Reading rooms

I'm in a reading rut. Don't know why or how it happened but there it is. Maybe it's the choices I'm making, I seem to pick up a book and regardless of the subject or writing style or story line I can't find the interest. Sometimes I plod on and finish it, others I just put it down and back on the shelf which is something I hate to do. Maybe it has to do with the change in life style. All those years I commuted into New York and rode the train and subway this is where I would read, sometimes I would almost forget to get off I was so engrossed. Now I drive to work. Not a good idea to read while driving despite all the texting idiots I see around me...maybe because of all the texting idiots I see around me. I hope this passes soon since reading has always been such a passion of mine. Our parents taught us how to read before we were even in school, which meant that I could read at the ripe old age of three

even though in this photo I'm five.

When I was a child our house had a library. It was a room at the bottom of a winding staircase with a small courtyard in front of it towards the back of the house. That part of the house was enclosed in glass so the courtyard had all forms of tropical foliage and the light just filled the space. The library's door however was always closed. You walked into a very cool room with dark wood paneling and surrounded with dark wood built in bookcases filled to capacity. There was a dark wooden desk with a swivel leather chair and brown leather sofas. It would seem out of place in a tropical setting where all was terrazzo floors, bamboo furniture and block glass but it was my favorite room in the house. When I was four years old I had my hair cut; it went from shoulder length to short, probably like the photo above. I remember looking in the mirror and hating it. I hated it so much I wanted to hide from the world. My family looked for me all day long, finally for the third time that day my father walked into the library and had the wherewithal to look behind the door he had just opened and find a whimpering child with an ugly haircut taking refuge in her favorite room of the house. I have always wanted that room so I somehow tried to recreate it. We decided one of our spare rooms would be a library so we painted it chocolate brown and brought in bookcases

and some leather furniture

and lots of books. Not identical but it works.

You'd think I'd be so inspired. Right Max?

Maybe I'll get a bad haircut and hide in there all day!

That should do it.
Suggestions are welcome.

Winter blahs

February does it every time. By the time we get past the mid point I'm all wintered out, regardless of the fact that Winter hasn't made much of a showing in the last couple of years but nevertheless that's how it goes. The gray ashen pallor that is my complexion at this time of year doesn't help either and neither does the fact that my blondish goldy hair (ahem) somehow manages to stay a shade of plain mousy brown no matter how many times I visit the hairdresser. So just picture this vision that greets me every morning, gray face topped by a mousy brown head of hair. Blah is right! It really shouldn't be this way, after all February starts out by being Frank's birthday, then it's my brother's birthday as well as a couple of friends... and St. Valentine's Day! Wow, this is even more depressing, this month can make one broke. And then this year to make matters even worse, that little bug that has been going around and around and around finally landed on me. It's not "the flu", or I'm sure I would have felt much worse but I wake up with a splitting headache and arms and legs that ache every inch inside and out. So I stayed home and in bed. Luckily I wasn't alone.

Which makes me feel a little bit warmer

and a little bit better. And after a little rest I can go downstairs and make some soup which, let's face it, is the best remedy.

This one's lentil because I always have some and it's easy.

Saute a sliced onion, peeled and sliced carrot and celery in a little bit of duck fat

add two cups of lentils, picked over

cover with about 5 cups of chicken broth, add salt and pepper and herbs de Provence to taste, bring to a boil and simmer for about 25 minutes until lentils are tender

Process in a food processor or pass through a food mill until smooth. Serve hot.

Feel better. Pinch your cheeks like Scarlet O'Hara and go snuggle with the baby.

I think I found the cure.

Finding Nemo

Well the Winter that wasn't finally arrived in the way of the first ever named snowstorm. Nemo. A very stupid trend if you ask me considering that the drama queens in the weather prognostication profession call every snowflake a snowstorm which means they will run out of names very very quickly, but that's their problem. Our problem is whether to believe their hype or not and to what extent. Their calls for weather Armageddon are prolific which has sort of put them in the category of the boy who cried wolf and we, their captive listeners, have become more and more cynical in our response and therefore complacent. Case in point, hurricane Sandy, or superstorm Sandy, or the perfect storm, or the million other descriptive terms they used which got tiring fast. They were wrong---it was much worse than even they imagined but since people are so tired of their drama they didn't heed the warnings and the damage to both property and lives was and continues to be horrific. So now we come to Nemo. At first they predicted we, in our area, would get 1 to 3 inches, shortly after it grew to 3 to 6, then 6 to 8, then a foot, then the superstorm of snowstorms, a storm of historic proportions, the worst snowstorm EVER. I'm not sure how they came up with EVER considering that weather records haven't been kept for that long and I don't know of anyone who has been around forEVER and can back that claim up.

Anyway, so Frank and I both worked from home on Friday even though the snow accumulation wasn't due to start until late Friday afternoon. Wrong, when Max and I went for our morning walk it was already snowing, lightly but snowing nonetheless. By early afternoon I looked out the window

not too bad but I'm glad I stayed home. I signed off about 2:00 PM and a little while later stepped out back.

Doesn't look too bad but it's a lot earlier than they said it would start, cold too. Maybe I'll make some soup. No, we need something a little more substantial. So I pull out this book my friend Louise gave me

nothing like a little pork stew to keep one warm and cozy.

West African Pork Stew, adapted from The Whole Hog Cookbook
serves 6

Kosher Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 3lb. boneless pork roast (I use shoulder) cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 scallions, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
4 cups pork or chicken stock
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup chopped roasted unsalted peanuts (optional)

Liberally salt and pepper the pork.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in the pork and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until browned on all sides. Stir in the scallions and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste, curry powder, ginger, red pepper flakes, bell pepper, sweet potatoes, and stock. Stir to combine, cover and cook over low heat for 2 hours, or until the stew thickens.

Stir in the peanut butter. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve garnished with chopped cilantro and chopped peanuts (I didn't use)

That certainly warms you up on a cold snowy night.

We looked out the window and watched as the snow came down in that beautiful way that it does at night shimmering in the moonlight. Woke up at 6:30 AM when one of those guys that comes to see if he can shovel for you rang the doorbell. Yes, I said 6:30 AM, and on a Saturday no less. Lucky for him we were too asleep and groggy to come down and tell him what he could do with his shovel. Too late though, Max is wide awake now. Let's see what Nemo has left behind.

looks like a foot or so,

and some pretty winter images

and an empty street for a boy and his dog

Was it a lot of snow? Yes.

Was it the worst snowstorm ever? No. At least not here. Our friends in Massachusetts might think differently though. I hope they're home and safe and warm and playing with their dog in the snow.

A rose is a rose is a...ranunculus.

Since today's flowers in the house party falls in the month of February I thought I would share a little romantic story.

When I was in fifth grade I had an enormous crush on a boy named Gaston. As if just the fact that he had that really cool name wasn't enough, he had soulful deep brown eyes. Sort of like this:

He wore his stick straight hair in the obligatory sugar bowl haircut, like this:

and he had a grin like a Cheshire cat,

I'm sure you can understand my attraction.

He wrote in my autograph book:

Roses are red

(OK ranunculus, but I have editorial license)

they grow in this region

if I had your face

I'd join the foreign legion!

Yep, you guessed it...he liked me too!

Happy FITH!

Hibernating

No I didn't fall off the face of the earth, just been plain old lazy. I find January to be the laziest month of the year starting with January 1st where we usually just sit around all day and do nothing. I guess we need some serious down time after all the crazy holiday running around. Or maybe the fact that Winter usually kicks in with a vengeance and you just want to curl up

in a warm cozy spot

and while away the hours

or days...Max seems to be particularly good at this. I'm a little envious.

Me, I'll while away the hours in the kitchen with my favorite past time.


Mossewood Navajo Stew - serves 4

2 medium sweet potatoes
2 red or green bell peppers
1 large onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 (15 oz.) can of tomatoes
1 Tbsp. canned chipotles in adobo sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15 oz.) can of butter beans of black beans, drained
flatbread (tortillas, lavash, or pita)
plain yogurt, sour cream, or Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Stem and seed the peppers and cut into 1-inch pieces. Peel the onion and cut it stem end to root end into thin wedges. In a bowl, toss the vegetables with the garlic, oil, cumin, salt, and pepper. Spread on the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes. Stir and continue to roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender but not mushy.
While the vegetables roast, puree the tomatoes, chipotles, and cilantro in a blender until smooth. Set aside. When the vegetables are tender, put them into a 2- to 3-quart baking dish, stir in the tomato-cilantro sauce and the beans, and return to the oven until hot, about 10 minutes.
A few minutes before serving, warm the bread in the oven. Serve the stew in bowls topped with yogurt or sour cream, with warm flatbread on the side.

OK, that didn't take long enough. Let's try something else.

Moroccan Lamb Tagine-adapted by me

Serves 4

2 lbs. of lamb shoulder cut into 2 inch cubes

salt

pepper

cinnamon

turmeric

cumin

ground allspice

ground cloves

olive oil

2 onions cut in half and slivered

2 carrots, peeled and sliced thickly on the diagonal

3 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

one preserved lemon sliced

1 1/2 cups of dried apricots, prunes or golden raisins

about 1 cup of olives, any type

3 to 4 cups of chicken stock or water

Place lamb cubes in a large bowl, sprinkle with salt pepper, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, allspice and cloves. (sorry there are no measurements but I eyeball this and it depends on taste). Toss the lamb cubes with the spices so they are nicely mixed and let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes to one hour.

In a large casserole or dutch oven heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Brown the lamb pieces on all sides, remove to a bowl. Add onions and carrots and garlic; saute for about 10 minutes at medium heat. Return lamb cubes to pot ant stir to blend.

Add preserved lemon and dried fruit and stir to blend. Pour chicken stock over mixture to cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium, cover and cook stirring occasionally for about an hour. Add olives and cook another hour or so. Add more liquid during cooking if it starts to dry up too much.

Serve over Basmati or Jasmine rice.

OK, much better. Time for a nap. Where is that little monkey?

Hm mm, has it down to a science.

An epiphany

When I was a child growing up in Cuba, Christmas went something like this:

December 24th, Christmas Eve. The tree went up. We had a big house with a music room for my mother's piano and the tree would go in there, it was massive. The trimming of the tree was an all day event culminating with the traditional placing of the star at the top. That honor went to me. My father would ceremoniously lift me up over his head and I would place the star on the top of the tree, lopsided I'm sure. Everyone would ooh and aah and clap and then we'd stand there and admire it before going on to the traditional Christmas Eve dinner which went on into the wee hours.

December 25th, Christmas Day. Jesus Christ is born in Bethlehem and the celebrating begins. The three wise men or kings, Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar (my father's middle names, believe it or not) set out on their camels to find the savior and bring gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Very appropriate for a baby if you ask me.

The festivities continue for the next two weeks with the New Year celebration in the middle and then the arrival on the sixth of January, 12 days later, at the manger. And this day was the day we would wake up and find our gifts that the wise men had left for us under the tree, which kind of makes sense. I was always a little concerned that they would leave frankincense and myrrh and I was also concerned that they wouldn't be able to come in since my father always locked the door the night before, but when I expressed this concern he would explain to me that since they were magicians they would make themselves very small and come under the door. He was smart enough to walk away after that explanation to avoid lots of other questions brewing in my 5 year old head.

When we moved to the US I was very confused about the chubby guy in the red suit, the elves and the reindeer. Who was this man and what did he have to do with the birth of Christ? However, we adapted the custom but still celebrated on January 6th until that too faded away.

I still put up my nativity though

and try to keep the tree up until then,

with it's bright star to show the way.

We used to leave three buckets of water out for the camels and something to eat for the wise men, not cookies...

Gambas al Ajillo adapted from Tapas by Penelope Casas
(Shrimp in Garlic Sauce)-serves 4

1/2-3/4 lb. shrimp, preferably small, shelled
Coarse Salt
8 tablespoons, olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 dried red chili pepper, stem and seeds removed, in 2 pieces
1/2 teaspoon paprika, preferably Spanish pimenton
1 tablespoon minced parsley.

Dry the shrimp well and sprinkle with salt on both sides. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Heat the oil in four ramekins or one shallow 8 inch casserole, preferably earthenware. Add the garlic and chili pepper. When the garlic starts to turn golden add the shrimp. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, for about 2 minutes or until the shrimp are just done. Sprinkle in the paprika, parsley and salt. Serve immediately. Provide lots of bread for dunking.

Caldo Gallego adapted from Splendid Soups by James Peterson
(Spanish Bean Soup with Beef and Kale) Serves 6
OK a bastardized version!- don't want my Spanish friends getting mad at me.

1/4 lb. of bacon, preferably slab cut into 1 inch strips
1 cup cannellini or Great Northern beans, soaked overnight
1 prosciutto end 3/4 to 1 lb.
3/4 lb. beef chuck or brisket
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bouquet garni
2 quarts of beef or chicken stock or water
1 teaspoons of salt
3 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into thick slices
2 medium sized turnips, peeled and cut into 6 wedges
2 lbs of kale, or Swiss chard, stems removed and coarsely chopped
pepper
crusty bread

In a 6 quart pot, combine the bacon, bean with their soaking liquid, prosciutto, beef, onion, bouquet garni and broth. Bring to a slow simmer over medium heat. Cover the pot and simmer slowly for 30 minutes. Add the salt and simmer for 1 1/2 hours until the beans are almost tender. Add the potatoes and turnips and simmer for 15 minutes, then add the greens and simmer for another 15 minutes until all the vegetables are soft. Season to taste. Serve in deep bowls.

 but a meal worthy of a king...or three.

...or a savior

Happy epiphany!