Wednesday, September 16, 2015

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.




Tuesday, September 15, 2015

A Real Southern Queen - Mushroom Risotto with Sherry and Cream

Yesterday, which was Sunday, I managed to complete my shopping at both BJ's and Publix, which was quite an accomplishment given the fibro flare that tackled me, wrestled me to the ground, and totally stole my Saturday. I always check out their cookbooks; can't help it.  Lately the pickings have been scarce, but yesterday I hit the jackpot when I found Paula Deen's newest book, Paula Deen Cuts the Fat.


I had planned on purchasing this book about two years ago, before all the trouble happened.  When "it" hit the fan, the publishing company dumped the project in a burst of knee-jerk political correctness. Paula pulled herself back up, marshaled her resources, and self-published.  It happens to be a lovely book and the recipes are very, very good, and I am thrilled to finally own it.

And that's all I'm going to say about that, except to add that the American media, as well as a good part of the public, are still terrified by powerful, successful women. That is why, in 2015, we still have never been led by a woman President, although many other nations got past that stupidity a long time ago.  That's why Martha Stewart went to prison (albeit a short sentence), why Hillary Clinton lost the 2008 Democratic nomination to an inexperienced, opportunistic senator from Illinois, and why Paula Deen was treated like a 19th century leper for admitting to saying a certain word, in the privacy of her home, over 25 years ago, in referring to the bank robber who stuck a gun in her face.  If Carly Fiorina starts to rise even more in the polls, look out for vultures.

Now that I got that out of my system, let me say that we had a nice dinner last night including the 5776 Brisket, and the Mushroom Risotto, which is today's recipe. But before that , just at sundown, I drizzled some honey on a few slices of the challah I'd bought earlier at Publix (the Florida version of Waldbaum's) so Rob and I could celebrate our wish for the sweetness of the New Year.

Today, I had hoped to work on the okra fritter, and went so far as to blanch the whole okra pods, but my fibro flare was apparently not done with me yet, and I am back on my ass, hoping the pain will cop a walk, at least long enough for me to get something done.  Besides the okra fritters, I am hoping to try out a recipe for Lemon Zucchini Muffins. Right now, I couldn't stand long enough to grate the zucchini anymore than I could do Zumba. Ibuprofen, do your stuff!


Despite a reputation of mystical proportions, risotto is not difficult to prepare.  In fact, if you can make Rice-a-Roni, you can make risotto.  The only difference in the preparation is that for risotto, instead of adding your liquid, covering your pan and walking away, you have to add the liquid incrementally - about a half a cup at a time - and stir into the rice until absorbed.

Now a couple of observations - risotto is, to this Jewish cook, a bit like preparing kasha varnishkes.  Pretty easy, not too many ingredients, but requiring multiple pots to put it all together.  Risotto also falls into that category of recipes Alton Brown refers to as "refrigerator velcro" - dishes like omelets and gratins - in which the only limit to creativity is the contents of your fridge.  The basic risotto only requires some broth, a small amount of onion cooked in butter or oil, and the most important ingredient, Arborio rice.  The finished dish is different than any other rice dish you have probably ever eaten.  It is rich and creamy and comforting.  I love long grain rice in all it's permutations, from plain buttered to Savannah red, and I also adore Asian sticky rice, but if you've never eaten risotto, you've never really eaten rice. The best risotto I ever tasted was in Bologna, Italy, over Thanksgiving of 2004.  A curried seafood version which I have managed to recreate at home.  I wouldn't even mind it as my Last Meal, should I ever require the need for a Last Meal.

My favorite risotto is a mushroom risotto, however, and this dish manages to elevate the humble white button mushroom to new heights.  You can certainly use shittakes, which I love but tend to avoid because they are usually seriously overpriced, and I would also avoid portobellos and their Cousin Cremini.  I have lots of good things to do with Bella and Cremini, but they are too assertive for this otherwise delicate dish.

1 tablespoon butter
8 oz. white button mushrooms, sliced
kosher salt
ground black pepper
dried thyme
nutmeg
1/2 cup dry sherry (not cooking sherry)
1/2 cup light or heavy cream
6-8 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup minced sweet onion or shallots
1 1/2 cup Arborio rice
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

First, prepare the mushrooms:  in a skillet over moderate heat, melt the butter; add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes until soft.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Turn the heat to high and add the sherry.  Cook until reduced by half, then lower the heat and add the cream.  Cook another five minutes until mixture has thickened somewhat.  Take off the heat and set aside.

Next, bring the stock to a bare simmer and hold it there. Taste it to determine the level of salt and let that be your guide for adding salt to the risotto.

And now, because you haven't already used a bunch of pots and pans, heat the butter and oil in a heavy pot over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute for 2 minutes, but do not allow the onions to brown.  Add the rice to the same pot and using a wooden spoon, stir for one minute, just until the rice grains are well coated with the butter and oil.  Don't cook the rice any longer than one minute.  Now start adding the simmering broth, about one-half cup at a time.  Stir to prevent sticking, and wait until each addition of stock is almost completely absorbed before adding the next half cup.

When most of the stock is used up, and the rice is tender, add the mushroom-sherry mixture, the Parmesan cheese, and the parsley.  Stir well to completely combine with the rice.



Finally, if you like, stir in a tablespoon or two of butter and/or cream.  Serve immediately. You can reheat leftovers in the microwave with pretty decent results.  If you have any leftovers.

Monday, September 14, 2015

Shana Tova - 5776 Brisket and Vegetables in BBQ Sauce


Oh no, not again. I am not losing another day to fibro-fucking-myaligia. I have things I want to do today. Tonight (Sunday) is the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, and while my big holiday cooking days are over - big multi-course family dinners for 15 or 20, all that great Jewish food to weigh us down - I still have a brisket in the fridge and I am going to cook it.  I think I can get that one thing done, breaking back and aching arms be damned.

Feeding family and friends was always such a joyous project for me, and over the years there were so many holidays to celebrate. Not all of them every year - my mother-in-law, and a sister-in-law, an aunt and a cousin all hosted different holiday dinners.  It was quite nice when everyone got together, whether it was Rosh Hashanah, Passover, Thanksgiving or Christmas.

The Jewish holidays have their own list of special dishes, all that symbolic stuff I love.  If this was 20 years ago, I'd be cutting up apples to dip in honey to symbolize a sweet new year, grating potatoes and onions for kugel, baking honey cake and trying to find room in my oven for brisket and turkey and trays of special stuffing. If this was 30 years ago, I would also be baking my own challah.

But today is neither and the family is far-flung or even worse, gone forever.  Still, my boys deserve a taste of the past, and I've got just the brisket to do it.

Of course, I won't be participating in the macaroni and cheese challenge next week. Who was I kidding? What next, competing on "Chopped"?  If this had been all about producing one perfect baking pan full of the best mac and cheese recipe, I could have done it.  But having to prepare the equivalent of 4 trays and having to do it all at the same time, the morning of the competition, and then worry about keeping it at 145 degrees - well, as Mother Superior Helen Gaius Mohiam explains to a young Paul Atriedes when he asked what happened to the men who undertook the spice agony, "they tried, and died."

Today I will consider myself lucky to do my shopping at Publix and BJs, cook the brisket, and prepare mushroom risotto.

Brisket is one of my favorite cuts of beef, and the one most associated with Jewish cooking.  Our pot roasts were from briskets, unlike many other pot roast recipes I've come across over the years. Brisket is also the cut of choice for Texas pitmasters.  I have successfully smoked a brisket or two in my day, and the results are fabulous.  I briefly considered smoking this brisket, but the weather has been iffy this whole week, and I am simply not up to tending to smoked meat during a tsunami.  This recipe is a minor variation on my favorite, extra-simple pot roast.  I added the vegetables and some seasoning, but even with that it is ridiculously easy to prepare and virtually mistake-proof.

There is a fabulous gravy that is created during the cooking process, and it can be served with any kind of potato preparation. Traditionally, I would make a potato kugel to accompany a Passover brisket, potato latkes for Hanukkah, and either one for Rosh Hashanah.  If I was feeding a whole bunch of people, I would probably also prepare a smallish turkey and bake my High Holy Day Cornbread Stuffing, full of turkey sausage, apples, challah and cornbread.  In that case, I would definitely go for the potato latkes, to maintain some variety in the texture. And let's face it, you can never go wrong service mashed potatoes.  Never.  I can't emphasize that enough.

But this will be for my immediate family, and I've been filling them full of mashed potatoes lately, and I just happened to have a half pound of mushrooms in the fridge begging to be cooked.  I'll post that recipe tomorrow. Today is for that lovely brisket. Incidentally, if my mother could see the current price per pound of brisket, she would plotz.  It used to be a cheap cut, cheap because it was tough and required hours of slow cooking. Now that it's trendy, you may have to float a bank loan, but once in a while, it is very well worth it.

5776 Brisket and Vegetables in BBQ Sauce

4 large sliced onions
2-3 large carrots
3 stalks celery
1-2 zucchini
4-6 cloves garlic
Emeril's Original Essence


6 pounds beef brisket
McCormick Montreal steak seasoning

2 cups Heinz ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup water


Halve and slice the onions. Cut the carrots, celery into 3-inch pieces. If the garlic cloves are very large, cut them in half lengthwise. Place all these vegetable in the bottom of a very large baking pan. Sprinkle with Emeril's Essence.


Rinse the brisket under cold water and lay it on top of the vegetables, fat side up.  Sprinkle the top with the Montreal steak seasoning.


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and water. Stir until smooth. Pour over the top of the brisket so that it is completely covered and drizzle any remaining sauce over the vegetables. Cover tightly with heavy duty aluminum and place into the preheated oven. Cook undisturbed for 2 hours.  Check to make sure there is liquid under the brisket and that nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan.  Return the covered pan to the oven for another 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until a large fork can pierce the brisket all or almost all the way through.  Remove the foil and with a wooden spoon scrape any sauce remaining on top of the brisket into the liquid in the pan.  Return the uncovered pan to the oven for another 30 minutes. If you have left the fat cap intact, switch the oven to broil for a few minutes to give the top a more finished look.


Remove the pan from the oven and carefully remove the brisket to a large cutting board and let it cool. Slice against the grain. I recommend using an electric knife if you have one. Serve with the gravy and vegetables.

I do not remove the fat cap.  I live for that fat - it is a special treat and remember, fat is flavor.  You can always remove most of it before cooking, but best that you cook with it on, and just remove before eating, if you can't eat it for any reason.  Leftovers should be placed back in the gravy and stored in the fridge.  This will only get better as a leftover.  Enjoy - I know you will.                                                                

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Hurts So Bad

Today's ear worm is brought to you courtesy of Little Anthony and the Imperials. 1965 was a very good year for popular music.

I know you
Don't know what I'm going through
Standing here looking at you
Well let me tell you that it hurts so bad
It makes me feel so sad
It makes me hurt so bad
To see you again

I knew it was coming.  Despite feeling pretty good the past week, there was some part of my brain whispering "don't get used to it." The pain started early yesterday, in my side, and it was a sharp S.O.B. I thought I might be able to walk it off, but that didn't work out the way I had hoped, and by yesterday evening my nerve endings staged a protest. Standing, sitting, walking - I guess I had a hell of a nerve (bad pun) trying to get on with my life in a normal matter.


It's hard to describe how this all feels, but at some point all I can do is roll up in a ball while crouching down on the floor.  That was yesterday.


Today the pain is all-encompassing, and that has scrambled my brain a bit.  I had some minor plans for today, but even a trip to Publix is beyond my abilities.  Harvesting one tiny eggplant and two cherry tomatoes has done me in. I am back upstairs on my bed, waiting for the ibuprofen to kick in and take the edge off.

Sometime last night I dreamt I was dancing with Henry Winkler.  I can't dance, at least outside of my dreams.  But then, I dreamt I was back at the psychiatric hospital.  Good dream, bad dream. I have flashes of being back there, just sitting and seeing the halls I walked endlessly and the door to my room, stark and sterile. Then today I realized something - that the best medication in the world cannot protect me from the dark depression that comes with a flare-up of fibromyalgia.

No recipe today, I am truly sorry.  I had great plans to perfect those okra fritters, but I never even got close to the front door to pick up more ingredients. Instead, I fell asleep listening to music.


Feel like I hit a brick wall.  We'll try this again tomorrow.

Friday, September 11, 2015

September 11th, again - Okra Fritters, Beta Version

September 11th. I hate this day.

In past years, I have written blog posts to address the events of September 11, 2001, all full of passion and fury, pain and righteous indignation. This year, I just can't do it.  If I start, I'll get angry, and you wouldn't like me when I'm angry.

My thoughts are with you, Denise.

Rest in peace, Mike. 

And that's all I am going to say about that.

Today would have been former Florida Governor Reubin Askew's 87th birthday. One of the few honest politicians any where, any time. Rest in peace, sir.

Right to Left: Her Serene Highness, Princess Chelsea Rose, Reigning Queen of Everything; Ninja Husband; Jedi Knight and Sometime Dark Lord of the Sith Anakin Skywalker, Darth Kitten


It's a lazy day - the office of Taxman USA is closed, and Robert is out helping his mom with a doctor visit.  I am finishing the bake off of the hermit cookies; looks like the yield is 35 cookies, just under 3 dozen.  A night in the fridge did not harm them in the least.


My biggest problem today, if you can even call it that, is what to do with the okra pods I've been religiously harvesting this past week?  I really have to use them or lose them, and the time is now.  I don't want to stew them, maque choux them, or gumbo them. I don't want them playing second fiddle to tomato, corn, or butter beans; I want the okra to shine. This is their last hurrah, as the okra bush is reaching the end of its season. So I give you:


Okra Fritters, Beta Version

1 cup fresh okra pods, halved and sliced (about 3/4 cup sliced)
2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 cup Bisquick
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
cayenne pepper, to taste
1 extra large egg
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup milk

In a medium bowl, combine the Bisquick, dry mustard, nutmeg, salt, pepper, basil, granulated garlic and cayenne pepper, and whisk until the spices are evenly distributed.  Set aside. In another bowl, whisk the egg, Dijon mustard, and milk together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate covered for an hour or more.


Hold off cutting the okra until just before you are ready to add it to the batter.

Start heating about an inch of canola oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Fold the okra, red bell pepper and onion into the batter. Lower the heat to medium. Using whatever size scoop you like, carefully drop the okra batter into the hot oil, flatten them out a bit so that the okra will cook inside and fry them on each side until deep golden brown. Break one open to make sure the fritter is done all the way through. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dipping sauce of sour cream mixed with some Gold's horseradish with beets (the red stuff).


I designated this recipe as a beta version, because it needs more work.  Developing a new recipe is an odd thing, and there are no guarantees, no matter how carefully you consider the flavor contributions of each ingredient. These fritters are good, but right now remind me of my ideal okra fritter's timid first cousin.  They are the offspring of the marriage of Bert Greene's recipe for "Ole Miss Okra Fritters" (from his book Greene on Greens and Grains - unfortunately the book is way out of print) and my ever-reliable corn fritter recipe, which I found in a Hadassah cookbook in 1977. A very good first start, and you are welcome to try them, but I know they can be even better.


Next time: Some more of the seasoning from Greene's recipe, a boost from paprika as recommended by my son, who assisted with the taste testing, a good bit more of okra because this batter can handle it, switching out the onions with green onions, and a brief sauté of the onions and red bell peppers and perhaps even the okra before adding them to the batter.

Since my okra plant is now denuded of ready-to-pick pods, this necessitates a trip to Publix for the store-bought variety.  Needless to say I will be planting more okra plants this new season.

SYNC is Sunk - A Mac and Cheese Challenge?

I am sorry to report that there is something General Motors has that I want installed in my Ford Escape: 

ONSTAR!!!

Right now, my boys and I are in the Escape, traveling to Bradenton for a special martial arts event. This is my new baby's first long trip since coming into my care, and I wanted to be prepared, so Rob signed her up with SYNC, Ford's answer to GM's OnStar. And what a wrong answer it turned out to be!

With OnStar, you get a live person who helps you with any number of travel-related issues.  This was particularly helpful when our Chevy Sonic was hit by a deer with a death wish while we were headed north on I-75 on the way to another martial arts event in Perry.  It was dark and deserted and we could not find a sign or landmark to pass on to AAA so we could be located.  Once we called OnStar, the operator located us by GPS, connected us on a 3-way to AAA, explained the situation to AAA and made sure the tow truck operator knew where to pick us up.


With SYNC, you get a computer-generated voice. The computer is hearing-impaired, and can only pick up voices from the driver's side of the car. When I am wearing my navigator's hat, I am usually sitting in the front passenger seat, so this may be a problem.  Voices with a New York accent seem to confuse it. Fortunately Cory was raised in Florida and sounds it, but I can't shlep him along every time I think I might need to use the system. Overall, it is a clumsy system to use, almost as hopeless as our old TomTom unit, code name "Mandy." You may recall that Mandy tried to send us into the Arkansas River, and refused to learn our preference for John Young Parkway over South Orange Blossom Trail, and had otherwise made a number of spectacularly poor navigating choices.  Mandy is in a drawer somewhere, but if we ever make it back to Little Rock I am going to take her along, and throw her into the Arkansas River.

We do get 20 operator assisted calls with our SYNC subscription, but I did not want to blow even one of them on an easy trip going one way on I-4 and then another way on I-75.  Next time we are headed somewhere new or distant, I'll try the operator service; if it is good, I'll look into possibly expanding the services under our subscription, which is currently quite a bit less expensive than OnStar.  Until then, in my opinion, SYNC is sunk.                   

I am not going to be cooking this evening as I expect to get home fairly late, which is to say, past my bedtime.  I do have to finish baking the hermit cookies (what you saw in the photo was the first and only batch, hurriedly baked just in time to take a picture before tumbling into the car for a long ride which is beginning to hurt my back) but that is as far as my plans go.  I got clam cakes and crab claws; what else could I possibly need? The boys are in even better shape with meatloaf, manicotti, mock choux and chicken.  Leftovers are cool.

I did come across a cooking opportunity which piqued my interest, however, and I may take it seriously. On September 26, Vintage Vino is sponsoring a macaroni and cheese challenge.  In all the years I've been cooking, and talking about cooking, and writing about cooking, I have never entered a cooking contest.  It is very local - Vintage Vino is tucked between Three Sisters and Savion's Place on Dakin Avenue, which means they are next to the parking garage for my (former) office building. Very very VERY local.  Part of the proceeds go to a local children's charity - I like that.    

The down side is that participants must prepare enough food for 100 tasters. That requires filling two large chafing dish trays, which is the equivalent of four of the aluminum baking dishes I always use, with macaroni and cheese.  That's a lot of food, but even more, it's a lot of cooking, a lot of time, and a lot of standing on my feet.  Which is why I have to give this a lot of thought.  I've got the perfect recipe, but do I have the energy and fortitude to carry it through?  


In the meantime, despite SYNC's best efforts to route us to Tampa by way of Sea World, we have landed at Dojo Martial Arts in Bradenton, and my boys are already involved in the seminar.  Grown men smacking at and blocking each other, oy.  They enjoy it, and Robert has taken a number of sparring awards over the years at ATA competitions, including 2007 World Champion in his age category.  I despise sparring -  I do like taekwando forms (poomsae)  and don't mind weapons, but I hate sparring and ground fighting with a passion.


First, I dislike rolling around on the floor with anyone I'm not married to, men or women.  I've never liked anyone invading my personal space or touching me; I am inordinately modest and overly self-conscious. I don't like other people's sweat dripping on me, and I certainly do not want to offend them with bodily fluids of my own. Before class I always took the time to clean up and deodorize, but
some people are not so considerate, and I had enough of bad breath and body odor while riding the subways to last me a lifetime.  I know, I'm a bit of a diva, but even more than that, I don't like to be hit. Getting struck with hands brings back bad memories.  Neither Robert nor Cory share my hang-ups, so they are happily hitting and being hit.  Me, I'm just along for the ride, and I've had some awesome rides in the last 10 years - lots of road trips to cities I would not have otherwise seen, so that the boys could compete.  Time for lots of knitting - so many pairs of socks knit on the road to Little Rock, Atlanta, Perry, Miami, Panama City and even Dallas.  Discovering new places to eat, the best part of road trips. Good times, good times.


This dojo is not ATA (American Taekwando Association) but part of the World Warrior Alliance: "Many Arts, One Goal, Many Paths". In addition to being high-ranking black belts, Rob and Cory also happen to be studying jiu jitsu, and their instructor is here as well. I'm curious as to how many martial art disciplines are represented here.  It's an interesting approach, one that is becoming more popular.


"Get his eyes, his eyes - show me how to break his elbow - break his jaw - cut him down." Interesting instructions. "This is how you break his neck and rip out his esophagus at the same time." Oof - these guys don't kid around!

While the men are working on their ground fighting skills, I have a table to sit at and no one is crowding me, and if I had a cup of Wawa pumpkin spice coffee and one of those Lady Hermit cookies, life would be good.  I like what the instructor is saying - "martial arts is physical, mental and spiritual."   It's true - trust me, I'm a black belt in taekwando. No, really I am. Please stop laughing.        

        
Here's my advice to all you parents - send your kids for martial arts training. It's a cold, cruel world out there. Women, too - I can defend myself if I have to. I may have fibromyalgia, but I've got two thumbs and a cane and I know how to use them.


At the end of the seminar, Rob and Cory are inducted into the WWA. Very nice.

So we finally started back home and I finally got my one-for-the-road pumpkin spice coffee at Wawa. None of my Lady Hermit cookies are available but I did snag a bag of hummus chips and a mini Chips Ahoy. For me, that's a fine dinner indeed.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

More MEEEEEEMES! - The Happy Hermit Cookies

Memes.You gotta love them. Some really funny ones have popped up on Facebook, poking fun at Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis, the newest martyr to the cause of sexual preference discrimination.

In Osceola County, home of the best bass-fishing lake in the state, this might cause a riot

Just think of the possibilities

Fabulous!!! (You do know that Gillian Anderson is gay?)

And of course, my personal favorite

The mystery of the Leggy Azaleas from yesterday's post was solved by my good friend and former coworker Linda Saez, faster than you can say "mirabilis jalapa", which happens to be its official taxonomic  name. These are Four o' clock flowers, also known as the Marvel of Peru. 


They are easily grown from seed, and I can see working them into some of my flower beds.  They come in a multitude of colors, although I have to say I am partial to magenta. Thanks, Linda!

I suppose there are a number of tasks I could turn my hand to today - that upstairs hallway isn't going to get done by itself, you know - but having had a couple of decent days and not wanting to push my luck, and taking into consideration that I am going to be sitting in the car for long periods of time later today, I am going to take it easy on myself and limit activity to blogging and baking. And cleaning up after my tiny terrors. I mean terriers.  They are paper-trained, except for Chelsea who pees to the beat of her own drummer, and there are always strategically-placed pads available for their use, but sometimes they miss. Other times they get forgetful, or spiteful or even a tad snarky. Every morning is a new adventure.

I decided to bake Hermit Cookies, a favorite of mine.  It's an old-timey recipe and all cookie bakers know it and have some version they will swear is the best hermit cookie recipe anywhere.  Mine is from the 1973 edition of the Joy of Cooking, which means it really is the best hermit cookie recipe anywhere. 


This version, which I came across while teaching myself to cook by reading the Joy of Cooking cover-to-cover, caught my eye because it includes sour cream and coconut, two of my favorite ingredients. When I started baking these back in 1974, I did make one change from the original, substituting allspice for the ground cloves, one of the very few spices Robert does not care for.  Today, as a nod to the 21st century, I have upped the ante by using a better grade of cinnamon, from Vietnam (I can assure you that in 1974 we were not sourcing cinnamon from Vietnam), adding a small amount of baking powder to work with the baking soda (and you have to use baking soda with an acidic ingredient like sour cream) and using a silpat instead of greasing the baking sheet.  I've also set the batter into the fridge to chill out a bit, mainly because I use a scoop now (scoops are cool) to form the cookies, and that always works better if the batter is chilled.


Back in the day, when I first realized how much I loved to feed other people, I would bake something on the order of 50 dozen cookies which I would start in September to bring in for Christmas breakfast in the office.  The late seventies were tasty times for people who worked for Alexander & Alexander on the 34th floor at 1185 Avenue of the Americas. People who didn't really know me knew my cookies.  I still go on cookie-baking binges, albeit not frequently - my last binge was in 2005 - but the quantity and variety remain memorable.

Fold 'em, fold 'em, fold 'em, keep those raisins movin', rawhide ... 

Enjoy the cookies. And the ear worm.

Hermit Cookies from The Happy Hermit

1 stick butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 extra large egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/3 cup sifted flour
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped nuts (any one or combination)
1/4 cup shredded coconut (I chop the shreds a bit)


Cream together the butter and sugar.  Beat in the egg and the sour cream.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and spice.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in thirds, beating well after each addition.   Fold in the raisins, nuts, and coconut.  Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. With a medium cookie scoop, portion 12 cookies on a baking sheet, either greased, sprayed, or silpatted.  These cookies spread quite a bit, so do not place them closely together, and do not try to fit more than 12 cookies at a time.


Bake for 13 to 15 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them sit on the baking sheet for an additional 5 minutes. with a spatula remove them to a wire rack to finish cooling.  


I think I should rename these "Lady Hermit Cookies" as they are more delicate than the hearty versions those Cape Cod sailing wives would pack up for their men heading out to sea. As delicious as ever.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

An Appealing Proposition: Now It Begins - Jewish Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Yesterday was about architecture, today is about horticulture. First, can anyone help me identify this pretty plant?  Besides resembling a leggy azalea, those little magenta flowers give off a delicious scent.

Towards evening the flowers close up

Ready for a good night's sleep

They are so pretty, next to the plumbago

If you happen to know what they are called, please let me know.  Thanks!


I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree. - Joyce Kilmer


I love trees, especially our big gorgeous 120-year old trees, and I love this poem.  And that's the end of today's horticulture lesson, except to remind you that you don't have to hug a tree to love a tree.




The State of Florida's Division of Retirement, in its infinite wisdom, politely advised me of its intention to decline my application for disability retirement, but offered the opportunity to present additional information before a final decision is made. Of course this coincided with one of my providers going out on a two week vacation, which is causing a bit of a time crunch, but I'm working on getting his input, as well as some updated info from the others.  Truthfully this is very frustrating - why are medical doctors so reluctant to commit the fact of total disability to paper?  They will verbalize to me that clearly, I cannot return to work in the near or even far future (remember my age), but when it comes to filling out forms, they start hedging their bets.  I suspect that they do not want to be perceived by any government agency as helping to perpetrate a fraud.  I get that and respect the position they are in.

I could just throw up my hands and change my application status to just retirement, but I really am permanently disabled (put me back in a courtroom and see how long it takes for my mental acuity to dissolve along with my ability to stand on my feet for hours), and I still have to deal with this issue in my application for Social Security disability.  State AND Federal - I feel like the Queen of Red Tape.

I will follow up with whatever additional documentation I can obtain, and leave in the hands of the state. Yeah, I know - I'm screwed.  At least I tried.  I also spent close to an hour on the phone today with a staff member at the agency that is helping me deal with the social security disability filing, a whole different ballgame. For one thing, my doctors are not put in the uncomfortable position of having to render an opinion on whether I am personally disabled.  That decision is made by whoever is tapped to review the medical records, and those records can include anyone who has treated me in some way for the conditions underlying the disability (and I had quite a list).  So, we shall see ...

Medication Madness: Now on the fourth medication prescribed to address my depression and anxiety, I am finally seeing (or feeling) some positive results. Or at least I thought I was. Probably I am. The depression and anxiety have abated somewhat, although I can feel them hovering pretty close to the surface. This is just this past week - four days, maybe, after a month on the oddly named Fetzima, which is a good name for a belly dancer, but an antidepressive?  So, as they say, the jury is out on this one. Time will tell ... what? Time will tell what? Some cliches are even boring to me, and I admit my writings are cliche-ridden even on a good day.

Anyway, my doctor asked if I have any side effects from the Fetzima, and so far I don't except I'm feeling a bit snarky and I've turned into a motormouth.  Also, the filters are gone, which means if someone annoys me, I may respond in kind and throw in an elbow strike for good measure.  (No, I'm not going to court to deliver some frontier justice, so stop asking me.)  This is a sort of weird side effect, because sometimes it feels like I am floating in the air, giddy as a schoolgirl, but that never lasts and I always return to earth with a bit of a crash.  Mini Mood Disorder?  Lucky me.

I was going to write a rant about basic personal modesty, breast-feeding in public, and when body-shaming is not necessarily a bad thing, but I need to give that more thought. I am not cooking today, as it is the last thing I need to do - besides having an inordinate amount of cooked food in the fridge, my entire back hurts, with my lower back feeling like it's on fire - but feeling guilty, I am recycling a recipe from 2011, from back in the day I maintained separate but related blogs for discussion and for recipes. This one is fun and easy, and you've probably seen it or eaten it sometime in the past.



From June 13,  2011 "It's All About the Food" - Jewish Sweet and Sour Meatballs

If you are Jewish, chances are you have eaten these, especially around Rosh Hashona.  Don't turn up your nose at the ingredients - it works.  This is my version of the dish, and you will notice there is no grated onion in the meatballs.  You don't need it for this dish, and who wants to grate an onion on a weeknight?

Meatballs

1 3/4 pounds lean ground beef
1 egg
cornflake crumbs (about 1/2 -3/4 cup)
kosher salt, pepper, granulated garlic, onion powder, Emeril's Essence

Mix everything together and make 15 meatballs from the mixture.  Put in a baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or just until the meatballs start to firm up.  They will finish cooking in the sauce.

Jewish Sweet and Sour Sauce

3 - 12 oz. bottles of Heinz chili sauce
1 - 18 oz. jar of Welch's grape jelly
juice of half a lemon (or more to taste)
2 shots of Worcestershire sauce
2 drops of Tabasco sauce (or more to taste)
kosher salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, Emeril's Essence - all to taste
2 handfuls of raisins

Empty the chili sauce into a medium deep pot or Dutch oven.  I like to put a little water in each jar, and shake to get all of the sauce on the sides, then add it into the sauce in the pot.  Then take about half of the jelly and add it to the sauce.  On medium to medium- high heat, bring the sauce to a simmer so that the jelly melts.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Taste and add more of the grape jelly if you like to get the right balance of sweet and sour.  I add about half of what is left in the jar.

Carefully add the meatballs to the sauce.  Cover the pot and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.  Serve alone, with challah, or over rice.

The color is off a bit - should be closer to a cranberry color - but the taste is delicious, and a nice change from meatballs in Italian red sauce.  Very easy to make and they will taste even better the next day.

Please enjoy  ;-)