Baby sister's growing up

 

There is something strange about the baby of the family reaching her second decade. Gone are the days when Lindsey could be mistaken for a baby brother. When she could get away with not wearing pants. 

Or a shirt...at Disney World.

In the last 20 years, she has grown into a beautiful, brilliant, inspiring person. 

And she is cooler than I'll ever be.

I could easily become sentimental about how fast time flies. But there is relief. I may be the oldest but I am now the shortest, and I can tell myself that Linny Lou Lou turning 20 has absolutely no bearing on my own age.

Happy 20th birthday, dear baby big sister. I love you so much.

homemade caramel corn

I need to be upfront about the psychological steps you'll go through with this recipe. 

1. Your excitement for fall and desire to impress your friends and faithful blog readers will make you ambitious enough to attempt caramel from scratch. 

2. You'll find some recipes online that include such basic ingredients and simple instructions, you feel confident enough to pick your favorite parts from each recipe.

3. You'll pop popcorn (microwave is totally forgivable); measure vanilla, butter, sugar and water; and consider opening a candy store.

4. You'll turn on the burner, swirl the sugar water and watch it bubble for awhile.

5. Then you'll panic a little because this is the moment that could turn ruinous just as easily as it could be magical. When the liquid begins to solidify (too much?!) you'll throw in the butter and vanilla, then pour it quickly over the popcorn lest it harden before sufficiently coating.

6. You'll realize there must be an easier method for coating the popcorn and dump the whole pot onto a baking sheet. Then you'll use your fingers (when you should use a spatula because hot caramel is painfully hot and sticky) to mix in the dry pieces. Hurriedly throw in some almonds and sea salt while the caramel is still painfully hot and sticky.

7. You'll grab a little handful and step back to admire your caramel corn mountain. When you taste it, you may notice the caramel is very sticky on your teeth and you'll worry that you overcooked it. Although it tastes delicious, you'll try to think of a Plan B snack to take to Bible study for fear your popcorn will pull someone's tooth out, and decide you were never fit for candymaking after all.

8. Later, your loving sister will come home and sneak some and tell you that she enjoyed it. Your self-defeat will wane enough to consider sharing it with Bible study after all. "You don't think it is too sticky?" you'll ask. She'll reassure you by eating some more and you'll pack the rest in Tupperware, thinking maybe you are not a caramel failure at all. Maybe it just needed to sit awhile.

9. You'll serve it to your Bible study, who accepts with much gratitude and love and encouragement. Because how else would that group react? 

10. After it's all gone, you'll go back to the Internet, thinking next time you'll try one of the recipes that uses corn syrup and bakes in the oven. Caramel corn is delicious. 

Homemade Caramel Popcorn

Adapted from several recipes

6 c. popped popcorn (1/2 c. kernels or 2 bags microwave)

2 c. sugar (I used half white and half brown...all white might have been easier)

2/3 c. water

1 T. butter

1 1/2 vanilla extract

Sea salt

Almonds

Pop the popcorn, combine with almonds and set aside.

Measure the butter and vanilla extract and set aside.

Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan and turn the burner to medium high. Swirl the pan occasionally and let it bubble for 15-20 minutes. Once it cooks down a bit and begins to thicken, add the butter and vanilla. It will bubble up. Swirl ferociously.

Pour over the popcorn/almonds and quickly toss with a spatula to cover the most pieces. As the photos show, this recipe does not completely coat the pieces in caramel, which allows for a prime salty/sweet ratio.

Spread onto a baking sheet, breaking up the big chunks. Sprinkle with sea salt. 

Serve/eat immediately if you don't mind sticky teeth. Wait a couple hours and it will get easier to chew.

Pat yourself on the back.

With love.

Lawrence: A Tribute Resurrected

When I created this blog, I made a pact with myself to never apologize or make excuses for not posting. So I won't do that. But the truth is, I once (not so long ago) had endless hours to cook and write, and these days I spend most of my time and energy making paninis for other people. (No complaints, mind you!) I can't thank you enough for reading. It means more to me than I can say.

Today I offer you a guest post of sorts, from myself circa May 2010. At the time, my fancy friend Avery ran a blog out of New York for the Dakota Collective fashion line and asked me to supply a personal essay. Naturally, I decided to wax poetic about my idyllic Midwest hometown. I came across this piece the other day and still kind of like it. It's a different season (literally and metaphorically), but my sentiment remains. As Ken moves home to Lawrence today and I plan for a trip back in a couple weeks, please indulge my expatriate nostalgia.

The beautiful photos were supplied for the original post by the beautiful Sarah Foil Harnett.

I rise early on Saturday morning, the spring sun competing with the persistent chill of Kansas winter, and step onto the front porch of my beloved old rental in the heart of KU’s student ghetto. Two years out of college, I still adore the neighborhood full of big beautiful houses and spontaneous, noisy co-eds.

I wind my way through historic streets made famous by William Quantrill and his bloody Civil War massacre—a failed attempt to bring slavery to this inherently free state. The story is well-known among Lawrencians, who uphold a deep-seated tradition of contempt for Missouri and eagerly support the local Free State Brewery (perhaps for reasons other than the name). On this morning, inhaling air so sweet each breath feels like an indulgence, it is impossible to imagine such a restless time.

Peace-loving protestors, petitioners for the homeless and a bluegrass boy finger-picking a stand-up bass garner a polite smile before La Prima Tazza’s open door lures me in for iced coffee. As I make my way to the farmers’ market on New Hampshire Street, the sense of community and collective love for this weather, and the way it brings our town to life, are tangible.

I join fellow landlocked locavores, so proud of our little big city in the middle of the Midwest. We are utterly content, surrounded by the vendors’ bounty of juicy tomatoes, golden summer squash and crisp asparagus in neat bundles. Bicycling, granola-eating, Birkenstock-wearing folks creating an oasis on the Great Plains—a blue town in a decidedly red state. We take care of each other while keeping a passionate ear toward Uganda, Wall Street, Iraq.

Artists and musicians thrive here, a town chock-full of venues and enthusiastic audiences that draw incredible international acts yet love and support local talent. And, while it takes a season or two for fashion trends to make their way inland, we relish a freedom of expression and access to brilliant second-hand finds not typical of our small-town neighbors.

Sorority girls in leggings and Greek letters saunter beside dreadlocked mothers toting happy babies. Vibrant retirees, drawn to Lawrence by the same depth of art and education that inspired William S. Burroughs and a young Langston Hughes, lead spaniels on short leashes.

We all will stroll beyond New Hampshire Street, finding other excuses to linger in the cherished sunshine as we go about our day, and go on about our lives. Perhaps we’ll move away someday, simply to “get out of Kansas.” But Lawrence—and the memory of these Saturday mornings in spring, when everything in our offbeat little world is warm and lovely and fresh—this will never leave us.

With love.

A visitor! A job!

whew. It has been a week.

Last Tuesday, as I drove an unintentionally circuitous route home from Target, I got a call from Rybread that they wanted to interview me for a position. I celebrated this bit of positive job search feedback as I cleaned the kitchen and chatted with Laura. Next thing I knew, a charming Kansas boy was standing outside of my house...a day and a half early! The first words out of my mouth were 'I'm not prepared for you.' Then I hugged him.

So Ken was here to celebrate with me the next day when I clinched the cafe job. But before I talk about the celebration, I need to talk about this job. It is a straight-up blessing. I get to ride my bike to work and make great sandwiches and talk to people all day. And even though it's not the nonprofit writing job I idealized, I have gained some great perspective during this search. I've realized that perhaps God did not uproot me and take me across the country to be employed by some great work, and I am quite content realizing that He might simply want to bring these new people and experiences into my life. I love volunteering with Broad Street Ministry and I truly adore this little cafe, and I will shine my light there as best I can. Look us up when you're in the area. I'd love to feed you.

Now on to the celebration. I wanted to show Ken the beauty of my new home, so my itinerary ideas essentially consisted of a lot of good food, the art museum, two church services and a bike ride.

We also took a quick trip to New York to see the sights and eat the food there, which we managed to do and get caught in the rain and abandoned by every cab driver. It was perfect.

Ken also put fenders on my bike and took engagement photos for Meg and Anthony while he was here. What a guy.

I was sad to see him leave (not just because I was completely spoiled), but the timing worked nicely with Kelsey returning from her long vacation. Plus, I had a sandwich menu to memorize and a first workday to look forward to. whew. Life is great.

With love.

Eating local in North Philly

Before I go into this facetious post about our neighborhood food desert, I'd like to state that I wholly advocate supporting local farmers and eating things that have grown near you. (Although I don't always do it, and I sometimes use the principle as a title for facetious blog posts.) Okay, conscience clear.

I had been thinking about this pumpkin spice granola from Two Peas and Their Pod since it caught my eye when I made the zucchini fries last week. On Sunday afternoon, I realized I had all of the ingredients except for the applesauce. I easily could have biked (or driven) to a grocery store, but that seemed like such a hassle for one ingredient so I considered using the less-healthy alternative, canola oil. Laura the Always Helpful suggested I check the corner store on our block for applesauce.

These little convenience stores are on every corner, but the only one I had gone into keeps every product behind glass so you have to order it from the clerk. I found the one on Thompson Street to be more browsable, so I could check the labels. They had Mott's with high fructose corn syrup. I know.... As I scanned the shelves, my eye landed on a tiny jar labeled Apples. I checked the label: apples, ascorbic acid. Perfect! 

Come to find out, Gerber makes a lovely applesauce that is tasty and ideally textured to substitute oil in baking. Thank you, Girard Mini Market. 

If you are hankering for more fall food, like I am, please try this granola. I ended up nixing the maple syrup, doubling the cinnamon (because I love it), and using walnuts instead of pepitas. But my version maintains a lovely pumpkin flavor and the desired autumn essence. It is quite delicious with plain yogurt, almond milk or all by itself.

I have a guest coming this weekend and I'm trying to be the host with the most. He doesn't need to know there's baby food in the granola. 

With love.

Phavorite Phall Phare

Someday when this blog has amassed vast archives, I will curse myself for using that title because it is not descriptive of the recipe. I also might curse myself for using a title so cheesy, but in the spirit of the new home and the new season, I will publish it proudly.

(I'm just kidding...you know I don't curse.)

This meal kicks off the fall food season. No more beachy food. Lots of squash. Ubiquitous pumpkin spice latte references on twitter. I love this time of year.

I am reminded of this post that I wrote a lifetime ago from my porch in Lawrence. The spring weather I extolled did indeed turn into a scorching summer, and I feel the same urgency to spend a lot of time outside before the brutal winter comes again.

With that said, I have some bike trails to attend to. Let's move on to the merits of this dish so you can try it before the season is over. The combination is a bit different every time I make it, and of course you should feel free to be creative with it too. What it comes down to is my overall cooking philosophy: get as many of my favorite flavors into one bowl.

Plus, this meal makes me think of my dearest Lawrence friends, which is a lovely side effect.

Here are the steps: chop vegetables, chop squash, cook quinoa, combine. All this can be done while watching 'When Harry Met Sally' with your roommates. I tested it.

Please refer to this post for the quinoa tutorial and a summery version of this recipe. This time, I stirred curry and cinnamon into the quinoa...the curry is pretty subtle and the cinnamon gives the dish a very phall phlavor. (Okay, that's the last time.)

Now you could stop there and enjoy it just fine, but what really puts the dish over the top is the feta. If you like feta (does anyone not like feta?), the cheese adds a delightful salty contrast. Toss in some walnuts or pecans for more crunchy protein.

Yum.

Melanie had late class this night, so we saved her a helping. But the real reason for the next photo is to remind you to submit your own photography to the River to Well competition. 

The deadline is in one week.
Help restore wells in Mozambique.

Acorn Squash Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables
Serves 4

1 acorn squash, pitted and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 T. honey or maple syrup
1 T. olive oil
1 t. red pepper flakes
Dash of sea salt and black pepper

1/2 c. quinoa, rinsed thoroughly
1 c. water
1 T. curry
1/2 T. cinnamon
Dash of salt

Half an onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 carrot, halved and sliced
1 c. broccoli florets (fresh or frozen and thawed)
1 small zucchini, halved and sliced

If you are feeling sweet, try subbing these for some of the veg:
1 apple, chopped
1/2 c. craisins or raisins

Walnuts or pecans
Feta cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together honey, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper; toss with acorn squash pieces on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes or until fork tender, stirring once.

Place all chopped vegetables on a second baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast on the oven rack below the squash. These can be in the oven for 30-45 minutes; just make sure to stir occasionally.

Bring water to a boil and stir in the rinsed quinoa. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the quinoa has puffed up. Drain off any excess water, then stir in the curry, cinnamon and salt.

Remove the aromatic roasted vegetables and squash from the oven and combine everything (including quinoa) in a large bowl (or the baking pan). 

Top with chopped nuts and feta and serve with some grainy bread. OR wrap this mixture in a whole-wheat tortilla with baby spinach for a tasty quinoa burrito.





With love.

baked zucchini fries

When we were young, Kelsey and I called our baby sister tons of weird nicknames, including the most affectionate 'Cinder-Lindsey.' This one put us in the mean, bossy big sister roles and Linds was left to helplessly do our bidding in the sympathetic Cinderella role. We thought it was clever, Lindsey hated it, and that nickname became the quickest way to push her buttons. Sorry, Linny. I love you. I'm glad we can all laugh about it now.

If you'll recall this image... Baby sister was doomed from the start.

Thankfully Cinder-Lindsey endured with grace enough to email this delicious recipe (via Two Peas & Their Pod) as a thoughtful housewarming gift. She knows me well.

Now, if you'll bear with me, there is another story about the strange coincidences that have kept me from making this dish until now, three-plus weeks into this warm house. Two weeks ago I purchased a big, beautiful zucchini, and while it waited in the fridge to be turned into fries, the power went out to our oven. It took Steve the electrician about a week to come over (a huge bike race blockade kept him away one day...strange! I know.). Steve fiddled with some wires and got the outlet working again, but by that time, the zuke had gone bad. I went to Trader Joe's yesterday to get a new one and they were all out. Strange! I know. (Actually not really, because it's the end of zucchini season.) Whole Foods pulled through in the clutch, though, and to show my appreciation, I spent $5.38 on three of the elusive squashes. The trials I go through for good food! 

Barring trips to multiple markets, the ingredients are quite simple. Zucchini, egg whites, bread crumbs/parmesan, spices (including salt and pepper pandas -- my housewarming gift to Kelsey!). 

The move left me with less spice organization, but I am learning to make it work.

After

Before

My disclaimer on this recipe is do not make it if you are in a rush. It is worth every minute, but it will take you several. It is the perfect project for a rainy afternoon like this one. 

Start by chopping those coveted zukes into french fries.

Dip each lovely bit into frothy egg whites then roll it in cheesy bread crumbs (which are really the shining star of this recipe...the zucchini are merely a vehicle).

Line them up strategically on a cooking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Flip them with a spatula if you are more dextrous than I, or grab and flip the hot little pieces quickly enough not to burn your fingertips. Bake for 8 minutes more, or until golden.

The original recipe recommends marinara sauce for dipping. I recently purchased a jar of TJ's salsa that I've been eating at any opportunity (as salad dressing on spinach mostly). It tasted pretty great on these fries too.

I wish you could have been here, Beezers, but I did manage to enjoy the zucchini fries very much. Come visit. I'll make you some. I'd do all this work for you in a heartbeat. Role reversal.

Baked Zucchini Fries

Barely adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

2-3 medium zucchini, sliced into skinny sticks

2 large egg whites, beaten

1/2 c. bread crumbs (I used panko)

2 T. grated parmesan

1/4 dried basil

Pinch of dried oregano (or substitute Italian seasoning)

1/4 t. garlic powder

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

In a small bowl, beat egg whites with a fork until frothy.

Put the breadcrumbs, seasonings and parmesan on a plate; mix well.

Dip the zucchini sticks in the egg whites and then into the bread crumb mixture, making sure all sides get coated well. Place the sticks on the baking sheet.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and a little crispy. I turned over the fries halfway through. Serve warm with marinara sauce (or salsa!). 

With love.