Plans Within Plans, Dune it all on a Saturday - Corn and Sweet Potato Chowder

Saturday: I think this is going to be a Good Day.  I have plans, and I intend to enjoy each and every one.  First, a trip to the AT&T store to preorder my new iPhone. My current iPhone has some kind of terminal disease; if I take it off life support, it will die. Very sad, as I loved that iPhone and had no desire to replace it right now. For the past three weeks I have been using a "go-phone" so I can at least make and receive calls, but it's been most unsatisfactory. Can't text easily and forget accessing the internet.

Second, Robert is taking me to the Crayola store at the mall to check out colored pencils.  This is a very big deal because I NEVER go the mall. But I love colored pencils and I love coloring in the grown-up coloring book my supervisor gave me, with a good selection of pencils to start. Coloring is a wonderful stress reliever, which I have known since my kindergarten days at P.S. 217 in Brooklyn. Thank you, Raquel.

Third, we are meeting New Paltz friends for dinner tonight - Mark and Sandy and Lynn - and the only disappointment is that Barbara is feeling under the weather and won't be able to make it.

Today is the day for the broadcast of the first episode of the ninth series of "Doctor Who".  I feel like I've been waiting a whole year for this, but it's only been 8 or 9 months. Ha. Due to our dinner plans, Rob and I will watch it at another time through our cable provider's OnDemand service. I will plan an appropriate array of snack food, but assure you that the menu will not include jelly babies, jammie dodgers, or fish fingers and custard.

Friday: Finally found the dark flip-flops I've been searching for.  Since I don't go to court anymore, I can show off my pedicure with gay abandon. Ninety-eight cents in Walmart.

Thursday: This may sound crazy - and boy, do I know crazy - but I feel cold. I just checked with Siri, and it is 75 degrees and overcast. That's practically winter weather here in Central Florida, and that calls for hot soup and plenty of it.

Yesterday, when I headed out to Publix, it was 79 degrees and I put on a light sweater. Part of that is that Publix, like many stores here, keep their buildings colder than North Dakota in January.  I fear frostbite while shopping in produce, and avoid the frozen food section altogether.  When I got home, I had some of the cabbage vegetable soup for lunch.  

Our house holds steady at 75 degrees, but with no heat radiating from outdoors, I feel like a member of the Frozen Chosen. This chilling season is going to continue into next week, and that calls for soup variety which provided the opportunity to go searching through Paula Deen's new book, which just made the New York Times best-seller list.  Take that, Food Network.

I admit I made a few changes right off the bat, based on my odd taste preferences (canned corn over frozen) and the contents of my pantry (no chicken broth, lots of Knorr chicken cubes), but it is essentially her recipe, and it is delicious. The original recipe can be found on page 85 of her cookbook Paula Deen Cuts the Fat and I highly highly highly recommend you treat yourself and buy the book.

Corn and Sweet Potato Chowder

3 tablespoons butter

1 onion, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1 poblano chile, seeded and finely chopped

black pepper

sugar

1 large clove garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon tomato paste

4 cups water

3 Knorr chicken flavored cubes

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 white baking potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 - 15.25 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained

1 1/2 cups whole milk

salt

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the onion, celery and chile.  Cook until the vegetables are tender, 10 minutes. Towards the end of this cooking, add black pepper to taste and a bit of sugar, and the garlic.  Cook a few minutes longer.  Add the thyme and cook another minute.  Stir in the tomato paste and cook for one more minute.

Add the water and Knorr chicken cubes and stir to dissolve the cubes.  Add the sweet potatoes and white potatoes.  Hold off on adding any salt till the end, as the Knorr cubes contribute a good amount of salt.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes until the potatoes are very tender. Add the corn and simmer 5 more minutes. Slowly add the milk and bring up the heat slightly. As you stir, the potatoes will break up and naturally thicken the soup.  Taste and adjust the seasonings. If you need more salt, this is the time to add it. I like a lot of black pepper and thyme in my chowders, and I added just a touch of granulated garlic because that's the way I roll.   I hope you enjoy it, but if you don't, it's not Paula's fault (me and my changes, you know.)

Out of Sync - Down and Dirty Lemon Zucchini Muffins

Nothing that was supposed to happen today happened today.  I seem to be experiencing an annoying increase in palpitations, real rib-knockers, the type I haven't had in many years. I know what causes them - I have a tricuspid valve prolapse - and I know what to do about them - I have been faithfully taking a daily dose of propanalol, aka Inderal, since the early eighties - and it is rare indeed that the palpitations break through the beneficial effects of the medication. These are not life-threatening, at least I don't think they are, and by the way I have a little heart murmur as well, a souvenir from scarlet fever in the sixth grade, but they are annoying and they do knock me out.  Which is why I still haven't crept downstairs to start my day, although it is embarrassingly late, and that totally precludes my pack-and-go visit to the office. Crap. Better luck Monday. 

• I finally did make it downstairs to make a cup of coffee and pick up Chelsea (her brothers were upstairs with me, leaving her to bark her lonely little head off) but we headed back upstairs, and if I could, I would stay here the rest of the day, drinking coffee, napping, blogging, knitting and coloring. Yes, coloring. Very relaxing. No cooking today, as I wore myself out yesterday making soup and brownies. Cooking tomorrow, or maybe Sunday. Today's recipe is for the muffins I made a few days ago - my blog and recipes are rarely in sync - like me, ha ha.  What I do have to do today is pick up a few dozen eggs and semolina flour.  I have to resolve NOT to make this an opportunity to stroll up and down the aisles at Publix for two blissful hours. Even that can be too tiring for me, and I'm starting the day physically exhausted and mentally off-kilter (just a tad. Kind of nice.)

• I picked up a big bag of gorgeous zucchini at BJs last week, with no clear idea of what I was going to do with them. So far, I used them while preparing the 5776 Brisket and in the Cherry Tomato Pasta Salad.  I think what I had in my head all along, though, was to use them in a muffin. So I typed "zucchini muffin" into the browser, and was rewarded with a whole bunch of possibilities, but they all had the same basic flavors - cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, nuts - and I was looking for something different.  Especially, as it turned out, one of those recipes that showed up on search was my own. Ha! I thought briefly about making that one - the Carrot-Zucchini Muffin from January of this year - but I really wanted something different. No cinnamon, as much as I adore it. No brown sugar or applesauce.  Maybe lemon. Lemon and zucchini go so well together, right?

• I found an interesting recipe on a site called "iFOODreal" which combined the fresh zucchini with whole wheat flour, avocado or coconut oils, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and lots and lots of lemon. The mom who writes the blog is working on feeding her family "clean eating" recipes. While my version does not qualify as "dirty eating" I have made changes to use more conventional ingredients. If you would like to check out her recipe, just click on the link to iFOODreal.  The topping she developed is absolutely fabulous. 

• Down and Dirty Lemon Zucchini Muffins
• 
  
• 2 extra large eggs, lightly whisked
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup Log Cabin syrup
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• juice and zest of 1 large lemon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups shredded zucchini, excess liquid squeezed out (I use a dish towel)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 
  
Topping:
• 1/4 cup rolled quick oats
• 1 tablespoon Log Cabin syrup
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• zest of 1 large lemon
• 3 tablespoons sweetened coconut flakes 
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tin with paper liners. In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sour cream, Log Cabin syrup, canola oil, lemon juice and zest, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk well to combine, making sure baking powder and baking soda have dissolved. You're going to get some foaming action here. Stir in the shredded zucchini and set aside briefly.
• 
  
• Sift together the two flours and the salt;  add to the zucchini mixture and stir gently to combine. Do not over mix.  
• 
  
• In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients and mix with a spoon. Using a large ice cream scoop, fill the muffin tin with batter. Spoon some of the mixed topping on each muffin..  
• 
  
• Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let muffins cool in the tin for at least 60 minutes before transferring onto a cooling rack to cool off completely.  Do not skip this step, otherwise the paper liners will stick when you try to peel it off.

Everybody Wang Chung Tonight - Shrimp and Crab Devilled Eggs

How much longer before Donald Trump starts to tank in the polls? I have to admit that I expected it to happen long before this. Instead, he keeps get stronger, with ever-higher double digit poll numbers that are the envy of everyone else running for the position.  What does this say about the voting public? Everybody have fun tonight? Everybody wang chung tonight! The Donald shakes things up; he has enough money and more than enough chutzpah to say whatever he wants and anyone who doesn't like it can kiss his tuchis. And he says things other people would like to say but are afraid due to the ubiquitous spectre of political correctness. The Donald is New York. The Donald is fun. And let's face it - this is going to be one hell of a long election season, and Donald is necessary comic relief.

Watching the Republican candidate's debate on CNN. My problem is cognitive overload - eleven candidates talking over each other, five CNN folks trying to unsuccessfully manage the conversation. They might as well try to herd cats. The bright lights and flashy colors, the voices, the arguments - too many notes.  My eyes are starting to burn and my head is starting to hurt.  P.S.: Carly Fiorina is doing a fabulous job up there.

Having been woken up at a ridiculous cow-milking hour by palpitations (can't blame that on the fibromyalgia), I popped my daily Inderal earlier than usual and began checking my mail and the news. Looks like CNN agrees with me in declaring Carly Fiorina the winner of last night's shindig. For every winner there has to be a loser, and last night's was as obvious as the nose on my face (go check my photo to the left) - Rand Paul. Feh. Rand, after last night's debate, you've been fired.  Next time, expect to be consigned to the second tier candidates.

So we have a winner, a runner-up (in my opinion, Jeb Bush; CNN declared that to be Marco Rubio, with Jeb third)) a loser, and a disappointment - Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor, and someone I like to listen to, except when he goes off the deep end about religion, or when he (and many other politicians) insist that the courts are "legislating from the bench."  Okay, follow me here: just because you don't agree with the court's decision doesn't mean they are legislating from the bench.  Case law is a primary source of law. The Court's job is to interpret the law, and many times that results in the law being tossed out. That is what happened when the Supreme Court decided that the state laws denying same sex couples the right to get married are violative of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution. As a result of that decision, most states began issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples.  That's not legislation, that's interpretation, and yes, it does make law. Governor Huckabee's fundamentalist support of Kim Davis, the Clerk in Kentucky who refuses to follow the law, is a bit scary, based as it is on "God's Law". The First Amendment forbids the supremacy of God's Law, and Governor Huckabee should know better. You can disagree with the law, but you should not disobey it, especially when, like Kim Davis (who I thought was going to fall down on the stage floor, start writhing and speaking in tongues) you have take an oath of office to uphold the law. Shame on you, Mike Huckabee.

In case you had not already figured it out, I love the whole Presidential election process. Having all these Republican candidates to put under the microscope, to discuss with Robert and others (keeping in mind that politics is something you really shouldn't discuss with most people) is my idea of fun. Your mileage may vary.

I have a new toy I want to try out, so I decided to make a small batch of devilled eggs and use my "Eggstractor" to help me peel the hard boiled eggs "instantly."  Ha.  Don't waste your money.

Shrimp and Crab Devilled Eggs

6 medium eggs, hard boiled, cooled, and peeled, plus 1 for good luck

12 cooked and peeled salad shrimp, defrosted and rinsed in cool water

1/8 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup crab meat (I had some crab legs in the house)

2 heaping tablespoons Hellmann's mayonnaise

1/4 rounded teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 rounded teaspoon prepared horseradish (Gold's white)

1/8 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

You just know that you are probably going to lose one or more egg whites to the peeling process, no matter how careful you are. So I always add an extra to the pot.  If all the shells come off perfectly, that's great. In any case, I add the extra yolk to the filling, which gives you a nice, piled-high devilled egg half.

Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel. In a small bowl, toss them with the lemon juice and set aside. In another small bowl, combine the crab meat with the remaining ingredient. Remove the yolks from the eggs and grate them, using a small box grater, right into the rest of the filling. Stir gently to incorporate and smooth the yolks, then fill the egg white halves with a small spoon.

Carefully press a shrimp into each filled egg, curved side up. Use the spoon to smooth the filling so it holds the shrimp in place.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters - Cherry Tomato Pasta Salad

Glory be, I slept last night! It was only 5 1/2 hours, but it was uninterrupted, and on that basis I claim a moral victory. I would do a happy dance, but the floor upstairs tilts, especially in the morning, and I run the risk of landing on my ass, so I'll save the dancing for a more level occasion.

Truthfully I wasn't sure I was going to make it. The benadryl did not seem to be working, and I was on a roll in Words with Friends. That in itself is a positive sign, because when the brain fog is really bad, I can't manage Words or my other favorite, Free Cell. On the other hand, when I get too wrapped up in Words, I tend not to fall asleep.  Fortunately, all my Words Friends seemed to fall asleep before me, and I eventually followed suit.

This is going to sound weird, but I have to come to terms with the fact that some days I am going to feel pretty good. There are two problems with that: first, I start feeling guilty about being out of work and applying for disability, even though I know, at least intellectually, that (and here's the second problem) it's not going to last.  So I have to stop feeling guilty, but hell, guilt is in my DNA.

Okra

Ichiban eggplant

Cherry tomatoes

My garden has been a great deal of fun this season, with the best producers being the okra, ichiban eggplant and cherry tomatoes.  You might call it an embarrassment of riches, what with all those fresh vegetables begging to be picked each morning. I wanted to do something I hadn't recently done with tomatoes, and this salad came to mind. This recipe is really all about those sweet, fresh tomatoes and my brainstorm turned out to be a tomato tribute.  I only wish I'd had more of the mini eggplants available. Obviously if you can't find them, just leave them out.  Pasta salads are wonderfully flexible that way.

2 cups uncooked pasta (tricolor rotini or this Wacky Mac blend of shapes and flavors)

1 dry pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium zucchini, cut into small cubes

2 large green onions, sliced

1 small stalk celery, with leaves, chopped

2 ichiban eggplants, sliced and fried

10 black olives, halved lengthwise

15 pimento-stuffed green olives, halved lengthwise

3 petite kosher dills, sliced

1/2 cup Athenos crumbled feta cheese, garlic and herb flavor

1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes

1/2 cup pizza size pepperoni slices, quartered

Ken's Light Options Balsamic Vinaigrette, to taste

Herbes de Provence, to taste

Cook the pasta according to package direction; rinse with cold water and drain well.  Combine all ingredients in an extra large bowl.  Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.

Sleep Be Not Proud -The Ultimate Okra Fritters

Can't sleep. Waking up every two hours is pretty far from restful. The paresthesia - insane itching to us regular folks - has temporarily moved from my arms to everywhere else. Not only are the sleep disturbance and insane itching annoying, they are expensive - since I am up at an ungodly hour, I checked my mail, which led me to follow a link to Amazon, which led me to order a new cookbook. Pasta By Hand: A Collection of Italy's Regional Hand-Shaped Pasta. It'll be here Wednesday. I  found it appealing because there is nothing in it that requires any specialized equipment like a pasta roller, which is good because you can probably purchase that on Amazon as well, and I don't want to get started with that - I just want to learn how to make really good gnocchi and gnudi.

One of the annoying hallmarks of insomnia is that once that every-two-hour wake cycle has subsided, usually about 6:30 am, you are able to sleep. I can't tell you how many times I jumped on a moving LIRR train or ran a red light because of it.  Like Bill Clinton, I have a reputation for being punctuality challenged, and some years back, one of my judges took judicial notice of the fact the I do not do mornings.

Fortunately I had nowhere to go this morning, so despite Chelsea's snoring like a lawn mower with a broken gear, I managed to pick up a few hours albeit at the wrong end of my sleep cycle.

Athene also snored very loudly without cessation, except she sounded like the TARDIS. Sometimes I would wake up to that sound and start looking for David Tennant in my bedroom.  Ahem.

Unfortunately, that morning sleep time does not compensate for a normal night's unbroken sleep, so here I am, huddled in the corner of the living room, in the dark, trying to swim to the surface for some daylight.  It hurts to keep my head upright, and my brain is stuck on stupid. I have some mail to respond to, but it is freaking me out.  I have an appointment in the Universal Studios area at 4:00 and I am already panicking about getting there on time. It's odd, and definitely unpleasant, just how the fibromyalgia makes one feel so vulnerable to everyday demands.

Okra Fritter Aficionados: Discard that beta version, peeps! What I have here will make you jump for joy, if you are the type of person who is inclined to react that way to food, and even if you are not.  These okra fritters will make you want to run out and plant a half dozen okra plants in your garden.  They are so delicious all on their own, showcasing that wonderful okra flavor (garden-fresh but earthy) that you may not want to bother with any kind of dipping sauce.

You really do have enough batter to cover the vegetables.  

However - it occurred to me that I always serve my corn fritters with maple syrup (actually Log Cabin, go ahead and shoot me) or honey, and so I tried a little drizzle of Log Cabin on an okra fritter, and it was very good. Part of that is the tiny bite of heat from the cayenne, which is complimented by the sweet syrup.  

                    I told you that you had enough batter. The trick is to use the rubber spatula.

The Ultimate Okra Fritters

1 - 12 oz package fresh okra pods, blanched, chilled, and sliced (about 2 - 2 1/2 cups sliced)

1/2 cup small chop red bell pepper

1 bunch green onions, sliced (discard only the darkest green ends)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup Bisquick

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

1/2 teaspoon McCormick garlic pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 extra large egg

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/4 cup plus 1 full tablespoon milk

Prepare the vegetables: Blanch the whole okra pods in salted boiling water for 4 minutes, then immediately move them to a bowl of ice water. After 5 minutes, move the drained okra to a bowl or pan lined with paper towels, and leave in the fridge while you do the rest of the preparation.

Melt the butter in a small skillet; add the red bell pepper, two-thirds of the sliced green onions, and the garlic and sauté until the peppers are tender and the onions and garlic are fragrant. Set the skillet aside to cool while you prepare the batter. Chop the reserved green onion a bit finer, and add to the cooling vegetables.

In a large bowl, combine the Bisquick, dry mustard, nutmeg, paprika, salt, pepper, basil, granulated garlic, garlic pepper and cayenne pepper, and whisk until the spices are evenly distributed.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the egg, Dijon mustard, and milk, whisk together, then bring in the dry ingredients in and whisk until smooth. Set aside while you slice the blanched okra.

With a rubber spatula, fold all of the vegetables into the batter.  Over medium, heat a half inch of canola oil over in a large deep skillet.  Using a medium scoop, put the batter into the hot oil, immediately using the back of the scoop to flatten out the fritter to a diameter of roughly 3 inches.  Repeat with two more scoops of fritter. Fry the fritters on both sides until golden brown, and then with a slotted metal spatula, remove them to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining batter.  The recipe yields about 15 fritters.