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?