strawberry orange muffins

My dog-earred, post-it-noted Cooking Light magazines spanning 10 or so years, include this Strawberry Orange Muffin recipe in the May 1999 issue. Thais, our exchange student from Brazil, was living with us that year, and this was her favorite. As usual, I've adjusted the recipe to use less sugar and more whole grains.

In a blender, add the following, and process until combined:

2 large eggs

3 tbs. melted butter

1 tbs. orange juice

1 1/4 cups halved strawberries

In a medium bowl the following dry ingredients and stir with a fork to combine:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup oatmeal (not the instant variety)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup toasted wheat germ

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Pour in the wet ingredients and stir with a fork until all dry ingredients are moist. Don't over stir or whip in a frenzy - muffins are best with as little mixing as possible. Spoon batter into a greased 12-cupcake pan, and sprinkle with a little white sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until the tops spring back when they are touched lightly in the center. Delicious warm with butter and strawberry jam.

Kay's Pad Thai

I was telling my friend Kay the other day how much I want to learn how to cook Thai food, but much to my chagrin have been failing miserably. I had to admit the fault lay in my inability to just follow a recipe first, and experiment later! I think the flavors in these foods are just more complex, and I can't just throw in a little of this and a bit of that until I have more experience with the ingredients.

So after Kay proceeded to tell me about a recipe she had for Pad Thai that she's made several times, and her family loves, I begged it from her, and got a scanned copy complete with splatters of tamarind paste. Determined to "stick to the recipe" this time, I sought out the ingredients - all but the fresh bean sprouts which absolutely no one seemed to have. The produce guy in Giant said I was the second person today asking for them - what's that about? Here is the recipe...

Pad Thai - which according to the recipe serves 4 as a noodle course, or 2 as a main course

8 oz Thai rice noodles - I used a 6.5 oz bag of maifun rice sticks. Soak these in cold water for at least an hour while you prepare the other ingredients, check your email and set the table. Have a colander sitting by the sink so it's there when you need it.

Combine together and let sit 10 minutes or so:

1/4 cup of tamarid paste (I used a pulpless, seedless variety that didn't need straining)

1/4 cup water

8 oz. skinless, boneless chicken breast or chicken tenders - slice into 1/4" strips and set aside.

6 tbs. roasted, unsalted peanuts - blend or process into a coarse meal and reserve. I used my grandmother's nut chopper that I loved using as a kid at Christmas. She'd make these amazing date nut balls, but that's a story for another day...

1 large clove garlic - smash with the palm of your hand on the flat side of a butcher knife and mince

2 stems green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup fresh bean sprouts - I substituted fresh snap peas I had from market

2 eggs - have ready, but don't crack them yet

1/2 cup vegetable oil - Kay uses peanut oil, and I think I'll try that next time

Combine and have ready:

5 tablespoons of the tamarind paste mixture

3 tbs. fish sauce

2 tbs. lime juice (I agree with Kay - think I'll cut this back to 1 1/2 tbs. next time)

2 tbs. sugar

(I really wanted to add minced ginger here, but resisted...)

Get the wok and the stove and all your ingredients lined up at the ready, because once you start, it goes quickly. Heat the wok with the oil in it until it's just about to smoke, then add the garlic, letting it cook about 30 seconds. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 2 minutes, then crack the eggs on top of the chicken and let them fry without breaking them up for a minute or two.

While the eggs are frying, quickly drain the noodles and add them to the wok, "giving them a quick fold, stir-frying from the bottom up" for one minute. Add the reserved tamarind sauce mixture and continue stir-frying, mixing everything together for 1-2 minutes. The noodles will soften up "to al dente." I added the snap peas after this.

Add about 2/3 of the ground peanuts and stir, then add the green onion pieces and a dash of red pepper flakes. Stir fry for 30 seconds and remove from heat. Transfer to bowls, top with remaining ground peanuts, bean sprouts, strips of red pepper, fresh coriander and lime slices. I didn't have the last couple ingredients, but they would have been a nice addition for presentation. Serve immediately.

It was delicious, and I felt rewarded for my restraint - so I treated myself to some minced ginger for a bit more bite. Yum!

Thanks Kay!

musings

"It is not the critic that counts, nor the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by sweat and blood; who strives valiently; who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best, knows in the end triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither defeat or victory."

Theodore Roosevelt

"This is the only moment that is real."

Thich Nhat Hanh, from "Being Peace"

And where, praytell

does vision lie?

Within me?

within my experience?

my own sense of self-importance?

no....

My vision lies in letting go.

Freeing myself from self,

long enough to let the spirit speak from within.

to guide me,

direct me,

engulf me in a passion bigger than myself.

5.15.2011, 9:52 pm

"In the future opening ahead, the mornings are moored like boats."

Eugenio Montale

Sweet melancholy spririt

weighs me down

lithely -

not meanly or oppressively,

more like the

hand of a child on a balloon -

tentative,

tightly, for fear of losing,

but so easily

slips away

to fly....

fly high above

where words don't weep."

7.13.10, 8:10 pm

Gentle rain

intensifies

shifting broadly

to deep, streets of water

steady, mumbling, quenching,

dark sky intensifies -

the glow of street lamps

provide an echo

of the

world

streaming down.

7.12.10, 3:30 am

"The question is not what you look at, but how you look, and whether you see."

Henry David Thoreau

Three qualities necessary for progress: "great faith, great doubt, great effort."

taught by a Zen master to Orli Cotel, Sierra Club

"As swimmers dare to lie

face to the sky

and water bears them,

As hawks rest upon air

and air sustains them,

So would I learn to attain

freefall, and float,

into Creator Spirit's deep embrace,

knowing no effort earns

that all-surrounding grace."

Denise Levertov, "The Avowel"

wholesome oatmeal raisin cookies

This cookie recipe is another favorite from the Moosewood collection - my go-to favorite cookbooks for something healthy and a little different. I recently served these with coffee for an early morning meeting and they were a yummy alternative to muffins or bagels. I've altered the recipe just a bit in my usual "Lisa" way to cut back on the sugar:

Cream in mixer:

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup toasted wheat germ

1 cup margarine, softened to room temperature

Add:

2 eggs

2 tsps. vanilla extract

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Fold in:

2 1/2 cups rolled oats (the old fashioned variety)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup non-fat dry milk solids

1 cup oat bran

1 1/2 cup raisins

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (if desired)

Bake about 12 minutes. Let them cool before removing from the rack because "they are soft and little delicate" as noted in the original recipe. You may want to try baking 2 before doing the whole batch, as some people prefer a bit more flour, but I find the non-fat dry milk addition usually does the trick.

Eva Stina Bender, painter

A visit to Eva Stina Bender's home is an aesthetic feast for the soul. Friend Cindi Dixon captures the everyday surroundings of this Swedish born painter in a montage of photographs of exquisite detail - light, shadow and reflection embracing a vision of a simplicity and joy in a life well-lived. A few are snapshots by Eva herself who inherited the simple pleasure in homemaking from her mother, whom she declared was quite "excellent" at the task.

I visited Eva recently to put the finishing touches on her upcoming "Vessels" exhibition, and was struck by the light and airiness of her front room, sun streaming in the large south facing windows. A collection of small potted, flowering plants - pink cyclamen, yellow tulips and red amaryllis - were sitting on the table, a fresh painting or two of the vingette sitting opposite, propped against the wall.

She had prepared lunch served on a simple white linen cloth in vintage green glassware - open faced sandwiches of smoked ham, grilled with a banana sliced lengthwise, grated sharp cheddar cheese and a sprinkling of curry, a small bowl of sliced blood, Cara Cara and regular oranges topped with toasted hazel nuts and a drizzle of maple syrup, and a cleansing ginger beer.

Conversation wended its way easily between us, having the pleasure of knowing one another for over a decade now. We've shared each other's joys, sorrows, and changes in life situation. I've had the privilege of watching the reflection of it all in her work, so eloquently, unapologetically and honestly executed. One of her darkest moments was losing her son Eli, just shortly after I knew her. I recall a period of mostly black in her watercolors - black leaves, vessels, and spaces - and they were beautiful, deep, colorful and elegant.

Eva says of this latest body of work, "I am dealing with loss, aging, dispossession and re-orientation... I am not saying I have lived through anything out of the ordinary. I have lost my house and community, my family situation, my marriage and my mother. Grieving is involved in all these events." Her reflections on loss and emptiness in this exhibition aren't sad, and the metaphorical parallels in shadow and darkness, are instead fresh and suffused with light. "I don't feel all empty vessels and containers are sad. Some hold air, some even joy, maybe just possibilities of change."

Recently I read an essay by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki entitled "In Praise of Shadows", in which he says, "The quality that we call beauty must always grow from the realities of life...to discover beauty in shadows, ultimately to guide shadows towards beauty's ends. And so it has come to be that beauty... depends on a variation of shadows, heavy shadows against light shadows - it has nothing else." So aptly does he state what Eva executes in her work and surroundings with such divine clarity.

The exhibition, "Eva Stina Bender: Vessels" opens Friday, March 25th at the Lynden Gallery, with an Artist's Jazz Reception featuring the Charles Muench Trio from 5:00 till 8:00 p.m. Ceramics by Casey Dixon will be included, and Front Wall Feature is Lou Schellenberg. The work will remain on display through the month of June.

A Workshop and Luncheon with Eva will be offered on Saturday, May 7th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Reservations are required. For more information, contact the gallery at 717.367.9236 or refer to www.lyndengallery.com.

gypsy soup

One of my favorite soup recipes, Gypsy Soup, was originally given to me by Susan Davitti Darling. It was from The New Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen, whom I'd not heard of before. I found the combination of ingredients curious (sweet potatoes, tomatoes and cinnamon?), and the outcome so delicious, I couldn't wait to visit Barnes and Noble again to purchase my own copy of the cookbook. Much to my surprise I found an entire series of Moosewood Cookbooks - I've since collected four of my own, and given many away as gifts. The recipes are all vegetarian, flavorful, wholesome and abundant. I love the combination of ethnicities, and especially the explanations of ingredients I've not heard of, or know little about.

Gypsy Soup

Heat 2 tbs. olive oil in medium-sized soup pot and saute' the following over medium heat for about 5 minutes:

2 cups chopped onion

3 medium cloves garlic, crushed with flat edge of large knife

1 stalk of celery, minced

2 cups sweet potato, peeled and diced

Add 1 tsp. salt and saute' 5 minutes longer. Add the following and simmer 15 minutes:

2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. tumeric

1 tsp. basic

a dash of cinnamon

a dash of cayeene

1 bay leaf

3 cups water

Add the additional following ingredients, "cover and simmer for 10 more minutes or until all vegetables are as tender as you like them."

2 medium-sized, ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced (or substitute a 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes, reserving the juice)

1 medium bell pepper

1 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas (or one 16 0z. can, drained)

I've added leftover V-8 juice, diced tomatoes and chickpeas to stretch the recipe for unexpected guests. It's delicious with homemade french bread and a fresh salad.

Several weeks ago David and I visited my cousin Jody and her family in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. One chilly, windy afternoon we walked downtown for lunch, ending up at a wonderful little coffee shop/bakery. The soup of the day? As soon as the woman behind the counter started listing the ingredients, I knew it was Gypsy Soup, and I determined to make it again on returning home.

Modest Quests for Jenna

"Modest Quests", an 18" x 24" acrylic on canvas by Ned Wert, recently found a home on my daughter's living room wall. A gift in keeping with tradition, she received it on the completion of her master's degree, a Masters in Human Resource Management from the Keller Graduate School of Management. Congratulations Jenna!