To Eat & To Watch

And today, I bring you James Cameron and The Perfect Asparagus:

1. James Cameron's Ted Talk on the importance of curiosity

2. The Perfect Asparagus,
this is a recipe all my own, honed over the years of loving asparagus to taste just like asparagus

first, preheat the oven to bake at 375 or to broil
second, wash and cut off the white ends of the asparagus
third, lay them out on a baking sheet
fourth, sprinkle with sesame oil, a little soy sauce, a little balsamic vinegar, and pepper
fifth, bake or broil for 15 minutes

Ta-da!

To Eat & To Watch: 30 and chick peas

In my new (old) obsession with TedTalks while cooking, I serve you Psychologist Meg Jay talking about some lessons for your 20s and a recipe for a dutch baby pancake.

TO WATCH: Meg Jay

   "the only things required  to do something meaningful

 are a good idea and not quite enough time" 

(or something close to that)

A Summary of her Advice to 20-somethings:
(1) - forget about having an identity crisis and get some identity capitol
(2) -work your friends-of-friends-of-friends connections, they might lead you to your next love, job, house, true friend/family
(3) -choose your family of friends intentionally

TO EAT:
Chickpea Salad
(adapted from Martha Stewart's Meatless Mondays)


I'm actually obsessed with chick peas and for some reason, when you bake them they take on this most unexpected, kind of salty, very spicy, super fun flavor.

ingredients:
chickpeas, paprika, garam masala, olive oil, salad greens, tahini, cucumbers

1. heat oven to 350 degrees F
2. drain chickpeas and rinse with cold water, dry a little bit with a towel or paper towels
3. spread the chickpeas on a baking sheet
4. sprinkle olive oil (just a little bit) on top and roll the chick peas in it so they're coated
5. add your paprika, salt, pepper, garam masala and roll the chickpeas again so they're covered
6. bake in oven for 30-40min
7. while they're baking, chop cucumber and prepare salad greens
8. take chick peas out of oven and pour onto salad greens and add chopped cucumber
9. drizzle with tahini and ta-da!  chickpea salad for you!

To Eat & To Watch: manipulating the data

I've started a tradition (or habit?) where I watch Ted Talks while I cook, so perhaps this is a new tradition of a post that combines a must-watch TedTalk video and a must-eat recipe.  If you've never heard of TedTalks, I highly suggest you check them out.  It's a database of hundreds (thousands? hundreds of thousands?) of people talking about the most fascinating topics, and the best part is, every one has to be less than 20 minutes, so they are concise and profound without ever getting boring.  Here's one of my new favorites by Hans Rosling explaining (visually and like a sports caster) how our world dynamics are changing.  I may be a little biased because he starts out by talking about how we all assume that The Western World = long lives and small families and The Third World = short lives and big families, and then goes on to debunk it all.  Enjoy!

For more fun visualization of populations, check out this Racial Dot Map, from the Welden Cooper Center for Public Service.


Recipe: Shrimp Avocado Salsa
(adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Mama Canales-Garcia's Shrimp Avocado Salsa)


(photo credit: smitten kitchen blog)

ingredients&instructions:

-1 lb shrimp - de-vein the shrimp and take the shell taken off.  boil a pot of water, then turn off, throw shrimp in and cover for 5-7 minutes.  ta-da! cooked shrimp!  now chop into small pieces.

-2 avocados - chop into small pieces and put into a large bowl

-1 jalapeno (or less or more depending on your spicy preferences) - chop into small pieces

-3 tomatoes or a whole bunch of little grape/cherry tomatoes - chop into small pieces (you see where I'm going with this, right?)

-2 limes - squeeze all the juice in!  you really can't have too much

-splash of olive oil, a dash of salt, a shake of pepper

combine altogether, serve with cilantro, tortillas and/or good bread.  we ate ours with a decided-ly not mexican bagette and it was delicious.

The World is not Conclusion

This World is not Conclusion by Emily Dickinson

This world is not Conclusion.

A Species stands beyond - 

Invisible, as Music - 

But positive, as Sound - 

It beckons, and it baffles - 

Philosophy - don't know - 

And through a Riddle, at the last -

Sagacity, must go - 

to guess it, puzzles scholars -

To gain it, Men have borne

contempt of generations

And Crucifixion, shown -

faith slips - and laughs, and rallies - 

blushes, if any see-

plucks at a twig of evidence -

And asks a Vane, the way -

Much gesture, from the Pulpit -

strong Hallelujahs roll-

Narcotics cannot still the Tooth

That nibbles at the soul.

Picking A Watermelon

this past summer, I went to a fruit stand with the most amazing peaches I had ever seen (see below) and the best watermelon sign possibly known to humankind.

"picking out a watermelon is like pick'n out a wife...

you can look at it...thump it...turn it around...and squeeze it.

but you never know much about it until it is TOO LATE."

whahahahahaha.  the owner of the fruit stand was this older man 

he saw me taking a photo of the sign and kinda giggled.

:)

nemo and pasta con le sarde

Recently, my family gathered all together at a big house with a pond.  While we were there, I also made this incredible (both in its deliciousness and its easiness) sicilian pasta recipe that I found over here and slightly (very slightly) adapted - and due to popular demand, have re-posted below!

As soon as we arrived, we jumped in the pond. 

I think Nemo is trying to save me.

I need to come up with a caption for this one :)

and without further ado, 

Pasta Con Le Sarde

Ingredients:

1 bulb fennel,

EVOO

2 tins 3.75oz each, of sardines in olive oil (wild is best according to Seafood Watch)

1 small can tomato paste

handful of pine nuts 

handful of raisins

4 cloves of garlic

box of spaghetti

salt and freshly ground pepper

olives, breadcrumbs (for garnish)

one large pasta pot, 1 frying pan or wok

Instructions:

1. put water in a pot big enough for your pasta on stove, bring to boil

2. cut off green top part of fennel bulb and put the whole bulb (the white part) in the boiling water for 10 minutes or until soft enough that you can stick a knife into it

3. while that boils: chop up garlic and fry in EVOO, using frying pan or wok 

4. add sardines to pan with garlic

5. crush them with the back of a wooden spoon so that they no longer look like sardines

6. add tomato paste, stir in

7. thin sauce to preference, using water from boiling fennel bulb (I used at least 4 cups)

8. take out fennel bulb, put pasta in boiling water

9. cook sardine/garlic/tomato paste/water on med-low for 15 min while pasta boils

10. chop up fennel bulb into 1/2 inch pieces (whole thing)

11. add fennel, raisins, pine nuts, and some of the whispy greens from the top of the fennel to the sardine mixture about 2-5 minutes before the pasta's done

12. drain the pasta, serve with heaping spoonful of sauce.

Buon Appetito!

And two italian phrases that will be sure to get you thinking:

"This is a sweet expression.  Il bel far niente.  [It] means 'the beauty of doing nothing'... 

There's another wonderful Italian expression: l'arte d'arrangiarsi - the art of making something out of nothing."

- Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat Pray Love

that little number

I just got back from a quick jaunt in NYC where my sister and I got to do one of our most favorite activities - walk for hours and just catch up.   So many interesting ideas came up that I'm excited to write about soon, but one theme that struck me was an age old theme for women.  I am surrounded by so many beautiful women in my life.  And what's more - they're smart, funny, brave, clever, inspiring, strong, and kind.  And yet we all have this little number in the back of our heads that we think "If I saw that on the scale, I'd be happy".  This isn't news, I realize.  But what is, at least for us, is that most of the time when we, or the women in our lives, actually weigh that magic "happy" number - we aren't that happy.  I was at my lowest weight since the beginning of highschool this past year - but I was not sleeping, was moving around so much that I never felt settled, much less home, was more lonely than I've maybe ever been, and super stressed.  And that's how it works for most of us - that silly number is only achievable when we are too stressed or busy or out on our own to enjoy anything - including long dinners with family or walks along the beach with friends instead of a quick intense workout.  In some ways those 5 (or 10...) pounds signify that our lives are full of enough joy and love that we choose to spend time with friends and family instead of working out or choose to go out with friends for a beer a few times a week or to celebrate a friend's birthday with a whole lot of chocolate cake.  So the question occurred to us: what if those few pounds - that we stress and distress over - are really just your happy weight?  What if "filling out" a little bit, symbolizes our lives actually being more full?  If the answers are a resounding yes (which it is for us), then maybe we should try being a little more grateful, a little more tender towards the other, real, number.

And for fun, a little ode to the amazing and beautiful women in my life, otherwise known as a trip down memory lane:

                 

            

                                    

dirty dozen

According to the Environmental Working Group (a stellar group always on the cusp of nutrition and health) via my even more awesome and up to date on nutrition and health sister), testing revealed pesticide content in lots of fruits and veggies.  Here are the results (reflecting pesticide and bacteria content) and recommendations about what is worth buying organic:

eat food.

not too much.

mostly plants

- michael pollen

coffee

and one more:

"trying times are not the times to stop trying"

- ray owens

happiness project update

as this rotation comes to an end and I am preparing to move into a new house (!!) and start my next rotation, here are the things I have learned this past make me happy:

this yoga podcast

***

making delicious food like this recipe using these spring veggies from our CSA
 

***
this song, which I've been grooving to nonstop today (creepy video but the song is excellent)

***

reading and discussing completely non-medical books like The Hunger Games (seeing the movie tonight!)
especially when they have a bad-ass Diana-like female protagonist
 

***

sunshine longer into the evenings for long runs with friends after work
(where we intentionally do NOT talk about medicine)

***

having a pretty unchanging morning routine that lets me sit and read while sipping some coffee

source

***
biking to work

 

(okay, so we may not actually be going to work in this photo)

And now, some things I want to work on during my next rotation/next month:

***

writing in my journal more

***

lifting 2x a week - no more, no less

***

eating veggies in every meal

***

getting to bed earlier - which means quitting work and computer puttering earlier
***
getting back to my friends sooner when they get in touch with me 

***

surrounding myself with big beautiful green and colorful plants, especially in the kitchen and bathroom
***

What have you done that has made you happy this past month?  
What are you looking forward to doing more of in the next month to better pursue happiness?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I remind myself there is no such thing as balance in my life.  If I want to truly be happy, I put my family first and then figure out how to do everything else"
-Stephanie Neilson

cabbage: the perfect veggie

Super easy delicious cole slaw recipe

(we made it with home made pizza with dough made with help from the bread machine and covered with zucchinni, squash, onions, garlic, oregano, basil and a little bit of mozzerella cheese)

Ingredients:
6c shredded cabbage
1 carrot, shredded
2/3 cup mayonaise
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 &1/2 tbsp sugar or to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Preparation:
toss cabbage in a large bowel with the carrots.  In another bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients, cabbage, and carrots and toss to coat thoroughly.  Refrigerate until serving time and serve cool.

Serves about 6.

You may recall this as an incredible edition to my southern food themed 25th birthday a few years ago (wow, truly):




~~~~~~~~~~
"they say an end can be a start/feels like I've been buried yet I'm still alive/
it's like a bad day that never ends/I feel the chaos around me/
A thing I don't try to deny/I'd better learn to accept that/
there are things in my life that I can't control
if I ever feel better/remind me to spend some good time with you"


-pheonix, if I ever feel better

happiness project update

"rules for happiness: something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for"

-Immanuel Kant


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
things I have pursued that have really made me happy:

1. a hike up a mountain in the snow - and back down gliding on snowshoes!

2. driving out to visit my grandparents for a weekend

3. swimming in an indoor pool
(something about being in a bikini in the winter feels so...freeing!)

4. going out to a nearby cafe to work through some life stuff one list at a time, while sipping chai lattes

5. baking bread not straight from a recipe (cooking makes me so happy***)

6. a long run in the morning on Saturday
(even though it seemed crazy, it was the best way to start the weekend)

7. late night soccer games
(finish at midnight, shower, and try try try to fall asleep)

8. going to bed early

9. waking up on a Sunday and just reading in bed for an hour - so luxurious!

10. getting a new apartment!  (stay tuned for details)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What's making you happy in February?


***to get your creativity juices started - here are some incredible vegetarian recipes for dinner that are easy and use ingredients you probably have on hand.  Get your yummy happy on.

a good day off/how viral pharyngitis can be a good thing

I had a pretty awesome but definitely less-than-restful weekend - my fault of course, for how much I packed in, but I truly wouldn't have wanted to miss any of it.

After a 50 hour week plus driving 2-4 hours/day (another 20-30 hours), I woke up early on Saturday and drove an hour to attend a Pediatric Conference (so great) then had lunch with a friend from college I hadn't seen in forever (amazing), drove 2 more hours to go rock climbing with some friends (who also happen to be pro rock climbers) then grabbed some delicious pizza before driving another 2 hours back to Burlington for a total of 12 beautiful hours filled with a little bit of sleep, delicious brunch, and board games in the sun with friends - finally, I headed back Sunday evening to stay with my grandparents for my final week of outpatient peds. They greeted me with a delicious dinner and scintillating conversation, but I was exhausted.

so exhausted, in fact, that I woke up at 3 am with chills, unable to swallow because my throat hurt so much. Being the budding doctor I am, I checked my throat for soft palate petichiae, exudate on my tonsils, any swollen cervical lymph nodes and noted that I did not have a cough: ack. strept throat?

they say everyone gets sick on their pediatric rotation, so when I drove the hour into the clinic, my attending looked at me and said, "I guess it is about that time - you're two weeks into pediatrics, so it was just a matter of time before you got sick. let's check out your throat". My throat looked pretty awful, according to him, so we did a rapid strept test: negative. So we diagnosed me with viral pharyngitis (translation: sore throat not caused by bacteria like streptococcus), I took naproxen and continued as normal. But by 2, I was seriously fading, and my attending could tell because he stopped quizzing me as we went and by 4:30, he told me to go home and take the next day as a "reading day" at home (he's off anyways so I don't feel too awful that I probably exacerbated this sickness by my busy weekend).

which leads me to the point of this post: how to take a good day off (whether it's because you're sick or just in need of a mental health day or both)

step 1: sleep in - but not too much that you just want to sleep forever! I actually slept until the late hour of 7:30am this morning and it was GLORIOUS! I never thought 7:30 would sound so late...

step 2: get outside, especially if it's sunny. fresh air and circulation do wonders for feeling better. I took a long walk with a run in the middle. It felt so luxurious to not be rushed through a workout.

step 3: eat well. listen to what your body craves and eat that and only that. I think when you're sick, your body gets even better at telling you what it needs. my body really liked this smoothie combination: (cantelope, peaches, spring mix salad, blueberries, arugula, banana) made in the awesome magic bullet that I'm borrowing from my friend while she's away. I want one!

step 4: be by water or better - be IN it. nothing takes away the aches of being sick like being weightless and smooth. I decided to swim just a few laps in the heat of the day after my walk/run.

step 5: only talk to people who are good for your health (you know what I mean) - luckily I have these two around:

"there is no duty we underrate so much as the duty of being happy"

-robert louis stevenson

Summer Salad Frenzy

now that I'm working 12+ hour days and only really about to start the really time-consuming clerkships, I've asked an expert for some advice on adding some more delicious veggies to my every day in a way that doesn't require a ton of time or money.

bring on the deliciousness!

Here's some quick salad recipes with which to experiment:

start with your favorite salad mix:

I like half spring mix/half spinach +hearts of romaine

Veggie (or Beef) Taco Salad

beans, tomato, tortilla chips, avocado, green peppers, onions

add some nonfat greek yogurt for extra yum

if you have salsa that's all you need

Garden Salad

colored peppers, cucumbers, tomato, carrots

olive oil/vinegar dressing

Chinese Salad

chicken, purple cabbage, carrots, tortilla chips

soy sauce/sesame oil dressing

Mediterranean Salad

precooked pasta, tomatoes, feta/any kind of cheese

Thanksgiving Salad

red peppers, goat cheese, walnuts, dried cranberries

turkey/chicken optional

olive oil/vinegar

Sweet Potato Salad

baked sweet potato cut up in pieces

dried cranberries, celery

Fish Salad

asparagus, carrots,

sardines

(apparently they have the highest omega-3 content and lowest mercury level of any fish)

best black bean soup recipe

looking for something delicious and easy to cook this evening?

here's a recipe that will make your belly smile,

healthy, filling, and you can eat it in many ways for the next week

(adapted from Chris's recipe)

Black Bean Soup (serves 4-6?)

In the pot ingredients:

1 29oz can black beans (they're the bigger ones)

1 15oz can whole corn

1 large onion

1 green bell pepper

1 jar salsa (your choice, but cheap salsa works great)

1 tomato, sliced or 1 can tomatoes

1-3 jalapeno peppers (for the spicy, I'm a 1 jalepeno lady myself)

black pepper

cumin

1/2 bulb of garlic

a little oil

Toppings

cilantro, chopped

1 medium sized bag of tortilla chips or tortillas or tostadas

1 carton nonfat plain greek yogurt (or sour cream)

lime

Steps to Greatness:

• put oil and garlic into bottom of pot and heat at high.
• Chop up all vegetables
• Add onions, jalapenos, green pepper and season with black pepper.
• Cook at high heat until onions are a little translucent and the vegetables are soft.
• Add everything that isn't in the "toppings" category (do not drain the cans of their delicious bean/corn juice, add those into your soup)
• add lots of cumin
• Cook on high heat until it boils, then reduce heat to simmer.
• Adjust with black pepper/cumin to taste.
• Let it simmer between 20min-2hrs (soup should thicken up as the pot simmers. Also, if you have jalapenos in there, the soup will get spicier the longer it simmers.)

Serve with chopped cilantro, a dallop of greek yogurt/sour cream,

and crushed tortilla chips on top!

yummmmmm

into the light

This is (completely unrelated to the rest of this post) a photo of me and my grandma when my grandparents came to visit me in Florida! We went to an awesome state park where we saw sting rays and lots of fish, as well as tons of flowers and trees that we had been missing - SO MUCH COLOR! Then we had delicious fresh fish at a little Italian restaurant we found. Later we discovered a sculpture garden to wander through where we saw more exotic plants as well as sculptures ranging from Theodore Roosevelt sitting on a bench to modernist art of forms walking up steps. It was pretty perfect.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I think I've figured out the hardest thing to treat in medicine.

At one point I thought it was PAIN -

because pain pathways continue to send signals even after limbs are amputated and ends of nerves destroyed.

Another time I though it was DELUSIONS -

because how do you convince someone that their reality is false?

Now I think it's HOPELESSNESS.

A man came in today to our inpatient psychiatric unit and in a complete defeated, but not flat (devoid of emotion) voice, told us that his life was to the point where it just wasn't worth anything anymore. He made a bunch of bad decisions, ended up on the street, found out that he was a pretty good thief while simultaneously learning that certain drugs can take away not just all your pain but all feeling altogether. So his life has slipped even further into not caring about anyone, not caring about himself, just stealing for dealers in exchange for pain pills day in and day out. I wouldn't even say he was depressed, he just felt completely depleted of hope, and clearly had felt that way for a while. He then told us that while he would "contract for safety" on the unit, meaning that he would enter a contract where he would ask for help if he thought he might hurt himself, he would most certainly kill himself when he left.

what do you say when someone says that to you?

I asked one of the nurses and we talked about how it's possible that once we help him get medication for depression, find a place to live, and connect him with other people in the unit, he'll feel like perhaps he has something to live for.

So that's the hardest task in medicine: helping someone find something to live for. as the quakers would say, helping them find the light.

I'm still hopeful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"there'll be no more hiding in the shadows of fear

there'll be no more chains to hold you

the future is yours - you hold the key

and there are no walls with freedom

side by side we are not afraid

because the train is coming to carry you home

come dance with me

come on and dance into the light"

-phil collins

also, for fun: easy peanut sauce

shoutout to the BLT

so my ridiculously awesome sister has started an incredible blog about strong women living a healthy, active lifestyle. She has delicious recipe ideas, easy and effective workout moves to mix up your routine, tips on what sweet workout clothes you need to get moving, and profound reflections on how to keep all that moving going on.

she seriously rocks it over there, so check it out for yourself and definitely write comments about your favorite workout clothes/moves/recipes - she LOVES it.

Check it: The BLT

warming the belly

Q: What's your favorite thing to cook/eat during the winter?

A: soup!!

Because all I've been craving in this cold weather is SOUP of all kinds, I looked up the BASICS of how to make soup and came upon this great article by Mark Bittman about how to make many types of delicious soups with relative simplicity. I love his style and plan on referring back to this a lot in upcoming months/years.

1. CREAMY

Creamy Spinach Soup

Put 1 chopped onion, 2 peeled garlic cloves, 3 cups water and salt and pepper in a pot over high heat. Boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer until the onion is tender, about 10 minutes. Add 10 ounces chopped spinach and 1/2 cup parsley leaves; cook until the spinach is tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 cup Greek-style yogurt and purée. Garnish: A spoonful of Greek-style yogurt and chopped parsley.

Squash-and-Ginger Soup

Substitute 1 tablespoon minced ginger for the garlic and 4 cups chopped butternut squash for the spinach (it will take longer to soften). Skip the parsley and substitute half-and-half or cream for the yogurt. Garnish: A spoonful of cream.

Curried Cauliflower Soup

Substitute 1 tablespoon minced ginger for the garlic, 2 cups cauliflower florets for the spinach (they will take longer to soften), 1 tablespoon curry powder for the parsley and coconut milk for the yogurt. Garnish: Chopped cilantro.

2. BROTHY

Vegetable Broth With Toast

Put 2 chopped carrots, 2 chopped onions, 1 small chopped potato, 2 chopped celery ribs, 2 garlic cloves, 10 sliced mushrooms, 1 cup chopped tomatoes (canned are fine), 10 parsley sprigs, 1/2 ounce dried porcini, 8 cups water and salt and pepper in a pot over high heat. Boil, lower heat and simmer until the vegetables are soft, 30 minutes or longer. Strain and serve over toasted good bread. Garnish: Chopped celery leaves.

Egg Drop Soup

Beat 4 eggs. Boil the strained stock, lower the heat so it simmers and add the eggs in a steady stream, stirring constantly until they’re cooked, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped scallions, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Skip the bread. Garnish: Chopped scallions.

Rice-and-Pea Soup

Boil the strained stock, lower the heat so it simmers and add 3/4 cup white rice. Cook until tender, then add 2 cups fresh or frozen peas; cook for a minute or two. Skip the bread. Garnish: Grated Parmesan.

3. HEARTY

Bean Soup

Put 1 1/2 cup dried beans, 1 chopped onion, 2 chopped carrots, 2 chopped celery ribs, 2 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves and 6 cups water in a pot over high heat. Boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer until the beans are soft, at least 1 hour, adding more water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish: A drizzle of olive oil.

Chickpea-and-Pasta Soup

Substitute chickpeas for the beans and rosemary for the thyme and add 1 cup chopped tomatoes (canned are fine). When the chickpeas are almost tender, add 1/2 cup small pasta. Cook until the pasta and chickpeas are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Garnish: A few chopped rosemary leaves.

Spicy Black-Bean Soup

Use black beans and substitute fresh oregano for the thyme. When the beans are done, add 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 dried or canned chipotle and the juice of a lime. Garnish: Cilantro and sour cream.

4. HEARTY

Minestrone

Sauté 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped carrot, 1 chopped celery rib and 1 teaspoon minced garlic in 3 tablespoons olive oil for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups cubed potatoes and salt and pepper; cook for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup chopped tomatoes (canned are fine) and 5 cups water. Boil, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add 1 cup chopped green beans; simmer for 20 minutes. Garnish: Chopped parsley and grated Parmesan.

Mushroom Soup

Substitute 1 1/2 pounds sliced mushrooms (preferably an assortment) for the potatoes; sauté until they brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Substitute ½ cup white wine for the tomatoes, skip the green beans and add a fresh thyme sprig with the water. Garnish: A few thyme leaves.

Tomato-and-Garlic Soup

Use 2 tablespoons minced garlic and substitute 2 tablespoons tomato paste for the celery. Skip the potatoes and green beans; use 3 cups tomatoes and 3 cups water. Cook the tomatoes for 10 to 15 minutes. Garnish: Lots of chopped or torn basil.

Making Magic Bread

Among the many fabulous things I did on this Labor Day weekend with my sister is bake challah - which I have been meaning to do forever. Here's the recipe we used (it was a hit!)

Challah Recipe

(from Grace)

Ingredients:

2 packages dry yeast

2.5 cups warm water

0.5 cup honey

0.75 cup oil

4 eggs

9 cups flour

Glaze:

1 egg yolk, beaten

1 tbsp water

Poppy seeds

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Dissolve yeast in water in a large bowl. Add honey and let stand for 2 minutes or until yeast ferments.

3. Add salt, oil, and eggs and mix well

4. Gradually add flour, 2 cups at a time, mixing after each addition. As mixture gets stiff, use floured hands and begin kneading. Knead for at least 7 minutes, turning dough over often.

5. Let rise in greased bowl until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.

Punch down. Separate challah without blessing.

6. Divide dough into thirds, shape as desired and place in greased pan or baking sheet. Let rise again until doubled in size.

7. Brush with glaze. Bake for 45 minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the blessing that we like (that is not correct for a Jewish meal, but whatever...)

"namaste" (I bow to the divine within you)

Whatchu Eating (now that you live in a beautiful house in the country?)

An incredible summer recipe from a friend:

Bean Salad Recipe (makes a lot!)

1 can kidney beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can black beans
3 c. blanched green beans (buy fresh), chopped into bite sized pieces
1 c. corn (frozen and thawed or boiled)
2 small carrots, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped

Rinse beans and corn (if frozen, to thaw) and throw in a big mixing bowl with green beans, carrots and onion.

Dressing:
1 packet of Italian dressing mix (directions on packet, makes about 1 cup)
2 Tbsp. water
¼ c. vinegar (I use 50% rice vinegar and 50% red wine vinegar but any kind will do)
½ c. extra virgin olive oil
2-3 Tbsp. of fresh dill, chopped (optional)

Mix all dressing ingredients except oil. Slowly introduce oil while whisking to fully emulsify.

Dress and toss. Cover and let marinate in fridge over night (flavor gets better the farther in advance you make it!). Toss again and add extra fresh dill (or other fresh herbs) before serving.

Note: this is a very easy, flexible recipe that’s great for hot weather. You can change up the veggies you add and the dressing (a Dijon mustard dressing is also good). I like to keep a big batch in the fridge and add to it to keep the flavors going.