENEFITS OF SMOKING MUSHROOMS

Let me clarify. Another recipe from the Cafe Flora book we made over the weekend was Warm Spinach Salad with Smoked Mushrooms and Roasted Shallot Dijon Vinaigrette. J smoked the mushrooms on our grill using techniques from Steve Raichlen. The mushrooms replace the bacon in this salad and, thanks to the mesquite wood chips we used (that's all we had), it was very convincing. Not that we were trying to convince ourselves out of bacon (even though it will kill you). We love mushrooms and this recipe sounded (and was) absolutely amazing. But as for the bacon thing, even the next morning the kitchen smelled like bacon - really.

The dressing includes shallot, lots of garlic, olive oil, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, black peppercorns, red wine vinegar, and salt. The garlic and shallot are roasted first to mellow and sweeten them.

You saute the mushrooms in olive oil for a few minutes and then add one leek, sliced. Once the leek is tender, add the dressing, bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Then toss cherry tomatoes in the pan to coat them with all that good flavor. Pour everything over a big bed of spinach and finally sprinkle with raw, green pumpkin seeds which you have already toasted. Heaven. Pure heaven.



OK, so smoked mushrooms don't look much different than non-smoked mushrooms. But we smoked 'em!

AGAIN, WE MAKE INDIAN FOOD IN 137 EASY STEPS

Actually, this time it was easier. We already had most of what was needed thanks to our adventure making sambar powder last June. We love it and use it on lots of stuff and have shared it with my mom who really digs t. It was worth the effort. And so was the effort we expended Friday's Indian dish. We are really enjoying the Cafe Flora cookbook. The recipes we've made so far have been great. We are taking notes in the book (Yes, J gave me permission to write in the book) to note if we liked it, made substitutions, the outcome, etc.

Friday we dove into Roasted Vegetable Vindaloo. A vindaloo is actually a dish the Portuguese brought to Goa, the smallest Indian state. The Portuguese version included pork and wine vinegar and garlic, hence, the name "Vinho de Alho." But the Goanese added lots of spices and plenty of chili. Every Indian restaurant has a version, like any other dish you come to love. Cafe Flora has their veggie version. Technically, our version is not veggie since we used homemade chicken stock - sorry veg friends who won't get to taste this manna from heaven. If you've ever done any Indian cooking, you know that it entails several steps, each including several ingredients. The instructions could look daunting but a little bit of planning helps a great deal. This dish has lots of ingredients but is pretty simple to put together.

This dish includes a Spicy Goan Curry. To prepare, soak your chick peas for at least three hours and preferably up to eight before you cook them. Then you need oil, panch phoron spice mix (which I discuss later), lots and of thinly sliced onion, miso, veggie stock, vindaloo paste (again, I'll discuss later), diced tomatoes and salt. Eventually all these things come together and get mixed with the roasted veggies.

Roasting the veggies was easy and included potatoes, carrots (it was nice to pull these from the freezer from the stash we blanched and froze last Fall), cauliflower, eggplant. While the roasting takes place, make your vindaloo paste. Lots of pastes in Indian cooking. This paste uses corriander seeds, cumin seeds, fresh ginger, garlic, parika, tumeric, red pepper flakes, cardamom, cloves, salt and oil.

Then you have the ponch phoron spice mix. Having all the spices already in stock made this much easier. The only thing I had to buy was nigella and this I found at Travelers, a store on Capitol Hill full of Indian teas, spices, jewelry, clothes, food, etc. Nigella is a small, black seed from an herbaceous annual of the buttercup family. It is used widely in India and the Middle East as a spice and condiment. It was the last ingredient we needed to make the panch phoron, a Bengali five-spice mix consisting of: Fenugreek, Nigella seed, Mustard seed, Fennel seed, and Cumin seed. Yes, ponch phoron is Bengali and vindaloo is Goan but hey, this is not my recipe. The mix works like a dream. When all is said and done, you will have amazing smells in your house and intense and delicious flavors in your mouth. Serve this over basmati rice and love it!

NOTHING WET CAN STAY

But the rain only last about an hour. It's been dry but very windy with several cloud breaks since then.

OK, I'm done giving the weather.

NOTHING BLUE CAN STAY

Well, that lasted about two hours. It was raining by noon.

THE SKY IS SUCH A STRANGE COLOR...

it's like the color I've chosen for this entry. Weird. I've seen it before, about 23 days ago. And this sky is dotted here and there with what appear to be cotton balls. It's been like this for over an hour. Should I be worried?

WON'T YOU TAKE ME TO -WATERTOWN

This weekend we got away without getting too far away. J booked a weekend at the The Watertown in the University District. At under six miles from our house, we were never far from home. One of our extra long walks once took us from home to the U District. It was nice to be in familiar surroundings yet explore new places.

Friday evenings the hotel offers complimentary wine tastings for guests. Last Friday they offered two tasty choices - Carabella's Pinot Gris from the Willamette Valley in Oregon and Tomassi Valpolicello Classico Superiore. Both were really tasty and affordable (assuming the hotel doubled the price of a bottle...a quick web search verified this assumption). The next morning we hit the breakfast bar. It was really good. However, they served only Starbucks drip coffee. It's awful, plain and simple. We tried it Friday evening after wine tasting and thought we had simply reached the bottom of the pot. However, Saturday morning we knew it was just bad coffee. Strong in an unpleasant way and burnt in flavor. This is pretty typical of Starbucks coffee. If you must go to Starbucks, and please try not to go, stick with the fluffy drinks - the drip sucks. So the first thing we did both mornings after breakfast was walk somewhere else for coffee.

It was dry Saturday morning so we hit the pavement. Bulldog News had the answer to our coffee woes on Saturday morning. Plus, we took advantage of our Chinook Book coupon for some free fair trade coffee beans. Bulldog has a pretty good selection of beans. Their own coffee that they serve was OK. Could have been the barista. My rice latte was so hot I couldn't drink it for several minutes. There is no point to heating the drink to that extreme. Give me a break, I want to drink it the same day I buy it and I would like to actually taste the ingredients. But they have a fabulous publication selection.

We hit the University District's Farmer's Market which is still up and running through February. Only a handful of vendors but the swiss chard we saw was beautiful (keep reading for the swiss chard recipe from the Cafe Flora Cookbook we used on Sunday night). The Ave. is seedy, let's just make that clear right away. It's ironic that such a prestigious university sits so close, in addition to the affluence of the surrounding neighborhood, but man oh man, The Ave. has some desperate souls shuffling it's sidewalk. I suppose one could compare it to Broadway but the folks on Broadway appear more down on their luck. Sure, Broadway has lots of drugs and homeless youth - so does The Ave. But The Ave. seems to have the section of that population that was too down on their luck even for Broadway. Crazed people. People ready to snap any second mingling with college kids from upper middle class parents and the general urban hipsters and the elderly and the rest of us.

This dude needs a dentist. Ironically, the building he and his friends grace houses a dental office.

We liked this funky, old, and kind of sinking building.

colorful and old
Originally uploaded by sissalice.

we know who runs this neighborhood

we know who runs this neighborhood
Originally uploaded by sissalice.

We made our way down The Ave. pretty early in the day so I think we were spared some of the wackos (but we ran into several later that day). Our destination was the Ravenna neighborhood Third Place Books but in the meantime we were happy just to be walking not in the rain. And it was a pretty good walk. From the hotel at 42nd and 11th to the bookstore at 65th and 20th. But it was a great morning to be out and we saw parts of that neighborhood for the first time. On our way we passed Weaving Works where my knitting class begins on the 16th. Hey, Blue Dog Coffee House looked pretty funky so we walked back down there on Sunday. And I finally found Vegan Pizza Pi, the vegan pizza place. I get their newsletter and monthly coupons but never knew where on The Ave. it was located. I'm glad it's down on the north end. Will make it much easier to actually find a parking spot to patronize the place.

Ravenna has wonderful craftsmen homes. Seems to be craftsmen everywhere you look. Doesn't bother us, we really dig that style of house.

Some craftsman overtones on a beautiful lot.

not part of the falafel mafia
Originally uploaded by sissalice.

Not as much light in Ravenna as the gardener in me would like but it's a great area and I could see this neighborhood on my list of possible places to live. When we reached Third Place Books it was story time! Not sure what the story was but all the kids were digging it. There were pancakes invovled, this much I know. All the kids received a cardboard pancake face when it was over. We hung out here for a while because it started to rain hard and the wind was blowing like mad. Another Chinook Book coupon won us a free baked good with the purchase of one. I tried the vegan raspberry oat muffin and it was damn tasty. Was that a hint of lavender in the recipe? Honey Bear Bakery is on the premises and they make really tasty stuff.

The rain never let up so we hopped a bus back as far as the Safeway on The Ave. Damn that Safeway for not carrying anchovies! What the hell is up with that? I bought the paste as a substitute but it isn't the same as a real anchovy on some cheese on some crusty bread (part of our lunch back at the hotel). But Safeway did have an altercation about to break out in the parking lot and a crazy crack head inside and a cashier who had a bruise the size of calzone on her face. The bruise was on its way out and she had plenty of make-up on it but still. Poor lady. Don't know what happened but I bet it hurt.

Later that evening we went to Cafe Flora for dinner. It was our first time to this Seattle landmark of vegetarianism. All the dishes are vegetarian and many can me made vegan upon request. Cafe Flora boasts the use of local and fresh and organic ingredients. We arrived at 7:45 and the place was packed. We had called ahead to get our name on the wait list so we only hung out about 6 minutes before we were seated. The lentil dijon soup with kale would have been enough and would have made the visit complete. I can't begin to describe how delicious it was. Unfortunately, the recipe is not included in the cook book but a similar one is so we will have to experiment.

I wanted to chow, wanted to bite into my food, wanted to eat fries without eating crappy, unhealthy fries. So I opted for the Curryburger: "A blend of Indian spices, lentils & quinoa on a multi grain bun with sweet tomato chutney, lemon yogurt sauce and choice of wild greens or roasted potatoes." Actually, the choices for side dishes included yam fries and that was the selling point. I loved 'em! Not greasy and full of flavor without being buried in salt. Already sweet so no need for ketchup. Julie chose a more grown-up dinner, the Portobella Wellington: "Grilled portobella mushrooms, leeks and mushroom-pecan pâté in puff pastry with Madeira wine sauce, seasonal vegetables and mashed potatoes." No room for dessert after all of this and tons of coffee.

Sunday we went back to Third Place Books, used yet another Chinook Book coupon and picked up the Cafe Flora Cookbook. From this J whipped up the swisschard recipe with the lemon vniagarette...very easy and extremely tasty. The greens hold their flavor and texture and the dressing is just right. The dressing will keep in the refridgerator for a week. We used it on roasted cauliflower last night and it was amazing. I forgot to bring the damn recipe with me where I am as I post. I'll post it soon, promise.

KNITTING NOT QUITTING

I'm really digging the whole knitting thing. I must say that already I'm whizzing through scarves at a rapid pace. On New Year's Eve I gave the finishing "bind off" to the scarf for Julie, thanks to help from Andrea. With so little natural light these days, indoor shots look terrible. You can't appreciate all the color in this scarf. But I made it with Lion Brand Suede in the Vineyard color.



The next day I began a scarf for Nana. She said that she likes purple and orchid. I hope this yarn has the right color combos. Again, the colors are hard to see. Even the pictures on Lion Brand's website suck. I used this Homespun Yarn in Renaissance.


Last night I finished this scarf and began one for my mom. I'm about 1/4 of the way through that one. She chose her own yarn and color, Jo-Ann Fabrics Angel Glitz yarn in purple. It's actually not as bad to work with as it might look. It's pretty easy. I've got size US 11 needles and cast on 21 stitches and am knitting a sand stitch: Row 1 : Knit 1, Purl 1 the whole row. Row 2: Knit the whole row. Row 3: Knit 1, Purl 1 the whole row. Row 4: Knit the whole row. Repeat until you're done. I don't have a shot of this one yet.

My class begins the 16th!

MEETING OF THE FAMILIES

On New Year's Day Concetta and I went to Stephanie's to make chamellas and panatone bread pudding. It was the Germani-Bodanza-D'Amato alliance. Time to eat and make food.

First we threw together a panatone bread pudding. Couldn't be easier. Buy a panatone, cube it up. Add eggs, half & half, vanilla, sugar, rum, and nutmeg. Bake in a glass dish set in a shallow water bath. Boom done - panatone bread pudding.






Moving on...Stephanie's family refers to the ringed breads we made as chamellas. I did find this recipe for chamellas which is extremely similar to the one we used (and, technically, I haven't divulged any Germani secrets). Also on this page is a sweet version (simply add sugar). Like most recipes, there are dozens of variations out there for chamellas. My family calls them ciambelles. Ciambelle refers to the shape and not the ingredients. Mostly the shape is round. Some are rings, some are almost rings but the ends don't quite meet, some are scalloped (like the ones we made), some are shaped like birds! Make them sweet with sugar, orange peel, lemon zest, etc. Make them savory with garlic, herbs, cheese. I've got lots of ideas for future ciambelles/chamellas. I've got visions of crushed red pepper dancing in my head or fresh rosemary and sage. Here is a recipe for ciambelles made with sugar AND white wine. Experiment.

Stephanie had the chamella work stations set up when we arrived. Perhaps she can hold chamella making classes? We each had our own supplies and ingredients. This is a simple process of making dough, letting it rise, forming the shapes, dropping into simmering water for a few seconds and then baking.

While waiting for the dough to rise we had lunch. Stephanie made grilled chicken, pear salad, and roasted cauliflower with red pepper strips. All delicious. It was the perfect chamella making party.

CONCETTA WAS TREATED LIKE A QUEENA BEFORE SHE SAW DINA

Thursday Andrea, Concetta, Erin and I head up to Than Brothers for a hot bowl of pho. Andrea and Concetta hit R.E.I. after lunch while Erin and I had to return to work. But after work Concetta, Julie and I dined at Annapurna for delicious Tibetan, Nepali, and Indian food. Afterwards, Concetta and I went to see the one, the only, Dina Martina perform her Christmas show at Re-Bar.



Dina Martina is hard to describe. You have to see her to believe her. But we laughed until our faces hurt. And, once again, I was picked on by Ms. Martina but I received a gift for my troubles. Yes, I am (was) the owner of magnificent candy ear wax. Mmmmm good. But I was jealous of the woman who received the toilet seat embellished with a picture of Dionne Warwick. I might have to decorate my own toilet with a has been. While at Re-Bar I learned that Sylvia O'Stayformore (Ben Blair) will be performing Lady Sings The Brews in all through January.

On Friday Concetta was spoiled rotten at Gene Juarez with a facial and a hand and foot massage thanks to a gift from me and Julie. Her face was like a baby's bottom when she was done. We took her smooth butt face to wine tasting at Tarragona.