Five Cookies and a Cake

All month long, I've been looking at pics of Christmas cookie boxes and holiday cookie assortments being posted on the baking subreddit. Examples: one, two, three. It got me into an intense cookie-baking mood, and in particular, I wanted to try a few new recipes. 

First, I made these sprinkles cookies. They are fun to make and look festive in cookie boxes, but taste quite dry and boring. I don't think I will make this recipe again. 

Next, I made these double chocolate crinkle cookies. They are a classic Christmas cookie, and I love the look- reminds me of snow melting on the woodland floor. We loved these in every way- they were fun to make, looked beautiful, and tasted fantastic. They disappeared so quickly that we made another batch a couple days after making the first one. Of everything I made this year, this is a keeper and I predict making it every year.

The third cookie was biscotti. I already have this excellent almond biscotti (mandelbrot) recipe that I use, but tried a new recipe this time: Cranberry pistachio biscotti. It turned out well, but I think next time I will use my favorite recipe and just add cranberries and pistachio instead of almonds.

The fourth cookie was one I have made before but not in a few years: Jammy thumbprint cookies. V particularly loves this one, and it is nice to have a vegan cookie with oats in the assortment. The dough is very sticky though, and I might try chilling the dough next time. 

Finally, we made the sugar cookie dough again and made some cute little kitties and doggies. My daughter decorated them with an edible marker after baking. 

This abundance of cookies made its way into trays of cookies delivered to a few friends and neighbors around town. And of course I kept a selection at home for us to enjoy with chai and hot cocoa. 

Other cookies I would like to make in the future: Gingerbread crinkle cookies, Pecan tassies, Italian almond cookies, Chocolate-covered cherry cookies, Unfussy rugelach. 

Finally, in early December, I made a cake recipe that I had been wanting to try for ages: All-in-One Holiday Bundt Cake by Dorie Greenspan: "Name your favorite it-tastes-like-Thanksgiving flavor, and you'll find it here: pumpkin, cranberry, apples, pecans and the fall-winter spices cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger." I was so excited to taste this cake, and while it was fine, it wasn't as special or memorable as I expected. I think the multitude of flavors makes it so that no one flavor shines. 

What have you been baking this month? What are your keeper cookie recipes? 

Christmas Tree Cupcakes & Brownies

I want to thank everyone for the kind comments and condolences you left on my last post- I read every single one. We are trying to adjust to our Dunkie-less life. I am left with profound gratitude that this sweet, giant dog bounded into our lives and filled our home and our days. He taught me a lot about having an open heart, being kind and tolerant, and taking each day- each minute- as it comes, enjoying whatever life brings. 

Christmas tree cupcakes

We have been doing loads of holiday baking this month. It has been a welcome distraction if I am being honest. The project I am sharing today came about when my daughter was looking for a treat to sell at the school holiday market, where kids get to set up stalls and be market vendors for a couple of hours. 

I consulted Pinterest and dug out a gem- an idea that's truly seasonal, cute, and most importantly, very doable for non-experts: chocolate cupcakes with a vanilla frosting- a crowd-pleasing combo- topped with adorable little decorated Christmas trees. 

The sweet little trees are the star of this cupcake. I saw this idea on several blogs. We gathered:

• Thin pretzel sticks (supermarket snack aisle)
• Green candy melts (found these in Michaels)
• Sprinkles- I bought a couple of boxes of assorted holiday sprinkles and we used them all month for different projects. The ones used here are white/green/red dots and silver stars 
• Piping bags (no tip needed- we used a disposable bag and snipped the tip)

1. Lay out pretzel sticks spaced apart on a parchment covered baking sheet.
2. Microwave (50% power in spurts, stirring in between) candy melts to, well, melt them. We used half the bag. 
3. Spoon melted candy into a piping bag. 
4. Pipe pine trees as shown in the pic, freehand style. If you overlap piping lines the trees will be thicker and less fragile. 
5. Candy hardens quickly, so go ahead and add a star and "ornament" sprinkles as you pipe. It helps to do this project as a team of two- a piper and a sprinkler.

Trees will harden at room temperature. After an hour, lift them off carefully off the parchment and store in a box at room temperature- they will last for several days. It was our first time working with candy melts and it is dead easy. Also, we have no piping experience and that's not a problem for this project- messy trees look organic. By the way, the trees are yummy little treats on their own. 

Cupcakes: The recipe we used is here- Truly the best chocolate cupcakes. I love this recipe because it calls for pantry ingredients, is truly an easy, one-bowl recipe, and makes 24 cupcakes (I think we got 27, actually) which is a nice number for a sale situation. Be aware that the recipe calls for adding hot water into the batter and that makes the batter alarmingly thin. Don't panic! The cupcakes turned out beautifully. 

Frosting: My daughter is particular about frosting and does not like typical American buttercream which tends to be cloyingly sweet and heavy. I made this less sweet vanilla frosting instead. It was gorgeous- fluffy and tasty and daughter-approved. Piled on the chocolate cupcake (we used an offset spatula), it looks like snow on the ground. The best thing about this frosting is that it does not need refrigeration for a day or two, which is of practical importance when you are making 24 of these in a home setting. One batch of frosting was more than enough for 24 cupcakes. 

Stick a tree or two into each cupcake just before serving. Oohs and ahs will commence. 

* * *

Buoyed by the success of the little trees, and with half a bag of green candy melts and quantities of pretzel sticks and sprinkles still on hand, we made these brownie Christmas trees. (I saw the idea here).

My daughter and her friend used a standard box of brownie mix and instead of baking in a 8 or 9 inch pan as the recipe indicates, they baked it in a 9x13 pan for a shorter time, for thinner brownies. Any brownie recipe (mix or from-scratch) and any size pan will do for this project. All you're looking for is brownie triangles. We got about 24 little brownie triangles (plus off-cuts for the bakers to snack on.)

9x13 brownie slab: Cut into thirds horizontally,
then each third into triangles

To make the trees, stick a pretzel stick into the base of the triangle (cutting the harder crust off the brownie edge pieces helps to poke the pretzel stick in), then pipe on green melted candy, and add the requisite ornament sprinkles and star topper. Ta da! 

Brownie trees

Another item my daughter sold at the holiday
market: handmade cards

My son and I made these melted snowman cookies to sell at the market (I have made them in previous years and posted them before on the blog). He would sell a cookie, earn a dollar, and immediately run off to spend it, leaving me to manage the stall. We made minus 7 dollars. He has decided he prefers shopping to selling and I am OK with that! 

Melting snowman cookies

Gingerbread house from
the Trader Joe's kit

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season! To all who celebrate it, Merry Christmas! 

Bonus Christmas reading- A Christmas Memory, a short story by Truman Capote. Read it in its entirety here. My son and I also watched a couple of Christmas movies- the classic 2003 Elf (Netflix) and the 2019 animated Klaus (Max), which I found delightful.

Duncan is no more

Duncan passed away peacefully yesterday.

“How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

― A.A. Milne, The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh

Kale Salad and Wraps

For the last several months, I buy a bunch of kale every time I am at the grocery store. I make one and only one thing with it- kale salad. My daughter eats this salad by the bowlful. She cannot get enough of it. I certainly do not eat it by the bowlful but have loved it as an addition to all sorts of meals. 

This is one salad where you use the best kitchen tools in the world- your own two hands. Thoroughly wash hands and then use them to coax the kale fibers to break down into a tasty salad.  

Washed kale piled 
into the biggest bowl I own

Massaged Kale Salad

1. Take 1 bunch kale (generally, I use curly kale.) and strip the leaves off the kale stems. The idea is to remove the tough, lower part of the stem. Tender stems are OK to keep.
2. Wash the kale leaves thoroughly 
3. Dry the leaves in a salad spinner 
4. Give them a rough chop
5. Place kale leaves in a large bowl
6. Add 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp. olive oil
7. Using clean hands, massage the kale leaves, squeezing them by the handful for 5 minutes or so. The kale gets glossy and reduces in volume (see pics). 
8. Store kale salad in the fridge. 

Kale salad

Kale wraps: I made these wraps as a "car dinner" for my sister and nephew as they rode home from the airport. It was just a combo of whatever I had in the fridge but turned out very tasty. 

• Spinach tortillas
• Pesto
• Kale salad
• Fresh mozzarella
• Fresh tomato
• Pickled pepperoncini

* * * 

December always feels like the busiest month of the year. And we don't even have any of the family obligations around the holidays that most of my friends do! Whatever I do, I choose to do. This time of year, there are opportunities to help out the community in small ways. It is the kind of shopping I love most- picking out a child's wish list and being their Secret Santa by buying lego sets and other goodies. Buying a few sets of new holiday pajamas for kids in need. 

There are many other things on the to-do list: making treats with my kids for their stalls in the holiday market. Putting together a few gifts for coworkers and the kids' teachers. A door decorating contest at work! I'd love to make cookie boxes for a few close friends and neighbors but this year time is just slipping right out of my hands. 

* * *

Bittersweet news about our sweet dog Duncan: He celebrated his 11th birthday on Sunday with a pupcake and a small party with one of his doggy friends. He enjoyed it so much. But he is clearly declining. The hospice vet stopped by again yesterday, we had a serious discussion and scheduled a euthanasia date in a couple of weeks. 

Thanksgiving 2023, with Calico Cat Cookies

Thanksgiving 2023 dawned as a freezing cold, yet beautiful and sunny day here in Northeast Georgia. My sister and nephew were visiting for a few days. I started the morning by running my first 8K race. (Only the third time that I have run this distance of 8 kilometers/ 5 miles). I finished it in decent time. Thanksgiving runs are very popular and now I see why! There were people running in turkey costumes and funny hats. It was a fun and cheerful time out in the fresh air before the day of feasting got underway.

We were a cozy group of 6 at the Thanksgiving table- 3 adults and 3 kids. I had toyed with the idea of making a innovative menu but in the end inertia, tradition, and the kids' wishes won out and we made more or less the same menu as last year. Don't fix what ain't broken, right?

• Portobello Mushroom Wellington 
• Puff pastry encasing roasted portobellos with a savory stuffing of pecans and chestnuts seasoned with fresh herbs, onion and garlic
• Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Chick’n Filets
• Mac and cheese
• In bechamel sauce, baked with a topping of breadcrumbs
• Mashed potatoes
• Made in the Instant pot
• Garden salad
• Mixed greens, carrots, red peppers in a balsamic dressing
• Mushroom gravy
• Cranberry sauce
• Orange and cinnamon scented
• Pumpkin pie
• Chocolate pecan pie
• I was glad it did not crack this time!

I'm jotting down the timeline of prep and cooking here for future reference. Having my sister around was so helpful- she made the crusts for both pie, and the entirety of the pumpkin pie, made the gravy, and we assembled the Wellington together. 

• Tuesday
• Review all recipes and stock up on ingredients
• Make a double batch of pie crust, and store halves wrapped in the fridge
• Make the cranberry sauce
• Wednesday
• Make the mashed potatoes and store in fridge
• Make the mac and cheese and store in fridge
• Roast portobellos and store in fridge
• Make both pies and store in fridge
• Make the salad, and the dressing in a separate jar
• Serve half of the salad with takeout pizza for dinner
• Thursday
• Make the gravy on the stovetop
• Make the stuffing for the Wellington
• Start by making fresh breadcrumbs, which will be used for the mac and cheese topping and also for the stuffing
• Fire up the oven
• Bake the mac and cheese with a breadcrumb topping
• Bake the chick'n filets
• Assemble and bake the Wellington
• Warm the mashed potatoes in microwave oven
• Toss the salad
• Serve a buffet meal at 1:30 PM followed by a nap
• Serve pies (each cut in 12 slices) with whipped cream and coffee at 3:30 PM
• Pick at leftovers the rest of the day and on Friday morning

* * *

After a Thanksgiving late lunch, V took the kids bowling. We capped off the day with cookie making and a couple round of Codenames, our favorite board game, all while fridge-diving for leftovers.

For the cookies, I made a batch of my favorite sugar cookie dough, and divided it in several portions so each cookie baker had their own dough to play with. We had a few gel food colors on hand. 

I was inspired by a post on the Reddit baking forum and made these cute (and easy!) Calico cat cookies. Calico cats have a tricolor coat with random patterns of white, orange and black. I split dough into three portions, made one orange with orange gel color, one brown with cocoa powder (next time I will use black gel color) and left one white. I rolled out some plain dough and laid a few chunks of the colored dough randomly on top and kept rolling it out to get the random look, then stamped out cookies with a cat shaped cookie cutter. 

Baked calico cat cookies

The kids made their own
colorful cookies

Duncan has somehow bounced back and is doing okay, even as the tumor keeps growing.We went on lots of long walks this week and he loved it. He got a special dinner of his own on Thanksgiving. 

* * *

Listening to: Taking Things for Granted by Joy Olakodun (Released 2023)- - a beautiful song, heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. 

      "    Sometimes it feels like this world's got nothing for me

             Gettin' blind stares in return for what I give" 

I also had the unmatched joy of watching two live performances in the last week. The first was a local theater production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. It is a horror/musical that first opened on Broadway in 1979. I've heard about it for years and was glad to go see it with a friend. Set in Victorian London, it is the lurid and infamous tale Sweeney Todd, who returns to the city to seek revenge after an unjust exile. He teams up with the baker Mrs. Lovett, and carnage ensues. Here's a famous song from this musical where the late, great Angela Lansbury (of Murder, She Wrote fame) plays Mrs. Lovett.

The second performance was a rousing chorus with the theme of thanks and gratitude- we took all the kids to this one (the youngest one had FOMO and insisted on coming along), and they were quiet and attentive for the most part. 

As always, I am most grateful for this blog and the lovely folks I meet here!

NaBloPoMo Day 16: Sweater

My friend Cathy taught me to knit in 2008 and what a gift it has been in my life- it has brought me endless joy even though I don't have a project on the needles at all times. Cathy started as a food blog friend and became a real life friend- we've stayed in each other's homes and everything. Just one example of how food blogging has enriched my life in tangible and intangible ways, giving me much more than I put into it. 

Anyway, I had not been knitting much this year and wanted to get back into it. I used my stashed yarn to make some hats as a warm-up. And then inspiration struck- I saw a pattern for a beautiful top that I immediately wanted to knit. 

In my years of knitting, I've made so many different projects from baby sweaters to blankets to scarves and dozens of hats, but have made exactly one garment for myself. (But I do love it and wear it often- don't remember if I ever shared it on the blog.) The reason is that garments have to fit, and it is annoying to spend days/weeks knitting an item only to have it not fit. But I really wanted to make this sweater.

I purchased yarn for the project and when it arrived after some delay, I realized with dismay that I bought the wrong yarn- a thinner version than what the pattern called for. So now I had to look for an different project for the wrong yarn, and in this roundabout way, I found this pretty summer top which could be knitted by holding two strands of the thinner yarn.

It was a really fun, meditative project since the pattern is not complicated. I took the project along on a work trip to Chicago last month and had the BEST time turning down invitations to schmoozing receptions and instead sitting luxuriously alone in my hotel room knitting this sweater and watching reruns of Law & Order. 

AND IT FITS. Sorry for shouting, I'm just excited to wear something I've knitted myself. And now I am dreaming of making more wearables this winter. 

So...I made it through 16 days of NaBloPoMo and it was refreshing to post again, and a whole lot of fun. Thanks to everyone who has been reading along and leaving sweet comments. It shook me out of my rut. 

But today I feel a slight sense of dread and overwhelm. Dunkie is clearly declining, although he is still eating and walking. There are clear signs that things are changing, like his insistence on sleeping at night outside on the porch this week, when he has slept indoors in our bedroom his whole life. I want to spend as much time with our big boi as possible. 

On top of this, Thanksgiving snuck up on me this year and is now just a week away. Two of my favorite people are arriving for the holiday. This time of year always feels very hectic and the calendar is packed. Work has been stressful and I have a long list of things to check off before I take some vacation time next week. Clearly, something has to give. And so I'm ending the blogging streak early with a promise to myself that I will post every weekend. Thanks all, and I'll see you in a few. 💙

NaBloPoMo Day 15: Outside

Many years ago, when I was a few weeks away from delivering my daughter, V and I sat in her prospective pediatrician's office for a meet and greet. We liked him right away- he told me, your daughter is not born but I am her doctor already and you can call me anytime. He said to us, "As parents, you should focus on providing four things to your child: nutritious food, good sleep habits, fresh air and outdoor play, and stimulating their brain by talking to them, and singing and reading to them". He went on to say that you would be surprised how many problems can be avoided by prioritizing these four things. When more critical things come up, he said (at this point, he waved to his office window in the direction of the big children's hospital down the street), we can and will invoke the latest and greatest medical care. But the vast majority of children will grow up healthy and happy if you focus on these basics. 

Over twelve years later, I still remember this advice vividly and have tried to abide by it. It is common sense but difficult to put into practice consistently. Good food, sleep, outdoor exercise, and mental stimulation is the basis of a wholesome and healthful life not just for babies and children, but also for adults. (Also for dogs. We make sure Duncan gets out to a dog park or a trail- somewhere other than his usual walking routes- every weekend, to get him interesting new things to see and smell.)

Parenting in this day and age feels like an uphill slog sometimes, and I know I'm not alone in feeling this way. You want your kids to eat simple wholesome food in a society where they are constantly lured by fried, sugary and processed food. You want them to play outside but putting limits on screen-time is such a battle, made only worse since the pandemic when we were forced to use screens as a crutch. 

I'm reading a book called Enchantment by Katherine May, and she says, "Childhood used to have dirt under its fingernails. Now it has hand sanitiser." She longs to take her young son to the woods, to a nature preserve, but he prefers the trampoline center and bright beeping plastic toys. Relatable! On glorious weekend afternoons, getting our kids to come out to the park is like pulling teeth. Once we are there, they play happily for hours and have a wonderful time, but pulling them away from home can take some exhausting combination of begging, cajoling, stern admonishments, the occasional bribe or threat. 

Yesterday, I was driving back with my daughter and happened to glance up, and noticed, as if for the first time, the Fall colors on the trees in the neighborhood. I slowed to a crawl (luckily there were no cars behind me) and pointed them out to her, and the two of us had a quiet moment of awe as we stared at the blazing yellows, oranges, reds, greens and browns on display. There is so much beauty in this world if only we would stop and look up from our distracted lives. 

NaBloPoMo Day 14: Quesadilla

Last night I found myself picking up my son from school and back home around 5 PM with no plans for the dinner meal whatsoever. That meant it was time for a "fridge-cleaning dinner"- pulling out all odds and ends and putting them together creatively. (These often end up being my favorite meals, better than the planned ones.) 

Roz Chast, one of my favorite cartoonists and writers, wrote a great little essay on fridge-foraging dinners and how everyone has quirky little names for this common phenomenon. I had fits of laughter reading this one. Some of my favorites: trash panda, having weirds, and anarchy kitchen. I could probably add a Marathi expression to this list- urla surla, roughly translated as leftover bits.

Anyway, last night, I found half a packet of soy chorizo from Trader Joe's, a couple of boiled potatoes (left over from Diwali puff pastry samosas), half a tomato (from a kid making a sandwich, probably) and bits of cheese. There was a can of pinto beans in the pantry and a packet of whole wheat tortillas. (Whenever I take the time to grocery shop and stock the kitchen with basics, it always pays off mid-week.)

I heated a pan and simply sautéed the soy chorizo with diced potatoes and tomato. It is spicy and greasy enough that no more oil or seasoning is needed. Then I added a rinsed and drained can of pinto beans. The mixture went into tortillas with a bit of cheese and we had quesadillas ready for dinner in barely any time at all. 

This plus a ripe avocado plus leftover Diwali sweets and snacks- that was dinner. A feast fit for a trash panda! 

NaBloPoMo Day 13: Games

I'm a huge fan of word games. If I have people around to play with (does not happen often), then Codenames and Scrabble are my favorites. But typically it is solitary word games that keep me engaged on a daily basis. Every so often, a new game comes on the scene and one that really created a splash during the pandemic was Wordle, now with its umpteen versions like Quordle and Octordle. 

I found yet another game NYTimes recently and now have gotten into the habit of doing it with my first cup of coffee in the morning. It is called Connections, and here is an example. You get 16 words and you have to create 4 groups of four.

Connections Game in the NYTimes

I did it but my results were not particularly great. The hollow cylinders category tripped me up as I thought it was about skinny long things and included words like rope and cigarette in it. It is a fun game and can be quite tricky, especially if you're not well versed in the names of bands and sports teams and other obscure (to me) categories.

Of course my favorite solitary word game of all time is the Crossword puzzle. We think they have been around forever but apparently the first puzzle only appeared in 1913. I do (try to do) the ones at the back of the New Yorker- they cycle through puzzles that are beginner level, lightly challenging, moderately challenging, and very challenging. 

I read an interesting chapter on crossword puzzles in the book The Puzzler by A.J. Jacobs and maybe it was a coincidence or maybe I was just inspired to try harder, but I finished a very challenging puzzle for the first time ever. (Usually, the magazines are littered with my half-done and abandoned puzzles.) The clue for 33 Across- "Hollow, deep-fried bread" was the first one I filled in- Puri :) 

Cryptic clues are the ones that are most satisfying to crack, but they are not as popular in American puzzles, and also I am terrible at them ha ha. 

Words are such fun! 

NaBloPoMo Day 12: Diwali

 Festive wishes to all who are celebrating today!

Recipe for coconut burfi here. The bottom layer is pistachio with a drop of green food coloring, and the top layer is flavored with rose water and edible rose petals with a drop of red food coloring. May your year be filled with goodness and light. 

NaBloPoMo Day 11: Lattes

My daughter started middle school this year, a time of great change and growing freedom for the kids. The school is in a busy urban area and packs of kids walk about in the shopping center after school, saving a few bucks to buy a treat here and a cold drink there. There is a fascination with brands and trends which I am trying my best to place reasonable restrictions on. 

For her birthday, my daughter's biggest ask was to stop by Starbucks with her two friends before school for breakfast. Not my favorite place at all, but this was a special day. All three girls ordered Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccinos, and were served these big drinks that were sugar bombs for sure. 

A few weeks later, when she had a friend over for a few hours, I offered to look up a copycat recipe and try to recreate this drink at home. We used this recipe as a starting point. We had decaf instant coffee, milk, and ice at home. And had to buy four ingredients from the store: dry instant vanilla pudding, caramel sauce, Heath toffee bits, and whipped cream. Even with the purchases, it is clearly much cheaper to fix these drinks at home.

1. Start by blending decaf (or regular) coffee- I used instant coffee granules, milk, and lots of ice

2. Add caramel sauce and instant pudding mix and blend again until thick and creamy

3. Pulse in some toffee bits

4. Serve in a tall glass topped with whipped cream, caramel sauce, and toffee bits

The kids were thrilled with the drinks. To me it was entirely too sweet and undrinkable. Sweetness can be adjusted up and down. 

I've tried other Starbucks knock-off drink recipes in the past, and some of them call for xanthan gum as a thickener to make the blended drink smooth and not icy. Xanthan gum is sold in the baking aisle and is a good ingredient to keep on hand for these homemade coffeeshop drinks- it works well. 

Enjoy your weekend! 

NaBloPoMo Day 10: Quote

One of my favorite quotes of all time is by the poet Mary Oliver on the value of small contributions.

NaBloPoMo Day 9: Spice

Dinner last night was inspired by an unopened packet of MTR Bisibele Masala powder in my spice cabinet. Bisibele bhaath is a Kannada Kannadiga (i.e., from the Southern Indian state of Karnataka) version of the khichdi or rice-lentil stew that is made in many divinely comforting versions all over India. Suma of Veggie Platter has a very informative post on this excellent dish, including a recipe for homemade bisibele masala powder.

I've posted a not-authentic one pot recipe back in 2007, and then posted a more authentic version in 2012. Here's a third version that I made yesterday, using the instant pot. It uses two pots but is very quick for a weeknight.

Bisibele Bhaath

1. Soak 1 cup toor dal in water in an instant pot insert for a few hours. About 20 minutes before starting to cook, add 1/3 cup sona masoori rice to the soaking dal. 

2. Drain the rice and dal mixture and rinse it a couple of times. Then add water and salt and pressure cook in instant pot on HIGH for 4 minutes. 

3. Meanwhile, heat a separate pot on the stove with a bit of oil. 

4. Temper oil with 1 tsp. mustard seeds and a sprig of curry leaves.

5. Add 2-3 tbsp. peanuts/cashews, chopped 1/2 onion and 1/2 green pepper. 

6. Add salt to taste and about 4 heaping tsp. bisibele masala powder.

7. Add 1/2 tbsp. tamarind pulp and 1 cup water, bring to a boil and simmer for a couple of minutes

8. Add this boiled mixture to the cooked rice-dal mixture in the instant pot, turn on sauté mode and simmer for a couple of minutes. You are done! 

I served it with sautéed cabbage. Pickle, papad, yogurt, raita are all good accompaniments. This is a wonderful cold-weather dinner and I'm looking forward to eating leftovers for lunch today. 

NaBloPoMo Day 8: Stacks

The public library is my happy place. We are lucky to live about 2 miles from a great one. Apart from endless stacks of books, the library has a welcoming teen section where middle schoolers can hang out safely after school until parents finish out their workdays, homework help for kids, summer reading challenges for kids and adults, story time and free crafts, free concerts, semi-annual used book sales. They also have other things to check out that I have never taken advantage of, like museum passes and musical instruments. More than anything, the library is one of the few indoor places you can go to without being under constant pressure to buy buy buy. 

Libraries are under threat in the US, with books being banned, and budgets being cut. But they are my very favorite thing about living in this country, and I hope we can keep supporting them always and forever.

My current stack of
checked-out books

"The library is dangerous, full

Of answers. If you go inside,

You may not come out

The same person who went in."

-lines from Don't Go Into the Library by Alberto Rios (Read the full poem here)

NaBloPoMo Day 7: Salad

With the apple glut that I mentioned yesterday, I poked through my Pinterest folder to look for apple recipes to try. Most were cakes and sweets but I found a Waldorf salad recipe that I was excited for. The original Waldorf salad is an American classic, invented at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in the 1890s. This variation is light, crisp and refreshing, and one for the recipe binder. I always like foods that combine savory and sweet flavors. 

Celery is not a staple in my kitchen but I am coming to like it more and more. Especially since whole celery can be wrapped snugly in foil and stored in the crisper for weeks. I used 1 can of chickpeas for this recipe and eyeballed the other quantities to match. It made 4 big servings. 

Chickpea Waldorf Salad (original recipe here)

1. Make the dressing by whisking together in a big bowl or container:

• Yogurt
• Apple cider vinegar
• Dijon mustard
• Sweet pickle juice (or honey or sugar)
• Salt 
• Freshly ground pepper

2. To the dressing, add the following and toss together:

• Chickpeas (cooked)
• Celery, chopped
• Apple, chopped
• Red grapes, halved
• Walnuts, chopped
• Onion, minced
• Parsley, minced

3. Refrigerate and serve on a bed of fresh baby spinach.

The salad also has a festive, fruity flavor and would be right at home for a holiday meal or potluck as a counterpoint to heavier dishes. See you tomorrow! 

NaBloPoMo Day 6: Apples

Apple season is here! Apples are a year-round staple for us but they really shine in Fall. Our high school advertised a fundraiser for locally grown apples, and I bought and paid for a half-bushel of the Gala variety- a crisp and mild snacking apple. The day the apples were delivered to my front door, I looked at the gigantic box (50 lbs) and thought, no way that's a half-bushel. I emailed the high schooler and said, hey, I think you accidentally gave me someone else's order, I did not order a whole bushel. No mistake, the reply came, we had extra apples so we gave you more than you ordered. 

How kind!! I started handing out grocery bags of apples to neighbors, co-workers. You get an apple, and you get an apple. And we still have a fridge full of apples. Luckily, they last for weeks and months, and all will be enjoyed. Here are a couple of ways I used my apple bounty.

Some days ago, we made Starbucks knock-off drinks at home (a post for another day) so I had toffee bits on hand and caramel sauce in the fridge. 

For a football-watching potluck at a neighbor's house, I made caramel apple slices by simply drizzling caramel sauce on apple slices and sprinkling them with Heath toffee bits. It was a hit. 

 

I had signed up to contribute a dessert for a teacher appreciation dinner, and remembered the apple bundt cake that I posted in Nov 2015. (I was also reminded of the wonderful Impossible pumpkin pie which I should make this month, on or around Thanksgiving.) I ended up making the same recipe again for a neighborhood potluck on Halloween.

The apple bundt cake recipe is here and it comes together so simply. The best part is that is a beloved family recipe that someone shared so kindly. 

Apple Bundt Cake (adapted from Epicurious)

1. Set out 4 eggs to come to room temp.
2. Preheat oven to 350F 
3. First, I made "cake goop" by mixing 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, 2 tbsp. vegetable oil, and 2 tbsp. AP flour in a small container. I brushed the goop thinly and evenly all over the inside of the bundt pan. As far as I am concerned, this is the most important step in getting the cake to release beautifully from the pan. 
4. Apple mix: Wash and chop 4 apples into medium pieces. Toss with cinnamon and 2 tbsp. sugar and set aside.
5. Dry mix: In a bowl, whisk together 3 cups AP flour, 3.5 tsp. baking powder and 0.5 tsp. salt.
6. Wet mix: In a big bowl, whisk together 4 eggs, 1 cup veg oil, 1/4 cup any kind of milk or orange or apple juice, 1.5 cups sugar, vanilla extract and one of these flavorings: fiori di sicilia extract OR cardamom OR orange zest.
7. Mix dry mix into wet mix to make a thick batter.
8. Spoon half the batter into the bundt pan. Cover with the apple mix. Top with the rest of the batter.
9. Bake for 50 minutes or more, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes clean or with crumbs. 
10. Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then run a knife around edges, and turn the cake out onto a cooling rack. 

This cake has an outstanding crumb. It is my ideal of what a cake texture should be like. The inside is soft and the crust is golden and chewy. The cake can be cut into perfect slices.

Tomorrow: another recipe with apples, but not a dessert. 

NaBloPoMo Day 5: Run

The clocks fell back today, in that annoying twice-yearly time switch ritual. I am with the majority of Americans who would like to end this whole business of switching clocks. The problem is that people cannot agree on which to make permanent- standard time or daylight savings time. Most politicians favor daylight savings time because it is better for the economy- more daylight in the evenings gets people out and spending money. Most doctors and scientists favor standard time because early morning sun is best for our health. So, in the end the debate flares up twice a year and dies down, nothing get done, and the clocks continue to spring forward and fall back. 

I started the day at 3:30 AM (waking up at what felt like 4:30 AM to me but was 3:30 AM due to the time switch) and went for a run with my friend K at 7 AM. We run together most Sunday mornings, jogging and chatting, and it is always a highlight of my week. She's a much better and more experienced runner than me but is very gracious about going at my pace, taking walking breaks whenever I need to. We ran 4 miles today on paved trails that run through our town, and had some excitement mixed with apprehension when we spotted a coyote! We are lucky to live in a town with an ever-expanding network of trails, and parks bursting with greenery, and weather that supports running year-round.

A glorious tree spotted on a run

Running was one of my goals for 2023 and I've been more consistent with running this year than in the past. My runs are short and slow. I am literally the slowest runner I know. But as long as I'm getting out there and trying, I will call it a success. A couple of weeks ago, this article in the NY Times (the link is a gift article so you can read it in its entirety if you like) made me so happy because it describes research that suggests that the benefits of running are at the front end- even short runs can be very beneficial.

I try to get out 3 times a week and run 2-4 miles each time, on paved or unpaved trails, or on streets. My favorite runs are my Sunday runs with my running buddy K and her pup. I am full of energy on some runs and on other runs, my legs feel like they are made of lead. It is just one of those fun mid-life things where I rarely feel my age- some days I feel like I'm 20 and others I feel like I'm 80! I'm going for process, not product, so while I do look at my data (pace, heart rate, etc.) for my runs, I honestly am just happy to lace up the shoes and get out there. 

I've run three 5K races so far this year and hopefully there will be a couple more before the year is out. My big goal is to run the Peachtree 10K in Atlanta on July 4, 2024, for a few reasons. My running buddy runs it every year and I'd love to do that with her; it gives me something aspirational to work towards. It is also the largest 10K in the world, with over 60,000 participants, and just once, I would like to be part of an iconic race like that. And finally, where a marathon feels impossible, a 10K seems doable. The hard thing is that it is held every fourth of July (peak summer) in Atlanta (peak South) so it must feel like running in warm soup. I have 34 weeks to train!

Coming up tomorrow: Fruit. And cake. 

NaBloPoMo Day 4: Haul

The seasons are changing and I am swapping out clothes in the kids' closets and mine. I had two bags of outgrown clothes and assorted stuff to give away, and stopped by the thrift store. Only to be greeted by a sign that said, "No donations today; we are full". 

I went in to browse anyway. I can never resist digging for those thrift store finds, my favorites being the toy and game shelves for jigsaw puzzles, and the book section. It is the thrill of the hunt! I've found clothes from high end brands with the tags on. Books in pristine condition. Vintage toys. Cute holiday serving dishes. Unopened craft kits. If I am being honest, thrift store shopping is the only kind of shopping I actually enjoy. There is a special joy in having someone admire your Anthropologie top and be able to crow that you bought it for two dollars. Half my clothes are from thrift stores and consignment stores. There are those who would be horrified by this and to them I say...nothing. I can only shrug. To each their own. But for me reusing things is a very good thing, and so is giving away things that we don't use so that others can use them. 

Living in a consumerist society overflowing with stuff means that unbelievably nice things get donated to thrift stores (I know this because I shop there, but also because I'm one of the people regularly donating nice, almost-new things to thrift stores.) SO many things that sometimes they have to put up signs saying "No more!" 

One of the cutest viral videos I've seen was of a bunch of college girls going into a thrift store to buy the most over the top dresses they could find, trying them on with peals of laughter, then wearing those fancy dresses out to lunch at a diner. In my friend circle, swapping things is the norm. And my neighborhood email list has a constant stream of stuff being bought and sold. My only regret with not being on Facebook is that I miss being part of those "buy nothing" groups out there. 

Here's my haul from this thrift store visit: books for everyone. For my 7-year old son, a little anthology of a dozen stories on being seven. He loves his 30 minute bedtime reading, and we actually read one this afternoon. 

For my daughter, a Famous Five book (remember those??). For my spouse, The Martian by Andy Weir- one of my favorite science fiction novels. 

And two books for myself, an Inspector Montalbano mystery, and A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, a novel I've heard about but never read.

I also couldn't resist picking up this small zippered bag for 25 cents, to be used as a gift bag for jewelry or such.

Enjoy the weekend and see you tomorrow! If you're a thrifter or a garage sale diva, tell me what your favorite finds are. 

NaBloPoMo Day 3: Snacks

Welcome to day 3 of the blogging marathon. Hamsini requested an update on the After-School Snacks for All post that I wrote almost exactly 11 years ago. After 18 years (!!!) of blogging, I do not remember most of the posts I've written, so I had to go dig this one up. It was fun re-reading it. 

How things change over the years, though. Snacks are now a very minor part of my diet. I've gone from being a snack enthusiast to thinking of them as more of a problem. 

In that post I wrote, "I've made it a habit to eat a hearty snack right around 4:30 PM". That is no longer true. Now we eat dinner at 5, right after we all get off work and school. And then the grown-ups don't eat anything at all until breakfast around 9 or 10 the next morning, making for a sort of intermittent fasting. Most days, I exercise in the early mornings, and I do that on an empty stomach. The kids sometimes eat a snack closer to their bedtime. 

I also wrote, "I'm not really eating 3 big meals a day, but more like 6 small meals, and this snack is one of those meals." Nope, not doing this any more. It turns out that a petite woman like me (barely 5 feet tall, with a small frame and a desk job) does not need much food, and even 6 small meals verged into overeating territory. There are other hormonal reasons why eating frequently is not a good idea, particularly for someone like me, a veteran of gestational diabetes. (See article here; I don't agree with everything this doctor says- I don't agree with everything anyone says- but it makes the point.) So I am now habituated to 3 moderate meals per days and rarely snack at all. If I want to eat a snack food, I try to include it in a meal, like eating tortilla chips crushed on a black beans and veggie bowl instead of snacking on them. 

In that post, I said, "These smaller frequent meals seem to keep my blood sugar on a more even keel, which makes for all sorts of better decisions and a sunnier disposition, believe me." Well, now that I am habituated to eating fewer meals, and eating more whole foods, I don't typically get hangry if I go a few hours between meals. Snacks are not as inevitable in my life as I thought they were. You live and learn. 

Hunger pangs are a complicated thing. People like us- affluent, well-fed people- rarely get a chance to experience true hunger. It is mostly a matter of habit and boredom which drives us to seek food. I do stand by many of the things I said in that post, distraction, drinking water, or a hot beverage like herbal tea may be sufficient to quell the hunger pangs. Also, "urge surfing" (look it up) is worth practicing for cravings in general.

I also recognize that my lifestyle- flexible hybrid working schedule, 8 minute commute, and nuclear family structure- allows me to eat dinner at 5 PM. For others who work late, have long commutes, live in multigenerational homes and eat with family members who want to dine later- this may not be an option. So, no shade to those who tide over the hours until dinner with a snack! 

I guess my big issues with snacks are that they (a) make it easy to overeat, (b) tend to be ultra-processed, (c) tend to create packaging waste, (d) create a culture of grazing constantly all day. The last point- the snacking culture where you can't go anywhere or can't do 15 minutes of sports without snacks and gatorade in tow is particularly exasperating. 

With two growing kids and their friends who drop by often, snacks are an inevitable part of life. How I currently handle it: (a) lean into whole foods as snacks, (b) compromise and buy occasional packaged snacks that the kids love, (c) make food like lasagna and casseroles and leave it in the fridge for the kids to warm in small portions and eat in between meals. 

Snacks at my daughter's recent birthday party:
Fruit platter and veggies with dip

Snacks at my daughter's recent birthday party:
cutie oranges, chips and pretzel sticks

So here is a giant assortment of snacks, compiled from that old post and adding some new ideas. It is not that I have all of these on hand all the time, but at any time, I try to keep a selection of 4-5 snack options around. 

BIG LIST of SNACKS

• Refrigerated snacks
• Make at home
• Squares of hash brown casserole
• Pasta
• Vegetable patties (recipes here and here)
• Carrot sticks, baby carrots, cucumber slices, red pepper strips, cherry tomatoes
• Sprouts bhel
• Date balls or granola bars
• Kale salad (my daughter loves this as a snack and eats it by the handful)
• Cut up fruits- watermelon, cantaloupe
• Baked sweet potato fries
• Corn on the cob- steamed or roasted
• Dips- yogurt based and hummus
• Store-bought
• Whole fruit- cutie oranges, apples, pears, grapes, strawberries
• Peanut butter
• Nut butter
• Cheese sticks
• Cheese- to be sliced or cubed
• Raisin cinnamon swirl bread- my kids love this with cream cheese
• Sliced bread- for quick sandwiches
• Yogurt cups
• Frozen snacks
• Make at home
• Extras of any of the homemade stuff
• Store-bought
• Frozen waffles
• Frozen snacks like onion rings or potato spirals
• Frozen quorn nuggets and such 
  
• Frozen edamame
  
• I freeze stuff I buy on sale or in bulk, like bread products
• Pantry snacks
• Make at home
• Chivda or trail mix
• Stove-top popped popcorn
• Cookies on occasion
• Peanuts and jaggery make a good 30 second treat
• Store-bought
• Cereal- less sweet varieties
• Granola bars
• Whole grain crackers and pretzels
• Salsa
• Roasted seaweed (the packaging waste is horrible for these)
• Applesauce
• Canned fruit like mandarin oranges and pineapple 
• Chips
• Nuts- peanuts and other
• Dried fruit like apricots, raisins, cranberries
• Khakra
• Fried Indian snacks like chakli

If you have a post request for my NaBloPoMo marathon, drop me a comment!