Small steps, small steps

I can't believe it's been more than a month since I last posted. I guess life gets in the way sometimes.

G and I are still trying to get grass to grow in our front yard. One side of the yard has verdant fescue, it's a couple inches high, and although there are a couple of thin spots, the grass has taken quite well. The other side, well, I'm at a bit of a loss. We have several sparse patches of grass and a couple of baby Sweet gum trees (not that we particularly wanted saplings in our front yard). I managed to procure some unwanted zoysia sod from a friend, but we won't know if it's taken for another couple of weeks.

G's mom gave me a rabbit foot fern. At the moment, it's sharing our front step with a potted cucumber plant. I'm hoping to get the cucumber plant in the ground by next weekend. G's brother has a superb vegetable garden this year. He brought us fresh salad greens as part of the meal we made for Mother's Day. Right now he's getting his first squash of the season, as well as some early cukes (my cucumber plant looks pitiful by comparison).

Even though my dreams of a vegetable garden didn't materialize, G and I found out that we have a farm in the neighborhood. City Roots is only a couple of blocks from us, and they have an ever expanding list of fruits and vegetables for sale. A few weeks ago, I picked up half a gallon of organic strawberries for $6. Delicious. Unfortunately, some of the berries had been sitting in water over the weekend and the were starting to go bad. It seems like we've gotten a fair amount of rain in the last few weeks, but NOAA is showing my part of the state as being abnormally dry. Here's hoping we don't get into drought status again this year.

Today was a marathon of cooking. I've gotten a little off track as far as cooking at home and making sure I have lunch to take to work. Some of this week's dishes are a little labor intensive, and with summer starting up at the library, I can't afford to not plan ahead. G and I would be eating out every night otherwise.

I found a really nifty website called No Meat Athlete. There are lots of fantastic recipes there, including three that made it onto this week's menu. One recent post is specifically about beans and rice, five different ways. This week we're having beans and rice, Indian style. No Meat Athlete also has a feature called Sweet Tooth Fridays. I made black bean brownies to satisfy my sweet tooth, and as a way to resist temptation at work. There is constantly food at work. Always things like cookies, cake, brownies, or ice cream. I haven't gained weight from eating crap at work, but it certainly isn't healthy. I've been a little lazy lately. I haven't had the foresight to take snacks to work, so when I get the afternoon munchies, I just eat whatever is in the break room. This week I have brownies and strawberries. It's a small step back to where I need to be.

Our last recipe from No Meat Athlete is one I'm really excited about. They're called wheatball subs. The wheatballs aren't actually so much wheat as chickpeas and mushrooms. I have high hopes for these guys. G adores meatball subs (as do I). Since G and I are trying to gradually eliminate meat from our diet, we're looking for suitable replacements for foods we already enjoy. I don't think I'll ever find a replacement for my beloved czirke paprikas, and I don't think I would have a problem with consuming the occasional piece of humanely raised meat.

Bread so good you'll think it's absurd

Yesterday, even though I was utterly exhausted, I was apparently feeling a deep need to bake. G and I decided on sandwiches for dinner, but I didn't think regular sandwich bread would satisfy. So, after mulling it over, I decided focaccia bread was the order of the day. G and I couldn't keep our hands off the bread. Before it was even cool, G called his brother to come get the other half of the loaf so we wouldn't eat it all.

This recipe is an altered version of Tyler Florence's Fabulous Focaccia.

To make delicious focaccia bread, you will need:

• 2 teaspoons rapid-rising dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil

In a bowl combine the water, sugar, and yeast. Wait for the yeast to foam, then while mixing, gradually add the flour. Mix in the salt and olive oil. When the dough starts to come together, turn onto a floured surface, and knead until elastic. Place the dough in a well oiled bowl, turning to prevent a skin from forming, and let it rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour, until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Oil a 13x19" baking pan and turn the dough into the pan. Stretch and press the dough into the shape of the pan. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 15 minutes. When the dough has risen, dimple the surface with your fingertips (don't go all the way through the dough, but make sure you press most of the way through), brush the surface with olive oil, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the bread is golden.

Muffins for the mildly annoyed (or, putting that horde of pumpkin to use)

Today I learned that one should never, under any circumstances check one's work email while still on vacation. Inevitably, there will be something in your inbox that will remind you of how much work you need to catch up on, something that annoys you, or something that just makes you shake your head at the ridiculousness of the situation. Most days I go to the gym and work it all out on the treadmill or with the weights. Unfortunately, today is Sunday, meaning I have a very small window of time to get to the gym. And I'm absolutely exhausted from traveling.

Thankfully, I have another tried and true method for dealing with stress - muffins.

There's something wonderful about a warm, soft muffin. I love the process as much as I love the results.

Now, I realize that it's spring and I should be making lemon muffins or something with strawberries, but while hunting for an obscure ingredient this morning, G begged me to make pumpkin bread. I didn't find the ingredient I was looking for (Where, exactly, does one find baker's ammonia?), but G did provide inspiration.

Normally, I would use my grandmother's pumpkin bread recipe. Her recipe is perfect, but for breakfast muffins it's a little too sweet. We needed something different, with less oil and less sugar.

Here's how it all went down.

For this recipe, you will need:

• 2 Tbsp. flax meal*
• 6 Tbsp. water
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 1/2 c. pumpkin **
• 2/3 c. oat flour***
• 1 c. white whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. allspice
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 c. chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 12 muffin tin, or a 9x5 loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flax meal and water. It'll start to look thick and have the consistency of an egg white. Add the sugar and pumpkin and stir to combine.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, excluding the walnuts. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir to combine. Mix in the walnuts.

When making muffins, I use a 1/4 c. measuring cup, scoop out the batter, and plop it into the muffin cups. It portions the batter perfectly for 12 muffins. You could also use a size 16 ice cream scoop (2 oz.). That's one of my upcoming kitchen purchases.

*To make flax meal, I put flax seeds in my blender and let it run until it's ground into flour.
**Don't use pie filling. Solid pack pumpkin will do. Good luck finding it this time of year, even at well-stocked grocery stores. There was a shortage last year (yes, seriously), so I ended up buying 15 cans or so when it was finally in stock. I have five cans left. Clearly, we are some pumpkin eating fools.
***I also use my blender to make oat flour. I buy oats in bulk ($0.89 per pound, that's what I'm talking about!) I keep mine in an airtight container in the freezer. I use oat flour for all kinds of stuff.

Post trip reflections and pretty good lasagna

Our trip was a bit of a mixed bag. We saw my family, did some sightseeing, and ate a whole lotta food.

We flew out Tuesday afternoon. We spent probably 2 1/2 hours actually in the air, but our trip took 5 hours. Oy.

Wednesday was my grandfather's 75th birthday. That's the reason we went to see my family. I was pretty excited about seeing my grandfather; I was always his girl. My grandfather's eyes did not light up when he saw me. They only showed confusion. He asked for my mother, even though she died more than four years ago. He thought we were going on a trip. He has grown frail. I had never seen him without a mustache. He's lost weight, his hair is finally grey. Once a well spoken, well dressed man, now my grandfather can barely complete a thought. Dementia is stealing my grandfather from me. It's excruciating to know that there's nothing I can do to stop it.

After we saw my grandfather we went to the Jewish bakery that we've been going to since someone in my family discovered it. It's in Philadelphia's Old City, a few blocks from the Delaware river. There is nothing as lovely as a piece of fresh rye bread, lightly toasted, with a thin layer of butter. We bought three loaves of bread, one unseeded rye, one seeded rye, and one marble rye. We also bought a pound of cookies. My great aunt used to stop by the bakery before church and pick up a pound of leaf shaped cookies. I don't know what's in these cookies, but I would consider a special trip just to have one. I was kicking myself when I got on the plane and realized that I left them at my aunt's house. So it goes.

G and I tried driving around Philly by ourselves on Thursday. The morning was fantastic. We went to Eastern State Penitentiary. The audio tour is superb. I'm usually not into audio tours, but this tour is narrated by Steve Buscemi and is completely self paced. It was the best of both worlds for me. I picked up lots of random knowledge, and I got to take as many pictures as I wanted. Eastern State Penitentiary has entirely too much history for me to get into here, but Al Capone was incarcerated for eight months in 1929 - 1930. Eastern State is supposedly haunted, but G and I didn't feel any "presence" or anything. Nonetheless, it was a highlight of our trip. After Eastern State, we tried to make it to Reading Terminal Market. Unfortunately, it was lunchtime, and after spending almost an hour driving around with no luck on a parking spot, G and I decided it might be better to head back over the bridge. We had a pretty good lunch at a diner and headed back to my aunt's. Dinner was with my uncle. That was awesome.

We went to Ocean City on Friday. G and I shared a soft pretzel and a frozen, chocolate dipped banana. Delicious. We also went out to dinner with my dad. Pizza was split between four of us, and G and I shared a plate of hot wings. Afterward we went out for frozen custard. G and I have a running joke that I always order the best thing on the menu, even if we're eating somewhere new. I never get to finish whatever I order; G is like a seagull swooping in for crumbs. In this case, however, G definitely ordered the better custard. His was peanut butter flavored. It tasted just like Nutter Butter cookies. So good. Definitely one of the best parts of our trip.

We came back to SC today. My aunt made us breakfast this morning, then we headed to the airport. I'm exhausted. I'm glad I had the foresight to freeze that lasagna. Sometimes neurosis pays off.

For this lasagna, you will need:

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 large can tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning (or 1 tsp each dried basil, parsley, and oregano)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 cups chopped mushrooms
• 6 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers
  
• 2 cups fat-free ricotta
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 package whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 8 oz, or 9 noodles)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella

Saute the onions, when they are transparent, add the mushrooms, and cook until the water evaporates. Add the Italian seasoning and tomato sauce. Allow the mixture to simmer while you put together the other ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, nutmeg, and half the mozzarella. Remove the sauce from the stove, and in a 9 x 13" pan layer the noodles, then the cheese mixture, then the sauce, then more noodles, continuing until you run out of ingredients. Top with the rest of the mozzarella and bake in a 350 oven until it's golden brown and bubbly.

Today a rabbi taught me how to make challah

Though, to be fair, this wasn't a one-on-one type thing. G and I went to a Jewish festival this afternoon and after gorging ourselves on latkes, bagels, and pita bread, we wandered into a series of lectures about traditional Jewish food. The challah we tried was divine, and the rabbi was quite a character. Unfortunately, we weren't able to stick around for his wife to teach us how to make matzoh balls.

We went to a mock bar mitzvah. I was vaguely familiar with the occasion, but growing up in a small Southern town doesn't lend itself to much exposure to Jewish culture. We have much more in common than many of us are able to admit. The occasion, in some ways, reminds me of the Rite of Confirmation. Though Catholics are considered full members of the Church from the time of their baptism, the process of being confirmed is meant to be a time of study and meditation. After confirmation, one has a fuller communion with the Church, and one is considered an adult. My understanding is that preparation for a bar/bat mitzvah is more intense, learning Hebrew, preparing a section of the Torah, leading the congregation in prayer, and meditating on the teachings of the section of the Torah the candidate has prepared. It is a recognition of adulthood. I'm sure I'm oversimplifying, but I did notice commonalities this afternoon. I think that if more people were able to focus on what we have in common, the differences, while still there, would be less important.

G and I are going out of town next week. We'll be visiting my family. I don't know how excited G is, but I'm practically packed. Because we are going out of town and I won't have time to try the challah recipe before I leave, I won't be posting it until we get back. My grandfather turns 75 next week, and I can't wait to see him.

I don't get to go home very often. Home is a ten hour drive, a week off work, and until this trip, time away from G. G will finally get to go to the custard stand down the street from my aunt and uncle. We'll get to feed the turtles in the pond at the custard stand, we'll get to go the bakery that makes the best rye bread I've ever tasted, and I'll get to see most of the people I love. I've even been promised that I'll get to go to the best Chinese place in the state.

Being the neurotic individual that I am, I insist that we clean the house and eat everything that might not last a week in our refrigerator. I even thought ahead and prepared and froze a lasagna for the night we get back.

Tonight's dinner is one of our go to meals when we don't have much in the way of food in the house. We have certain pantry items that are always on hand: tinned tomatoes, pasta, rice, olive oil, garlic, you get the idea. G and I love capers and olives, so we normally keep them on hand. With the addition of anchovy paste, we have the foundation for a killer meal. Pasta puttanesca so delicious that it tastes like my (non-existent) Italian grandmother has been slaving in the kitchen for hours. Got unexpected guests? Make this, and you might not be able to get rid of them.

I shamelessly stole this recipe from Sam Zien (you know, Sam the Cooking Guy). My version follows.

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 2 ounces Kalamata (Greek) Olives, coarsely chopped
• 28 oz can whole Italian tomatoes
• pasta
• Freshly grated Parmesan

While bringing a pot of water to a boil, add to a large saute pan, the olive oil, anchovy paste, and garlic. Cook over low/medium until the garlic is golden (just a little color). Add the olives, capers, and tomatoes. Take the back of your spoon and smoosh the tomatoes. They'll make this awesome, satisfying sound. G hates it, but I love the way it sounds and think it's funny when seeds shoot out all over the saute pan (and sometimes stove and walls). Smash the tomatoes into small pieces. This dish is particularly fun to make when you're mad at a group of people. Anyway, by this time your water should be boiling. Cover the sauce, turn down the heat a notch, and add the pasta to the boiling water, cooking until it's tender. Your sauce should have been simmering beautifully this entire time. Drain the pasta, and serve it with sauce and freshly grated Parmesan.

Total time from pantry to table? 20 minutes. That's it. I'm not really sure how many people this serves, probably 4. We always have a ton of sauce left over. If we're feeling saucy, we use it for pizza later in the week. Usually, I just eat it for lunch the next day.

Sam the Cooking Guy is awesome. His food philosophy is spot on. His recipes are fast, easy, and most importantly, delicious. He doesn't demand that people use hard to find, expensive ingredients. Our tube of anchovy paste wasn't that expensive (though it did require a special trip to Fresh Market), and it will last several months, giving us many servings of pasta puttanesca.

This week I was a storyteller at a fairly prominent festival. I'm beat. Ok, I'm off to finish my book. I'm in the home stretch. After tomorrow's book discussion, I'm done with intellectual heavy lifting at work until the end of May. The calm before the storm.

Baked oatmeal

The last couple of weeks have been crazy busy. G has been home while he waits for his first day at his new job, and I've been tied up with work commitments and trying to make sure that I get to the gym a few times a week.

Normally, I make a big batch of granola, and G and I snack on that throughout the week. I might have a bowl in the morning, and grab a handful to take with me to the gym after I get off work. Granola hasn't happened the last couple of weeks.

Instead, I made baked oatmeal this week. I'd never eaten baked oatmeal before, but it's kind of like a less sticky, slightly chewy granola bar. It's worked out perfectly. It's exactly what I've needed this week: portable, filling, and delicious.

For baked oatmeal, you will need:

• 2 cups oatmeal
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 c. rice milk
• 1/4 c. orange juice
• 1/2 c. walnuts

Mix everything together, press it into an 8x8 baking dish, and bake it at 350 for 25 minutes, or until the edges are golden.

Maybe talking to plants really does work

Good news everyone: the grass that we planted last week has started to grow! Little blades of green are popping up all over our front yard. So exciting. I'd like to think it has to do with the pep talks directed at our grass seeds.

More good news: I finally own a garlic press. I don't know how I made it this far in life without one. Seriously. Such a time saver. Totally a single use kitchen gadget that I can no longer do without.

Also, the pollen seems like it's finally starting to die down. Just a little bit.

In other news, G and I had several fabulous dishes this week. Two were from Post Punk Kitchen. Those recipes are what we're going to be focusing on today.

First up, we have Chesapeake Bay Cakes.

You will need:

• 8 ounces tempeh
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 bay leaf

• 3 tablespoons Vegenaisse
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard (stone ground Dijon works, too)
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup very finely chopped red bell pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspooon salt
• fresh black pepper
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, plus extra for dredging

First, combine the tempeh, soy sauce, olive oil, and water. Bring the water to a boil, and cook, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated.

While the tempeh is cooking, combine the rest of the ingredients in a big bowl. After the tempeh has cooked, mix everything together.

At this point, I had to go to work. So I did. When I got home, I scooped up about 1/4 c. of the mixture for each cake, formed them, dredged them in breadcrumbs, and fried them in a couple of tablespoons of canola oil.

Did you know that asparagus is in season? It is. G and I downed an entire bundle of asparagus after each of us polished off a couple of these cakes. We're not ashamed.

Next up, we have Ancho Lentil Soup with Grilled Pineapple.

We were fortunate enough to have our homeboy Greg over for dinner last night. He helped G grill the pineapple, and he was nice enough to stick around after dinner and offer to help wash dishes. I think the soup had something to do with it.

Anyway, getting to the point, get your soup pot out, 'cause you're gonna need it.

You will also need:

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 2 dried ancho chilies, seeds removed and ripped into bite sized pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced small
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Seranno pepper, seeded and chopped (add another if you like more heat)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups lentils, washed (I used brown, that's what I had on hand)
• 7 to 8 cups vegetable broth or veg broth and water mixed
• 3 tablespoons of lime juice or to taste
• Cooking spray
• 6 to 8 pineapple rings
  

First, combine the chilies and coriander seed in your blender or food processor. Blend them until the chilies are ground and the coriander is broken down, but not quite a powder. Add the cumin.

Heat the oil in your pot. Add the veggies and cook until they're soft. Add the chili powder, and cook until fragrant. Add the lentils and vegetable broth, bring to a boil, and cook until the lentils are soft.

While the lentils are cooking, grill the pineapple. We grilled ours until it had these beautiful char marks and the pineapple was starting to get kind of soft. By the time the grill heated up and the pineapple was grilled, the lentils were finished. When they're done, add the lime juice.

I was really bummed out when I realized that I forgot to bring the leftover soup to work with me. I was looking forward to this soup most of the morning. On the bright side, I have lunch for tomorrow. I'm going to bed now so lunchtime can get here sooner.

Grass seed smells like freshly mowed grass, only more intense

Oy, I'm tired. Bone weary. Dead on my feet. Tonight, I'm going to face plant and sleep like I'm dead. But, I found a fabulous, new to me, wine.

Recently, lots of BIG stuff has happened in my world. Hours of poring over applications and essays was rewarded, and I was accepted to graduate school. G was offered a new job. We've managed to trap and release a few squirrels. And we've done a significant amount of yardwork.

My yard has been a never ending sea of torment. First, there was a horrid ivy infestation. (I'm still dealing with that, but now it seems to be more about maintenance than eradication.) Our yard was mulched with a couple of inches of pine straw that started to look gross after a season of never ending wet weather and mountains of leaves. We had no grass in the front yard. We had three different types of fencing. (We're down to two.) We had nowhere to park.

In the last two weeks we've built a driveway, raked up the pine straw on one side of our yard, and put down grass seed.

In the process of raking our yard, I found:

• At least two empty bottles of Schlitz
• An empty bottle of Miller High Life (add that to the millions of caps I've found around the yard)
• various children's toys
• a fishing lure
• a spring from a screen door
• broken glass
• a potpourri of food wrappers and other trash

I can only imagine what's on the other side of our front yard.

Earlier this week, G spent a couple of hours working on the yard. Yesterday we managed to get the ground broken up and planted grass seed. We're keeping the ground moist, so I've got my fingers crossed that we'll start to see shoots soon.

The frame for the driveway came together quickly. Last weekend was sunny and gorgeous. And I got to use power tools. It's always a great day when I get to use power tools. We're hoping to get gravel delivered next week.

After we get the rest of the seed down and the gravel spread, we're going to start building flower beds. The year's goals are to widen and extend the path from our steps to the street, build a path from our driveway to the steps, and build flowerbeds around the driveway. Those projects are for other weekends. Right now my body hurts too much to conceive of more hard physical labor. (G told me yesterday that the type of labor I was doing, breaking up soil, is usually reserved for prisoners.) So tonight, I'll kick it with a glass of wine and go to bed early.

Oh, and the wine I'm drinking? It's Relax Cool Red. I really like Relax Riesling; it's easy to drink and it's a great after dinner wine. Cool Red was marketed as a wine similar to Beaujolais Villages, fruity, sweet, a young wine. That's true to a certain extent. It is a sweet, fruity, young wine. However, it's a completely different beast than Beaujolais. Cool Red tastes a lot like cherries. It's the kind of wine I can picture myself drinking outside, with a light dinner, watching the lightening bugs come out. G liked more as a dessert wine, but I could see drinking it with the right meal. We liked it.

Sometimes the best kind of love comes from a stockpot

Today is Palm Sunday. This does not have a lot of religious significance to me; I am, after all, a Catholic who has fallen away from the Church. Palm Sunday does, however, hold many memories for me.

A few years ago I was invited to the home of a Hungarian family for dinner. I was welcomed into their home on Palm Sunday. My mom's family is Hungarian. Going to the home of this family was like going home. It was an incredible comfort in a time of great turmoil. That Easter was the first without my mother and grandmother. Palm Sunday fell on my mother's birthday, and I had the great fortune to be embraced by this family. They treated me as one of their own. A fifth daughter.

Dinner was gulyas, prepared the same way my grandmother, Mom-moms prepared it. Dessert was palacsinta stuffed with cottage cheese and apricot jam. Thinking about that day makes me choke with emotion. Some people give so freely, and with so much love. I could never express the gratitude I feel toward that family.

Today's recipe is for gulyas (often written as goulash). Gulyas is considered by many to be Hungary's national dish. Every family has their own recipe, but this is my family's recipe, learned from my grandmother and my great aunt. If you wish to alter it, I do not wish to know. I know it by heart, and it is as precious to me as the women who made it.

You will need:

• a large, heavy bottomed pot
• lard
• 1 onion, chopped
• beef, cut into cubes (a pound or so)
• carrots, cut into pieces (two or three)
• potatoes, peeled and cubed (three or four)*
• sweet Hungarian paprika**
• water***

Melt some lard in the pot, add the onions and cook until they are soft and translucent. Do NOT overcook the onions, it will significantly alter the taste of the dish.

Add the beef and paprika and brown. Just barely cover the beef with water. Bring to a simmer, add the potatoes and carrots, cover with a tight fitting lid, and allow the dish to cook until the beef is tender.

Please do not try to cook this dish too quickly. Low and slow is the way to go. When browning the beef, one must be very careful to ensure that the paprika does not burn. My grandmother always used the toughest cuts of beef for gulyas. When simmered for a long time tough cuts of beef become incredibly tender and yield intense flavor.

* Use starchy potatoes. The starch from the potatoes thickens the gulyas.

** This is the only ingredient I'm ever insistent about. Don't skimp on paprika. Use spicy Hungarian paprika if you prefer, but make sure that you use a high quality brand imported from Hungary. Pride of Szeged and Kalocsa are available in many well-stocked grocery stores.

***Use a high quality (preferably homemade) beef stock if you prefer. If you don't have good beef stock, stick with the water. The gulyas will have plenty of flavor if you use water.

Lentil Shepherd's Pie

G and I were craving comfort food this week: chili, Swedish meatballs, soup, sandwiches, and shepherd's pie. Normally I would blame it on the weather, but this week that's simply not the case. It has been absolutely beautiful in SC. G and I have been quite sick though, so I'll blame our craving for comfort food on that.

One of the hardest parts of changing our habits has been finding foods that satisfy our need for comfort food, but don't use up our entire allotment of calories in one day.

I found this recipe on a vegetarian forum a few months ago, and it's become one a part of our regular rotation.

For this recipe, you will need:

• 1 cup dry green lentils
• Olive oil
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 or more garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 - 14 ounce can corn
• 1 - 14 ounce can creamed corn
• 4 to 5 cups potatoes
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup nondairy milk (plain or unsweetened)
• 1 to 3 tablespoons vegan butter
• Paprika, to garnish

Boil lentils for 15 to 20 min in water. Drain and set aside.

Boil potatoes until soft. Drain and add nondairy milk and vegan butter. Set aside

Saute the onion and garlic in oil until golden. Add zucchini and sauté until almost golden. Add lentils and soy sauce. Simmer until liquid is evaporated.

Layer ingredients in a 8x8" baking pan. First add lentils mix, then corn, then cream corn. Spread potatoes on top and garnish with paprika. Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Finally!

A brunch place in Columbia. There's always been IHOP and the Awful Waffle, but never a place that had a real brunch menu, i.e. eggs benedict, shrimp and grits and a full bar. I just heard about Thirsty Fellow on the radio like 15 minutes ago and I haven't visited them yet,however, any place with Highland Oatmeal Porter on tap is a winner in my book. The list of stouts is short, only four selections, but you couldn't ask for four better beers (well, Lion Stout isn't on there but I'll let them slide.) I am SO excited. Sunday mornings are often the only mornings my boo and I have together that is a normal morning (third shift will do that to ya) so I'm very eager to try this place out on an easy Sunday morning.

Chocolate Ice Cream for the dairy challenged

A couple of months ago I found out that I'm lactose intolerant. This was a huge problem for me.

You see, girl loves ice cream (and cheese, and cakes made from cheese).

And, while girl tries to eat well, she has a sweet tooth.

Tonight I needed ice cream. But, I didn't need an upset belly.

Solution? Vegan ice cream made from a base of cashews and rice milk.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect. There's a lot of vegan food that can be a crap shoot. There are also a lot of vegans who are working really hard to change the perceptions that people have about what vegans eat.

I was blown away by how good this ice cream was. It's creamy, it melts the same way that "regular" ice cream does. It's freezes to the perfect consistency. Slightly soft, satisfyingly firm. Just writing about it makes me want to go eat the entire container that I have in my freezer. Ok, enough of that.

For this amazing ice cream (based on a recipe found at Messy Vegetarian Cook), you will need:

• 3/4 c. cashews*
• 1/4 c. pecans
• 1 1/4 c. non-dairy milk
• 1/4 c. cocoa powder**
• 1/4 c. sweetener (agave nectar, rice syrup, I used honey, which I realize makes it not vegan)
• 1/4 c. maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Combine everything in your blender. Mix until it has the consistency of a milkshake and there are no lumps, chunks, or bits to be found. Pour it into a bowl, and stick it in the fridge for about an hour. It should start to firm up. After that, move it to the freezer, and mix it every 30 minutes or so, until it's frozen through.

*If you don't have an awesome blender, you can soak the cashews and pecans in whatever type of milk you use. I soaked them for about an hour, but you may need to soak them for longer. Or, not at all.

**Use a cocoa powder that you really like. Seriously, splurge here and you won't regret it.

I've Been Called Many Things....

and sentimental is one of them. Tonight after a super busy day of hosting friends from out of town and wrangling some puppies I was starving but also tired. I really wanted to go out, but I can never pick a place except for Pho Viet and driving 30 minutes to eat was out of the question for tonight. I rambled around in my whole foods and found the remnants of a bag of green lentils. Without a second thought I knew exactly what I was going to make: a recipe that was given to me by Alexis and that I treasure very much. I have the recipe down in my recipe book but I still have the original she wrote on a note card almost 2 years ago. Her handwriting is so personal and I always feel like the little card was written just for me. Its a perfect meal; it takes a little time but is simple and very healthy. One of my favorite recipes that I don't make often enough, Rosemary-Scented Lentils and Sausage was the perfect end to my day.

You will need:

4 cups water
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups green lentils
2 tsp. olive oil
2 cups minced onion
1/2 cup minced carrot
2 tsp. minced rosemary
2 gloves garlic
1/2 lb. Italian sausage
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. paprika
Dash of ground red pepper.

Preparation:

1) Combine water and broth in large saucepan over medium heat. Add lentils, bring to simmer and cook 30 minute, until almost tender.

2) Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, rosemary and garlic to pan. Saute 10 minutes or until tender. Add sausage; cook 5 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add tomato paste and remaining ingredients. Cook for 1 minute, or until heated.

3) Add sausage mixture to lentils, bring to a boil. Cook for an additional 30 minutes, or until tender.

I add more paprika and red pepper to spice it up a bit. This recipe is great all by itself, but don't be afraid to experiment!!

Sacreligious Low Country Boil

In South Carolina there are some things you just don't mess with, low country boil (also called Frogmore Stew) being one of the most serious.

Low Country Boil is a thing of beauty. It's smoked sausage, corn on the cob, shrimp, potatoes, water, and seafood seasoning. The stew is cooked in stages; first you bring the water and seasonings to a boil, add the potatoes and corn, then the sausage, and last, the shrimp. It's cooked in a huge pot with a basket, and when it's done you pull the basket out of the pot, let it drain, and dump it onto tables covered with newspaper. Best eaten with lots of friends and served with good beer.

Here's the thing though, sometimes, we can't linger with our friends over newspaper covered tables sipping beer and laughing. And in spite of that, sometimes we really want boil. So, on those days, I commit blasphemy. I toss everything (except the shrimp!) in our trusty slow cooker and go about my day.

Here's how it all goes down:

In a 4 qt. slow cooker, combine:

• 1.5 lb. potatoes, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 lb. kielbasa, or other smoked sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 ears of corn, cut in half
• 1 Tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
• 1 quart water
• 1/2 lb. shrimp

Combine the first five ingredients and cook on low 6 to 8 hours, until the corn, sausage, and potatoes are cooked through. Fifteen to twenty minutes before serving, add the shrimp and replace the lid. The dish is ready to serve when the shrimp is cooked through.

Blessing In Disguise

As Alexis works on her backyard, I stare dreamily at my front yard. A couple days of raking and my front yard would be ready for the transplants awaiting in my sunroom (more on that later). I say "would" because the weather and my work schedule just can't seem to get it together. If I work during the day its 65* and gorgeous outside; if I have the day off and work at night then it rains and makes the leaves unworkable for the rest of the week. The amount of leaves in the front yard is overwhelming. Every time I look at them I want to have a tantrum. The previous non-outdoorsy folk who lived here have let them build up over the years. I was SUPER pissed off about this, grumbling the entire time I raked, until I realized that the multi-year buildup of leaves against the bordering fence line has decomposed into an incredibly rich top soil. Its perfect! The leaves rotting on the bottom have made a nutrient rich plant bed and the leaves on top have kept anything from growing in it; after I rake I will have a ready made garden. All I need to do is add some border material, stick some flowers in it and BAM! instant outdoor beauty.

A note on the mini indoor greenhouse thingie:

It works really well. But, hot flying biscuits, I started my bean plants WAY too early. They're about a foot tall already. Well, they would be if I could get them to stand up straight. How do I stake bean plants indoors? Its probably best I don't get that idea in my head. The nasturtiums haves started peaking up also, so cute with their little lily pad shaped leaves. One of my favorite flowers, every part of the plant is edible. Nasturtiums are known for their bright colors which are sometimes difficult to photograph; it will bloom from early spring to late fall and blooms more heavily the more flowers you cut so cut away! Nastas (I just made up that nickname, like it?) are also self seeding so wherever you plant them this year you can expect at least twice as many in the same place next year. I think they would be awesome in a mixed bed with Zinnias (my childhood favorite, thanks Mom <3) The only seeds not doing well in the greenhouse are the sweet pea seeds that I bought at the Jamaican grocery. I couldn't read the Korean writing on the package so maybe I missed something?

Backyard musings and really good black bean soup

I was hoping start gardening this week. My guy and I bought our house in October, and even though we've done a lot of work, it's mostly been inside. So far the only bit of yardwork that I've managed to tackle is a pretty intense ivy infestation. It was so bad that my pecan tree failed to yield fruit this year. My hope is that there was no lasting, substantial damage to my trees, but I likely won't find out until the leaves start peaking out.

The previous owner of our house used it as a rental. As such, the yard was not properly maintained. Right now, I have two types of fencing in my yard. One fence is in need of serious repair (possibly replacement) and the other needs to be removed. We have bald spots in our backyard, out of control shrubs, trees that need pruning, and no outdoor storage. And don't even get me started on the number of Miller High Life caps I've picked up.

My main hope for this season is an herb garden. I fleshed out a plan for a vertical herb garden, but the weather has not cooperated long enough for me to build a frame. I'm not as organized as Amber. I haven't started any plants indoors. The process of applying to graduate school has taken over my life. I'm almost finished though. Here's hoping I can start some plants next week.

Now, if I could only figure out what's going on with our camellias...

This week's weather has been enough to test even the most patient of souls. Sunday was 68 and sunny; today was 45 and windy enough that I felt the cold through my sweater and a wool coat. Even though today was sunny, it was tempting to stay at home with a book and a pot of soup simmering invitingly on the stove. Alas, work beckons.

Luckily, I am the proud owner of a slow cooker. My slow cooker is pretty high on the list of things that I love. Few things are better than coming home to a warm meal.

Tonight's dinner? Black bean soup.

You will need:

• 1/2 lb. black beans (also called turtle beans)
• 3 c. water
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 poblano peppers, chopped*
• 1/4 c. lentils
• 2 Tbsp. chili powder (Why, yes, you did read that correctly.)
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
• 1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 c. uncooked rice
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar**
• salt to taste

In a large bowl, submerge black beans in water. Make sure the beans are covered by at least a couple of inches. Soak overnight.

In the morning, drain beans and rinse. Add to crock. Add water, carrot, celery, poblanos, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, the bay leaf, pepper, and lentils. Cook on high for 3 hours.***

Switch temperature to low, give everything a good stir, and add tomatoes, rice, and salt to taste. Cook on low for 3 hours.

Add vinegar just be serving. Adjust salt.

* If you can't find poblano peppers or they're not in your budget, chop a bell pepper and a jalapeno (make sure you remove the seeds and veins) and toss them in the pot.

**If you don't have red wine vinegar, you can use apple cider vinegar in a pinch.

*** Times are approximate. Every slow cooker is different, and so is every situation. I'm very lucky that I'm able to come home for lunch if I'd like. For me, it makes sense to cook the beans, veggies, and seasonings on low for four to five hours and add the tomatoes and rice when I come home for lunch. For those who cannot interrupt their day to adjust temperatures and add ingredients, consider a slow cooker that has a delay function. Toss in everything up to the can of tomatoes and set your cooker to come on a few hours before you come home. When you get home, leave the cooker on the high temperature setting, add the tomatoes, rice, and salt, and let it cook for an additional one to two hours.

The Healing Powers of Pizza

The latter part of last week and this week have been particularly hard for me. I got some very sad news concerning a family member. This has made me a tad difficult to deal with. The man in my life has tried to be understanding, but I'm not taking aforementioned news very well. Small, seemingly innocuous things have sent me into fits of tears.

My guy called me while I was at work today to suggest a movie night as a bit of a time out. He was surprised that I suggested we have pizza with our movie. Now, before I go any further, let me say that my guy loves pizza. I know, I know, everyone loves pizza. But no one, and I mean no one loves pizza as much as my guy. Specifically, he likes my recipe for homemade pizza.

Making pizza is not as hard as people seem to think it is. I have several different methods for making the dough. Sometimes I use a stand mixer. Most of the time, I do it by hand. Sometimes, I put the dough in the oven, put the light on, and walk away for an hour. Other days I'm at work and I put the dough in the refrigerator and let it rise slowly, slowly, ever so s-l-o-w-l-y all day.

As for ingredients? Pizza dough is pretty tolerant. Sometimes I use whole wheat bread flour. Whole wheat bread flour gives the dough a chewy texture and a little bit of a different flavor. Some people don't like it. If we're having guests and we think they might not be into eating whole wheat crust, I'll use unbleached bread flour. The crust gets crisper when using unbleached bread flour. We like that a lot too.

Lately I've been using whole white wheat. Don't be afraid. It's called sweet wheat for a good reason. White wheat is a great option for people who don't like the taste of regular whole wheat, but would like to add more whole grains to their diet. The guy and I like it because it's a happy medium. The crust gets nice and crisp on the bottom, and is still chewy enough to be really satisfying.

For cheese I'm not really a fan of the pre-shredded stuff you get on the dairy aisle. We can't afford artisan cheeses, but spending a little bit more for decent cheese has taken my pizza from pretty good to great.

I use jarred pasta sauce for our pizza. Right now I don't have the know how to make my own sauce. I've heard that it isn't as difficult as I think it is. It's on my list of things to learn. Anyway, if you use the jarred stuff, buy one that you really like.

Ok, onto the recipe!

For your crust, you will need:

• 1/2 tsp. honey
• 1 1/8 tsp. active dry yeast
• 3/4 c. warm water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 2/3 c. flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water. Let it sit for 10 minutes, or until the yeast blooms and becomes fragrant.

Mix in 1 1/4 c. flour. Stir in the olive oil and salt.

Turn the dough onto a clean, well floured surface and knead until the dough is elastic and no longer sticky. (If you need more flour, add it. If using white wheat, you may need more than the recipe calls for.)

Place the dough into a well-oiled bowl and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft free area until it doubles in size (about an hour).

After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to rest for a couple of minutes before rolling it out (or tossing it, however you do it at your house).

Preheat your oven to 425 F. If you are using a pizza stone, you may top and bake your pizza as soon as the oven is hot. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan and let the dough rise for about 15 minutes before you top and bake it.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese and crust are golden brown.

A couple of notes:
- If using a stand mixer do your thing with the yeast and sugar. Then, using the paddle attachment mix in the rest of the ingredients until they are well incorporated. Switch to the dough hook and knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough starts to climb the hook and the dough looks satiny and elastic.
- Do not add the salt before the yeast, water, honey, and flour have been mixed together. Adding the salt too soon can cause your dough to not rise properly.
- If you're letting your dough rise in the fridge, give it all day. The flavor of dough that has risen in the refrigerator is different than dough that rises on the counter. It's different in a good way. Try it sometime.
- The type of sugar you use is limited only by what you have in your pantry. Don't like honey? Use brown sugar. Out of brown sugar? Use regular white sugar. Looking for something different? Try maple syrup or turbinado. As long as your yeast has something to eat you'll be fine.

Most of all enjoy your pizza. As for the guy and I, we'll be curled up on the couch watching a movie.

Frost Date

The average last frost date for Columbia, SC is April 17th. Emphasis on "average". The accuracy of this date could make or break my gardening success this year. You know how cherries and peaches and other tree-borne fruits are one price this year and another the next year, possibly lower? This difference in price is caused by the accuracy of the estimated last frost date; if an orchard starts to bud during a random week of summer temperatures in the middle of winter (welcome to SC, get used to it) and then a deep frost hits two weeks later the hopes of a bountiful spring harvest (as well as the poor farmer's income) will be dying on the branches.

The frost date plays a similar game with me. My livelihood is in no way attached to my gardening success but my hopes for a beautiful spring are no less important. For the past week I've struggled to make a decision about starting my seeds indoors: start them too soon and they'll be dying for space before an outdoor planting is possible, start them too late and they won't be as big as they could be. So I held the packets in my hands, I looked at the pretty pictures on the front, I thought of the glory of a 12 ft tall sunflower..... and then I gave in. That's right, tonight I bought a little seed starter indoor greenhouse and those little peat moss pellets couldn't swell fast enough. I cut open the packets and poured the seeds into little labeled cups and once I had decided upon a reasonable method for keeping track of what was planted where I started pushing seeds in. I got a row and a half done and then I stopped. I didn't know what to plant next. I picked up one cup then another. Should I try starting some peppers in this row? What about some columbines? What if I plant to many? What if they die?

The problem, it seems, is that once you start planting failure becomes possible. When the seeds are in the packet and I look at the picture on the front any gardening dreams I have seem possible; "This", I proclaim, "is what my lupines will look like"! When I have those seeds in my hand I am suddenly the master of their fate. Suddenly everything that could go wrong is running through my mind: too much water, not enough water, too much light, not enough light, too hot, too cold and on and on...... STOP!!! Its just flowers. Even if I screw everything up (unlikely) some of these plants are going to flourish. That's just the way it is. No species ever got ahead by requiring conditions so exact that even the slightest variance from them meant that not a single specimen matured and reproduced; not humans, not animals and certainly not plants. So, regardless of my amateur gardener status these flowers will grow and flourish. And so will you and I.

What's this all about?

Well, this, Two Merry Spinsters, is about two friends and a shared love of food and gardens. The Spinsters have known each other since elementary school, but didn't become close friends until college. We're out of college now (for the moment at least), but we remain in the same city (for the time being). This blog, for us, is a creative outlet. A way for us to share our love of delicious, frugal, and mostly healthy foods. (After all, the cheesecake chronicles isn't in our header for no reason.) We'll talk about gardening in all it's glory, and maybe other stuff too.