I texted this picture to Cassie without explaining what was going on. Cass wrote back, "What the" and "She gets weirder every day." You're telling me!
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Saturday, February 24, 2018
Weirder by the day
Mom was having some kind of bags-under-her-eyes issue recently, so she took to Google to find a cure, which is always a solid idea (just ask Dylan). What she came up with involved sticking grated potatoes over her eyes for 10 minutes a day for a week. This is what Mom looks like while the treatment is in progress:
I texted this picture to Cassie without explaining what was going on. Cass wrote back, "What the" and "She gets weirder every day." You're telling me!
I texted this picture to Cassie without explaining what was going on. Cass wrote back, "What the" and "She gets weirder every day." You're telling me!
Saturday, February 17, 2018
The dud parent: finding my lane
Last weekend, while Mom was in Tallahassee repeatedly farting on Cassie's bed (I know because it was loud enough that I could hear it ever so clearly through the phone while we were talking), I brought Brad to Harrisonburg for his JMU information session and campus tour. After the tour, we stopped for some good Bella Luna wood-fired pizza and gelato. We talked the visit over in a low-key fashion, figuring out what Brad liked (pretty much everything), and had an overall nice, no-fuss, low-maintenance day.
This morning, it was time for Brad's information session and campus tour at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. But today we made the mistake of bringing Mom along. Thirty minutes into the trip, which only takes an hour-and-a-half, it started: find a place where Mom can use the john. We stopped at 7-11, where Mom bought another cup of coffee, so she would need to pee again, except the coffee was really bad, so it got poured out the window. And on it went from there. After the tour, it was time for lunch. Mom looked at fancy French and Italian restaurants, but Brad had his eye on another pizza place, so the Great Campus Pizza Tour of 2018 rolled on, much to Mom's dismay. And they didn't even have dessert there–the horror! (For the record, we ate at Castiglia's. Brad liked the pizza better at Bella Luna, but I really enjoyed my brick-oven "Castiglia" pizza with prosciutto and arugula.)
Anyway, the moral of the story is I found my lane: campus visits with Brad. When it comes to that niche, the dud parent is my better half.
This morning, it was time for Brad's information session and campus tour at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. But today we made the mistake of bringing Mom along. Thirty minutes into the trip, which only takes an hour-and-a-half, it started: find a place where Mom can use the john. We stopped at 7-11, where Mom bought another cup of coffee, so she would need to pee again, except the coffee was really bad, so it got poured out the window. And on it went from there. After the tour, it was time for lunch. Mom looked at fancy French and Italian restaurants, but Brad had his eye on another pizza place, so the Great Campus Pizza Tour of 2018 rolled on, much to Mom's dismay. And they didn't even have dessert there–the horror! (For the record, we ate at Castiglia's. Brad liked the pizza better at Bella Luna, but I really enjoyed my brick-oven "Castiglia" pizza with prosciutto and arugula.)
Anyway, the moral of the story is I found my lane: campus visits with Brad. When it comes to that niche, the dud parent is my better half.
*********
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
A valentine to Mom
I love that you:
1. Will drop everything and fly right off to answer your daughter's call and perk her up.
2. Will work at the tough schools because that's where you can do the most good.
3. Still think a snow day is a big divvy.
4. Don't ever want to miss a UVa basketball game.
5. Now insist on reading the sports section before me.
6. Can enjoy a good man cave.
7. Are so encouraging to everyone.
8. Appreciate my cooking so much.
9. Think you're so funny.
10. Have the patience to teach all our children how to drive.
11. Are enthusiastic enough about everything for the both of us.
12. Give our children someone to make fun of.
13. Are an amazing sister, daughter, mother, and wife.
Adapted from Flavor Flours (2014) by Alice Medrich
I haven't tried these with regular wheat flour, but I don't see why it wouldn't work if you want to substitute 120 grams of all-purpose flour for the almond and brown rice flours. In fact, in addition to enjoying the health-giving properties of gluten, you'll probably have chewier brownies, if that's what you're after, because of the gluten.
70 grams (¾ cup) blanched almond flour/meal (see note)
50 grams (¼ cup + 2 tablespoons) brown rice flour
170 grams (6 ounces) 60% to 70% cacao chocolate, coarsely chopped
85 grams (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
½ teaspoon salt
130 grams (⅔ cup) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams) vanilla extract
2 large eggs (~57 grams each in the shell), straight from the fridge
up to 100 grams (1 cup) walnut or pecan pieces (optional)
1. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven, and heat to 325 degrees. Tear off a 12-by-12-inch sheet of aluminum foil. Turn an 8-inch square metal pan upside down, center the foil on it, and fold the excess evenly over the sides of the pan. Fold and crease the corners like you're wrapping a present. Slip the liner off the pan. Turn the pan right side up and insert the liner, carefully working it into the corners of the pan. Spray the liner with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the almond flour and brown rice flour.
3. Melt the chocolate and butter, together with the salt, in a medium saucepan over low-ish heat. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the sugar and the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time.
4. Stir in the almond-flour mixture until moistened, then beat the batter vigorously with the wooden spoon for about 40 strokes. Stir in the nuts, if using.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan with a spatula, and spread it evenly around the pan. Bake until the brownies are slightly puffed all over and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out moist but clean, about 25 minutes. Don’t overbake.
6. Cool in the pan on a rack. Lift the foil edges to transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares. The brownies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 or 3 days. Makes 16 two-inch brownies.
1. Will drop everything and fly right off to answer your daughter's call and perk her up.
2. Will work at the tough schools because that's where you can do the most good.
3. Still think a snow day is a big divvy.
4. Don't ever want to miss a UVa basketball game.
5. Now insist on reading the sports section before me.
6. Can enjoy a good man cave.
7. Are so encouraging to everyone.
8. Appreciate my cooking so much.
9. Think you're so funny.
10. Have the patience to teach all our children how to drive.
11. Are enthusiastic enough about everything for the both of us.
12. Give our children someone to make fun of.
13. Are an amazing sister, daughter, mother, and wife.
💓💖💗💘💝💕💞
Our standard brownie is this fudgy, gluten-free one, but it's come out that Brad prefers chewier brownies to the fudgy kind. So I started making these brownies, which are chewier but still gluten free for Mom, for a change of pace. Auntie Leener had them while she was here recently and said it's hard to go wrong with any brownies, which is probably true.
Chewy Brownies
Adapted from Flavor Flours (2014) by Alice Medrich
I haven't tried these with regular wheat flour, but I don't see why it wouldn't work if you want to substitute 120 grams of all-purpose flour for the almond and brown rice flours. In fact, in addition to enjoying the health-giving properties of gluten, you'll probably have chewier brownies, if that's what you're after, because of the gluten.
70 grams (¾ cup) blanched almond flour/meal (see note)
50 grams (¼ cup + 2 tablespoons) brown rice flour
170 grams (6 ounces) 60% to 70% cacao chocolate, coarsely chopped
85 grams (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
½ teaspoon salt
130 grams (⅔ cup) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams) vanilla extract
2 large eggs (~57 grams each in the shell), straight from the fridge
up to 100 grams (1 cup) walnut or pecan pieces (optional)
1. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven, and heat to 325 degrees. Tear off a 12-by-12-inch sheet of aluminum foil. Turn an 8-inch square metal pan upside down, center the foil on it, and fold the excess evenly over the sides of the pan. Fold and crease the corners like you're wrapping a present. Slip the liner off the pan. Turn the pan right side up and insert the liner, carefully working it into the corners of the pan. Spray the liner with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the almond flour and brown rice flour.
3. Melt the chocolate and butter, together with the salt, in a medium saucepan over low-ish heat. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the sugar and the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time.
4. Stir in the almond-flour mixture until moistened, then beat the batter vigorously with the wooden spoon for about 40 strokes. Stir in the nuts, if using.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan with a spatula, and spread it evenly around the pan. Bake until the brownies are slightly puffed all over and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out moist but clean, about 25 minutes. Don’t overbake.
6. Cool in the pan on a rack. Lift the foil edges to transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares. The brownies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 or 3 days. Makes 16 two-inch brownies.
Friday, February 9, 2018
10,000 pageviews!
I checked the stats for UaKS recently, and I was just in time to see that I was about to have my 10,000th pageview. Of course, 75% or more of those are probably mine, but still, 10,000 pageviews! I know, laaaame. Oh well, guess I won't be retiring off the earnings from my blog any time soon.
Here is another long-time favorite that hadn't made it onto the blog yet. This should be a hit with Dylan, who loves him some mushrooms, and is the only one of you who's old enough to buy himself some wine to cook with (legally, anyway).
Adapted from The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook (1997) by Jack Bishop
3 tablespoons (40 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion (4–6 ounces), minced
6–8 ounces (2 or 3 medium) portobello mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
½ cup dry red wine, such as Chianti
1 14½-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 to 2 tablespoons fine sea salt
1 pound penne, ziti, or other tubular pasta
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. Bring 4 quarts of water to a roiling boil in a large pot.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet or saucier over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened and translucent but not browned, about 5–6 minutes.
3. While the onions are cooking, rinse the mushrooms, remove and discard the stems, cut the caps in half, then slice each half crosswise into ¼-inch slices. Add the mushrooms to the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are tender and starting to brown and shed their liquid, about 4–5 minutes.
4. Stir in the rosemary, a good pinch of kosher salt, and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper, and cook for 30 seconds.
5. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
6. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer until the sauce is thickened some, about 10 minutes.
7. Right after you add the tomatoes to the sauce, stir the fine sea salt into the boiling water to dissolve. Add the pasta and stir a few times during the first minute or two to keep it from sticking. Cook until al dente. Drain, reserving a mugful of the cooking water.
8. Toss the pasta with the sauce, adjusting the consistency with reserved cooking water as needed. Serve promptly, with Parmesan. Serves 4.
*********
Here is another long-time favorite that hadn't made it onto the blog yet. This should be a hit with Dylan, who loves him some mushrooms, and is the only one of you who's old enough to buy himself some wine to cook with (legally, anyway).
Penne with Portobello Mushroom Ragù
Adapted from The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook (1997) by Jack Bishop
3 tablespoons (40 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion (4–6 ounces), minced
6–8 ounces (2 or 3 medium) portobello mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
½ cup dry red wine, such as Chianti
1 14½-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 to 2 tablespoons fine sea salt
1 pound penne, ziti, or other tubular pasta
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. Bring 4 quarts of water to a roiling boil in a large pot.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet or saucier over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened and translucent but not browned, about 5–6 minutes.
3. While the onions are cooking, rinse the mushrooms, remove and discard the stems, cut the caps in half, then slice each half crosswise into ¼-inch slices. Add the mushrooms to the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are tender and starting to brown and shed their liquid, about 4–5 minutes.
4. Stir in the rosemary, a good pinch of kosher salt, and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper, and cook for 30 seconds.
5. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
6. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer until the sauce is thickened some, about 10 minutes.
7. Right after you add the tomatoes to the sauce, stir the fine sea salt into the boiling water to dissolve. Add the pasta and stir a few times during the first minute or two to keep it from sticking. Cook until al dente. Drain, reserving a mugful of the cooking water.
8. Toss the pasta with the sauce, adjusting the consistency with reserved cooking water as needed. Serve promptly, with Parmesan. Serves 4.
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Ol' Blue Eyes
I've been rereading "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold," which is one of the seminal works of New Journalism. It made me want to hear some Sinatra, but I didn't have any of his records, so I ordered Ultimate Sinatra, which has most of his best-known stuff. I put it on the other day while I was making dinner. Mom looked askance at me, and said, "What are we listening to?" with a chuckle. Then Brad came down for dinner and I thought I was really in for it. Brad asked, "Who is this?" When I told him, he said, "Oh yeah, I should've known that." Then I waited for him to pile on, but he didn't, so I asked if he likes Sinatra, and he said, "Who doesn't like Frank Sinatra?!" before adding something about philistines. You could've knocked me over with a felt fedora. By the end of the album, even Mom had come around, so I was pleasantly surprised by everyone's reaction, all in all.
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Saturday, February 3, 2018
I ain't got nothing to say
The backlog of recipes has been mounting, as lately I feel like "I ain't got nothing to say" and "I'm just tired and bored with myself." (Head 3:20 into the video and see a pre-Friends Courteney Cox get pulled from the crowd to dance onstage with Bruce.) That's what happens to me when I feel like my ass is on fire for at least a part of every run. In my desperation, I've been to a chiropractor (twice), which didn't help, and last weekend, I went to the VCU Run Lab for a 3-D gait assessment. (My appointment was scheduled during the UVA-Duke basketball game; incredibly, Mom twice offered to go to Richmond with me instead of watching the game live.) Not surprisingly, I was informed that I have multiple weaknesses and imbalances, am too tight, and my cadence is way too slow. I'm being prescribed a series of exercises and stretches to help with all of that, so we'll see if that does anything, before I consult a witch doctor. Anyway, time to clear out some of the backlog.
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