My Colorado friends Steve & Donna Chase (L) and Amy & Barry Gordon (R) with Armando and Philamone, the donkey. The Gordons live in San Miguel 6 months of the year. Armando and Philamone are their next door neighbors.
DIA de LOS CASCARONES
On a windy Sunday morning during the pre-Lenten festivities, we had brunch at a roof-top restaurant.
This month New Orleans hosted its Mardi Gras and Rio de Janeiro, the world’s largest Carnival celebration. In San Miguel de Allende it’s Dia de Los Cascarones, the day of the cracked egg. While SMA’s crowd can’t rival the one million revelers of their South American neighbor, this city does a smashing job observing the five days leading up to Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.
While exploring one day, I asked a store clerk for a lunch recommendation. “Go down 2 blocks to a little grocery store,” she said, pointing left. “Climb up to the third floor,” she continued. “They have the best pork belly sandwiches in San Miguel.” The Mom and Pop shop was nondescript with only 4-tables but the pork belly sandwich was the best I’d ever eaten (and, my first)!
A black cat crossing my path has never bothered me. Stepping on a crack breaks no one’s back. If you spill salt, look to avoid any targets before tossing more over your left shoulder. I may not be superstitious but I admit to strongly believing in Luck. So, if someone wants to crack an egg over my head in the name of good fortune, let’s do it.
During the festivities I met Donna for lunch at Nectar, a patio restaurant whose many hummingbird feeders attract our tiny flying friends. This Violet-crowned Hummingbird entertained us throughout lunch.
El Jardin (Plaza Principal) located directly across from the famed La Parroquia (church) is Ground Zero for the gaiety. The Centro Histórico is ablaze in color with mariachi bands staking out their corners. Vendors line the square, selling hand-made puppets, glitzy masks, outsized paper flowers, ice cream, churros and bags of cascarones. Mojigangas, giant costumed puppets from 6 to 18 feet tall, stroll and mingle with the crowd.
On most days I was treated to a lunch created by Cav & Blanca’s talented Senora Trini. Color me Spoiled.
What interested me most during the festivities was the cracked egg scene. Simply put, cascarones are washed chicken eggshells, brightly painted on the exterior, filled with confetti and closed again by small tissue squares glued over the opening. These handmade mini-piñatas are manufactured by local kitchen table entrepreneurs and sold on the streets in bags of 5, 10, 20 and 40. (I went big, buying 40 for 50 pesos.)
Since no one at the El Jardin had cracked an egg over my head, bringing me good fortune and luck in the year ahead, I bought my own stash of 40 eggs. Senora Trini helped me place the eggs strategically in a gorgeous bowl in O’Leary’s dining room.
Every child, teen and even Moms/Dads tote their own personal cache to toss or crush over an unsuspecting head, producing a confetti shower and bringing good luck to the victim. For these 5 days, SMA’s historic cobblestones are a rainbow of colored confetti.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I finally cracked an egg over my own head. Good Fortune reigns. I cracked another open to show you.
EL CHARO del INGENIO jardin botanico
When Donna and I were waiting to begin our nature tour at El Charo, Bob Turner (middle) helped me identify a worm-eating warbler (who knew?). From the small world department… Bob Turner lived in Boulder, Colorado and was the western states’ field director for the National Audubon Society. He assisted Aspen’s renown birder Linda Vidal and other locals in establishing our Roaring Fork Audubon group.
As I mentioned last week, El Charo del Ingenio, located near Casa O’Leary where I am staying, is an outstanding 217-acre botanical garden and nature preserve surrounded by an Ecological Preservation Zone. Besides hiking its many trails, last week Donna and Steve Chase and I took a morning tour to learn about its vast botanical collection of cacti and other Mexican plants many of which are rare, threatened or in danger of extinction due to development.
White-faced Ibis
Canyon Wren
Tropical Kingbird
Donna and I, who are volunteer Rangers in Aspen, enjoyed learning about new plants and birds.
My last night together with the Chases before they returned to Colorado. We had cocktails on the roof of their apartment before doing to dinner.
VALENTINE’S DAY AT CASA O’LEARY
Valentine’s Dinner, Casa O’Leary
Dinner with friends, many who came for San Miguel’s Writers Conference, from Canada, Austria, the USA and Mexico.
I was able to snag Floridian Tim Wheat (R) to be my Valentine. Canadians Tony and Joan Eyton sit nearby. Mr. Eyton, my dinner partner, was the Ambassador to Brazil and served as the Senior International Trade Advisor for the Canadian government. During his long and varied career he was posted throughout the world so our dinner conversation was quite interesting.
Señora Trini made a delicious Valentine chocolate cake for our evening’s dessert.
WELCOME to CASA O’LEARY, my home for the next 5 weeks.
Early every morning I pour a mug of coffee, stand out on the balcony and get my first glimpse of SMA through this oval non-window (located to the left in the above photo).
Seventeen years ago in April 2001, when Michael and I were driving home from an early AM yoga class, we followed a moving van turning into our Silver King Drive neighborhood. As it pulled to a halt at the vacant house near ours, we spotted a cute little guy, standing patiently with his parents, waiting for that truck to spill out the life he’d left behind in Houston, Texas.
We were smitten. And, dear Readers, that’s how I’ve ended up spending 5 weeks of this winter with the O’Leary’s in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Every February 2nd families and communities dress up their image of Niño Dios (Child Christ) with brand new clothes and take them to the church to be blessed. It falls forty days after Christmas, and is celebrated by Catholics as the “Feast of Purification.”
The priest is blessing all the babies brought to the altar.
Everyone picks up their babies after being blessed.
That little 4-year old is now a junior at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. As our lives and the O’Leary’s became intertwined we were able to participate in and celebrate the many milestones of his journey. After Michael died Blanca and Cavanaugh were among the friends who quietly tucked me into their lifestyles and families.
After the ceremony families get together for a delicious tamales feast. We sat down with the whole staff and had homemade tamales and hot chocolate for breakfast.
That evening for my first dinner, Señora Trini, the O’Leary’s talented cook, made me a flan.
More than ten years ago, they bought a hacienda in Mexico and now spend 6 months of the year in SMA. Generous with their hospitality and skilled at entertaining, their home is a revolving door as friends come and go. Although Blanca has often invited me to visit, nothing meshed until this year when I asked to visit for ‘a week or so.’ But five weeks? Who does that?
A UNIQUE FRIENDSHIP
These cactus pads are called Nopales in Mexico. We brought some from this woman and brought them home to S. Trini. That night she made a delicious vegetable that looked much like green beans!
Over the years Blanca, who grew up in El Paso and I, Iowa born and bred, have created a unique friendship. Although I can’t speak to what I bring to her party, I am well aware of what she brings to mine. Strong-willed and intuitive, her passions and gusto for life run deep. Because our cultural experiences were so divergent and my ignorance and naivety about Latinos so great, we’ve never lacked for spirited conversation.
Since Blanca is on the board of San Miguel Pen, the worldwide association of writers with centers in 104 countries, we attended a evening author’s presentation. Later author Sandra Cisneros, who in 1995 received a MacArthur Genius Grant, joined us for dinner.
During our weekly hikes last summer, we discussed this upcoming visit. “If I’m coming for that long,” I said, after remembering that ‘guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days,’ “ I want it to be about learning.”
“Of course,” Cav and Blanca agreed, suggesting that was already a given.
Just a casual Saturday afternoon in downtown San Miguel. Actually these two fine people are headed to a wedding.
After spending one week in SMA I’ve already taken a deep dive into grasping the importance and significance of Mexico, our south-of-the-border friend and neighbor. For the next 5 weeks, with shorter written posts, I’m letting my photos tell the story of meals shared, celebrations observed, activities enjoyed and people encountered.
And yes, after a week of enjoying the O’Leary’s bounteous hospitality, I’ve begun mainlining my multivitamins.
I joined an early morning San Miguel Audubon birding walk at El Charco del Ingenio-Jardín Botánico. Besides seeing this Vermillion Flycatcher I viewed many birds species including the Great Kiskadee, the Chachalaca and the White-faced Ibis for the very first time.
On most mornings we take an early morning hike up to the El Charco preserve near the O’Leary’s home with our neighbor Christina.
Can we agree that seven years of blogging about food is worth 250 calories? Thus, the cake.
Lately I’ve been reflecting on this lifetime of growing, cooking, eating and sharing food, realizing it’s the frame work I’ve used to build and re-build my life. Most of my happy memories are in some way attached to food.
– From my childhood I still crave Mom’s Apple Crisp, Helen Shelley’s Whipped Cream and Oreo Cookie Pudding, Millie Potter’s Molasses Cookies and Carole Renken’s mom’s Rice Krispie Bars. There are so many memories attached to each of those cravings.
– As for silly family memories, this rises to the top. The turkey wouldn’t gobble if I didn’t bring a huge batch of Chex Mix to my family on Thanksgiving. Every year my granddaughters wonder aloud if Grandma will remember. It’s always a week before the holidays when I get the call.
“Hi, Mom. It’s Missy.(long pause)Mom, now I am serious, please, please don’t put so much butter in the Chex Mix this year.”
“Okay, Missy,”
“Mom, Mom, I really mean it this year.”
“I know Missy.”
When I arrive the girls are quick to spy the Chex Mix canisters in the car. “I only doubled the butter,” I whisper to them.
They giggle and run in to tell their Mom. I do penance. Eleven years. Same story.
Take a look at the potato plant, just dug from of the soil. Potatoes are now grown in the Valley by Woody Creek Distillers who make acclaimed craft spirits including 100% Potato Vodka. WCD Photo
– One of my favorite Michael Memories is our annual potato harvest. We Iowans could not successfully grow tomatoes in Aspen but our potato crop was gangbusters. Each fall Michael would make the call. It was time. He’d grab his pitchfork to dig up the plants as I got down and dirty to retrieve those spuds. Since I experimented with different varieties, there was lots of ooh & aah-ing as we spotted each one. And God help that man if he mistakenly speared and damaged one of those tubers. Our harvest’s success dictated the number of guests invited to our boisterous potato parties which followed.
In Las Vegas, where I’ve spent the holidays, some people go High Brow and some go Low. I favor the Low – my favorite burger joint on Eastern Avenue.
My long-lasting friendships, whether in Iowa, Nevada or Colorado were nourished and nurtured in the kitchen and around the table. This experience of the past seven years of cooking virtually only raised the bar. In an instance of serendipity I joined French Fridays with Dorie, arguably among the first virtual cook-the-book food groups.
This exposure to kindred spirits throughout the world was an unexpected gift. C.S. Lewis nailed it, “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”
LV now has a big box IKEA. Since I had never visited an Ikea I stopped by to taste their iconic Allemansrätten meatballs with mashed potatoes & gravy and lingonberry sauce.
A Bargain.
For me, every week I make time to plan, cook, click and write. My measuring cup runneth over.
There are none of the long lines here in Las Vegas as reported at Danny Meyer’s popular Shake Shacks in New York City.
Still worth a stop for the ‘Shroom Burger, a crisp-fried portobello mushroom filled with melted meunster and cheddar cheeses, topped with lettuce, tomato, and ShackSauce. Tasted mighty fine with french fries and a salted caramel shake.
YEAR EIGHT KICKS OFF IN SAN MIGUEL de ALLENDE
On Thursday I am flying to San Miguel de Allende, located in central Mexico, for a 5-week visit. Designated as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, SMA joins other historical cities like Venice, Florence, Salzburg and Prague as the most historically and culturally significant in the world.
I will be living near the centro histórico, the city’s 500-year-old downtown district. For the next few weeks of posting I’ll be trading David Lebovitz’s recipes for those of Diana Kennedy, aka the “Julia Child of Mexico,” and Señora Trini, the reigning cook in my hosts’ cocina.
Gracias, Readers, for a wonderful seven years with you.
It’s time to take up arms. If Influenza A H3N2 heads your way, Just Say No.
Shot or Not is the question. (Still time.) Vaccination is a personal decision. Our family always takes the needle because Michael, who was a doctor, said so. He also said, “There’s no simple surgery, just simple surgeons,” and “If it’s a foreign object it belongs in a jar.” He also said, “Never buy a second house until you’ve sold the first.” But, I digress…..
Easily found Vitamin C-filled fruits for your smoothies: strawberry, lemon, guava, kiwi, grapefruit, lime, cantaloupe, orange, pineapple and papaya.
Seriously, readers, this is a particularly virulent monster. Ironically it’s the 100th anniversary of the 1918 global influenza pandemic that killed between 50 to 100 million victims. The Center for Disease Control is warning us that babies and the elderly are particularly vulnerable. Curiosity led me to check what CDC meant by “elderly.”
If you’re sick, stay home. Do a puzzle. Amateur geologist Donna Grauer finds a project for her down time.
Here’s a shocker. I am, uh, elderly. And, if you’re over 65 you are also. Indignities aside, tinker with your winter’s lifestyle habits to protect yourself and those you love. To encourage healthier eating, here’s a delicious hack to consuming more fruits and vegetables. Colorado food blogger/author Tieghan Gerard created this Immune Boosting Winter Smoothie which she says is “jam packed with vitamin C and plenty of nutrients like fiber and antioxidants.”
I know, I know. These roses are over. The leaves are brittle. But I thought they were quite lovely. Another week, perhaps?
#MeToo #TimesUp
In the early 70’s as a single mother raising two girls, I won a generous Gannett Fellowship which helped bankroll my graduate degree at Iowa State. The University offered me an instructorship, structuring it to include health insurance. I also worked 2 days a week as an assistant magazine editor in nearby Des Moines, 36 miles from Ames. I loved my editorial work.
One day while working in Des Moines, a young woman walked into our office. Her travel agency had erroneously ticketed my boss’s flight plans. He was angry. She went into his office and, when leaving, was visibly upset. As she headed out the door, he walked into the front office and said loudly, “There goes further justification why men should be paid more than women.”
She was humiliated. I didn’t say a word in her defense. (Brave Mary, huh?) No one did. Please understand my male boss was a good guy and well-respected in the community. But he didn’t think twice about that statement. I, on the other hand, never forgot it. Despite the fact that I desperately needed that job, I needed to walk away. During my Iunch break that day I began looking for another job and soon was working elsewhere.
This week’s Time’s cover to honor the one-year anniversary of the world-wide women’s march.
When I asked my over-65 women friends if they’d suffered some level of verbal abuse in the workplace, most said yes and worse. Although, like me, they don’t ever revisit or discuss those painful workplace encounters it remains part of our fabric and armor. That’s why we find these #TimesUp revelations so distressing. For the past 40 years we’ve been consciously trying to level the playing field. #NotEnough
Although International Women’s Day is more celebrated worldwide than in the United States, I usually gather female friends for dinner.
Have our efforts counted for anything? More importantly, will this present-day crusade move the needle? “It’s hard to see when you’re in the middle of it,” says presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. “But it feels like something is happening, a fervor, an excitement, an optimism.”
The March 3, 1913 National American Woman Suffrage Association parade in New York City.
As a reminder just how long women have struggled for equality, consider this: “The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, passed in 1920, giving the right to vote to women took 72 years and required 56 referendum campaigns, 47 campaigns to get state constitutional conventions to write women’s suffrage into state constitutions, 480 drives to get state legislatures to hold those referendums (5 referendum campaigns in South Dakota alone), 277 campaigns to get state party conventions to include women’s suffrage planks and 30 campaigns to get presidential party campaigns to include women’s suffrage planks in their platforms.”
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY IS MARCH 8
IMMUNE BOOSTING WINTER SMOOTHIE adapted from Tieghan Gerard, Half-Baked Harvest
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup frozen mango chunks
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
1 small raw cooked or red beet, chopped (I used canned beets)
1 cup frozen Antioxidant Blend of Strawberries, Dark Sweetened Cherries, Pomegranate Seeds and Raspberries (OR) 1 cup of any mix of these frozen fruits
1 orange, blood orange, or grapefruit, peeled and segmented
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1 Tbs honey
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a blender, combine the mango, lemon juice, turmeric, cayenne, ginger, orange juice and honey. Blend until completely smooth, adding more honey if needed to sweeten. Pour into a tall (frosted) glass.
2. Rinse the blender out. Combine the beet, raw or cooked, “red” fruits, orange, and pomegranate juice. Blend until smooth and creamy, adding more pomegranate juice if needed to reach your desired consistency.
3. Pour over the mango mixture and stir gently to swirl. Top with toasted seeds or chopped toasted walnuts, if desired. Enjoy!
This morning Ardyth initiated me into the corp at the new 210-acre Wetlands Park Nature Preserve in Henderson. She and her husband volunteer here like I do in Aspen. Our chores are identical.
During the holidays, as usual, I’m in Henderson at Anthem Country Club, the gated community where Michael and I last lived. Over Thanksgiving however, it was Bishop, a five-hour drive across the state line and through Death Valley, for family time. I hadn’t seen Emma and Clara since May. In grandmother hours, that’s a really long time.
So after finally arriving and giving both girls giant hugs, it wasn’t particularly prudent that the first thing out of my mouth was, “When I turned into the driveway I saw those absolutely gorgeous shelf mushrooms on the poplar trees. Don’t you love their look?”
These shelf mushrooms are called Turkey Tails, a perfect decorative “look” for Thanksgiving Day.
Moment. Foot. Mouth. (C’mon, Readers, you’ve had them.) Stephen, my mild-mannered and soft-spoken son-in-law doesn’t own a scowl face. He doesn’t grimace. “I don’t like them,” he said, with a scowl-grimace combo. “They’re killing my trees.”
The girls stopped with the hugging. I sensed eye-rolls but knew their mother had forbidden them to ‘give eye rolls to Grandma.’
As for Melissa, I got an I-don’t-like-‘em-either “Ugh,” followed by “Hi, Mom.”
Although Thanksgiving ended well, the beginning, not so good. Emphasizing the holiday spirit theme, I pointed out that shelf mushrooms are actually called Turkey Tails (Trametes versicolor). They are very common throughout North America, popping up everywhere in overlapping clusters on dead hardwood rotting stumps and logs. While this fungus did not kill Stephen’s poplars, blame that on their 30-50 year time span and California’s drought, they certainly don’t help.
Nature lesson over. Subject closed. Not to be discussed again.
JUST ROLL WITH IT
It was my October trip across the pond that finally persuaded me to begin streaming The Great British Baking Show on Netflix. Now it’s an addiction, watching twelve U.K. amateur bakers tackle 30 different recipes throughout a 10 episodes season. The show is light-hearted and very British in a Jolly Good, Mind the Gap manner. In Episode 1 the challenge was a Swiss Roll, a jelly or cake roll which is a sponge cake roll filled with whipped cream, jam, or icing. As we already realize, I am a rung or two down the ladder from laying claim to being an accomplished amateur baker.
Attempt #1 of my cake roll but just decorated 2 different ways.
However with a stiff upper lip, after watching that first episode twice, I found a recipe calling my name, Gingerbread Cake Roll with Eggnog Whipped Cream. It is my first attempt you see pictured in today’s blog. Readers, it took bravery to feature Attempt #1 with its failings rather than Attempt #2 which was a personal triumph and now placed safely in the freezer for a later celebration. These photos and post walk you through the learning curve.
Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanzaa or not at all, this is my gift to you. Don’t accept your limitations. Be open to NEW and try DIFFERENT. Perfection isn’t always the goal, as evidenced by this first cake roll. It’s the process.
“SO MUCH OF LIFE IS WHAT YOU ROLL and WHERE YOU LAND.”Mark Hamill
GINGERBREAD CAKE ROLL WITH EGGNOG WHIPPED CREAM adapted from Dorothy at Crazy for Crust Blog
8-10 SERVINGS
INGREDIENTS:
CAKE:
3 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup applesauce
1/2 cup molasses
1 cup flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
FILLING:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons eggnog (added 1 TBS at a time)
*If you are serving the roll immediately, save a small amount of filling for the top.
DIRECTIONS:
CAKE:
1. Line a 10×15 inch jelly roll pan with 1” sides with foil or parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray with flour added.
2. Beat eggs at high speed for 5 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar, applesauce, and molasses.
3. Stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and salt. Add to other mixture.
4. Spread evenly into pan. Gently hit/bang the pan against the counter to remove air bubbles.
5. Bake at 350°F for 8-12 minutes. Begin checking the cake at 10 minutes. You want to make sure your cake is done. A toothpick should come out completely clean. A roll must be just baked but NOT over baked which makes them roll easier and prevents cracking. Although my first cake didn’t crack, it was dry, over-baked. Ten minutes is the magic number.
While the sponge cake must be complete done, DO NOT over bake. That’s what causes cracking when rolling it up. I baked my first version between 11-12 minutes and that was too long. Although it rolled perfectly, it was too dry.
6. Carefully turn out the cake immediately onto parchment paper or thin kitchen towel. Starting at the narrow end, roll parchment paper or towel and hot cake together.
Immediately after taking your cake from the oven do the roll up, using a thin towel or parchment paper sprinkled with powdered sugar or superfine sugar. My towel was too thick for a good roll but, when making it again, parchment paper sprinkled with superfine sugar worked fine.
7. Cool completely. Cooling will take at least 2 hours. Once the cake is cool, carefully unroll it.
For the second cake, I sprinkled superfine sugar on parchment paper before rolling it up to cool. When using powdered sugar, it tends to “spread” and “stick” to the cake. I do admit to being heavy handed with the powdered sugar.
8. Beat cold heavy whipping cream in a stand mixer at medium speed with the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer) until soft peaks form. This usually takes about 2-4 minutes. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Slowly add eggnog 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until stiff peaks form but be careful not to over whip.
9. Although I did not do this with cake #1, grab your 12” ruler and a sharp paring knife and slightly trim away the edges of the four sides which tend to be crusty.
After the cake is cool (about 2 hours) and carefully unrolled, it’s time to spread the filling. (In the second cake roll, I used a 12 inch ruler and sharp knife to take off a slight bit of the crust on all 4 sides of the cake.)
10. Spread evenly about 1/2 to 3/4 whipped cream over all the top of the cake, only leaving an edge at one end without frosting. Starting at the narrow end that is frosted, re-roll the cake tightly into a log. As you roll it up some filling may spill out. Have a knife handy to scrape off any excess but not to worry, you will trim off the ends before serving.
When frosting the cake with filling, frost totally, covering the surface, except for the end of one of the short ends.
11. At this point you can wrap the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When ready, place cake on serving plate and top with some of the remaining whipped cream or frost the entire top of the roll and dust with cinnamon or lightly dust with powdered sugar. Trim off the ends for a prettier look.
12. Slice and serve.
TIPS
1. Refrigerate your mixing bowl and beaters 30-minutes to an hour before making the filling.
2. Because the roll, without the decorative top, can be made and refrigerated for up to two days, you will need to make some additional whipped cream (heavy cream, vanilla and powdered sugar) for the topping, Using more eggnog is optional.
“EACH NEW DAY HAS a DIFFERENT SHAPE to IT. YOU JUST ROLL with IT.” Ben Zobrist
During the Thanksgiving holiday my friend Meredith explored Patagonia, a meandering territory in the southern tip of South America. This rugged area of spectacular national parks in the Andes mountain range is shared by Chile and Argentina. Forty years ago English author Bruce Chatwin wrote IN PATAGONIA, ‘a masterpiece of travel writing that revolutionized the genre’ and introduced that slice of South America to the world. Game on.
My Anthem Country Club friends and neighbors got together for dinner to welcome me back to Henderson. Laughter and happy memories, that’s for sure.
But, I digress….. As her vacation ended, beginning a lengthy 32-hour trek home, I asked that she check in when safely home in Atlanta. Here’s the text I received: “BUS: Natales to Arenas; PLANES: Arenas-Santiago-Dallas-Atlanta; TRAIN: Marta; WALK: Home. Travel is not for sissies. As you know!”
Our Clara is a math whiz which translates to precision and perfection. It’s a strength that Melissa, Emma and I don’t share. She’s the baker in the family and dished up a Cherry Pie and Pumpkin Cheesecake. Beyond tasty.
Clara bought fresh cherries, pitted them and stored them in the freezer until Thanksgiving. Her filling was delicious but my, oh my, her crust. The best ever. The cheesecake, her first try, was just so good.
When she walked through the door, Meredith later told me, she headed for the freezer to pull out a stash of her Red Beans and Rice, a Louisiana Creole cuisine classic. While it bubbled on the burner, she unpacked, threw a load of dirty laundry in the washer, probably changed into sweats, and voila……breakfast/lunch/dinner poured into one big bowl of comfort food.
To make Celery Root Soup with Horseradish Cream and Bacon Chips, you start at the source.
While my 1200-mile holiday adventures were not as exotic, my hunger pangs tilted toward comfort after spending Thanksgiving in California with my family. This week’s post highlights some easy eats of mine – a grilled cheese sandwich with a side of piping hot soup. Comfort medicine for the soul.
Full stop. Before leaving Colorado I paused to share the road with two young mountain sheep who’d lost their way. Their herd was a mile down the road.
I’m taking it up a notch but still keeping it simple with Everything Spice Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and CooktheBookFridays recipe, Soupe de Céleri-Rave à la Crème de Raifort et Chips de Jambon. Even after months of immersion study at the Institut de Français, that’s an American mouthful. Translated simply, celery soup, unique and darn tasty.
The American West. Beaver, Utah 11/18/17 (Day 1 of my journey. Love this photo. )
ON-the ROAD-AGAIN
This marks the fourth year of my winter hiatus from Aspen. Surprisingly, my sad pangs tugged stronger this year. Although escaping the High Country’s hearty winters is a great option, it wasn’t until Green River, 250 miles out, that I’d again convinced myself of this. Maybe what feels so right and happy just gets harder to leave.
My last lunch with friends before leaving Aspen. Char McLain( L) and Donna Grauer (R). Their husbands were at work in the kitchen!
In the winter, when my life is more gypsy than residential, it’s pretty important that every day be comfort food, figuratively not literally. Silly as it sounds, when traveling alone my world spins better if surrounded by my comfort cache. A bag of tricks? A security blanket in disguise? If stranded on a desert island, I could amuse myself. Here’s what I pack…..
1. Books and Kindle Paperwhite. Current Favorite: Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson;
2. Four Boxes of Nabisco’s Honey Maid Graham Crackers;
3. Memberships in Hulu, Netflix, CBS Access, MHZ Choice and Acorn.
Current Favorites: Mannon and The Great British Baking Show;
4. Five Jigsaw Puzzles;
5.Lumosity, daily on-line brain games Membership;
6. Computer and iPhone – lifeline to family and friends;
7. 4 Spiral Notebooks, 3 Packages of Pens;
8. Educational Courses: Mythology, Spanish and French;
9. 2 Boxes of Nestle’s Coffee Nips;
10.Yoga Mat and Tapes.
This is the same Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake with Buttermilk Frosting that I baked for my previous post. By changing up the bundt pan and the frosting decoration, it showed off differently for Thanksgiving. (Recipe in my last post.)
WHAT’S YOUR COMFORT FOOD?
RECIPES
EVERYTHING SPICE GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH
adapted from Tieghan Gerard, halfbakedharvest.com
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
Although parmesan and cheddar are the cheeses of choice, use whatever hard cheese you have available for the rest of the mixture.
4 slices thickly cut country bread (I prefer sourdough)
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 combo cup of shredded havarti, fontina cheese and/or gruyere
4 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
1/2-3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add enough butter to coat pan. Cook one sandwich at a time.
2. Spread the outside of each slice of bread with butter and arrange the grated cheeses on one inside slice of each sandwich. Sprinkle the spice over both buttered outsides of the bread, pressing the spice mix gently into the bread to adhere. Sprinkle half the parmesan on top of each sandwich’s outside slice as you grill the sandwich.
3. Place the sandwiches, one at a time, parmesan cheese side up, in the skillet. (When you flip it, sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese on the top.) Cook until golden on each side, about 4-5 minutes per side.
TIPS: 1. Use any combination of available cheeses in your fridge for your filling mixture.
2. I am making these again but will mix my own bagel spice, eliminating the garlic.
EVERYTHING BAGEL SPICE
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons toasted white or black sesame seeds
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 teaspoons dried onion
2 teaspoons dried garlic (Optional)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more if needed
DIRECTIONS Combine everything in a small bowl or glass jar. Keep stored in a cool, dry place. If needed, season to taste with more salt.
CELERY ROOT SOUP with HORSERADISH CREAM and BACON CHIPS, My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz
If you’ve never used celery root before, make this soup. Think of it being a neglected vegetable giving goodness. Save some steps by purchasing the horseradish cream and using bacon chips (instead of ham chips). Or simply drizzle with olive or nut oil.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons salted or unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large leeks, cleaned and chopped
21/2 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt
11/2 pounds celery root, peeled and cubed
6 cups (750ml) water
1/2 teaspoons white pepper
1 bay leaf
6 sprigs of thyme
minced fresh chives for garnish
DIRECTIONS
1. Place a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the leeks and a big pinch of salt. Saute for 7-10 minutes or until the leeks have started to turn translucent and a bit of color has started to develop on the bottom of the pot. Stir occasionally.
2. Add the cubed celery root to the pot along with the bay leaf, thyme and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, until the celery root is tender, about 30-40 minutes. (A sharp paring knife should easily pierce a cube.)
3. Pluck out the bay leaf and thyme and let the soup cool to tepid. Add the white pepper. Puree with an immersion blender or remove the pot from the heat and carefully transfer, in small batches, to a regular blender and puree until smooth. Always be careful pureeing hot liquids. If the consistency of the soup is too thick, add water, a little at a time, as needed. Add white pepper or salt, to taste.
4. To serve the soup, reheat the soup and ladle into serving bowls. Add a generous dollop of horseradish cream, available at your local market, and crumble crispy bacon over the top, finishing each bowl with a sprinkling of chives.
OR, drizzle hazelnut, walnut or plain olive oil in the soup for garnish. Finish each bowl with a pinch of fleur de sel, or smoked sea salt.
